Hidemi (2021)
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.
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)(2010)
Erykah Badu’s stature in contemporary R&B has been overwhelmingly powerful for over twenty years. In that time, her creativity has evolved in numerous ways, with her second opus arriving through the futuristic magnificence of New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010). Her fifth record is a glorious homage to her soulful hip-hop roots, and effortlessly ties together all of the most rewarding elements of her iconic legacy.
Sleep Cycle (2016)
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.
Freaking Out (2011)
Toro Y Moi currently has a working catalog that encompasses as many genres as it does albums. In 2011, he released Underneath the Pine, a record that has since become a highlight to the short-lived sub genre, Chillwave. Even with the success of Underneath the Pine, he delivered Freaking Out before the end of that same year, an ambitious five track follow-up that completely rebranded his sound with unexpectedly positive results.