arts // no. § The sweetest indie jazz collab > ‘What Kinda Music’ album review Matthew Fraser Opinions Editor Le has been the birthing ground toa umber of intriguing artists and sounds over the years; recently, two names have reason to the top of a deep and ever evolving talent pool. Yussef Dayes has solidified his place as an excellent drummer and wizard behind the boards. Between productions for other musicians (including a spot on Kehlani’s newest album) and his work in jazz bands like Yussef Kamaal, Dayes has kept himself busy. Tom Misch on the other hand has made his mark mostly in indie music despite his jazz guitar background. With an NPR Tiny Desk Concert with over 10 million views under his belt, Misch is a force to be reckoned with. What Kinda Music is the soundscape unification of these two young British dynamos. The title track opens with a dreamy guitar arpeggio leading into Dayes’ omnipresent kick drum; soon Misch joins in, alternating between a haunting wordless croon to match the floating synths and violins—and a simple ode to comfortable loneliness. The dark atmospheric sounds of the title track lead nicely into the more Radiohead-esque “Festival.” Once again Misch uses his vocals to gently carry the melody along. Next up is the Freddie Gibbs assisted “Nightrider.” Though better known for his street wise mafioso raps, Gibbs lays (comparatively) low on this smoother, more RnB style cut. Dayes and Misch layer subtle shifts and breaks into the song to transform it into a sultry cruise through the night to a destination unknown. The clack of a wood block leads “Tidal Wave’ into your ears, Misch follows shortly thereafter in a halting and sorrowful form—singing first of love lost, chaos, and finally the tears that follow an ended relationship. Dayes plays the congas and percussion to build a sound that both propels and matches the sorrow of Misch’s guitar. “Sensational” follows as a brief Curtis Mayfield inspired psychedelic funk interlude, notable in its own right without aiming to shift the overall energies of the album thus far. “The Real” follows with hazy guitars and another booming kickdrum; the sound turns to a more traditionally old- school hip-hop sound and swagger. “Lift Off” uses an atmospheric feedback hum to set the stage for the reverb drenched guitar and propulsive drumming. The bass line directs and morphs the song between its freer jam band theme and its harder edge but not-quite-aggressive alternative. Lots of catching up » Marie Kondo is the ‘Supernanny’ of organizing Jerrison Oracion trademark method called the KonMari Misch’s guitar alternates between soloing monologues and melody recaps in a series of smooth waves. In some ways “I Did It For You” is the most forgettable song on the album, but it certainly isn’t a bad song. Instead, it is somewhere just above the average free flowing and breezy summer radio song. “Last 100” uses a piano melody to add flavor and accentuate the tight drumming of Dayes. “Kyiv” opens up with what sounds like a movie director urging his crew to get the final take right to close the day. A heavily effects laden rhythm guitar holds steady while Dayes twists and bends the drums into whatever variations and fills he finds suitable to the task. Misch’s understated playing remains cool and present while allowing all of the other sounds to hold their place in this organic soundscape. “Julie Mangos” feels like three interludes stitched together, starting with a dreamy conversation about fruit and what one man believes to be the best mangoes of all. The song progresses into its second form, a neo-funk bounce underpinned by a vocal sample from what sounds like a phone call. In the third act of this song, Dayes flexes his mastery of the drum kit while Misch plays a hypnotic rhythm guitar. theotherpress.ca WANT rom mine ranet oes [TID VUE Cover of 'What Kinda Music' BEST SONGS J4 “Nightrider” Ds Wate sr J “Lift Off” alan Gaal Om The final track of the album “Storm Before The Calm” sees Misch and Dayes calling in British saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi for assistance. Between the digital bass sounds, synth, and stellar work of both Dayes and Misch, one feels that the album has come to an acceptable close. Senior Columnist M2?” during this lockdown are probably at home doing their favourite hobbies or trying to find new hobbies to pass the time. When you are finding everything that you need for your hobbies, you might have to go through a big pile or a cramped closet to find them. If your house is organized, you can find them quickly. If you need to learn how to clean up your house, there is Marie Kondo. Ashow on Netflix that I finally got to watch, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, swept the lifestyle categories with nominations in the Emmy Awards last year. In the show, Kondo and her translator who is also named Marie go to various family houses around the United States to help families tidy up their homes and remove a lot of gomi— which is garbage in Japanese—that they do not need. It is like the Supernanny of the streaming era, similar to how Tiger King is the Duck Dynasty of the streaming era. Unlike Jo Frost who travels from England to the United States, Kondo currently lives in Los Angeles. In each episode, Kondo teaches the family her Method: its purpose is for all the important things that you keep at home to spark joy. It has five steps: clothing, books, paper, komono (which involves miscellaneous items), and sentimental items (also known as very personal items). Almost all the steps were explained in the first four episodes, but paper is discussed in a later episode. I kind of use the KonMari method considering that one of the most important aspects of it is organizing items by category. l organize my collection of films from The Criterion Collection by film director. Kondo also organizes items by putting them in boxes, putting boxes in another larger box, and folding clothes like origami. Throughout the episode, you see her demonstrating essential tidying skills in her neat house. The method Kondo uses is inspired by Zen philosophy; when Marie sits down in the center of the family’s home when she goes inside the house for the first time, it is like she is giving a blessing. Depending on how messy the house is, it takes an average of a month to complete the method. When they go through the piles of gomi in the house, they might find items that are important to them that they were trying to find. The first episode had flashbacks that looked like they were staged, but the show improves in the next few episodes when Kondo gains a friendship with the family. I describe Kondo as genki, which roughly means peppy or a source of energy. She reminds me of Setsuko Hara, a Japanese actress who was a regular in the films of Yasujiro Ozu. Kondo is similarly short in stature to Hara. Recently, Kondo was involved in the controversy where New York Times (NYT) columnist Alison Roman accused Marie of selling out because she decided to make money from her fame. Roman has been suspended from her NYT column and has since issued an apology. Part of her statement included this quote: “Why couldn't I express myself without tearing someone down’? I definitely could have, and I’m embarrassed I didn’t.” While KonMari is certainly like other celebrity brands, it has products designed to help tidy up and prevent items from cluttering the house. Tidying Up shows that you can put joy in your house and make it neat by cleaning it up with Kondo’s simple and effective method.