Streaming Playlists
Spotify • Apple Music • Tidal
Picked by Brendan Keller-Tuberg
For The First Time – Black Country, New Road
If there’s one thing that never fails to get me excited in music, it’s the unclassifiable – and Black Country, New Road is certainly that. A septet of both conservatory-trained and self-taught musicians, Black Country, New Road’s music could perhaps be best described through its (self-purported) connections to fellow British experimentalists Black Midi, or the 90s post-rock group Slint. But where those bands both primarily live in more angular, abrasive, or dark landscapes, BC,NR balance their free-jazz-klezmer-noise rock breakdowns with moments of stark melodic clarity and beauty, often through their violin and alto saxophone frontline (in interviews they have repeatedly stated their aspirations to be ‘the next Arcade Fire’). This is a dense, knotty, expertly paced listen and a genuinely exhilarating first statement from a band that is sure to only deepen its musical impact in the coming years.
Human – Shai Maestro
I first heard the Israeli jazz pianist Shai Maestro as part of Avishai Cohen’s trio on 2008’s Gently Disturbed (an absolute classic IMO), and while Maestro’s work clearly shares musical DNA with Avishai Cohen’s past releases, his output on ECM Records has seen him find his own voice within this incredibly fertile aesthetic and compositional framework. On this second album for ECM, Maestro’s long-standing trio with Jorge Roeder and Ofri Nehemya is bolstered by Philip Dizack on trumpet, and his addition I think proves to be a revelation and perfect fit – to the point which it feels like Dizack works as a seamless extension of Maestro’s musicianship, manifesting all the things Maestro wanted to play the whole time, but couldn’t due to the limitations of his instrument of choice. Above all, his contributions emphasize the deep commitment to melody and the intimate, unpretentious story-telling that defines Shai Maestro’s music.
There are so many highlights here that it’s hard to list them all – the high-octane but unbelievably spacious and delicate playing in the fastest 13 you’ve ever heard on The Thief’s Dream, the incredibly impressive unison melody that dominates the duo piece GG, or one of the (if not the) hippest arrangements of In A Sentimental Mood you’ve ever heard. Definitely check this one out if modern improvised music is your thing.
it was always worth it – claire rousay
While this extended ambient composition is not the most imminently re-playable pick on this list, it makes up for it in the unique and unforgettable experience it provides the listener. You’re going to want to sit down in a secluded, private space for this one. it was always worth it takes the form of a single, 20-minute, stark, uncomfortably personal and revealing autopsy of a relationship. You will hear a combination of synth soundscapes and violin stitched together into ambient soundscapes peppered with some disruptive moments of sound-collage (Pauline Oliveros is referenced in the album’s Bandcamp description). You will also hear domestic field recordings from the last week of Rousay’s relationship, and text-to-speech readings of painfully real ‘various love letters over the last six years’. I think the Achilles heel of a lot of modern art music is its inability to meaningfully prioritize emotional impact over technical craftsmanship and intellectualism, and the ‘emo-ambient’ on offer here is its very antithesis. This feels like the aural equivalent to a movie like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is to say it is very very good and deeply affecting – I’m very excited to continue to dig into Claire Rousay’s prolific discography and hear what she does next (her next album ‘a softer focus’ will be released next month!).
Forever In Your Heart – Black Dresses
I’ve been on a bit of a hyperpop kick lately – perhaps due to its unapologetic, seriously intense and uncompromising commitment to fun (something I often miss in the continuing maelstrom of 2020-2021). Perhaps it was also due to the recent passing of SOPHIE, a true musical innovator and architect of this visceral and liberating sub-genre, of which the Toronto-based duo Black Dresses takes clear inspiration from. Don’t get it twisted though – while Black Dresses remain unafraid to pen a gargantuan pop hook on their latest record Forever In Your Heart, their music is far more caustic and tortured than their more sugary hyperpop compatriots. In fact, the heavy-metal guitar riffs, ear-shattering blasts of noise and industrially-tinged percussion, not to mention the shouted-yelped-screamed vocal stylings, conjure a violent, oppressive atmosphere of fear more than anything.
Weirdly though, it almost doesn’t necessarily feel like Black Dresses wanted it to be this way. The soundscapes they conjure often feel like a cage – a representation of the world around them, or their personal battles and traumas, from which they desperately try to escape. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the increasing darkness of the world around us can’t stop us from pushing forward towards a better future, instead we must be spurred on by it, no matter how difficult it may be at times. When the duo howl ‘CAN WE MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL WITH NO HOPE!??’ together on the opener PEACESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can feel the power of their earnestness in this attempt, while acknowledging its horrendous difficulty and personal toll. It’s messy, and noisy, and disgusting, but it is indeed beautiful, and deeply human, and I love it.
TYRON – slowthai
slowthai’s choice to title his much-anticipated second album after his real name was no lazy move. A musician clearly deeply frustrated by the disconnect between his public image as a brash trouble-maker and provocateur, and his true internal self, TYRON represents an concerted effort on his behalf to break down these boundaries and embrace the inherent contradictions in his personhood on record. TYRON’s first leg is a mini-suite of trap and grime influenced bangers, highlighting slowthai’s more aggressive and nihilistic tendencies, but this is only half the story. TYRON’s clearly delineated second half (and its personal highlight for me) presents a slower, more melodic and introspective side to slowthai which upends rap’s typical culture of hyper-masculinity and braggadocio. It’s more akin to a heartfelt diary entry detailing past relationships, struggles with mental health, battles with substance abuse, and more (collaborators such as James Blake only play into these qualities more). I uniformly appreciate rappers allowing audiences into this more vulnerable side of themselves, and there is no exception here. Be sure to check out some of the music videos that accompanied the album’s singles – in particular feel away’s accompanying video (see above) features some of the most vivid, creative imagery I’ve seen in a music video for a long while.
Streaming Playlists
Spotify • Apple Music • Tidal