Wait A Minute! This Isn’t Metal! – June 2024
Metal Storm’s outlet for nonmetal album reviews
The place where we’ll talk about music without growls or blast beats
unless they still have those but still aren’t metal
We here at Metal Storm pride ourselves on our thousands of metal reviews and interviews and article; metal is our collective soul and passion, which is why we bother with this junk. That being said, we’d be lying if we stuck to our trve-kvlt guns and claimed that metal is the only thing we ever listen to. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do check out some other stuff from time to time; some of us are more poptimistic than others, but there’s a whole world out there aside from Satan-worshiping black metal and dragon-slaying power metal. We do already feature some nonmetal artists on our website and have a few reviews to back them up, but we prefer to limit that aspect of the site to those artists who have been a strong influence on the metal scene or who are in some way connected to it. This article series is the place for those artists who don’t matter to metal in the slightest but still warrant some conversation – after all, good music, is good music, and we all know metal isn’t the only thing on this planet for any of us.
Down below, you might find some obscure Bandcamp bedroom projects or some Billboard-topping superstar; as long as it ain’t metal and the album itself isn’t a best-of compilation, it fits. Obviously, we’re certain that not everything will be for everybody (you guys can be viciously territorial even when metal is the only thing on the menu, and we’re all supposed to like the same things), but we do hope you find at least one thing that you can enjoy, instead of just pointing and screaming in horror “Not metal!” as if that would be an insult.
Here are our previous features:
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
And now to the music…
Returned To The Earth – Stalagmite Steeple
[Progressive Rock]
The UK is a key location for progressive rock, not only for its inception but also its evolution. Just as earlier movements such as the Canterbury sound and neo-prog emerged from the country, so has it spawned a number of more modern acts that offered a more understated and emotional take on the concept, such as Porcupine Tree and The Pineapple Thief. Another project in this vein is Robin Peacheyâs Returned To The Earth, who is joined on bass and drums by Paul Johnston. On album number five, Stalagmite Steeple, Peachey crafts languid, tender compositions that bear more than a passing resemblance to Porcupine Tree and their ilk, and he does it in some style.
Opening song âDark Moralityâ is a very accomplished introduction to the album; the earlier stages have delicate clean vocals and melodic guitar textures very reminiscent of Steven Wilsonâs work on records such as Lightbulb Sun and The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories); however, ultimately turns somewhat darker and heavier as it marches towards its conclusion. There is some very effective lead guitar work across the record, with some excellent examples in particular on the lengthy title track; there are scene-stealing solos both in the middle portion of the track and towards its final climax. The extent of the albumâs resemblance to Porcupine Tree may be a bit too much for some, but it will also mean it firmly scratches the itch for anyone with a hankering for more of that type of sound.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Airbag – The Century Of The Self
[Progressive Rock]
Starting off as a Pink Floyd cover band, Airbag have grown into one of the shining lights of the Norwegian prog rock scene. A propensity for mellow and contemplative writing was maintained even as the band moved away from Pink Floyd covers and into writing original compositions, and their style has stayed consistent across their discography to date. The Century Of The Self falls in line with expectations; its long, gradually meandering songs, with careful balance between atmosphere, melody and occasional moments of heaviness, maintain a style poised to appeal to fans of bands such as Porcupine Tree, Riverside and Anathema, and are reliably compelling.
