The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

I’m about 30 minutes into my first listen of HK ever, on YouTube. And I just bought the LP. Because dang. I’ve never heard anything quite like it and I want to be able to remember to go back to this again and again. It’s got a crazy mix of genres, with songs that change up time signatures, yet it’s still super accessible. The lead singer has a terrific voice, the vibe of the record makes me feel like I’m not cool enough to listen to it, it’s retro and futuristic at the same time, agh...I love it.

Sorry for such disorganized thoughts. It’s like describing a new infatuation to someone: I’m too overly stimulated and enamored by it all to talk about it properly right now.
 
Listening before bed was a mistake. I was't able to commit my full attention to the album and as a result my enjoyment suffered greatly. I felt the songs sounded very same-y from track to track.

I stuck it on again this morning, and had a completely different experience! This is an album that benefits from actively engaging with it. I was able to appreciate each song as something different and exciting. It provided a great soundtrack to breakfast and my commute.
 
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sorcerer said:
to think one of my choices for if I got picked was a 94 minute hip hop album....
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I'd still say go for it! I'm not opposed to long albums, but it does mean I've got to really set aside the time to sit down and listen to them from front to back. I prefer the "all killer, no filler" approach to albums, but if an album can have a long runtime and be consistently good through all of it, I don't mind
 
Alexander said:
Listening before bed was a mistake. I was't able to commit my full attention to the album and as a result my enjoyment suffered greatly. I felt the songs sounded very same-y from track to track.

I stuck it on again this morning, and had a completely different experience! This is an album that benefits from actively engaging with it. I was able to appreciate each song as something different and exciting. It provided a great soundtrack to breakfast and my commute.
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I think this was exactly how I experienced things too. It took me a few listens before I was able to better differentiate songs from one another, but it always compelled me to come back.
 
Splunders said:
The album I picked for this week is Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote (May 2015)

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I don’t have the writing chops of @Dead C or @syngts so I’m going to keep things pretty simple here…

Hiatus Kaiyote is a four piece insert-your-own-descriptor-here soul band (guitar, drums, bass, keys) from Melbourne, Australia.

Choose Your Weapon, their 2nd album, is something I’ve listened to in a very even fashion – never binging and burning out, but always coming back month after month for the past few years for more.
They tend to eschew verse-chorus-verse structure, instead taking whatever path seems natural for each song. The band is super tight and very talented - able to stop, start, twist and undulate on a dime. The detailed arrangements can be lush or funky, jazzy or rambunctious, sometimes all within one song.
If you give each song 30 seconds and skip to the next one, you’re going to be missing out. It sounds great blasting out of speakers or headphones. And look at that cover!

I hope you find something in it you like….

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This album is sick! I love it. Thank you for choosing this @Splunders !!!!
 
Not sure I would have discovered Hiatus Kaiyote if not for this Anderson Paak jam that sampled them.



After a bit of research to find the sample, I hit up YouTube and this was the first video that popped up...



After many "Whews!!!" and "Got-Damns!!!," I immediately went out and got the record!! Of course, I fell in love with it on first listen. So many textures and super tight grooves. And Nai Palm is truly a badass.
 
rightasra1n said:
Absolutely love HK and this album. Definitely in my top 5 albums of the past 5 years probably 10. I was introduced to them through Nakamarra not long after their first album came out, but I had trouble getting into that one aside from Nakamarra (an all-time great song, imo) and maybe one other song. But when CYW came out, I was fully on board. It's a little too long to me, but that's the only gripe I have. Nai Palm, the lead singer, is a super fascinating person, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Her mother died of the same disease. She had a mastectomy and while recovering recorded this stunning video from her hospital bed . They've been working on their next record, and it's the album I'm most looking forward to. Seriously hope it comes out this year. Also bandmate Clever Austin released an album back in March. It's a very interesting album that I need to spend more time with.

But back to CYW. Just a fantastic record. Not too long ago I discovered that there's track-by-track commentary on spotify and if you dig the album, I would definitely recommend listening to the commentary. My favorite tracks have to be Building A Ladder, Molasses, The Lung, Fingerprints... The weakest moment to me is the chorus of Swamp Thing, but everything else in the track makes up for the hook that I don't love.
Curious to read other responses to this.
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@Teeeee not sure if the solo projects are getting in the way?
 
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