Hi, everyone! As crazy as it seems, we're already halfway done with 2020. As we approach the end of the second quarter of 2020 music, June was certainly a great way to end it! Whether it was listening to albums from new faces and perennial bazzreviews favorites, or getting to discover some really cool new songs, June had a lot of amazing musical moments.
Run the Jewels 4- Run the Jewels
Despite getting a solid preview with “Yankee and the Brave” and “ooh la la,” it was not until recently that rapper Killer Mike and producer EL-P announced their fourth record together. It was a no-brainer to put this album on my review radar as soon as the announcement came out, because I’ve been a big fan of these guys since their debut album. In wake of the nationwide riots resulting from the Minneapolis Police Department’s murder of George Floyd, the duo decided to surprise release the record a few days before the June 5 drop date. Let’s just say I was online as soon as that announcement was made. And man, on a first listen, RTJ4 is just another well-done outing from the group. I think it features some of their most unique production, as well as some of the best verses from the duo. The writing really encapsulates the craziness our country has been facing in recent times, so hopefully, it will be able to stand the test of time. Along with the two singles mentioned at the top of the review, I was a big fan of “out of sight,” “goonies vs. e.t.,” “JU$T,” and “the ground below.” I want to give a quick nod to the second half of “holy calamafuck” as well. It definitely could have ended up making a decent interlude or fully-fleshed song without that first 90 seconds before the beat switch. On that note, I think that’s really where some of the weaknesses come to shine through on this album. When you keep diving deeper into each track’s content, there’s really minor things that start to add up. Despite packing another strong instrumental, “walking in the snow” was another weaker cut that didn’t do too much for me. I also did not care for either the call-and-response from Mike and P, nor the beat on “never look back,” or EL-P’s verse on “pulling the pin.” Most of all, I felt like “a few words for the firing squad” was a weaker way to end such an in-your-face record. It sort of keeps dragging on with the whole meta/narration deal, and doesn’t feel like a song that should have made the record at all. Compared to the rest of Run the Jewels’ discography, I’d say RTJ4 is not their worst offering by any means. I think it certainly lacks some of the polish of past projects, but it has a lot of great things to offer the musical and social landscape we have right now. 8/10
Heaven to a Tortured Mind- Yves Tumor
To make a long story short, the sophomore album from Warp records mastermind Sean Bowie was nothing short of impressive. It’s such a stark change from his debut, the softer, more minimalist Safe in the Hands of Love. If you listened to this record, I can only imagine you’re in the same boat as me- questioning if this is actually the same artist. In just thirty-six minutes, there’s a balancing act of so many different styles. You would think that three completely random genres like funk, hard rock, and industrial music would never go well together. That is, not until NOW. “Gospel to A New Century” ”Medicine Burn” “Kerosene,” “Dream Palette,” “Folie Imposee,” and “A Greater Love” are essential listens to fully understand what I’m talking about. Even though I think there’s a lot of good to come from this record, I do see a few small issues here. In the grand scheme of the record, the song “Hasdallen Lights” felt a little out of place. It just doesn’t build off of the sound that the first four or five tracks had going. The following “Romanticist” was the exact same way, and quite honestly might have been the weakest link on the project. Lastly, towards the end of the project, the wonky “Strawberry Privilege” had a sound that I didn’t really enjoy very much, either. With that, I believe that Heaven to a Tortured Mind really showed the amount of range Bowie has as an artist; while his first outing was pretty good, every track on here is so different from the last. It makes me excited to see how much deeper Yves Tumor, as a project, can go down the road. 8/10
Purple Moonlight Pages- R.A.P. Ferreira
