Kendrick Lamar
DAMN. (Aftermath)
After the world-beating To Pimp a Butterfly and the casual but satisfying demo album untitled unmastered., anything Kendrick Lamar put out in 2017 would have drawn scrutiny; signs of falling off would have been magnified—even a sequel to Butterfly could have been slammed as predictable, lazy.
DAMN. is neither. Released on Good Friday, it has warranted dozens of voluminous exegeses by Internet eyewitnesses—and that’s “witnesses” as in religious witnessing; the main theme of DAMN. is Lamar’s spiritual struggle examined through the curse laid down in Deuteronomy on disobedient people of God. The 14 chapters—“cuts” sounds wrong—are relentlessly heady and ambitious; the wordplay dense, allusive and provocative. It’s almost unseemly to ask how it all sounds. And the truth is, it’s not as cohesive or majestic as Butterfly, but it’s no fall-off. Producers including longtime collaborator Sounwave, Mike Will Made It and 9th Wonder, work from a more restricted palate, with results that proceed from harsh (“DNA.” and “LUST.”) to quiet-storm smoothness (“LOVE.” “FEAR.” and “GOD.”). And the guest spots—Rhianna, Zacari and Bono—all work. Yup, even Bono. DAMN. is an agitated triumph.
https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/04/kendrick-lamar-releases-new-album-damn-stream-download/
Laetitia Sadier
Source Ensemble
Find Me Finding You (Drag City)
Laetitia Sadier was one of the two main movers in Stereolab; she wrote the bulk of the group’s lyrics—often frank post-Marxist declamations in the guise of space-age bachelor pad harmlessness. Her former partner Tim Gane was “the music guy” in the band, so for Sadier’s solo albums to sound so much like Stereolab is both unremarkable and notable. That she’s been so productive and consistently good since Stereolab disbanded is cheering—Find Me Finding You is Sadier’s fourth album since 2010, and it merits another visit to her distinct yet familiar, elegant sonic world.
As usual, Sadier’s voice dominates—dreamy, deliberate and slightly sad—as she sings alternatively in English and French. There are the expected pulsing drums and keyboards, unobtrusive rhythm guitar and punchy bass ornaments, especially on “Undying Love For Humanity,” the (not-ironic!) lead-off track. But Sadier now calls her band Source Ensemble and gives it an artist credit—it’s a confidence members earn, as textures thin out and tempos slow down on songs such as the poignant “Love Captive” and “Galactic Emergence.” It all sounds clean but not clinical—like transmissions from a temperate, logical place.
https://laetitiasadier.bandcamp.com/album/find-me-finding-you
Karriem Riggins
Headnod Suite (Stones Throw)
Erykah Badu, Common, Paul freaking McCartney—Detroit jazz/hip-hop drummer Karriem Riggins has insanely high-quality credits stretching back to the mid-’90s. Until now, however, his discography has only included 2012’s Alone Together, a goodie bag of 35 song snippets. A friend and I listened to the whole thing and afterward he said, “By the end of it I was kinda ready to hear a full song…but that was cool.”
Riggins still eschews conventional form; Headnod Suite stuffs 29 mostly instrumental tracks into an hour. (There’s a palate- cleanser halfway through via spoken word badassery from Jessica Care Moore. Where have I been? She’s amazing.) Riggins’ deceptively simple musicianship is more than enough of a draw. He keeps things clean—doesn’t mess with cymbals or toms—and he makes every gesture matter. You don’t have to pay close attention to get pleasure out of Headnod Suite—the title is truth in advertising. But close listening is rewarded with the infinite variations on the simple rhythm of “Cia,” the snare hit that becomes doubled in “Tandoori Heat” and the clack of the rimshot finding its way into your cortex. Tasty.