Man, new artists these days. Whoo! Coming out the gates hard, with some really epic stuff. But watch out all you aspiring indie-rockers and R&B’ers out there. Sure, your first record may be a hit, but the 2nd one is the most important of all!
FKA Twigs | LP1
You don’t necessarily have to be a follower of the underground R&B scene for this to be appealing. This is a great album from start to finish without question. Twigs’ amazing melodies over the experimentation of the instrumentals anchor song after song into a groove that, if the bells and whistles of the instrumentals were removed, would still have the same stunning effect. Commercially it’s way too early to tell how this record is going to do. As much as it reminds me of The Internet’s album from 2013, it’s difficult to see how this will relate to the mainstream. However, as great as 2014 has been for debut records, and it has, this one may take the cake.
Tre Mission | Stigmata
Yet another debut! This one’s pretty good, too. The Toronto based Tre Mission has released a record that is not just Hip-Hop/R&B but also delves into his Caribbean roots, without leaving anything wanton. Flowing with complexity and grace, Tre Mission, takes no prisoners, really, because there’s no need to. Tre raps like a man who’s got nothing to lose – the purest form of art and hip-hop, wither good or bad, is when there’s nothing to prove because there’s nothing to lose.
Childhood | Lacuna
It’s been quite a while since the quartet Childhood have released their woozy, delay riddled sounds to the masses; two years at last count. And although a lot of psychedelic rock peaks through the layers of catchy pop consistent hooks, there are very little examples of 10-minute jams, warranted or not. Sometimes you’re left wanting a little more from the instrumentals, but ultimately the songs end exactly when they’re supposed to. Psych-rock, meets synth-pop, meets surf-rock, and sometimes you feel like you’re about to throw up – you know, in the really good way.
