Notable Albums, 2024
The end of the year sparks feelings. Snow is falling, and it’s beautiful. I always hope it’s not the last snowfall I’ll see. Romance is starting. Mine is flourishing. The holidays came and passed, and shopping for my loved ones was a joy. An election just concluded, and a lot of people are scared.
For the third year in a row, I get to go back and listen to all of the music that affected me for the past 12 months. It brings extra joy to the end of my year. I can put all of my feelings down and confirm that these pieces of art did exactly what they were made to do - give me an escape.
Some of these albums are fun, some are sad, and some make me want to renew my gym membership. No matter what feeling these albums convey, they are feelings nonetheless. These albums are also tied to memories. A lot happened this year, and while I try my best to savor each moment, life gets in the way. Re-listening to these projects reminds me of where I was, both physically and mentally, when I first heard them. When I re-read previous album lists I’ve made, I can do the same with moments during those respective years. I can remember where I was when I first listened to caroline’s self-titled album in 2022 for example - it’s a landmark.
2024 was a long, eventful year. The albums that I wrote about will represent my 2024, but on a broader scale, 2024 will be represented in the future by Charli XCX and her album, brat. Spoiler alert: I did not include brat on my list. I didn’t avoid brat because I didn’t like it - the album was a lot of fun. This list is full of albums I felt connected to, and I just don’t think I was Charli XCX’s target market. I have plenty of people in my life who loved the album and felt brat summer in full effect, but that wasn’t me. I bring it up because I’d feel remiss if I didn’t. Charli ruled the year, it was a “cultural reset,” and it would be silly not to mention it in my write-up of albums in 2024.
That said, here are a few more albums that I enjoyed very much, but didn’t include in the list:
Thank you for taking the time to read my list. I hope to have some fun conversations with those who have different opinions than me and those who found something new here.
Here’s a playlist if you’d like to follow along:
25. Blanco - Gilberto’s Son
This album was a last-minute addition to the list, but it might be one of my most confident picks. I discovered Gilberto’s Son after I started writing, and the song “Ponzi Scheme” became an itch in my brain. Since then, I’ve listened to the album just about every day.
Blanco takes his listeners from Brazil to South Africa throughout the duration of Gilberto’s Son. Apparently, both of those countries have something in common - music that makes you want to dance. Blanco has stated in interviews that he was infatuated after traveling to Brazil. He decided to blend Brazilian sounds with those from his own culture on Gilberto’s Son. This cocktail of sounds mixed with his South London accent is an amazing combo.
Critics are praising Blanco for melding not only cultures but genres as well. Blanco sticks to his roots as a drill rapper, but he experiments with sound and flow on Gilberto’s Son, making tracks sound familiar but fresh. The aforementioned Brazilian instrumentation makes for a unique, dancey sound. He floats on every beat with a contagious swagger. His rapping ability is impressive, and he’s self-aware in that regard. In “Protagonist,” he directly responds to his critics,
“Say they heard this line, it's repetitive
I'm not a part of the game, I'm ahead of it”
The features on this album also shine. Notably, Veigh brings his Brazilian flare to the track “Tyla,” spitting a crazy hook in Portuguese:
“Uma vadia com classe, depois o baile ela não quer mais nada
Preta tipo a Tyla, baixinha e magra, o chicote estrala
Tenho morado no estúdio há alguns dias, visito minha casa
Como eu vou dedicar meu tempo a você?”
“A classy bitch, after the dance she doesn't want anything else
Black like Tyla, short and thin, the whip cracks
I have been living in the studio for a few days, I visit my house
How will I dedicate my time to you?”
Gilberto’s Son is a great time, and Blanco is a very interesting artist. He produced a documentary about his journey that can be accessed on YouTube. He talks about his upbringing and inspirations. It’s definitely worth a watch if you want to learn more about him.
24. Zacchae’us Paul - JAZZ MONEY
I found Zacchae’us Paul through his fiance, Melanie Charles. Her album released in 2021, Y’all Don't (Really) Care About Black Woman, is full of re-works of jazz classics by esteemed black women with an experimental twist. When I found out that Zacchae’us Paul was engaged to her, I was immediately intrigued.
It took a bit of research to fully appreciate this project. According to Paul’s Bandcamp, “Paul stretches and bends jazz sounds around the Atlanta hip-hop he grew up with, the gospel sounds and philosophies that have long shaped his music making, and the Caribbean rhythms he learned studying in Puerto Rico. He has created a wholly personal sound that is youthful, and thoughtful all at once.” He also instructs listeners to go back and re-listen to the project to try to pick up on different meanings and intricacies with each track - so that’s what I did.
JAZZ MONEY is a signature. I feel closer to knowing him as a person after a few listens. Stand-out tracks to me include “THE JUNGLE,” where he mends Caribbean sounds with soulful vocals, “BANANA LAFFY TAFFY,” where jazz melodies are just as fun as the song title, and “WHAT’S HAPPENIN’,” where he combines trap drums and choral chants.
Finally, “DIRTY RED” is a beautiful and intimate outro. According to his Bandcamp, Paul dedicated this song to his late grandfather. He wanted to capture the feeling of growing up in Atlanta. This track was reminiscent of Leather Blvd, released last year by B. Cool-Aid. DIRTY RED was where I allowed myself to fully lose myself in JAZZ MONEY - a perfect opportunity to go back and listen again.
Zacchae’us Paul and Melanie Charles also featured on an album called Tales Of The Facade by Morgan Guerin. It’s another fun abstract jazz album that came out this year. I didn’t include it on this list, but if you like JAZZ MONEY, you should check that one out too.
23. Ka - The Thief Next to Jesus
This album is on my list because it’s incredible, but I also wanted a reason to talk about Ka. The under-recognized rapper passed away this past October. His family posted the announcement along with some interesting facts about Ka and his legacy. He was a veteran firefighter and a first-responder on 9/11. In 2016, the New York Post released an article about Ka, detailing his life as a rapper and firefighter. The article is centered around his supposed “hypocrisy” being a firefighter who slanders cops in his lyrics. Truthfully, Ka just had the inside scoop. The article is incredibly biased, painting Ka as a bad guy. It includes a quote from Ka, “I’m living two lives, man. I’m trying to be who I am in the day and then trying to feed my soul at night with being the artist that I want to be.” Not to be theatrical, but this quote makes Ka sound like a superhero. He provided for his family by day and put his heart into poetry by night. His life is a reflection of a culture that is built for money, not for expression. On “Fragile Faith,” he comments on his path:
“Since release, treated like the least favorite
Wanted all the jewels, just wouldn't choose police bracelets
Before counsel, be doubtful, don't speak if they seek statement
In this game, might not attain, but at least chased it
Only embed indispensable, not a sheet wasted
From wretched ten to epicenter, all street adjacent
Here: what you hear holy, what you see is sacred
Blood righteous, love priceless, where it's free hatred”
…and on “Broken Rose Window,”
“Feel it's true, they wanna kill a few
And keep the rest blind
Was tough, so jumped on fire trucks
Hoping higher-ups bless mine
I share the story and effects
Was vexed, swore that we was hexed
The cost of living in this awful prison”
Along with themes he commonly touches on like inequality and capitalism, Ka spends most of the project’s duration speaking about mortality and religion - topics that hit extra hard while remembering his recent passing. On “Collection Plate,” he admits,
“Afraid I prayed too quiet, couldn't hear
So often obliged to say if I die today, I wouldn't care
…
If really wanted to bless me, would've left me that collection plate.”
