Kendrick Lamar – Unsung Sundays

Best of 2016

Nathan Snelgrove — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 18:43:38 +0000

As our tradition is starting to dictate, we couldn’t stop at ten or twenty records though. A round number like that feels arbitrary. We wanted to stop when it felt right. And we think we got the mix just right, more or less.

Parker Millsap

The Very Last Day

Parker Millsap’s sophomore album is filled with some of 2016’s rowdiest country-influenced folk tracks. Telling the story of the end of the world, it sees Parker wrestle with everything from his faith to our culture. Often funny, sometimes irreverent, and full of charm, The Very Last Day isn’t worth missing. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

School of Seven Bells

SVIIB

SVIIB is this year’s most authentic pop record. Born of tragedy, the record is vocalist Alejandra Deheza’s way of saying farewell to her best friend and former bandmate, Benjamin Curtis. Curtis passed away shortly after completing SVIIB in 2012, and Deheza spent time tinkering with it for years after the fact before finally releasing it as School of Seven Bells’ final parting letter.

SVIIB is one of the saddest records I’ve heard all year, but Deheza manages to find optimism in even the worst situations. While the album doesn’t break ground musically the way that some of the other albums on this list do, it’s filled with such emotional catharsis that it’s impossible to ignore. Sad, beautiful, and optimistic, SVIIB is a hidden treasure you need to hear. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kaytranada

99.9%

Kaytranada is the king of the electronica pack right now. With 99.9%, he’s put almost everybody else in the genre to shame. It’s a tremendous record for anybody who likes bits and bops in their music, but it’s also one of those albums that just indicates a total prodigy is at work behind the scenes. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

A Tribe Called Quest

We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

We Got It From Here isn’t a comeback for ATCQ. It’s a farewell. This is the group’s final album, largely because of the death of Phife earlier in 2016. But more importantly, it’s a reminder of the “service” of ATCQ throughout years. When Kanye guests on “The Killing Season”, it’s a reminder that ATCQ was one of his progenitors, one of the groups that birthed modern hip hop.

It’s not so much that We Got It Here is bringing anything new to the table; rather, it’s reminding us of what used to be. It’s like eating a meal with an old friend who just happens to be in town for a little while. It’s nice to reminisce.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Angel Olsen

My Woman

Angel Olsen’s latest record is her best yet. Olsen is an enigma, and My Woman doesn’t change that. But it does reveal that Olsen is getting better and better at her craft.

If Olsen is anything, she’s a woman who deserves to be celebrated for being a woman. At this point, it feels like she represents women everywhere. She’s the feminist in all of us. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kanye West

The Life of Pablo

The Life of Pablo is a good record, but it’s ranking on this list for reasons other than just its music. I believe Kanye has stumbled upon the future of music with The Life of Pablo. I love the way he changed the music after release, often changing the production or verses on certain tracks. (You can read our piece on that here.)

That being said, the album was originally noted for combining hip hop and gospel. But Chance the Rapper ended up doing that much better only a few weeks later with Coloring Book, dethroning The Life of Pablo in the process. What we’re left with is an excellent record that nonetheless proves Kanye isn’t the king of hip hop anymore.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Noname

Telefone

Telefone is one of the best hip hop debuts of recent years. Coming from the same crowd as Raury, Noname is quickly making a name for herself in the scene. She’s a clear example of the Chicago sound throughout her record, and not unlike Raury, wears all her influences clearly on her sleeve.

What makes Telefone work so well is its accessibility Telefone is one of the few albums this year that you could put on at a chill party without anybody raising an eye. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Esperanza Spalding

Emily's D+Evolution

Esperanza Spalding’s second record is a huge turnaround for her. No longer traditional jazz, Esperanza is making jazz-influenced rock. With Evolution, she’s at the forefront of the jazz fusion revival.

But more importantly, she’s making a statement about the validity of traditional jazz. Like when Bob Dylan went electric, she’s saying there isn’t a lot left for her to mine in that genre, and it’s time for her to go on to more exciting pastures. I think D+ Evolution is a brave step in a bold direction, and I’m excited to hear what’s next from Spalding. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels 3

I think most “Best Of” lists were written too late to include RTJ3, which was a late December surprise and one of the best hip hop records of the year. It’s a stronger record than RTJ2, with tracks that are more approachable despite the fact that the band isn’t losing their edge at all.

