Baker's Dozen: Oliver Coates, ScHoolboy Q, and Old Faves Still Delivering
Baker's Dozen is usually a thing for my paid subscribers where I post a playlist and some thoughts around the music in the playlist. Today it's free for all readers! (Typically it goes out on Fridays, but last week's was delayed until today due to various travel issues that I would rather not discuss further. Paying subscribers: We'll be back on schedule this Friday.)
On another note, a reader and fellow writer wrote me about last week's Georgia Maq interview to point out that there might be some factual discrepancies regarding some of Georgia's claims about how COVID-19 reached Australia. For transparency's sake, here is where you can read the Australia Department of Health's statement regarding the first reported case of COVID-19 in Australia.
Shame, "One Rizla"
A few months back I highlighted a tune from Shame's relatively solid Drunk Tank Pink and said that I liked precisely one song from the previous album. Here's that song! But revisiting this album, I actually enjoyed quite a few, problem is (and this is a problem with a lot of music that sounds "like this") a lot of it kind of bleeds together sonically. But this song stands out, great anthemic vibe that they can clearly pull off when they want to.
ScHoolboy Q, "Attention"
Seems like a fair bet that we'll get a new ScHoolboy project soon, if Kendrick really is going to drop this year (and he could, although we've been saying that for two years ago and I first heard of him dropping in, like, winter of 2019, so who knows) then we'll probably get something from Q just in time for spring? Idk. Crash Talk was underrated I think, he's got great selection in beats and seems to be getting better with age overall, he's in (if not in the process of entering) something of an elder statesman's position in hip-hop now which might seem weird to say but hey that's rap for you.
Kevin Morby, "A Night at the Little Los Angeles"
Speaking of people who continue to get better! I was actually kind of cool on the early Kevin Morby solo LPs but I love Sundowner, what a gloriously bummed-out album. Real last-light-in-the-row-of-lights-still-on Leonard Cohen hours right here.
Junglepussy, "What You Want"
Remember when Junglepussy was in Support the Girls? Good movie! Good song here too.
Matthewdavid, "Ode to Low End"
Listen to this track on Bandcamp.
One of the last reviews I wrote for Pitchfork as a full-timer was of a Matthewdavid album. I didn't like it! He was trying a more vocal-centric approach that felt half-baked to me. That was way back in 2014, and it's funny to think about giving a relatively low-profile record a bad review in today's context, where so much stuff just doesn't get reviewed (by the usual players and elsewhere) at all. These days since I have no real outlet to hand out literal high-5's anymore (as I've said many times, not my choice!) I'd be more likely to pick a song or two I like from said album and put it on here. That's not to say the album this song is from isn't good! It's actually one of the more interesting releases texturally I've heard from Matthewdavid. This track definitely has real Low End Theory vibes, hence the name. The legacy of that club's scene, obviously, has aged questionably.
The Go! Team, "Semicircle Song"
The Go! Team: Still doing their thing! I need to listen to the new album but Semicircle from 2018 has really grown on me, there's a roughshod and very live feel to it that is quite appealing to me. The energy feels very in-the-same-room on this track and elsewhere, I think that among other things it's a subtle subverting of expectations regarding what you might expect from them.
Parannoul, "Chicken"
To See the Next Part of the Dream is one of the best records of the year in any genre full stop. The best way to describe it is "If Jimmy Eat World and M83 teamed up to create their own White Pony," and if that sounds like it would rule this album is definitely for you. Was impossible to pick a favorite from it, changes every week.
Nina Nastasia, "Too Much in Between"
Nina Nastasia...(smokes cigarette and stares in the distance)...Haven't heard that name in ages. This song popped up in a mostly-bad debut feature we watched recently, Excision from 2012, some horror-y elements but mostly trying to do a gore-flecked Todd Solondz thing. AnnaLynne McCord does what can only be described as "a Niece Denise thing" in it, iykyk. She wasn't very good at it, but she tried. Anyway good song.
Oliver Coates, "Honey"
Another banger from the fine folks at RVNG, a little Bing & Ruth-y although not as "acoustic"-sounding obviously. Malibu is also on Coates' recent LP which is as good a chance as any to recommend her astounding One Life, one of my favorite drone/noise records of the last few years.
North Americans, "Good Doer"
More than a little Bing & Ruth-y. Wasn't nuts about this album on the whole but this is so pretty and contemplative, real cosmic zone-out vibes, the cover art certainly gets it right.
Benny the Butcher, "Trade It All"
Yup, more Griselda. Stands out because of how relatively un-Griselda-y it sounds, has a certain brightness that stands out amidst the collective's usual minor-key-piano-and-dusty-drumbeat stylings. Also some choice writing from Benny here: "You ever fucked two best friends that share an apartment?" Can't say that I have!
Sen Morimoto, "The Things I Thought About You Started to Rhyme"
Speaking of good writing: "I believe in God like my dog believes I'm dead 'til I come home from work." That's real. I'm one of the few who wasn't nuts about the recent NNAMDÏ album but their Sooper label is fascinating, I really like the Sen Morimoto album, kind of like an artful and purpose-driven take on chillwave. Chicago in general, always giving good artists to listen to!
Trippie Redd, "Miss the Rage" [ft. Playboi Carti]
Can't believe Trippie Redd made one of my favorite songs of the year. My wife turned me on to this one recently, the beat is insane and both Trippie and Carti sound great on it. Huge-sounding music, mountaintop Soundcloud rap. Trippie has always been B-team at best (hilarious to hear him say "I'm a vet, little dude" on here) but hey, keep pulling off shit like this and maybe he can actually become...good?