The Reaper

Faraway Reach - Classixx

Classixx know their way around a summer dance album. Glistening textures, suave beats, voices rounded out with saudade; it’s all still present on Faraway Reach. Sure, it doesn’t strive to outperform Hanging Gardens and the lack of ambition could be off-putting. But, it’s breezy and fun. And that’s all it ever really needed to be. 

Listen to: “Grecian Summer”, “I Feel Numb”, “Ndiville” 

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Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande

Somewhere buried deep in this over-stuffed tracklist is a fabulous electro&B album that Grande’s has always been meant to do. Granted, some of the musically more interesting tracks are the less electronic ones. But, that’s kind of the downfall of the Dangerous Woman. It’s contradictory and messy. It doesn’t strive for unified sounds or themes; just a grab-all. Despite that, when distilled, Dangerous Woman is Grande’s most assured effort yet.

The Heart Speaks in Whispers - Corinne Bailey Rae 

In a way, I can’t help but feel like Corinne’s music gets unfairly underrated for being pop. Yes, she’s a pop musician, but her music always found some more complex turns to work with. Whispers is no different. A free-form fusion of jazz, soul, funk and R&B. It’s over-reliance on the maudlin might be detracting, but this is by far her most kaleidoscopic work. 

Listen to: “The Heart Speaks in Whispers”, “Been to the Moon”, “Green Aphrodisiac”, “Horse Print Dress”, “Do You Ever Think of Me” 

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U - Tourist

Dance music is having its next heyday with the introduction of garage and trop house. Tourist is of the former camp; though, even then, his music is a bit choppier and synth-y to truly be garage. What follows is brisque, melancholic house. Very minimal, passable, sometimes strange, but mostly danceable. 

Listen to: “U”, “Wait”, “Too Late”, “Foolish” 

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Skin - Flume

Skin almost feels poorly timed. His sound used to sound fresh; but what remains on it sounds like dated Mohawke-esque EDM. It works best when it subverts its colossal drops for more muted tones. But, those moments are too few and far between. 

PLAYLIST: 05/16/16 Reviews 

Some introspection and soulful dancing happening here. Check in and listen alongside the reviews.

“4 Degrees” - ANOHNI

“Controlla” - Drake

“Lite Spots” - KAYTRANADA

“Angels” - Chance The Rapper feat. Saba

“My Willing Heart” - James Blake

HOPELESSNESS - ANOHNI

There’s almost a contradictory thread of hope throughout HOPELESSNESS. That might be because ANOHNI’s vocals are so powerful, that they leave the listener in awe. The lyrics function as a political purge; an excising of the evils of the world to make room for personal responsibility and progress. And while the lyrics may border on sardonic, make no mistake that each ounce of irony and hurt is felt on her part. You only need to hear the cries of “I’m sorry” on “Crisis” to know that ANOHNI’s HOPELESSNESS is born out of true altruism. 

Listen to: “Drone Bomb Me”, “4 Degrees”, “Obama”, “Violent Men”, “Crisis”

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VIEWS - Drake

Let’s just get this out of the way: VIEWS does not live up to the hype. In absolutely no respect does it exemplify why we love Drake. It’s stunningly dry and maudlin. Maybe that’s a result of the palpable sequestration felt by the rapper. Or maybe it’s due to the fatigue listeners feel at hearing another album of self-pity albums. Either way, the best you’ll get out of VIEWS is occasional production tricks (check dramatic jazz opener “Keep the Family Close”) and a good dance record or two. 

Listen to: “Keep the Family Close”, “9″, “Controlla”, “Hotline Bling” 

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A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead

The quest to reinvent themselves continue on with A Moon Shaped Pool. What’s here will inevitably be divisive. It’s a baroque record that slowly strips away to unveil quiet, subtle yet complex soundscapes. These tracks require patience as they bubble underneath surfaces to silently unfurl into more evocative moods and suites. The restraint shows that the group is comfortably settling into less expressive sounds. 

The Colour in Anything - James Blake

This is, by far, Blake’s most amorphous album yet. Conceived of moody soundscapes complimented by more revealing vocal work; The Colour in Anything is less focused on production than it is with its impressionistic lyricism. Built on gospel melodies, warped through electronica, post-dubstep, jazz and R&B tones, The Colour in Anything is a subtle sensation. 

Listen to: “Radio Silence”, “Timeless”, “My Willing Heart”, “I Need a Forest Fire” 

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99.9% - KAYTRANADA

It’s the mellowest dance record released this year. If it weren’t immediately obvious, KAYTRANADA knows his way around a garage groove. What ensues are gleaming, soothing pieces of dance-pop that are plenty soulful. There’s no lyrical pretense here, but the production work is brilliantly subtle and subverted. 

Listen to: “Together”, “Glowed Up”, “You’re the One”, “Lite Spots”, “Leave Me Alone” 

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Coloring Book - Chance The Rapper

Chance heeded Kanye West’s advice and did a good ass job with Chance. Coloring Book is, admittedly, what Pablo might’ve wanted to be conceptually. Uplifting soul and gospel tones work their way in and out brilliantly structured hip-hop tracks. Chance sounds ridiculously adept; content on serving as one of the most inspirational albums of the year.