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AUDIO Andrew Lambert Michael McDermott Mike McGra
th-Bryan Danny Brown Uknowhatimsayin¿ [Warp] FYNCH Bookies’ Pens & Loose Ends (Burner Records) Rap’s resident oddball returns, as the ever-eccentric Danny Brown drops his fifth studio album to cap off a decade of fascinating releases which have seen the 38-year-old Detroit native carve out a niche for himself in the hip-hop landscape, after years spent struggling to find his spot. Brown’s life story has drawn listeners in for years – having spent his early twenties drug dealing and incarcerated in his hometown while unsuccessfully trying to make a name for himself in the rap game, he finally made waves at the age of 30 with second studio album XXX in 2011 and hasn’t looked back since, dropping a series of uniquely experimental albums in Old and Atrocity Exhibition and solidifying his status as one of the most creative artists of his genre as well as undoubtedly one of its best characters. Uknowhatimsayin¿ is another gem in Brown’s impressive discography yet it differentiates itself immediately from its predecessors with its laid-back vibe coming as a direct contrast to the rapper’s signature manic style, preferring stripped down, old school beats to the frenzied electro production of previous records. As such, it’s by far the most easily accessible album of Brown’s career and hopefully one which can identify a new audience for him as well as satisfy his devoted cult following. While the production may be dialled back, the same can’t be said for Brown’s limitless imagination which retains its unrivalled wit and charm as the rapper drops bars to rival his best work throughout these 30 blistering minutes. AL Like this? Try these: Tyler, The Creator – Wolf Earl Sweatshirt – Doris Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron Burner Recs’ take on Irish hip-hop’s structure of collectivisation and DIY grind in a post-Soft Boy environment can be most closely compared to the difference between disco and the post-popularity turns that oeuvre took. Taking hazy lo-fi sensibilities and peeling them back to the absolute elements, drone-tone wordsmith FYNCH enters his element with Bookies’ Pens and Loose Ends, especially on the likes of Like Me, a heavy drag through the anxieties of Generation Y, both for its future and within the second spaces we’ve made for ourselves. MMGB Big Thief Two Hands [4AD] Big Thief continue their outstanding 2019 run with their second release in five months in Two Hands, the self-described ‘earth twin’ to this past summer’s UFOF. Whereas that album explored a variety of supernatural and mythical themes while indulging in a more experimental approach, Two Hands finds Adrianne Lenker & co. in a more intimate space, laying down ten wondrous indie folk ballads with apparent ease as the quartet pursue a seemingly unstoppable upward trajectory. AL Tandem Felix Rom-Com (Self-Release) Anna Meredith Fibs [Moshi Moshi] The end result of a long period of silence for David Tapley and associates in alt-country outfit Tandem Felix, following critical acclaim and hectic touring, Rom-Com accomplishes its goal of summarising Tapley’s polar opposites of ideology and the absurd, a struggle that rages within the best of us. Oil Money encapsulates this in warm reverb and the occasional touch of shimmering synth, while Tapley Takes a Stroll reaches further into introspection and gentle psychedelia. Far short of jolly japes, though, Rom-Com is an exercise in restraint and balance. MMGB From her sizzling debut Varmints through her fantastic original score for Bo Burnham’s sublime Eighth Grade to the release of Fibs, Anna Meredith is galloping for glory. Fibs brings her trademark escalating, propulsive, beats to opener Sawbones while lead single Inhale Exhale sees Meredith add her own vocals to synth arpeggios. Meredith could, as easily, be banging out beats to smoke-drenched, strobe-lit club, floors or scoring the work of an auteur du jour. What Fibs confirms is Meredith is in complete control of a thrilling future. The perfect marriage of sound and vision. MMD CLICK IT OUT… 82 We know it and so should you food, fashion, photography, film, books, magazines, music, design, drink and a curated section of events for you to consider www.totallydublin.ie