I couldn't come up with ten. I blame myself, living out in the woods with tenuous internet and not seeking out as I should have new sounds this year, at least not with the usual amount of diligence. I know there were things I missed, which this year's staff lists revealed to me. I was aware that I should be hip to Solange's new one. I wasn't even thinking about Thao & the Get … [Read more...]
Nextbop’s Favorite Non-Jazz Albums of 2016
It was difficult to find engagement in this year's music. This was a year of loss, of disappointment, of scattershot feelings and even moreso scattershot expression. This isn't to say there want immense work of quality, which makes discovering it even more intriguing. There wasn't a lot of overlap in our staff lists this year, which made for a group of rather exciting … [Read more...]
David Bowie – “Killing a Little Time” (Stream)
Yesterday, one of three songs from the late David Bowie's Blackstar sessions -- the ones featuring saxophonist Donny McCaslin, keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Mark Guiliana -- started floating around. These are songs that didn't quite make the album but will appear on the cast recording of Bowie's last play, Lazarus, which releases tomorrow. Check … [Read more...]
David Bowie – ‘Blackstar’
David Bowie gave us one last masterpiece: ★ (pronounced "Blackstar"). And true to form, it leaves us with more questions than answers. I began writing this review before Davie Bowie died, and the work becomes that much more powerful when you realize he knew it would be his last. The whole album is an almost alien journey through the center of the Blackstar formed by an epic--in … [Read more...]