#balearic beat iv

[chrancecriber]

Radio SunLounge Romania (April 21, 2023)

23:58 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:52 Dj Regal - The Village Calling 23:47 Fous De La Mer - Conmigo 23:42 Velvet Dreamer - Crystal Water (Five Seasons Remix) 23:40 Max Melvin - Underneath 23:36 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:33 Garden City Movement - My Only Love 23:31 Collioure - Timeless Pulse 23:24 Aloha Cafe - Night In Altamy 23:22 Aleksey Beloozerov - October (Jane Maximova & Dmitry Raschepkin Remix) 23:18 Lasteden - Hot City Walk (Original Mix) 23:12 Michael E - That Feeling 23:07 Norman Doray - Chase The Sun (Musica Feliz Ibiza Beat Remix) 23:06 Gold Lounge - Oh La La 23:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:00 D.batistatos & Side Liner - Sehnsucht 22:50 Max Melvin - Earth Inside 22:48 Lazy Hammock - Lost In Dreams 22:44 Rhod - Crazy 22:41 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:36 Zenyatta - Swimming Into Vibrations (Ibiza Downbeat Vocal Mix) 22:31 Vargo - Precious Part Two 22:30 Sandra - The Wheel Of Time 22:27 Dj Antoine - I-'ll Never Let You Down (Soft Mix) 22:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:18 Titiyo - Come Along (Naid Remix) 22:13 Ive Mendes - Nao Vou Fugir 22:07 Approaching Black - A Minute Till Midnight 22:05 Easy L. - New Day (Anthem) - Afterlife Mix 22:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:57 Vargo - Precious (Part Two) 21:52 Sunyata Project - I Know Him (Extended Mix) 21:49 Bugseed - Tear Loose 21:47 Black Mighty Orchestra - Ocean Beach (Cybophonia Cinematic Remix) 21:44 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:41 Arrojas - Ardesia 21:34 Love City Orchestra - People We Can (Original Mix) 21:30 Stefan Reh, Kara - Unknown 21:29 Melorman - Behaviour (Melorman Remix) 21:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:19 Cantoma - Katja 21:11 Paul Hardcastle - Looking For You 21:09 Blank & Jones W. Cathy Battistessa - Miracle Man (Afterlife Mix) 21:06 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:01 Merge Of Equals - Heart & Mind 20:59 Dave Jerome - The Future Is Love (Original Mix) 20:52 Gary B - Ill Be Your World 20:51 Frost - Amygdala 20:44 Ronin - Just Walking 20:39 Merge Of Equals - Don-'t You Know 20:34 Shakedown - At Night (Afterlife Remix) 20:32 Jens Buchert - Touch Me 20:29 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:23 Nordgroove - Epicly 20:18 Samantha James - Tree Of Life 20:13 Vargo - The Moment (Short Chorus Mix) 20:11 Solarflow - Im Living For Today 20:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:05 Marie Therese - Gin & Tonic (Pier-O Bossa Chill Mix) 19:59 Mystic Diversions - Float On 19:56 Florzinho - The Indian 19:53 Luke - Heaven's On Fire 19:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 19:45 Di Polar - Vertraumt 19:39 Artur Bayramgalin - To Be Free 19:33 Simon Le Grec - Touch Me 19:30 Emmanuele Landini, Denny V - Emotion 19:24 Martin Liege - Balearic Jazz (Original Mix) 19:18 Blank & Jones - Closer To Me 19:15 Soleil Fisher - Warm Winter - Sting Of Paradise Sunset Mix 19:11 Crystin - The Universe 19:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 19:06 Cosmonkey - Blueberry Crumble 19:01 Sigh - The Bomb 18:56 Dousk - As If 18:54 Mercer & Gissal - Scandal 18:48 Ganga Feat. Sophie Tusnelda - Blue Heart 18:43 Creamy Chill - Tonight (Bar Lounge Mix) 18:40 Krystian Shek - Too Much Thinking (Katoey Cut Mix) 18:38 Climatic - Tell Me 18:34 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 18:28 Majestic 12 - Alone Again (Trüby Trio Treatment) 18:26 Max Melvin - Roots 18:16 Azymuth - Morning 18:13 Espresso Del Lago - Suratat 18:07 V - Sta - Rainy Day Feat. Jody Purita (Original Mix) 18:02 Stefano Mastronardi - It's Lounge Time 18:00 Gary B - My Love 17:56 Etro Anime - Let It Go 17:50 Jacob Gurevitsch - Affection (Original Mix) 17:43 Briza - Reflections On The Highway 17:40 Pochill - By And By 17:39 Roberto Sol Feat. Ines - Tu (Original Mix) 17:36 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:29 Kid Coconutz - Take On Me 17:24 Pnfa - Miles And Miles (Slowly) 17:19 Omnimotion (Feat. Aleah) - Days Of Silence 17:16 Minusblue - Be As One (Klangstein Edit) 17:13 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:08 Hacienda - Sabor 17:03 Jens Buchert - The Falling Star (Nyc Mix) 16:59 Ross Couch - Music Is My Life 16:53 Ursula 1000 - Relaxamento 16:52 Tosca - Forte 16:45 Karen Gibson Roc - Painted Room 16:42 Jens Buchert - Octalimbo 16:39 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 16:37 Sofa Groovers - Finding Eden 16:31 Moodorama - I Think It's... 16:26 Marc Hartman - Whistle 16:25 Blue Pilots Project - Vivere 16:21 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 16:17 Jens Buchert - Moonlight (Feat. Barbara Zanetti) 16:12 Velvet Dreamer - Mystic Traveller 16:07 Omar Akram - Echoes Of Love 16:04 The Man Behind C. - What Can U Do 16:01 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:55 Aandra - You Are The Gold (Feat. Soul Sista Shakti) 15:52 Cheprox - Take My Bary (Original Mix) 15:48 Papercut - End Of A Love Affair 15:45 Purple Avenue - Justify My Love 15:42 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:36 Purple Avenue - American Boy 15:34 Dj Monique Vs. Stephane Le Coque - You're Like An Angel 15:27 Soundset City - Come With Me (Deep Lounge Cut) 15:24 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:19 Smooth Genestar - Dusk Operator (D-echo Project Remix) 15:14 Velvet Park - Project Deluxe (Lounge After 8 P.m. Mix) 15:13 Luis Hermandez - Thru The Night 15:10 Lisa Rose Harrison - Paint It Black 15:03 Bebo Best - Out Of Myself 14:58 Climatic - Sideways 14:53 Djibooti - Shadows And Voices (Tom Tom Mix) 14:49 Dj Tiesto - The Tube (Domenico Cascarino & Luca Lombardi Acoustic Mix) 14:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 14:41 Pat Appleton - Cloudless 14:36 Real Meets Unreal - Unending Fields 14:31 Bank & Jones - Beyond Time (Ambient Edit) 14:28 Sunyata Project, Chris Le Blanc - Journey To Mandurai (Extended Mix) 14:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 14:19 Ohmg & Bruno - On Your Skin 14:17 Vargo - Precious (Part Two) 14:10 Amour Fou - J'aime Comme Tu Rit 14:09 Lemongrass - Lightful 14:06 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 14:04 Twins In Mind - I Hear Your Voice 13:58 Twentyeight Feat. Tesz Millan - In My Arms (Original Mix) 13:53 Everything But The Girl - Single 13:51 Mirage Of Deep Feat. Josephine Sweet - Luxury Living Room 13:48 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:44 L-'esperanza - Smile (The Songs Of Innocence) 13:42 Furns - Fortress 13:35 Randy Seidman, Rogerio Jardim, Tommy Cunningham - Come Back To Me (Original Mix) 13:34 Idenline - Call Me (Original Mix) 13:31 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:26 Jean Mare - A Better Place (Easy Lounge Vocal Mix) 13:20 Le Voyage - African Daydreamer (Ethno Mix) 13:18 Luis Hermandez - One Love 13:11 Schiller - Velvet Aeroplane 13:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:02 Fenena Garcia Mijas - Anja (Dream With Me Knee Edit) 12:57 Arrojas - Over The Past Year 12:52 Afterlife - Breakfast At Benirras 12:51 Atthis Alcedo - Feel What You Feel 12:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:45 Trifonic - Broken (Original Mix) 12:39 L' Art Mystique - Beautiful Things 12:35 Deeper Sublime & Coffee Machine - I've Got You (Original Mix) 12:32 Maximilian V - Room 58 12:29 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:23 Proxy Brides - Toute La Nuit 12:21 Lucky Sun - Cycles (Original Mix) 12:15 Vibrant Groove Project - Don't Let Me Go (Vocal Jazz O Mix) 12:13 