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Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! - April 2025


Written by: RaduP, musclassia, ScreamingSteelUS
Published: May 11, 2025
 


Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! - April 2025
Metal Storm's outlet for nonmetal album reviews



The place where we'll talk about music without growls or blast beats
unless they still have those but still aren't metal


We here at Metal Storm pride ourselves on our thousands of metal reviews and interviews and article; metal is our collective soul and passion, which is why we bother with this junk. That being said, we'd be lying if we stuck to our trve-kvlt guns and claimed that metal is the only thing we ever listen to. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do check out some other stuff from time to time; some of us are more poptimistic than others, but there's a whole world out there aside from Satan-worshiping black metal and dragon-slaying power metal. We do already feature some nonmetal artists on our website and have a few reviews to back them up, but we prefer to limit that aspect of the site to those artists who have been a strong influence on the metal scene or who are in some way connected to it. This article series is the place for those artists who don't matter to metal in the slightest but still warrant some conversation - after all, good music, is good music, and we all know metal isn't the only thing on this planet for any of us.

Down below, you might find some obscure Bandcamp bedroom projects or some Billboard-topping superstar; as long as it ain't metal and the album itself isn't a best-of compilation, it fits. Obviously, we're certain that not everything will be for everybody (you guys can be viciously territorial even when metal is the only thing on the menu, and we're all supposed to like the same things), but we do hope you find at least one thing that you can enjoy, instead of just pointing and screaming in horror "Not metal!" as if that would be an insult.

Here are our previous features:

March 2025
February 2025
January 2025

And now to the music...






Bruit ≤ - The Age Of Ephemerality
[Post-Rock]


It’s a very intriguing choice when a highly politically motivated band opts to go down the all-instrumental route; how do you go about conveying sentiments on volatile social topics without words at your disposal? Some, like Divide And Dissolve, deliver their message between songs when performing live; others, such as Bruit ≤, make use of samples within the songs. The Age Of Ephemerality, which sets its sights on the digital age and the corresponding deterioration of society, makes apt use of synths and technology-related sound effects (as well as clips of prominent tech voices such as Zuckerberg); however, the instrumental side of the album even beyond these elements has a harshness and darkness to it that clearly distinguishes it from what the band accomplished several years ago with The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again.

There’s a wall-of-sound density to opening track “Ephemeral” that reminds me of Ausserwelt by Year Of No Light; “Data” goes swiftly in a very different direction by incorporating glitching harsh noise, Boards Of Canada-esque ambient electronic synth tones, and jazzy drums/saxophone altogether in a chaotic, eclectic and intentionally disorienting manner. The Age Of Ephemerality is broad in its compositional approach, changing tack drastically once more for the cello/violin-driven “Progress / Regress” and “Technoslavery / Vandalism” that harks back more recognizably to the group’s previous effort (albeit the cacophonic closing stages of the latter less so), but it is 13-minute closer “The Intoxication Of Power” that brings everything together, growing increasingly euphoric, as if to capture the rush of power, before turning darker and twisted in its final minutes.

Bandcamp

by musclassia





Bank Myna - Eimuria
[Post-Rock | Drone]


musclassia's pick


Post-rock has tended to be used as a vessel for the more sympathetic feelings and emotions: euphoric, uplifting, nostalgic, even melancholic. The latter somewhat applies to Eimuria, Paris-based Bank Myna’s third album, but this record is also bleak, even sinister at times. The peaks of these gloomy, elongated songs are not the soaring of melodic tremolo textures, but rather the eruption of ominous drones, which border on metal territory with the sonic density. The emotions of the album are also communicated by vocalist Maud Harribey, whose expressive vocals can be as tender or as forceful as the music necessitates. The former is more applicable in the eerie opening track “No Ocean Of Thoughts”, a comparatively brief and stripped-down introduction to an album otherwise comprised of long and dense compositions.

