Best Tracks: Title Sequence
Genre: Alternative Hip Hop
Year: 2014
200 Tree Rings is ambitious, concise, and has some fantastic features and creative production. Going into this record, I was immediately blown away by “Title Sequence”: a gorgeous, drumless intro. It works as an incredible tone-setter, and leads perfectly into the next track.
Best Tracks: Get Sun, Sparkle Tape Break Up, Red Room, Rose Water
Genre: Progressive Neo Soul
Year: 2021
Ever since I heard Hiatus Kaiyote’s first two albums, I’ve been anticipating a follow-up. I have never been this excited for an album release, and the payoff was definitely worth it. Unlike their last project, which was focused on complex electronic synth work, Mood Valiant is a warm exploration through a tropical setting of birds and flowers. “Get Sun” nails this vibe with a strong inspiration from MPB (música popular Brasileira), especially due to Arthur Verocai’s involvement. The offbeat acoustic guitar part takes a lot of inspiration from Brazillian music too. There are many other similarities to be made here, from the intricacies of Clever Austin’s drumming to the faint cuica at the end, but the song is so dense it would take forever to describe everything going on. The opener, “Flight of the Tiger Lily”, also repurposes Verocai’s arangements into a twisting, humid landscape, setting the mood for the rest of the album.
Best Tracks: Black Hole, Rocks Crying, Whatever
Genre: Neo Soul, Post Jazz
Year: 2018
Chris Dave’s first solo album is a concept album on the power of music- a cheesy message, but delivered as a victory lap by Bilal, Shafiq Husayn, Pino Palladino, and James Poyser. Supported by a new wave of west coast musicians, not to mention Anderson .Paak, Elzhi, and Isaiah Sharkey. This album is the same sort of blend of neo-soul, hip hop, jazz, funk, and psychedelia the Soulquarians pioneered, but Chris Dave pushes it even further into jazz rhythms and psychedelic effects.