Jazz
It takes a special creator to understand the infinitude of their instrument, and one listen to Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace reveals that Shabaka is transcending alongside the listener with each new flute sound. Keyboardist Jeff Babko, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana congregated in Los Angeles for a casual hang but when the players are this good and simpatico, it only made sense to hit record. The result? Clam City, a Qobuz exclusive release. Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music era has produced an exhilarating amount of avant-garde tinged bop, but GIFTS—both in lineup and sonics—may be the incredible label’s best release. Of all the records being remastered in Hi-Res from the Concord archives—which includes Craft, Fania, Fantasy—there may not be one that needed it more than The Fox, with its busy-yet-purposeful and controlled chaos begging for deeper listening. Rhythmically enchanting and tightly driven, Márta Sanchez’s gives her best performance as a bandleader on Perpetual Void, which comes tinged with free jazz and improvisation in the perfect places. And though it feels early in the career of Isaiah Collier, he has been playing with modern masters for quite some time. That confidence shows on The Almighty, a spiritual jazz record of scope and substance that any player would love to create.
Pop
Leyla McCalla, formerly the cellist of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, deftly mixes world, folk, rock and jazz on Sun Without the Heat in celebration of her Haitian heritage. Sinkane’s We Belong feels like the final level of their transformation: deeply impactful, funky, fun and vibrant while passing on a message that cannot be shared enough. On her masterpiece Letters from a Black Widow, Judith Hill demonstrates her understanding of the correlations between pop, blues, folk and soulful R&B so well that it’s easy to overlook the incredible lyrical well she draws from frequently. Brazilian Bruno Berle’s beautiful Qobuzissme-awarded sophomore effort No Reino Dos Afetos 2 vacillates between low-key funkiness and gorgeous singer-songwriter folk. Two Chicago musicians—Vivian McConnell and Daniel Villarreal—join forces as Valebol to create stylish and flirty synth-laden pop tunes. Leaning on city pop, ‘80s R&B and modern synth, Fabiano Palladino’s self-titled debut sound startlingly original, catchy and sultry.
Rock
Mark Knopfler’s warm, familiar voice buoys the introspective, blues-folky One Deep River, his tenth solo record. Vintage harmonies and melodies on Meet the Lostines set the New Orleans-via-Oregon duo apart from the normal lot of country rockers on the rise. St. Vincent’s eclectic songwriting shines on the self-produced All Born Screaming, a bit of a rebirth for the artist after a few albums with more sanded-down edges. Phosphorescent’s triumphant return to sad folk rock comes stacked with his irreplaceable dry wit and brilliant, sometimes dark lyricism on Revelator. Pearl Jam sound as cohesive as ever on their 12th album, Dark Matter—a winning formula of arena-ready hooks, crashing guitars and propulsive drums; rock and roll will never die.
Classical
South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim showcases astounding mastery that highlights both technical and interpretative skills on his Decca debut, Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25. Terry Riley’s In C received a fresh interpretation from avant-garde cellist Maya Beiser for its 60th anniversary. Soprano Golda Schultz spotlights opera’s female protagonists in Mozart, You Drive Me Crazy! Isabelle Faust’s prolific discography continues with her latest, Britten: Violin Concerto, Chamber Works, which also features a world premiere recording of Britten’s “Two Pieces” with her violist brother, Boris Faust. Iconic repertoire is revisited in Best of BRSO (Live) from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, featuring a roster of star conductors, including Simon Rattle, Mariss Jansons, Jakub Hrůša, and more. An opera version of The Hours composed by Kevin Puts and featuring Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Joyce DiDonato with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin arrives from the stage to wider audiences.
Electronic
Maria Chiara Argirò's newest genre-bender, Closer, is a tender and fascinating record—both her most complex and most pop-leaning effort thus far. Nia Archives has emerged as a leader of the new jungle school and her status is further cemented with Silence is Loud where jittery breakbeats intersect with Gen Z angst. On the soigne Hyperdrama, French electronic duo Justice invite you back to the dance floor after an eight-year absence joined by notable guest stars including Thundercat and Miguel. Howie Lee combines Buddhist chants and melodies with leftfield club music on At The Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery, creating one of the wildest (and coolest) moments in recent dance music. Parisian duo UTO skip merrily through European electro sounds to make the strangest parts of their creativity their strongest points on the engaging, Qobuzissime-bestowed When all you want to do is be the fire part of fire. The title may belie the fact that The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions is a warm and inviting record but perhaps that was Vegyn’s intent? Either way, it’s wonderful.
More Favorites
ROLLERCOASTER, a dance-forward rap album from Cadence Weapon, is a perfect title for a record that doesn’t worry about consequences to calling out how fragmented our society has become in the tech age. Sidling between jazzy folk and R&B, Blunt Chunks’ songs interweave incongruous ideas, like fascinated boredom, to create a stalwart Qobuzissime-honored debut, The Butterfly Myth. Aside from the brutality and supreme riffs, Replicant’s metal-album-of-the-year candidate summons references as wide-ranging and obscure as an Ezra Pound canto. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross imbue tension and visceralness into every bead of sweat and accelerated heartbeat on their score for the tennis-themed film Challengers, already their sixteenth collaboration. Big Star’s first two records get a fresh remastering, with album two Radio City also making its Hi-Res debut. The short-lived Memphis power-pop pioneers were lightning in a bottle, capturing the tumultuous genius of songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell.
Compiled by Sujan Hong, Jeff Laughlin, Nitha Viraporn/Qobuz USA