“The Shadowed Body” initially retreats once more to near-nothingness, allowing just the bass to get things under way before Harribey’s vocals, Middle Eastern-influenced guitar tones and ominous violin begin to more extensively craft the song’s soundscape. Aspects of the track’s layers and texturing reminds me of Smote’s own psychedelic folky drone albums of recent years, but the escalating force of the percussion pushes through into something full and crushing. There’s numerous ebbs and flows to this song and those that follow, although “The Other Faceless One” remains stripped-down and light on percussion pretty much throughout; in contrast, “Burn All The Edges” opens with a demonstration of Bank Myna’s doomiest side, temporarily retreating to nothingness before rebuilding for a grand finale of multilayered arranged vocals singing almost folk-like refrains against a fierce sonic backdrop, producing a sound akin to Wolvennest’s Vortex mixed with Helga. While the album is rarely at peak heaviness, the emotions remain potent throughout, masterfully depicted by Harribey’s versatility and character.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Bjorn Riis - Fimbulvinter
[Progressive Rock]


We’ve covered both Bjorn Riis and his band Airbag in previous instalments of these articles, and in each instance I’ve been charmed by the calm, lush melodicism he brings to prog rock as a guitarist, a singer and a writer. The story is much the same with Fimbulvinter, another record that bears all the by-now expected hints of post-2000 Anathema and Porcupine Tree; what the album might lack in innovation, it provides in easy satisfaction over its slick rock, tasteful solos and soothing vocals.

Despite its length, the album’s first main song, “Gone”, is very straightforward and accessible, built around an up-tempo rock core, one that has more than a hint of 80s soft arena rock to its elongated bridge. At 11 minutes, “Panic Attack” is a tad more sprawling, exchanging sparse verses and heavy choruses in its first half before going on an expansive tangent that runs right until the climactic voluminous seconds of the song. For as light as much of Riis’ and Airbag’s material can be (and the ambience and acoustics of “She” are very tender), he is capable of delivering some genuine heaviness when the moment calls on this song, positively distinguishing it from much of the rest of his discography. There’s a couple of other minor surprises left (chiefly the crunching syncopation early in the title track), but ultimately the album’s appeal still lines in the beauty of its tender melody, and especially the solos in this song and the album closer “Fear Of Abandonment”.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Samtar - The Bog Of Cosmic Delusions
[Progressive Rock]


Back in early 2023, I noted the prolific nature of one-man prog band Samtar when discussing their at-the-time new release Shadow Of The King’s Charade, and there’s been no change on that front in the interim, as there’s both an album and an EP in 2024 that I missed before The Bog Of Cosmic Delusions caused Samtar to reappear on my radar. Things seem much the same as I remember them being last time; while this is a rock album, the influence of more metallic prog acts such as Caligula's Horse, Rishloo and Fair To Midland feels audible in the vibrant sonic palette of the record.

“Desert Creature” is a fun opening to the album, one with hooky guitar leads, catchy vocals belted out in the frequently recurring chorus, and a touch of heaviness to the groovy riffs. Samtar’s vocals consistently shine across the album, adding an At The Drive-In-esque energy to the chorus of “Fickle Fortune” to contrast the subdued tone of the verses, and lending a narrative drama to “Distant Voices” in a similar way to Jim Grey or Andrew Mailloux. The is fairly packed with 12 tracks (albeit one of those being a sub-minute interlude), but the brightness of the compositions means that they fly by easily for the most part, with the exception of the Leprous-esque “Refuse” that feels like it’s building towards something that never comes; in contrast, the Rishloo quirk and driving rhythm of “Destiny Is A Lie”, as well as the ear-catching grandstand soloing in “The Whispers”, give frequent and plentiful payoff.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Spellling - Portrait Of My Heart
[Art Rock | Alternative Rock]


It's quite rare to see a non-metal artist signed to a metal or metal-adjacent label getting so much exposure outside of the metal-adjacent scene. Sacred Bones does dabble quite a lot in stuff that isn't metal, like Marissa Nadler and Blanck Mass and Molchat Doma (another similar exception), but a lot of them get recognition in similar music circles, one which Spellling seemed to step out of with 2021's The Turning Wheel, which really hit it with the art rock crowd. That was such an important step up, that the follow-up to that record, 2023's Spellling & The Mystery School re-recorded some earlier tracks within the same band framework of that album, both being a statement on the staying power of the move to a bigger sound, and as a way to circumvent the pressure that a proper follow-up would have.