At this point, it feels like Run the Jewels might be one of the most important hip hop acts in our new political era. They speak their minds and don’t care what you think, and they’re willing to get involved on the ground floor (Killer Mike campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign). But most importantly, they’re completely fearless. RTJ3 was my favourite surprise album this year. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Blood Orange

Freetown Sound

Freetown Sound is authentic black music. When I was in university, I took a course on modern music history. The course started with slave music, which was music that the slaves used to sing together while they worked. The rhythm helped them stay on track with their work, and the singing made them feel a sense of solidarity despite their awful working conditions.

Much of Freetown Sound reminds me of that record — not because it has a lot in common with the rhythms of slave music, but because it feels like it’s music that’s meant to create solidarity. It’s not a protest record, but it’s a record that is birthed out of protest. Freetown Sound is an important record, and one that sadly still feels necessary in 2016. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam

I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

In lieu of a new Vampire Weekend record, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine stood in nicely this year. Leithauser’s vocal performance, may be an acquired taste, but Rostam’s music is clearly coming from his work at Vampire Weekend. It’s a beautiful album that I hope begets more work from the duo. They work together so naturally you’d think they’d been playing in a band together for years. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

The Lemon Twigs

Do Hollywood

I think Do Hollywood might be the best debut of the year. The Lemon Twigs are clearly Beatles fans, but their music feels so modern — despite its retro leanings — that it’s impossible to draw the comparison too strongly.

If anything, Do Hollywood is an astonishing record because it proves that there’s still room for unique voices in indie rock. The perfect driving record, Do Hollywood is the sort of album that gives you hope for rock again. And it’s only The Lemon Twigs’ debut! Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kendrick Lamar

Untitled Unmastered

I mean, seriously, how much does it say about Kendrick Lamar’s clear and obvious talent when his B-sides are better than all of his contemporaries’ real albums this year? The rap star is an unequivocal genius whose voice is only becoming more important.

Untitled Unmastered also succeeded in the difficult measure of following up To Pimp a Butterfly, largely thanks to its non-title and the clear attitude towards each track. Kendrick and Co. know that Untitled Unmastered isn’t going to become anybody’s favourite over TPAB, so they released it without fanfare and removed some of the weight from the difficulty of being a follow-up. The strategy worked. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool

There’s no way we could avoid putting the latest Radiohead release in the list. But A Moon Shaped Pool is seriously one of the best records of the year. There isn’t a single track that feels like filler, and the band hasn’t lost their edge even as they’ve aged.

The true pride and joy of A Moon Shaped Pool is the inclusion of fan favourite, “True Love Waits”. The song has been a live staple for over a decade, and Radiohead finally made an album they felt it was a good fit for. An impeccable song that truly captures the mood of the whole record. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Leonard Cohen

You Want It Darker

Another one of the greats lost. You Want It Darker will be, for obvious reasons, Cohen’s final record. Even at the end, he continued to wrestle with his spirituality and all his inner demons. Maybe because it was the end for him.

As it is, You Want It Darker is the best Cohen record in a long time. Impeccably produced with beautiful songwriting and an unbelievable performance from Cohen, it’s easily one of the year’s standouts in a year filled with great music.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Solange

A Seat at the Table

What is their left to say about this record that hasn’t already been said? A Seat at the Table is simply tremendous. There’s a reason Solange is on this list, but Beyonce is not: at this point, Solange has overtaken her sister’s music. A Seat at the Table is that good.

There’s nothing more to say. (Frankly, we said it all in our full review.)

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Sturgill Simpson

A Sailor's Guide to Earth

You don’t have to like country to love Sturgill Simpson. I still can’t get over his cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom”. But beyond that single track, what makes A Sailor’s Guide to Earth so special is its dedication to Simpson’s son. From the opening track on, you know that Guide to Earth is going to be something special.

