The Spins

I was watching the Barcelona-Real Madrid derby game this past weekend, and there was something that was glaring to me. Barcelona’s shirt sponsor is Spotify. Putting all of the problems that I have with the company (e.g., their low musician payouts) aside, they worked out some sort of deal with Travis Scott so that Scott’s label, Cactus Jack, is on the front of their shirt. This leads to my plea: Can we stop trying to make Travis Scott a thing? When was the last time you were sitting in your house and thinking to yourself, “You know what would make this situation better? Travis Scott.”? The answer to this question is absolutely never. A completely inessential rapper if there ever was one, but the world keeps trying to tell me that he’s important. Let’s just face facts. He’s not.

As a point of note, MF Doom’s Operation Doomsday slaps. It has the sound of a bunch of dudes standing around in an apartment with a jerry-rigged microphone and a janky recording interface spitting the hardest rhymes they can come up with. Honestly, I think they might just be rapping directly into a SM-58, but I’ll give them more credit than that. If you haven’t listened to it in a while, do yourself a favor and put it on.

Now, let’s move into the actual recommendations for this week.

Erika de Casier, Lifetime

Erika de Casier is a longtime favorite of mine, and she has a very defined sound…until this release. Instead of riffing on Aaliyah and two-step, de Casier plays with 80s R&B and 90s trip-hop. The result is phenomenal, and she remains the coolest. If she decides she wants to do a little more with this aesthetic, I will not be mad at all.

RIYL: Sade, Sneaker Pimps, chill vibes

Kali Uchis, Sincerely,

Uchis’s first English-only album is a contemplation of her newfound motherhood as well as losing her mother. She’s as brilliant as always, but the real shock on this album is the sonic palette. Rather than using more modern R&B, hip-hop, and Latin sounds, the album is anchored in retro pop sounds. There are riffs that could have been stolen from a Chris Isaak album, and other songs remind me of 50s and 60s pop songs. The whole thing is very smooth and dreamy and quite a change from the artist.

RIYL: Chris Isaak, Bobby Vinton, Dusty Springfield

Preoccupations, Ill at ease

The Canadian ensemble turns out one of their most immediately accessible records. It is far more synth-based than their previous releases, but the new sound works for the band. When I listened to it the first time, I said to myself that they fucked around and made a Drab Majesty record. In my world, this is an awesome thing.

RIYL: Drab Majesty, Depeche Mode, FACS, Cola

Billy Woods, GOLLIWOG

I will tell you now: When I go to consider the best albums of the year, this will be in that mix. It will be one of the first albums that I think about. That being said, this album is bleak. Woods raps about real street struggles through the frames of horror and sci-fi. Despite the darkness, it’s meticulously rapped and phenomenally produced. It warrants multiple listens, but each one will not be easy.

RIYL: Earl Sweatshirt, Gravediggaz, Definitive Jux, Company Flow

Sunday (1994), Devotion

I put this here because I think that this band is onto something. This EP shows that Sunday (1994) might actually be an interesting shoegaze/dream-pop band. While I don’t think they’ve quite nailed it here (they are still dialing their sound in a bit), there is enough here to tell folks interested in shoegaze and dream pop to check them out. I’m going to keep an eye out for their debut album. I think it will be very good.

RIYL: Cocteau Twins, Opal, Winter

PinkPantheress, Fancy That

I find her to be at her best when she’s just flipping off ideas to sounds from the dancefloor. This is a 20-minute blast and an absolute delight of a mixtape. Deeply enjoyed this listen. An excellent introduction to one of the UK’s up-and-coming pop stars if you’re not already familiar.

RIYL: Nia Archives, Sudan Archives, Erika de Casier, Magdalena Bay

Deradoorian, Ready for Heaven

I thought that this album did an excellent job of balancing her clearly experimental leanings with more standard pop ideas. Furthermore, Deradoorian is an excellent vocalist, using her voice to convey emotions and change the tenor of a song. Knowing her from guest spots rather than from her own music, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I was completely blown away. I found this wildly engaging.

RIYL: Jane Weaver, Goat, Psychedelica

Mclusky, the world is still here and so are we

Did you used to listen to Mclusky, the Scottish noise-punk band, when you were younger, only to lose track of them because they stopped releasing music in 2004? If yes, this band is exactly the same one you remember and, honestly, a little better. The attack is sharper and the lyrics are more ferocious. If you’re not familiar with them, feel free to start right here and go backwards.

RIYL: Shellac, Metz, The Jesus Lizard

Honestly, when I started writing this, I thought I only had four albums. It’s fun that I had more. I’m still unclear about what the long post holds, but I imagine that it will be about a singular album. Which one? That’s the real question. You’ll find out on Saturday when it hits your mailbox.