Zatonsky, A&i, Sasha Colos - Damage Inside (Christos Fourkis Remix) 12:03 York - Be A Giant 11:58 Bloomfield - France Calling 11:52 Climatic - Oblivion 11:50 Velvet Dreamer - Crystal Water (Jjos Balearic Remix) 11:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 11:46 Kings Of Convenience - I Don't Know What I Can Save You From (Royksopp Remix) 11:39 Le Garde - Wake Up Darling (Original Mix) 11:33 Remote - Postcard 11:31 Micatone - Sit Beside Me (Club Mix) 11:24 Delicado - The Sound Of Fashion (Original Edit) 11:19 Lamb - Trans Fatty Acid (K&D Session) 11:12 Tafubar - The Man Who Had Bad Dreams (Lemongrass Woolgathering Mix) 11:10 Five Seasons - Round And Round 11:07 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 11:02 Vernon, Matthew Kramer - Sunshine (Louie Chandler Remix) 10:56 Blackfish - Move On 10:54 Lemongrass - On The Edge Of Time (Feat. Karen Gibson Roc) 10:51 Urban Phunk Society - De Janeiro 10:48 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:45 Michael E - Check It (Original Mix) 10:38 Peter Nijntjes - Nightflight (Original Mix) 10:32 Amanaska - Tide (Electro Remix) 10:30 Palma Players - Velvet Sky 10:23 Jaffa - Bklyn Bobbi 10:18 Bay Area, Hela Delgado - Espiritu And Libertad Feat. Hela Delgado (Viva Mix) 10:13 Deep From Street - Moscow 10:11 Donna De Lory - The Unchanging (Atom Smith Chill Yoga Flow Remix) 10:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:02 Jess & Jess - Gorgeous Necklines 10:00 Yonderboi - Another Geometry 09:54 Blank & Jones - Sun Starts Smiling (Eclectic Mix) 09:50 My Island - Maledives Beach Lounge (Palm Garden Mix) 09:44 Style Project - Cloudy Eyes (Vocal Mix) 09:38 Blank & Jones - Jet Set 09:35 Mahoroba - Chimes In Motion (Passion Cut) 09:32 Loungeside - Al Burj (Original Mix) 09:29 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 09:24 Delerium - Keyless Door (Feat. Azure Ray) 09:21 Soulchef - Road Trip 09:16 Mara J Boston - Come Into My Life (Original Mix) 09:09 Bruno Be & Alvaro Brites - Seasons 09:05 M.a.x. - Stranger (Instrumental) 09:00 Seven24 - Frozen 08:57 Division Kent - Lone Star 08:55 Cities Of Foam - Safe Inside 08:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:50 Mahoroba - Violet Dreams (Space Pioneers Mix) 08:43 Dj Maretimo - Atmosphere Lovers (Sky Sergeant Mix) 08:36 M-seven - Unspoken 08:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:30 Schwarz & Funk - Fallen (Bossa Mix) 08:23 Axel B - Dark Lights 08:18 Climatic - L'horizzonte 08:15 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:09 Fobee - Samsara 08:03 Bent - Terry 07:58 Titiyo - Come Along With Me (L'amour Romantique Remix) 07:56 Yppah - Pieces 07:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:47 Jens Buchert - Wendy 07:43 Bluebeat - Dans Le Soleil 07:41 Soleil Fisher - Breathing Slowly 07:37 Alex Cortiz - Uma 07:34 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:31 Triangle Sun - The Sun 07:25 Man In A Room - Something New (Feat. Natasha Tsirou) 07:23 Roberto Sol - Tomorrow (Extended Mix) 07:20 Mystic Diversions - Float On 07:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:10 Bobby Hughes Combination - Olympic Girls 07:03 Marco Sandero - Winter Piano 07:01 Sambox - Locean Cafe 06:58 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:52 Merge Of Equals - Gravity 06:50 Lisa Rose Harrison - Paint It Black 06:44 Leo & Roby Ruini - La Suite - Original Mix 06:41 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:35 Christian Hornbostel - Waiting At Potsdamer Chaussee (Original Mix) 06:34 Korte - Schwebende Gedanken 06:27 Dining Rooms - Invocation 06:26 Orbitell - Dive (Ibiza Beach Mix) 06:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:17 Pnfa - Fight The Feeling 06:12 Weathertunes - Happy Birthday (Feat. Wawa) (Original Mix) 06:07 Simon Le Grec - I Need U (Smooth Mix) 06:05 Smooth Deluxe - Uesta Del Sol (Paradise Bar Edit) 06:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:00 Aqualux - Take Me Back (Ft Lyksa) 05:54 Velvet Lounge Project - Fly With Me 05:52 Weathertunes - Forest (Original Mix) 05:46 Fresh Moods - Rhythmbreeze (Spy Mix) 05:39 Gods Blue Chest - Floating (Beach Mix) 05:32 Lorenzo Al Dino & Deep Josh Feat. Cope - Lullaby (Deep Josh Into The Lounge Mix) 05:28 Sky Sergeant - Music Connection (Dolphins Mix) 05:24 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 05:20 Paul Hardcastle - Summer Love 05:14 Spooky - Strange Addiction 05:10 Dj Maretimo - Sky Sprinter (Smooth Operator Mix) 05:04 Beanfield - Chosen 04:58 Consoul Trainin Feat. Joan Kolova - Beautiful (Kosmopolitans Mix) 04:53 Zelonka And Darrin C Huss - Destination Moon 04:48 Climatic - Boarding 04:46 Club Salinero - Shade In The Sun (Ibiza Chillout Mix) 04:39 Minus Blue - Too Far To Speak (Original Mix) 04:33 Danny Hay - Night In (Original Mix) 04:28 Max Melvin - Ease 04:26 Climatic - For No Reason At All 04:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:17 Conjure One - Sleep (Serenity Mix) 04:12 Cantoma - Out Of Town 04:07 Funky Brothers - Through His One - Original Mix 04:05 Triangle Sun - Secret Desire 04:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 03:57 Collioure - Inshore (Original Mix) 03:51 Fous De La Mer - Stars And Fishes 03:50 Justy Puck - Crumpled 03:43 Cocogroove - Copa Dos Santos (Brazil Cut) 03:36 Trinah - Let's Stay Together 03:34 Vargo - Talking One Language Anniversary Mix 03:31 Johannes Huppertz - Short Message Service 03:27 Yantra Mantra - Pink City (Ayurveda Mix) 03:24 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 03:19 Desert Dwellers - Point Of Awakening (Androcell Remix) 03:12 Florzinho, Barbara Yaa Boahene - Staring At The Stars 03:07 Sigh - Kemi Blues 03:06 Five Seasons - Fleeting Moments Feat. Jane Maximova (Original Mix) 03:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 03:00 Monodeluxe - One More Day 02:54 Lounge\andreas - The Outlands 02:47 Night Cruzer - Timeless 02:46 York, Asheni - Mercury Rising (Chillout Mix) 02:43 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 02:38 Kranich - Between 02:33 Flashbaxx - Escape Hawaii Go Ibiza 02:30 D. Batistatos - Jet Lagged Nights 02:27 Jojo Effect - Somewhere In Between 02:20 Capa - Imperfection 02:13 Starshine Bros - Coffe Relax 02:11 Eddie Silverton - Coincidences 02:07 Weathertunes - Feel You (Original Mix) 02:01 Five Seasons - In Your Town 01:55 Jean Honeymoon - Bang Bang (Lazy Hammock Chillout Mix) 01:54 Roberto Sol & Florito Feat. Ines Prados - Obsesion 01:51 Lissa - Some Of Me (Feat. Philip Nolan) 01:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 01:46 Florzinho - Deixe O Sol Entrar 01:39 Soulavenue - One By One (Feat. Shaheen) 01:37 Roberto Sol & Florito - Love Finds You (Feat Martine - Original Mix) 01:31 Sweet Velvet - In My Dreams 01:24 Lounge Vargos - Follow My Dreams (Sunshine Mix) 01:20 Arnold T - Not An Addict 01:16 Urban Phunk Society - Siesta 01:14 Jean Honeymoon - Bang Bang (Lazy Hammock Chillout Mix) 01:11 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 01:09 44th Floor - Saint Placid (New York Sunset Mix) 01:02 Vargo - Get Back To Serenity 00:55 Index - Noon Hour Blues 00:52 Ilya - Bliss (Max Sedgley Remix) 00:49 Soundset City - Urban Nightlife 00:45 Kondencuotas Pienas - Elegantish Elephantish (Original Mix) 00:35 Vibrasphere Feat. Iz - Tierra Azul (Vocal Version) 00:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:28 Ganga - Skyscraper (Original Mix) 00:26 Dominik Pointvogl - Malibou Beach (Original Mix) 00:19 Mathieu & Florzinho - Primavera (Dub Mix) 00:17 Solar Moon Feat. Jen - Inside Out 00:10 Karnaval Blues - Forget 00:05 Cocktail Groovers - The Fire In Your Heart (Ibiza Jazz Terrace Mix)

[weramichel]

Balearic Beat IV.

