1) Band of Horses, “Things are Great” / I’m not the sort who needs his favorite artists to stay the same, or hew to a formula, over the course of a career. Just give me a spark. And it felt like the spark flickered on recent Band of Horses albums, leading the band away from the warm, astral sensibilities of its earlier records. “Things are Great” not only recovers that spark, but fans it into flame on standouts such as “Crutch” and “In Need of Repair.” Pitchfork’s Evan Rytlewski sums it up perfectly:
“Band of Horses’ sixth album unexpectedly delivers on all the qualities that defined their initial success: soaring emotions, crunchy guitars, and Ben Bridwell’s cotton-candy whine.”
2) Nilüfer Yanya, “Painless” / On her latest, the London musician cuts an impressive figure, landing sonically between the best of the ‘90s soul revival (think Lauryn and Erykah) and a natural European pop sensibility. These songs will get under your skin in the best sort of way.
3) Cecile McLorin Salvant, “Ghost Song” / Salvant, a Miami native, has won the Grammy for best jazz vocal album on her last three efforts. In a fair world, “Ghost Song” would earn her a fourth consecutive award. This is a remarkable record—celestial at times, clever and springy at others. Salvant delivers long unaccompanied passages, forming her own weather system, as well as old-timey sing-song melodies and moments of heart-rending soul. This is the very definition of tour de force.
4) Blue Lab Beats, “Motherland Journey” / Calling the venerable Blue Note Records label home, this British duo clears the way for a new sort of electronic music (and, perhaps, a new sort of jazz). The songs on “Motherland Journey,” especially its stellar first half, unite the innovation of each genre under a cool, forward-moving sound.
5) “After Sherman” / Upon watching Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” I dubbed it perhaps the most Christian movie of all-time. “After Sherman” would be on the short list. Jon-Sesrie Goff’s quietly stunning documentary wrestles with its doubts (namely, whether racism is confined or constrained by any American region) while existing as an act of faith—in its community of elders, in the Black church, in what one family can bequeath across generations. Goff’s portrait of the South Carolina that nourished and, at times, bent his family toward a breaking point is one to sit and reckon with.