LL is a reader — “It’s good for my mind. It’s like sharpening the ax” — with a big wood-paneled bookcase at home. “Everything from Iceberg Slim to the history of the Peloponnesian War,” he said. “Authors are my friends.”
LL Cool J Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. by Melena Ryzik (gift link)
Wooooo! There was way too much new music released in September to keep up with. I’m still catching up on it all, but here are the favorites as of right now. 😉
Tristan De Liège – Searching
This album of jazz and down-tempo electronic music hits in a special way. Reminds me of Bonobo’s Black Sands in all the good ways.
LL Cool J – The Force
Hard to believe in some ways, but LL and Q-Tip deliver one of the best hip-hop albums of the year no doubt.
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness
Yup, it’s experimental ambient jazz and yup, it’s awesome and very listenable. My morning album of the month.
Endlessness is a deep dive into the cycle of existence. The 45-minute album delicately spans 10 tracks with a continuous arpeggio playing throughout, creating an expansive, mesmerizing celebration of life cycles and rebirth.
Fred Again… – ten days
Fred Again… has a way of weaving together these sound bites and remixes into some truly great electronic ear worms.
Yannis & The Yaw – Lagos Paris London
Anything with the late great Tony Allen on I’m signing up for. The fact that this collaboration was with the Foal’s singer who has such a unique voice made it all the better.
Other albums that found their way to me (and stayed) this month:
- Blu & Exile – Love (the) Ominous Word
- Talib Kweli & J. Rawls – The Confidence of Knowing
- Floating Points – Cascade
- Jamie XX – In Waves
- Marcin – Dragon in Harmony
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
- Tycho – Infinite Health
I love discovering new music and hope sharing my finds inspires you to check out something different (and support the artists you love). Happy listening. ✌️
Comments welcome!