Last Friday, September 30th, 2022, was a date anticipated by many in the music community due to the multitude of new projects being released by some of the most recognizable names in modern music. From these releases, we have received some of the most ambitious and creative albums of the year.
Freddie Gibbs, $oul $old $eparately: A project that veers away from Gibbs’ typical style and takes on a fresh approach to rap while still maintaining Gibbs’ iconic lyricism and flow. With a multitude of well placed talented features such as Musiq Soulchild, Rick Ross, and Pusha T. With plenty of sample heavy production reminiscent of his earlier works tied in alongside instrumentals taking on a more mainstream sound, this album ties together the old and new to showcase Gibbs’ growth and stylistic development over the course of his rap career.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down: A project marking the return of a beloved 2000’s band, confronting the struggles and hardships of isolation as well as modern day environmental issues. Consisting of only 8 tracks, this record certainly lives up to its expectations of being short but packed to the brim with incredibly energetic and raw energy. The passionate vocal performances given by lead singer Karen O are complimented by the instrumentals on this project near perfectly, and the contrast between fiery tracks such as Spitting And Burning and hazy, spoken word tracks like Mars only adds to the experience of the project. This project’s hopeful, almost dreamlike close provides some sort of hope to contrast against the otherwise pessimistic project, making it one of the more cohesive and fulfilling listens of this year so far.
Slipknot, THE END, SO FAR: An extremely bottom-heavy project, Slipknot’s THE END, SO FAR continues the band’s infamous experimentation and easily reminds listeners of the classic SLipknot that they know and love. This album takes influence from prog and jazz, while still maintaining the classic Slipknot sound that people have come to know and love. Though the tracklist of the project can feel disorganized and chaotic at times while also being easily the most experimental of Slipknot’s discography, It’s near impossible not to appreciate how strange, nihilistic, and dangerous the record’s sound truly is.
Bladee, Spiderr: Bladee’s most recent project, Spiderr, marks a development of Bladee’s sound and solidifies the fact that he won’t ever return to his earlier sound. Though less outstanding than the album before it, Spiderr can be considered Bladee’s most ridiculous project yet. Tracks on this project are some of Bladee’s most memorable, packed full of synths and the chaotic energy that Bladee is known for. With standout tracks such as HAHAH, that sound similar to Thaiboydigital’s I’m Fresh, This album keeps good humor while maintaining a consistent and beloved sound that Bladee is known for.
Church, Billy Woods: Another thought provoking and extremely enjoyable listen from Billy woods, Church provides a slightly less experimental take than Woods’ previous album, Athiopes, while still maintaining the meaningful lyricism and flow that Woods is known for. With relaxing yet dark instrumentals, this project is yet another extremely tight and refined sound that’s expected from Billy Woods. This album is a great introduction to new listeners that fund themselves less compelled to sit through a more experimental project of his.
Denzel Curry, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future (The Extended Edition): A deluxe edition of Denzel’s most recent release, This deluxe sets a near perfect example of what an incredible deluxe looks like. Contrary to most modern deluxe albums that only add a few extra songs to the experience, this project included an entire B side packed with remixes of the original album. What makes this project special is the complete stylistic difference in these new remixes, often using mostly acoustic instruments that breathe new life into the most acclaimed tracks of the original project. This project is a must listen to fans of jazz influenced instrumentals in rap, and is an incredible showcase of what a deluxe album can be in an age where shallow, profit oriented deluxe projects are plentiful.
Björk, Fossora: Arguably the most impressive and innovative of the projects released on the 30th, Björk’s Fossora is a very mushroom-centric, characteristically optimistic, and innovative as always project that proved itself to be arguably the most impressive of the releases on the 30th. This project is ever-creative as always, packed with songs that blend sounds and influences from outside genres masterfully. With the characteristically avant-garde opening track, Atopos, Björk belts periodic, short lyrics over an instrumental headed by hard hitting, industrial sounding percussion paired with spurts of dissonant woodwinds. A project packed full of earthly lyrics, with a commonality among songs to include lyricism about mushrooms, fungi, moss, and other earthly concepts. With a sharp contrast between songs, this project stays fresh and highly listenable all the way to the end. With standout tracks like Ancestress, arguably the most accessible song on the project, Björk displays her passion and talent through her emotional delivery and lyrical structure. This baroque and Bass-heavy avant-garde pop project is a must listen for any fan of Björk, or anyone who wants to experience Björk at, arguably, her most unique and creative since Volta.
Commentaires