Ka had his hands dirty in the music scene for decades. His earliest recording was made in 1990. Since then, he has had production credits on countless records, eleven records of his own, and multiple albums released under separate monikers for his collaboration groups including Hermit and the Recluse, Dr. Yen Lo, Metal Clergy, and NightBreed. He is a legend, and I hope he is broadly recognized as such.
22. Chief Keef - Almighty So 2
I always get chuckles when I say that Chief Keef is one of the greatest artists of our generation, but I truly mean that. He’s had a boundless influence on hip-hop, and he’s still releasing top-quality stuff. I could write essays about my feelings toward Chief Keef, but I want to highlight Almighty So 2. Fans have been waiting for the sequel of 2013’s Almighty So for years - the initial release date was supposed to be December 16, 2022. Chief Keef jokes about this on the track “Too Trim” when he says,
“Shoutout to my stans, I mean shoutout to my fans
They like ‘When he gonna drop? Man that n- cap again.’”
Fans are still debating if the wait was worth it, but I’m just happy that the album came out in the first place. Like previous Chief Keef projects, Almighty So 2 is full of humor and high energy. He is still the over-the-top, braggadocious rapper that he’s always been, this time with a bit of sophistication. For example, on the song “Treat Myself,” he brags,
“Bitch, I wake up in the morning, spark a blunt, and be myself
Take a look up in the mirror, I just wanna squeeze myself
I done been through so much smoke to where I couldn't even see myself
I'll never need a bitch, but I'ma always need mysеlf
Diamonds shinin' off my charm, I think I Christmas tree'd myself
I start wearin' yellow diamonds, it'll look likе I peed myself”
This album had me grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Almighty So 2 is a blast, and it’s so great to hear Chief Keef rapping with the same aggression he made his mark with. In recent interviews, he has addressed his personal growth. He is proud of himself for maturing in many ways. Chief Keef is doing great, and so are his fans.
21. Liv.e - PAST FUTUR.e
Liv.e and her neo-soul peers are continually pushing boundaries. Her 2022 album, Girl In The Half Pearl was a step away from her previous abstract neo-soul approach and toward a more cathartic psychedelia. She continues that direction on PAST FUTUR.e, except this time she fully leans into an eclectic, energetic style.
The intro track, “Bad Girl!” is hypnotic. The production sounds like a classic circus theme. It’s a spinning collection of eerie, almost goofy, synths that provide a backtrack for her muffled, ranting vocals. Yes, she can sing like an angel, but she doesn’t always have to. Liv.e is allergic to being put into a box. It seems like Liv.e decided to try something new just for fun, and she crushed it.
One Rate Your Music user put into words what I couldn’t. “If I were to place a wide net over this album, it feels like one of those Synth Punk tapes from the 80s created by one science-fiction-obsessed nerd in their bedroom, adapted for the modern day, and it works.“ PAST FUTUR.e feels like a Cronenberg movie with cheesy, over-the-top sci-fi special effects and a superfluous story about some sort of looming predatory technology.
Stand-out tracks on this album include ”Haunted Disco,” which sounds exactly as described, the 7-minute-long “Mashed Feelings,” and “It Doesn’t Matter,” where she acknowledges her greatness, and commands the listener to dance.
“It doesn't matter how long you've been here
As long as you still feel like you're young
It doesn't mattеr how long it takes you
As long as you still feel like you're numbеr one”
20. Midwife - No Depression in Heaven
Midwife’s vocals are what Christopher Columbus and his colonizer crew must’ve heard out on the Atlantic when they wrote about sirens. The way that she sings is enchanting. It’s beautiful, but there’s always a feeling of something lurking. It feels like a vivid dream.
According to The Flenser’s official website, “No Depression In Heaven affirms Johnston’s existential status as a woman of the highway.” This is clear on my favorite track, “Killdozer,” where she mourns a world covered in pavement and rust,
“There used to be a city here
Now it’s a dying breed
Ghosts don’t even try to haunt me
I remember everything
Oh, I remember everything
I want open water
I want something new
I want something real”
Midwife’s haunting style may be the best vehicle for themes like these. The title track, which is also the outro, is an emotional respite. She repeats the word “crying” over and over, with soft guitar and ambient noise playing. At the end, she feigns laughter. It’s an incredible dramatization of how we’re expected to live in the “greatest country in the world.” No Depression in Heaven doesn’t just refer to the unrealistic expectation of living to join “the good place” in the afterlife. It’s a commentary on the impossible task of living happily when there are horrors out of your control.
19. Rome Streetz, Daringer - Hatton Garden Holdup
Rome Streetz lives, breathes, and bleeds hip-hop. He has an old soul and palpable confidence. His passion is what makes him stand out from his peers. It’s obvious once you watch one of his freestyles - here’s one of my favorites.
Rome Streetz has been at it for a while now. His album KISS THE RING was on my favorites list in 2022, and he’s been releasing great music since 2016. Throughout his career, he has mastered the classic New York boom-bap style and put a unique spin on it. Rome knows that he stands above the competition. On “Jimi’s Headband,” he compares himself to the greats.
“In my lifetime, need a whole lot of cash like skinny Hov on a boat
You n- flat broke tryna stay afloat
The only thing you lames could ever get from me's a pen to take a note
Copeless murder, I wrote with the left hand, I'm dope like
Jimi Hendrix, six acid tabs and a headband
On top but I came from muddy waters like Redman”
On Hatton Garden Holdup, Rome collaborated with producer Daringer, whose production sounds intimidating - a perfect compliment to Rome’s consistent ostentation. The cover also adds to the almost spooky ambiance throughout the project. It shows a room full of old bank drawers stacked to the ceiling.
I’ve seen reviews calling Hatton Garden Holdup too familiar. Critics have bashed Rome for being predictable. If being consistent and sticking to your strengths is bad, I have the wrong aspirations. Rome set the bar high from the start, and he meets it with just about every project.
18. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
Amidst the pop revival this year, few stood out to be truly unique. Imaginal Disk sounds reminiscent of the past, but it sounds brand new at the same time. The album cover is an accurate portrayal of what Imaginal Disk feels like. A mysterious, chrome figure pulls a CD out of (or puts it into) Mica Tenenbaum’s head. It’s a portrayal of the past meeting the future in a most uncanny way.
With distorted narratives, Magdalena Bay shows us what dramatization sounds like. It’s a reflection of a fake, alien version of a glorified past. On “Killing Time,” Tenenbaum confronts herself for letting time slip away:
“I'm looking in the mirror and swallowing the key
It only takes a minute to forget a week
Count up all the years that we spend asleep
If time is meant for living, why's it killing me?”
Throughout the album’s runtime, she teeter-totters between rosy retrospection,
“Damn, man, play that thing
Makes me think of summer winds
And places that I know
Just the ones I love to go”
and negativity bias,
“All that's left to bother me
Are dreams forgotten in the deep
It's not me
Nothing left to follow me
Nothing hanging underneath
It's not me”
with love as an anchor for these feelings.