And what Simpson is doing is special: beyond the dedication, and beyond the “hip dad” Nirvana cover, he’s expanding the language of country. He’s proved that the genre still has lots of room to grow. And he’s done all that without going down the pop road that country went down in the ‘90s. This is an alternative country album that any diehard country fan will love, and any non-country listener will find approachable. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Frank Ocean

Blonde

Frank Ocean made us wait too long for this. And while it can be a little long on occasion, it’s hard to be irritated that Ocean gave us more music than we originally wanted. There are so many great tracks here that it’s hard to recommend just a few.

Blonde proves that, no matter how many imitators come along, there’s nobody else who can be like Frank Ocean. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Anderson .Paak

Malibu

Malibu is an album that doesn’t care about genre, position, or what’s hip. .Paak knows none of that matters, because he’s the future. It’s absolutely one of the most exciting records of the year (if not the most exciting), because of the classy ways it blends hip hop and R&B without missing a beat (pun not intended).

There are sixteen tracks on the record, but it doesn’t feel too long or like there’s a lot of filler. This is just Anderson .Paak, making it clear to the world that he’s here to stay and to show us the way. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Chance the Rapper

Coloring Book

Coloring Book is Chance the Rapper coming into himself. It’s also a pure representation of what the future of hip hop looks like. Kendrick and Chance have come to take over the world, and Coloring Book is Chance’s stake in the ground.

Featuring an incredible roster of guests and a ton of great tracks, Coloring Book feels like the sort of album we all wish Kanye West was still making. With tracks like “How Great”, “Blessings”, and “Same Drugs”, Chance the Rapper is doing something unique with the way he’s blending his gospel roots with hip hop. He’s creating the future. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

David Bowie

Blackstar

Before Bowie passed away, it was clear that Blackstar was easily going to be among the year’s best. Jazzy and unapologetic, Blackstar was Bowie once again experimenting with the forefront of the future of rock music. (We wrote more about that here.)

And then, Bowie suddenly passed away. Unbeknownst to almost everybody in the industry, he had been preparing for his death for a long time. The metaphor of many of Bowie’s songs on the record became much clearer in the weeks after he passed. Blackstar was meant to be a parting gift to his fans. And it’s a beautiful one. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

The post Best of 2016 appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Kendrick Lamar: untitled unmastered.

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 13:05:43 +0000

Who saw this coming? Kendrick’s latest record doesn’t feel like a follow-up to To Pimp a Butterfly, nor does it feel like a collection of B-sides. Each track is simply called “untitled” and given a date, which often don’t coincide with events Lamar will specifically mention in the songs, rendering them totally meaningless. The messaging is clear: this album is Kendrick giving us something new while avoiding the weight that comes with an “official” new record.

And it’s pretty clearly a project, not a record, something Kendrick has just experimented with. It’s jazzier than TPAB, and more free-form with its ideas too. It’s also riskier, often more flawed, clearly unsure even of its own edits. Untitled 7 feels like four songs instead of one. Untitled 3 and untitled 8, already performed on late-night TV, differ from their televised versions in significant ways, but also lose much of their urgency and immediacy on record.

That’s not to say the album is a mixed bag: when Kendrick is on fire, he’s on fire. Untitled 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 are all stunning, and they have enough depth that I suspect we’ll be talking about them for the rest to come. Kendrick struggles with his faith in God and in America, but also continues to struggle to rectify his experiences in Africa with the “first-world” problems of North America.

Untitled 3 also sees him exploring the expectations of people around him, particularly noting that the “white man” wants more success before it will reward him, going so far as to argue that they’d rather have him compromise and make more money for them than keep his artistic integrity.

Lyrically, Kendrick is still at the top of the game. Musically too, the album is less concerned with the thematic rigidity that accompanies a 60-minute-plus tour-de-force like To Pimp a Butterfly and takes more time to explore. Some moments are pure jazz, and some feel like old-school Kendrick. Jazz solos and twiddling positively abound here, and if ever there was a record where we could compare Kendrick to old-school Roots, this is probably it.

