We have a double-header!
A few album highlights:
For the past few weeks Daniel Caesar‘s Freudian has been playing on repeat in my house, in my car, in the grocery store, and at work. At first listen I thought “this is way too chill and it never peaks anywhere” but then I realized… it didn’t need to. It’s a mood album that you put on for the low-key hang with your friends who love and appreciate R&B (and maybe even church music). The lyrical creativity (often clever turns of biblical phrases) and well-casted list of featured artists is what makes this album so understated.
The purity and expressivity of Moses Sumney‘s voice is enough to bring most people to tears, but what is more impressive and thought-provoking is the unique perspective that he shares so poetically. Aromanticism is full of unanswered questions about what it means to experience life as a person who desires romantic love but is unable to reciprocate it. He elaborates on this concept here.
Taja Cheek, an NYC bassist and vocalist who performs experimental noise pop under the moniker L’Rain, has been my most recent obsession. In addition to performing, she currently works as a Curatorial Assistant at MOMA PS1 and hosts experimental shows in Brooklyn, her neck of the woods. Her self-titled debut release, L’Rain, was originally a reflection of how we grieve the loss of loved ones but gained a new meaning after her mother (named Lorraine) coincidentally became ill and passed away during the production of the album. Within this context, walls of sound are created by layers and loops of warm dreamy vocals and arpeggiated guitar melodies that elevate listeners to a spiritual otherworldly place. Cheek and co-producer Andrew Lappin talk more about how they brought this world into existence here.
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