Music I Liked – Nilufer Yanya, Christian Scott, Strand of Oaks, Falaise, Crows

This week the accidental theme of music I like is mostly solo artists: Nilufer Yanya, Christian Scott a Tunde Adjuah, Strand of Oaks. Exceptions include Falaise and Crows.

Nilufer Yanya

On her album Miss Universe, UK artist Nilufer Yanya sounds familiar but not particularly like anybody else. It’s a comfortable place to be.

Christian Scott

Also known as Christian Scott a Tunde Adjuah, this jazz artist was featured on a blog for his new album, Ancestral Recall, which I couldn’t find online at the time. I ended up listening to an older album, Diaspora, and I liked it. I’m not a big fan of jazz in general, but I found his sound, triangulated between Herbie Hancock and Radiohead, to be very listenable.

Strand of Oaks

I’m already a fan of Strand of Oaks, which I tend to think of as a band but is really Tim Showalter’s project. Showalter’s voice has that same aching quality that pulled me in to Fjara-era Solstafir. The music fits on a playlist (or summer festival line up) with Phosphorescence and Band of Horses. It’s my favorite kind of folky, indie-rock sound. The new album Eraserland has gotten reviews saying it’s doomed to live in the shadow of it’s big hit predecessor. But I’ve had it on high rotation at my house since it came out.

Falaise

My requisite exception to the theme is Falaise, who seem to be an exception to more than just the theme. A duo instead of a solo project, Falaise is described as post-black metal. But to my ear the music is more post-metal than black metal. They are from Italy, but somehow A Place I Don’t Belong feels Cascadian. Is Cascadian post-metal a thing? It must be, because that’s what Falaise sounds like. (Ok, on later listens they sound more black metal. Sometimes I’m not so good with the labels. I just like what I like.)

Crows

Crows is a band not a solo act. But my husband sent me a link to Silver Tongues and said, “You’ll like this.” He was right.