Acts of Faith

Sault

Sault back at it again with music of daily encouragement and praise. A staple of a human's music library and constant rotation. Every time I play this it feels like a sunny spring day where mom's doing spring cleaning and the house smells like lavender.

Marry Me

St. Vincent

I first heard Anne Clark on Willow's "pain for fun" and was blown away by her voice — the best way I can describe it is 'Premium Singer'. Usually I pick new albums to try based on album art but this time it was a song title: 'Jesus saves, I spend'. What followed were consistently gray (not dark) interpretations of everyday life in writing that is delivered by a soft (and premuim) voice embedded on ethereal production. I love this woman's voice and writing.

Lay Low

Eddie Chacon

Heartbreak songs written and sang heartbrokenly. The voice and production take you into a space so abstract that you could easily not realise it's a mournful space. Another thing that would happen with this is sometimes it's a heartbreak album then sometimes the exact same songs would be cautionary guides to adulting speaking to how things might go wrong in different facets of the worldly experience.

Wierdo

Emma-Jean Thackray

As the title suggests, this is for all the weirdos out there. Appearently openly talking about how you genuienly feel is weird now... It describes what I believe everyone living in the big city experiences once in a while but, to my shock, no one talks about it — probably because I'm trying to talk about it with a random stranger I met at groove. This shit make you wanna go to a therapist and play it for them. Makes you think: is being alone natural? If not, then why do we crave it so much?

Equinox - EP

Common Saints

An excellent follow up to Cinema 3000. The EP continues Cinema 3000's theme of embracing one's inner light against the world's encroaching darkness. Firebird, Honey and Electricity are ones to add to the weekly rotation to keep me going while Equinox and Supanova create a sonic odyssey that suspends the world around me, inviting me to close my eyes and simply exist within the sound.

Love Warrior's Anthem

Kwashibu Area Band

This takes me to the 70s definitely, somewhere in West Africa. That 10 second part from 2:09 on Nkwanta Bisa is pure heaven. It is a crime to play this in the background for “vibes” — this is a dance album. JAZZ IS NOT DEAD. Give thanks for art like this that keeps it alive. It's the grooves and melodies for me 😭. This shit make me wanna throw a house party and play this on repeat.

Tuff Times Never Last

Kokoroko

This was made to play at any time, any place and any mood. Three piece suit is a classic already — always have to play it twice. "Together we are" feels like the album cover, the entire album feels like its cover — I just realised that doesn't happen often for most of the albums I like. In a time where we feel isolated and alone, this album is best enjoyed with with all your loved ones — it makes you wanna call everyone you love and tell them that you appreciate them. Beautiful grooves as always.

Luminal

Brain Eno & Beatie Wolfe

The runner-up to album of the year. Speaking of closed eyes and existing within the sound, I always make sure I'm in a state where I can give this my full attention before playing. This shit'll transport you ma dawg, the sound is so fucking clean — I don't even want to sing along, it feels like I'm ruining it. I love how the Universe constantly echoes the same truth — that we are beams of light from its own sun — through such breathtaking works of art. Church is in session.

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Nino & Friends at Treepeople

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Nino & Friends

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' Give thanks 🤍

The Prophet and The Madman

Ami Taf Ra

Ami Taf Ra is a sangoma fo sho. The fact that the album starts by talking about a fall into madness is beautiful to me. I get it, a perspective change may make one feel mad — especially when the new perspective is acknowledging that you are everything, that you're made of a substance the universe runs on. She continues to unpack human's bond with the life force and how it guides us through the story of Love. Jazz is a psychedelic in the form of sound.

LERATO LA RONA*

Lerato Orchestral Collective

Coming at you with Love, radical Self knowledge and South African grooves, this is Lerato Orchestral Collective*. Amazing performers — nothing but pure energy bro, the album sounds like jazz but it's actually rock in-person (at this point we've transended genre). Sounds and sentiments of the streets, we welcome the new generation of African Praise Singers. We hope this brings you independence from those we've been told will lead us but leave us hanging.

Currents

Tame Impala

While obsessed with the song, I asked AI for "songs that feel like Rihanna's Same Ol' Mistakes" and it directed me to the original. What blows my mind is the note he sings in 😭 — I always sing in that note and people always diss me but Kevin made it work! Love it. I still don't know how to describe the album's sound except by saying "flying". I had slept on this album before but I'm glad I came back, it's a very fun album to jam. "Love/Paranoia" is my shit.

Deadbeat

Tame Impala

This sounds like a non-Tame Impala album, but gawd damn did he perfectly execute dance songs to constantly repeat in your room. Just like Currents, the album sounds like it's produced by Tame Impala but written by Kevin with the most relatable lyrics. I'm convinced that all he writes is a true story that really happened to him. I feel he writes for those who have good intentions but acknowledge that they don't know wtf they're doing. There are too many rules to this adulting shit.

MAGLERA TAPES

Maglera Doe Boy & ONDELIVE

One of hip-hop's roles is to inspire street confidence to those on the grind - Maglera understood the assignment. I may not care for designer clothes for myself but gawd damn do I love the confidence it gives to rappers. Skothane rap overflowing kasi confidence. The flow way too silly 😥 bro. The tal is too fresh. Pure African child swag my bru. Shout out to Lia Butler on Bophelo. This shit make me wanna paint the streets black.