The Plug’n Play: October (19)
October 31, 2019
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
Well, we’re in the final stretch of the year now, with October marking the beginning of the last quarter of the year. Or, you could look at October as being post-summer. So, in some ways we’ve cooled off from festival season and the rapid number of releases we saw earlier in the year. But, October still gave us some quality releases. For starters, it’s always a good month when you get new Frank Ocean, which he released over his Apple Music show. Robert Glasper released his 10th album, which features everyone from YBN Cordae and Baby Rose, to Herbie Hancock and SiR, and it didn’t disappoint! Brik.Liam released one of my favorite projects this year - a concept project that used the changes of state as metaphor for the stages of a relationship. October also gave us the first single from the Queen and Slim soundtrack - which is shaping up to be a great album in its own right - featuring Tiana Major 9 and Earthgang.
Below are some of our favorite songs from September, and a little about why we love them! As always we hope you find a song you like, and check out the entire project! Songs 1 - 9 were selected by Kevin, and songs, 10 - 17 were selected by me, Stanley!
Stanley: Brik.Liam — Solid (G’on)
A gifted singer, songwriter, and visual artist, Brik.Liam is, hands down, one of my favorite artists. In the weeks and days leading up to the release of his EP, What’s The Matter, Brik?, using his design skills, his Instagram became a digital exhibit, comprised of behind the scene clips of the recording process, memoji videos of raw vocal recordings, and a visually captivating layout. All of which served as an invitation for the music to come. The EP itself uses the role of energy in the changes of state (need your High School Chemistry hat for this) as a metaphor for the progression of a relationship. In particular, the EP begins with Solid (G’on), the first state of matter in this case, with a heavily strummed acoustic guitar and Brik.Liam’s vocals powering through each verse.
Stanley: Robert Glasper — Expectations (Featuring — Baby Rose, Rapsody, and James Poyser)
Earlier this year, I wrote about Robert Glasper celebrating the 10th anniversary of his album Double Booked. In that album, Glasper was an artist at a crossroads, having to decide between the straight ahead jazz world and the more experimental Hip-Hop and R&B world. Well, it’s safe to say Glasper isn’t wrestling anymore between the two worlds. His 10th offering, Fuck Yo Feelings, finds him on the cover of his album with his shirt off, belly out, and two middle fingers up. With the help of an all-star lineup, Glasper put together a 19-song exploration into sound and rhythm, meshing all of his worlds together like only he can. Expectations, which features, Baby Rose, Rapsody, and James Poyser, puts the message plain and simple: fuck your expectations, fuck your validation.
Stanley: MOSSS — Pale Blue
Admittedly, I know very little about MOSSS. I barely remember how I came across his music lol. However, Bound to Happen, from his EP, Pale Blue is an incredibly funky and well-composed song. The song opens with keyboard volume swells, a tight drum machine cadence, a funky bass line, and is joined by a tambourine on the choruses, followed by guitar stabs on the second verse. The song never shows too much at once, but steadily builds in intensity. I’ll be on the lookout for whatever he does next!