[randomvarious]

Today’s mix:

Global Underground 017: London by Danny Tenaglia 2000 House / Deep House / Tribal House / Progressive House / Trance / Progressive Trance / Techno

Alright, folks, this is the last you're gonna be hearing from me for a while in regards to this world-famous Global Underground series. A lot of times, these larger than life series turn out to be big and shiny, cash-grabbing disappointments, but I'll eat my words here and admit that this series has been a lot better than I expected it to be; although not always.

So let's wave goodbye to Global Underground for the time being as we take a good look at the masterful Danny Tenaglia's London installment from the year 2000. I can't lie that I was a little hesitant in going right back to Tenaglia again since I didn't enjoy much of his Athens set from '99 at all, but these two discs of his were so much better, in my opinion. So let's get started.

Disc 1 and disc 2 both seem to have an equal amount of excellent tracks between them, but the distribution of that excellence varies. Within the first half of disc 1, Tenaglia manages to cobble together probably the greatest run of tribal deep house tracks I've ever heard in my life, starting with the deep and flute-infused slow jazziness of Next Evidence's "Sands of Time," and then eventually allows it all to come to a head with one of his own personal favorites, ATFC's "In and Out of My Life," a killer diva house tune that samples heavily from Fatboy Slim's cinematically string-laden piece of big beat brilliance, "Right Here, Right Now." But after he proceeds to extend the vibe further with Minimal Funk IV's funky party house tune, "Definition of House," Tenaglia appears to then suddenly change the channel to something completely different and thus ends up losing me for the remainder of the disc, failing to return to the magical cohesion that he had found earlier 😔.

Disc 2, on the other hand, spreads its gems further apart, while also making for a real smorgasbord of turn-of-the-millennium dance music: house, deep house, tribal house, progressive house, techno, trance, and progressive trance are all on this one disc and it all fits pretty neatly together too. Tenaglia opens with ten minutes of slowly growing, Balearic, hypnotic trance smoothness in Microworld's "Signals," then lays in a great techno remix from the one and only Laurent Garnier to close out the first third, and then comes back with an unexpectedly great three-track run towards the end. And I say "unexpectedly" because I was all the way out on Humate's remix of Schiller's "Ruhe" until its majestic strings started to be pumped in in its second half; and then those irresistible strings just kept on swelling, and then the whole thing wound up transforming itself into a tremendous tribal house tune. Tenaglia then goes with two bits of aquatica to follow it, capping off the run with Art of Trance's "Monsoon," which kinda-sorta feels like swimming in that one Donkey Kong Country level, but made for a late 90s-early 2000s dancefloor 😆.

So, yeah, this feels like a pretty nice way to bid this series adieu for now. Two discs with a bunch of great tracks between them from one of the greatest and most respected DJs in the world. Some real magic here.

Listen to CD1 here. Listen to CD2 here.

Highlights:

CD1:

Next Evidence - "Sands of Time" Men From the Nile - "Watch Them Come" The Return - "New Day" The Ananda Project - "Cascades of Colour (Danny Tenaglia's Edit of The Saffron Mix)" ATFC Presents OnePhatDeeva - "In and Out of My Life" Minimal Funk IV - "Definition of House"

CD2:

Microworld - "Signals" Elegia - "Basic (Laurent 'Laboratoire' Garnier Mix)" F2 - "Dominica" Schiller - "Ruhe (Humate Mix)" I-Ching Ft. DJ Patrick Reid - "Ways of Love" Art of Trance - "Monsoon"

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 212: Alexis Georgopoulos & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma

One of my favorite albums of 2017 was Fragments of a Season by Alexis Georgopoulos and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. I have been following the music of both artists for over a decade, having been there since ARP’s earliest days as well as Jefre’s post-rock explorations and psychedelic drum experiments in Tarentel. So getting to hear these long-time friends and musical icons stripping everything back and presenting an organic set of crystalline guitar and balearic dub-funk instrumentals was a sincere joy. At the end of 2018 and almost a year after it’s release, Emotional Response decided to revisit two of the albums tracks by way of a special remix package. Entitled Foreign Affairs, this 7” sees the legendary Woo following up their spellbinding E Ruscha V reworks with a version of “Marine” that doubles down on the tracks name by immersing the listener in a world of underwater fractals and chopping echowaves as pastoral jazz woodwinds float over skittering cymbal beats. Then experimental master Félicia Atkinson steps in and transforms “Cleo” into a melancholic dream pop drone out with sensual French whispers, chaotic field recordings, ghostly tremolo picks, and ecstatic drum rituals obscured by euphoria waves of guitar beauty.

Alexis Georgopoulos & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Foreign Affairs (Emotional Response, 2018) Woo’s version of “Marine” starts with aquatic sound streaks and percolating bubble basslines, while fractured guitar webs disperse in all directions. Rhythms are built from hushed snare brushes and thudding kicks while every single electronic tone is fractalized and constantly mutating…like hyperspace energy meeting underwater beauty. A shuffling propulsion is built from the futuristic repetitions while dazzling pianos runs and acoustic guitar leads sit buried beneath the starshine tapestries. Mark Ives’s emotive clarinet soothes the hypnotic anxiety and as the rhythms and bass fade away, rainbow sequences reflect off of every surface while spacious angel melodies ring out. Once the rhythmic glide returns, ghostly guitars decay across the sky, tambourines jangle, and at some point the beats take on a more pronounced lounge feel with cool and jazzy rimshots cruising beneath weirdo electronic runs, paranoid wiggle fx, spectrally morphed melodies, and bleary-eye clarinets. As always with Woo, there’s an intoxicating convergence of pastoral folk and freaky cosmic experimentation, including a gaseous yet brief coda dominated by springtide classicisms and joyous ambient hazes.

Wind blowing against a microphone, the sounds of water, multi-tracked whispers and coos moving ear-to-ear, and chaotic tremolo flecks flying around the interior of the mind…this is Félicia Atkinson’s version of “Cleo.” Almost out of nowhere, a gorgeous guitar refrain emerges…these splashy chords giving off aquamarine clouds of ambient magic and backed by ecstatic yet obscured tom-tom beats. It all comes together and plunges the soul into a watery world of dreams, one where smeared out six-string solos work against heavenly riff cascades and strangely jarring percussive textures occasionally cut in…as if a swirling and ethereal vortex is periodically disturbed by flashes of nightmare. Towards the end, as the luscious ambient tapestries begin unravelling, we are left alone with Felicia’s haunted voice and the murky drum rituals as cold cavern sounds suffuse the air.

(images from my personal copy)

[signalmodulator]

The Catch Up, Vol. VII - Summer 2016

Check out our roundup of this summer’s biggest and best releases, from Frank Ocean to Young Thug to Lil Yachty.

Esco Terrestrial

Future

June 24

Future’s new project, his third of this year after Purple Reign and EVOL, is much more scattered and hit-or-miss than the other two. Esco Terrestrial is sixteen tracks of DJ Esco-hosted southern hip hop, and although it boasts an impressive list of features (Drake, 2 Chainz, Young Thug, Rae Sremmurd, and more) the songs themselves are rarely impressive. Although Future has put out some incredible projects in the last 12 months, Esco Terrestrial is a rare misstep - the beats and vocals are both not up to par on this one.

The Mountain Will Fall

DJ Shadow

June 24 / Mass Appeal

DJ Shadow has spent his entire career in the shadow of his first album, Entroducing....., and his new record does nothing to challenge the superiority of that classic. However, The Mountain Will Fall does seem like a solid - if unexceptional - escape of ‘90s-era Shadow; the beats on here are all very modern and very unique. While no particular song stands out on this project, Shadow has proved that he can be a 2016 artist instead of a mere memory of one great album.

