Zaki Ibrahim

Glad you checked it out!

think possibly another side of that track-focused theatricality u correctly pinpoint is that you then end up with an album of discrete entities that don't seem to quite gel as a unit. i mean it's obvious there is a flow and narrative between the songs but i find myself having to stir from vibesing out and remind myself of it, rather than things coming naturally

I kind of ignore the narrative - really the only thread is Zaki's vocals for the most part. I know what you mean though; these are also songs that I have to go to somewhat rather than have them just come to me (because they otherwise can just drift by pleasantly, a bit), but there's been a lot of times in the past where that process has resulted in the album being an absolute favourite so I'm not holding it against Zaki yet. Esp. because bits of (the og) "Heart Beat", "Black & Grey", "Kids Are Talking", "Stand So Hard", "The Brave Ones" will pop into my head when I'm not listening.

I'm a little puzzled by the almost complete lack of (ILX) response to this album. I've put up some links to her videos on other boards and gotten few bites.

I do find that when I listen to this, my attention wanders at a certain point, but there are enough good songs here that it's one of the better albums I've heard from this year (although, for whatever reason, I haven't been feeling too much from this year).

(Has Tuomas heard this, for example? I somehow can't imagine him not liking it.)

I guess I'd say it drops off for me from "Stand So Hard" on, or maybe even with "Go Widdit." But none of it is bad exactly, just a bit slack. "Conjure" especially drags for me. It comes back with the Heart Beat remix at the end, but that doesn't even feel like part of the flow of the album.

i really like the first half of this. it's taking me a bit longer to get into it beyond "the do." but man, that first half is something else. "heart beat" is an especially potent example of how well the music suits the ideas behind them. the beat just carries you away, it's so fluid and catchy. i just love how she interrupts it all by repeating the lines "you are... my heart." like love or that feeling welling up inside so much that it's interrupting itself.

Bump.

New single preview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dljlm9hMCZI

New album: The Secret Life of Planets.