QE2021 Bulletin :: Part Two
Happy Midsommar/Pride Month/Whatever Annual Event That Happens In June To Distract Yourself From The World With, everyone!
Speaking of distractions, here are ten albums that I listened to during the most recent quarter that came through particularly strongly in terms of my particular fancies.
QE2021: Part Two
Black To The Future – Sons Of Kemet
Reforming to remind you that Black Lives Still Matter, Kemet return with another incendiary set of revolutionary jazz fusion as much informed by communal love and jubilation as it is historical misery and persecution.
Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep – Mykki Blanco
Could the world finally be ready for the non-binary prince/ss to deliver us into a new age of genre-defying, post-disco, future-soul hip hop? Judging from how brilliant their second album is, it f*cking should be.
Derived entirely from samples of a three-minute orchestral suite, Scott Morgan’s thirteenth solo album unfurls before your ears with a portentous splendour that goes far beyond most contemporary classical music.
Medieval Femme – Fatima Al Qadiri
Taking their cues from classical poems by and to Arabic women as inspiration, Al Qadiri’s third album is an honourable revisit to the past that nevertheless boasts a unique and refreshingly modern sensibility.
A playfully fervent remonstration of sun-soaked dance music tropes from the previous turn of the century, Michael Silver’s seventh album delivers its unique brand of throwback delirium quite wonderfully.
As far as contenders go for Best Surprise Album Release Of The Year, Bryan Müller delivering a lush two-hour masterclass in ambient IDM techno with little more than a tweet is definitely the one to beat thus far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwTJTK_TBTE
Just as able to create shape-throwing missives as she is with more introspective work, James’ second full-length effort displays said skills more than proficiently enough to warrant further crossover success.
Having gained a sizeable following in her native San Francisco for her live shows, the ambient musician’s debut album is an assuredly swoonsome mix of melancholy and light uncommonly rich with sonic texture.
The post-hardcore punk collective swing typically weird, hard and forthright on album four, exhibiting enough of a righteous dissolution amidst their audio melée to garner their most critically successful campaign so far.
Collaborating with bassist Linda May Han Oh and percussionist Tyshawn Sorey, Iyer’s latest set contains some of his most virtuosic tinkling yet, wary and hopeful for whatever looms in the future ahead.
But wait, there’s more!
You see, this entry was brought to you by the 2021 edition of FESTIVILLA, a collation of some of my favourite musicians’ works from the past six months condensed into a handy continuous mix that works as a consolation prize for all those summer festivals that had to postpone themselves further by another calendar year.
Please have a listen and feel free to big up my Mixcloud page further with a follow, a like or a share, and feel free to let me know of any artists or songs that I have missed that you feel deserve mention.
In the meantime, stay safe and party safer… xxxo