“Share a little kiss, and that's forever
Think of love when you remember me
I'm standing right over here”
All of these sentiments echo over space-age synths that beg you to put on your best chrome jumpsuit and invent a new dance move. After a full listen of Imaginal Disk, you’ll know what it’s like to feel “Diskinserted.”
17. Jean Dawson - Glimmer of God
Every time I think Jean Dawson can’t get more versatile, he proves me wrong. This time, He decided to lean into the 80’s pop resurgence, taking notes from artists like Prince, Chaka Khan (directly on the track Black Sugar), and Rick James. Between Glimmer of God, Imaginal Disk, and another album on this list (spoilers!), 80’s pop is so back.
I’ve been following Jean Dawson since 2020’s Pixel Bath, and he has continuously surpassed my expectations. CHAOS NOW*, released two years after Pixel Bath, was on my 2022 favorites list. The leap between these two projects was sizeable. The biggest example is the song “PIRATE RADIO*,” which blew me away. He brought inspiration from folk ballads, utilizing a full orchestra on an album full of skater-punk-esque rap tracks. At that time, I thought he had reached the peak of his creative deviation. Consequently, I couldn’t help but have low expectations for Glimmer of God - I thought he had exhausted his creative energy. Obviously, I was wrong.
I ate my words when the single “Die for Me” dropped. I was shocked by his amazing singing voice. It brought me back to when I first heard Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love, another 80’s pop-inspired project showcasing the vocal talent and genre-bending creativity of a hip-hop artist. Like Awaken My Love, this album shattered my expectations in a way I didn’t even think was possible.
The highlight of Glimmer of God happens right away. The soulful intro track, “Darlin,’” throws you into a velvet suit with a rose boutonniere as you can’t help but swing. Immediately afterward, the song “Black Sugar” transports you to a dance floor with fog and lasers. Finally, the third track on the album, “Play Dead,” goes from a soft, funky sit-down to an electric, CHAOS NOW*-reminiscent reveal. His previous punk persona shows itself for a moment as if he were saying, “Yes, it’s actually me.”
Additional highlights include the twinkly, moody track, “You’re Bleeding Everywhere,” followed by the slow ballad, “200 Cigarettes.” I also really enjoyed the dreamy track, “Bubba,” and the following track “Electric Children,” which feels complimentary to sunset memories.
16. Wild Pink - Dulling the Horns
Dulling the Horns sounds like dad lore wrapped in a fuzzy guitar package. It feels like a koozied cold beer in a chilly cracked-open Midwest garage warmed by a propane heater.
According to their Bandcamp, Wild Pink sought to answer two questions while recording Dulling the Horns: “Do you still believe it? And what happens when you don’t anymore?” The album resonates with hometown heroes finally coming into their own. On the title track, John Ross reaches a point of maturity:
“Moving on like the cold wind blows
Like a train in the snow
If you don’t learn to let go sometimes
You’re gonna fall apart
If you don’t learn to let go sometimes
You’re gonna break your hеart”
Ross recorded Dulling the Horns with his bandmates after kicking cancer’s ass. Their 2021 project was full of lamentation and existential feelings, but this one is a victory lap. Like the instruments on Dulling the Horns, concepts of life are still fuzzy for Ross and company, but that won’t stop them from “Eating the Egg Whole.”
“Don’t know how many switches I flipped
Flip a switch and then the thing just don’t exist
But my stupid ass is always searching
Hoping for a pearl when I open up my fist”
I had the pleasure of chatting with John Ross at an intimate show at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe when I saw Wild Pink perform with Friendship. He was a humble and kind human who clearly enjoyed the act of performing, whether it was for a big crowd or not. Live, Wild Pink sounded incredible. They filled the room with fuzz and emotional comfort. Ross and his crew deserve all of the attention that’ll come with touring alongside MJ Lenderman, and I’m excited to see them for a second time next year.
15. Sideshow - F.U.N. T.O.Y.
The harsh world turned Sideshow into a cocky skeptic. F.U.N. T.O.Y. is full of political commentary told in the most nonchalant way possible. His attitude is somehow alert and lackadaisical at the same time. It’s an oxymoron that says more than any outward commentary could.
Sideshow has a laundry list of political commentary and historical knowledge, but he gives it to us in bits and pieces. This attitude exemplifies one of this album’s themes. You can pretend to be whatever you want, but the quality of your person depends on internal attributes.
“What good is it for you to drink out of a cup that is dirty on the inside and clean on the outside?
What holds everything is dirty”
F.U.N. T.O.Y. is also an album about the deadly combo of Jesus and capitalism. Sideshow battles the idea of corporate religion, listening to elders giving their personal accounts of the feelings associated with Christianity. He also remembers the voiceless victims of Tigray from the invisible genocide of his community and the religious undertones associated with the ethnic cleansing. In his own way, he touches on the bastardization of religion, and how it’s used as a weapon.
These subjects are hidden beneath relaxed gloating and snappy instrumentals—another intentional part of his persona. People are too wrapped up in materialistic gain to acknowledge their exploitation. On the track “SELL ME SICKNESS SELL ME HEALTH,” Sideshow finds a way to flex while taking a moment to acknowledge his societal condition. He asks why we can’t do both instead of continuing with business as usual.
“Some my brothers in the jail cell, sister
I got bird flu symptoms
I'm a sick dog, late-stage capitalism
And I don't hoop, dog, get glis' just for thinkin' ya pimpin'
If it's smoke, turn to Snoop Dogg quickly
I don't care if you 2Pac, don't ask who shot who”
Commentary aside, each track on F.U.N. T.O.Y., long or short, is an earworm. Come for the sounds, stay for the discourse.
14. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Picture me at Pitchfork Festival with my partner (who’s a huge Jessica Pratt fan). It’s 90 degrees and sunny, and I decided to wear overalls. We had been holding our spot in the front of the crowd for about 45 minutes with no shade in sight. Jessica Pratt came out and started performing beautifully, but I was overheating a bit. I reluctantly asked if we could find some shade, and we traveled to the back of the crowd to lay in the grass and listen. Getting out of the sun let me digest Jessica Pratt’s performance. Her voice, alongside the cold, shaded grass was a deadly combo. Since then, my appreciation for Here in the Pitch has greatly expanded.
Jessica Pratt’s unique, shining vocals are emphasized by her attitude. She sounds almost motherly, giving advice and comfort to her listeners. I had trouble labeling the sound she uses on Here in the Pitch. It’s described on her Bandcamp, as “spectral '60s pop, Hollywood psychedelia, and bossa nova.” On “Better Hate,” she speaks from experience.
“I've been clear before, what's the longing there?
What a sad case, I'm nobody's fool
And you've won it all, but your smile'll be gone
In the end when you're yesterday's news”
Jessica Pratt has been there before, and she’s continued strong - it makes me feel like I can too.
“I think it's gonna be fine
I think we're gonna be together
And the storyline goes forever
And the distances I can see
It's you and me
I'm gone with all the changes in my mind”
13. Nubya Garcia - Odyssey
When I first listened to Odyssey, I had questions. Though I had been a fan of Nubya Garcia’s music in the past, I had no idea what role she played in her projects. I was under the impression that was mainly a vocalist, so the instrumental-heavy Odyssey led me down a research rabbit hole. It turns out she has been collecting badges for years. Nubya Garcia is a vocalist, tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and composer.
