Each Friday, I dig my way through new releases, using a myriad of websites and muses to guide me. Week to week, a few releases tickle my fancy or completely blow my mind. Most of the time, there is one stand-out AOTW(Album Of The Week), and most other releases of that day are mediocre to good, occasionally a grower. I hardly ever find more than three weekly albums that move and shake me. Last Friday’s releases were a huge exception. Each of these albums is packed with the use of complexity, be it; lyrical originality, production micro detail, or unique psychedelic soundscape, perhaps all of the above.
Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen
I have been a massive fan of this artist for nearly five years. Brittney Parks plays a Sudanese fiddle in front or behind a complex and dynamic auditory terrain. This high-energy exploration of feminine power spans 53 minutes and accompanies a range of genres. The lyrical density requires my further study and attention.
Sampa The Great - As Above, So Below
The 28-year-old Zambian poetry flow master returns for her third studio release. While evolving her lyrical confidence, Sampa taps American rappers Denzel Curry and Joey Bada$$. African polyrhythms with the beautiful nuance of tribal chanting and the occasional trap drum drive the production of this record. Subwoofers love this album.
Santigold - Spirituals
The softly spoken powerhouse innovator returns for her senior studio album Spirituals. It’s quite a heady take on dance pop, with beat-driven, synth-pulsing cuts. Not an album that immediately jumps off the vinyl, but there is a reward to those patent enough to dig deep. Dance flows through this recording like a broken disco, muted and melancholy. This chanty dream dance-pop album may not find its way to any of my favorite lists, but it’s fun and does fit this theme.
Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B
This debut LP from the UK duo is the most experimental and my favorite last week. The angelic bird voice of Georgia Ellery soothes my anxious brain, pulling me from consciousness. At the same time, the micro-detailed psychedelic production from Taylor Skye stimulates the playhouse portions of my psyche. Each song smoothly transitions from the organic to the mechanic, from harps and acoustic guitars to broken synthetic bleep bloop. This album checks almost all the boxes of the original, one-of-a-kind albums I chase.