Rejjie Snow - Dear Annie:

From the blistering temperate deciduous forests of the Emerald Isles, Dublin-born rapper Rejjie Snow is serving up piping hot tunes on his debut album, Dear Annie. This super smooth, super creamy record is a perfect start to this dreamy Pisces season as we slack off on our responsibilities to stay inside and self-reflect.

With twenty tracks in total, this album is a collaborative production effort from Kaytranada, Cam’ O’bi and Rahki, similar in sound to sultry SZA and silly boy Domo Genesis. Rejjie Snow uses his Black-Irish identity as a theme throughout the album, and finally discovered a sound that suits him and his uniqueness in the hip hop world. Snow makes his music with specific visuals in mind and the whole album has an entirely cinematic feel to it like one big melodious story. The mood is light, sometimes melancholy with no shortage of coziness in every song. His rapping style is a bit off the cuff but extremely well-connected and lucid, as his slight Irish accent shines through his bars.

The next month will be a sleepy one but please don’t sleep on this album! This super impressive record from Rejjie Snow will be sure to swoon. NATSHA

RIYL: Domo Genesis, Knxwledge, Goldlink

Recommended Tracks: 4, 5, 10, 12, 14

FCC: explicit

MGMT - Little Dark Age:

This is one of those albums that came and found me. I was minding my own business, struggling to hold a plank and do some push-ups when Hey Ya faded out and the lyrics of another, unfamiliar song began floating through the holes of my feeble phone speakers. It was none other than the opening track of MGMT’s first album in five years. Eerily appropriate in my sweaty state, I was immediately drawn into “She Works Out Too Much,” a harried, sugary pop video game theme, not dissimilar in attitude and theme to Kanye West’s essential “The New Workout Plan.” Like most of us,

MGMT were an important element to my early music snobbery and a general gateway band into the wonderful, yucky world of indie pop. But truly, I have no regrets! Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations I still consider to be albums of merit, with the eponymous track off the latter remaining fairly remarkable in my mind. Alien Days, their last release, was mostly forgettable, save for the eponymous track off of it. Little Dark Age promises much of the integrity, the spooky, anime reminiscent, Justice-infused, vibes of yore. One of my friends (whose first concert was MGMT as a wide-eyed tween from Orange County) told me that this album signaled the band’s desire to movie away from their youthful female base audience.

I suppose I can hear pangs of this in some of the tracks. Lyrically, certainly, it is edgier, for example in “When You Die” mop haired heartthrob and lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden moans “Go fuck yourself/You heard me right/Don’t call me nice again.” These lyrics are less slacker psyche and more obviously aggressive, but they still drip with the same teen angst MGMT songs always have. I mean for Pete’s sake!! The cover art looks like a stick n poke we all had wet dreams about in 9th grade. Thus, if VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser are truly trying to overhaul their fan base of daring young ladies, they aren’t doing a very good job of it. Yes, songs like “Days That Got Away” are more abstract and darker than what we have seen from them in the past, however they are couched between 80’s synth dream pop orgies like “Me and Michael” or “One Thing Left To Try” that are delightful, unmistakably MGMT love affairs. And I’m happy about it! I’ve missed these boys. This album was nostalgic of their (and my) younger years. And yet, those of us who danced to “Kids” with wild abandon at every Bat Mitzvah we had the pleasure of attending, have grown up. Our tastes have shifted and matured, and this album has proven that MGMT is capable of keeping up. VIRGINIA

RIYL: Animal Collective, Mild High Club, M83

Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 8, 10

FCC: the dirty ones are 3 n' 10 ;)

Masahiro Sugaya - Music from Alejo:
I wouldn’t necessarily call an album from 1987 a New Add, but after all, Masher Sugaya’s Music from Alejo is new to me. Having been introduced to a music blog that generously provides downloads (get in touch with me for more info) in a varied range of genre, I am flush with excitement over music discovery.

This track provides an ample amount of space for your own thought and comfort. “Old Fashioned” is a twenty minute balm for the ears, perfectly suspended between its constituent parts - the driving drums maintaining a sloppy yet consistent ambient momentum.
That sax!!

At the moments the album veers into other modes of style while retaining an airy, dream-like sound. “Afternoon of a Fish Appear” begins as a piano solo (soli?) reminiscent of a Gymnopedie, eventually surrounded by atmospheric accompaniment. Some noises more apparent than others.

The space-age vibe of “Mistral” transforms into a jazzy marimba breakdown when you least expect it. Serious genre-blurring going on here folks, I wouldn’t miss it! AUSTIN

RIYL: Yellow Magic Orchestra (subsequently referred to herein as YMO); Yasuaki Shimizu; that Ambient Lifestyle; texture

Recommended Tracks: 2, 4

FCC: clean

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