Opening song âDysphoriaâ ambles along, crafting gentle textures with delicate keyboard and guitarwork, while also incorporating some louder riffs, but it is perhaps the almost Floydian guitar solo in the second half that ends up being the highlight of the track. âTyrants And Kingsâ and âEraseâ are a bit pacier and rockier in comparison, but never threaten to overwhelm listeners with heaviness, despite the charged and somewhat trite lyricism. Considering that Airbag are arguably at their most moving in moments of serenity (as can be heard in several parts of 15-minute closer âTear It Downâ), that isnât a negative, although perhaps there is room for Airbag to try and incorporate something a bit different into their writing to give their albums slightly more distinctive identities. As it is, when The Century Of The Self is at its best (which, for me, is during the passages where guitarist Bjorn Riisâ solos take centre stage on the bookending epics), it has enough resonating charm to overcome any arguable pitfalls it has in the way of innovation.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
We Broke The Weather – Restart Game
[Garage Prog | Psychedelic Rock]
musclassia’s pick
âGarage progâ is the seemingly self-coined term used by Bostonâs We Broke The Weather to encompass their fusion of prog and psychedelic rock with jazz fusion, along with occasional cues from the likes of math rock and even hints of metal. Their 2022 self-titled debut was impressive, not least for the versatility of the 5 musicians comprising the group, and on sophomore release Restart Game, each individual has at least 3 musical credits to their name. The array of vocalists, guitarists, keyboardists, saxophonists, and percussionists amongst their ranks give them the scope to craft some elaborate arrangements, but Restart Game is not cacophonic by any stretch of the imagination.
The albumâs opening song is its longest, and its bright, kaleidoscopic sound and complexity takes my mind slightly in the direction of a band like The Mars Volta; thereâs moments with crunching guitars, but also others with mellower instrumentation such as saxophone or keyboards leading the way, and the track ends with a thrilling guitar solo. Subsequent songs such as âLake St Georgeâ and âMarionetteâ effortlessly flow between heaviness, technicality and poppish hookiness, particularly with the Geddy Lee-esque vocals on the former track. The different vocalists afford We Broke The Weather to select the most appropriate one for whatever style theyâre taking a stab at, with the more rambunctious âMarionetteâ accompanied by a vocalist with a tone closer to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizardâs Stu Mackenzie. Restart Game is a fun, eclectic album with the capacity for serious surprises, particularly the slack guitar instrumental âAromatic Decayâ (which admittedly is perhaps a bit overlong), and makes for a good step forward from the debut.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Oh Hiroshima – All Things Shining
[Post-Rock]
Itâs been almost a decade since Oh Hiroshimaâs In Silence We Yearn was released and became a darling of the YouTube post-rock channels. Since that point, the Swedish group have downsized from a quartet to a two-man line-up comprising brothers Jakob Hemström and Oskar Nilsson, and in the process have grown their sound to move away from a pure post-rock sound. There were hints of subdued gloom and also heaviness on 2022âs Myriad, and All Things Shining represents the next step along their journey.
Oh Hiroshima had some involvement from Cult Of Luna members on this album (Kristian Karlsson plays keyboards and produces, while Magnus Lindberg mixes and masters), and the bright synths play off well with the heavier moments on opening song âWild Irisâ, but Oh Hiroshima are equally comfortable in melancholic quietness on âHoliness Movementâ, particularly when distant horn sounds accentuate the tender clean singing just before it moves into its climax. Thereâs a captivating, languid feel to âSwans In A Fieldâ and the textured instrumental jam in its second half, while âDelugeâ veers towards prog with its livelier and more complex rhythms. All Things Shining isnât an album particularly inclined to go for the big showy moments; thereâs quite a bit of subtlety to it, and it pays off nicely with how resonant some of these tracks manage to be.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
samlrc – A Lonely Sinner
[Post-Rock]
Generally when one thinks of post-rock, they thing of a full band, sometimes even something closer to a chamber orchestra, all contributing in unison to create a soundscape and drive the song through some buildups and releases with crescendos. But take that away and create something similar with just one person. Somehow one-man post-rock, or outsider post-rock since the person behind it doesn’t seem to be a musician in any other band, can end up being the more forward thinking of the bunch because it can esque the need to sound organic and live, and thus can afford to shift the methodology a bit.
