Fatima - Yellow Memories (Eglo Records, 2014)

well, this album just blew me away this week - i was going to head over to the sideways r&b thread but it deserves one of its own. album's out in may but these excellent singles really encapsulate her whole deal. her voice, the incredible production and arrangements, everything so on point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK8niuu2vKA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37cGgeUiYPw

Achhh that rhythm, like an egg rolling down the driveway <3 <3

Nice. These manage to be stripped down while also feeling multi-layered, maybe because of the rhythmic complexity and switch-ups.

Liking this!

This has been the discovery of the year for me, thanks lex, can't wait for the record!

I haven't been super-enthused about the stuff I've heard from her but I'm totally willing to check this out.

i'd previously liked without being super-enthused about her singles, too - always seemed to be on the right path and obv she has a lovely voice but not quite the finished product yet. think she got there, basically

Like the Floating Points tracks a lot

actually I was wrong about never being enthused about her before and she should just work with Shafiq all the time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o2yzLtq3_w

those two songs up top sound great tho

i remember a song she did with dam-funk a few years back, anything with him on this?

no, track listing is

01. Do Better (Produced by Floating Points)
02. Technology (Produced by Oh No)
03. Circle (Produced by Computer Jay)
04. Sun Star Solar
05. Ridin Round (Sky High) (Produced by Scoop Deville)
06. Family (Produced by Flako)
07. La Neta (Produced by Flako)
08. Biggest Joke Of All (Produced by Floating Points)
09. Underwater (Produced by KNX)
10. Rest In Peace
11. Talk (Produced by Floating Points)
12. Gave Me My Name (Produced by Floating Points)

this is awesome

i've almost ordered the follow you ep many times, love this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I5RkApQW1s

2 songs linked upthread sound great and different from what i expected (maybe because of this flako producer), more nu-soul/acoustic (erykah is suggested by youtube as related) but altogether really nice! getting a quadron vibe from her too.

https://soundcloud.com/redbullmusicacademy/fatima-yellow-memories

This is a truly magnificent album, absolutely love Ridin High and Circle.

Ridin Round (Sky High) I meant.

La Neta is an epic as well!

cool that la beat ppl are on this

but after listening to 5 secs of each song it's pretty lackluster

Sounds like late 90s Erykah Badu right? Is this retro nu-soul? I really like it, but can't help thinking it's too derivative. Someone tell me why it's not plz?

i think it's a lot sparser and jazzier than '90s erykah ever was?

Yes, I can see that. It's like the sound/production is less controlled, more "airy", makes it more modern. Still a lot of the drum sounds are a bit throwback? Of course the less acoustic (is some of it recorded live?) tracks are not very 90s, only in melody (some of it a bit TLCish?) rhythms are very different.

"Sparse" would also be a way of describing the production.

appreciated this album well enough on the first few plays, but had sort of thought she was circling around greatness and her songs needed less tangents and more gutsy pop moments à la quadron for me to become properly attached. This week I've done an about face and suddenly fallen hard for these enchanting songs! "Family" was my favourite from the very beginning w/ its beautiful rhythmic dynamics, but i've also recently come to love "Circle", "Underwater" and "Ridin Round".

It's actually put me in the headspace to re-examine the Kelis album too, which I was never particularly enamoured with initially.

"La Neta" is really exquisitely paced - the "I can do what ever I want to" acceleration would sound less remarkable without the droopy Yann Tiersen movements beforehand i think

i hope yellow memories gets some shine somewhere in all the EOY conversations, it's such a slept-on gem of a record

she's back!

https://open.spotify.com/album/2N31ZLYoiQOtfb0sXTH61s

album #2 was released on Friday: https://open.spotify.com/album/4FlBSRTTHbylHFzVnai1Ul - on initial contact it seems she's leaning further in to "jazz mix bonus tracks on Baduizm" territory, and sounds generally less delicate and more confident.

I listened to Caught In A Lie a dozen times before I realized there was now a new album to go along with it. Now making my way through that.