Amoeba Music

Great new album of spacy, tripped-out longform psychedelic jams with ambient and electronic touches. This LA musician supposedly recorded the album in a Chilean copper mine, but perhaps that’s just a myth, or a metaphor for the subterranean sounding grooves here? They do feature tons of reverb and sound like they could have been recorded in a cave… Kosmiche / Krautrock influences are notable, especially Can and early Kraftwerk, as well as some “4th world” style processed saxes and flutes that sound like they are straight from Jon Hassell’s seminal early work with Brian Eno, Michael Brook, and Daniel Lanois. There are some industrial-sounding rhythms as well, and an overall sonic palette that is rife with trippy sound effects. All instrumental, a beautiful cosmic voyage into a dark yet beautiful realm that is alive with detail and super fun to explore. Nice! Read more

Stunning solo debut album from this Native American bassist / composer / singer from the Abenaki First Nation. Based in Portland, Maine, she is also a member of Boston’s all female folk-rock trio Lula Wiles. Here, she incorporates Native American ballads, songs, chants, and stories from various tribes within the Wabanaki Confederacy (an alliance of four tribes based in parts of Canada & the Northeastern US), shaping these ideas into loose yet potent jazzy songforms. Her vocals are powerful and beautiful, and her bass playing is solid too. The rest of her sextet is also great, especially dummer Savanah Harris. Miriam Elhajli contributes stellar guitars, and she also sings on track 3. The trio on horns (Allison Burik, Noah Campbell, & Taylor Ho Bynum) are all excellent too. Some incredible, dynamic songs with female vox, one with supple bass melodies set to a spoken Native American story, one mellow instrumental ballad, and one cut with a subtly funky groove and some truly great horn interplay that wraps up with a haunting chant backed by some Native American style drumming. A fantastic release from this young talent! Read more

This sophomore release has some really great, mostly downtempo neo-soul grooves, led by Kaina Castillo's soft, lovely, sensuous voice. With nice earthy organic production and a laid back feel, it is charming and sweet. She’s a first generation Latina (her parents are from Venezuela & Guatemala) who is now based in Chicago. This album really dials in a specific sound, and the production has a subtle restrained funkyness that blends well with her lush, mostly hushed vocals. Sleater Kinney and Helado Negro guest on one track each, and one cut features Sen Morimoto, who also co-produced the album with Kaina. RIYL: Cleo Sol, Raveena, Jamila Woods, Solange, Al Green, Kali Uchis. Read more

Brand new, first of its kind collection featuring lots of amazing dance party gems by this French artist & record producer (née Daniel Bangalter). Ranges from soulful pop & electronic funk to spacy disco and classic 1970s pop. He had a major hand in every track here, writing and producing most of them himself, with just a few co-credits. Lots of spaced out synthesizers and groovy disco drumbeats to go with these catchy tunes, which are occasionally slightly wacky. Several of these tracks were at least minor hits at the time, a few were big smashes, and it’s great to have their quirky genius compiled in one place. Bonus trivia: He is the father of Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk. He was an early influence on his son’s musical path and career, as well as that of Daft Punk’s French peers Air & Phoenix, who all say that his advice helped them out. Très fantastique! Read more

This album is an incredible journey featuring some truly cosmic spiritual jazz in the tradition of the legendary Alice Coltrane. It’s centered around the gorgeous, supple piano & keys of Botofasina, who actually learned from Coltrane as a fellow member of the ashram she founded in southern California. Following her death in 2007, Surya has now been the musical director there for several years. Carlos Nino produces and contributes his subtle, earthy percussive touches to most cuts, though a pair feature Surya solo on various keys. Guest vocals by Dwight Trible (Build An Ark, etc.), Mia Doi Todd, and Swamini Satsang. Radha Botofasina (Surya’s mother) plays harp and sings along with her son on one piece. Overall, a gorgeous album of meditative, tranquil, rapturous ambient bliss that obviously comes from a very spiritual place. Beautiful and moving music! Read more

Great album of groovy, soulful slow burners in the bolero style, a Latin rhythm usually associated with slow, often sappy romantic songs. Here, this extremely prolific Austin, Texas musician (known for his work in Black Pumas, Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, Grupo Fantasma, The Echocentrics, & Money Chicha, among others) turns the trope into something modern and truly special, adding hip production and subtly funky grooves. Nine different guest vocalist (all singing in Spanish) appear on most of the cuts, with three very nice instrumentals. Fantastic production and a great vibe overall. Read more

Gorgeous album of mostly mellow pop songs with lush, organic orchestration and retro-style production by this quartet from Minsk, Belarus. Several guests contribute various orchestral touches throughout, including violin, viola, cello, and flute. Despite being based in Eastern Europe, this album sounds like a combination of classic Brazilian music from the early 1970s (especially Arthur Verocai’s classic 1972 S/T debut) mixed with a bit of light, airy sunshine pop of that same era (think The Free Design & The 5th Dimension but a bit more chill). Definitely some mid-to-late period Stereolab vibes here as well, which makes sense given those influences. Fans of either Chris Cohen’s great breezy pop or Brazilian artist Sessa’s lovely “Estrela Acesa” from 2022 should dig this too. Sessa even co-wrote and sang on one track here, and Moscow’s talented Kate NV guests on vox on one cut as well. Very nice! Read more