Well, the proper follow-up is here, and indeed it has quite a lot to live up to, and the way it's trying to do that is by pushing further on the "rock" side of "art rock". Though the rock direction can sometimes come across as over the top in a cheesy way, especially from the vocal performance point of view, there's a lot of campy charm in how quirky it ends up sounding. There rock side in art rock does fluctuate a bit between alternative and pop rock, sometimes getting into relatively territories (like on "Satisfaction"). Though "love" is definitely not a novel topic for rock and pop music, there's a quite fun touch to how yearning and devotion are sung about by Spellling. I don't think it quite lives up to the expectations, but I like how things were switched up.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Perfume Genius - Glory
[Art Pop | Singer/Songwriter]


I've gotten into Perfume Genius through 2020's Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, which I appreciated not only for Mike Hadreas' uniquely emotional vocal tone, but also due to how well it blended with the noisier guitars on songs like "On The Floor" and "Describe", though those songs are somewhat of a step away from the more art pop ballads, sometimes more piano focused, that Perfume Genius dabbled in. The follow-up, Ugly Season took an even bigger step towards some unconventional songwriting, including a lot of experimental orchestral music infused into the art pop. So I was curious to see whether that would be followed by something even more experimental or whether that would turn out to be a one off.

Glory ended up being a return to more accessible songwriting, and also one that is less noisy than Set My Heart On Fire Immediately. There's still a guitar-centric rock thread throughout Glory, stronger on some songs, as the band that was assembled for this record does work to give the record a band feel, but a lot of it seemed to lean more towards a folkier direction. There's some twang to some songs, an Aldous Harding feature, and a lot of vulnerable introspective lyricism. Though it doesn't exactly feel like a rehash of sounds previously tackled, it does feel less adventurous, even if the songs it puts forward are really good.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Church Of The Sea - Eva
[Noise Rock | Industrial]


Greek trio Church Of The Sea return with their second album Eva three years after debut full-length Odalisque, although with both around the half-hour mark in terms of runtime, the group evidently prioritize quality over quantity. The sound of Eva is a curious one that lies relatively adjacent to metal while still remaining in the realm of rock; a combination of electronic/industrial rock, darkwave, shoegaze, noise rock and doom has a darkness and distortion that nevertheless feels fairly light, reminiscent a tad of acts such as Lethe.

“The Siren’s Choice” is one of the heavier tracks here, an initial guitar riff subsequently taken over by churning electronic distortion as Irene’s soulful delivery enters the fray. In spite of its brevity, Eva is not short on variety, as right afterwards the title track strips away many of those layers for something more reminiscent of neofolk or Dead Can Dance, and Irene’s singing goes in a higher-pitched and more spiritual direction to match the change in vibe. “Widow” retains some of those folk sounds, but in general opts for a gloomier, more electronic soundscape with a greater resemblance to Lethe or i Häxa. Church Of The Sea are a dab hand at whatever they set their mind to on Eva, crafting a resonant spiritual atmosphere that ties together the myriad influences nicely.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Viagra Boys - Viagr Aboys
[Dance-Punk | Art Punk]


RaduP's pick


Ibriefl yconsidere dwritin gth eentir ewrite-u plik eth ealbum' stitle, but I thankfully dropped the idea, because I'm a more conventional writer than Viagra Boys are. Of course that even something as usual as releasing a self-titled album has to become tweaked by this band. I'm always wary of any self-titled album that isn't a band's debut, because they usually make more sense as the "return to form" after a more experimental period, but this being the band's fourth album, and not one that necessarily does any reinvention or return of sound. Having covered more of their albums than ones I didn't, and having seen them live once since, I have every reason to be baffled.

