Published on
August 9, 2024
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and contributors Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Ravyn Lenae
Bird’s Eye
(Atlantic)
Ravyn Lenae’s second album is an expansive blending of soulful R&B and indie-pop references. A step up from her 2022 debut Hypnos, Bird’s Eye sifts through genres to examine love and loss from a multitude of perspectives and emotional outlooks. Lanae’s tender, assured vocals tie Bird’s Eyes disparate parts together while her songwriting moves from charming and infectious pop (“Love Me Not”) to experimental and intangible (“One Wish”). A pleasure to spend time with.–KD
Elvin Jones And Richard Davis
Heavy Sounds
(Impulse!)
Sparked by their rendition of “Summertime”, Elvin Jones and Richard Davis’ percussion and bass connection turned a session that could have been marred by an absent guitarist into a full album with Heavy Sounds. Other impromptu elements of the 1967 recording brought Frank Foster’s sax and Billy Green’s piano into the recording, along with an open approach from all that keeps the experimentation and diversity of this hard-bop set moving forward. Oddly titled given the smoothness of sounds within, this one has rightfully been reissued by the Verve by Request series as an underheard and worthwhile effort.–JH
Alessandro Alessandroni
Storie Di Guerra
(Holy Basil Records)
The 2024 reissue of Alessandro Alessandroni’s Storie Di Guerra on Holy Basil Records lands back on our record store shelves. The Italian musician and composer treats our senses to a classically stylised library album. Known for his work on film scores – including the central riff for the film The Good The Bad and the Ugly – Alessandroni has also helped to build a prolific library music catalogue. Originally released in 1972 via Flipper Music, the elusive and long out-of-print Storie Di Guerra gets a much-deserved reissue. Brimming with woozy guitars and ominous percussion, it’s a rare gem of musical history.–EH
Belong
Realistic IX
(Kranky)
Belong return 13 years after their last effort on Kranky with a set that’s bound to their formula of shoegaze-informed textural grit, whilst reaching further into dub and techno influences. Wearing a love of My Bloody Valentine on their sleeves and neatly layering opaque production and buried voices, the duo’s hazed take on guitars and percussion takes some worthwhile detours here into the hypnotic momentum of tracks like “AM/ PM”.– JH
L.F.T.
Minecrawler EP
(Osàre! Editions)
L.F.T returns to Elena Columbi’s Osare Editions after their debut on the label back in 2020 from a chance meeting at the Golden Pudel. Harnessing their signature electro-tinged new wave stylings, Minecrawlers is a creative project spanning 5 tracks with a digi bonus which includes an impromptu jam session with fella artists Bella and Viva. The music itself is split between vocal-focused tracks which sit inbetween broody home listening and dancing whilst the flip is strictly club-orientated acid electro.–EH
Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding
Milton + esperanza
(Strut)
Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento teams up with American bassist and composer esperanza spalding to rework music from across Nascimento’s career and further afield. A stunning and fluid jazz collection, Milton + esperanza is an airy, joyous testament to collaboration as Nascimento’s and spalding’s voices work together like they’ve been working together for decades. Poignant and beautiful.–KD
