Celestaphone: Paper Cut From the Obit (Stream)

New music from an artist I was unfamiliar with, but one that I’m happy to have been introduced to. Celestaphone is the name and his new album, Paper Cut From the Obit, was released last month. With rap music as its core, the album draws on other genres for its full allure and includes a guest list that taps into the top tier of artistry that populates the current soundscape. With features from Armand Hammer, Moor Mother, Defcee, R.A.P. Ferreira and Paul Barman, Paper Cut From the Obit is a welcome addition to the slew of new releases that have emerged this year. You can hear snippets below, with full downloads available on Bandcamp.

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist: Robert Moses / God’s Feet

Two for one from Armand Hammer and The Alchemist, as they round off another successful year with a double drop of videos. Robert Moses and God’s Feet are both taken from the trio’s universally acclaimed album, Haram, and the films were directed by regular collaborator, Joseph. Keep an eye out for a split second of Bristol footage in the Robert Moses video. Haram is out now via Backwoodz Studioz.

Defcee & Messiah Musik: Trapdoor (Stream)

Already way up in the upper echelons of 2021, Backwoodz Studioz continue their gold run with a couple more solid releases before the year is done. Defcee made his debut on the label, alongside the mighty Messiah Musik, as they joined forces to bring the world, Trapdoor. Showcasing both Defcee’s unfuckwitable writing levels and Messiah Musik’s equally indefatigable production output, Trapdoor burst into our lives and secured an AOTY placement in the process. The album is laden with top notch guests too, including features from PremRock, Alaska, Armand Hammer, Curly Castro and Henry Canyons. The album is out now and is very worthy of your concentration. You can test the waters below if you need any further convincing.

Earl Sweatshirt ft. Armand Hammer: Tabula Rasa

As Earl Sweatshirt continues to pave the way for his new album, he keeps us fiendin’ with another gem in the form of Tabula Rasa. The track is co-produced by Theravada and Rob Chambers, with a feature from Armand Hammer. The album, Sick!, is due for release on 14 January.

Open Mike Eagle ft. Armand Hammer: Burner Account

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This godsent collaboration just dropped on to the timeline, courtesy of the always refreshing, Open Mike Eagle. Burner Account not only features an unsurprisingly dope back-to-back feature from Armand Hammer, but also some similarly captivating production from Quelle Chris. Now I’m just thinking about a full project from the four of them. A man can dream. In the meantime, make the most of this.

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist ft. KAYANA: Black Sunlight (Video)

Another glorious video from Armand Hammer and The Alchemist, this time for the KAYANA assisted track, Black Sunlight. The video continues the psychedelic animation vibes of Stonefruit and features, in no particular order or preference, woods as an astronaut, Alchemist as a airline pilot and ELUCID looking very happy in a monster truck. The drawings and animation were created by Shane Ingersoll. Haram is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist ft. Earl Sweatshirt: Falling Out the Sky

Another treat for Armand Hammers fans this week, as we saw the release of the latest video from their Alchemist produced masterpiece, HARAM. It arrives in the same week that the trio unveiled their experimental film, alongside regular AH artistic collaborator, Joseph Mault, with both releases featuring accompaniments from Earl Sweatshirt. Earl sounds as good as ever on Falling Out the Sky, with woods and ELUCID reaching their usual absorbing heights in his wake. HARAM is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist: Stonefruit

Armand Hammer have a nice way of selecting visuals that are as compelling as the songs they are accompanying. This is especially true with the latest video from Haram, their collaborative album alongside The Alchemist, which is proving to be their most successful release yet.
The video for Stonefruit offers up psychedelic animation in a form that resembles some sort of abstract computer game, with the aim to collect the letters H, A, R, A, M. It was all made by m.musgrove (IG: @grade.b), who I would advise investigating further if you like the video. HARAM is out now via Backwoodz Studioz.

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist: Sir Benni Miles

Today saw the release of the latest album from Armand Hammer, their first project with a single producer at the helm. That producer is The Alchemist and the results are as engrossing as you would imagine. I’ll write more on the album itself when I’ve spent a bit more time with it, but for now make the most of the first video to emerge, for the opening track, Sir Benni Miles. The video was made by Joseph Mault. Haram physicals are available now via Backwoodz Studioz, with streams available from the usual platforms.

Armand Hammer ft. KeiyaA: Charms

I’ve been a bit slack with the blog recently, so much so that I totally missed this video from the new Armand Hammer album, which arrived at the start of the month. As with the RTJ album that dropped in the same week, Shrines is arguably the duo’s best work to date, as you will hear on the lead single, Charms. It features some soothing vocal work from KeiyaA on the hook and a blissfully superb beat from Child Actor; one of many gems in yet another crown for woods and ELUCID. Shrines is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.