There's a lot about Viagr Aboys that feels like a continuation of what Cave World was doing, pushing further into the dance-punk sounds and away from the usual post-punk revival sounds, and a lot of focus on the weirdo grooves that the band deliver. Frontman Sebastian Murphy continues to be entertaining in a very comical character way, though the lyrical focus seems to be less consistent this time around compared to the conspiracy concept of the previous album, but that does lead to each song having its own personalities and strengths and ways to be entertaining, from the groovier to the more ridiculous to the weirdly heartfelt, but all of it thriving off of absurdity.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong
[Baroque Pop | Art Rock]


The current decade saw the rise of a bunch of experimental rock bands that reimagined how rock music could sound like in a new century, with Squid and Black Midi and Sprain being some of the ones that took the lead. Breakups befell some of those bands. Black Country, New Road, whose first two albums were some of the most trailblazing experimental rock records of the decade, didn't breakup, but a lineup change left them without the vocalist, and considering how vital the vocal performance was to how tension building, vulnerable, and anxiety inducing those two records were, the band's future has been called into question.

The band seemed to have been aware that Isaac Wood's contributions would be irreplaceable, so they needed to reinvent themselves. Forever Howlong does not sound like either For the First Time or Ants From Up Here, to the point where you might as well imagine it as a new band, despite the rest of the lineup being intact. The tenseness is instead replaced by something more upbeat, tongue-in-cheek, and theatrical, with the vocal approach being more pop oriented, in a oldie baroque / progressive pop way, and the instrumentation follows that stylistic cue as well, remaining tight and intricate even with the change of direction.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





YHVH Nailgun - 45 Pounds
[Experimental Rock | Neo-Psychedelia]


RaduP's pick


You ever notice how a lot of experimental music tends to be experimental in the same ways? Bands that really push the envelop aren't very common, but you also have bands that build upon the decades of experimentation to find new ways for music to sound like. YHVH Nailgun, a band that grabbed my attention from that sheer band name alone, is a quartet for whom I didn't manage to find any relevant lineup connection, so to have them come out of the gate with a debut this trailblazingly experimental and novel sounding is quite a shock. If you can even call 45 Pounds's 20 minutes runtime an album rather than an EP, though their previous two EPs were each shorter than 10 minutes.

Those runtimes, including the shorter runtimes would indicate something punkier. Even though there is punk in YHVH Nailgun's music, it's of the opposite intensity to hardcore, having more in common with experimental post-punk acts like This Heat, along with the dancier rhythms of Talking Heads, the intricacies of 80s King Crimson, all blended with more modern math rock a la Hella, and passed through a psychedelic filter, and adorned with glitch electronics that wouldn't sound out of place on a Death Grips record, and a tensioned despondent vocal performance from Zack Borzone. Though a hell of a lot of praise has to be given to the insanely creative percussion of Sam Pickard. Even with all the namedrops, what YHVH Nailgun do here doesn't feel like threading old waters, but charting a new route that often passed through them.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Glare - Sunset Funeral
[Shoegaze]


musclassia's pick


Debut albums are generally thought upon as the first significant demonstration of a band’s talents, but a number of artists will reach this stage with a strong following already established, whether due to comprising members having built a reputation as part of another musical project, or through early singles/EPs making a sizeable impact (sometimes it’s both - Spiritbox immediately comes to mind as an example). In the case of Glare, in the 8 years since forming, they’ve trickled out a series of singles, EPs and splits (some of which have received tens of millions of streams on Spotify alone) that has led to debut record Sunset Funeral being hotly anticipated, and with good reason.

