#song is “envelopes (chapter vi)” by leon vynehall

[rasenkaikyo]

city of ghosts

[abductionradiation]

As some of you may know, I have been obsessed with electronic music, especially deep house. Yesterday, I went into my email to find Leon Vynehall’s newest track “Envelopes (Chapter VI)” in my inbox and just listening to first couple of measures, I knew that I would love this song. This is the kind of song that you have to be patient with but that patience will be rewarded greatly. Vynehall is an absolute master when it comes to building his songs and creating the right atmosphere for that build. With “Envelopes (Chapter VI)”, it starts off pretty sparse but when you get to the meat of the track, it’s truly beautiful beyond words. The way the sounds come in and out of the song and the way Vynehall masterfully layers everything is eerily soothing and lethargic.

“Envelopes (Chapter VI)” is taken off of Leon Vynehall’s debut album Nothing Is Still out June 15 via Ninja Tune. The album is dedicated to Vynehall’s grandparents and documents their stories and lives.

Connect with Leon Vynehall:

Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[thisisnotacomp]

Best albums of 2018 11-20

11. Leon Vynehall - Nothing Is Still  - This is easily the most underwhelming release in the top 20 of my list. That is not to undersell the record, I just went into it with the expectation of hearing a follow up to his 2014 release Music for the Uninvited. That album is one of my favorite house releases of all time. I wanted more of that. I didnt get it... I was disappointed. It wasn't until I revisited it a few months later that it sunk its hooks in me. Instead of a house record Leon released and Ambient / Modern Classical concept record soundtracking his grandparents journey from the UK to New York City in the 60's. I reset my expectations, got over the fact that I wasn't getting a shiny new house record and pressed play. By the time I made it to Envelopes (Chapter VI) the 7th track on the record  I understood. This album has so much more gravity than any house record could. It is a deeply personal statement. A thing of beauty. 

12. VA - Black Panther OST  - Whelp, I broke another one of my rules. I included a multiple artist soundtrack on my end of the year list. That note was for posterity. Anyway, this is more than just a soundtrack, it is a great album and the songs were everywhere in 2018. Kendrick can do no wrong. This is how you do a Soundtrack. I had to see the movie in theaters just to hear how they integrated the songs into the movie. Honestly, not to many make the cut. I think that is why it works. It stands alone as an album, as its own work of art along side the movie. Let's hope Kendrick blesses us with another LP in 2019. Side note, one of my highlights of the year was seeing him live. 

13. Snail Mail - Lush  - This LP is just good music. If it's not on your radar you aren't paying attention. Change that. For more info check out Pitchforks end of the year write up here.  These beautiful songs will get stuck in your head for weeks. 

14. Proc Fiskal - Insula  - When I first listened to Insula it knocked my socks off. Usually when albums make their way onto my radar I either read a blurb about them or have a general idea what to expect. That wasn't the case here, all I knew is it was Resident Adviser rated it a 4 out of 5 and they listed Grime as the style. When I hit play I had zero expectations and it knocked me on my ass. I should have known it would be good since it is a Hyperdub release. This album fits in a long lineage great LP’s by glitched up beat makers. Albums like “Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives” & “One Word Extinguisher” from Prefuse 73, “ Room(s)” & “Vapor City” from Machinedrum and “Severant” from Kuedo. Now the albums sound is admittedly much different than all of them but the feel is very similar. 

This is obviously the product of hours tinkering away in solitude. At times it feels like it will burst at the seams with ideas, but it never overwhelms the listener. Instead he pulls back with moments like “Achiltibuie” which give you that feeling when everyone gets off a crowded bus and you have it to yourself, out of the madness of the city and the masses. The track and Scotch Precog which follows wouldn’t feel out of place on an album released by The Books. After the pause, the album gets back to its overstimulated core but never lets go of that sense of balance. It's a beautiful work by a 21 year old artist far removed from any of the artists mentioned above. If you liked the early work of Four-Tet & Mount Kimbie, the artists pushing the edges of footwork or really any beautiful electronic music make sure to track this down. Person favorites are Scotch Precog & Punishment Exercise.

15. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) - 2012-2017  - This LP is by far Nicolas Jaar's most accessible release to date. Jaar's output up until this point has been extremely heady stuff. Less songs and more thoughts put to music. 2012-2017 goes in the other direction. It is a collection of house tracks that feel equally at home on the dance floor as they do on a home stereo. It sounds like a version of the album you would have expected from him after the success he gained from the debut release. These are house tracks for sure, and while they are not nearly as off kilter as his music usually is, just listed to I Never Dream and tell me that isn't undeniably a Nicolas Jaar track. After hearing this album I wish James Blake would do the same thing... 16. Shame - Songs of Praise  - Songs of Praise is the fantastic debut LP from Shame, an upstart rock group out of the UK. It reminds me of a the following debuts from the last few years. 2017: Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love & Idles - Brutalism 2013: Savages - Silence Yourself & FIDLAR - FIDLAR 2012: METZ - METZ 2011: Iceage - Brigade

If you liked any of those releases check out Shame. 

17. Galcher Lustwerk - 200% Galcher  - I held out for as long as I could but in 2018 I finally caved. I now listen to the majority of music via a streaming service (I went with Tidal due to quality). While I miss the MP3 game (tracking down and buying albums does have its benefits) the time required to keep everything organized just wasn’t worth it. Why is this worth mentioning now? Well, when you stream the 200% Galcher in Tidal it plays the album one time through with lyrics, then again with instrumentals. I found myself listening to both versions whenever I had time. That is saying a lot as I rarely listen to an album twice through. That alone should speak to the quality of this release. This is a electro-house record with a sprinkle of hip-hop. Solid stuff. Start with Life and go from there.

18. Altopalo - frozenthere  - What is Altopalo’s sound? What genre box can you paint them into? Who are the? Where did they come from? All good questions that I can’t or more accurately don't want to know the answers to. I just want to listen to listen to Mono on repeat and pretend that I live in a world where all music sounds as beautiful as it does.

19. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs  - Some Rap Songs is influenced by so many great Rap LP’s but also stands among them. In a year where Soundcloud rappers seemed to take over, Earl goes in the complete opposite direction. Its great, its pure and in 10 years we will look back and it will stand alongside the most important rap LP’s of its time. All Killer, No Filler.

20. Tirzah - Devotion  - In one sense Devotion captures the sound of 2018 better than almost anything thing else released this year. At its core it’s pop music but the songs are not made for the radio. It's beautiful and imperfect.