1) Zulu, “A New Tomorrow” / The L.A. collective creates a staggering sound, seamlessly weaving together the bedrock elements of hardcore as well as classic soul stylings and purposeful sojourns into hip-hop, placing the band in a wonderful lineage of Black expression and both celebrating and cementing its strength. A cinematic sonic journey in just under 29 minutes, “A New Tomorrow” casts the vision of its title while standing on the able, willing shoulders of giants.
2) The music of McKinley Dixon / Dixon, a Richmond, Virginia-based artist, is a refreshing presence on the national hip-hop scene. Ahead of a summer album release, new tracks reveal buoyant production and Dixon’s nimble, charismatic vocal style. The eventual “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?” promises to be one of the most complete, inventive artistic statements of the year.
3) Luke Schneider, “Altar of Harmony” / Schneider creates a brilliant, baptizing sound on this 2020 effort—ambient music led from the pedal steel. According to descriptions, all the sound on “Altar of Harmony” arises from the instrument, and these songs buzz, hum, wash and uplift listeners. A record worth revisiting again and again.
4) Rebecca Makkai, “I Have Some Questions for You” / Set on the grounds of a New England boarding school across both the past and present, Makkai’s latest novel handles the way memory evolves and erodes the more perspective we gain. Ostensibly a murder mystery—or, perhaps, a mystery revolving around injustice—the story deftly shifts time and place, causing us to question what we know, how we know it and who our knowledge benefits and hinders.
5) Sara Billups, “Orphaned Believers” / Sifting through the rubble of culture wars, Christian conspiracy and a generation’s broken good faith, Sara Billups patiently, beautifully shows us what is worth keeping and worth leaving on the discard pile. “Orphaned Believers” has a distinct audience in mind—church kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, church kids like me—but the thoughtful questions she asks and timeless pushback she offers leaves substance for every reader to sit with.