If you don´t know KNOWER, get over to youtube and take a good look and listen. Extremely impressive mix of Drum´n´bass, Jazz, EDM, sometimes Dubstep, Funk and more. Simplistic, yet complex. This is their best record to date and I doubt it can better than that (but I am open to be surprised again) Highly engaging music, lots of fun.
Of the albums shared here, this is the only one I've personally heard. I love everything KNOWER have been involved with, including all the artists they've collaborated with. I'll add that this album was fully-recorded live (which is astounding), and it includes some of KNOWER's signature, hilarious videos. This one's my personal fav off this record:
I haven't discovered
that much new music this year, being busy with the wedding and all, but here are a few that've really stuck with me over the past several months:
This is probably my favorite record of the year. Not only is it filled with individually-impressive songs, but it's also a masterclass in album sequencing. Just the way the tracks are ordered gives the album such an arc - almost cinematic in its rises and falls - that's so engaging. In an age where pop records are often nothing more than a compilation of singles (or attempts at a viral hit), one that's actually well-crafted and well-thought out was such a refreshing find.
I don't know if it's as consistently good as their first record, but the Ozone Squeeze crew will always guarantee great fun and musicianship. Their keyboard player and male vocalist is actually Rai Thistlethwayte, who also plays keyboard on that KNOWER record. Oz Noy's guitarwork is as unique and angular as ever (he's up there with Mark Lettieri as my current fav), and Sara Niemetz's
The Dimming is a particular highlight (no pun intended) of the album; such a ridiculously groovy, soulful track.
Jay Jennings is one of Snarky Puppy's most underrated members, and the classic-swing record he put out this year has accompanied me on many a car ride. It's a breezy listen that's a throwback a lot of the 40's, 50's and 60's records I listened to as I was discovering Jazz, and it's always fun seeing a Snarky member doing their own thing; outside the context of the band.
Nas and Hit-Boy's run continues - and, seemingly, concludes - with the amazing Magic 3. As a relatively-recent student of hip-hop history, it astounds me that Nas at 50 is still one of the freshest, hungriest and slickest-sounding rappers in the game right now. He's just endlessly smooth, and the relationship he's built with Hit-Boy has allowed him to craft some of his finest work yet. If Magic 3 is the end, then they've definitely ended on a high.
Mahalia is an artist I was introduced to by her collaboration with Jacob Collier (who I got to see live this year; a dazzling experience), and her latest record has established her as an R&B artist to watch IMO. Her record reminds me of music I'd hear on Star World or MTV in the mid-2000's, but with modern production, and I love some of the features here. Jojo is a star who's spent far too long under the radar, and Stormzy puts in a surprisingly grounded, soulful cut on the record as well.
Like the Ozone Squeeze album, I don't know if I like this one as much as her first record, but Laufey continues to be an artist that interests and excites me with anything she does. I think her brand of music becoming as popular as it is today is a middle-finger to anyone who said jazz is dead. I think it's more popular and more diverse than ever, and she's proof of that in the more pop, singer-songwriter realm. 'Hope her third record is even fresher and newer in sound.
I think it's a shared opinion among my generation that, of the Disney starlets in the late 2000's, Demi Lovato is the most talented by a country mile. She has an incredible voice with darker, more rock-ish sensibilities, but she's often limited to the confines of her employer; residing more in the pop bubble.
Revamped is basically her saying, "Screw all that." and delivering what a lot of us were craving: A full-on rock remix of her greatest hits. I love the drum work on this record, as well as the aggressive, punchy production. I've played
Sorry Not Sorry far too many times. It's a lot of fun, and I think a lot of people my age will love what she's done on it.
This album is just a gift. I love Hiromi as an artist, and I love the new artists she introduces when she brings them on to her projects. I think Hadrien Feraud, Gene Coye and Adam O' Farrill are superstars, and the music they've made together here is as complex, sophisticated, yet youthful and exciting as all of Hiromi's records have been. This is one of the records I've actively listened to quite a bit, and I feel like I'll only hear it more this year.
Next is this Tom Kennedy record I've been waiting
months for. Ever since I heard his band play
Espiritu del Songo on Dave Weckl's YouTube channel, I've been desperate to hear the studio version, and it, thankfully, didn't disappoint. It's probably the track I've played most over the past few months. The arrangement is just insanely enthralling. I was glad to find out the rest of the record was just as fun and interesting, and any record where Weckl's on drums gets a nod from me. 'Great stuff.
Speaking of Snarky Puppy and Weckl, this is a record that has vibes of both for sure. Like the former, it's an album recorded live, which is wild, given how tight the playing is and how clean the recording is. And, the arrangements just scream
Weckl and
Chick for me. The man on the cover is drummer J-Rod Sullivan. He's someone I've followed on social media 'cus of his insane abilities on the kit, but he's an excellent musician on top of that, as the record shows. This is his debut project, and I can't wait to hear more from the guy.
And, speaking of drummers, this is heaven for anyone who appreciates the kit as much as I do. As much as the engineer in me loves tight, quantized drums with consistent, even-sounding triggers, it's artists like Nate Smith who really get to the core of what drumming can be, and the sheer breadth of tones and textures one can pull out of the instrument if they're creative and, frankly, brave enough. I love this record, because literally no one else on Earth could've made it, and I look forward to the next time I can hear this genius play live again.
My final record of the year is a bit of a nostalgia pick, in a way. When I was growing up, T-Pain was a huge artist in the pop and hip-hop scene. He basically popularized the use of Autotune in the early-2010's, and he caught quite a bit of flack for it. What a lot of people didn't know is that the guy can actually sing really,
really well. Autotune for him was more of a creative tool than a crutch (which it was for a lot of pop artists), and this live album is a testament to that. In particular, his cover of Chris Stapleton's
Tennessee Whiskey... ugh... one of my favourite, favourite performances of the year.
Did not get a chance to vote for my E12 Fir. There is also very little discussion on the Cooler about it.
Why?? Too cheap or simple or...........?
I've tried the E12 and talked about it with a few friends. Unfortunately, the simple matter is that we didn't find it quite as impressive as other in-ears at its price range.
@RonaldS86, who tried both the E12 and the Singularity for the first time there, heavily preferred the latter. And, we felt it wasn't up to FiR's usual pedigree either. The tonality was wonkier and less refined than usual for them, and there weren't any technical achievements that really made up for it. I think it just didn't sound as good as we hoped it would. But, here's to hoping the next one on the Electron line does impress.
