Listening Clark :: Class Of 2023 :: Module Six
And hello again!
It’s been a pretty hectic couple of weeks in terms of personal listenage honestly, what with my being pretty much a whole month behind the 2023 release schedule has meant hurtling through some pretty questionable releases at a somewhat ridiculous pace.
Nevertheless, I have managed to secure ten more worthy mentions amidst the torrent of new albums, so in the name of brevity, here goes…
Listening Clark :: Class Of 2023 :: Module Six
绿帽 Green Hat – Tzusing
Malaysian DJ and producer Tzusing’s latest album of electronic transgression is one of a sharper political mind than most dancefloor-filling long-forms, drawing on influences both South Eastern and Western whilst taking its prescient themes of outdated patriarchy informing present day toxic masculinity and modifying them into strikingly bounceable audio gems, one of which includes Daniel Plainview himself backed by some appropriate syncopated slurpage.
GOOD LUCK – Debby Friday
Continuing the agreeable electronic pummelling on this list is one Debby Friday with her debut album, a fierce announcement of artistry that straddles the lines of techno, punk and hip hop to deliver some truly stirring alt-pop gems, bridging the gaps between the likes of Santigold, Special Interest and Death Grips to become the latest addition to your ‘Hot Shit’ playlist.
Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities – James Holden
English producer James Holden is still going strong as he hits Decade Three on his musical journey, and his fifth album takes us on a more sweetly reflective journey than his previous work, the lengthy title rightfully hinting at the myriad avenues of trance and rave down which Holden invites the listener, possessed of a beatific authority that sweetly percolates as it mounts whilst never becoming overbearing or monotonous.
Les Égarés – Sissoko / Ségal / Parisien / Peirani
Similar to Holden’s work in terms of beguilingly transportive qualities, Les Égarés is the first of three jazz entries to make it onto this list and an understatedly seismic meeting of virtuosic performers playing with assured sensitivity and harmony, led with moving majesty by Ballaké Sissoko on kora, with Vincent Peirani on accordian, Vincent Ségal on cello and Émile Parisien on saxophone.
London Brew – London Brew
A celebration of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and its fiftieth anniversary, I could simply list each of the twelve musicians hailing from London’s protean contemporary jazz scene that came together for this project and that should be endorsement enough, which makes my assignment that much easier; Benji B, Raven Bush, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Tom Herbert, Shabaka Hutchings, Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Dave Okumu, Nick Ramm, Dan See, Tom Skinner and Martin Terefe.
Mythologies – Thomas Bangalter
Though Bangalter has dabbled with score compositions before courtesy of his work with film director Gaspar Noé, his first solo project since Daft Punk‘s disbandment still left some of his fans slightly bemused, as his assignment to score choreographer Angelin Preljocaj’s 2022 ballet of the same name goes “full Baroque” for most of its ninety-minute runtime, though nevertheless certainly heralds him as one to watch in the realm of contemporary classical music.
return to casual – Walter Smith III
We return to a smoother, more reverant but no-less frisky or vital form of jazz now, this gorgeous album being composer and saxophonist Walter Smith III’s first effort for the illustrious Blue Note label as well as a sequel to his breakthrough self-released effort Still Casual nearly ten years previously.
the record – boygenius
It’s always encouraging when for once the rest of the music-buying populace agrees with you about something being genuinely great, not least when it comes from three fans-turned-friends-who-also-happen-to-be-alternative-music-superstars-in-their-own-right whose gelling together is as natural as it is refreshing, rightly enchanting the world with their ribald and self-effacing lyrics as well as their lush harmonies.
The Worm – HMLTD
Art punk is alive, well and as rambunctiously ambitious as ever courtesy of HMLTD on their second LP, a thematically epic concept album that transcends space and time to deliver one man’s quest to vanquish a beast in medieval times that could also be a metaphor for depression, societal prejudice or capitalism, depending on your personal or political persuasion, veering wildly between rock, gospel, electronica and jazz with a theatrical grind that delights as well as bemuses.
With A Hammer – Yaeji
Following up her mixtape from three years earlier, Yaeji continues to tread her mercurial path in contemporary electronica via her eminently charismatic blend of house, trap and R&B, bringing a few like-minded contemporaries along the way this time such as Loraine James and Nourished By Time to give her work more breadth for sonic playfulness than ever before and surely providing further evidence of her status as one of the most interesting current producers.
And, scene!
Phew, that was a rather break-neck couple of weeks; feel free to leave a comment below rightly agreeing or castigating me for my choices, as per usual; it’s the Internet after all, so everyone has an opinion!
Until next time, xxxo