Bobby Tarantino

Logic

July 1 / Def Jam

After releasing the lengthy and lofty The Incredible True Story last November, Logic made a speedy return this summer with a searing new mixtape, Bobby Tarantino. It’s clear that this tape is an If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late of sorts - unlike most Logic projects, it’s a mere half-hour of half-cooked pop rap. However, strangely enough, it works most of the time - Logic’s fiercer, less ambitious approach makes for some truly memorable songs. “Flexicution”, “Slave II”, and the Pusha T collab “Wrist” are all incredibly well-done songs, perfect mixtures of Logic’s compact, clinical bars and 6ix’s icy, bare production. While some of the more improvised tracks near the end of the tape lose the momentum, Bobby Tarantino is an impressive project overall. It’s ironic that on his shortest and most compact release, Logic sounds at his most ambitious.

Kingdom EP

Gold Panda

July 1

One of the many reasons that Gold Panda has made his mark in electronic music is that he has a profound skill for creating an atmosphere. Kingdom, an EP quietly released in the wake of the result of the Brexit referendum, is almost solely focused on this trait; unlike his new album Good Luck And Do Your Best, Kingdom is dominated by long periods of either ambient music or minimal techno. While the results are never revolutionary, they’re always appreciated - Kingdom is yet another successful release for Gold Panda, a solid collection of lo-fi electronic tunes.

Sketches From An Island 2

Mark Barrott

July 1 / International Feel

Once Mark Barrott moved to Ibiza and released the first Sketches From An Island, his music grew quietly popular, perhaps due to how unique and divisive it is. Sketches From An Island 2, the deceptively titled third installment of his Sketches From An Island series, continues Barrott’s work in the field of Balearic beat music - this album lies somewhere in between the ranges of ambient music, summery Ibiza club music, and the kind of inoffensive new age tunes that grace commercials for beachside resorts. Sometimes, these experiments work - “Brunch With Suki” is wonderfully lush and relaxing, and “Der Stern, Der Nie Vergeht” is the album’s glittery ambient highlight - and sometimes they don’t, coming across as merely boring.  

Waking at Dawn

Roy Woods

July 1 / OVO

Roy Woods’ debut album is the third OVO release this year, and like other OVO acts (Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR), Woods’ music showcases a desire to move towards a more dancehall-oriented sound. However, Waking at Dawn, a short album with short songs, goes in and out the ears without leaving anything memorable. Woods’ voice is pleasant, and the beats are generally well-made and nicely diverse throughout the record. All in all, though, it’s as if Woods is on autopilot - Waking at Dawn struggles not to fall back asleep. 

COOLAID

Snoop Dogg

July 1 / Doggy Style

Snoop Dogg has worn many musical hats in recent years, but his new album COOLAID garnered a lot of attention compared to his other recent works - this is because COOLAID marked a return to Snoop’s sunny West Coast hip hop origins. Unfortunately, as nice as it is to hear Snoop in his natural hip hop habitat, COOLAID is a shockingly long and joyless affair, an unending slog featuring plenty of distasteful sexism and unnecessary Swizz Beatz features. COOLAID had promise, but it turns out to be just as crude and cartoonish as its goofy artwork.

Dream World

araabMUZIK

July 5

Although not widely accepted as such, araabMUZIK’s debut album Electronic Sound was something of a minor classic in the world of electronic music - at the very least, it was a confident and exciting record from an artist representing a new sound. Five years later, however, araabMUZIK seems to have lost all forward momentum with Dream World, a garishly uncomfortable album of brash, unoriginal big room house and played-out dubstep tracks. The one salvageable track is “Chasing Pirates”, a remake of American singer Raiche’s song of the same name - her vocals are wonderfully lightweight on top of the tightly contorting beat. However, the rest of Dream World leaves a terrible taste in the mouth; this is not one we’ll be returning to, by any means.

Cheetah EP

Aphex Twin

July 8 / Warp

Aphex Twin’s continuous return to music after 2014′s Syro has been marked by a series of pleasant if unspectacular releases, and his new release Cheetah continues that pattern with a short collection of dreamy midtempo songs. The music on this EP kind of softly hums in the background of your headphones; don’t expect any revolutionary music á la Richard D. James Album or Drukqs, but you’re guaranteed to get more playful, mildly groovy IDM.

IV

BadBadNotGood

July 8 / Innovative Leisure

This is BadBadNotGood’s first album with any kind of colorful artwork, and it fits - IV is perhaps the jazz fusion group’s best and most vivid work yet. From the wildly expressive opener “And That, Too.”, to Samuel T. Herring’s gripping vocal contribution to “Time Moves Slow”, to the wonderfully light soul of Charlotte Day Wilson collab “In Your Eyes”, IV stays adventurous, rich, and groovy. BadBadNotGood are quickly establishing themselves as a mainstay of modern jazz - IV only helps with this reputation.

Windings EP

Lindstrøm

July 8 / Smalltown Supersound

It’s called “space disco”, the music that Lindstrøm makes, and although the term seems pretentious and maybe even a little fake at first sight, it couldn’t be more appropriate when describing the Norwegian producer’s new Windings EP. Hyperactive bass lines and cheap, jittery disco synths contribute most of the main melodies, but the sound is given some breathing room through the addition of airy, atmospheric synths and percussion in the back of the mix. Windings uses this formula brilliantly - lead single “Closing Shot” and its two companion tracks are all brilliant and slightly different takes on the space disco sound. It’s hard to make music that is both dreamy and rooted to the dance floor, but Lindstrøm accomplishes it wonderfully with Windings.

Blank Face

ScHoolboy Q

July 8 / Interscope

Even though Kendrick Lamar is the undisputed king of the Top Dawg crew, ScHoolboy Q can be just as exciting, mainly because he brings to the table what Kendrick does not - brutal, dark West Coast hip hop, the type of gangsta theater that functions as both a depressing warning and a thrillingly twisted fantasy. Blank Face is the most comprehensive ScHoolboy Q album yet - although it well exceeds an hour at 17 tracks, the album progresses fantastically well thanks to the variety of songs featured. From “THat Part”’s poppy trap rap, to “Groovy Tony”’s intense, percussive beat, to the dark duo of “By Any Means” and “Dope Dealer”, to the psychedelic hip hop masterpiece that is “JoHn Muir”, to closer “Tookie Knows II” (which is perhaps one of the best gangsta rap tracks of the year) - Blank Face is stuffed with music that ranges from frightening to plain old groovy. ScHoolboy Q’s best album yet. 

Nothing��s Real

Shura

July 8 / Bsessi Limited

In a decade where sparkly synthpop was probably played out by 2013, the fact that Shura’s debut album is cohesive and actually notable is certainly surprising. The English musician’s debut, a 50-minute album featuring nine full tracks, two ambient interludes, and one mammoth “found sound” closer, is jarringly emotional and warmly catchy from start to finish. Songs like “What’s It Gonna Be?” and “Touch” have a desperation to them - Shura’s voice, while nothing particularly unique, bleeds quiet yearning. Nothing’s Real is one of the biggest sleeper successes of the year - keep an eye on what Shura does in the future.

Stateless

Tangents

July 8 / Temporary Residence

Before the release of their debut album Stateless, Australian band Tangents put out a Four Tet remix of their song “Jindabyne”, one which, along with currently being their most popular track, nicely illustrates what is so good about their music. The Four Tet remix, a bonus track on Stateless, is full of clanging percussion and distortion; there’s less of a focus on melody and more of a focus on pure, restless rhythm. The main songs on Stateless are similar - although the album could maybe use a bit more color in general, songs like “Oberon” and “N-Mission” are uplifting, quietly delirious mishmashes of polite jazzy noise. You won’t hear many jazz albums this year that have better rhythms than this one.

Savage Mode

21 Savage & Metro Boomin

July 15 / Slaughter Gang

Metro Boomin’s first project in three years is a collaborative mixtape with the Atlanta rapper 21 Savage, and the iconic producer’s sound has never sounded more idiosyncratic. The beats on this project are some of Metro’s best - it’s a sad state of affairs on the mic, though, as 21 Savage is plenty menacing without actually doing anything deserving of praise. Hooks, bars, an attractive voice - he’s got none of them. All things considered, Savage Mode is a regrettable waste of cutting-edge production.

32 Levels

Clams Casino

July 15 / Columbia

Clams Casino’s debut album suffers from a lot of the same maladies as other “producer albums” - 32 Levels is full of different collaborators and genres, with the result being that it’s less of a Clams Casino album and more of an album produced by Clams Casino. Of course, there are highlights - Vince Staples kills it on “All Nite”, and both the opening and closing instrumental tracks, “Level 1” and “Blast”, are some of Clams’ best beats yet. Overall, however, the collaborations on 32 Levels are hit-and-miss, making for an inconsistent listen.