It’s hard to say if the album is a bunch of leftover tracks from TPAB, as Lamar suggests on Twitter. They sound more recent, and reference many of TPAB’s accolades, so it’s not likely that they’re B-sides. They also don’t sound unfinished. Like the rest of Kendrick’s tracks, these beg repeated listening. They carry depth. They’re not throw-aways, and they’re thematically complete and socially relevant. The album’s marketing is deceiving.

As a result, untitled unmastered. raises a lot more questions than it answers. It’s clear that untitled isn’t meant to follow up Butterfly, and that a full follow-up will come later, but then how do we evaluate untitled? If it’s not an album, and it’s not a mixtape, what is it?

untitled feels like Kendrick is playing with the act of releasing an album as an experiment, acknowledging that it’s coming out with warts and all. It’s a reflection of our social media times, maybe, but it’s also a reflection of the way music recording and distribution is changing.

There’s a moment on untitled 7 where Kendrick says the track is “15 minutes long” before picking up an acoustic guitar and nodding. As he strums a few chords, he spends a little bit of time noodling and making jokes, much to the joy of the others in the room. But if it wasn’t clear before, it’s made absolutely clear here: this record isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. It’s dark and it’s often thought-provoking, but this isn’t a full statement. It’s a thought, a brief letter, a social media update from Kendrick letting us know he’s still around and he’s got more to say.

It’s telling, then, that even when Kendrick isn’t trying to be at the top of his game, that he’s still at the top of his class and one of the best rappers out there. I suspect we’ll still be talking about untitled unmastered. at the end of the year, and like To Pimp a Butterfly, this project’s shape will shift and change with the times.

The post Kendrick Lamar: untitled unmastered. appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

The Best Albums of 2015

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 13:01:27 +0000

Apple Music started up, Rdio shut down, Tidal was openly laughed at, and Jay-Z suddenly had another problem on his hands in addition to his other 99. Hip hop was celebrated on the big screen with Straight Outta Compton, a film and celebration of a movement that couldn’t be more timely against a new wave of unbelievable racism and violence across the United States. Few music quotes were more powerful this year than Ice Cube’s “I got something to say.”

But an incredible amount of artists did have something new to say. Some of them challenged us. Some of them broke our hearts. Some of them made us feel good. The best of them are gathered here for your perusal. Cheers to 2015, and here’s to the year to come.

Leon Bridges

Coming Home

Coming Home is a record that should have existed in the 1960s. Leon Bridges is performing music that intersects perfectly with soul and R&B and gospel music. Who knew that this nostalgic sound could be so formidable in 2015?

What Bridges lacks in originality — even Bridges would say he owes Sam Cooke a beer — it makes up for with songwriting and smooth style. Leon Bridges’ debut is a comeback record for 1960s R&B/soul, but it’s also a hugely compelling charmer that makes Bridges feel like one of the most exciting soul performers of his generation — despite his retro leanings.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Girlpool

Before the World Was Big

Girlpool’s charming folk-influenced pop music feels startlingly original while remaining clearly influenced by greats like Velvet Underground. At just twenty-five minutes, Before the World Was Big feels like a giant tease, as if the band is still warming up to something bigger.

But they never break free of their simple guitar riffs and dual harmonies. In spite of that, the record holds some sort of mysterious raw power and energy to it: when Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad sing together, it doesn’t matter whether they’re intentionally ironically stripping away both folk and punk at the same time. The two of them have the emotional weight of an eighteen-wheeler. The rest of it is just candy.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

HOLYCHILD

The Shape of Brat Pop to Come

HOLYCHILD came out of nowhere and claimed to invent a new genre of pop music. While that’s not necessarily the case, the band sounds amazing and has a ton of momentum going for them. This duo is politically aware and socially conscious, with lyrics that read more like scathing indictments of the genre than they do pop songs.

Almost every track on Brat Pop is insanely catchy, and the biting tone — one that is both sarcastic and glaringly truthful — doesn’t spare anybody in its path. HOLYCHILD’s debut was glossed over by mainstream publications last year, but it’s a record you shouldn’t miss.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Petite Noir

La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful

South African Yannick Ilunga doesn’t care about your conception of pop music. His experimental electronic pop dares to be completely different and sounds entirely new. While he’s not necessarily have writing tracks you can dance to, his 80s-influenced, genre-mashing take on the genre feels like something straight out of the future and completely ahead of its time.

