Genius 1.5: January '24 scrap heap

Still hungry? I've got more album recommendations

Welcome back!

More album recs broken out by genre below. I also made a Spotify playlist of picks from issue #1. If you want more of this, please let me know — I hated making it, but I love doing nice things for my friends.

Palestinian Music

While writing Issue #1, I found so many cool albums on Bandcamp from Palestinian (and diasporic) artists - it was hard to pick just a handful. I hope you’ll check some of these out and consider buying some, especially on the next bandcamp friday.

Sadie Ibrahim - When You Lay Your Head, What Do You Hear? [EP] (Jan. 2024)

understated lofi bedroom pop, heavy emotion

Haya Zaatry - Rahawan (self-released, 2022)

vocally-driven alt-rock with a big, warm sound

Maya Al Khaldi - ع​ا​ل​م ت​ا​ن​ي Other World (Tawleef, 2022)

shape-shifting experimental compositions based on traditional music

El Kontessa- Nos Habet Caramel | نص ح​ب​ة ك​ر​ا​م​ي​ل (Bilna’es, 2023)

cool experimental electronic stuff, kinda footwork-y

Julmud - Tuqoos (Bilna’es, 2023)

mind-bending, bassy hip-hop

Samah Mustafa - Balloor (self released, 2020)

loop-heavy indie with folk leanings

Loris - Rastros (Subreal, 2021)

experimental techno from a Mexican-Palestinian producer

Dakn - too low, too far | ش​و​ي ك​ت​ي​ر ب​ع​ي​د (Bilna’es, 2020)

dissonant, textural ambient compositions with guitar

Asifeh - Datura (self-released 2017)

super lush instrumental hip-hop

More album recs from January:

Ambient

Larum - The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen live at Public Records (Puremagnetik, Jan. ‘24)

Great trio format (modular synth, woodwinds, shamisen) - they really push these compositions far beyond what HvB would have thought possible in the 1100s.

Alessandro Cortini - Emosfere (self-released, Jan. ‘24)

Nice drone LP from the NIN synth wiz. Rhythmic pulsing and whirring and mewing, like listening to an old radar machine picking up an electrical storm.

Joakin Bello - Detrás del Arcoiris (self-released, 1988)

Sunny ambient with weird synthesized animal calls. I got kind of lost while listening, so I don’t have a ton to say about this one besides that it’s uhh super hypnotic.

Hip-Hop

They Hate Change - Wish You Were Here… EP (Jagjaguwar Jan. ‘24)

Future-thinking beats, slick bars. Not sure why there’s a 5min intro on the cut tho.

Chimurenga Renaissance - Now Is The Time EP (self-released, Jan. ‘24)

ex-Shabazz Palaces, laid-back and breezy hip-hop with a political bent

Billy Woods - Hiding Places (Backwoodz, 2019)

This is one of my favorites of all time. Woods’ rapping is electric. “Had the nerve to say ‘You can't take it with you’ / the fuck would I want with any of this shit? Dummy”

Jazz

Peter Brötzmann & Paal Nilssen-Love - Chicken Shit Bingo (Trost, Jan. ‘24)

The very last Brotzmann recording before he passed. A very tender release, considering how aggro these 2 usually are — great mix of different clarinets and PNL uses the kit so expressively. RIP.

Mary Halvorson - Cloudward (Nonesuch Jan. ‘24)

I’m still on the fence about Halvorson’s approach to the guitar, but I know that I like her playing best when she has a big cast of musicians around her — this sextet is wonderfully musical.

Rashied Ali & Frank Low - Duo Exchange (Survival, 1973)

Wild tenor sax/drums duo. Thurston Moore called it “totally sick.”

Yosuke Yamashita Trio - Chiasma (1976)

Sax, piano, drum trio goes so hard & the crowd is here for it. Insane recording.

Punk/Rock

Marika Hackman - Big Sigh (Chrysalis Jan. ‘24)

Cool alt-rock vibes from the singer/songwriter — I’m more used to her folkier output, but this one edges closer toward louder Sharon Van Etten territory.

Pile - Hot Air Balloon EP (Exploding In Sound Jan. ‘24)

Another banger from Rick

Algara - Absortos En El Tedio Eterno (La Vuda Es Mus, 2021)

¡Qué buenos son estos marxistas! Música alta y rápida para luchadores por la libertad.

Future Islands - People Who Aren’t There Anymore (4AD Jan. ‘24)

A nice return to form after the last 2. Not every track is a banger, but there are some gems from a band in the 3rd turn of their career.

Hardcore/Metal

Infant Island - Obsidian Wreath (Secret Voice, Jan. ‘24)

Solid screamo release! Great mix of heavy & lighter sounds, this was a nice surprise for me

Bib - Biblical (Quality Control, Jan. ‘24)

More of the same braindead & ignorant hardcore riffs, great for slam dancing at home.

Liturgy - 93696 (Thrill Jockey, 2023)

One of my favorites from last year. Nice to hear a record from Liturgy that is actually fun to listen to. Glitchy, over-composed black metal with lovely quiet interludes.

Other Stuff

Lauren Bousfield - Salesforce (Orange Milk, 2023)

What if Fire-Toolz had a bleaker aesthetic and a classical piano background? Look at the song titles! “Headstone Prices On Credit,” “Debtors Prison Click Here Disney Needs To See This.” Come on!!

Linda Perhacs - Parallelograms (Kapp, 1970)

Classic psych-folk album. Perhacs wrote & recorded this debut before leaving the music industry for 40 years. Amazing harmonies, cascading sounds.

Various Artists - The Music Of Armenia, Vol. 6 Nagorno-Karabkh (Celestial Harmonies, 1997)

Haven’t heard vols 1-5, but this one showcases beautiful singing & string and horn arrangements. Armenians are facing genocide and brutality in Azerbaijan & Israel.

Longmont Potion Castle - Tape 1 (Dormant Utopia, 1988)

Bizarre prank calls, often leaving the answerer confused and enraged. If you want to hear Coloradans sputter stuff like “I didn’t order no potion cookies,” this is it