100 words music reviews
Sound is like Water is so low-resolution it almost seems provocatively weak. It chuffs along at the level of a first draft that has rested in a downtempo dabbler’s private soundcloud account since 2015. There’s a presumption of humour in dreamcastmoe’s lackadaisical style, but it never once clicks. Imagine talking to someone who is constantly […]
Found between Southern France and the Pyranees, this starburst of folk-funk compiles the work of a delightful progressive girl group from the late 70s and 80s. After her beloved self-titled debut in 1978, lead singer Miquela continued to promote the baroque Occitan language in which she sung. Here, as a unified force, her troop of […]
A stylised, sharp, mid-century album cover will often precede a dry, synth-pop experience—it’s the go-to aesthetic for the scene. However, Grotto Terrazza has the eccentricity to angle away from formula and towards his own voice. Kalte Köstlichkeiten is tight, engaging, and sincerely bizarre. There are so many words to call it: drum machine punk, chipmunk […]
Watching the Lijadu Sisters in an interview is like observing two parts of the same brain popping off with thoughts: “If I’m in the kitchen singing a song, and I’m walking towards the bathroom, I hear her singing exactly the same thing”. The death of Kehinde Lijadu in 2019 signalled the physical end of a […]
Here’s the thing. ‘Vibe music’ without enough personality is a drag: like a sunny day when you’re stuck inside. ‘Round Spiritual Ring’ has sufficient optimism to appear pleasant, but it offers nothing tangible to latch on to. It’s actually more like an Easter egg hunt where the organiser, albeit in earnest, forgot to put out […]
This is a voice that tells you everything going on in the mind informing it. Every one of Betty Davis’ desires are catapulted through her vocal chords—few singers could have such a volatile expression and almost none have put on a performance that bounces off its own excess so well. Even on the relatively serene […]
Thirteen years after work on Afrodelic’s solo debut began, it arrives. The Lithuanian-born Victor Diawara offers a diverse collection dedicated to his Malian father—celebrated poet and scholar, Gaoussou. His touching salute takes the form of immaculate production that swims through crisp guitar-playing and inspired writing. Afrodelic’s rhythmic personality is a testament to and cherishing of […]
In 1976, ‘Hard Candy’ beamed a light that shone for a moment and then slipped into the stream of the California sun. Alongside the record and its maker were industry heavyweights like Eagles, Steely Dan, and countless others. Doheny was connected to them all in some way, the way wealthy insiders tend to be. There’s […]
Bongo Joe Records dig further into the sound of sub-Saharan African rhythms, following up 2020’s ‘Léve Léve: São Tomé & Principe Sounds: 70s-80s’. ‘Antologia Vol. 1’ is a politically-charged collection from the islands’ flagship group, traced from the dawn of independence. Though their music was alive under colonial rule, the requested name-change to ‘África Negra’ […]
100 words music reviews 