This is still a “rock” record mostly, with the guitar being the main instrument, but it is joined alongside more normal instruments like harmonica and violin, but also improvised ones like soda cans and boxes. It really does have a DYI approach to making something ethereal, both in the sense that you can tell this one created by one person in their bedroom, recording, and sampling the songs they love, but also because it reminds me a lot of similarly auteur-esque lo-fi experimental post-rock-ish music in the likes of fellow Brazilians Brii and sonhos tomam conta, where the production itself actually enhances the impressionistic nature. A Lonely Sinner, self-described as “an album about a sheep experiencing love in it’s nature” embraces both the heaviness of the heaviest of post-metal-bordering post-rock, and the bittersweet melancholy of slowcore, and the “Hyperballad” sample in “For M.” came out so out of the left field that it made my day.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by RaduP
Outlander – Acts Of Harm
[Shoegaze | Post-Rock]
musclassia’s pick
Shoegaze and post-rock are genres with overlapping elements and origins, and even have come together along with other sounds to originate new styles such as blackgaze, so itâs not surprising to see bands even to this day that seek to explore the overlap between these two genres. Birminghamâs Outlander are arguably closer to shoegaze, courtesy of the hushed vocals, reverberating guitars and sedate pace bordering on slowcore, but the several lengthy songs found on sophomore album Acts Of Harm afford room for post-rock explorations. While the tracks here are in no hurry to get anywhere, there is evolution to be heard in these sullen, meandering songs.
Perhaps the most shoegazey track here is âNew Motive Powerâ, a despondent and crawling track that ultimately collapses into noise and ambience; âBoundâ initially feels similarly bleak, but it ever so slowly ekes its way towards a slightly brighter state of sound. Perhaps the two greatest gems of Acts Of Harm are its two longest songs, âWant No Moreâ and âLye Wasteâ. The former, from the off has a smidge more pace to it, and its ebbs and flows are more pronounced in volume and texture, but itâs the sumptuously melancholic post-rock second half that takes it to another level. The latter makes full use of its 12-minute runtime to wallow in subdued quiet, unleash outbursts of thumping percussion and distortion, and dwell contemplatively in lighter, cleaner soundscapes, ultimately coming out as something of a fusion of Jesu and This Will Destroy You. Acts Of Harm, more than most albums, is one thatâs about embracing the journey, and all its lulls and surges, but some of the destinations encountered across its duration are worth the price of entry in their own right.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Aythis – Celestial Exile
[Doom Rock | Post-Rock]
Aythis is the solo project of Carline Van Roos, who may be familiar to metal fans for her vocal/multi-instrumentalist roles in Lethian Dreams and Remembrance. Both of those are doom metal bands of one form or another, and there are clear ties to doom in the music of Aythis on Celestial Exile, the projectâs new album, as well as companion album Lost Lighthouse (also covered this month). In truth, there are quite a few moments on Celestial Exile that, due to the style and intensity of the drumming, feel like they could be easily converted into doom metal with simply some extra distortion in the guitars.
However, this is not a metal album; Celestial Exile has plenty of post-rock in its DNA, as exhibited in the tranquil yet mournful opening song âThe Endlessâ. Van Roosâ hushed, delicate delivery works perfectly in compositions such as this and âSolar Wavesâ; it also slots in naturally to songs like âMagneticâ and âMoonsongâ, which have faint distortion of some guitars that highlights a doom metal lineage without spilling over into that genre. It is also the clean guitar and electronics, and the melodies that they carry, that shape the songsâ soundscapes more than the aforementioned background and muted distortion. The songs here are all slow and sedate, with relatively minor levels of evolution across their runtime, and in the case of a track like âBetween Worldsâ, the approach becomes outright ambient. Some tracks, such as âMagneticâ, might have benefitted from a bit more growth across their durations, but the overarching vibe of the album is soothing and easy to get lost within.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Aythis – Lost Lighthouse
[Neoclassical | Darkwave]
Alongside the already covered Celestial Exile, Carline Van Roos also released Lost Lighthouse under the Aythis name this month. The albums are depicted as sister albums, but one is not just a reworking of the other; to start with, they both have separate numbers of tracks. The situation is more that Lost Lighthouse shares some DNA with Celestial Exile, and has a similar vibe, but features stylistically distinct compositions. The songs here, like those on Celestial Exile, are slow, subtle, and evocative, but the way in which this is accomplished differs.
