Over the course of the past decade, Bitchin’ Bajas have built their analog synth drone sound upon a foundation of archetypal experimental music. On their glowing sixth LP, Switched on Ra, the trio covers eight Sun Ra essentials, and reconfigures the jazz giant’s limitless free jazz into psychedelic ambient compositions.
Jazz saxophonist, Patrick Shiroishi, has created a career exploring the history of Asian-American oppression. On his latest album, Hidemi, Shiroishi delivers one of his most personal albums to date, with a focus on his grandparents and their time spent in a Japanese internment camp circa World War II. Hidemi incorporates the healing power of spiritual jazz as Shiroishi travels through his family’s resilient history.
Los Angeles-based Sarah Davachi has an academic background in musicology. On her latest album, the minimalist composer applies different periods of classical to her recording technique, specifically mirroring the acoustics of large spaces ] to maximize the depth of her sound. Even at it’s most understated moments, Antiphonals is layered with wondrous emotion.
Parlour Tapes co-owner, Zach Moore, has a background as a trained double bassist, and has frequented Chicago’s performance art circuit as a member of Mocrep. On his solo debut as ZM, Moore masterfully performs a wide variety of genres over the span of a spectacular 64 minute composition. Galloping Through a Wormhole unfolds gracefully while fluctuating between large instrumental arrangements and layers of tranquil minimalism.
After years of one-off collaborations, vocalist Trenttruce & multi-instrumentalist Coto Loco team up for their darkwave debut as Black Magick Chocolate Tears. Black Magick Chocolate Tears showcases the intense vocal range of Truce & subtly complex production skills of Coto Loco. Across twelve tracks, the two artists balance out each other’s strengths to a forge a sound that crosses pop music with an ominous after hours disposition.
On his debut, Detroit rapper, Bruiser Wolf, layers punchline-heavy rap with clever pop culture references and outrageous satire. Dope Game Stupid is a captivating thirteen track listen, intertwining hip-hop’s emphasis on lyricism and breathe control with an unconventional artistic persona that could only exist under the leadership of Danny Brown. The album may be the first formidable creation from the warped mind of Bruiser Wolf, but it establishes his presence in music with an entrance that refuses to be ignored.
Knowledge the Pirate has been an integral face throughout the progression of Roc Marciano’s game-changing career. In that time, he has also released a collection of solo records that gradually push him closer to an overdue reputation as a compelling solo artist. Pirate’s latest, Hidden Treasure, centers around decades immersed in the depths of New York’s streets, delivering lyrics with more conviction and wisdom than ever before.
The seven year process between announcing and releasing Deakin’s only solo record, Sleep Cycle, created an uncertainty as to whether or not it would ever be completed. Although Deakin’s physical presence appears on about half of Animal Collective recordings, his six track self-released solo endeavor sheds light on the overwhelming impact of his sound and perspective.
Los Angeles-based garage rocker Grady Strange has a sound that spans across 60 years of psychedelic rock. At a time in which there is a rise in melancholic music created throughout the pandemic, Strange counters the trend with his mesmerizing debut LP, Getting Stranger. The ten track fuzz driven album is an all encompassing trippy journey that recalls a time when lighthearted fun was welcomed as an everyday normalcy.
