Hip-Hop Soul Jazz - Curtis Harding.jpeg

1. Dazy “MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD”
2. SPLLIT “Spllit Sides”
3. Allison Russell “Outside Child”

Indie / Pop / Rock

Dazy, “MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD”

Here’s what makes music in 2021 so incredible: Stuck at home because of a global pandemic, a guy named James Goodson starts recording rock songs and releasing them into the world, two at a time. And they rule! They’re packed with crunchy guitars and unstoppable hooks, like the lo-fi love child of Weezer and Teenage Fanclub. It’s been a year and a half since the first pair of tunes dropped and Goodson just keeps pumping out melodic gems — 24 in all, so far. On “MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD,” Convulse Records collects them all on one cassette tape.

More good stuff

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness, “Songs From Another Life”

Fritz, “Pastel”

Massage, “Still Life”

Split Single, “Amplificado”

Tuns, “Duly Noted”

The Telephone Numbers, “The Ballad of Doug”

Wake Up, “Tigers Can’t Be Choosers”

Punk / Metal / Psych

SPLLIT, “Spllit Sides”

Everything about SPLLIT is slightly askew. The band is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana — a place known more for blues and hip-hop than experimental art-punk. Its two members are identified only as Urq and Marance. There’s that disorienting double L in the band’s name. And then there’s SPLLIT’s music, which is noisy but not abrasive, restless but approachable, melodic and elusive. “Spllit Sides” is built from out-of-tune (and in-tune) guitars, synths, various glass and metal objects, oddball vocals and whiplash rhythmic shifts. The result is an album that zigs when you expect it to zag and vice-versa. Enjoy the ride!

More good stuff

Origami Angel, “Gami Gang”

Spectral Wound, “A Diabolic Thirst”

Deafheaven, “Infinite Granite”

Thy Catafalque, “Vadak”

The Gobs, “1-2-3-4!!”

Silicone Prairie, “My Life on the Silicone Prairie”

Violet Cold — “Empire of Love”

Outer Sounds

Gerycz / Powers / Rolin, “Lamplighter”

In March, Bandcampin’ featured “Beacon,” a gorgeous batch of instrumental music by drummer Jayson Gerycz (of Cloud Nothings), acoustic guitarist Matthew J. Rolin and hammered dulcimer player Jen Powers. Since then, they’ve released another album, and it’s even better. On “Lamplighter,” the trio stretches way out, improvising its way through five long songs that shimmer and drone, with Rolin and Powers providing mesmeric moments of melody and Gerycz shifting back and forth between traditional rhythms and free jazz percussion. Together, they create a transcendental, transportive experience at a time when those kinds of things can be very welcome.

More good stuff

Dave Depper, “Europa”

Wau Wau Collectif, “Yaral Sa Doom”

Matt Evans, “Touchless”

William Tyler and Luke Schneider, “Understand”

Liila, “Soundness of Mind”

Bitchin’ Bajas, “Switched on Ra”

Rosie Lowe & Duval Timothy, “Son”

Folk / Country / Twang

Allison Russell, “Outside Child”

For years, Allison Russell has existed on the leading edge of folk music, most notably with her bands Po’ Girl and Birds of Chicago. But nothing she has done could’ve prepared the world for her debut solo album, “Outside Child,” a stunning set of songs that revolve around the abuse Russell suffered at the hands of her adoptive father and her subsequent journey toward self-reclamation. Somehow, though, “Outside Child” doesn’t feel particularly dark, thanks to Russell’s fresh and soulful take on roots music. Hers is the sound of survival and salvation, alive and thriving.

More good stuff

Myriam Gendron, “Ma délire, Songs of love, lost & found”

Valley Maker , “When The Day Leaves”

The Body and Big|Brave, “Leaving None but Small Birds”

Canary Room, “Christine”

Marie/Lepanto, “Gulf Collide”

Billy Strings, “Renewal”

Emily Scott Robinson, “American Siren”

Hip-hop / Soul / Jazz

Curtis Harding, “If Words Were Flowers”

With two excellent albums out over the past seven years, Atlanta’s Curtis Harding had already established himself as one of the best classic soul revivalists in the game. His third effort, “If Words Were Flowers,” finds him expanding his sound while staying true to his rock-solid soul foundation. Written and recorded as a pandemic and social unrest raged throughout the United States, the 11 songs here are as raw and adventurous as they are smooth and charming, with bold horns, psychedelic guitars, lush string sections and rapped stanzas helping to hurtle Harding’s throwback sound into the future.

More good stuff

Damu the Fudgemunk, “Conversation Peace”

Rob Frye, “Exoplanet”

Tha God Fahim + Your Old Droog, “Tha Wolf on Wall St.”

Yola, “Stand for Myself”

Various artists, “Duppy Vaulted (2011-2021)”

Evidence, “Unlearning, Vol. 1”

L’Rain, “Fatigue”