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 string and horn arrangement. 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. Ever since I heard it as the lead single, “Get Sun” has become, in my opinion, Hiatus Kaiyote’s best song to date. 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.

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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- which would be a very cheesy message if it didn’t actually deliver on the musical front. Almost two decades past their prime, this project is a massive victory lap for the Soulquarian collective. Even though this project is missing some key members, Chris Dave managed to bring together Bilal, Shafiq Husayn, Pino Palladino, and James Poyser with a new wave of west coast session musicians, plus Anderson .Paak and Elzhi for vocals. 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.

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