1. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 (2014)
I'll start with my favourite album of the year so far, and most probably the album that will still sit head and shoulders above the rest come the end of December. The audacious, abrasive and supercharged Run The Jewels 2. The most exciting duo currently in hip hop, El-P and Killer Mike are at it again in 2014. Not since Gambino's Because The Internet last year have I been so consistently blown away by pretty much every track on an album. Not that I expected less, but compared to the good but slightly unpolished Run The Jewels last year, this is up there with some of the best hip hop projects of the decade. For me this album is the antithesis of versatility. From the production to the rhyme schemes to the subject matters, this album provides surprise after surprise. If you're looking for something to vibe out and relax to, this isn't the album to pick. These tracks will pick you up, throw you around and most crucially, make you think. Check it out!
2. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)
I can't do this album justice with words. It really doesn't need an introduction. If you're a hip hop head and you still haven't heard Donuts, what are you doing? Go listen to it, now. This is one of those albums that doesn't require patience or even to be played from start to finish. Its one of the most accessible albums I've ever heard and that's maybe why its been in almost constant rotation for the last couple of months. Dilla uses impeccable sampling to produce a comprehensive montage of beautiful sounds and grooves from the 70's and beyond. This album finally cemented J Dilla as a hip hop legend and was tragically released just days before his untimely death in early 2006. What makes it even more astounding is the fact he recorded much of Donuts whilst dying in hospital. The genius is that even though Dilla wasn't producing exclusively authentic beats, you can hear his infectious love for music in every track. Unlike Run The Jewels 2, put this album on when you want to loosen up and vibe out to some blissful grooves.
3. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
This was one of those albums that I was very late to, but thank god I found it in the end. Wilco is one of those bands that aren't for everyone, but I think this albums transcends that stereotype. If you have an appreciation for indie rock music, this is right up your alley. Jeff Tweedy's voice is full of melancholy and it gives all of the tracks an undeniable sense of introspection and some kind of impending doom. Instead of settling for cliched, folky production which would have been all too easy for Wilco, the band really makes a concerted effort to change up the instrumentation on most of the tracks here. They get the balance just right between subtlety and experimentation, making the songs sound original and spectacular. After watching a documentary on the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it amazed me that their record label dropped them because they didn't like this album. I guess the band took a risk in recording songs with such artful pedigree. But in the end it payed off and the album became a modern rock classic, which it rightfully deserves to be. This is a perfect winter album. Put it on when you're feeling down and fall mercifully into the comfort of these great and mysterious songs.
Those are my 3 selections for this month. I hope to have much more content coming soon so stay tuned. Also feel free to tweet me @Balzo93
