Ibex Band: Stereo Instrumental Music (1976)

The year's most valuable straight reissue. What did the band that made Ere Mela Mela sound like when Mahmoud Ahmed wasn't around? Pretty great, unsurprisingly!

ibexband.bandcamp.com/album/stereo...

bradluen.substack.com/i/163876103/...

Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès (2024)

The pride of Thiès from 1979–83 reunites and, with the help of ringers including (allegedly) Senegal's only trombonist, find they might be the best band left at what they do

bradluen.substack.com/i/159681419/...

Danny Brown: Stardust

Danny played for time
Jiving us that we were voodoo
The kids were just crass
He was the nazz
With God-given ass
He took it all too far
But boy, could he spit a bar

dannybrown.bandcamp.com/album/stardu...

(not yet reviewed but rap album of the year obv.)

Public Enemy: Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025

Chuck'n'Flav are more vital than their Seniors Tour peers 'cuz they still feel like they have something to say, even if it's "ageism: shit is worse than racism"

publicenemy.bandcamp.com/album/black-...

bradluen.substack.com/p/semipop-li...

Backxwash: Only Dust Remains

Guilt can be useful if it keeps you alive a little longer. As can video games.

backxwash.bandcamp.com/album/only-d...

bradluen.substack.com/i/166022536/...

Ah, I tried a search but apparently Substack is umlaut-sensitive

BunnaB: Bunna Summa (Ice Cream Summer Deluxe)

ah da da DAAAAAAAAhhhh

bradluen.substack.com/i/166022536/...

Kurious: Majician (2024)

MF Doom associate returns as genial elder stateman ("you like mumble rap?" "hell yeah, that's my shit"). More of the same's on last year's Mystery Mixtape; October's mini God's Time has its moments

kurious1.bandcamp.com/album/majician

bradluen.substack.com/i/161754800/...

Even Palestrina I don't think I could pick out in a blindfold test. Monteverdi, yeah maybe.

I wondered if you got the wrong year, but it didn't match any plausible year

wait, I thought I read that it was Wallen?

yeah the differences are minor but there, don't know if it's worth making a fuss about versions

Bashy: Being Poor Is Expensive (2024)

Yes yes rapper turned actor turned rapper, but this has some of the most vivid storytelling of recent years, and plenty of attention to the actual music

bradluen.substack.com/i/166022536/...

haven't been to the Frick in 20 years, need to get back

Ken Krimstein, Einstein in Kafkaland. If, as seems almost likely, the two met at a salon in Prague 1911, what would they talk about? Insurance, apparently. This does a fine job of representing 4-D physics on a 2-D page (analogically; you still have to learn the equations, kids.) Not much Kafka!