Hello everybody! Happy first day of November! I hope you all had a wonderful October and a happy Halloween! Starting this month I want to do a monthly series where I talk about my favorite songs and projects released in the past month. I will be naming my favorite song, album, and EP for this month, but before I do that let’s first talk about honorable mentions.
Songs Honorable Mentions
Jesswar – Venom: This track is insane. Jesswar is cold-blooded as hell on this track. She is basically coming after anybody who is in her way. She is not someone to be messed with. Her delivery is very aggressive. It pairs well with the hard-hitting production. This is my first introduction to her music and I am very impressed. She is definitely someone to look out for.
Freddie Gibbs – 4 Thangs (feat. Big Sean & Hit-Boy): Freddie Gibbs keeps blessing us this year! He first drops Alfredo with the Alchemist. Now he dropped one of the most addicting tracks this year. This song has a great Big Sean feature. I love how both Freddie and Sean were trading bars while having some very fast flows. Hit-Boy also delivered with the dark trap production. I am very impressed with the chemistry everybody had on this track.
Anderson .Paak – Jewelz: Andy never disappoints. This track had so much hype around it and luckily it delivered. It is a very catchy and feel-good song. I like to listen to this in the morning before work because it helps me get into a good mood. A lot of people might not like the chipmunk vocals, but I don’t mind it at all. I think it adds to the track. Give this song a listen if you need a mood booster.
Album Honorable Mentions
Open Mike Eagle – Anime, Trauma and Divorce: This album is a very nice and calming listen. The lowkey instrumentals are matched perfectly with Mike’s baby butt smooth voice. This album makes you feel like you’re in a coffee shop during a slam poetry session. Especially since Mike is known for his having some weird yet poetic lyrics. My favorite part from this album was when Mike had his son join him in on two of the tracks. I really liked listening to their father-son dynamic.
Clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burn: This is the perfect album for October because the trio implements horror elements into the album. Even though I am not a horror fan I do appreciate how creative this album is. The beats are obviously scary. Not only do they implement scary sound effects, but the abrasive sounds makes this album an intense experience. The beats are so weird, I am surprised with how well Daveed Diggs raps over these beats. His rapping is very impressive especially from a technical standpoint. I do need to give this album some more listens, but I do think this is one of the craziest and creative projects released this year.
Jean Dawson – Pixel Bath: Thank you Indie Pong for helping me discover Jean Dawson! He is one of the most unique artists I have listened to in a while. I just love how he blends different genres like experimental hip hop and bedroom pop. The weird combination of different genres made this album a very fun listening experience. Dawson has a very angry, angsty, carefree, and energetic delivery throughout the entire album and I love it. I think this album is a must-listen. I can’t wait to see what Dawson does in the future!
Favorite Song of the Month
Tierra Whack – Dora: Song of the month goes to “Dora”! Just like every other Tierra Whack track this is weird but in a good way. The trap production is very cute and kind of childish. Even though Tierra is being very silly and whimsical, her flow and lyrics are still top-notch. Tierra whack never lets me down. I really hope she drops an album soon. I need that ASAP!!!
Favorite EP of the Month
James Blake – Before: This is probably the only EP I’ve listened to this month, so picking EP of the month was pretty easy. Even though there wasn’t really any competition, Before does deserve attention because oh how beautiful it is. Going into any James Blake track you will always receive angelic passionate singing. What surprised me about this EP is the amount of experimentation going on in the instrumentals. The artsy instrumentation is one of a kind. You can really tell James Blake is trying to push himself as an artist and a producer. If his next album builds off of the ideas on this EP, then we might be getting James’s best album yet.
Favorite Album of the Month
Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez: I am a huge Gorillaz fan, so I am definitely going to be very biased. With that said, I love this album so so much. This is the best batch of songs Gorillaz have made since Plastic Beach. Even though there is no theme to this album, the quality of each track makes this album work. Each track is a total banger. This includes the bonus tracks as well. What makes me love this album so much is the fact that it is a very happy album. Most of these tracks will make you smile at the end. I feel like we need a happy album like this especially in 2020.
These are my monthly favorites! Let me know what you have been listening to!