There is none of the distortion or heavy percussion from the sister album here, and guitars are largely absent in any form. Instead, piano, keyboards, strings and electronics take on the lionâs share of the responsibility for shaping this recordâs soundscapes; Lost Lighthouse can be categorized as neoclassical, and also incorporates electronics in subdued fashion. Said electronics create quite clanking, industrial percussive sounds on the otherwise ethereal, catchy opener âHold The Fireâ, which has an almost folky edge to it and its central chorus hook. With the absence of rock instrumentation here, thereâs actually some uplifting melody on songs such as âHeliosâ and âUtopianâ courtesy of the piano, but at the same time thereâs also plenty of downcast, subdued bleakness, along with sombre ambience. Depicted as the companion album, for me Lost Lighthouse is arguably the more well-rounded and effective of the two releases this month from Aythis.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Secludja â Sunlight’s Ghost
[Ambient | Neoclassical]
I most certainly wouldnât came across this music output, if not scrolling through the Beâlakorâs (one of my favs) Facebook page occasionally where they posted a promo news regarding the newly released album of Secludja. The latter is the side solo project of the Beâlakorâs keyboardist/pianist and original member, Steve Merry. On this occasion, the word is about his second full length instalment Sunlightâs Ghost. Everything on this instrumental-only music effort, except for mastering and cover artwork, was done and handled by Steve himself. Following his 2022 debut, Stilled, the not-particularly-long successor, contains 12 new songs in total.
As is Steveâs musical profession, all compositions are produced with either piano or synthesizers. Featuring additional orchestral elements, these pensive-driven tunes create and radiate an entrancing ambience throughout the entire offering. While thereâs no particular pattern, Steve actually provides a mix of the piano-only, synth-only, and combination of both, tunes. The length of the latter are also quite diverse, being from one minute to five minute long. Itâs clear that Steve Merry is a very experienced and talented musician, operating with his music âtoolsâ gently and with utmost precision. Sunlight’s Ghost by Secludja is a perfect music for the calmed times of seclusion that we all need occasionally.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by Abattoir
Nox – Entity
[Darkwave]
Comprised of Inmesher from Rope Sect and Lykaios of Hemelbestormer, LhaĂ€d and Rituals Of The Dead Hand, Nox have created a debut album in Entity that is distinct from the style of any of the founding membersâ prior projects, while still dwelling in some degree of darkness. Thereâs a noisy harshness to some of the tones used on the album (such as a recurring layer in the mix of opening song âBlack Nebulaâ, but this is more so a darkwave album, with slick beats, multilayered instrumental foundations, and rich clean singing.
The band that first comes to mind for me are Ulver, and specifically their The Assassination Of Julius Caesar/Flowers Of Evil era; however, thereâs a bit more of a rumbling darkness to some of the deeper electronic layers, while the synth melodies are rapid, flickering and bouncing. âOnce Now Goneâ is more straightforward âalt clubâ dancefloor material with its up-tempo rhythms, while âFlesh And Bonesâ practically churns with its rumbling bass. At the other end of the tonal spectrum to that are the uplifting, twinkling, bouncing melodies and rhythms in the latter stages of âEscape The Lightâ. As Nox shift tack between songs, it is the understated, smooth voice of Inmesher that grounds and brings all the tracks together effortlessly.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Beth Gibbons â Lives Outgrown
[Chamber Folk | Chamber Pop]
It’s not that Beth Gibbons has been completely inactive musically in recent years, but her collaborations with other artists (Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kendrick Lamar‘s single “Mother I Sober”, Gonga‘s Black Sabbath cover Black Sabbeth) have repeatedly reminded us how much the music world yearns for an album that not only features Gibbons’ unmistakable voice but also showcases her own songwriting creativity. When asked why she is releasing her first solo album now, 10 years after the initial announcement and 30 years after Dummy, the Portishead singer replied: “People started dying”. On the one hand, this sounds like a very pragmatic approach, but for an artist like Gibbons, who has (unconsciously) elevated the art of scarcity to an art form of its own, the realization that the lifespan of all people â both friends and family as well as fans â is limited must have been a very bitter experience.