La Vie Est Belle (Life Is Beautiful) feels like a near-perfect record that dares to dream. It’s music that doesn’t believe in the boundaries of genre, and in the process of defying convention while remaining deeply rooted in what’s come before, Petite Noir’s debut earns respect and commands attention.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kamasi Washington

The Epic

The Epic is authentic jazz. For a brief moment in time, Kamasi Washington was “that guy who played on Kendrick’s new record”. Immediately after The Epic dropped, he became the jazz aficionado who appeared out of nowhere, dropping what may be one of the genre’s masterpieces as a debut.

The Epic is remarkably unhinged. Just shy of three hours long, Washington somehow keeps his jazz music accessible despite his monolithic-sized ideas. It’s the product of a virtuoso clearly obsessed with defying expectations of critics and the culture surrounding jazz, and it’s hard to say that any other record in the genre has commanded as much attention in the past year.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Raury

All We Need

All We Need establishes nineteen-year-old Raury Tullis as a voice to be reckoned with in modern hip hop music. With influences that range from Kid Cudi and Kanye West to Marvin Gaye, Father John Misty, and Bon Iver, he’s also got an incredibly compelling and eclectic sound that separates him from many of his peers.

This sound feels nearly perfectly-honed on All We Need, an immense debut that surprises — particularly because of his age. The genre-jumping album is comfortable with melancholy, comfortable with doling out wisdom, and dealing with doling out the unexpected. He’s the opposite of cynical, and that makes his record one of hip hop’s best in a very strong year.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Alabama Shakes

Sound & Color

Sound & Color feels more varied than its predecessor, with Alabama Shakes spreading their wings on their sophomore effort and beginning to welcome their inner weird. While their first album was incredibly strong, Sound & Color reveals that the band has much more to say. Sound & Color is, as the title alludes, as much about texture as it is about the album’s pure unhinged sonic qualities.

Most importantly, though, Alabama Shakes avoids the sophomore slump with their expanded palette and collection of new sounds. With some of the most beautiful songs put on record in 2015, and a smattering of fantastic singles, Sound & Color makes a strong statement that Alabama Shakes is at the top of their game.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Sleater-Kinney

No Cities to Love

Sleater-Kinney’s first record in ten years is one of 2015’s best. The rock band’s comeback is more a statement that urges and commands our attention, nearly staccato with intensely brief three-minute tracks that sound more punk than they do rock ’n roll.

It’s easy to forget that the women in Sleater-Kinney are some of rock’s elder states-women when it sounds like the band still has so much to say. As political as ever, No Cities to Love carries a sense of urgency in its riffs that would make Dave Grohl jealous. While the trio was nothing to scoff at before, their new album is undoubtedly their best work: an absolute celebration of a band aging well and perhaps finally at their best.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Grimes

Art Angels

Claire Boucher said she wrote hundreds of songs for Art Angels, but ended up scrapping most of them. What’s left behind are fourteen perfectly-polished alt-pop tracks that are somehow radio-friendly without ever pandering to her audience. As Grimes, Boucher grabs the pop wheel and — instead of re-inventing things that are never broken — just takes the whole convertible off-roading.

Art Angels is fearless and incredibly ambitious as a result, broad and friendly while remaining singularly weird and individual. Refusing to be white-washed into everybody else’s definition of pop songwriting, Claire Boucher instead made a visionary and uncompromising pop record that the genres’ fans and detractors can listen to with pride.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Sufjan Stevens

Carrie & Lowell

Sufjan Stevens isn’t know for his predictability. He’s leaped from one genre to the next, even making multiple Christmas albums, but Carrie & Lowell feels like a return to his original form as a lo-fi singer/songwriter. As Sufjan charts the life and death of his mother, as well as reflect on his own complicated feelings about her, it strikes not with grand musical statements, but with a series of small, gut-wrenching emotional moments.

