Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas

It’s a rare phenomenon when a sophomore album is better than a debut. Debut albums often have years of creativity built into them – the band members often having brought the songs along with them through the high school / college years, having noodled on them for ages before finally putting them to tape. Then the band is asked to produce a 2nd record in a fraction of that time, hence “the sophomore slump.”

Not so with Black Pumas’ 2nd album, Chronicles of a Diamond. The Pumas are a duo out of Austin, Texas. Their self-titled debut album from 2019 did hit my radar at the time, but was a bit too over-produced for my liking. It did not make the Top 31 that year. I think I was the only one to not connect with the album, as they received numerous nominations from the Grammys: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year.

Fast-forward four years, and singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada have produced an even better follow-up. A lot of bands would have crumbled at the pressure of producing something that could match, let alone exceed their critically-acclaimed debut. But Chronicles does just that.

Black Pumas are put into the psychedelic soul genre, pioneered by the likes to Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone. Hard-hitting drums and keyboards back up the fuzzed out sounds of Quesada’s guitar and Burton’s vocals. Burton’s voice is placed forward of the band, his lyrics easily heard over the music. Their sound reminds me of the Dirtbombs, or Algiers (#18 in 2017), and even a little of Benjamin Clementine, but with more fuzz (you know Clementine – his song “Nemesis” is the theme song for AppleTV+’s The Morning Show). A neither Clementine nor Burton would be anywhere without Seal having led the way with his gorgeous voice 30 years ago.

Watch the video above, for their great lead single “More Than a Love Song.” You can also see videos for “Mrs. Postman,” “Angel,” and “Ice Cream (Pay Phone).” Even better, just check out Chronicles of a Diamond – it’s one hell of an album.

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The Underside of Power by Algiers

And now for something completely different. Algiers, from Atlanta, Georgia, blend a number of seemingly unrelated influences into inciteful, politically motivated, upbeat and most times angry rock and roll. They occupy the very tiny space in the center of the Venn diagram between TV on the Radio, The Dirtbombs, Gil Scott Heron and southern gospel.

The Underside of Power is the band’s second album. Their eponymous debut came out in 2015 and while it appears to have been critically acclaimed, I had not heard of the band until John in the Morning played them a few months back. Regardless of whether you like this music, it definitely calls attention to itself. The clash of sounds does its job beautifully, making you sit up and take action, even if that action is to change the station.

Give the album’s title song a listen above for an example of how they sound. Some of the songs on the album are slower, piano-led numbers with dark overtones, and some go the opposite way: hard, fast and loud guitar and drum-laden punk rock anthems. When reviewing the band’s debut album in 2015, Willamette Week called them “dystopian soul,” which sums their sound up perfectly, and puts them in a genre all their own.

“Dystopian” and “soul” are not words you can usually assign to one band or one sound, but Algiers manage to pull it off with aplomb. If you find yourself intrigued, I recommend reading this All Songs Considered article, where the band breaks down each song on the album, with references and background provided. There’s even an “influences” playlist at the end that is jam packed with interesting things.

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19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
21. Plunge by Fever Ray
22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

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#19 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Black Pumas

#18 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31