Formerly known as milo and scallops hotel, this is the newest rap project from Maine rapper Rory Ferreira. I used to be a pretty big fan of Ferreira’s stuff back in the day as milo, but I haven’t really revisited any of his other albums because of all the other rap music I’ve heard over the last couple years. So, I decided to pay a tribute to one of my early rap favorites with a review of Purple Moonlight Pages. I think Rory’s new persona as R.A.P. Ferreira is pretty well done. Clocking in at fifty-two minutes, it’s the longest project I’ve heard from him to date. On this outing, the delivery feels more spoken word and poetic, but he still keeps some of the quirky raps he would string together as milo. This record was also notably produced by the California trio Jefferson Park Boys, led by Kenny Segal. He’s a producer who I haven’t been super impressed by so far; as some of you may know, I unfavorably reviewed his collaboration with Billy Woods last year, Hiding Places. Segal has definitely taken a turn for the better, and there’s one big reason for that: He has worked with Rory before, handling production on the milo project, so the flies don’t come. While it’s not necessarily my favorite project from the milo days, the point stands that Kenny clearly knows how Rory likes to rap. That’s why this collaboration works out so much better. The chemistry between producer and rapper is so potent here, and that’s a huge reason why this album felt so much more enjoyable. The opening four-track run of “GREENS,” “NONCIPHER,” “OMENS & TOTEMS,” “U.D.I.G.,” is one of the best opening sets I’ve heard all year. Pair that with other outstanding tracks like “DUST UP,” “ABSOLUTES,” “LEAVING HELL,” and “AN IDEA IS A WORK OF ART,” and one could argue that this tracklist is absolutely stacked. There are a few hiccups across the tracklist, too, with the biggest being “LAUNDRY” and “CYCLES,” but my biggest complaints come from the end of the record. Remember how I mentioned it’s the longest I’ve heard from Ferreira so far? Well, I don’t really know if longform was the answer. The back end of this feels really bloated and unsure of itself, and the result is three really indelible tracks in “PINBALL,” “RO TALK” and the incredibly weak closer “MASTERPLAN.” While I can certainly say that Purple Moonlight Pages was a great return into Rory Ferreira’s discography, I think the poor ending to this record is where it loses some points on the BazzScale. 9/10
SAWAYAMA- Rina Sawayama
As some of you may know from my review of Charli XCX’s new record last month, I’ve really been getting into the PC music genre in recent times. I’ve heard really good things about Rina’s music, and she is an artist that I have yet to hear anything from in the genre. While the ethos of PC music lies in using loud bass, wonky synths, heavily Auto-Tuned and/or pitch-shifted vocals, I don’t really know why some would qualify this as PC. Rina doesn’t employ those tactics on the record, rather cherry-picking from a melange of elements you would have heard in early 21st-century chart-topper music (nu-metal and alternative rock, teen pop, electronic). It’s weird why I enjoyed this record so much. Many of you know that I’m a vehement critic of the modern pop music landscape, but hearing the sounds of music I grew up listening to in a completely new context feels very refreshing. I wouldn’t really say nostalgia is what makes this album great, though, because I haven’t even begun to talk about Rina’s musical abilities yet. Though sort of a late bloomer into the music landscape, the 29-year old Japanese-British singer/songwriter shows so much strength in both the writing and recording aspects of the album. Everything feels so tight and coherent, and I don’t think there’s a single skip across the first six or seven tracks of this record. I think the album loses a little bit of its luster around the middle, with the overly redundant tracks “Bad Friend,” “Fuck This World,” “Who’s Gonna Save U Now?” being the weakest three of the bunch in my eyes. It appears that having a poor closer is a common thread this month, as Rina’s choice for the finale, “Snakeskin,” doesn’t hit the mark either. As a whole, Rina Sawayama’s debut was pretty remarkable. Its quality is rather unmatchable, and she makes another great case for who could receive my award the Best New Artist or Debut Album award at the end of the year. 9/10
Suddenly- Caribou
