I used to write a lot about music. These days, not so much. So I thought I’d write a little bit about the albums and artists that I’ve been digging recently, especially over this past year.

Wroclaw, Poland’s Błoto was born of hip-hop/jazz group EABS and while their music primarily lives in that Polish post-contemporary jazz world of Robotobibiok, Contemporary Noise Ensemble/Sextet/etc., and Pink Freud, they deliver a nice range of dark jazz ranging from funky to experimental to melodic. Their latest album Grzybnia is a worthy addition to their discography, with “Muchomor” being the track I can’t get enough of. My favorite album of theirs is 2021’s Kwasy i zasady and this live performance on public radio from that era captures their vibe perfectly:

There aren’t too many bands from the 1980s that can still release a new album and capture my attention every bit as much as they did when I was a kid. But, Duran Duran is one of those groups. This year, they re-released a deluxe version of 2023’s spooky season-themed Danse Macabre. It’s an engaging blend of new tracks, reinterpreted classics, and covers (dig their take on The Specials' “Ghost Town”).

In terms of new hip-hop artists, there are few catching my ear as much as Houston’s Norman Sann. In the past year, he’s released three albums (I Miss Mixtapes, Pressure, and Problematic), all bangers. He rides varying production styles with ease, sounding natural no matter the beat. At varying times, he sounds like Brother J, Motion Man, KAAN, and Andre 3000. Sann’s lyrics are sharp, full of pop culture references and worldplay, and are about as intricate as anyone else out there today. I put together a small playlist of my seven favorite tracks of his and also recommend checking out his extensive collection of videos (er, sorry, “visualizers”).

Sumac Dub has captivated me since his pandemic-era videos, bringing live, solo dub with a collection of interesting synths, samplers, and his violin. He’s released a number of singles, albums, and videos that are all worth checking out for their enveloping swirls of echoing melodies laid over thumping loops. Last year, he took it to the next level when he took a portable version of his music rig and created music while paragliding:

I mentioned her in an earlier post, but I’m loving everything saxophonist Sarah Hanahan does these days, particularly her live sets at Smalls.

Like most people, I first heard The Linda Lindas when they released “Racist, Sexist Boy” in 2021. Since then, they’ve kept up a pretty busy recording schedule. Their newest album, No Obligations is a heck of a lot of fun, with the driving punk songs you’d expect but also some slower, more melodic tunes that are every bit as engaging.

If you somehow aren’t familiar with Harry Mack and his inhuman ability to freestyle, do yourself a favor and check out his YouTube channel. Here’s a good video to start with, but also don’t miss his live shows, like this one in Portland. His recorded work isn’t quite as interesting to me, but I think that’s a testament to how incredible it is to watch his mind at work as he rhymes off-the-cuff. Absolutely one of the best to ever do it.

I’ll close with a few rapid fire reggae and hip-hop recommendations…

Reggae: The last few years I’ve really stuck with some of the reliable standbys: Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid, Protoje, Skillinjah, and Alborosie. (And of course Half Pint is always in the mix. Always.)

Hip-Hop: Common and Pete Rock’s first collaboation, The Auditorium Vol. 1 is really good… two legends teaming up and doing it right. Underground stalwart Godfather Don dropped a gem in Thesis. And, real talk: I didn’t hate LL’s new album (OK, maybe I did at first), though the comment someone made online about it sounding like he bullied Q-Tip out of beats he was going to use himself is kind of spot on.