Masta Ace & Marco Polo "A Breukelen Story"
How good is the new album from Masta Acce & Marco Polo? Well, Vibe Magazine calls it “55 minutes of pure Brooklyn joints.” What “To The 5 Boroughs” did to all of NY, A Breukelen Story (Fat Beats) does to Brooklyn. Touching on love, being black in America, gentrification, fear, and everything in-between all the while paying homage to all of the rap greats that hail from BK. Guests galore, beats a-plenty, and masterful rhymes from Masta Ace and a slew of talented guests like Pharoahe Monch and… well… that’s not fair to other guests to list them AFTER Pharoahe Monch, that dude is so great. So is “American Me,” so check it out!
Chris Garneau "Yours"
“Chris Garneau has always pursued his own strange sonic path, drawing on a diverse array of influences to create an otherworldly, haunting and distinct lane in the singer-songwriter universe.” Thanks Billboard! You’ve made my job here pretty easy, because I’m not sure that Chris’ ovure has ever been described more succinctly or poetically. Thankfully, Yours, his latest release, continues in this grand tradition. Like a lot of us, Yours finds Chris fed up with the state of things, but the results are far more beautiful than an angry twitter feed. Songs build and crescendo, at times gentle-at other times epic. Case in point is the single “Torpedo.”
Ian William Craig "Thresholder (Fat Cat)"
Ian William Craig’s latest LP Thresholder (Fat Cat) was born from a commissioned job in which he was tasked with creating tracks “based on concepts of quantum physics, black holes and space” and if that isn’t enough to get you to check this out then you and I have very different tastes. Somewhere between William Basinski, Brian Eno, and detuned space radio transmissions, this glacial, haunting collection lands with the thud of a satellite upon reentry. Most of these tracks could be used to signify rebirth, death, the coldness of space, the harshness of life, and the beauty to be found in all of those things (so, you know, like the ending of 2001). Combining looped noise, analog hisses, organs and synths, and angelic choral touches, Pink Floyd WISHES they ever got this sci-fi. The whole thing is meant to be listened to as a whole, but for our purposes, check out “And Therefore The Moonlight.”
Sunshine & the Rain "Beneath The Stars (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)"
Wow! Sunshine & the Rain go POP with a capital P! Beneath The Stars finds them sounding more upbeat than ever, clearly due to either some good nachos (?), or maybe its the production by Tom Beajour. “How poppy?” are you asking me? If Doctor Who was able to take a 60’s girls group and throw them into the studio and have them produced by Taylor Swift then you start to get where “Beneath The Stars” is going. Really Taytay, time to start hanging out with Sunshine and the Rain’s Ashley and leave Selena Gomez behind! Strummy guitars, tambourines, big drums-Sunshine & The Rain will have you singing along no matter the weather (yup, I wrote that but check out “Pale Blue Skies” for proof). Dig into the single of the year “It’s All In My Mind.”