Despite having a discography that stretches back to the early 2000s, Dan Snaith is another artist that I have not heard much from in my reviewing times. I figured that I would forage into new territories, and hear the newest outing the veteran Canadian producer. Across the record, I definitely think Snaith has a lot of great musical ideas going on. He’s another artist who tapped into a lot of different ideas from the electronic genre. Whether it was EDM, house, or a Toro y Moi-esque electronic funk vibe, Snaith is quite savvy in crafting a lot of different soundscapes. In fact, I’d say some of the tracks are some of the best I’ve heard in 2020 so far. My two favorites from the project were definitely “Home” and “Never Come Back,” and are worth a listen if you don’t want to dive into the whole album. I’d also like to mention cuts like “Sister,” “You and I,” “Magpie,” and “Ravi” - all were nice additions to the record. Aside from these tracks, the other cast of characters doesn’t really feel as memorable or relistenable. Yes, I gave about six examples of what Snaith did well, but it’s a twelve track record. As obvious as it sounds, to be “average” or hovering around the 50% accuracy mark is not what a musician should be aiming for. I don’t think it was that any of the other six tracks were inherently “bad” by any means, they just felt severely underdeveloped or detrimental to the mix as a whole. For example, if you listen to the seemingly out of place rap/electronic track “Sunny’s Time,” you might have the same reaction I did: sitting there and scratching your head on how this added anything to the record. I also had similar feelings towards tracks like “New Jade” and “Like I Loved You.” I think both have fine instrumentals, but once again, they don’t feel as powerful as the rest of the bunch. This is probably about the eighth time I’ve had to say something like this in 2020, but I want you to take this review with just a wee, tiny, petite grain of salt. I haven’t heard anything under the Caribou moniker other than this. Maybe this is his best, or maybe his worst in true fans’ eyes. My two cents on Suddenly, though, is that it has some very promising moments from front to back. However, it did leave a little bit to be desired in terms of overall quality. 7.5/10
Where Have All My Friends Gone?- BOYO
This is the newest project from LA bedroom pop artist (and a good music friend of mine) Rob Tilden. He did release an EP (You Don’t See Me) towards the end of last year, but Where Have All My Friends Gone? marks his first full album since 2018. Out of the two singles that had been released to promote the project, I think I definitely preferred “Skip” to “Backseat Driver.” On this record, it feels like Rob had a really interesting diversion from his past work. Out of his four full-length albums, this is easily the least noisy of the bunch. It’s also not as bedroom-poppy as Dance Alone or Control, nor is it as dark as Me, Again was. He takes remnants from projects past and makes the music feel completely new. I loved a lot of the things tracks like “Dogma,” “Junk,” “Summer Home,” “Patience,” “Tough Kid,” “Forget It,” and the closer “Windows” had going on. It’s a relatively consistent project throughout, but the only criticism I can really give the album is that the middle stretch has a couple of weak sections. On the record's title track, I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of his delivery over what was actually a decent instrumental. I also was not the biggest fan of the succeeding track, “Southern Gothic.” Again, I love the vibe of this track, but Rob just doesn’t seem at his best here. In my eyes, that is probably the weakest track on the record. Before I wrap this up, though, I just want to talk about Rob as a person. First off, he’s one of the nicest guys in the music scene. I first interviewed him around this time last year, and he’s been someone who’s always willing to make an appearance on whatever I’m doing. He’s been on an episode of the bazzcast (episode 8), and if you tuned into the COVID Chronicles, he was a recurring guest. It was really fun to chat with him about different music and movies, and it’s cool to see how we really connect on a lot of things. I really appreciate him as a person, and if you’re reading this, I just want to say thanks for always being there. It means a lot. All in all, this is easily Rob’s most dynamic outing to date. If you haven’t heard any other BOYO albums before, I strongly recommend you start here. 9/10
SONGS OF THE MONTH:
So What?- Vince Staples
Fun Tonight- Macross 82-99
Cancer in the Water- Clarence Clarity
out of sight- Run the Jewels
In the Gadda-da-vida- Iron Butterfly
80808- Death Grips
Turn off the Lights- Teddy Pendergrass
Comme des Garcons- Rina Sawayama
U.D.I.G- R.A.P. Ferreira
Symphonia IX- Current Joys
So, did you agree with my album takes? Was there an album you thought should have been rated higher or lower, maybe even an album I should have reviewed? If so, give me a follow on Instagram, @bazzreviews. I'm always open to discuss albums and take recommendations. In the meantime, stay safe, be well, and be on the lookout for more bazzreviews content coming soon!
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