East Portal is the debut collaboration between LA based multi-instrumentalist Patrick Taylor (a studio musician and touring bassist in the pop industry) and John Atkinson, co-leader of Brooklyn avant-rock ensemble Aa (Big A little a) who now also makes solo ambient music. As a duo, they create an interesting and detailed experimental soundworld filled with layered electroacoustic textures, upright and electric bass, strings, clarinet, synths, and more. Some truly fascinating stuff here, with lots of improvised-sounding bits, and definitely influenced by jazz and post-rock. Hard to pin down what it reminds me of but it’s really nice, sparse stuff that keeps you inwardly focused on the sonic details as they slowly emerge and morph through a series of chang Read more

Atlanta is no stranger to talent in Hip Hop and beyond, and J.I.D keeps that time honored tradition alive - and banging. His writing has always been good, but there's a leveling up on this record that is so inspiring, showing that he can sing-rap or chop with ease. Content rocks between being personal while inviting you to join him on the journey, and loose and fun, reminding you to let go the stress and let the beat and cadence shake your troubles away. The production is nothing short stellar - neck breaking bangers, slow and smokey, emotional resonance, backyard BBQ family session - it has it all. Read more

The duo of PremRock & Curly Castro is like a match meeting a stick of dynamite. It doesn't matter which is which because the results will be the same - an explosive barrage of lyrical beatdowns over a bed of razor-laced beats from some of the best producers roaming the indie rap landscape right now - Steel Tipped Dove & Child Actor, with one track by Olof Melander. I could listen to these guys rap all day, and I have. Read more

I'm excited every time a new Young Fathers album drops because they have a distinct musical delivery and perspective. There's a communal vibe to their sound, and as it washes over you you become part of that community, finding yourself in the middle of the circle while your peers, strangers, and elders dance around you, channeling universal energy. Messages of struggle and celebration mingle around each other as they do in real life, like one can't exist without the other. Read more

Sampa is another artist that seems to unlock a new chamber of artistic expression with every new release. Musically, the album's sound is very much tapped into her Zambian roots, pushing deep, bass booming drums with traditional claps and keyboard percussion, occasionally dripping with heavy synth. Her writing and rap delivery is fierce and elevating, warning to test at your own peril. There are many times throughout the album when it feels like her and the music are one - inseparable, traveling the spectrum of sound as a single point. At least that's what I see in my head. Read more

My love for Mike's artistic output is no secret in these MWL pages. Every record is a puzzle piece of the man, while at times also being a reflection of aspects of me, and society at large. A love letter to mixtapes, the nostalgia those bring, and how they can very much inform who we become. As someone who grew up with cassettes (and still actively collects and listens to them), there's a lot here that speaks to me - from memories of my finger on the red button trying to catch my favorite song played on the radio, to recording the Wake-Up Show every week (I still have those), to making a tape for a girl to express my feelings (sometimes, cringe!). Production from heavy heads like Quelle Chris, Child Actor, Illingsworth, Madlib, Diamond D, and more add weight to the mixtape ethos here, and guest features from Armand Hammer, Serengeti, R.A.P. Ferreria, Video Dave, STILL RIFT, Diamond D, and Aesop Rock will have you saying, "Yo, flip the tape!" Read more

woods and his label, Backwoodz Studioz, are the poetic and psychedelic juggernauts of the indie rap scene, setting the bar at near-earth orbit. You may think you can pass them up by hitting a high-earth orbit, but you'll find yourself struggling to keep up. Read more

The Suede God is one of the most prolific artists right now, releasing four albums in 2022, and two as of February 2023, with more on the horizon. Though released in 2021, Avada Kedavra was one of the many albums affected by the huge backlog of vinyl pressings, finally hitting collections and record store shelves in 2023. Fully produced by AJ Suede, his singular vision and sound is fully displayed, delivering laid back but assertive and reference-heavy raps over dramatic and psychedelic scores. Deluxe LP includes a remix version of the album with different producers and a different song sequence, originally released as Re:Vada Kedavra. Read more

Originally released in 2020, the vinyl has finally landed and it is a glorious thing to behold. High production quality and includes the instrumentals. Buck 65's playful quality of delivery is always welcome among the landscape of all-so-serious rappers, and Controller 7's production is very much a character in the stories held within. There's a call-and-response vibe between Tommy & Richie that makes for a highly enjoyable listen. Read more

Must have. Don't Sleep. Do your homework. RIP Dave aka Trugoy the Dove aka Plug 2. Read more

Europe's funky master returns with an excellent album of deep, spiritual jazz. Read more

Devastating and very rare lowrider ballad reissued by the excellent Symphonical label. Read more

By far his funkiest and likely rarest album gets a lovely reissue from Japanese label P-Vine. Read more