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The Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)
An electric debut, a colorful musicology lesson, and motormouth sex raps.
Ten Total, the electric debut album by Tulsa’s 1010Benja, wars with tradition in two ways: The 34-year-old rapper, singer, and producer juxtaposes motormouth sex raps and romantic Timberlake-isms early on as the coarse “Peacekeeper” and the warm “H2HAVEYOU” lay out a knack for playing into and against classic R&B conventions. “So what if I like the big truck,” Gordon preens in “I’m a Man.” The lurid “Psychedelic Orgasm” deals in disaffected people watching: “Driving down, sunset / Zombie meditation / Getting caffeinated.” The Collective doesn’t speak out in judgment of what it surveys but makes sure to relay a faint sense of the hollowness of our routines and the smallness of our dreams. Having gelled during their extensive touring, Radiohead’s splinter cell the Smile — comprising of OK Computer architects Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and London jazz drummer Tom Skinner — barrels into sophomore album Wall of Eyes touting denser, plusher compositions and a more wounded and introverted outlook.
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