lanky bastards

For the last time in 2019 we present you our highlights of the month. This time we got jazz, blues, jazz, indie, jazz, funk, jazz, soul, jazz and more!

First up, here’s everything reduced into one album-and-a-half long playlist. Enjoy!

Duster – Stratosphere (1998)

A Lo-Fi Post-Rock, Indie, Noise, Spacey album that makes you feel all alone in a dark room, in bed, while it rains outside on a Saturday afternoon and you have nothing else to do but feel sad about it raining and having no plans for the weekend.

Safety Squad – Bear Fight (2019)

Is there anything better than a song in seven…? This is a new one (released in October) that I could definitely fight a bear to. The band calls it “adventure jazz” and I fully support that becoming a new top genre.

corto.alto – Live From 435, Vol. 2 (2019)

Extremely talented, extremely young contemporary jazz collective based in Glasgow UK. Band leader and stellar trombonist Liam Shortall cites all our UK favorites as influences, and it shows on this second effort.

Abase – Invocation (2019)

Bright groovy jazz with fluting aplenty. One of those albums that I had on my to listen list but never got around to. Perfect summer listening, considering it was released in May I done goofed up.

Bird Moves – Little Sunflower (2018)

Birds, beats, Battlestar Galactica .

Nico – Chelsea Girl (1967)

An album that is very minimalistic and uses genres like Chamber Folk and Weird Avant-Garde influences to make a pretty sounding album with beautiful orchestrated strings. The lyrics are also of highlight featuring sophisticated and calm song writing paired with the beautiful instrumentation, the nice guitar, and Nico’s voice it elevates the album to heights rarely seen in genres like Folk. It also has pretty sounding strings and flutes. Also did I say it sounds pretty?

Octave Cat – Refract (2019)

Electronic funk trio coming in hot with super danceable jams. Jesse Miller (of Lotus) on bass and mod synths, Eli Winderman (of Dopapod) on keys, and Charlie Patierno in the hit-things-with-sticks seat. Recorded to tape, in Philly, as all great new electro-funk must be. 👀

Resolution 88 – Revolutions (2019)

I listened to this album in my car and couldn’t stop head boppin’ along the funk and hiphop influenced neo soul jazzy grooves.

Jamila Woods – BASQUIAT (2019)

A great RnB release by Woods, but this song sticks out for me, having similar vibes to the 2019 Seba Kaapstad album which is one of my favorites.

Sessa – Grandeza (2019)

This album is simply great. It mostly sounds minimalist while capturing the essence of Brazilian music. However don’t let it’s simplicity and catchy melodies fool you, because the musical arrangements that come and go will catch you off-guard.

Jackson C. Frank – Jackson C. Frank (1965)

Jackson C. Frank was a folk artist who recorded this one album in 1965 in England with Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel. Frank was plagued with many personal issues and dealt with various mental disorders. His mental health soon declined after this album and he dealt with trauma from a childhood explosion that killed his friends. This would soon lead him to become a homeless drifter for years to come but he left us with this amazing folk album that inspired artists like Nick Drake and Paul Simon.

Inf – Music for Crime Scenes (2013)

It’s a chilly winter Sunday morning at grandma’s house. You’re cozied up, wrapped in a quilt, drinking a cup of instant caramel macchiato coffee, and there’s a tabby in your lap. Grandma picked up some of your favorite sour cream donuts from the bakery down the street. She asks you if you want to hear some music she’s been working on. You glance over at the piano expecting her to play a little tune over there, but instead she reaches over to the side table next to her recliner and snatches a hand knitted cozy off of what appears to be an MPC. Amazed, your draw drops, she starts pounding out some beats on her sampler. “Damn, grandma, how’d you get so smoth?” you ask. She gives you a knowing glance as she reaches between the table and chair, grabs a Minimoog, and lays down a smoth analog synth line. Your grandma is Inf.

Junius Paul – Ism (2019)

Fast paced jazz album filled to the brim with virtuosity. Junius Paul currently plays at his friend Makaya McCraven’s combo, who also produced this album. The tracks are mostly live recordings from different sessions in 2016.

Shapes: Diamonds – Various Artists (2019)

A show and case from label Tru Thoughts. A mix of neo-soul, grime, jazz and other genres. As with most compilations, some gems mixed in with entries of lesser quality. To be expected with 30 tracks.

Pour Me a Grog: The Funaná Revolt in 1990s Cabo Verde – Various Artists (2019)

Accordion bangers from 90s Cabo Verde. In my best Robert De Niro shrug “Whaddya want from me”? (sorry I’ve just been watching the Irishman).

Matthew Halsal – Oneness (2019)

You look stressed. Take an hour to relax and listen to this floating meditative spiritual jazz. Released under Gondwana Records this year but recorded in 2008, this album allows for a whole new journey to Satchidananda.

They Only come out at night -The Edgar Winter Group (1972)

A solid Blues Rock album with a lot of interesting sound in their play. Edgar winter group manage to create legendary track such as “Frankenstein” which topped the US billboard hot 100 for one week in 1973. The album itself consist of tracks in genre classic rock, blues rock and progressive rock (Frankenstein). Definitely worth checking out.

This wraps up the last LBMF of the year. See you in 2020!