Probably not a surprise when considering the band name, album title and artwork, but this is an unabashed modern shoegaze album through and through, yet the execution is strong enough to justify their prominence compared with other fresh-faced acts within the genre. Although the hazy, reverbing vocals and richly textured instrumentals remain a constant throughout Sunset Funeral, there’s a few different approaches taken; the soporific “Sungrave” is very classic in its approach, lovely delicate melodic motifs glimmering above a hazy, effects-laden foundation, while opening cut “Mourning Haze” matches hushed vocals with a more up-tempo drive. While a lot of the album is delicate and dainty, however, there is some heft to parts of it, most notably “Nü Burn”, which (I’m sure intentionally, given the name) has more than a hint of Deftones to its alt metal riffing. This is very much one for the genre fanatics, but it’s a pretty great example of shoegaze in 2025.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Panchiko - Ginkgo
[Indie Rock | Neo Psychedelia]


This is already the second record that Panchiko released after reforming, so now their story of having their demo discovered by the online music community and being the target of a search is no longer as novel, even if it will probably be mentioned every time they do anything because of how unique the story is. While 2023's Failed at Math(s) had the purpose of answering the question of how Panchiko would sound like in the current era, a more famous band, by Ginkgo that has already been answered, so now we ask "what now?".

As soon as the opening notes of Ginkgo start, it's clear that Panchiko are not gonna beat the "Radiohead clone" allegations, and part of that is indeed the vocal similarities between Davies and Yorke, as well as the artsier rock leanings, but the album soon begins experimenting more, mostly in the psychedelic field, but also by having the album's only guest be abstract rapper billy woods, whose contribution is a welcome left field turn. The soundscapes find a pretty neat compromise between being ethereal and glitchy, not letting the album's experimental side be at odds with its emotional one.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Bon Iver - Sable, Fable
[Pop Soul | Art Pop]


Bon Iver is someone with a very interesting career trajectory. Starting out in the indie folk scene with 2007's For Emma, Forever Ago, they were a singer/songwriter that you'd expect to just stay an indie darling, but he since tangled with hip-hop artists like Kanye West (aged like milk), Eminem, Travis Scott (I will never forgive you for WrestleMania 41) and Vince Staples, and other mainstream artists like Taylor Swift and Lizzo, whether as a guest vocalist, producer, or songwriter. His spot in mainstream music then became even weirder with the experimental electronica ventures of 2016's 22, a Million, and in a slightly more diminished manner in 2019's i, i.

With such a long gap between records, broken only by how the first side of this album was released as a separate EP, titled Sable, last year, it was curious to see how much of the experimental nature of previous records would permeate this one. They're still there at times, though Sable, Fable is more accessible in how they're used, also evidenced by the more human readable tracklist, with "Day One" being where they blend the most with the stronger soul leanings of the record, especially due to the guest vocals. Though there's still something quite challenging in the production and in Vernon's vocal performance, Sable, Fable works them into some emotionally potent soundscapes.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Sons Of Ra - Standard Deviation
[Jazz Fusion]


Sons Of Ra formed in Chicago in 2000, yet although there’s been a few recordings from them over the years, Standard Deviation is their first full-length album (or at least that’s what it’s being promoted as). One imagines such a long-awaited landmark puts a fair amount of pressure on a release such as this, but this jazz/prog/rock fusion sounds carefree and entirely at ease; two decades of performing together must have established a pretty remarkable degree of creative resonance within the group, which shines through across the album. “Disintegration (Alabama Revisited)” is an effortlessly fluid journey through smooth jazz solos, rambunctious rock rampages, and free jazz freakouts, and the rest of the record largely follows suit.