Carrie & Lowell is perhaps the epitome of Sufjan Stevens’ sound, stripped back to its most basic and essential. As a result, in a career with seemingly one golden album after another, it could be the best record he’s ever made.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Father John Misty

I Love You, Honeybear

Josh Tillman’s sophomore effort as Father John Misty, he continues to demonstrate his outstanding songwriting ability. Better than his solo debut by any reviewer’s metric, I Love You, Honeybear feels challenging and rewarding without losing any of its approachability. Lush and complex soundscapes are perfectly produced, revealing the mastery Tillman has over his genre at this point in his career.

There’s a lot to take apart with the album, but it’s Tillman’s lyrical approach that truly sets it apart. Most of the album explores the relationship he has with his wife, and he’s at turns loving and cynical about their time together and their future. The fascination of I Love You, Honeybear is trying to decode the way Tillman sings about his wife and their life together into something understandable and comfortable — because the staggering openness that Tillman presents as Father John Misty feels nearly voyeuristic.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kendrick Lamar

To Pimp a Butterfly

It wasn’t surprising that Kendrick’s latest record was good; it was largely expected to be an excellent record from one of hip hop’s brightest stars. But the level of intelligence and thought surrounding the album, the provocative way that Lamar literally takes it to the White House, took us all by surprise.

To Pimp a Butterfly is an album that shines because of Lamar’s singular skill as a lyricist and a storyteller. Music aside — and the backing music on TPAB is worth deeper discussion in and of itself — the record shines because Kendrick shines behind the mic. More than the best record of the year, it feels like an important moment in pop culture.

Read our review | Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

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BJ The Chicago Kid: In My Mind

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 13:05:20 +0000

Perhaps similarly to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, BJ The Chicago Kid’s debut Motown record In My Mind feels like it’s been a long time coming, like there’s been something gestating and growing beneath the surface. While it’s an intensely personal record, as BJ struggles with faith and women, it also feels like it’s about a larger movement in our culture — and R&B as a genre.

BJ grew up singing in church choirs, and his past piousness comes into stark conflict with his sexual temptations. On Church, he sings about being conflicted between a desire to drink, do drugs, and have sex with a woman on a Saturday night despite having to go to church in the morning. On In My Mind, BJ is aware of God, but he never postures as a Christian.

And this vibe continues throughout the album: as BJ croons over hip hop-influenced beats and advances the R&B genre along the way, he also sticks his toes into lyrical waters that musicians like Marvin Gaye have already waded through. Of course, popular single The New Cupid (featuring a great cameo from Kendrick Lamar and a fantastic spoken word sample at the end) is a perfect example: love is hard, lust is easier, but love is worth it.

And that’s exactly the point: BJ the Chicago Kid wants you to know he’s not just in it for sex. On Woman’s World and Jeremiah/The World Needs More Love (my personal favourite cut from the album), BJ the Chicago Kid belts his heart about some capital-L love. For BJ, sex isn’t the point, because without love we’re missing out. In our modern hook up culture, BJ is challenging us to rethink our lifestyles and think differently.

On Jeremiah/The World Needs More Love, he explains that “love burns real deep”, and adds, “Just in case you were wondering what Jeremiah I’m speaking of: not the singer, but the prophet from the Bible. Called to be a prophet at a young age, it calls fear in his heart to speak what the Lord gave him to say. But God told him, you’re not a boy, you’re a prophet. So pretty much fear not, you know what I mean? So whatever he had to say from that day, the feeling he had then, I have right now.”

There is a sense that BJ has something important to say, both personally and musically. He knows it, and when you’re done listening to In My Mind, you know it too. In My Mind is a tremendous statement that asserts that BJ is here, and he’s here to stay. It’s also a promise, though, that BJ has more to share with us — and it feels like his most important message has yet to be sung.

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Jazz Fusion’s Comeback

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 13:02:12 +0000

As a genre, jazz fusion was the crowning example of jazz’s odds with pop culture. While the simplest way to explain jazz’s decline was that it was usurped by the rock music of its day, the truth — as often — is a little more complicated. In actuality, the genre dissipated because it left the dance floor to experiment more, and its experimentation was at odds with its commercial success.

