Dark Red is the second studio album from producer Shlohmo (aka Henry Laufer). After releasing No More with R&B singer Jeremih in 2014, an EP of baby-making music, this new project takes a turn for the ambient and dark. Heavy drones cast a dark cloud over the album, but Shlohmo switches up the vibe with complex beats, […]
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“Portico” is the Italian word for a walkway/porch with columns that cover the entrance to a building. It also is the name for the band Portico, formerly Portico Quartet. No longer a quartet, Portico now consists of members Milo Fitzpatrick, Jack Wyllie, and Duncan Bellamy, all contributing to the band’s change and development from folkier sounds to […]
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Big Data is an electronic explosion of strange Internet references from producer Alan Wilkis and his impressive roster of featured artists. The first album is appropriately titled 1.0, and 2.0 is precisely that—an upgrade from the first edition. All but one of the tracks on 2.0 features another artist, and these different guests drive the album in […]
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Once upon a time Ben Cook was a child actor, and once upon a time he was a member of the band Fucked Up. Now, he’s going by the name Young Guv for his new solo album Ripe 4 Luv. The album is a weird combination of power pop, garage rock, and retro guitar riffs. […]
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Eat, Pray, Thug is the stellar solo project of former Das Racist member Heems. Most striking in Eat, Pray, Thug is the honesty and insight Heems expresses through witty and complex rhymes. It is also a musically on-point hip-hop record with unique and beats, thanks to producers Dev Hynes, Boody B, Harry Fraud, and Voidwell. With raps about “9/11 and […]
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Tuxedo is a new-ish collaborative project from Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. Though its first album has just been released, the duo began quite some time ago, with a three track teaser release a few years back, attracting massive hype—even Pitbull sampled “Do It.” Tangling old-school influences with the two artists’ individual sounds, the duo makes a […]
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Romare’s newest release Projections uses both remixes and samples to pay homage to African musical traditions. If each track is looked at as a kind of sound collage, Romare’s original work and his ear for sampling are celebrated both individually and collectively. His creation is mellow and engaging, yet complex. There are bluesy moments, swinging jazz […]
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French producer Rone’s fourth studio album Creatures is easy to get lost in and entranced by with its minimalist techno beats. Each score is epic, cinematic, and captivating. There isn’t a clear concept for the album, but the tracks are connected through their similarities in composition. Rone has a high standard of craftsmanship for each […]
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EP2 is the second installation in the EP trilogy by ALSO, and is only two tracks long. The sparse tracklist is narrative-like; the beats progress with the ebbs and flows of a story, coming to climaxes at different points. The EP is a quirky nod to Detroit house, sharing similar sounds and melodies with the […]
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The freshly signed and unparalleled Le1f raps, “Basic bitches must think I’m a head case/They ain’t fucking with this next level headspace,” on his debut EP Hey. The openly gay New York native has released three stellar mixtapes within the last two years and is behind the production of Das Racist’s internet hit, “Combination Pizza Hit […]
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“I’m just making it for people who want to get lost,” says Angel Haze as she introduces us to her first studio album, Dirty Gold. Not even 10 full seconds pass before a synth-heavy beat cuts in, and suddenly Haze is spitting a mile a minute. Known for writing narratives that ooze both power and honesty, […]
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bEEdEEgEE is the moniker for the solo project by Brian DeGraw of Gang Gang Dance. The debut album SUM/ONE is a kalidescopic blend of instrumentals, each piece shifting throughout the album. SUM/ONE also features occasional vocals from the likes of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Lovefoxxx of CSS. The album is an interesting break for DeGraw […]
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