Lives Outgrown doesn’t deal with the theoretical problems that come with growing up, but with the personally experienced reality of being a middle-aged woman, and it does so in an almost shockingly direct, honest way – with a glimmer of hope, but without raising false hopes. Beth Gibbons is in her 60th year, and when she sings about farewell and loss, the finiteness of life, missed opportunities, and unfulfilled expectations, she does so with the same intensity and authenticity as she did three decades ago. Lines like âGive me a reason to love you, give me a reason to be a womanâ (“Glory Box”) have become âAnd all that I want is to love you the way that I used toâ (“Lost Changes”), and a whole life full of experiences and disappointments lies between them. Musically, Lives Outgrown marks a departure from Portishead‘s danceable trip-hop to a somber blend of folk and chamber pop, where Gibbons’ heart-wrenching voice can perfectly unfold. Breakbeats and turntable scratching have given way to the gentle yet bleak sounds of piano, string instruments, and acoustic guitars, while the spirit of experimentation and detail-rich orchestration remains. The list of instruments, primarily handled by producers Lee Harris (Talk Talk) and James Ford (The Last Shadow Puppets), is nearly endless and even includes household items, such as a paella pan. Each of the ten songs offers new and unexpected elements, such as children’s choirs or Middle Eastern melodies, which might have seemed out of place in the musically comparable framework of the collaboration Out Of Season (2002, with Paul “Rustin Man” Webb), but here seamlessly integrate into the overall work of art and support its atmospheric density. In summary, Lives Outgrown has become a very mature, multifaceted, and slightly melancholic, but also very direct album that transcends the boundaries of conventional folk music through the artist’s unmistakable, haunting voice and eerie instrumentation. Yet, it sounds so timeless that it would be impossible to guess in which decade of the last 50 years the individual songs were even created, if one didn’t already know the artist behind it and her very unique musical journey.
by Starvynth
Arooj Aftab – Night Reign
[Chamber Jazz | Chamber Folk]
Pakistani-American singer/songwriter Arooj Aftab is still so far the only example of Pakistani music that I’ve gotten to encounter, but both her folkier 2021 album Vulture Prince and the jazzier collaboration with Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily in 2023’s Love in Exile have been quite impressive in how they weaved musical elements from the area, which from what I’ve seen mentioned also includes Hindu and Persian music. Folk is already a genre that is by its definition prone to cultural baggage from various cultures, but jazz comes pretty close as well, and the fusions that are play on Night Reign are pretty interesting.
For one, the name is very fitting for how nocturnal this album feels. It is a very mellow and stripped back album, with its soundscapes being very sparse and intimate. However the elements that go into creating these soundscapes, aside from the obvious element of Arooj’s vocals, use a wide instrumental palette, often with the help of various guest performers, from the previous collaborator Vijay Iyer to Kaki King to weirdly enough Moor Mother (though that’s on the vocal front). It’s the kind of album that is more immersive than anything, often relying on Arooj’s vocals regardless of the language sung in, and the mix of styles, languages, and palettes works more than it doesn’t.
by RaduP
EivĂžr – Enn
[Synthpop | Art Pop]
musclassia’s pick
Although metal fans may be better acquainted with TĂœr, EivĂžr is arguably the most renowned musical export of the Faroe Islands, particularly courtesy of contributing to soundtracks for the likes of The Last Kingdom and God Of War: Ragnarok. Some metal fans may become newly introduced to the artist through Enn, which is her tenth album, but the first to be released by Season Of Mist. Enn is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a metal album (although there are hints of heaviness on the song âUpp Ăr Ăskuniâ), but its folk ties (which include the use of the Faroese language for lyrics) may potentially find it an audience in the Nordic neofolk fanbase that has come to overlap with the metal scene. Nevertheless, folk is just one small part of a varied and mildly eclectic concoction of styles encountered on Enn.
