Album Review
Moses Sumney - græ
5 StarsComplex, unconventional and ultimately, essential.
Unashamed in the ambition of his experimental, alternative jazz-pop, Moses Sumney makes no bones about his uniqueness, and insists that you shouldn’t either. “I’ve reached a point where I am aware of my inherent multiplicity / And anyone wishing to meaningfully engage with me or my work must be too” goes ‘also also also and and and’, a spoken word interlude that would make Solange proud. A Seat At Your Table? He’d rather DIY his own throne. As expected, his inimitable voice remains an instrument of breathtaking force, weaving around an understated brass section on ‘Cut Me’, soaring above plaintive guitar on ‘Polly’, and plucking glorious, impossible high notes out of the ether on ‘Me In 20 Years’. Gender, genre and race are deconstructed one by one, challenging the listener while soothing them with the balm of melody, lulling them into comfort before pulling out the theatrics. Equal parts elegant and antagonistic, it comes together to be every part the listening experience that he wanted it to be - complex, unconventional and ultimately, essential.
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DIY’s Albums of 2020
From incendiary debuts, through to unexpected returns, here are DIY’s favourite albums from across the past twelve months.
15th December 2020, 12:00am
Moses Sumney and Little Dragon team up for ‘The Other Lover’
"They worked with me, egoless, to craft a new vision for their song. I’m proud of what we came up with.”
14th December 2020, 12:00am
Moses Sumney unveils new song ‘Monumental’
It's a reimagining of the Olympic Hymn for Thom Browne's SS21 collection.
14th July 2020, 12:00am
Shades In Between: Moses Sumney
With the second part of ambitious, affective new album ‘græ’ completing his latest statement, Moses Sumney is defying categorisation and, instead, celebrating the beauty of the indefinable.
15th May 2020, 12:00am
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.