2019 September Listenings

Posted on September 1, 2019
Tags: music and stuff

They Hate Change - Juices Run Clear

One of the best hip hop acts in 2019 strikes again.

Release date:

[9.0/10]

Kali Malone - The Sacrificial Code

I LOVE IT

Release date: 2019-06-28

[8.9/10]

Anne Imhof - Faust

A soundtrack for an opera piece performed in some year’s Venice Biennale. Hopefully one day I’ll get to see the piece… this album is phenomenal.

Release date: 2021-04-23

[8.8/10]

Tomoyoshi Date, Stijn Hüwels - Hochu-Ekki-Tou

Stellar ambient music.

Release date: 2019-04-19

[8.6/10]

Ed Balloon - The Dubs

At first listen I was pretty indifferent to this one but once I decided to spend some time to actually focus on it I changed my mind. This is easily one of the best pop-rap albums this year. Maybe calling it pop-rap doesn’t really do this album justice… the lyrics are pretty dope too.

Release date: 1962

[8.6/10]

Charli XCX - Charli

I’ve been lowkey smack talking about how I don’t really get why everyone’s been so hyped up about Charli XCX, but now I shall repent. Honestly I still like Rina Sawayama more than I like Charli, but I definitely can see why people’s been raving about the latter… because I am too.

Release date: 2019-09-13

[8.5/10]

H-Fusion - H-Fusion

Really cool techno… I dig it!

Release date:

[8.5/10]

The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery

Psyched-out nu jazz / jazz fusion. I like this a lot more than I like Kamasi Washington. The sax player also played with Sons of Kemet.

Release date: 2019-03-15

[8.4/10]

Ellen Arkbro - CHORDS

Not as captivating as her 2017 album, but still a magnificent album.

Release date: 2004-11-02

[8.2/10]

Norihito Suda, Stijn Hüwels - Sansui

Another nicely done ambient release from Home Normal. Definitely check them out!

Release date: 2019-04-09

[8.1/10]

Burial - Claustro / State Forest

Half-assed release… c’mon man.

Release date: 2019-06-14

[8.0/10]

Solar X - Xrated

Russian IDM. The first song is super dope.

Release date: 2011-10-10

[8.0/10]

Leo Svirsky - River Without Banks

Soothing piano based classical ambient music.

Release date: 2019-08-23

[7.9/10]

Mach-Hommy - Wap Konn Jòj!

The production on this album is killer. The instrumentals are very nujabe-esque, and the featured guests are all big names. People say the lyricism is top tier but I haven’t got the time to actually figure out what he’s rapping about. Maybe some other time…

Release date:

[7.8/10]

Felicia Atkinson - The Flower And The Vessel

Decent ambient / electronic. Intimate.

Release date: 2019-07-05

[7.7/10]

Mister Lies - Mister Lies

張揚愛團, chillwave / ambient. The sound becomes more vibrant / cheery towards the end of this album.

Release date: 2019-08-02

[7.7/10]

Jane Weaver - Loops In The Secret Society

Pretty cool electronic music. Sounds like a less flashy Stereolab.

Release date: 2019-06-21

[7.7/10]

SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES NON-STOP REMIX ALBUM

Too long… I like the original album better.

Release date: 2019-09-06

[7.6/10]

Octo Octa - Resonant Body

Club / house / breakbeat. The music is upbeat and festive, and from the track titles it’s quite obvious this is a work that celebrates the queer bodies and inclinations. Not really into this type of music recently but I definitely can see techno lovers digging this.

Release date: 2019-09-06

Ecstatic Beat is one helluva track though!

[7.5/10]

JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes Are Cornballs

Not really as disappointing as the Tool album (duh), but still… I guess it’s disappointing just because his previous stuff are just too outstanding? The instrumentals are much tamer than his previous records, making this album somewhat lacking in energy and edge. The lyrics still slay though.

Release date: 2019-09-13

[7.4/10]

Ekin Fil - Heavy

An even more drowned-in-reverb version of Cocteau Twins.

Release date: 2019-12-13

[7.4/10]

Plaid - Polymer

OK IDM album.

Release date: 2019-06-07

[7.2/10]

Iona Fortune - Tao Of I Volume 2

Ambient with a lot of Chinese influence, with instruments like Guzheng or stuff present. I think the said influence is way too overwhelming sometimes, if it’s a bit more subtle and more nuanced maybe I’d like it more.

