Charli XCX – Brat: Bob and I were discussing if history will view Brat as a timeless classic or a moment in time. That motivated me to listen again, and I finally heard the album’s duality, the parallel of being a party girl and a woman who is trying to unpack her own psychological issues. While a lot of people will simply hold Brat as nostalgia for the summer of 2024, the album will likely be a timeless masterpiece for the people who experienced it as the soundtrack to navigating their own dualities.
Ian Sweet – Shiverstruck: I enjoy Shiverstruck while it’s on, then completely forget it when it stops. Nothing about it is sticking with me, yet I keep coming back to it. At worst, this is one of those albums that I’ll like while I’m between albums I love. At best, it becomes an album I love.
The National – Alligator: I’m still processing this album. I like it, but I think I’m missing something really good.
Sweeps – Space Blues Vol. 1: On first listen, this confused the hell out of me. I’m sure people who know leftfield hip-hop and R&B would immediately recognize what’s happening on this record, but I don’t. I do like it, though.
Josh Ritter: I played a bunch of songs from a few of his albums, including some that I never paid close attention to in the past. Ritter is an extraordinary lyricist.
Eric B. & Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique: I’m sure this is not a popular opinion but I think this is Eric B.’s high point. He overlaid samples and sounds in ways that built the dynamics of the songs, and his musical choices were spot on throughout. Rakim’s words and rhymes are equally fierce, but his topical choices are all over the place.
HAAi – DJ-Kicks: Now that I’ve spent a lot of time with Baby, We’re Ascending and Humanise, I can hear HAAi’s distinct style so clearly on this set. I love it when a DJ’s personality shines through on a mixed set.
Gracie Abrams – Daughter from Hell | The Secret of Us: I’ve still only listened to the A side of her newest record, but to me, it sounds completely different from The Secret of Us. I went back to the last album and, objectively, they’re very similar. But they’re just not. I can’t put my finger on the difference but this feels much more like Good Riddance to me.