A crazy amount of good music and music-adjacent content has been released this past week. As your friend, I have compiled some of the best stuff right here for you.
Conway the Machine & The Alchemist – LULU
Over 23 minutes of ominously creeping boom bap crafted by one of the most dominant producers of the past two decades, Conway vividly paints the harsh reality of life as a coldblooded drug kingpin. With menacing flows and clever metaphors, he documents the come-up to his power and issues violent threats to his competitors, while subtly revealing the paranoia of trying to stay alive in the game.
RIYL: Paid in Full (sampled several times on the EP), Mobb Deep, Mista Thug Isolation, NBA bars, gun adlibs
Purchase LULU here
DJ Sacred – Sacred Mixes Vol. V “Revelation”
DJ Sacred broke out in a big way in 2019 with Dungeon Rap: The Introduction, a dark and mysterious album, released under three aliases, that blended lo-fi Memphis hip hop with the mystical occult world of dungeon synth. It serves as the perfect soundtrack for holding a seance while playing Dungeons and Dragons. I highly recommend it if you like the gritty sounds on this short release, which features a flip of Homeshake’s “Like Mariah” that is especially ice cold.
RIYL: Three Six Mafia, Tommy Wright III, phonk, the 808 cowbell sound, selling tapes out of the trunk of your car
Purchase Sacred Mixes Vol. V “Revelation” here
Ellis – born again
The bio on the Bandcamp page for Ellis offers a concise yet apt description of Linnea Siggelkow’s music: “sad but nice”. Born again is sad, but nice. Really nice. Siggelkow’s gentle vocal delivery packs a blow with her weighty and vulnerable introspective confessions, swaying amongst an airy atmosphere of crystalline guitars that build into cathartic crescendos. It’s a powerful debut album by the Hamilton-based musician.
RIYL: Soccer Mommy, Kevin Krauter, Julien Baker, sitting silently in the rear passenger seat of a car and gazing out the window
Purchase born again here
Purity Ring – WOMB
It’s been five years since Purity Ring’s last album and they are back baby! While the soaring electro-pop sound of WOMB more closerly resembles what we’ve heard on Another Eternity, the duo have stepped back from the massive hooks that were all over that record in favour of song structures more closely resembling what was on Shrines. Like usual, Corin Roddick’s unearthly production catapults us up to the heavens graced by the light angelic vocals of Megan James. This is a band that has nailed down a signature sound but continues to find fresh and exciting directions to take it into. Being from my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta gives them extra cool points as well.
RIYL: Grimes, Odesza, The Knife, your ears ringing and teeth clicking
Purchase WOMB here
Rossum Universal Tracks – There Will Come Soft Reigns
There’s been a lot of excellently soothing music coming out lately and it couldn’t be more timely. You can add the ambient house on this new release from Rossum Universal Tracks to the list. Its warm tape hiss and pillowly soft atmospheres create a world of tranquilty you can lose yourself inside.
RIYL: Seb Wildblood, Basic Channel, lo-fi downtempo beats to gaze out the window at night while holding a warm beverage to, lowering your heart rate
Purchase There Will Come Soft Reigns here
Yaeji – What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던
Yaeji has been carving out a unique place in the house scene for a while with her minimalist hip hop inflected sound and a whispery vocal styling much like what is now heavily in vogue on the charts. On What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던, she continues to use her voice in new and creative ways, exploring modulations, various flows, and sampling and chopping it up into glitchy melodies. By adding some knocking beats and colourful appearances by the many artists featuring on this project, she’s put a really fun mixtape together.
RIYL: Charli XCX, Shygirl, Billie Eilish but you wish doing so would give more underground cred, Mother Russia in your cup.
Purchase What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던 here
Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind
I really can’t think of an album I’ve eagerly anticipated more than this one. Sean Bowie, not related biologically to David but perhaps artistically, has taken the Yves Tumor moniker through such a fascinating evolution with every release. Yves slowly emerged from the sound collage sewer murk of early projects like Serpent Music to reveal a psychedelic glam-rock superstar persona on this stunning new record. If you aren’t knocked on your ass by the hard-hitting horns of “Gospel For a New Century” or decapitatingly-explosive vocals of Diana Gordon and the mind-melting guitar solo on “Kerosene!”, I’d be very shocked and a little disappointed in you. We’ll be seeing this album all over best of the year lists when December hits.
RIYL: Prince, Andre 300, TV on the Radio, shiny pants, cryptids, anthemic choruses
Purchase Heaven to a Tortured Mind here
Gardening with Colin – Season 2 Episode 3 “Barbecue for One”
In quarantine times, many musicians are finding a little more time on their hands and are diversifying their creative output. Colin Caulfield, who plays guitar in DIIV, has brought back his gardening show for a second season. It’s a lighthearted look at life as amateur gardener, made incredibly enjoyable by the lovable softspoken host, who admits he’s not great at it, but gives it his best shot and tries to share as much wisdom as he can.
In this most recent episode, we join Colin’s barbecue for one, in which he cooks some plant burgers and contemplates life in isolation. It may not be the best intro to the series because there isn’t any actual gardening, which is why I recommend starting at the beginning of the series. Episode 1 of season 1 is below and trust me, you’re in for a treat.