If Blue Could Be Happiness — Florist
This is a hard review to write. Not because this is a bad album; it’s pretty good. It has lovely vocals, nice instrumentation, a warm-sad mood that fits well with coming of fall. It just sounds exactly like Florist’s last album The Birds Outside Sang, so much so that it might as well just be an expansion. This album lacks the emotional impact of Florist’s first album precisely because it is nearly identical to it in tone and sound. That doesn’t mean I can’t recommend it. It’s a great album that will make you want to look wistfully out a window while it’s raining. Just don’t expect it to be anything different. It’ll probably be most enjoyable to people who’ve never heard of Florist, since they will feel in the songs something fresh and personal that already established fans probably felt while listening to The Birds Outside Sang for the first time.
RIYL: Frankie Cosmos, Florist, Free Cake for Everyone, Big Thief
Tracks: What I Wanted to Hold, The Fear of Losing This, Understanding Light
“Gift”, from the upcoming LP “Have You Been There, Have You Seen It”, Helena Hauff
This new track by Ninja Tune’s Helena Hauff is a single from her widely anticipated and forthcoming LP – “Have You Been There, Have You Seen It”-. The Hamburg-based artist has released the single “Gift” as just that, a gift to the listener. The electronic track features an implied 4-on-the-floor beat with infectiously repetitive harmonies and an intoxicatingly minimalist approach to the art of DJing. This EP is muscular and overtly shadowy with copious analogue excursions, as this DJ only uses analog technology in her craft. This “Top 20 DJ of 2016” award-winning DJ is releasing her fourth LP with Ninja Tune. Ninja Tune is also famous for hosting the talents of King Gheedorah, Taylor McFerrin, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Bonobo, and other EDM/Electronic household names.
Hippo Campus (Planetary Promotions)
Imagine if Vampire Weekend had been from Minnesota and look a lot more hallucinogenics and you’ll get a good grasp of Hippocampus as a band. Their music is punchy and catchy yet dreamy. Their new EP is 3 songs which don’t blow anyone away but still provide great fun listening.
These are fun tracks with minimal effort required to enjoy them. This fun attitude pervades the EP from the punchy light guitar to the upbeat drums to the inflections of the singers voice. “Warm Glow” is the pick of the 3 with a slow build up into a moody rambling tune about dealing with the end of adolescents.
RIYL: JR JR, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Bleachers, Saint Motel
Tracks: Warm Glow, Baseball