The first taste of the album comes in the form of âEin KlĂłtaâ, an ethereal piano chamber piece that reminds me of Agnes Obel, or perhaps of Lisa Gerrardâs songs on the Gladiator soundtrack. EivĂžrâs vocal range is demonstrated on this song, with some tantalizing high-pitched notes in there; her musical range is then exhibited on the next couple of songs, which veer towards synthpop with varied approaches. Some of the ethereal nature of the opening song remains on the muted âJardartraâ, an understated track with a simple bass beat and a slight trip-hop feel to it, while âHugsi Bert Um Tegâ pushes the 80s synthpop influences to the fore with its uplifting synth and vocal melodies. Thereâs a Kate Bush/Björkish art-pop feel to songs like âPurpurhjartaâ and the truly angelic âLĂvsandinâ, and thereâs serious ambition demonstrated on the 7-minute title track as it explores ethereal and electronic sounds. The aforementioned âUpp Ăr Ăskuniâ is perhaps the most distinct song here stylistically compared with the rest of the tracklist, but considering how beautiful some of the softer, more delicate material here is, the Heilung-esque tribal drums and chants (plus the faintly distorted guitar) feel a bit unnecessary. With how broad it is stylistically, Enn is remarkably consistent when it comes to quality, offering plenty to enjoy and be enchanted by.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by musclassia
Aurora – What Happened to the Heart?
[Alt-Pop | Art Pop]
RaduP’s pick
Hey, didn’t Nightwish have a song with that title? Close. Leonard Cohen also almost did. Sounds like the heart is a popular subject, and we’re still not sure what happened to it. Aurora is one of the pop artists you’d expect most to wanna talk about the heart, since she’s among the only ones who can be passionate, eclectic, and poetic enough to really search in all of the heart’s crevices to find all its secrets. It is a bit fitting for a rather bleak album to follow the more triumphant The Gods We Can Touch, like coming to terms with some things that don’t always go as well as you had hoped.
What Aurora does on What Happened to the Heart? isn’t necessarily left-field compared to what she has done previously, but it’s an interesting change of pace to hear something a little more lowkey from her. I called it “rather bleak”, though it’s a bit of an exaggeration because even at its bleakest it’s coated in hope to give room for something uplifting. It just feels more reflective and less soaring. Of course songs like “Some Type of Skin” still do soar quite high, but moments like that seem to soar in spite of the more somber tone of the record. Concomitantly, there are some stronger folk influences in the mellower tracks, like “The Essence”, leaving What Happened to the Heart? to be a nice exploratory excursion in this side of Aurora.
by RaduP
NxWorries – Why Lawd?
[Neo-Soul]
It’s quite mind boggling that Anderson Paak isn’t a bigger household name than he is. I understand that maybe soul music isn’t as hot as it used to be, but I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone that has been doing this much for soul in a more mainstream sense, blending it with hip-hop and R&B, than Anderson Paak did, both in his solo career or in that collab with Bruno Mars. Somehow he seems to be brought up by critics and the online musicsphere than the mainstream radio. I mean he is about as big as you can get without being mainsteam radio household name big. Regardless, what’s the bottom line is that his music always had a strong mainstream appeal without sacrificing any quality for accessibility.
This NxWorries collaboration with producer Knowledge follows up a previous collaborations the two had back in 2016, called Yes Lawd. It does feel like a pretty huge jump between the two. Not necessarily genre-wise, since it’s still the same main elements at play, but I guess there’s no other way to call it than more mature. It’s smoother, but it’s also a lot more introspective and vulnerable. Questionable intro aside, there’s a variety of vibes on the record, most of them in the more mellow zone, but somehow finding a balance between sounding psychedelic, sensual, and downright downtrodden. Plus there’s a couple of great features from Thundercat and October London.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by RaduP
Vince Staples – Dark Times
[Conscious Hip Hop]
It’s been a long time since I really liked a Vince Staples album. Don’t get me wrong none of them have been terrible albums, but on one hand Vince’s flow and tone is such an acquired taste that it really needs the right beats and the right songwriting to work. And albums like FM! and the self-titled were alright for what they were but they didn’t really seem to make things work for more than just being alright, to the point where I covered the self-titled and didn’t even bother to cover it’s follow-up in Ramona Flowers Broke My Heart. I was fully expecting to have the same “it’s alright, let’s move on” reaction to Dark Times, but something really works here.