Odyssey is dense, to say the least. I might even consider it challenging. I’ve found myself taking breathers between tracks to digest the contents. She channels inspiration from dub-jazz, Caribbean dance, drum & bass, reggae, and more throughout the album, painting a crowded landscape. It makes you want to take notes, but it’s unclear what to write down. Nubya Garcia’s compositions are far above my comprehension on account of her musical accolades and unfamiliar experiential influences.
Odyssey is elevated by the master collaborators that Nubya Garcia brought together. Joe Armon-Jones from Ezra Collective assists on keys, the prophetic Sam Jones plays bass, and Georgia Anne Muldrow brings a beautiful vision to the project, featuring on “We Walk In Gold.”
“Cosmic incandescent power
Shine through the hour of days
Full centering of the star
Across the Earth
Making my day so complete”
This project has helped me come to terms with what I don’t know, and it constantly pushes me to achieve a broader understanding of it all. I yearn to one day compose something so lush, and then execute it in a deeply profound way. Odyssey is a difficult read, but don’t put it down.
12. English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
English Teacher competed against Charli XCX, Beth Gibbons, and The Last Dinner Party for the 2024 Mercury Prize Album of the Year and won. It takes a special album to beat competitors like those. The Committee called This Could Be Texas, “A winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation, alongside a subtle way of wearing its musical innovations lightly, [This Could Be Texas] displays a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format.” They hit the nail on the head praising its authenticity. English Teacher created a novelty this year with 13 tracks that all sound fresh.
Frontperson Lily Fontaine paves a winding path through perceptions of identity, empowerment, social crises, and beauty. Her inflection is honest and vulnerable, backed by horns and post-rock strings. On “R&B,” she affirms,
“The shivering truth of the mattеr is so easy to see
If I have stuff to write, thеn why don't I just write it for me?
Despite appearances, I haven't got the voice for R&B
Even though I've seen more COLORS Shows than KEXPs”
She outlines a battle with expectations as a woman of color. Individuality is explored further on the track “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab.”
“I am the world's biggest paving slab
But I sit here quietly
No one ever looks down at the ground
Yeah, no one ever notices me
…
I am the world's biggest paving slab
So watch your fucking feet”
Lily Fontaine twists a metaphorical negative perception into an advantage. Nobody looks down at the paving slab, so nobody watches their feet.
“Broken Biscuits” jerks tears. It’s a mournful account of a low-income family suffering. The band masterfully envelops the listener into an ambiance of sorrow.
“Mum's bones are breaking
Cut-outs in the photographs
Splitting our prescriptions
Broken biscuits”
English Teacher explores a wide range of subjects on This Could Be Texas. In the 50-minute runtime, they manage to include well-written, detailed commentary on an impressive amount of topics. English Teacher’s Mercury Prize was absolutely deserved.
11. Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes
Calling all contemplators! Small Changes dropped at the perfect time. Danger Mouse’s slow production, Michael Kiwanuka’s silken voice, and his dream team’s comfy instruments pair beautifully with a longing view of passing snow from the passenger seat of a car. It’s a prescription for the Sunday Scaries.
Michael Kiwanuka’s last project, KIWANUKA, released in 2019. It was funky and playful, with introspection sprinkled throughout. Five years between releases is a long gap. Not only was it a tough wait, but a gap like that allows for a lot of personal change. At first, I was thrown off by Michael Kiwanuka’s tonal shift, but then I realized how much I had changed since 2019. I thought about how much he has probably changed as well. Since 2019, the pandemic has come and gone. Michael Kiwanuka also had two children since his last project. He has matured, and his outlook is different. Surrender is an important skill that comes with maturity.
“We can't be stronger than life itself
We can be solid but hardly make a dent
So I'll be a full-on child for a while”
He gives himself grace and allows for comfortable weakness. He dwells on the past to solidify his identity and contextualize the present.
“Do small changes
Ever last now
Or bemoan in my head?
Wait forlorn
Years to find these
Sweet summer moments in the end”
Small Changes is a reminder to stay true to yourself, celebrate your bad moments, and live in your failures. Trust your judgment and move forward. On the track “Follow Your Dreams,” he doesn’t let you forget.
“Follow your dreams
(Fear no danger)
Follow your dreams
(Fear no danger)
Follow your dreams
(Fear no danger)
Follow your dreams
(Fear no danger)
Follow your dreams”
10. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
Oh, what it feels like to love. Adrianne Lenker wears her emotions on her sleeve and she’s beautiful for it. The sounds on Bright Future are simplistic - it’s just a woman and her guitar. What the album lacks in theatrics, it makes up for in emotion.
This Fall, Adrianne Lenker posted an image of a bumper sticker that said “When they don’t like Adrianne Lenker” with a stock image of someone choking another person. She said it made her feel sick and sad. She said that she doesn’t like any form of violence, even in joking form, especially when she and her music are involved. Whether you think this sentiment is valid or a bit over-the-top, it says a lot about the type of person Adrianne is. She has dedicated her life to art that spreads compassion, gentleness, and love. Her entire discography, including her work with Big Thief, is tender. Bright Future fits perfectly alongside the rest of her music. It’s lovely.
Adrianne Lenker inspires me to be better. Within her songs, she finds the beauty in everything and battles ugliness with love. While some songs on Bright Future are dedicated to specific people, it always sounds like she’s talking directly to the listener. On “No Machine,” she offers her hand. It feels like I can follow her to find more love in the world.
“Let no machine eat away our dream
Baby, take my hand, let's go together
No surprise, the wound lives in your eyes
A needle shining like a diamond in the desert”
It feels like anything is possible as long as there are people like Adrianne in the world. On “Sadness As A Gift,” she battles with fleeting seasons and fleeting relationships, but she holds on. True strength comes from seeing emotion as a blessing. We’re human and we get to feel things, even if sadness is painful. It made me reminisce on times I’ve told myself, “Don’t be sad it’s over. Be happy that it happened.”
“Just leaning on the windowsill
You could write me someday, and I hope you will
We could see the sadness as a gift and still
The seasons go so fast
Thinking that this one was gonna last
Maybe the question was too much to ask”
On “Cell Phone Says,” she explores the idea of empathy. It’s a bitter gift that she wouldn’t trade.
“Oh, giver of empathy
It is a gift so bitter that you brought to me
'Cause I feel what they're feeling and I know that they're free
And the freedom they take is the earthly burden”
My favorite track on Bright Future is “Free Treasure.” It might be my song of the year. On “Free Treasure,” Adrianne explores love in a way that I could never put into words. She talks about how love truly is free - an expression I hear a lot but don’t truly revel in. True, healthy love is the most incredible thing in the world. It really is free treasure.
“Stove light glows likе a fire
We're sitting on the kitchen floor
Just when I thought I couldn't feel more
I feel a little more
I feel a little—
Understanding
Patience and pleasure
Time and attention
Love without measure
Love without measure”
9. Mach-Hommy - #RICHAXXHATIAN
MF DOOM was a legend, not just because of his creativity, his sound, or his boundary-pushing drive. It was his artistic integrity. He had an agenda when he came back into the public eye with his metal mask on after being harshly disrespected by the music business and the media. His music was for him and not for anyone else, so he would send doppelgangers to perform at shows, skip interviews, and disregard industry input. Mach-Hommy is the only artist today with comparable ideals.