Made To Measure EP

Darkstar

July 15 / Warp

Made To Measure is a short companion EP to Darkstar’s recent album Foam Island - the EP features vocals from Empress Of and Gaika. Altogether, Made To Measure makes for a solid short listen, full of Darkstar’s jittery ogranic electronics. The Empress Of track “Reformer” is the clear standout - the other three are decent. Overall, pretty middle-of-the-road EP - new, mildly exciting sounds and interesting collabs, but nothing to write home about.

Scum With Boundaries

The I.L.Y’s

July 16 / Third Worlds

Scum With Boundaries is the second album of Death Grips side project The I.L.Y’s, the follow-up to last year’s I’ve Always Been Good at True Love. Zach Hill handles the vocals on this one, and although there are some truly mind-melting bangers on here (”Spiral to Me” is the clear standout), the full album seems to be missing the vocal histrionics of MC Ride.

Summer Songs 2

Lil Yachty

July 20 / Quality Control

Having turned on this tape with no prior experience of Lil Yachty other than a disgusted 20-second preview of “1 Night”, I was pleasantly surprised by how diverse, spirited, and unconventional it was. Summer Songs 2 is perhaps the next incarnation of trap music - after T.I., Gucci Mane, Future, Young Thug, and Rae Sremmurd, this tape falls cleanly into the genre of trap music. However, the artist I was most reminded of while listening was not any of those Atlanta icons - it was Chance The Rapper, who similarly stocks his mixtapes with inspirational, youthful messages alongside all the pop rap braggadocio. Yachty’s emotional versatility allows him to play with trap music like very few can. On “DipSet”, Yachty and Offset trade laconic bars over a beat sampled from the anime series Cowboy Bebop; the result is an enjoyably weird song, as if Moonrise Kingdom was set in Atlanta. Closer “So Many People” trades the trap percussion for a dusty drum machine, which sets the foundation for Yachty’s success story. “Pretty”, the best track on the mixtape, is a heartwarming love song: “I stroll through cities / gang, they stay with me / But never has I seen someone so pretty like you,” goes the chorus. Whether Yachty is the next wave or not, Summer Songs 2 is a wonderful mixtape, the sound of an artist exploring and testing his boundaries.

Bloom EP

ATTLAS

July 22 / mau5trap

Signed to deadmau5′s mau5trap label, Toronto producer ATTLAS makes open, warm pop house - like Kygo, but without the weird appropriation of instruments. His new Bloom EP is a decent collection of these tracks, if unspectacular - at least “Ryat” and “Avenue Road” are definitely worth hearing, and “Shadow Play” isn’t that bad either. The use of acoustic guitar throughout the EP is a nice touch - even though these tracks aren’t doing anything groundbreaking, Bloom is still a satisfactory EP.

Everybody Looking

Gucci Mane

July 22 / Atlantic

After making his highly publicized return from imprisonment, Gucci Mane made his return almost immediately - Everybody Looking came a mere two months later. Featuring Drake, Kanye West, and Young Thug, it attempts to capitalize upon Gucci’s post-jail popularity - although “Richest N**** In The Room”, “1st Day Out Tha Feds”, the Drake and Kanye collabs, and a few other tracks are all nice enough, the album is overall rather bloated and overproduced, like eating too many McDonald’s cheeseburgers in one sitting. Ah, well. It’s nice to have Gucci back.

Lil Durk 2X

Lil Durk

July 22 / Def Jam

Lil Durk’s oft-delayed second album is finally out, and he seems to have taken a few leaves out of Young Thug’s book. Lil Durk 2X features some great production, especially from Wheezy on “Check” and Sonny Digital on “True” - Durk, meanwhile, kills it lyrically in several places, particularly “My Beyoncé”, a heartwarming duo with loved one Dej Loaf. Although Lil Durk 2X definitely slips up, especially in the album’s second half, it’s overall a decent record, with some real highlights.

Quintesence EP

Ricardo Donoso

July 22 / Denovali

After putting out two transfixing records in 2015 (especially Saravá Exu), Ricardo Donoso’s first solo release of 2016, the Quintesence EP, is just as captivatingly dark and labyrinthine. Originally a soundtrack to a Florence To installation, Quintesence stands just as well on its own; the names of the songs point towards the process of mitosis, and the music is just as deceptively human. Another great release from Donoso.

Major Key

DJ Khaled

July 29 / Epic

Thanks to his Snapchat and the barrage of memes and product placement that came with it, DJ Khaled blew up last fall, and Major Key, his first release since then, comes appropriately stacked with starpower. No need to waste space by listing the full features list - suffice it to say that like most DJ Khaled records, a few songs stand out and the rest are ridiculously overloaded. The standouts here: “For Free”, where Drake’s flow and Nineteen85′s samples mesh incredibly well; “I Got the Keys”, where Jay Z puts in some work over a phenomenal Southside beat; and “Work For It”, where Big Sean and Gucci Mane both impress over Metro Boomin’s typically strong production. The rest, Meghan Trainor and all, ranges from decent to utterly unredeemable.

Romantic Comedies

Foozle

July 29 / Babe City

Washington, D.C. outfit Foozle’s sophomore album is a pleasantly sunny collection of soft slacker rock tunes - the best of these is “Letterman”, which benefits from a driving bass line and some wonderful, late-night-TV-inspired vocals. Other than that, however, not much pops out the second time around - even though plenty of these tracks are nice enough, Romantic Comedies doesn’t offer much replay value.

In Summer

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma

July 29 / Devotion

After his decent 2015 album A Year With 13 Moons, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma’s new album is just as spacey and a little less stimulating. Although opener and lead single “Love’s Refrain” is good enough, especially as it slowly melts from a VHS dream into VHS sludge, the rest of the album is rather forgettable. A great experiment from Cantu-Ledesma, but nothing that takes you to another world.

For All We Know

NAO

July 29 / Little Tokyo

NAO’s debut album comes after two highly received EPs, and this album, although longer and more ambitious, is just as lovely. Although she dabbles in the kind of bouncy, hiccupy synthpop that could absolutely take alt-rock radio waves by storm, NAO never really succumbs to repeating the same trick over and over again. "Get to Know Ya” is a summery guitar track; “Inhale Exhale” is driven by its vicious, rubbery bass; “Bad Blood” makes use of sensual silence in between bombastic synth hits. The only similarity is the effect it has on you: it makes your blood boil and your body rock to the beat. For All We Know is a great album, pairing NAO’s electric voice with some electrifying production. 

Trim

Trim

July 29 / 1-800 Dinosaur

Although this is technically an album by the British grime MC Trim, Trim is much more than that - it’s the debut LP released by the label 1-800 Dinosaur, James Blake’s group of producers like-minded in their vision to take club and hip hop music decades forward into the future. This record is full of minimal, futuristic beats, even compared to most grime production, and it couldn’t be better. Trim is vicious on top of these skeletal tracks - “Waco”’s bleacher stomp and organ stabs, the distorted guitar and swirling underbelly of “White Room”, and the sonic barrage that is “RPG”, Blake’s riveting contribution to the LP. Trim is a brilliant album; look out for more from the 1-800 Dinosaur crew.

GENERATIONWHY

ZHU

July 29 / Columbia

ZHU teeters between lush ‘80s synthpop and modern pop house, and these two genres dictate GENERATIONWHY, the producer’s debut album. Although the singles (the fleet-footed ”In the Morning”, the Miami-at-sunrise-sounding “Palm of My Hand”, and “Generationwhy”, which struts irresistibly for four groovy minutes) are all fantastic, the rest of the album is painfully underdeveloped and often cringey. GENERATIONWHY shows promise, but ZHU has plenty to work on, his lyrics and his consistency especially.

Superimpose EP

The Range

August 4 / Domino

The Range’s companion EP to his 2016 album Potential is a little less flashy; this is a seven-track affair consisting of album leftovers and reworks by producer Damian Taylor. While Superimpose is certainly nothing to remember, there are a few small pleasures: “Naught” and “Flag” both reach their climaxes nicely, and the standout track “True Value” features some wonderfully unexpected drum programming near the end.

Daniel Son; Necklace Don

2 Chainz

August 5

2 Chainz took 2016 by storm; Daniel Son; Necklace Don comes after March’s COLLEGROVE and before October’s Hibachi for Lunch. Sadly, quantity did not match quality on this tape; although 2 Chainz is funny and upbeat throughout, there’s very little worth replaying save for the razor-sharp “Ghetto” and the YFN Lucci collab “You In Luv Wit Her”.

