Episodes
Heavn by Jamila Woods fuses R&B, Jazz and various other genres including classic indie. Surely it must appeal to Cure-loving Fatiha!
Published 05/27/22
Published 05/27/22
Freetown Sound by Blood Orange is such an "immaculate" album that James worries he might burst into tears just talking about it. Here's hoping Aparna feels the same, otherwise trouble could be afoot.
Published 05/20/22
Splendor & Misery is a sci-fi concept album by experimental rap trio Clipping. Lyrics and soundscapes combine to tell an Afrofuturist story of an escape from oppression into the void of space. Jen Ives prepares to be transported.
Published 05/13/22
James confesses to being in love with ScHoolboy Q's Blank Face LP. With a Gangsta rap core but with psychedelic overtones and great production, is there enough to seduce Stuart Laws too?
Published 05/06/22
The ever-polarising Kanye West can be controversial at times but James can't help but like the music. After all, his 2016 album The Life of Pablo has a vein of weirdness running through it that is right up James' street. However, is it a path Toussaint Douglass is willing to tread?
Published 04/29/22
Black Terry Cat by Xenia Rubinos is a magical album drawing on many influences and described by the artist herself as "a punk Beyoncé". However, is it enough to impress one of Scotland's finest, Fern Brady?
Published 04/22/22
Fetish Bones by Moor Mother delivers a powerful message via a sonically abrasive backdrop. Labelled by the artist herself as Black Girl Blues, Project Housing Bop or Slaveship Punk, it's an album that demands the listener's full attention. However, was it enough to hold Sadia Asmat's attention?
Published 04/15/22
Emily's D+Evolution, a brilliant Jazz-Rock-Funk fusion album by Grammy Award winning Esperanza Spalding, is usually the last thing Sara Barron would listen to. However, some finely crafted lyrics start to reel her in.
Published 04/08/22
Wes Borland you may remember as the guitarist in '90s rock/rap outfit Limp Bizkit. In 2016 he released Crystal Machete, a soundtrack to an imagined film. James and Nathan try to imagine what that film would look like.
Published 04/01/22
Mahoroboshiya by Japanese folk singer Ichiko Aoba is an album with such a delicate and intimate feel that James can't help but relax to it. However, is it enough to chill '90s R&B-loving Thanyia Moore?
Published 03/25/22
Rien by Perrine en Morceaux has a sound so big, it envelopes James and (in his words) makes him feel like a little boy. But is it too big for Jayde Adams to handle?
Published 03/18/22
Awaken My Love was a massive left turn for Childish Gambino and produced one of the best songs of 2016 in the form of Redbone. Influenced by George Clinton's '70s band Funkadelic but with modern techniques, it made Rhys Nicholson "Horny... but not for sex".
Published 03/11/22
Jenny Hval’s 2016 concept album, on the theme of Blood, is a collection of light and beautiful melodies interspersed with dark and haunting soundscapes. James tasks Charlie George to have a listen and report back.
Published 03/04/22
Fatihah El Ghorri, by her own admission, loves Cliff Richard and Shrek. So will the mourneful, gravelly tones of Leonard Cohen appeal to her?
Published 02/25/22
Ami Dang, a classically trained sitar player, fuses ancient Sikh hymns and poems of Gurus with a modern dance feel and calls it "Bollywave". Will it be enough to sweep Sikisa Bostwick-Barnes off her feet?
Published 02/18/22
ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ (or Oesch Magziu to you and me) by ГШ (or Glintshake to you and me) is an album inspired by the Russian avant-garde, a creative movement popular in Russia in the early 20th Century and worked into a more modern sound. However, will it translate across the globe? Australia's finest, Aaron Chen, is here to tell us.
Published 02/11/22
The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End of Time is a 6-hour project exploring the descent into dementia. It had a profound effect on James, but what effect will it have on Jen Ives?
Published 02/04/22
James and Kiri discuss Portugese maestro, Bruno Pernadas' 2016 album, Those Who Throw Objects at the Crocodiles Will Be Asked to Retrieve Them.
Published 01/28/22
Carly Rae Jepsen's 2016 album Emotion: Side B is 110% pure pop, with enough sweetness to thaw James' cold heart towards the genre. However, is there too much sugar for Dai Henwood to digest?
Published 01/21/22
With music inspired by improvisational Jazz, Persian and African folk and vocals in myriad languages, it's hard to tie Léonore Boulanger to a specific genre. Will Isy Suttie, with her background in jazz and prog rock bands, be won over?
Published 01/14/22
We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. Hip Hop legends A Tribe Called Quest released their final album in 2016 and surely reinforces James' claim that this was indeed, the greatest year in music - of all time! But will Chloe Petts agree?
Published 01/07/22
Inspired by classic art, sculpture and a year in Rome, Meilyr Jones' album 2013 is quite simply beautiful. James is hoping that Ahir will agree.
Published 12/17/21
The Impossible Kid is a charming and personal album written by Aesop Rock whilst isolating in a cabin in the woods. Full of fables and colourful characters, surely Rosie Jones will be charmed...James has his fingers crossed.
Published 12/10/21
Sikisa thought R&B was dead...Then came Solange's 2016 album, A Seat At The Table. A masterpiece that brought Solange out of the shadow of sister, Beyoncé.
Published 12/03/21