From there, we saw the birth of jazz fusion: jazz and rock primarily, but occasionally with funk or R&B instead. Jazz-rock became a big thing in the ’70s, with groups like Chicago or Frank Zappa being largely responsible for its uprising. Cream and the Grateful Dead were largely responsible for its popularity as well. In particular, The Grateful Dead’s jam-based performances were largely responsible for jazz-rock’s growing acceptance, since improv as an art form was so jazz-like to begin with.

But since the ’80s, it seemed like a lot of crossover jazz was fading away as the industry moved towards smooth jazz and its contemporaries on the radio stations. And, as far as I can figure, jazz hasn’t been a popular mainstay on the radio since then.

But it feels like there’s something changing in music. It’s hard to notice it, but once you do, you’ll start hearing it everywhere. Jazz — and jazz fusion — just might be making a comeback.

Jazz and Hip Hop

Jazz’s biggest return came in the form of last year’s To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar’s newest record. Stylistically, it’s very different from his earlier work, and the list of producers on the record — aside from familiar names like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg — were puzzling to hip hop fans. But TPAB was undoubtedly the best record of the year, and certainly its most important — perhaps the most important of the decade. And it’s jazz fusion through and through.

If modern jazz fusion has a hero, that hero is Kendrick Lamar.

Billboard has a fantastic interview with jazz legends and newcomers Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Kamasi Washington — all of whom played on To Pimp A Butterfly. In the long and short, it’s an interview in praise of hip hop, but also in praise of Kendrick — more than once, the article refers to Kendrick as the John Coltrane of hip hop.

To Pimp A Butterfly is this new version of jazz fusion that’s a lot like the old one: there’s no need for jazz fusion to be restricted to its rock leanings anymore; now, the world’s most popular genre and its most important progenitor has harnessed it to make the genre more soulful again. If modern jazz fusion has a hero, that hero is Kendrick Lamar.

But hip hop has always had its roots in jazz music. A Tribe Called Quest felt like it picked up right where ’70s jazz left off, particularly with The Low End Theory. The mentality, the rhythms, they’re all similar. The feeling of improvisation is there, the experimentation, the braveness, and perhaps even the lack of brevity are all in that record — and many others in hip hop.

Hip hop’s association with jazz has always been a known quantity too — maybe not amongst popular rappers’ fan bases, but certainly to the core followers of the genre. Pioneering producer Madlib’s 2003 record, Shades Of Blue, is a collection of jazz remixes using records from the legendary Blue Note Records collection. (Perhaps fittingly, Blue Note released Shades of Blue as well). Shades of Blue was dubbed an experiment, but at the same time, that’s not necessarily the case for most instrumental hip hop. Groups like 40 Winks or The Land Of The Loops owe everything to jazz.

So while jazz bands are making a comeback now in hip hop music, particularly thanks to Kendrick, there might be something bigger going on beneath the surface.

Rock’n’Jazz

Even before David Bowie passed away, Blackstar was a revelation: a rock album that largely avoided rock and roll, the record is jazz fusion at its finest (read our review). The title track and Lazarus both reveal an innate understanding that Bowie had about jazz music. And generally speaking, Bowie’s had a history of leading the way in rock music. Blackstar imitators are no doubt on their way.

But the jazz thing’s already making a comeback in rock records. It was noticeable before Bowie’s newest record came out, but it wasn’t something that could be tangibly stated as a comeback. For example, Guy Carvey’s (of Elbow fame) debut record as a solo artist, Courting The Squall, is loaded with jazzy moments.

And progressive rockers have been keeping up the jazz tradition for decades. Progressive death metal band Opeth has been experimenting with this style for nearly half a decade now, with their record Heritage being an obvious candidate for a jazz comeback retrospective. And that came out in 2011, although it’s undoubtedly aging well; it’s perhaps a better album now than it was when it was released.

Indie rock is also beginning to develop an understanding of jazz. There are jazz notes throughout Harriet’s debut record, not to mention Nickel Creek’s unusual jazz-inspired arrangements on their comeback record A Dotted Line.

Jazz is the live band at its most untamed and its most natural, a cacophony of high-flying instrumentation all in the name of making popular music feel more organic again.

It seems like every ten years, we’re talking about jazz music making a comeback. Did it ever leave? I’m not sure. Is it coming back? I don’t know. I don’t want to look like a fool ten years from now, but I’d be surprised if this is the last we hear about a jazz fusion comeback in the next couple years.

