Moor Mother & billy woods - BRASS [2020]

Published on PostGenre

The first song on BRASS, “Furies”, was the beginning of something special. Although Moor Mother and billy woods had connected before on “Ramesses II” by Armand Hammer (woods and ELUCID), “Furies” was the first time they recorded as a duo. The track was originally released as part of the Adult Swim single series - a full album was not on the cards yet. “Furies” has a cavernous mysticism to it. Moor Mother travels through time and woods crafts a foreboding verse full of paranoia and greek mythology. The chemistry between the two was undeniable, but nothing could have sufficiently prepared listeners for what was to come. The surprise release of BRASS hit like a lightning bolt. Both Moor Mother and woods have released excellent albums in the past, and on BRASS they push and pull each other into exciting new dimensions.

Small Bills - Don't Play It Straight [2020]

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Ten tracks into ELUCID's Valley of Grace, the rapper declared that "nothing's broken, this is how it’s supposed to run" on "Talk Disruptive Fo Me”. At that point in the EP, if the listener did not know that he was talking about systemic racism, they had not been paying attention. Inspired by a trip to South Africa and released in 2017, Valley of Grace was a powerful reaction to turbulent times. The beats, produced entirely by ELUCID himself, had a grim futuristic tone that fit the subject matter perfectly. 

Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma and Divorce [2020]

 

Despite how unrealistic the stories in something like Anime can be, a colorful imagination can help people process their own realities. It can be a method of escapism and even empowerment - just listen to the spirit and positivity of “I’m a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)”. This can be especially appealing if one happens to be Black in America. To be blunt, cops and other tools of white supremacy would probably be a lot easier to deal with as a Super Saiyan or a Hamon user. According to rapper Open Mike Eagle, this was, more or less, the initial concept behind what would end up being Anime, Trauma and Divorce - before the divorce turned his life upside down. 

Cat Toren's Human Kind - Scintillating Beauty [2020]

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With a first track as striking as "Radiance In Veils", one immediately gets the sense that Cat Toren's Human Kind's Scintillating Beauty is an album that will live up to its name. The tune is an epic Cat Toren original that moves from serenity to overwhelming force - in one instance in shockingly abrupt fashion. In its calmer moments, Toren's piano is spellbindingly delicate, working particularly well in the company of mesmerizing chimes. Later on, a fiery solo by saxophonist Xavier del Castillo is met well by energetic playing from the rest of the band. The high-quality on display will not surprise anyone who has heard Cat Toren's Human Kind's self-titled debut album, which featured the same band: Cat Toren (piano, compositions) Yoshie Fruchter (oud), Jake Leckie (bass), and Matt Honor (drums). Stephanie Rooker, who plays chimes, tuning forks and singing bowls on "Radiance in Veils", is the only addition.

Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered [2020]

 

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Tyshawn Sorey is a master of modern creative music. Unfiltered has Sorey on drums joined by five talented young musicians, Nathan Reising (alto saxophone), Morgan Guerin (tenor saxophone), Lex Korten (piano), Nick Dunston (bass), and Sasha Berliner (vibraphone). Those who have heard Sorey's recent work as a bandleader may be surprised at the relatively grounded nature of this two-hour piece. Unlike past albums such as Verisimilitude or Pillars, Unfiltered is not a release characterized by overtly modern classical or free improvisation elements. However, this has not changed a key aspect of Sorey's work: riveting complexity and extremely high quality.