Hangin’ At The Beach

Delroy Edwards

August 5 / L.A. Club Resource

Delroy Edwards’ 30-track opus Hangin’ At The Beach is a definitive work of outsider house; even so, it is only sporadically brilliant, with a few magnetizing tracks in between large swaths of forgettable, muddy filler. Even with there being an average song length of around 100 seconds, this album is way too long; if it were more compact, maybe songs like “Crime Spree” and the highlight “Numbnuts Hymn” would be a little more common.

Encore

DJ Snake

August 5

DJ Snake is the latest pop producer to explore the format of the album, and his effort is by far the worst this year. This record includes an impressive list of collaborators (Skrillex, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Migos, Justin Bieber), but none of them can salvage what is an utter mess of unoriginal and unrewarding drops. The only respite is an exhilarating closer in the form of Mr Hudson’s “Here Comes The Night” - other than that, Encore is a disgustingly bad album.

The Disco’s Of Imhotep

Hieroglyphic Being

August 5 / Technicolour

The Disco’s Of Imhotep is the latest offering from Hieroglyphic Being, a Chicago DJ who specializes in acidic, unfriendly house music. It lives up to his reputation for sure - this record has pulverizing percussion and not much else, relying on stripped instrumentals and the power of the beat. Unfortunately, the whole thing kind of falls victim to what many techno/house albums fall victim to - repetition - leaving The Disco’s Of Imhotep as less of a cohesive album and more of an interesting sound that could have been executed better.

(m)edian EP

Ta-ku & Wafia

August 5 / Future Classic

Perth, Australia-based producer Ta-ku continues his move towards the charts on (m)edian, an EP recorded in collaboration with Brisbane’s Wafia, and the results are surprisingly pleasing. (m)edian is a three-song project with two seamless interludes - it plays like an 11-minute mini-mix, and the transitions are often the most exciting part. Be sure to pay attention during “(1.5)” - it’s fascinating to listen to “Treading Water” slowly fade into “Meet In The Middle”.

Boy King

Wild Beasts

August 5 / Domino

Boy King is the sound of an artsy British band - the four-piece Wild Beasts - unabashedly giving in to a more primal, visceral sound. This album combines a plastic, nocturnal ‘80s musical vibe with lyrics from frontman Hayden Thorpe which explore the more poisonous areas of hypermasculinity. Boy King drags a bit in its second half, but overall, it’s a decent musical work with an excellent conceptual foundation.

Songs From Final Fantasy XV EP

Florence + The Machine

August 12 / Island

Florence Welch’s voice seems like it would go well with the vast universe of a game like Final Fantasy XV - after all, “vast” is definitely a word you could use to describe her sweeping chamber pop. The three songs on this EP - two originals and a cover of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me” - are all wonderful in their own way, a reminder of what Florence + The Machine can do. Here’s hoping for a new album some time soon.

PARTYNEXTDOOR 3

PARTYNEXTDOOR

August 12 / OVO

PARTYNEXTDOOR sits at the frontlines of OVO’s campaign to shift modern R&B culture; along with the likes of Roy Woods, dvsn, and Majid Jordan, the Toronto man uses cold, hip hop-influenced beats to help harden the genre’s typically soft shell. PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 is his newest album; it’s a little long at 17 songs, and it’s a little repetitive, but the core of Party’s sound is better than ever. 

SremmLife 2

Rae Sremmurd

August 12 / Eardruma

After last year’s successful debut album SremmLife, Rae Sremmurd are back with the sequel, and it’s just as compact and entertaining. These dudes mean business with their party music; there are no frills or unnecessary details on these songs. While the middle half drags quite a bit, SremmLife 2 redeems itself by offering up the group’s best songs yet: “Look Alive”, “Black Beatles”, and the gloriously weird “Do Yoga”.

The Love That Remains

Savoir Adore

August 12 / Nettwerk

Savoir Adore are a pretty typical alt-rock radio-ready indie band, but their sophomore album Our Nature was impressively varied - unfortunately, this year’s follow up isn’t as impressive. The Love That Remains tries to follow the same formula as Our Nature, with massive singles and various groovy filler tracks; the difference, however, is that neither of the two types of songs really hit their mark. Savoir Adore would do well to get a little more creative with their sound - The Love That Remains just isn’t good enough.

Amnesty (I)

Crystal Castles

August 19 / Fiction

After a tense break between frontman Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass, the prospect of a fourth Crystal Castles album seemed slim. It’s quite a surprise, then, that Amnesty (I) is here - that it features a new lead vocalist in Edith Frances, that it’s relatively uncontroversial after such a notorious split, and that it’s so good. Frances is no Glass, but maybe that’s a good thing - she pulls the band into more multifaceted direction. There are moments of rage (”Concrete”, “Fleece”) and beautiful clarity (”Char”, “Ornament”). It’s a welcome rebirth for the group.

Open Your Eyes

DJ Earl

August 19 / Teklife

DJ Earl helped usher in a new Teklife label this year, releasing a new album full of refined footwork as the Chicago label’s second-ever release. Earl receives help from the likes of Taso, Dj Taye, and Oneohtrix Point Never on Open Your Eyes, and he and his collaborators knock it out of the park - while there may not be anything hugely exciting apart from the excellent opener, Open Your Eyes is packed from start to finish with solid footwork cuts.

25 25 

Factory Floor

August 19 / DFA

There’s so much potential in Factory Floor. They’ve got amazing artwork and a cool sound to boot; not many can pull off vintage-sounding dance music like they can. Unfortunately, the London group’s sophomore album is confined to mediocrity based on one thing: besides the lovely “Ya Ya” and a lesser handful of others, these songs aren’t that exciting in the first place, and they don’t go anywhere. Dance music can be repetitive, but it has to make you dance. 

At Swim

Lisa Hannigan

August 19 / Hoop

Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan’s third album is like her first two - At Swim is graceful and crisp-sounding, with clever songwriting and accessible lyrics. However, this record only gets this in fits and bursts - Hannigan is never exceptional here, and is only good half of the time. You’ll appreciate At Swim, but you might not enjoy it.

Golden Sings That Have Been Sung

Ryley Walker

August 19 / Dead Oceans

Illinois’ Ryley Walker is pretty unashamed in how his singer/songwriter-tinged indie rock resembles lots of 1970s folk music; even so, his new album Golden Sings That Have Been Sung is a lovely collection of fresh, thoughtful folk music. These are jams for the morning radio in the best kind of way; “The Roundabout” has one of the album’s most memorable riffs (and it has some competition), and “Funny Thing She Said” seems to revel in its own golden, laconic pace. If you’re looking for the perfect album to put on while you wake up with a cup of coffee under the rising sun, then Ryley Walker’s the one for you.

EMOTION SIDE B EP

Carly Rae Jepsen

August 26 / School Boy

Carly Rae Jepsen doubles down on her ‘80s-indebted whimsy on EMOTION SIDE B, and while it doesn’t pack the same punch as 2015′s excellent E•MO•TION, it holds up perfectly well as a companion project. Jepsen is excited and sad and sassy, all at the same time - opener “First Time” is ready to soundtrack an aerobics competition, “Fever” is a synthpop song that somehow manages to feel wide open and incredibly well-contained at the same time, and “Cry” is wonderfully heartbroken, almost sounding like a cover of The War On Drugs. EMOTION SIDE B isn’t a classic, but it sure is fun as hell to listen to.

Mangy Love

Cass McCombs

August 26 / ANTI-

Mangy Love, the follow up to Cass McCombs’ 2013 album Big Wheel And Others, is a little less diluted than its predecessor, which is a good thing. This record works well together as a 50-odd-minute showcase of oddball Western lounge rock - McCombs weaves tiny little additions to his guitar rock foundation to make things interesting along the way. Add a few standout songs - “Opposite House” and the gorgeous “Medusa’s Outhouse” - and you’ve got yourself a good album.

CDW EP

Charlotte Day Wilson

August 26

Charlotte Day Wilson gained plenty of attention by appearing on BadBadNotGood’s IV - her gorgeous vocals on “In Your Eyes” stole the show for many. CDW is her debut EP, and it helps the singer establish her own lane, which is evidently textured soulful indie pop. CDW is a more than adequate introduction to Wilson and her voice; now, we lie in wait for what comes next.

and the Anonymous Nobody...

De La Soul

August 26 / A.O.I.

