by Dan O

Bandcamp day is upon us! A lot is up and available. I want to give you a map that will lead you to a well-balanced haul.

Fat Tony & Taydex-I Will Make A Baby in This Damn Economy-

Taydex and Tony have a relationship that has changed the underground. Tony has that direct Houston spitter style that allows him to fit so well with Paul Wall on Baby Boy but he’s also jarringly matter of fact. Tony is never messing with you. Even on concept songs he leads you frankly through imagery. Taydex understands synths, car speaker bounce, and club dance music. Taydex throws everything in a blender while Tony embraces his purpose…to tell you the absolute truth. The end of this album will kick you in the teeth so be ready. I’m not going to spoil anything.

D2x-Hotel 1105-

Chicago has been dominant this year. D2x is a tender property, this is his second album. The first (The Color Blue) was well done and sincere, showed a lot of promise. This one is more focused (10 songs v. 13) without a moment wasted. I’ve heard people say D2x is in that Dreamville lane and I understand that framing (not sure I agree) but his sincerity and skill is rarely too masked by ornate literary or sonic devices. Hotel 1105 is jazzy, soulful, and recognizably hip hop. The vibe on here is so good, by the time you get to Waves & Moonlights (produced by Ro Moore) you won’t be able to resist the head nodding or singing along with the hook. The tropical ambience on the cover comes through in how spacious this album lets itself be. It gives a nice contrast to The Color Blue which was purposefully more sparse. D2x shows clear growth on this, the kind that goes beyond bar to bar and verse to verse. His sophomore project shows his vision expanding on how an album can be structured.

Hus Kingpin-Threesome 4: Dirty Secrets

Hus is filthy but slick. I called him Count Dracula once and stuck with it. His beats are opulent, suave, stylish (listen to All Day by Prynce P) and in that trademark hush he can spill forth horrifying threats, dark seduction, he spins stories where he is gross and thoughtful. This series has allowed him to spin off into sex stories with models (See Naomi & Nalu) all the while that hard head NY rapper is ready to burst out from underneath this dark poetry “You so dope you squeeze between whirlwinds and throw skies open.(Night Writer)” and crack heads. When Hus is at his best he’s building tension in his delivery, storytelling, production choices creating an arc that satisfies like few others. This Threesome ep series has been the best of that.

H31R-Headspace (pre-order)-

J Words is one of the most important producers in the world and the single (Backwards) shows why. The combination of her interests are so unique that the end result sounds like nothing you will hear anywhere. Her companion maassai is the perfect counterweight to the lush twisted dance music. Vocally maassai always feels like she is in a deep trance, exploring her own thoughts in a meditative introspective way. Their 2020 album Ve-loc-i-ty snuck up on me and by the time I loved it, it was really too late to cover it. I am determined to get out in front of this one. This is bound to be an important album in a few respects 1. No 2023 album will sound like it 2. It will defy all your expectations lyrically (as maassai is always growing and challenging herself) and structurally (as J Words is ravenously experimental). Those 2 factors are bound to create something important.

Mitski-The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We(pre-order)-

For someone as old as I am Mitski is this generations Bjork/PJ Harvey experimental alternative rock voice. Bug Like An Angel has gentle strumming usurped by a soaring gospel chorus. Mitski finds ways to explore sadness, frustration, tangible emotional heaviness in a way that rocks. No matter how fancy the ideas or framework is, it’s a great time. Star is so gorgeous in the first minute but by the second minute it has grown. All the gorgeous parts have found friends and now the party is crowded and the feeling has turned claustrophobic. Mitski pulls the rug out from under us like Harvey and Bjork used to. I totally understand why Steel Tipped Dove was so hype for this album when I interviewed him. I am as well.