In today’s musical environment — one which feels predicated on electronic synths and R&B-inspired chill pop — jazz feels ripe for a comeback. When more people like Kendrick Lamar start relishing in the live band again, jazz becomes a natural result: jazz is the live band at its most untamed and its most natural, a cacophony of high-flying instrumentation all in the name of making popular music feel more organic again.

And if it takes jazz to bring back a sense of invention to modern pop, I’m all for it.

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Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 13:00:25 +0000

Earlier this week, Kendrick Lamar’s third album (and second major-label release) To Pimp A Butterfly won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. It seems like TPAB was everybody’s favourite record last year, but it hasn’t been discussed as a whole on Unsung yet.

Partially, that was to avoid being reactive: while it’s easy to hop on the same bandwagon as everybody else and claim a record to be the best of the year, it’s also very easy to make a mistake with claims like that and look foolish later. Hindsight is 20/20, but I needed time to step back before saying anything that would look ridiculous later.

At this point, it seems conclusive — and even President Obama agrees — that Lamar owned 2015.

What’s not as conclusive is how important To Pimp A Butterfly will be five years from now. I’d go so far as to say that the album is the most important of the decade thus far. It’s not just its jazz experiments — although that’s definitely a part of it — but it’s also the album’s cultural significance.

As Lamar explores his status as a rich black man exploring Africa for the first time and going back home to Compton, he incidentally sheds light on his generation’s biggest plight in cities like Ferguson. As black people (and other non-white nationalities) are mistreated and abused by police, To Pimp A Butterfly feels like a call to act — and a call to recognize each other as people. It’s an incredibly important record that shines a light on the way music can speak for our culture, and how it draws attention to the real issues we otherwise might not have even noticed.

The standout from the record is, no doubt, How Much A Dollar Cost. Against a laid-back jazzy beat, Kendrick discusses an encounter with a homeless man who asks him for money and reveals himself later to be God. Kendrick’s lyrical and rhythmic abilities as a rapper here are unparalleled, as he explains and justifies his behaviour despite knowing he’s sometimes no better than the white racist.

It’s not just that song, of course. Alright has become the theme song for the Black Lives Matter movement. The Blacker The Berry is powerful, and Kendrick’s live performances of the song seem to generate a simultaneously rabid and uncomfortably tense response from its audiences. And at the end of i, Kendrick breaks out a spoken word performance that’s hard to top.

But top it he does, with a so-well-done-it-feels-real interview with Tupac that Lamar scraped together with a bunch of unreleased tapes. It caps off an unbelievable album on a somber note: some things never change.

It’s more than the lyrics that make the album stand out, though: the music itself is incredible. To Pimp A Butterfly is one of the jazziest hip hop records ever made. It’s not a jazz record, but it has so many of the greats on it (like Terrace Martin and Thundercat) — as well as some new faces (like the immensely-talented Kamasi Washington). And it oozes the same sort of sexual, raw, and kinetic energy that the best jazz records eked.

Not to mention the way Kendrick Lamar uses jazz’s best inclinations to continually surprise the audiences with unpredictable beats, rhythms, and song structures. It makes To Pimp A Butterfly immensely rewarding with deeper listening.

There’s a point in the album, around the For Sale? Interlude, when you realize you genuinely have no idea what Kendrick is up to or where he’s going with the whole record. It’s full of surprises. And by the time it’s done, you let out a giant exhale, no matter how times you’ve heard it before. While Alright and King Kunta are great singles, it’s clear that the album is best when you listen to it from beginning to end without skipping a track.

Every ten or fifteen years, an artefact comes out of our pop culture that seems to be the perfect depiction of something happening in our society. It happened fifteen years ago with The Lord Of The Rings, a film trilogy that seemed perfectly time to capture our fears and hopes concerning the War on Terrorism. With To Pimp A Butterfly, we have something similar: a time capsule that is perhaps the closest thing to a perfect record that we’ve ever had, but it also means so much more. It’s our time, no matter how bad it is, recorded onto vinyl. It’s a thing of beauty.

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