- Sampha- Lahai
Genre: Electronic/R&B
There’s a famous saying that I and many others often live by: you can’t rush art. This is a mindset that prolific UK R&B singer/songwriter Sampha chooses to adopt in terms of crafting his work. The last studio album that he released was 2017’s critically acclaimed Process, while occasionally providing features on big-name projects such as Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers and Travis Scott’s UTOPIA since then, but for the most part, it has been radio silent for the former up-and-comer.
This absence from the music scene is one of the main themes that Sampha chooses to address on this new creative effort, as well as the reasons why he chose to retreat into his own mind away from the limelight. This is a deeply personal album, just as Process was, the title is even named after Sampha’s grandfather’s name and his own surname. He has always been a great songwriter since the beginning of his career, and Lahai is no different. As said before, the impetus for this project is the lack of Sampha’s presence in the public view, and there are plenty of reoccurring motifs and lyrical passages addressing this, such as the repeated mentions of time and the inability to go back to the past scattered throughout the project. It’s clear that he is aware of the amount of time in which we have last properly heard from him, and he regrets it.
He also goes into immense detail about the factors in his life that prevented him from creating for so long, such as his relationship issues and having to care for his newborn daughter (see Evidence and Inclination Compass). These dense and complicated lyrical subjects are balanced out with sprawling musical soundscapes and downright breathtaking piano passages just as Sampha is known for doing in the past; it’s clear that he still has it musically. Throughout the narrative of this album, the idea of failing to see love with your surroundings and becoming distant from the world is also present and is resolved when the narrator finds inner peace through communication with a sort of deity (What If You Hypnotize Me?), and this event is the turning point that leads to the acknowledgement of his wrongdoings (Rose Tint). The overarching story that is being described here is honestly pretty heartwarming and can be mostly understood by many on the first listen.
Once again, the instrumentation is some of the most impressive of the entire year, and Sampha’s voice sounds incredible and vulnerable due to the subject matter at hand. Moral of the story: take your time with life and art. Fantastic record.
Favorite Tracks: Stereo Colour Cloud, Spirit 2.0, Dancing Circles, Suspended, Jonathan L. Seagull, Inclination Compass, Only, Evidence, Rose Tint
My Score: Decent 9
Pitchfork: 7.0
- PinkPanthress- Heaven knows
Genre: Bedroom Pop/Breakbeat
Whether you like it or not, TikTok has a stranglehold on the world of music today and for the past few years. There are some artists and songs today that would never have been able to become successful even five or six years ago due to the accessibility to new and old music that the app provides. One of these breakout new musicians that the app has helped blow up is PinkPanthress, who has gradually been becoming a new star in the bubblegum-laced pop scene of the 2020s.
Around her early career, her regime revolved around short, catchy, and amateurly produced singles that, due to their length, gained a significant level of popularity in the pandemic era. Recently, almost three years after she came on the scene, she has released her debut album Heaven knows. How does it compare to the rest of her concise but impressive discography, though? Well, this new collection of tracks further establishes her place in the modern pop scene in a frankly really impressive way.
Essentially, all this album does is improve and build on the sound that PinkPanthress has already established, but that’s really all that it had to do- if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Probably the biggest change in this project than the rest of her music is the length of the tracks. Her earlier music often had very tight runtimes- usually clocking in at under two minutes per track. Most of the songs on Heaven knows have a better sense of direction and are more efficient at building an atmosphere than her past singles, which brings the average length of the tracks up to three to four minutes. This matters because often times with her music from the first couple years, although fun, lacked a sense of identity.
That is absolutely not the case with this most recent effort, as each of these songs have a sense of cohesion with each other while simultaneously all having a distinct sound for each one. PinkPanthress really has a way of enthralling the listener with surprisingly nuanced lyrics while also having some head-nodding bangers on this album. Personally, one of my favorite aspects of this album, while being very specific, is having Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 cap off the tracklist. Not only is it my favorite song of hers, but it is a nice little victory lap for her career up to this point. Having her most successful song so far end her debut album is honestly such a great feel-good moment, plus, there’s not really a better way to conclude a project than with a feature from Ice Spice. The album’s full of bops, go listen to it.
Favorite Tracks: Another life, True romance, Mosquito, The aisle, Ophelia, Feel complete, Feelings, Capable of love, Boy’s a liar Pt. 2
My Score: Strong 7
Pitchfork: 6.4
(Author’s Note: the songs on this album are stylized with only the first letter being capitalized)
- Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Genre: Indie Rock/Psychedelic Folk
There are always some acts that are destined to be one-album wonders. Whether this be through a lack of replay ability and public retention, or sadly, a rift that spawns within the band members or mental health issues. Most recently, this has happened to post-punk revival act Black Country, New Road as their lead singer and most recognizable part of the band Isaac Wood left the band in February 2022 due to mental health issues right before the release of their masterpiece Ants from Up There.
However, the most famous example of this occurring is in 1997 when lead singer of underground indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel Jeff Mangum cut ties with the act after the release of their magnum opus In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Over the years, this album has become a cult classic even though it was essentially ignored during the time of release, but why is this the case? Well, it is one of the most dense, intimate, and intriguing releases ever recorded.
To start, Mangum has an unavoidable vocal presence throughout the entire album. On the tracks that only include an acoustic guitar and Jeff’s voice, it is impossible to not acknowledge him and his bizarre, passionate performances. As well as the vocals, the instrumentation can range from a simple guitar riff to upbeat cacophonies of distortion. I won’t even begin to dive into the lyrical content on here, as they are some of the most cryptic and layered stanzas ever written in music- every line is caked with meaning and could be debated about for hours. My interpretation of the writing is that of a sprawling story of heartbreak and family drama that heavily uses allegory to describe the specific details, specifically different time periods like World War II and the renaissance. The combination of the mystery of the lyricism with the aforementioned unique soundscapes creates a solely unmatched listening experience that has and not and never will be replicated.
It is a real shame that this ended up being the group’s final album, because this ended up being extremely influential for aspiring indie rock groups in the future and is one of the most talked about records in the internet music scene, and for good reason. This album is kind of a tough pill to swallow, but if you are willing to be an attentive listener for this confusing, intriguing perfect storm, it is well worth it.