Mach-Hommy is a proud Haitian rapper who uses his platform to preach about the destruction and exploitation of Haiti while holding his art in high regard. He doesn’t allow his lyrics to be posted online and he sells his physical albums for steep prices. In a Complex interview, he explained why he wears a Haitian flag bandana over his face: “There’s a long-standing tradition across tons of races, creeds, and religions, where the storyteller’s function is to be anonymous because the point is not the deliverer or the messenger. The message is the point.” This is another aspect of Mach-Hommy’s outlook that is reminiscent of the late Daniel Dumile, who believed that he was a director of the MF DOOM character as a way to preach his message effectively. I don’t want to put Mach in a box by comparing him to DOOM, but it’s important to highlight parallels between two of the most virtuous artists in hip-hop.
Mach-Hommy understands the value of the artist’s purpose which earns my whole-hearted respect. I hope he collaborates with other boundary-pushers to refine the music streaming and distribution system. He has serious potential to change the industry if he keeps moving the way he has.
That said, Mach-Hommy releases a lot of music. The last album that hit me in the same way as #RICHAXXHATIAN was 2021’s Balens Cho (released shortly after the critically acclaimed Pray For Haiti). His 2024 project is similar to those previous in its commentary. My favorite example of this is on the outro track, “HOLY____.”
“ Praise the lord and thread the needle.
These people acting evil
And I'm thinking about us riding down the street inside the diesel.
Mach-Hommy conversation caught a Hatian with the prodders.
America's cups pacing in the plaza.
You never sent the invitation to the gala.
You wasting n- krana.
It's a lot of frustration in this armor.”
Even in these lines, Mach-Hommy has an air of confidence about him. While he comments on the plight of Haiti and his community, his spirit is bold and fearless. With his verbiage and his conviction, he conveys, “History has kept me down, which has made me stronger and smarter than my oppressors.” He’ll start speaking Kreyòl for a hook or an interlude, knowing that most of his listeners don’t understand what he’s saying. His culture is an exclusive club with credentials that most people (many of which look like me) will never have.
In addition, #RICHAXXHAITIAN is full of heavy instrumentals with old samples and foreign sounds that transport you to an environment within his newly painted pictures. The features on this project are amazing (I’ll never forget when Roc Marciano said “12-gauge shotty make you go potty). #RICHAXXHAITIAN is worth the listen even if only for the title track, which was undoubtedly the song of the Summer.
8. Xiu Xiu - 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
Have you ever felt fear while dancing? Probably not, but you can with 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips. I promise it’s more fun than it sounds.
13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips might be my favorite Xiu Xiu project to date. They abandon their eerie slowcore formula for something new. The duo incorporates dance elements in a way that shouldn’t work, but does. To put it explicitly, this album feels like a sexual escapade. It’s intimidating and anxiety-inducing, but also exciting. It makes your stomach turn in a way that’s both pleasurable and uncomfortable. On “T.D.F.T.W.,” these feelings peak.
“Your laughter resounds in it, through the suffering of his kinder
And covered in not enough stones, despite them all bearing his marks
And up from a shallow grave, this kinder blood thеn floods
Throughout everyone's lifе, there is only one penumbra's penumbra
Whose name can be called out at the moment of death
And for me, that name is yours
The devil forgiven, that’s why”
The voices of Jamie Steward and Angela Seo resound over experimental trip-hop instrumentals. On “Veneficum,” the swirling, distorted noise sounds like it belongs in a haunted mansion, and the droning synths on “Bobby Bland” sound like they’re from an old Shutter-Island-style asylum. “Common Loon” might be the most conventional track. It sounds like it belongs behind a party compilation at the beginning of a low-budget slasher film.
13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips starts with a familiar sound on the spooky, droning intro track, “Arp Omni.” Xiu Xiu falsely confirms their listeners’ expectations only to immediately throw them into unfamiliar territory on the next track, “Maestro One Chord,” which sounds like a good trip. They know it’s a slap in the face.
“A half a brick, flying through space
A broken tooth, flying through space
A decapitated fairy prince, powerless to undo this
A slap in the face, floating in space”
Eugene S. Robinson on Bandcamp put it best:
“There’s a dance, and on occasion a place to go dancing, where we while away the inevitable in the distinct hopes that we can better embrace what’s left of clocks that only run one way.
…So, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips?
Yes, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips. While regret is for children and old people, rest assured that if you’re not one, you’ll be the other. And out of the long laundry list of things on your regret list, you will most definitely not find 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips. It’s a mitzvah. For what we should be well pleased.
You are alive. And, oh yeah, long live Xiu Xiu.”
7. Lukah, Real Bad Man - Temple Needs Water, Village Needs Peace
This is quite the dynamic duo. Real Bad Man is a production (and apparel design) group that has produced some of the most unique hip-hop albums I’ve heard in recent years. Examples of this include: Real Bad Flights featuring Pink Siifu, Killing Nothing, featuring Boldy James, and Serpent featuring Kool Keith (yes, THAT Kool Keith).
Lukah is a confident South Memphis rapper, but he’s also a historian. On Temple Needs Water, Village Needs Peace, he talks about unity, preservation, reparation, and ancestral knowledge. Lukah’s insight and Real Bad Man’s production (with collaboration from Adrian Utley from Portishead and Shabaka Hutchings), make for a private school history teacher’s worst nightmare.
“ I felt consolidated and feelings had to be articulated
These are no traditions and now they're no longer encapsulated
all this time I was taught our ways of healing were mutilated
My DNA is sacred, I've just been too heavily sedated
But my mind's awakened, this the type King preached about
The peace he spoke was not just about us, he wanted peace throughout”
Lukah’s wordsmithing skills are unmatched. He’s a compelling speaker and a skilled rapper. Through his rhythmic speeches, he compels his listeners to open their eyes wider. Nevertheless, this album doesn’t feel like a lecture. It feels like a compelling tale rooted in knowledge and lived experience.
“ I know it seems illogical, but nothing's improbable.
Cause once you tap in that power, it feels remarkable.
All dirt is washable, so let the crown travel.
And see life change before your eyes and unravel.
What I saw on the horizon had my mind all baffled.
Cause war wins in love, but love it won the battle.”
The Temple Needs Water, the Village Needs Peace, and I have a lot of work to do. Don’t be surprised if you see me exploring more ideas on ancestry and spirituality. Thanks to Lukah, I’ll be kicking off the new year by getting back in touch with my love for anthropology, starting with a reread of Braiding Sweetgrass.
6. E L U C I D - REVELATOR
E L U C I D is a self-proclaimed rapper and producer, but REVELATOR is the best noise-rock album of the year. This project is grimy, sleazy, and vengeful. It’s an overstimulating manifesto full of confessions and brutal honesty.
The album starts with a track called “THE WORLD IS DOG.” It’s an intro that sets the stage for the sensory assault that is REVELATOR. Shotgun statements pierce through the headphones with E L U C I D’s raspy, intense voice.