As a dramatic concept album about the future of hip hop, and the Anonymous Nobody... is a little disappointing. All things considered, though, this record is a solid one from De La Soul, especially considering it’s been over a decade since their last one. All the collaborators seem to have been carefully and mindfully chosen - Jill Scott, Little Dragon, 2 Chainz and more serve important roles as the album progresses. It ends in “Exodus”, the best song on the album as well as the “outro that’s also an intro,” as they put it. It’s a poignant farewell from De La Soul, and it’s a powerfully delivered invitation for more artists to step up. De La Soul might be done, but hip hop is just beginning.

Hoops EP

Hoops

August 26 / Fat Possum

Hoops’ debut EP of jangly surf rock is a small but important success for the Indiana band. In an indie world where Mac Demarco’s sound is long past overdone, Hoops find a way to make it fresh again - it turns out that all you need is enthusiasm and some much-needed brevity.

Prima Donna EP

Vince Staples

August 26 / Def Jam

Although Vince Staples is ever closer to reaching his fantastically high potential on Prima Donna, this EP suffers from the same problems that plagued Summertime ‘06 - shoddy production and halfhearted choruses. Staples is mesmerizing when every part of a song has been taken care of - just listen to “Norf Norf” - but here, save for the caustic, James Blake-produced opener “War Ready”, there isn’t much that couldn’t use some extra work.

JEFFERY

Young Thug

August 26 / 300

Not only does Young Thug continue exploring the boundaries of his own voice, continuously coming up with weird takes on trap rap tropes, it seems as if he’s actually doing it more with each project he puts out. JEFFERY is his third mixtape this year, after Slime Season 3 and I’m Up. Its nine tracks are uniformly unique; Thugger blends his sound with reggae on “Wyclef Jean”, nocturnal slow-burning trap on “RiRi”, and psychedelic, summery electro on “Kanye West”. While not every experiment is successful, they’re all immensely entertaining.

MY WOMAN

Angel Olsen

September 2 / Jagjaguwar

Angel Olsen’s newest LP is fuller - it’s more assured, more ambitious, and just a little bit more safe. MY WOMAN doesn’t really reach the heights that the endearingly bare Burn Your Fire For No Witness did; nevertheless, it’s a formidable album that showcases her talents as a lyricist and a songwriter. Just try listening to “Shut Up Kiss Me” without getting a spring in your step; just try listening to “Intern” and “Pops” without feeling alienated and lost. It’s an emotional tour de force.

False Readings On

Eluvium

September 2 / Temporary Residence

One of the best ambient records of the year, hands down. False Readings On has all the best qualities of Stars of the Lid’s catalogue - this album takes short, quietly desperate chords and infuses them with emotion through pure, unstructured sound. “Fugue State” is built around three tiny notes; “Posturing Through Metaphysical Collapse” and “Movie Night Revisited” build to shimmering climaxes from their similarly limited beginnings.

The Sun’s Tirade

Isaiah Rashad

September 2 / Top Dawg

One of Top Dawg’s less magnetizing artists, Isaiah Rashad’s debut album was released with relatively little fanfare in early September, which fits with the spirit of this pleasantly drowsy project. Rashad has a talent for making it all look easy; he coasts through these songs like he’s floating down Route 1 in a convertible. The production on The Sun’s Tirade, meanwhile, is varied enough to keep you interested: “4r Da Squaw”, “Park”, and “Bday” are heartfelt, vicious, and gregarious respectively, all while retaining a healthy homegrown feel. It’s a well-balanced if rather unsurprising project, a solid progression in Rashad’s career.

Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight

Travis Scott

September 2 / Grand Hustle

Travis Scott is more disillusioned (and disassociated) than ever on new album Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight, which comes just under a year after his excellent debut Rodeo. This record is definitely a change from Rodeo’s sprawling production; only one song on Birds is over 5 minutes, and the Wild West-inspired aesthetic of Rodeo is much more restrained to traditional verse-chorus form this time around.

Nevertheless, there’s plenty of room for Scott’s trademark outlaw debauchery to shine through on this album; he and his guests are equally impressive throughout. Scott and André 3000 form a formidable duo on opener “the ends”, TM88′s warped guitar sample makes “coordinate” a standout, Washed Out’s “You and I” is brilliantly flipped on the spacey “sdp interlude”, Kendrick Lamar contributes a passable verse to the woozy “goosebumps”, and The Weeknd stops by for a memorable verse in the icy closing track “wonderful”. Overall, Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight may be lacking in the overall aura of mystery and godliness that Rodeo possessed so brilliantly. Nevertheless, it ranks as one of the year’s better trap rap projects. 

Ultra

Zomby

September 2 / Hyperdub

London dubstep artist Zomby returned with a new album this year, a year after a pair of Let’s Jam!! EPs in 2015 - unfortunately, just like those EPs, this record is quite forgettable, a 55-minute low-tempo slog of uninteresting electronic beats. There are some highlights, notably "Glass”, which makes use of an infectious (and very pretty) keyboard sample, along with one of the only high tempos on the album. Overall, though, Ultra will probably not be revisited by many who aren’t the most hardcore of Zomby fans.

Badu

Bear Mountain

September 9 / Last Gang

“Badu”, the title track off of Canadian band Bear Mountain’s second album, is a charming combination of jazzy chords and Caribou-esque indie dance beats - Badu as a whole, however, is anything but charming. Save for “Badu” and the decent enough “Can’t Stand To Lose”, this record is an utter disappointment of generic HD synthpop and overwrought, sexless pastiches of the 1980s.

Sunset Yellow EP

General Ludd

September 9 / Mister Saturday Night

Glaswegian producer General Ludd made his return this summer on Mister Saturday Night, and it’s definitely a good one. Sunset Yellow features three songs, each with vividly colorful titles, and all three do not disappoint - this EP is a lovely mixture of house and ambient techno; the aged drums and buttery synths make for a more-than-sufficient soundscape for your summer Friday evenings.

Sunlit Youth

Local Natives

September 9 / Loma Vista

Local Natives continue their slow-moving foray into electronic indie pop on new album Sunlit Youth; this record utilizes synthesizers and even some samples. Regardless of what Sunlit Youth sounds like, though, the important thing is how well it’s written. Tracks like the wonderful opening three of “Villainy”, “Past Lives”, and “Dark Days” ensure that this increasingly electronic sound for the California indie band isn’t too jarring; frontman Taylor Rice’s desperate tenor cries still hit their emotional mark on this record, and Local Natives continue to find new territory to explore.

AIM

M.I.A.

September 9 / Interscope

M.I.A.’s new album - surprise surprise - did not have the most predictable of release strategies. After months of battling with her label, Interscope, the British cultural icon's newest (and possibly last) album is out, but it’s a little less organized than her previous works. AIM is a little bit like M.I.A.’s The Life of Pablo - it’s a messy collection of both fully-fleshed songs and sketches thrown in between. The best moments are when she finds some clarity amidst the messy, Middle Eastern-influenced production; the vicious one-two punch of “Borders” and “Go Off” and the quieter dancehall bounce of “Finally” and “Survivor” rank among the album’s best moments.

Skeleton Tree

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

September 9 / Bad Seed

Unsurprisingly, Nick Cave’s new album is pretty grim - what did surprise us, however, was how forgettable it was too. Other than a few tracks (the opener and the draining “I Need You” and “Skeleton Tree”), Skeleton Tree is a drab affair. It’s almost as if this album is so drenched in dark, languid emotion that it collapses under the weight; certainly not among Cave’s best.

Away

Okkervil River

September 9 / ATO

Okkervil River’s first record since The Silver Gymnasium seems to exemplify the image of the Western singer/songwriter album; you can almost see Will Sheff recording this in a lodge somewhere up in the mountains where the air is dry. This raw, Western vibe extends to every part of the record; the songs are crisp and stately yet sprawling and faded, kind of like an old dignified hotel. From the soulful notes of “Okkervil River R.I.P.” to the cluttered, introspective closing strings arrangement of “Days Spent Floating (In The Halfbetween)”, Away is a delight.

2 years of failure

C418

September 13

Despite being an expansive compilation of German electronic musician C418′s throwaways across 2 years, this record is not actually that bad. Besides the uniformly tedious “90s_” suite that opens the album, there are several surprisingly high points. The album’s middle third is dominated by a serious of soft, inviting ambient pieces, the best of which are “house_loneliness” and “cr1_meadow”. There’s a punching tech house anthem near the end in “egoismus_2016edit”. And, finally, the pièce de résistance is “stranger_think”, a fantastic rework of the Stranger Things theme that was just waiting to be made. Most of the time, 2 years of failure happily contradicts its title.

