Fellowman
Walking Tours, Rugged Arts
Charlottesville-based rapper and producer Fellowman explores the racial, social, and economic disparities in our own backyard with his latest interactive album, Walking Tours. In conjunction with the musical release, Fellowman invites listeners to participate in a public art project by visiting eight different locations throughout Charlottesville that inform and correspond to the album’s tracks. Each site features a QR code that takes visitors to private links for each song—the only way to currently hear the album in full is to follow the map posted on the artist’s website and social media accounts, scanning QR codes individually. A physical release is forthcoming, but for now, the format of this digital release is intentional. And the impact is twofold: Listeners are able to experience the collection as Fellowman did (he came up with most of the album while on walks), and they are also forced to confront one of the album’s central themes of inequality by acknowledging that navigating the city by foot is very different than by car (released 9/11).
Matthew E. White
K Bay, Domino
As the founder of Spacebomb, the hybrid studio, record label, and publishing house based in Richmond, Matthew E. White doesn’t have much downtime. For the past six years, he’s channeled his efforts into his role as a bandleader and producer. On the heels of this year’s collaborative release with Lonnie Holley comes K Bay, White’s third solo album (his first since 2015). With influences of soul, funk, and electronica, K Bay boasts all the touchstones of a typical White production. Bursts of energy are interspersed throughout—from the appropriately named “Electric” to the disco revival “Let’s Ball,” which received a choreographed dance treatment for the music video. Plenty of surprises arise throughout this captivating listen, which blends modern and retro elements, making it a contender for one of the best albums of the year in the format (released 9/10).
Kate Bollinger
“Shadows”(Single) Self-release
Following last year’s full-length release, A Word becomes a sound, “Shadows” is the first listen from a new batch of songs that Charlottesville artist Kate Bollinger cooked up during the pandemic lockdown. Possessing a dreamlike quality, the track carries the listener through breezy gossamer vocals and indie minimalism; it’s a promising preview of what’s to come from Bollinger (released 9/8).
Kendall Street Company
The Year the Earth Stood Still: Inertia, What is Yes Records
The Charlottesville alt-jam band has spent years building an audience through its festival sets and steady stream of live shows around central Virginia. Now, the group is positioned for a wider breakout with its largest undertaking to date: a double LP titled The Year the Earth Stood Still. In June, the band released the first installment, Ninurta, with the lead single, “Say Hey!,” laying out a dystopian fantasy across straight-ahead guitar and piano lines. The second installment, Inertia, completes the series, with the softer, psychedelic “Livin’ on the Bone” leading the way. Taking on the collective experience of COVID quarantine, Kendall Street Company invites the listener to join in on a spaced-out romp through an alternate reality that becomes all too real (released 9/24).