On Jamie xx, Algiers and Little Simz: Music critic Tyler Dunston ruminates on this year’s greatest debut albums.
- “A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons” — Little Simz
Little Simz’s debut, though it leaves us too soon at a mere 34 minutes, brings with it the promise of more to come. As an album, it stands more as an introduction than a tale. Indeed, “A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons” is a coronation. Little Simz declares from the onset, “Women can be kings,” and she proves it by crowning herself. In doing so, she leaves us wanting more, already anticipating her sophomore LP.
- “Algiers” — Algiers
Algiers blends seemingly disparate genres such as soul, punk, and gospel into impassioned music as well as social protest. There is righteous anger directed at injustice, systems of oppression, and the scars of history. And through their music, there is catharsis. Algiers’ self-titled debut is not only exceedingly relevant to our current time but also a sonic force to be reckoned with.
- “In Colour” — Jamie xx
Jamie xx, one-third of the indie rock trio known as The xx, draws from a variety of influences and comes out with a blend of electronic/dance that builds upon its predecessors in order to create something new. From the nostalgic opener “Gosh” to the beautiful release of “Loud Places” (featuring The xx singer Romy Madley-Croft), Jamie xx’s debut “In Colour” reveals an intriguing new face in the electronic/dance genre.
- “The Epic” — Kamasi Washington
You may recognize Kamasi Washington’s sax from Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking “To Pimp a Butterfly.” You may recognize Kamasi Washington as a cohort of Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label. But if you take on this daunting, 3-hour, aptly-titled jazz odyssey, you’ll know Kamasi Washington as one of the most exciting faces in modern jazz, a spiritual child of Coltrane perhaps, an emphatic rebuttal for anyone claiming that jazz is dead.
- “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit” — Courtney Barnett
Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett’s debut full-length “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit” solidifies her status as one of the most striking new voices in indie rock. In addition to her witty and profound lyrical prowess and her Dylan-esque knack for the turn-of-phrase, her ability to tell a story, whether it be the story of an elevator operator or a house-hunting couple, stands out as remarkable.
Barnett once said she liked the idea of being a photographer: “You take this one picture of this one thing that’ll never happen again.” It is a testament to her skill as a songwriter that she freezes life through her writing, as in a photograph. Her songs seem to capture these singular moments, as artists like Patti Smith and Bob Dylan did before. That’s what makes Barnett’s work so tremendous.
Contact Tyler Dunston at tdunston ‘at’ stanford.edu.