Shape Shift With Me

Against Me!

September 16 / Total Treble

The newest Against Me! record comes two years after Transgender Dysphoria Blues, and it’s with noticeably less fanfare - this album quietly released in the middle of September. Shape Shift With Me is pleasantly short; there are 12 songs, and none exceed four minutes long. While there aren’t many truly memorable moments of scuzzy punk rock on this album, there are some - the chorus of “333″, the exhilarating trying-not-to-fall-in-love words of “Rebecca”, and the pulverizing bassline of “All This (And More)”, to name a few.

I Remember

AlunaGeorge

September 16 / Island

After they sensationally announced their arrival onto indie pop’s scene with 2013′s Body Music, everything was pointing towards a good 2016 for AlunaGeorge - especially after their impressive features on songs by Flume and Jack Ü. I Remember, then, comes as one of the year’s hugest flops - save for the sultry, Flume-produced “I Remember”, this record is completely devoid of anything remotely energizing. 

Pretty Years

Cymbals Eat Guitars

September 16 / Sinderlyn

Pretty Years, the newest Cymbals Eat Guitars album, is influenced by ‘70s rock, and the result is a record that is supersaturated with flavor - these songs desperately lack fresh air. Although the saxophone in lead single “Wish” is certainly exciting, the rest of the album falls flat; Pretty Years is a failed experiment in warm indie punk.

The Divine Feminine

Mac Miller

September 16 / Warner Bros.

Brush aside the weird, trying-not-to-be-sexist-but-really-sexist theme of Mac Miller’s new album for one moment - The Divine Feminine is actually not that bad. It might not be as consistent as 2015′s GO:OD AM, but that album doesn’t have “Dang!”, a ridiculously smooth song that is by far the highlight. There are some sweet moments amidst the badly sung choruses, too - Ty Dolla $ign’s chorus on “Cinderella”, Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “God Is Fair, Sexy Nasty”, the simmering groove of “We”. Overall, The Divine Feminine is another typical Mac Miller album - bizarre themes and weak choruses, but with some really special moments in between.

Mykki

Mykki Blanco

September 16 / !K7

Mykki Blanco is undoubtedly one of current hip hop’s most unique personalities, without even trying to be - his identity as a trans rapper immediately places him in the context of a genre that is often frighteningly hostile towards people like him. Mykki, his debut record, takes this personality and stretches it to its limits; this album switches from grimy trap rap to experimental hip house from track to track. Overall, it’s a great project, and not unlike Le1f’s Riot Boi in its nocturnal, somewhat drowsy mood. Here’s hoping Mykki is just the start for Mykki Blanco.

Preoccupations

Preoccupations

September 16 / Jagjaguwar

Preoccupations is the “debut album” of Preoccupations, the band that formerly made music as Viet Cong. It’s an imposing 40-minute wall of dark post-punk - its best moments are the singles, the compelling “Anxiety” and “Degraded”. All things considered, Viet Cong’s new album is like their new name - it might have been a necessary change, but it’s a little too abstract and a lot less provocative.

Stage Four

Touché Amoré

September 16 / Epitaph

Touché Amoré’s concept record about cancer guarantees plenty of intense, burning emotions; however, the musical side of this album leaves a lot to be desired. Stage Four is made up of the exact same music from start to finish; while there are highlights and lowlights, of course, the album as a whole is frankly forgettable.

Hard II Love

Usher

September 16 / RCA

Usher has made a career of making thoughtful, tasteful carbon copies of pop’s best trends, and new album Hard II Love is no different. It’s his first record since 2012′s Looking 4 Myself, and he’s updated his sound thanks to producers like PartyNextDoor and Metro Boomin. Overall, Hard II Love is pretty unremarkable; however, tracks like “FWM” and “Missin U” ensure that he keeps his reputation as pop’s cleanest vulture.

[thesunlounge]

Top Singles/EPs of 2017

To keep the pool of candidates manageable, I made the arbitrary choice to restrict my lists to what I purchased on vinyl. As well, these are presented in alphabetical order, because ranking them seems so painful (choosing just ten was hard enough). Each title is a link to some sort of audio sample.

18 Rays - 18 Rays (Antinote) Sleeper hit for me, and “I Feel Rain” is super stoned, sleepy eyed pop brilliance and an absolute ear worm. The rest of the EP is top shelf downtempo, with a melancholic pop edge. Shout out to the bassline in “These Empty Stairs”, huge guitars in “Long Time Ago”, and the (mellotron?) flutes of “North West Plaza”.

Bendith - Bendith EP (Aficionado) Maybe the best release all year. Like a Welsh, mostly acoustic Espers…but better? Baroque, medieval, psychedelic, sad, beautiful. Every track is a standout, including an excellent rendition of the traditional Japanese Takeda lullaby. But it is “Cân Am Gariad”, a cover of Lesley Duncan’s “Love Song”, that brings me to tears.

Earth Trax x Newborn Jr. - Mirage (Les Yeux Orange) The B-side is really fun, getting to hear Newborn Jr strike out alone on a looped country fried jammer bringing to mind Todd Edwards, and Earth Trax laying down a burner. But the A-side is just monstrous, especially the title track. When those absolutely huge ravey chords come in and subtle acidic trails start firing…hands in the air.

Max Manetti - Max Manetti EP (Über) Some awesome combo of Coyote and Mushrooms Project at their most horizontal, but also its own thing. Stoned out tempos, dubby basslines, tons of hand percussion, sun-baked guitar, and lysergic synths and vocal samples all over the place. Its all amazing, toes-in-the-sand beachy brilliance, but the b-side in particular kills.

Modern Manners - Modern Manners 001 (Modern Manners) “Amor y Odio” is just so classic: sparse breakbeat and bassline, trippy synths, and mournful Spanish guitar (shades of Coyote’s “Eve”!!). “Running With Me” has a nice loungey almost bossa nova rhythm with tasteful organ, jazzy laid back guitar, and soulful vocals. “Instant Illusion” finishes with a playful bassline anchoring a relaxed downtempo drift. (MM 002 is also most excellent...bring on 003!).

Mori Ra - Akebono / Tasogare (Balearic Social) Ive played these records ALOT. The most balearic of Mori Ra’s many great edits/reworks. A lot of it sounds like it could come from the early Cafe del Mar volumes. The AA side of Akebono, “Exodus” is a real stand out…hypnotic, floaty, and uplifting. As well as the A side of Tasogare, which is a jammed out jazzy banger.

Nancy Noise - Kaia (Beyond Paradise) “Kaia” should go down as an all timer, all desert swept acoustic, twinkly keys, and muted spaghetti western trumpets. Completely epic. “Azizi’s Dance” also kills it, with perhaps my favorite bassline of the year and those totally classic housey pianos. The remixes of “Kaia” are also on point, with Leo Mas & Fabrice grooving it out and Man Power throwing it all over a breakbeat and upping the cosmic factor. Also a lot of love for Leo Mas & Fabrice’s “Balearic Lovers” mix on the remix EP.

Pender Street Steppers - Pender Street Steppers (Mood Hut) The A-side is jaw dropping and the standout is the synth-saxy house shuffle, spy movie guitar, and hazy vox of “Raining Again”. “Mirror (Dub)” is light-as-air dub that is really compelling, spacey, and easy to fall into. And just try not to tap your toes when the groove kicks in and that whistle melody starts in “Molto Bene”. The B-side has some excellent Hut-style house, but doesn’t quite reach the ridiculous heights of the A-side.

Private Agenda - Dusk/Dawn (NuNorthern Soul) Both “Dusk” and “Dawn” are gorgeous, subdued, catchy, and immaculately crafted. The remixes are the real story however, especially Faze Action’s and Ron Basejam’s takes on “Dawn”. The former has the feel of a White Isle classic, with tropical and percussive synths, a bouncy beat, and Cantoma guitars. The latter gets so much glorious mileage out of a disco leaning break and a delicious sax line.

Various - We’ll Sea Pts. 1 & 2 (Mireia Records) RSS Disco’s “We’ll Sea” lays a catchy vocal hook over an absolutely classic organ-led downtempo groove, and the sum of these simple parts wrenches my heart. Just timeless. “Porto” is more uptempo, with an awesome filtered bassline and mystical and soaring vocals. Conga Fever finishes part 1 with a loungey, noir-esque guitar/organ groover. On the A-side of part 2, the Marcus Worgull edit of Gil Scott Heron’s “I’m New Here” is sublime, layering his dusty acoustic and croon over a subtle and hypnotic shaker-led beat.

(all images taken from my personal copies)