It’s one week ahead of our monthly collaborative LBMF Playlist and I’m struggling to find my 3 submissions. Not because there aren’t enough, but there are way to many. With all the good stuff coming in, I just have to share some here so I don’t forget them and you don’t miss them. That’s why I’m bringing back my end-of-the-month roundup in addition to LBMF. Incidentally, there are many numbers as album names. I swear I’m not a troll.
Sault – 5 (2019)
Don’t ask me how I missed this debut back in May, but this unknown band released pure gold. And yes they are literally unknown by most, since nobody knows their names. They just hit the right mix of low volume funk, soul, disco and post-punk. You know when something is so good you just want to take off your shirt, like an athlete celebrating a won championship? I got that with this album.
Sault – 7 (2019)
5 was obviously an instant hit with me. But even though I still prefer their debut record, 7 let’s me get up and dance even more than 5.
Spacebomb House Band – V: Gold-Toothed & Lonesome (2019)
This is music created for practical use and it’s produced incredibly well. From funk to jazz to ambient, this collection of “library music” is like a box of chocolates with every piece being a different treat.
Spacebomb House Band – VI: Connected by Birth and Employment (2019)
Huh? What’s that? Another one? Yes, exactly. After releasing V back in July they followed it up with VI in September. It’s basically another box of awesome chocolates.
Sampa The Great – The Return (2019)
It might be my african heritage and love for Fela Kuti’s afrobeat, but whenever artists have obvious african influences in their music it just elevates the product for me. So while I’m not the biggest fan of contemporary hip hop and RnB, I had to listen to this record a bunch. There are parts where the music is regressing to more generic RnB, but the record as a whole is still very good.
Arp Frique – Welcome To The Colorful World of Arp Frique (2018)
Released last year. I advise caution with this record. This afrobeat disco record is highly contagious and it’s outright impossible not to groove with it.
The Comet Is Coming – The Afterlife (2019)
Of course there is UK jazz in this list. And it’s arguably the most jazz-revolutionizing band of the decade coming back with an absolute stunning EP. Since I have a newfound love for spoken word music, the addition of Shabaka Hutchings’s friend Joshua Idehen for the first track makes me take off my shirt again.
Joe Armon-Jones – Turn to Clear View (2019)
Joe is another figure at the center of the bubbling UK jazz scene. I’ll never forget what he said in a Red BUll feature about his writing process for last year’s release Starting Today:
I just sit around palying playstation all day, sit around listening to music and the when an idea would come I just run upstairs to the room and write it.
Joe Armon-Jones
Ronin Arkestra – Sonkei (2019)
Ronin Arkestra is jazz artist and producer Mark de Clive Lowe’s “Japan Crew” with their great debut EP “First Meeting” that released in March of this year, they followed it up with an incredible rich album featuring some of the best talent in japanese jazz.
Soil & “Pimp” Sessions – 6 (2010)
This is just fun high energy jazz. It has a very punk feel at times to the point where they even describe their own style as “death jazz”. If you listen closely you can actually hear the sweat running down the drummers face.
ILL CONSIDERED – ILL CONSIDERED 8 (2019)
ILL CONSIDERED are back with their 8th record of highly improvised music. They excel at creating a very intense suspensful sound and with this record have gone in an even darker direction.
Salim Washington – Sankofa (2017)
Closing it up with rather unknown artist Salim Washington. The post-bop and spiritual jazz sounds on this album remind of contemporary artists like a Kamasi Washington (Salim did it before him though) but also legends like John Coltrane or Yusef Lateef.
