Past Releases

Florist "Emily Alone (Double Double Whammy)"

The name says it all. Emily Alone (Double Double Whammy). Though this is the third LP from the band Florist, this is not an album by the band Florist. This IS a solo album of sorts from the driving force behind Florist, Emily Sprague, who performs every instrument and vocal track on the album, as well as some mixing. So its not surprising that this is as deeply personal an album as you are likely to ever hear. As  astutely wrote in their “Album Of The Week” review “Emily Alone isn’t an indie rock album, or a singer-songwriter album, or a folk album, or anything as easily pigeonholed as that. It’s an inward excavation, not a genre exercise. Really, it only reminds me of one album. Emily Alone is soft and soothing and beautiful, like Nick Drake’s Pink Moon. And like Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, it’s utterly immersed in depression and oblivion.” Woah. I know, right? Check out “Shadow Bloom.”

Kool Keith "KEITH (Mello)"

“Hmmm… let’s see what’s next up for me to blurb about…. uh…. WHAT!?! THE NEW KOOL KEITH!?!?!” Yup. That was me 15 minutes ago. Seems so long ago. I can barely remember a time before I started listening to the new Kool Keith record. If you are already a fan of his, then KEITH (Mello) won’t be a total surprise, at least lyrically. Is he still, um, sex obsessed? Well, if you listened to Dr. Octogon as much as I did in ’96 then the answer is an obvious “YES” but don’t let that come off as dismissive. This is John Waters levels of creative dirty-ness. But also, that’s not the only motif here. Trying to guess what Keith is up to next is an exercise in futility. Just know that his rhymes and verses are as creative as ever, with songs covering all sorts of topics. The production here is also as creative as ever, which finds beats slightly trap-influenced and skewing towards sorta horror-tinged sounds. This is a heady, late-era instant classic in Keith’s 30+ year career. Check out the anthemic “Turn the Levels.”

Chris Rivers "G.I.T.U. (Mello)"

G.I.T.U. (Mello Music) is the debut album from Chris Rivers, son of the late rapper Big Pun. Crisp beats oscillate between the classic sounds his father would have rapped over and hi-hat triplets galore for the modern rap fans-but the focus here is Chris’ smooth, lyrical delivery. As Chris says about the album “it traverses my mental state, life experiences, loves had and lost, stories and my overcoming of obstacles both external and internal while learning to love myself and becoming the best version of who I could be.” Check out the heartbreaking tribute to his late father with “Sincerely Me.”

Joell Ortiz "Monday (Mello)"

For all I know, Joell Ortiz and Garfield the cat have tons of stuff in common. I have no idea if Joell loves lasagna, hates Nermal, or sits AROUND the house. But I do know one thing on which they diverge… Joell Ortiz LOVES Mondays. They feel like a new beginning to him every week. Dtill though, I would hope Garfield would like Joell’s hype beats and rhymes more than his least-favorite day. After all, Joell has a way of staying positive even in adversity here, uplifting himself and others with his obviously positive outlook. Even if he’s pissed, he’s still doing his best. It says in the PR for Monday (Mello) that he doesn’t want to seem like a superhero here despite his long career, but like a working man that keeps his head down and goes to work. Nod along to the anthemic “Captain.”