“Trust none, fear all
Small world, devolve
Jaws that grind, teeth that tear
Shit that binds, spit out, ribs came spared”
Next, he continues firing lyrical shells on “CCTV.”
“CONSTANT
TAPESTRIES
IN MY MIND OUT MY BODY
ENOUGH
IN MY BODY OUT MY MIND
ENOUGH
FIRE DESIRE LUST”
The sonic assault continues on “YOTTABYTE,” but it becomes more elaborate.
“Face slap, first thing, disrespectful
Bulletproof Girbaud, Jurassic Harlem
Where you finna go?
Slidin' 'round in hard bottoms on polished concrete”
The rest of the album is full of ballads, with occasional interruptions of manic-sounding chants. E L U C I D’s energy reminds me of $ilkmoney’s 2022 album I Don’t Give a Fuck About This Rap Shit, Imma Just Drop Until I Don’t Feel Like It Anymore, which was effectively a medium for $ilkmoney to rant about his frustrations and anger about history’s faults. Another comparable project is Pink Siifu’s album, NEGRO, released in 2020. Siifu’s anger was directed in similar areas; however, it was displayed primarily by harsh noise and gritty production. REVELATOR is reminiscent of the best aspects of these two comparables.
As the project continued, I couldn’t help but spiral with E L U C I D. Bandcamp writer, Dash Lewis put it best when they wrote, “It’s an album that confronts the horrors of our modern world and, as the title suggests, reveals them to be as noxious and absurd as they seem…The album’s smoldering soundscapes drive these themes home. It can be a sensory overload, noisy and bracing, frayed samples, and pitch-shifting echoes sculpted into gnarled, almost grotesque forms.”
E L U C I D is not new to spitting about political commentary and painful truths, but this time, it feels so candid, especially alongside each loud, unorthodox instrumental. The mania hits a peak at the halfway point on the track, “IKEBANA,” where he repeatedly chants,
“Everybody knew but me
I feel like everybody knew but me
Everybody knew but me
I feel like everybody knew but me
Everybody knew but me
I feel like everybody knew but me”
Following the mental episode of “IKEBANA,” E L U C I D sits his listeners down for a discussion on my favorite track, “IN THE SHADOW OF IF” with the most concisely eloquent lyrics I’ve heard in recent times:
“Too many flags
One too many flags
Seeing all those flags
Outside the city make me nervous
Physically violent reminders I been
Cursed to concrete
The devil is a lie
We are the ecology
In the twinkling of an eye
Reflecting everything inside of me
Knew no divide”
The line, “cursed to concrete” rings in my head. He makes his experience tangible, mentioning his unease residing in an underfunded area where he and his community have been forced to live, seeing “MAGA” and “blue lives matter” flags surrounding the borders. Even the title, “IN THE SHADOW OF IF,” emphasizes his feelings—even the idea of “what if” has faded. He feels helpless, trapped in the shadow of even the thought of change’s possibility.
The last two tracks, “XOLO” and “ZIGZAGZIG” leave the listener with homework. The former is full of commentary on the predatory religions that divide cultures.
“Color cut clarity
Dream books with the pages missing
Loitering outside the storefront church half-listening
They came before the rats
Scratched new holes to hide in
Secret silence.”
The latter is a perfect outro. He responds to his disgust with current tragedies, promising that the people will not forget.
“WAR CLOUDS CRUEL SKY
MY N- SURVIVE LIKE A MOVING TARGET 3x
I DIDN’T WATCH THE VIDEO
I REMEMBERED IN MY BODY
WE LIVE TO TELL THE STORY
WE LIVE TO SING THE SONG”
5. Mk.gee - Two Star and the Dream Police
Since releasing Two Star and the Dream Police, Mk.gee has gathered praise from Elton John, Charli XCX, Eric Clapton, Justin Bieber, and Frank Ocean. In addition, the album was acclaimed by the New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NME, NBC, and Mk.gee recently performed on Saturday Night Live. What does this mean? Two Star and the Dream Police, and Mk.gee, are a big deal.
Mk.gee also takes pages out of the 70’s/80’s rock book, this time getting inspiration from artists like Phil Collins, David Bowie, and Cream. Eric Clapton himself, in an interview, said Mk.gee has “found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else…The same when I first saw Prince, it was like we’re safe. Just to know it’s there is enough.” Mk.gee is a breath of fresh air in a sea of new artists bastardizing and weaponizing previous generations of music. He’s opening minds by melding generations instead of closing them by affirming biases. Where older people will hear bands like Greta Van Fleet and say, “See? It’s still possible to make real music.” they’ll hear Mk.gee and say, “Maybe this new generation does have something special.”
Mk.gee is indeed a talented guitar player. Clapton wasn’t far off when comparing his compelling guitar style to Prince’s. It’s even more impressive in person. Seeing him play gave me faith that his talent is authentic. He is quite the performer.
Two Star and the Dream Police feels like a trance. You can get lost in the album’s soundscapes. I’ve felt myself slipping into a daydream time and time again while listening to this project, then waking up and wondering how long I had been away. The biggest culprits of this entrancement are “I Want,” “Breakthespell,” and “You got it.” Mk.gee has mastered the art of expression with sound, not just words. The track “Little Bit More,” while full of lovely lines, perpetuates a feeling of infatuation and longing that couldn’t be expressed with just lyrics.
Don’t misunderstand me, though. The lyrics are compelling in such a simple way. Take the track “How Many Miles,” where Mk.gee contemplates the nature of growth and self-image:
“If you got something, go hide it (Ooh)
Lady Luck, don't you find that this town will leave you dying?
Are you rising up? I thought that I lost me
After all this time, I couldn't remember me”
Groovy moments also exist on Two Star and the Dream Police. The guitar solo on “Candy” is magical. “Are You Looking Up” was my top song this year for its catchy, upbeat energy. Every part of “Alesis” sticks in my brain for hours after listening. This album has something deeply special inside. It’s unifying and full of so much soul. Two Star and the Dream Police is an album that your dad will overhear and ask about just as much as it’s an album you can put on at sunset with your partner. Mk.gee is on to something spectacular here, and I just know he has the potential to be a household name if he keeps it up.
4. Brittany Howard - What Now
I had the pleasure of being in the audience for Brittany Howard’s headline performance at Pitchfork Festival this year. It’s clear from her portfolio that she is a seasoned pro, so I didn’t have doubts that she’d blow my mind. That said, it was awe-inspiring to see just how talented she is. I found a deeper appreciation for What Now and for Brittany Howard as an artist in her live performance. She is an amazing singer, guitar player, speaker, and performer.
What Now is electric at its highs and deeply soulful at its lows. The transition between “Red Flags” and “To Be Still” beautifully highlights the versatility on this project. She ends the former with a rousing scream, belting the words “Don’t let it die.” Then, “To Be Still” starts with a somber plea:
“I daydream to be a flower in your garden
I'd drink your hose-pipe water
I wonder how delicate is your touch
For something you love so much?
I wonder if I didn't have to wonder?”
Brittany lets her somber feelings out on the last two tracks. On “Power to Undo,” she confronts the person that broke her heart:
“ What kind of love is that?
How could you want me back?
After the damage is done
After the love is dead and gone
(Ya) After the tears that I cried
How could you want to dry my eyes?
How could you? How could you?”