The influence of classic prog rock is very audible throughout, from the retro keyboards kicking off the otherwise funky “Outside Looking In” to the flute solos in “Intrepidation”. There’s also a legitimate heft to a couple of tracks, most notably “Don’t Know Yet”, that will harbor some appeal for metal fans, although Standard Deviation is categorically not metallic. Personally, I prefer it when it’s on the lighter side anyway; “Intrepidation” is a sprawling tour de force with some lush guitar solos and acoustic jams alongside its louder moments, while “Porous Silver” offers up a shorter serving of easy-going funk to enjoy.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Lonnie Holley - Tonky
[Progressive Soul | Experimental Ambient]


Lonnie Holley began his artistic career as an experimental visual artist, working often with found materials in the plastic media; it was not until much later in life that he opened up to musical recordings as well, and thus we arrive at a seventh or eighth album (depending on how you count) just past Holley's 75th birthday. The magpie-like approach to art follows him into sound, where an esemplastic blend of enveloping tones renders a clear stylistic origin virtually indecipherable. Retro funk instrumentals with light jazz and R&B flavors recall the earliest days of hip-hop under Holley's entrancing, arrhythmic recollections, while more modern and alien electronic sounds morph those classic and cheerful flavors into strange trip-hop vibrations with uplifting soul choruses. The instrumentation on this album is rich and divine, many-layered and abundantly real; from slowcore blues to stargazing folk to softly insistent idiophonic rap beats, Tonky moves freely without set style, exploring some very different textures from track to track. There are incidental noises, too: natural ambiance, animal sounds, distortion as if Holley were speaking on the street, off the cuff. Holley has operated in this realm since his first album, 2012's Just Before Music, but his collaboration with producer Jacknife Lee - begun on his last album, Oh Me Oh My - has yielded a more outstanding and eclectic batch of songs than before.

The one consistent element is the relaxing and immersive mood incorporating all of these old and new styles. That, and Holley's half-spoken, half-sung vocals, as diverse as any of the instruments - whether raised in song or sounding a chant, whether softly recounting memories or howling out an exhortation, Holley's voice is a strange but transfixing timekeeper and narrator. As on past albums, the most common themes are the hardships of Holley's youth as a poor black child in the American Deep South, accompanying political messages for the modern day, and a contrasting sense of positivity, even cheer, that persists in spite of all the many reasons not to - much like Holley himself. Tonky is an experimental work, like its predecessors, a sonic collage from which Holley seems to discard no possibilities: an eclectic assortment, an album of abundant personality and a calm, leveling mood even within its more serious moments.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by SSUS





Jane Remover - Revengeseekerz
[Digicore | Industrial Hip-Hop]


It was barely two editions ago that I covered Venturing, one of the many side projects of Jane Remover, so switching back to what seems to be the main side project so quickly afterwards is a bit of a shock, especially since the last time I covered a Jane Remover project, it was a post-rock tinged indie rock one, and the slacker rock of Venturing's Ghostholding had quite a lot in common with it, so the weirdness of Revengeseekerz is that it pulls such a left turn that it makes Ghostholding sound more like a Jane Remover album than Revengeseekerz does.

Diving a bit deeper into the other projects, including 2021's Teen Week, does reveal that the more rock-centric approach that Jane Remover had wasn't the be all end all, with this overwhelming electronica not being very uncommon in the back catalog. Revengeseekerz is perhaps the most hip-hop oriented, though with the full throttle glitch electronica infused with hyperpop being any indication, it's more of the autotune "Soundcloud rap" kind, albeit a more maximalist version of it. There are mellower moments that have a touch of the indie rock sensibilities of the previous records, there's a Danny Brown feature, and there's a lot of hard dance EDM beats that feel nauseatingly overwhelming.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Djrum - Under Tangled Silence
[IDM]


RaduP's pick


Even though IDM is one of my favorite genres of electronica, I don't keep up that much with the genre, so I wasn't familiar with Djrum, but seeing an album with that genre tag climbing up the Rate Your Music charts did spark my interest. I'm not sure why Felix Manuel decided that his DJ Rum alias needed to be presented like that, but I guess it does make the point that this isn't exactly EDM, at least not in the same way that his previous more dubstep or UK garage records were. Even his previous EP, his first release post-pandemic, toned down those elements in favour of something more akin to IDM, but it still felt like an electronica album first.

Under Tangled Silence is still an electronica album for the most part, but it's more experimental in its sounds. IDM is usually experimental as it is, though a lot of the album's rhythms are quite conventional by the genre's standards, focusing on having its textures sound entrancing than on pushing the envelope. But the album also includes a lot of sounds from jazz and modern classical and world music, introduces in a way that both lets them interplay with the electronica sounds, but also leaves them room to breathe for themselves. Under Tangled Silence keeps building its soundscapes, and in each of them, it sounds lush.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Blu & August Fanon - 40
[Conscious Hip-Hop]


A rapper that has pretty much mastered the "one rapper one producer" collaborative record, having broken into the scene with 2007's Below the Heavens along with producer Exile, Blu comes back with a specifically introspective record alongside producer August Fanon on 40. As the title and the cover art suggests, the album is about the age milestone reached (and since surpassed) by the rapper, though I suppose that the album was recorded around the time of its reaching. As someone that's slightly more than a decade away from reaching that milestone (though fast approaching that 30 one), I agree that the passing of time is a hell of a subject.

This is the first time that August Fanon has worked with Blu for a full record, and the jazz and soul sample heavy production is one that's very fitting for this style of introspective conscious hip-hop, and though there's nothing that reinvents the wheel for this style, the two have great chemistry together. There's also really great chemistry between Blu and the myriad of guests (from the likes of RAP Ferreira and Homeboy Sandman) that appear on every track of the record, making this feel like a more collaborative affair and a collective introspection on the passage of time, even if obviously that does make some collaborations work better than others.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Saba & No ID - From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID
[Jazz Rap | Conscious Hip-Hop]


I'm quite fond of hip-hop albums that are collaborations between a producer and a rapper. Rapper albums with multiple producers or producer albums with multiple rappers have their own charm in the colorful variety they can offer even if it can end up disjointed, but when the chemistry between each of them is great, as is obviously the case here, having something more cohesive and singular in its conceptual vision works better as an album experience. Saba is an artist whose 2018 album Care For Me resonated with me in a way that not a lot of hip-hop albums do, mostly because it was sentimental and mellow in a way that's usually reserved for abstract hip-hop albums, but done in a more traditional way, so I always figured he'd be prime for making this type of album.

I didn't connect with Saba's previous album, Few Good Things, in the same way I did with Care For Me, so I was very happy when From the Private Collection bridged that gap. No ID has been working with major names since the early 90s, and that expertise is shown in how well jazz and soul samples create these backdrops for Saba's (and the occasional guests like BJ The Chicago Kid and Ibeyi) to spill verses over. Whether some songs veer more towards boom bap or trap, somehow the mellowness feels like the connecting thread between them, in a way that makes the entire album feel weirdly warm for a hip-hop album.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP




And that was it. You've made it through still alive. Congrats. See ya next month. Here's a Spotify playlist we compiled out of stuff featured here:







Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 63 users
12.05.2025 - 11:21
nikarg
Staff
I like Church Of The Sea; nothing hugely original, but quite atmospheric and immersive. I have seen them live twice, opening for Messa and Wolvennest, and they were pretty good both times.
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12.05.2025 - 20:31
Languedocian
Sons Of Ra and Church Of The Sea are going straight into the rotation. Great stuff, particularly the latter - fantastic band name and image.
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13.05.2025 - 22:36
A Real Mönkey
Glad to see love for the Saba/No I.D. collab. That was absolutely a match made in heaven between those two. Pure Chicago jazz goodness.
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Need a break from headbanging? Restore your street cred by visiting my hip-hop list!

Tha Swagnum Opus: A Selection Of Hip-Hop For The Curious Metalhead
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15.05.2025 - 09:46
nikarg
Staff
That Sons of Ra album is very good, and the cover of "Nature Boy" just rules.
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15.05.2025 - 15:21
ForestsAlive
Church of the Sea and Bruit impressed me!

So many talented musicians out there, and finally no generic blast beats
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