Hello everybody! Happy first day of December! We are one month away from 2020. HALLELUJAH!!! So I am back with another monthly favorites. November was kind of interesting because I was actually struggling with finding some good music. Luckily good music started rolling in around the halfway point. Let’s talk about some of that good music, starting with the honorable mentions.
Singles Honorable Mentions
Your Old Droog – Pravda: If you’re a fan of lyrical rap check out this posse cut. Your Old Droog got a combination of great underground artists and some legends on this joint. This track has Mach-Hommy, The God Fahim, El-P from Run The Jewels, and Black Thought from the Roots. There was no way this song was going to be bad with this insane line up. Each person has a great verse. I really like the beat as well. It is very chill and classy. Give this track a listen.v
MAVI – SMH: To be honest I am not the biggest MAVI fan, but this single really impressed me. My biggest complaint about MAVI’s music is that he doesn’t differentiate himself from his influences. He usually sounds a lot like Earl Sweatshirt or MIKE, but MAVI switches things up on “SMH”. He sounds very lively. His flows are insane. This man is just rapping his ass off on a soulful beat. I have always been a fan of the beats he raps over. I really hope MAVI can rap like this for an entire project. If he can, then that project will for sure be amazing.
Rina Sawayama – LUCID: So the day after Rina Sawayama got snubbed from a Grammy nomination, she decides to drop a single reminding everybody why she deserves a Grammy. This pop banger has a great danceable beat. I love the bouncy production. I think the lyrics are very cool. Rina lucid dreaming just to see her dream girl is pretty endearing. Although Rina didn’t show off her vocal prowess, her singing is always great. Rina seems to never disappoint.
Album Honorable Mentions
Ligier Countach – Flying Cars: Indie Pong’s very own George Folz made a collaborative album with Sean Lunch called Flying Cars. This is Ligier Countach’s debut album and it’s honestly pretty good. I am a huge fan of aggressive sounding production. We get plenty of that on this album. This instrumental album is very trippy. I love how loud and abrasive each track is. I know that they are currently working on the next album, so I can’t wait to check it out. Go give this album some love. It is worth checking out!
Goodie Mob – Survival Kit: This album is for anybody who misses late 90’s/early 2000’s southern hip hop. It’s been a minute, but Goodie Mob is finally back. In this album, Goodie Mob reflects on America’s political climate at the moment. They rap about serious issues like racism, police brutality, and social injustice. Of course, they sound very mad on every track. The production has that classic southern hip hop feel. They even got Chuck D from Public Enemy and Outkast on the album. Well Andre 3000 and Big Boi are on different tracks, but at least they are on the same album. This all results in some amazing hip hop music. Don’t sleep on this album.
Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios): This might not be my album of the month, but it is most certainly the sexiest album of the month. Hell, it might be the sexiest album of the year. Kali continues to prove how versatile she is by dropping her first mostly spanish album. On this album we not only get some of Kali’s best songs, but we also get to listen to some of her best singing in her career. I really like how diverse the track list is. You might get an alternative R&B song on one track and reggaetón on the next track. She is very talented. I honestly think I am falling in love. This is amazing!
Favorite Song of the Month
System Of A Down – Genocidal Humanoidz: I chose this song as my favorite song of the month mostly because of nostalgia. What can I say, I really love this band. I discovered their music after they broke up, so I never thought I would experience new SOAD music. Luckily that is not the case because they dropped two tracks in hopes to bring awareness to the horrible situation going on in Armenia. Even though I liked their other single, “Protect The Land”, I chose “Genocidal Humanoidz” because they deliver their message in an angrier way. This track sounds like a classic SOAD record. They didn’t lose their touch. If you miss SOAD as much as I have, go enjoy their new singles.
Favorite EP of the Month
JPEGMAFIA – EP!: JPEGMAFIA is one of my favorite experimental rappers at the moment. Peggy has been blessing us all year by dropping several singles. After dropping “LAST DANCE!”, which didn’t end up on the EP for some reason, on streaming services, he decided to turn these singles into a short EP. Each track has weird and kooky production. I really like how diverse each song is. There are some mellow tracks and there are also some aggressive cuts. He could be rapping his ass off on a track and singing his ass off on the next track. This EP is currently only on bandcamp, but every song is on every streaming service. Also, every track has a music video, so there is no excuse to not listen to this EP!
Favorite Album of the Month
Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide: I have already reviewed this album on Indie Pong, so check out my article if you want a more thorough explanation on why I love this album. I will say this, there is a reason why people consider Aesop Rock as one of the best lyricists of all time. This album is lyrically dense. I love this album’s concept. I think especially in 2020 we all need a survival guide. Let me not forget to mention that the production off of this album is out of this world. This album has it all! Great album! I recommend it.
These are my monthly favorites! Let me know what you have been listening to!