And on the outro track, “Every Color in Blue,” she leaves us on a somber note:
“Dopamine leaves
Takes me
Eviscerates me
Too raw
Tuned out
And I can't believe I'm all out of rainbows”
Longing is perpetuated throughout the entire album, even in the most high-energy tracks. On the title track, filled with funky bass lines and contagious energy, she wails,
“I surrender, let me go
I don't have love to give you more
You're fucking up my energy
I told the truth, so set me free”
Brittany Howard perfectly exemplifies the feeling of post-guilt. She laments the past but finds the strength to move on and forgive herself. She’s become unapologetic - she has nothing to be sorry for anymore. To move forward she finds growth in:
patience,
“All I have to do is wait
But I don't wanna make the same mistakes
All we need is a little patience, girl,”
self truth,
“It's me or you, I'm split in two
I don't know how I'm gonna tell the truth
I'm split in two, I can't get used
To being who you need me to choose
I'm split in two, I'm split in two”
and peace,
“We were born in a time to change the paradigm
Peace is the prize of our timeline
Yes, I know we can do it 'cause we must do it
I know we can do it (So, let's get to it)”
In person, she gave the audience a beautiful takeaway - Love each other, whether or not it hurts.
3. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
Boat Songs by MJ Lenderman was my favorite album of 2022 by a mile - and I haven’t shut up about it since. When Manning Fireworks was announced, I could not have been more excited.
Sonically, Lenderman deviates a bit from Boat Songs. His previous album was fuzzy, raw, and even dusk at times. Manning Fireworks is a breakup album through and through, but it sounds much more refined and bright. He is shifting from that “countrygaze” sound, of which he is a pioneer, to a more indie folk approach with some electric-guitar-filled exceptions like on “Wristwatch” and “On my Knees” (two of my favorite tracks).
Though my use of labels and sub-genre parlance is excessive here, I use it to describe why my connection to Boat Songs was a bit stronger than my connection to Manning Fireworks. The former sounded more original, while the ladder is familiar.
That said, Lenderman proves he can do the familiar while blowing his peers out of the water. Part of me wishes that he stuck with the direction he was headed with Boat Songs, but it’s so impressive that he crashed the indie folk party and stole the entire show.
After giving Manning Fireworks more attention, and after seeing Lenderman live, I grew to have a much deeper appreciation of the album. This time, it’s the themes that make it phenomenal. He keeps his ‘average Joe’ perception, but instead of covering the simple pleasures in life, minor league politics, and seeing Michael Jordan drunk on TV, he turns his attention to himself. Throughout Manning Fireworks, Lenderman is on a journey of self-discovery involving the deliberation of his own actions.
In the title track, he states,
“You've opened the Bible in a public place
You've opened the Bible to the very first page
And one of these days, it will all end
Your tired approach to original sin.”
The last couple of lines here signify the fault of Eve in Genesis. He calls it a “tired approach” acknowledging that the Adams of the world are often at fault. Later in the same track, he describes himself as “standing close to the pyre manning fireworks.” He’s standing next to the death ritual attempting to draw attention to himself while his fireworks only contribute to the burning. His relationship is falling apart and all he’s doing is making it fall apart faster.
Lenderman explores themes of religion and shame frequently throughout Manning Fireworks. On arguably the saddest track, “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In,” he states,
“Everybody’s walking in twos leaving Noah’s ark.”
He’s burdened by all the other happy couples holding hands. The social expectation brings him just as much pain as the expectation from a toxic view of God. How will he board the ark without a partner? This completely contradicts his statement on “Rudolph:”
“I wouldn’t be in the seminary if I could be with you.”
When someone means the world to you, it’s easy to throw everything else away including your flawed relationship with God. After they leave you, you become vulnerable and crawl back to what you once left. Lenderman also continues his self-reflection at the beginning of “Rudolph.”
He says,
“Rudolph waking up in the road
Dew dripping off his red nose
Blue and black, tire track
Torn through a beautiful doe.”
As the story goes, Rudolph goes through a journey as a black sheep, discovering himself and celebrating his identity. In Lendeman’s story, the reindeer was so distracted with his journey that he neglected the ruin of his beautiful doe. He goes on to say,
“How many roads must a man
Walk down 'til he learns
He's just a jerk who flirts
With the clergy nurse 'til it burns.”
In another reference to Christianity, he details his own realization that he was never the coveted man, the Rudolph, he thought he was.
On the 10-minute outro track, “Bark at the Moon,” he pleads,
“You said it takes revision
You said it takes finesse
Don't move to New York City, babe
It's gonna change the way you dress
It's gonna change the way you dress”
A clear indication that his partner was ready to grow and he wasn’t willing. This goes hand-in-hand with his sentiment at the start of “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In:”
“Some say distance grows the heart
But I know sometimes we just drift apart.”
Finally, on “On My Knees,” Lenderman ties everything together:
“And I'm speaking in tongues
Thosе hiccups don't quit
I had a thought but I forgot
Like a train on a burning bridge”
He’s drunk, he’s lost, and in this fading love, there’s nothing he can do to save himself - just like a train on a burning bridge.
Manning Fireworks is incredible, and so is MJ Lenderman - he is true to himself. It’s the simplicity in his music that proves his identity, not the opposite. I can only hope that he keeps his authenticity as he carries on with his new-found momentum.
2. Mustafa - Dunya
On Dunya, translating in Arabic to, “the life we live in right now,” Mustafa eloquently lifts the veil of hood politics to show what loss, worry, and love feel like in under-resourced Toronto.
According to Anh V. Nguyen Tran (2023) for the University of California, “[G]ender-related, race-related, and economic regional factors help cultivate a hypermasculine social climate prime for misogynist radicalization.” Misogynist radicalization goes hand-in-hand with the stigmatization of emotional expression.
Rice et. al (2021) for The Lancet, a public health journal, state, “Traditional gender norms commonly drive young men to present as strong, competitive, in control, and unburdened by vulnerability. These cultural scripts prize toughness, anger, hostility, and emotional control. Conversely, emotions characterized by vulnerability, including sadness, anxiety, and fear, trigger shame and become a barrier to help-seeking.”
Finally, Ozlem Eylem et. al (2020), for BMC Public Health state, “There is a strong stigma attached to mental disorders preventing those affected from getting psychological help. The consequences of stigma are worse for racial and/or ethnic minorities compared to racial and/or ethnic majorities since the former often experience other social adversities such as poverty and discrimination within policies and institutions.”
These scholars assert that the stigmatization of emotional expression, mental health, and misogyny is disproportionately present among men belonging to low-income and racial minority populations. I wanted to avoid presenting this information without the proper sources, especially given my economic status and skin tone.
On Dunya, Mustafa leads by example as a Sudanese Muslim man in inner-city Toronto who unapologetically feels deeply. Notably, he begs,
“What good is a heart that will not break?”
He continues on “What Happened, Mohammed?” When he says,
“And I was right where you are,
but this hood tore us apart.
I don’t blame you for losing your heart.”
Mustafa laments for his community, understanding that grief leads to isolation.
The title of this song is a homage to Mustafa’s heritage. Frequently throughout the album, he references aspects of his religion, which also contributes to mental health stigma (to learn more about this topic, see my literature review on mental health stigma in orthodox religion). On “Name of God,” he says,
“Whose Lord are you naming
when you start to break things?
