Another week in the rear view, so it's time for What's Good! This week there's a lot of dope shit for you: A new solo record from Beth Gibbons, a bite-sized prelude to Mutant Academy's group album, Milton Nascimento and esperanza spalding coming together for an album, a new album from Crumb, and much much more. First though, some Bonus Beats from around the web.
Bonus Beats
Kiefer and his trio of drummer Luke Titus, and bassist Pera Krstajic headed over to NPR's Tiny Desk to play a medley of a couple of tracks from their new live album, then Kiefer invited a few friends (including the legend Charlie Hunter) to play on a couple of joints as well.
Mutant Academy give us a short film (which would probably be part of an EPK back in the day, but I digress) for this week's Talk Soon EP.
One of Hate5Six's feature videos for this week is Witching tearing through a set at the Subterranean Dissonance Festival in Philadelphia.
The homey Elmattic goes long on the Shakespearean arc of Nas' career and the albatross of Illmatic that's hung around him.
IWW (It Was Written is a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man like Illmatic is to Dubliners: it’s about Nas trying to decide his identity, his canvas, his artistic subject. It’s about him being torn between success, real MCing, and using rap for Black uplift — between the sublime, traditions, and the flesh, and beating his own path.
Except, its endpoints are totally different: the end of Portrait is Stephen Dedalus rejecting the church, Ireland, and home to forge his own path, stay true to his art. IWW is like the Harlem Red chapters of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, without the looming omen of consequences and that it’s a step on a long journey towards greatness, another formative chapter. It’s an Act II without hints of III: climbing to the top, escaping the prison of QB, but unable to see the pinnacle or realize there isn’t one.
It’s restless and all over the place — he wants Farrakhan’s atonement, to free Mumia and all the prisoners in Attica, but he also wants the Movado and the Hennessey, the 300E and the Q4 Infinit and…an entire Long Island luxury car dealership. He’ll flip it in just one breath: Armani Exchange, the Range, cash, Lost Tribe of Shabbaz, free at last, brand new whips to crash, then we laugh in the iller path…
I want it all, ArmorAll Benz and endless papes. The whole album is about wanting, but he doesn’t really know what he wants. It’s that unfulfilled, grasping desire that drives the album. It’s The Great Gatsby, with Scarface sandwiched in between.
Everyone thinks Gatsby is about the Roaring ’20s, flappers and wild parties, tuxedos and the lush life. But the ENTIRE FUCKING POINT is that the whole milieu is spiritually and morally hollow, it’s empty, the eyes are always watching, it’s a tragedy. Gatsby is a mask, a charade, he’s pretending, everyone’s pretending. Champagne can’t fill you. Everybody’s looking for something.
Shrapknel and Controller 7 have an album coming from Backwoodz Studioz June 7th, and along with the above teaser video and the preorder, you can head over to Controller 7's website to pick up your own customizable promo fliers available. Post 'em up in your town, make people nervous.
Anna Wise released a short film, Mother of Mothers, titled after the final track of last year's excellent Subtle Body Dawn.
Music
jerrard - lamar ODOMeter (basel) (Out now, a "journal entry" on YouTube. Pick up his most recent release, here's what i been doin.)
Shabazz Palaces - Myths Of The Occult feat. Japreme Magnetic (From Exotic Birds of Prey, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Sub Pop Mega Mart, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Beth Gibbons - Lost Changes (From Lives Outgrown, out now. Preorder: Domino Record Company, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
The Mouse Outfit - Propane feat. Ayite & Metrodome (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
NxWorries - FromHere feat. Snoop Dogg & October London (From Why Lawd?, out 6/7. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Jared Evan - Strawberry Moon (From his unreleased album. Purchase: PWYW via Jared's website, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Jordan Hamilton - Cars (From Project Freedom, out on 5/31. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Paradime - Rock A Bye (From Period., out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
BADBADNOTGOOD - Last Laugh (From Mid Spiral: Chaos, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | XL Recording, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Nigel Hall & DJ Harrison - Earth, Wind, and Fire (From The Burning Bush: A Journey Through The Music of Earth, Wind, and Fire, out now. Purchase: Nigel Hall's Official Store, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Nicole Miglis - All I See Is You (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding - Outubro (From Milton + esperanza, out 8/9. Preorder: Bandcamp | Vinyl via Concord Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
YGTUT - Cant Make This Up (Out now. YouTube only for now.)
Jansport J - T-Top feat. Airplane James & Sham1016 (From the forthcoming Sports Mode. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Kiefer Trio featuring Luke Titus and Pera Krstajic - Why Not? (From Something For Real, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Luna Li - Confusion Song (From When a Thought Grows Wings, out 8/23. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals and merch via Hello Merch, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Louis Cole - Life (From nothing, out 8/9. Preorder: Bandcamp | Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Buli - More Time In The Sun (From Subtle Pleasures In The Mundane, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Low Leaf - How To Build a Portal (From Red Moon, out 5/24. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Mutant Academy - Stoolie Bop (From Talk Soon, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Crumb - Genie (From AMANA, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl and physical formats from Crumb's Official Store, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Raz Fresco & Daniel Son - Northside (From Northside, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl via Vinyl Digital (German import), Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
musclecars - Running Out of Time (From Sugar Honey Iced Tea!, out now. Bandcamp | BBE Store, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
weirddough - Gulag (From File Edit, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Blu - her fav color (From abc, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Butcher Brown & Bruce Hornsby - Thirty One (From Secret House, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Stimulator Jones - Moon (From The Stimulator Tracks Vol. 1, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Mach-Hommy - SONJE (From #RICHAXXHAITIAN, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Playlists
BNDCMPR - What's Good - Week of 5/12
That does it for this week. Be sure to share this with your folks, and don't hesitate to let me know what you're listening to this weekend down in the comments. Take care, and make good choices.
