Album reviews
St. Vincent, Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista)
St. Vincent is back on the scene — this time, as a psychedelic space queen in a bleached bob-cut and bell bottoms. Her sixth studio album, Daddy’s Home, features experimental grooves and melodies that drag you down a rabbit hole back to the early ’70s. Tracks like “Pay Your Way In Pain” and “The Melting of the Sun” offer listeners a diverse blend of funk, psychedelic rock and gospel that culminates in something completely original yet nostalgic. Other songs like the luscious “Candy Darling” and Pink Floyd-esque “Live in the Dream” solidify the artist’s realization of a specific time and place. Throw in some majestic guitar solos and you’ve got yourself a damn good concept album. 9/10 Trial Track: “The Melting of the Sun” (Al Sciola)
Backxwash, I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses (Ugly Hag)
Danger, chaos and threat are all elements of what keeps hip hop interesting and alive, keeping the door open for new generations that will still inevitably turn their back on the mainstream and seek out emotions to relate to in music. There is much identification to be found in Backxwash’s third outing for the angry, confused and disillusioned among us who nonetheless refuse to let go of hope. I Lie Here Buried has the added benefit of being accessible for more seasoned music fans who sometimes get the feeling we’ve heard it all before but nonetheless wait in anticipation for artists like Backxwash to come along and put a new stamp of authenticity on familiar packaging. This is not exactly “raw” how ODB liked it, or how Big Daddy Kane described it. But when the drugs have run out, you’ve fucked yourself silly, your tear ducts are like sandpaper and blood and plaster have caked into your knuckles from punching holes in the wall, Backxwash brings you to a safe space to finally lie buried. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Terror Packets” ft. Censored Dialogue (Darcy MacDonald)
Your Old Droog, Time (Mongoloid Banks/Nature Sounds)
“I’m not in a Rush/Fuck Geddy Lee,” raps the Brooklyn-based Droog on the intro to his latest arrival, a 15-track collection that lands nicely on these muggy, post-solstice summer days and nights, when hours and minutes come and go at their own leisure. Some will last forever, others are gone in an instant, and as hip hop approaches its sixth decade, hazy memories are a suitable substitute for dates, names and times, though YOG has plenty of those in the bank, too, and doesn’t hold back from calling them out here when necessary. Once upon a career mistaken for Nas, and often lauded as the heir apparent to frequent collaborator MF DOOM (who comes with a savage posthumous guest appearance on album standout “Dropout Boogie”), Droog’s considerable body of work still dwells in whatever’s left of the New York underground. This latest will likely find its audience with quintessential hip hop fans who still take precious moments to enjoy beats and lyrics carefully and deliberately. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Quiet Time” (Darcy MacDonald)
Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (Columbia/Sony)
What is there left to prove for Tyler, the Creator after releasing a project as masterful as IGOR? On its follow-up, the Odd Future founder takes a victory lap. This one is for day-one fans. The project is considerably more low-stakes than other Tyler releases, with most of the songs feeling akin to freestyles. Hosted by the legendary DJ Drama, Call Me If You Get Lost is the rapper’s very own homage to the 2000s-era Gangsta Grillz mixtapes that helped shape him. 7.5/10 Trial Track: «Juggernaut» (feat. Lil Uzi Vert & Pharrell Williams) (Mr. Wavvy)
DJ Kay Slay, Accolades (EMPIRE)
DJ Kay Slay’s latest eight-track offering is a gruelling listen, to say the least. The New York disc jockey has gone from making quality hip hop to becoming heavily reliant on gimmicks. This time around, the most concerning example is “Rolling 110 Deep,” which features a whopping 110 different emcees. This ambitious concept is near-immediately disappointing, with the likes of Jadakiss, Ice-T and, for some reason, Shaquille O’Neal rapping about absolutely nothing. Accolades is rapping for rapping’s sake, with lots of halfbaked punchlines without any substance behind them. 3.5/10 Trial Track: “Wild Child” (feat. the LOX, McGruff, Black Rob & Razah) (Mr. Wavvy)