Release date: 2019-09-06

[7.2/10]

Leila Bordreuil - Headflush

Visceral ambient music.

Release date: 2020-12-08

[7.1/10]

BABii - HiiDE

Electro-pop album. Reminds me of earlier Grimes records.

Release date: 2019-07-05

[7.1/10]

Kcin - Sleeplessness And Hopelessness I

Dark sounding techno.

Release date: 2019-11-20

[7.0/10]

Dis Fantasy - Dis Fantasy

The flows don’t really do much to me. Overall a pretty sleek but not really a super-memorable album.

Release date: 2020-04-30

[7.0/10]

Kindness - Something Like A War

R&B with a twist. Some songs have great instrumentals but the others aren’t as captivating.

Release date: 2019-09-06

[7.0/10]

DJ Haram - Grace EP

Club music with Middle East influences. The song Body Count is pretty fun but the rest IMO are just alright.

Release date: 2019-07-05

[7.0/10]

François J. Bonnet & Stephen O’Malley - Cylene

Ambient that lacks memorable moments. Seems to be theory-heavy? But I guess it’s like seeing installation arts that don’t make a lot of sense in appearance and have absurdly abstract names. Of course I’m not saying the artist is obliged to come up with a statement for the artwork, but then is there any point to just shove the songs in people’s faces and tell them to figure things out themselves…

Release date: 2019-09-13

[6.5/10]

Kedr Livanskiy - Your Need

Dub-ish & club-ish techno music.

Release date: 2019-05-03

[6.2/10]

Organ Tapes - Hunger In Me Living

2SOFT

Release date: 2019-05-24

[6.0/10]

IDK - Is He Real?

2NAGGIN. No he isn’t real.

Release date: 2019-09-04

[5.5/10]

Lite - Multiple

This one is more lackluster than their previous album. The creative riffs and passages in their earlier stuff is nowhere to be found on this album… :(

Release date: 2021-03-13

[5.5/10]

w00dy - RNBW

Insanely awesome deconstructed pop music. Masterpiece.

Release date: 2019-04-11

[9.0/10]

Sugar - No Sex Only Feelings

Crazy good techno. Sugar salt.

Release date: 2018-09-26

[8.9/10]

Pan-American - For Waiting, For Chasing

They’re releasing a new album this year! Yay!

Release date:

[8.7/10]

Sunareht - Sagas

Lively and vibrant techno EP. I dig it!

Release date: 2008-06-27

[8.5/10]

True Neutral Crew - Soft Rules

Another new challenger in the experimental hip hop game… this one is more controlled and coherent than a lot of artists out there. I like it.

Release date:

[8.4/10]

Niagara - Apologia

Dope electronica. Sounds like some soundtrack to some John Carpenter’s movie.

Release date: 2021-05-14

[8.2/10]

Elucid - Save Yourself

Thoughtful abstract hip hop.

Release date: 2020-11-06

[8.1/10]

They Hate Change - Cycles

Seriously… They Hate Change has got to be one of the best hip hop acts nowadays.

Release date: 2021-04-14

[8.1/10]

Topdown Dialectic - Topdown Dialectic

Minimal techno. Great to put on repeat.

Release date: 2018-06-08

[8.0/10]

P.E.E. - i win me over.

Quirky yet absurdly catchy pop punk. Lean and mean!

Release date:

[8.0/10]

Stanislav Tolkachev - Why Are You So Frightened

Pretty dope techno. Great if put it on infinite repeat.

Release date: 2011-08-01

[8.0/10]

Fauxe - Ikhlas

Groovy electronica with a distinct SE Asian flavor to it.

Release date: 2018-06-20

[7.9/10]

P. Adrix - Álbum Desconhecido

I don’t really dig other kuduro albums, but this one sound more modernized and is actually quite pleasing.

Release date: 2018-03-02

[7.6/10]

Swarvy - Anti-Anxiety

A compilation of short but pretty chill hip hop tracks.

Release date: 2018-07-06

[7.2/10]

D.Dan - Covert Operation

Club-ish techno.

Release date: 2018-10-05

[7.0/10]

Naaahhh - Themes

Murky ambient / experimental electronic music.

Release date: 2017-11-10

[6.8/10]