I - J:
The Atmos titles I can take or leave include new records by Immanuel Wilkins (immensely talented young saxophonist whose music just doesn't land with me), Ivan Cornejo (over-earnest singer-songwriter
en Español), Jamie xx (run-of-the-mill EDM), Joy Oladokun (whose last album was fabulous, but this one doesn't measure up), and Julian Lage (lovely set, brilliant guitarist, but even so...). Nothing exciting about any of the mixes, either. Keepers:
Jessica Pratt,
Here In the Pitch. I've totally slept on her, even though she’s been around a while and comes from my part of the world. Her sound is '60s retro—but she has more of a Dusty Springfield-Cilla Black vibe (with a touch of Astrud Gilberto) than the “freak-folk” label she’s been saddled with. Only tracks 1 & 3 have an Atmos mix, and the overall production is spare and reverby, so the immersive effects are subtle.
Jihye Lee Orchestra,
Infinite Connections. Finally: the contemporary big-band album in Atmos I’ve been waiting for! (Even if it's not by Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue, or Miho Hazama--although both Argue and his longtime engineer Brian Montgomery worked on this album, and I suspect the excellent Atmos mix is by the latter.)
Julia Holter,
Something in the Room She Moves. For me, this is the standout album of this batch. It might not grab you out of the gate, but find a quiet place with no distractions and really listen to it. Spiritually/temperamentally, Holder is a granddaughter of Kate Bush, and the music here is both psychedelic & somatic. She was also personally involved, with Kenny Gilmore & Ted White, in creating the Atmos mix, which is one of the best of the year, IMO. (They've really figured out how to do object placement effectively—to the extent that the mix succeeds in creating “phantom” sides on my 5.1.4 system.)
Stereo albums from this segment of the alphabet that I'll be coming back to: Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly,
MESTIZX (cool, new-wavy, experimental electro-pop); Jacken Elswyth,
At Fargrounds (lovely, low-key, banjo-driven Appalachian folk tunes by a member of the Shovel Dance Collective); Jamie Baum Septet+,
What Times Are These (five-star contemporary chamber-jazz); Jeff Parker ETA IVtet,
The Way Out of Easy (mesmerizing jazz-trance from the LA scene); John Hollenbeck and NDR Bigband,
Colouring Hockets (still
more next-gen jazz orchestra!); Joy Guidry,
Amen (is it jazz, soul, gospel, ambient?--whatever it is, it grew on me).
K - L:
Almost halfway through the alphabet, I'm getting more and more blasé. I can live without most of the Atmos offerings in this segment--and there are a lot of them--not least because so many of the mixes themselves are so disposable. But most of the music is middling, too, IMO. Kacey Musgraves,
Deeper Well: her songcraft is more than capable, but it's just
not that deep. Kali Uchis,
Orchideas parte 2: lightweight, poppy electro-R&B. Kaytranada,
Timeless: not quite so insubstantial, but equally forgettable. (The Atmos mix has a little more to it than most of this bunch, but it's hardly one for the ages, either.) Kelly Lee Owens,
Dreamstate: astral EDM, if you like that sort of thing; me, not so much. (Again, though, the Atmos mix has a bit more going for it.) Kendrick Lamar,
GNX: Grammys notwithstanding, neither the lyrics nor the music on this one stand up to his previous three albums. Khruangbin,
A La Sala: chillout music with an occasional Afro-Cuban flair. Klô Pelgag,
Abracadabra: stately Francophone electro-artpop that’s not quite my jam. The Last Dinner Party,
Prelude to Ecstasy: neo-baroque pop that's also not my jam. Laura Marling,
Patterns In Repeat: a little too precious. Loe Shimmy,
Zombieland 2: one of the legion of interchangeable processed-vocals rappers chanting melismatically-but-tunelessly over the same skittery-cicada drum samples and the same languid two-chord R&B vamps. Might as well have been written by AI. (Shall I tell you how I
really feel about that one? And did I say "blasé" at the head of this paragraph? Maybe I meant
cranky.)
So: will I be coming back to
anything here? Well . . .
Kamasi Washington,
Fearless Movement: I thought I was over Kamasi, figuring I'd clocked his West Coast Get Down number and heard enough already. But this album has almost as much funk, soul, hip-hop, and fusion as it does next-gen “spiritual" jazz. Plus, it sports a great guest list and a decent Atmos mix.
Laurie Anderson,
Amelia: because anything she wants to do is okay by me. Tells a compelling story with an immersive mix worthy of a radio drama.
Lava La Rue,
Starface: they cover a whole bunch of styles, including some ear candy for fans of funky, neo-retro, Macy Gray-style R&B. Only about half the album got me humming, though. And sadly, the Atmos mix uses the overheads sparely.
LL Cool J,
The Force: not quite as fresh as I hoped, but not nearly as stale as I'd feared, either. “Black Code Suite” is a standout, both music-wise and mix-wise.
Keepers from the stereo column: Kim Deal (Pixies),
Nobody Loves You More; Kronos Quartet,
Outer Spaceways Incorporated: Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra; La Luz,
News of the Universe (spunky "surf noir" girl band); Leilehua Lanzilotti, Longleash, & So Percussion,
the sky in our hands, our hands in the sky (uber-minimalism); Lo Carmen & The Great Beyond,
Transatlantic Light (rough-edged, country-tinged singer-songwriter); Lollise,
I Hit the Water (Botswanan Afro-Futurism).
