Jess Casebeer’s Top 10 Pacific Northwest Albums of 2015
7. Romaro Franceswa
Balance
Yuk the World
Balance is an album that’s most certainly of its time. Those who have been following mainstream and underground hip-hop from 2012 to the present day will feel right at home with this album. An artist with a strong modern underground hip-hop flair, Romaro Franceswa is a Federal Way rapper with a skilled flow and strong lyrical component, which may seem a bit plain to those that are barely listening to Franceswa, but those who read deeper into what he’s saying will find a lot to chew on, as Franceswa isn’t one to give everything away on the surface. The title track in particular has strong themes about being an outsider in the Seattle hip-hop scene, with others doubting him and telling him he doesn’t belong there.
Romaro’s technical proficiency is matched with some excellent production from Seattle legend BeanOne, whose beats on this album pull a lot from 90s boom bap, modern trap rap, and jazz rap, and BeanOne packs them all into one tight, heady package. The album may seem a bit all over the place upon first listen, with all of the weird samples of people talking that seem somewhat jumbled and random, but throughout the 53 minutes this album lasts, there’s a strong gritty vibe that just never lets up. Fans of hip-hop from any decade will find something to love in Balance.
6. Isosine
Mashup Manifesto IV
GLDN Collective
Can you even consider Mashup Manifesto IV an album in the same way you can other LPs on this list? I don’t know, and after thinking about it, and especially after loving the hell out of Mashup Manifesto IV from first listen, I don’t think I care. The long-awaited follow-up to Isosine’s infamous Mashup Manifesto III is a damn amazing album, mashup or not.
Mashup Manifesto IV shows Isosine going for way less cheap shock value in his productions, and instead sticking to his undeniable talents as a plunderphonics arranger and composer, leading to some of the Vancouver-based artist’s most show-stopping material yet.
On Mashup Manifesto IV, there are way less “Psychosocial Baby”-level tracks, and more downright stellar compositions, whether it’s the Childish Gambino-led “Is Anyone There?,” the Drake, OutKast and The 1975 hybrid “Good Girl,” or the immaculate “Promised,” which combines everything from CHVRCHES to Explosions in the Sky to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Though there are a couple intentionally unlistenable mashups on this album, like the nauseating “Afterlike” (a hybrid of Avenged Sevenfold and Carly Rae Jepsen), it isn’t enough to make Mashup Manifesto IV an overall failure or anything. Isosine continues to test the patience of the cynical listeners of the world, while making some of the most entertaining mashup music ever in the process.
5. Natasha Kmeto
Inevitable
Dropping Gems
In my opinion, this album is best gone into ignoring the hype and the labels thrown Inevitable’s way. For all the critics’ talk of this album being a “bold, personal exploration of Natasha Kmeto’s sexuality” and all that, having listened through it several times myself, the album to me feels very light on cutting, emotionally resonant lyrical moments, with the lyrics seeming to take more of a backseat to the production and vocals themselves than anything else.
However, where this album may underwhelm in its minimal lyrics, it absolutely makes up for in just about every other way. The production is upped big-time from her last album Crisis, with busier, more dizzying rhythms and excellent melodies. The vocals feel way more upfront on Inevitable than ever before, allowing Kmeto to really show off her gorgeous and commanding vocals.
The way I see it, Inevitable is Kmeto’s best record to date, and she can only get better and better from here on out. Kmeto is one hell of an electronic musician.