It's my only life you hold,
and when you left me waiting, I thought:
Did you do it in the name of God?”
These lyrics point out the hypocrisy in religious individuals who blame their hatred and misdeeds on their God. Mustafa is also allowing himself to feel hurt while he goes through the blaming process. He searches for motivation within the person who hurt him as he desperately tries to view them with understanding as his God would.
On “I’ll Go Anywhere,” he speaks directly with God:
“I can’t draw You, I can’t paint You,
oh, my eyes are weak.
Oh, tell me what to think,
oh, tell me what to see.”
He continues,
“I’m no match for these thoughts when I speak to You, God,
They whisper and I hear what they say,
and I’d go away,
but I hate going back home where Father got his rage from,
where all the black magic awaits.”
Even the most devout people experience doubts and tribulations with their view of God. In Mustafa’s case, his religion prevents him from even looking at a depiction of his creator. He begs for a sense of direction. How can he know whether or not he’s on the right path if his God doesn’t show himself and his father has conceded to the weight of the world?
Mustafa can’t help but do the same. On “Beauty, End,” he says
“You know I ask too many questions
like‘Who’s still human?’
Like ‘Who’s not ruined when they start to listen?’
And I only see beauty when it starts to end.”
He’s mourning the wasted life of someone he knows serving life in prison, but the overtones are clear. Later on the song he sings,
“And some days we let go,
go outside the only borders we know.”
He notes the importance of escaping invisible borders like roles and constructs, as well as physical borders including red-lined districts and nations restricted by predatory world powers.
Mustafa continues this theme on “Gaza is Calling,” where he worries for someone trapped in a nation ruined by genocide and destruction. He relates Gaza’s condition to the wars fought on his own streets:
“And we grew up on a street where every war meets.
All our living rooms were aflame, but you led the way.”
This person has moved on from street wars to a place where systematic destruction is more blatant.
“And I can’t write you a letter -
you don't know how to read.
You won't listen either,
so when can I tell you how I feel?
...And Gaza is calling.
Every time I say your name,
there's a war that's in the way.”
The sounds on Dunya are also entrancing. On “Imaan,” which means “faith” in Arabic, Mustafa utilizes beautiful strings traditionally used in Arabic folk. It’s a song about his battle with true faith. He uses the oud, which can be heard frequently throughout the album. The strings on this project as a whole are inescapable. Throughout the 40 minutes of the project, the violin, the banjo, the cello, and more can be heard.
Mustafa’s singing voice is what brings everything together. Not only is his voice technically beautiful, but he also has a way of wearing his emotions right on his sleeve. The emotion in his voice is tangible during every song, proving that he practices what he preaches.
1. Mount Eerie - Night Palace
Phil Elverum could release a concept album about stocks and bonds, and It would still keep me up at night. I firmly believe that he is one of the greatest living songwriters, composers, and producers, and possibly the pinnacle of the combination. On Night Palace, Phil is enamored with the beauty of life’s uncontrollable nature. The man is tired. He is coming to terms.
Elverum uses the wind to personify life’s invisible, inevitable jurisdiction. On “Empty Paper Towel Roll,” he sings,
“Knowing that wide winds find me
From a place I'll never know
I'm human, I know very little, I narrow my eyes.”
Here, he’s okay with the unknown. The wind comes from nowhere and leads to anywhere, and as a human, it’s not his obligation to understand. These words tie into Elverum’s sentiment on “Broom of Wind:”
“By the same thing I once came from
I too am a chunk broken off
From the broom of wind”
He continues on “Huge Fire,” detailing his journey in the metaphorical wilderness, starting a metaphorical fire. As he attempts to start and maintain his fire, factors beyond his control dance around. He speaks on the wind:
“And now I've lived long enough to know
That nothing's stronger than the blow
The whipping wind, the way it tеars
The sparks are full in the sky yawning opеn.”
He started his own fire, but the wind made it unmanageable. He ends his ballad with the song of someone lost and the fire at his back.
“Three days of heavy rain and there's still coals.”
He references burning coals later in the project on the beautiful dedication, “My Canopy:”
“Breathe forever
Beneath the canopy of my life
While you wait through winters
Coals illuminate your night
Salmonberries will return
And you are always in my eye
I love you.”
The coals may represent his lost love - the one that he mourns on 2017’s somber album, A Crow Looked at Me. The coals that burn after 3 days of rain are the memory of her passing. When he sings to his child, Agathe, about the coals illuminating her night, he sees his love guiding her wind.
He speaks to his late partner again on “Wind & Fog Pt. 2,” where he uses fog as a direct combatant to wind. Fog to Phil, it seems, is the false idea that we know how the world works. It’s what the wind blows away to clear a path for life to continue in its unpredictable ways.
“What we build, the wind's dismantling while we look on
It clears the eyes
I cup the candle, and you can stay in my arms
I'll see you in the morning”
Elverum switches gears in the latter half of the album, where he ties his feelings to a broken capitalistic modern world. The three-track run of “Non-Metaphorical Decolonization,” “November Rain,” and “Co-Owner of Trees” is a breathtaking collection of commentary. He talks about the Earth and how we as humans are rightful owners of its beauty. He mentions the steps we need to take to break out of the nationalistic ideal of this country’s future. My favorite lines on the whole project are from “November Rain,” where he sings of absent second homes that could be used to house those in need. He reflects on nature and how those with the means to live in mansions will never understand the true beauty of rain. Strangely, those who are less fortunate feel the world more.
“All these absentee owners miss
The huge embrace, the pressing kiss
Of this specific November rain in the long darkness
But that's okay
I'll drink all the rain while I trespass
They keep their outside light on though
I guess to let everyone else know
‘Keep away, this patch of night sky I also claim as mine’"
In addition to poetic language, Elverum uses sounds to emphasize his feelings - something he’s always been good at. Examples of this include the whooping waves on “I Heard Whales (I Think),” the screaming wind on “(soft air),” and the aching cries on “Swallowed Alive.” He uses distorted cymbals and winding harsh noise to create an environment of emphasis and vulnerability on almost every track. The sounds on Night Palace are truly unique, which is a standard for Phil Elverum.
Finally, he ends his project with “I Need New Eyes” - a perfect collection of words to tie everything together.
“I spent decades going on about how nothing doesn't change
Slow tattooing the word "impermanence" bold across my face
I lived examples, I found words to say it yet another way:
Death and birth and changing weather
And romance blown away
I just wanted to say something true
And complicate my youth
But now a new idea complicates my old age:
It's that nothing arises in the first place
All this impermanence is just another thing my mind made
I was never here, and nothing goes away
In mystical ignorance, I've prioritizеd joy
I've chosen to see this and not that
I laid in the tall grass
I just watchеd the breaths fall and rise while this life goes by
And the constant catastrophes pound on the wall
And who isn't my neighbor on this flaming globe?
Now I'm staring at a boulder trying to tell myself
‘This didn't arise’
I need new eyes”
If you’ve gotten this far, thank you; and, please listen to Night Palace. I could sit down and talk for hours about each and every track on this album. It’s a blessing to have another masterpiece from Phil Elverum, and I hope he is doing well.