4 minute read

MUSIC

Next Article
MUSIC

MUSIC

continued from p. 46 drum as well as kora, and Ovalles adds the deep, full sounds of gourds, the rich rattle of maracas, and a mix of syncopated beats from numerous AfroVenezuelan and Caribbean drums.

Like their recordings, the trio’s concerts offer moments of mystical lyricism and quiet beauty. But live, they also erupt into joyful, raucous abandon. The musicians seem to delight in revelations of their common musical roots—much like distant family members meeting for the first time and happily recognizing shared traits and features. At Suba Trio’s show at the Jazz Showcase last September, they o en danced as they wove an elegant tapestry of sound, using a leitmotif of West African rhythms. Their upcoming concert at Epiphany promises to be a healing experience: their bright, shining tunes suggest the possibility of connection, optimism, and hope. —CATALINA

MARIA JOHNSON

Album Reviews

Dorthia Cottrell, death Folk Country

Relapse dorthiacottrell.bandcamp.com/album/deathfolk-country

Singer-songwriter Dorthia Cottrell hails from King George, Virginia, a rural town about an hour and a half from Washington, D.C. Best known as front woman of underrated Richmond doom-metal band Windhand, Cottrell also makes solo recordings that recall the beauty and terror of the music of her youth—the folk songs she heard with family as well as the goth and alternative rock she gravitated to on her own. Her new second album, Death Folk Country (Relapse), is mesmerizing and beautiful. It explores death as a source of horror and of comfort (underpinned best by its opening and closing tracks, “Death Is the Punishment for Love” and “Death Is the Reward for Love”) in a gothic folk style that feels like doom metal stripped down to its barest bones. The record’s first single, “Family Annihilator” (released with an evocative video), has tight, intense murder-ballad energy and uses a slow rocking rhythm to build ritualistic power. Its second single, “Take Up Serpents,” is based on the Bible verse that has inspired churchgoers in Pentecostal Holiness denominations to handle snakes and drink poison, and its joyous country-gospel sound makes it one of the album’s most soothing songs—if you don’t think too hard about its themes. “Midnight Boy,” with its slinky, smoky, crunchy guitar, celebrates a demon lover with delirious horniness. Cottrell’s sly, gritty vocal delivery is so absorbing that it feels like the blink of an eye before the song fades into “Hell in My Water,” a bitter bluesy ballad about alcoholism and regret. Though Cottrell leans hard into death and sorrow, some of the album’s best moments are its most yearning. On “Eat What I Kill,” she sings: “Stop your crying and castin’ on runes / Once a bad girl, a bad girl for good / I think we both know, we’ve done more for worse / So why are you saying my name like a curse?” The same day Cottrell releases Death Folk Country, Relapse reissues Windhand’s self-titled 2012 debut album in a remastered edition with five previously unreleased bonus tracks—juxtaposing two sides of Cottrell’s remarkable career.

—MONICA KENDRICK

Jesus piece, . . . So Unknown Century Media linktr.ee/jesuspiecehc

From the moment Jesus Piece issued their selftitled 2016 debut EP, the Philly metalcore five-piece were clearly the real deal. Slamming together the most intense parts of hardcore and death metal into something guttural and ferocious, the band arrived like a manifesto nailed to your forehead, declaring that they could bring it as hard and heavy as the best of their ilk. They’ve since put out their first album, 2018’s Only Self (Southern Lord), along with a handful of singles and EPs. On their brandnew second LP, . . . So Unknown (Century Media), Jesus Piece have only gotten heavier, meaner, and more resolute. With pummeling Sepulturastyle guitar, Godflesh levels of dissonance, heinously unhinged vocals, and crushing breakdowns, every song feels like a mix of the most bonkers shit you’ve ever heard—and each track feels more deranged than the last. If ridiculously heavy beatdowns, caveman-core arrangements, and monstrous death-metal growls make you as happy as they make me, prepare for total elation as . . . So Unknown demonstrates just how much damage crushing riffs can do.

—LUCA CIMARUSTI

SolarFive and Custom Made, Paved with Good Intentions

Filthē solarfive.bandcamp.com/album/paved-withgood-intentions

Quentin Cole, who makes music as SolarFive, has given a lot to modern Chicago hip-hop. The diligent rapper, beat slinger, and engineer has made superb albums with his beat collective, OnGaud, and he’s collaborated with some of the city’s brightest hip-hop artists, including Defcee, Mick Jenkins, and Pivot Gang’s MFn Melo.

SolarFive flexes his soulful, gritty chops on Paved With Good Intentions, his latest project with Chicago producer Custom Made (full disclosure: Custom Made also produced my 2022 release Bigg

Perrm ). SolarFive likes to float his voice across dark, brooding, melodic tunes with a rumbling, locomotive flow, and he continues that trend here, with Custom Made handling his heavy raps with care. Custom incorporates a broad mix of sounds, including dusty-sounding vintage hardcore hiphop and bright, dreamy tracks accompanied by live instrumentation—it’s no wonder he’s one of the more sought-a er beat makers in the city.

On “In the Wind,” which features smooth synths and a wistful vocal sample, SolarFive considers moonlighting in revenge. His vocal performance shifts from lucid and bluesy to blistering and aggressive on lines like “I smell fear when I inhale hope” and “I’m stocking up on ammo just so I can feel at peace.” On “Shogun” he’s joined by freakishly talented Chicago MC IAMGAWD, who adds an expert, refreshing jolt of energy over horror-tinged piano keys. Paved With Good Intentions is SolarFive’s reminder that while he’s an amazing producer in his own right, he’s also power ful with the pen. This is grown-man rap full of cathartic, existential lessons from a person with no shortage of war stories. It’s perfect for latenight drives and contemplative smoke sessions.

—CRISTALLE BOWEN v

This article is from: