New Music Friday!

Kicking this New Music Friday off with another highly anticipated album, GOLLIWOG from billy woods. Now if you recall (or don't recall), billy woods, and Armand Hammer, have been no stranger to my year end AOTY lists, going all the way back to like 2012. I have even crowned woods with the highest honor of a #1 AOTY in 2023, with his Kenny Segal-produced album, Maps. That all being said, I went into GOLLIWOG with some pretty high expectations. And now, after two full initial listens, I can say that I'm essentially left stumbling over my thoughts like I usually am after a new woods project. Stumbling in that his projects always have a ton of depth and are lyrically intellectual and layered. There's so much to wrap my mind around here! In short, I'm going to have to revisit this project MANY more times to get a full appreciation before providing an appropriate summation of my thoughts.

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What can I tell you now? Well, there is not a singular producer on this record. Rather, there is a huge lineup of production credits on this one, with the likes of Kenny Segal, The Alchemist, EL-P, DJ Haram, Shabaka Hutchings, and many others. GOLLIWOG has a runtime of about 53 minutes across 18 tracks. And what is a golliwog? You can see in the growingly unsettling album art that it is a black-faced doll. But I do know that a golliwog is seen as a offensive racist parody. Combine that with the unsettling samples and sounds throughout this album and what do we get? Horror stories through the African American lens.

There are so many standout moments throughout the 18 tracks. After only two listens, the one that stands out the most to me right now is the production used on 'Waterproof Mascara' - on this track, woods boldy raps over a sample of a woman crying over an eerie atmospheric sampling. Truly unsettling, but brilliant and unheard of. Woods' intelligence in the rap/hip-hop game is essentially unmatched. I love albums that make me think and challenge me. GOLLIWOG is a very gripping and demanding album. Again, it's going to require many revisits and lots of time. But there is definitely something special here. We'll see if it's an album that I will enjoy returning to in the future once I've had time peel back all of it's layers.

 
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Fantastic week for EPs!

Jason Griff x Alaska_Atoms, Sarah Julia, Azmari, Moin, and Nils Frahm all put out great ones. André 3000's was very enjoyable, and Soda Blonde put out an solid effort too.

I also quite enjoyed this outing from young Vancouver shoegaze/nu-gaze/slowcore band la lune—the mastering ain't fantastic but ain't awful either.

 
musicjunkiegreg said:
Kicking this New Music Friday off with another highly anticipated album, GOLLIWOG from billy woods. Now if you recall (or don't recall), billy woods, and Armand Hammer, have been no stranger to my year end AOTY lists, going all the way back to like 2012. I have even crowned woods with the highest honor of a #1 AOTY in 2023, with his Kenny Segal-produced album, Maps. That all being said, I went into GOLLIWOG with some pretty high expectations. And now, after two full initial listens, I can say that I'm essentially left stumbling over my thoughts like I usually am after a new woods project. Stumbling in that his projects always have a ton of depth and are lyrically intellectual and layered. There's so much to wrap my mind around here! In short, I'm going to have to revisit this project MANY more times to get a full appreciation before providing an appropriate summation of my thoughts.

View attachment 233785

What can I tell you now? Well, there is not a singular producer on this record. Rather, there is a huge lineup of production credits on this one, with the likes of Kenny Segal, The Alchemist, EL-P, DJ Haram, Shabaka Hutchings, and many others. GOLLIWOG has a runtime of about 53 minutes across 18 tracks. And what is a golliwog? You can see in the growingly unsettling album art that it is a black-faced doll. But I do know that a golliwog is seen as a offensive racist parody. Combine that with the unsettling samples and sounds throughout this album and what do we get? Horror stories through the African American lens.

There are so many standout moments throughout the 18 tracks. After only two listens, the one that stands out the most to me right now is the production used on 'Waterproof Mascara' - on this track, woods boldy raps over a sample of a woman crying over an eerie atmospheric sampling. Truly unsettling, but brilliant and unheard of. Woods' intelligence in the rap/hip-hop game is essentially unmatched. I love albums that make me think and challenge me. GOLLIWOG is a very gripping and demanding album. Again, it's going to require many revisits and lots of time. But there is definitely something special here. We'll see if it's an album that I will enjoy returning to in the future once I've had time peel back all of it's layers.

Click to expand...

Yeah, this is the rap/hip-hop album of the year so far. And a Top10 album overall. Keeps getting better with each listen as the layers are peeled further.
 
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Billy Nomates/Tor - Metalhorse (Experimental, Post-Punk, Alternative Pop)
Coffin Prick - Loose Enchantment (Art Rock)
Drouth - The Teeth Of Time (Atmospheric Black Metal, Death Metal)
Ezra Furman - Goodbye Small Head (Folk Punk, Punk Rock)
Full Of Hell - Broken Sword, Rotten Shield (Grindcore, Deathgrind, Metalcore)
Mares Of Thrace - The Loss (Sludge, Post-Metal, Hardcore)
Medico Peste - Aesthetic Of Hunger (Black Metal)
Pelican - Flickering Resonance (Instrumental Post-Rock/Metal)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Carpe Diem, Moonman (Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock, Garage Punk, Post-Hardcore)
Skuggor - Where Sun Resigns (Atmospheric Black Metal)
Sofia Mills - Chooser (Bedroom Pop, Indie Pop/Rock, Alternative)
Steven Von Till - Alone In A World Of Wounds (Ambient, Psychedelic, Folk, Americana)
The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want To See You In Heaven (Mathcore, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, Metalcore)
Thor & Friends - Heathen Spirituals (Experimental, Avant-Garde, Minimalism, Instrumental)
Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming (Art Pop, Indie Pop, Synth Pop, Alternative Dance)
Witchcraft - Idag (Heavy Psych, Hard Rock, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal)
 
Radar List for 5.16.25


Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke
M(h)aol – Something Soft
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Carpe Diem, Moonman
Mourning [A] BLKstar – Flowers For The Living
MonoNeon – You Had Your Chance…Bad Attitude
Dan Mangan – Natural Light
José James – 1978: Revenge of The Dragon
Various – Zulu Guitar Blues: Cowboys, Troubadours & Jilted Lovers 1950-1965
Pelican – Flickering Resonance
Grails – Miracle Music
Hooveriii – Manhunter
NYTT LAND – Songs of the Shaman
Lido Pimienta – La Belleza
Tanika Charles – Reasons To Stay
Xzibit – Kingmaker
Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio – Radio Armageddon
Charlie Musselwhite – Look Out Highway
Thor & Friends – Heathen Spirituals
Revival Season – Formless
Throbbing Gristle – Live at the Volksbühne Berlin, New Year’s Eve 2005
The Callous Daoboys – I Don't Want To See You In Heaven
Sun Ra Bullock – Plays the Organ Electric Vol. II
 
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