Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers: This is my first pass through Mr. Morale, and like all his records, listening is challenging. Not just deciphering the album’s meaning, but also reconciling it with my desire for Lamar to be the moral compass for modern music. But as he says on this album, “Kendrick is not your savior.” So far, the two tracks that jump out are “We Cry Together” and “Mother I Sober,” and I love that the arpeggiated piano in the former reminds me of the Tyshawn Sorey album I listened to last week. This one will probably be on this weekly list for a while as I try to make sense of it.
Bent – Fabriclive 11: This falls flat for me. Even though it has a clear love for classic disco and house, it feels too much like an early Depeche Mode record. It’s clearly a fun and clever record, but I prefer joy and reflection. This is the rare Fabric release that completely misses for me.
Audion – Fabric 27: Matthew Dear as Audion: I think this was the first Fabric mix I heard. Roxy the St. Bernard and I used to make late-night runs to Baltimore’s Sound Garden, and I picked it up on a whim due to the unique packaging. It was so good that I started buying Fabric releases, which led me to several of my now-favorite DJs. Audion doesn’t make it onto that short list of favorites, but this is still solid. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, and it has an energy and a flow that I’m loving.
Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges – Back to Back: I asked Google what I should listen to. Google took me to a site that told me to fucking listen to Nat King Cole, and I told them I don’t fucking like Nat King Cole, so they told me to make my ears bleed with some fucking Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges. How could I say no to that?
Kolsch – Fabric Presents Kolsch: I needed some music that might make a headache go away, or would at least be good company while my head was hurting.
The Amalgamation of Soundz – Fabric 12: This opens slowly (no beats in the first four tracks!) and gradually builds. It reminds me of those super-safe artists (think Bonobo or Thievery Corporation) who create mass appeal by balancing cosmopolitan sophistication with low-key electronic vibes, but this feels more substantive, as if AoS might be willing to challenge and even alienate their audience. I love that it opens with a Craig Martinez track, since his soundtracks were one of my earliest introductions to atmospheric electronic music. This 2003 set is dated but I still like it.
Muse – Absolution: I needed a break from Kendrick Lamar on Sunday morning, and Muse scratched the itch for over-the-top, mid-aughts drama.