XONGZ አስቀያሚ ጡብ

I wanted to talk about an album that i discovered a couple days ago: “XONGZ አስቀያሚ ጡብ” by Bricknasty. There’s no genre that you could really put this album into. It’s a fusion of many genres which results into an addictive album I’ve been listening to over and over. The album fuses R&B, Jazz, Soul, a little bit of rap to make a really unique sound.

I discovered this album when it was recommended to me on Spotify. When I started the album, I thought “oh cool it’s an R&B album”. However, I was caught off guard when the next song played and there was a four-on-the-floor kick pattern which is mainly used in dance music. Then, a voice began rapping and I was thrown off even more. Throughout the album, elements are constantly being introduced that take you to new places that you were not expecting to go to and it really catches you off guard.

This album demands your attention, and you’ll want to give it your attention because you’ll realize how dynamic it is as soon as you turn it on.

During an interview with journalofmusic.com, member of the band Abdurahman spoke of their creative process, “There was a rule that we made was that we couldn’t judge a thing as we were making it. The order of the day was idea generation and not curation, so it meant that we came out with 24 ideas and then the next day we figured out if they were good”. That attitude towards creation is what makes this album so special. You can really hear the freedom that this album possesses within every song.

Just from looking at the album cover, you’ll know that what you're about to listen to is weird and bold. It isn’t an album that will feel comfortable on the first listen. However, you’ll be captivated by the ever-changing sound of the album and you’ll begin to wonder “how did the album transition to this sound so easily?”.