Vince is still lethargic as hell on this, but somehow the beats match that energy perfectly, sometimes with a more soulful/jazzy approach, sometimes sounding slightly sinister and with some pretty weird almost Burial-ish percussion, and always nocturnal-sounding. Pretty fitting for an album called Dark Times. And even with the energy being mostly within that deadpan lethargic zone, it still finds a way to be lively about it, like there is something happening in the night and in the darker parts of Vince’s emotions. This is a pretty introspective album, as the title suggests, with a lot of emphasis on keeping up appearances of doing fine when you’re not.
by RaduP
ScHoolboy Q – Blue Lips
[Hardcore Hip Hop | Experimental Hip Hop]
ScHoolboy Q is another rapper that seems to sit quite comfortably in between more mainstream hype sounds and more experimental abstract sounds with a conscious tone, somehow finding a niche where he’s fairly successful but not really crossing into the mainstream nor getting that big with the experimental crowd either. Even with 2014’s Oxymoron and 2016’s Blank Face solidifying him as a household name in hip-hop, it seemed like some momentum was lost with the more simplistic Crash Talk in 2019. It’s not a very uncommon trajectory, and in no way is ScHoolboy Q not doing well for himself, but Blue Lips has the potential to be a course correction or a furthering of the slump.
In a way, Blue Lips is a return to a more ambitious form for ScHoolboy Q, most obviously noted by the nearly hour-long runtime compared to the more robust Crash Talk. Stylistically, Blue Lips also offers a lot more range, specifically within the more mainstream and experimental sides I already mentioned, but it feels like it specifically leans a bit more than usual on the latter for this one. This also includes more introspective and emotional lyrics, and the jazzy undertones also get more well-developed. There’s more in terms of experimentation than just jazz/soul abstract sounding samples, with a lot of the beats being quite choppy, and as a whole Blue Lips keeps things form feeling too disjointed with how much it bites into.
by RaduP
Joey Valence & Brae – No Hands
[Hardcore Hip Hop | Boom Bap]
RaduP’s pick
I’ve been adding more hip-hop in this one edition, and part of it is guilt over missing out on so much on other editions, but also because this specific album is the most fun I’ve had with a hip-hop album in a long time. I have absolutely no idea how I missed their debut Punk Tactics last year because I definitely would’ve covered it, but I’m glad I didn’t miss this one. Joey Valence & Brae is a duo of two dudes who met in college, discovered they share a lot of common interests, and somehow ended up delivering some of the hardest hitting old-school hip-hop while also bringing that exact sound into a new era. Think Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang Clan era hip-hop but with a greater touch of rap rock, nerdy references, and surprisingly eclectic EDM injections.
As the kids would say it “this shit fucking slaps” and there’s just such an energy to the whole thing that can’t let me ever not have a huge grin on my face listening to this. From how the one-rapper-says-one-word exchange that starts the opener eventually leads into some atmospheric drum & bass, to the Ben 10 references in the closer. There’s braggadocios bravado that somehow works so well with the nerdy references in the lyrics and the tongue-in-cheek approach that’s also evident in the cover art, and the beats bring a punky rap rock alongside a turntable scratching boom bap and more EDM genres than I can name (I can, it’s mostly breakbeat, techno, and d&b), and it just makes sense that these two made a song with Danny Brown and they sound so good.
Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify
by RaduP
And that was it. You’ve made it through still alive. Congrats. See ya next month. Here’s a Spotify playlist we compiled out of stuff featured here: