Earl Sweatshirt –– Some Rap Songs
This album doesn’t feel suited for taking apart. It’s full of seamless transitions from one jazz-beat and sample to another. Earl’s lyrics are significantly more dense here than on I Don’t Like Shit… or Doris, and in some ways, this contributes to some difficulty in approaching the album. Still, a single listen through the tracklist and the genius of the album and its maker become instantly clear. Maybe I’ll have more concrete things to say after a few more listens. For now, I let the album play out and wash over me, like a slow-moving tsunami I’ve not quite comprehended the magnitude of.
Bug Fight –– “Worm”
This is a recent single from Bug Fight, a band on the New Perfume label that is home to CC’s own Seal Eggs and the upcoming Honour Council album. Musically, “Worm” reminds me of Ought, with a sharp, pleasantly dissonant inflection in guitar and vocals. Lyrically, it brings me right to Kafka’s Metamorphosis, with lines like: “Onwards, upwards, till death or a conception of a different world.” The song lives in the abstract, but in an abstract that, even without totally understanding it, feels eerily reminiscent of the current cultural climate that surrounds me.
A$AP Rocky –– “Sundress” (directed by Frank Lebon)
Frank Lebon has been one of my favourite directors ever since I watched his video for King Krule’s “Czech One.” His video for A$AP’s recent single is just as innovative, moving endlessly through lo-fi Super-8-esque shots to disorienting (in the best way) animation. While I’m not a fan of the “jealous-ex-girlfriend-with-a-gun” narrative in the video, watching the video feels like a big breath of fresh air; in a climate that’s so invested in narratives, it’s so enjoyable to see as much emphasis on getting meaning from visual effects, rather than tropey storylines or characters. The song by itself is totally worth a listen, but if you’re gonna experience it at its fullest, watch the video.
