Simply embracing self-provided descriptions of music or, really, any art without any personal reflection on it is usually a fools game. But man…Bojou Tracks description of themselves really nails it, and is as good as you could ask for. “Bojou Tracks is a label for sensitive hearts,” and the compilation Bojou In Da Tracks delivers a set for the tender set. Although a few inclusions feel a touch more chipper, the bulk of this 12-song collection via the fledgling label finds artists focusing on the rougher side of love, sounding all as muddled as one would expect from such feelings. If 2018 has you down, here’s a soundtrack.
Yet what makes Bojou In Da Tracks one of 2018’s first great albums (yeah yeah, a week in) is the musical variety all over this comp. Feather Shuttles Forever start the proceedings off with a reflective bit of smoothness on “Weekender,” while one half of that group Mukuchi pops up later with a bouncy acoustic shaker. Not everything hits — Dog Food Kai Taro’s little guitar number is a little too goofy for my taste — but Bojou In Da Tracks features so many highlights that the misses just breeze by. Albert Kokorozashi Mura’s surreal “Honeybee” pairs spoken-word lines about “squashing red egg” with playroom twinkles, while disc:ours’ crafts a bouncy synth-pop number out of bubble sounds and ughhhhhs. There’s even a show-stopping rap number from Tamana Ramen, delivering detail-rich lines (shouts out Doutor) bordering on poem-core over a tear-stained beat. Every song offers a different perspective on having a sensitive heart, and always keeps it sounding interesting even if the emotions hurt. Get it here, or listen below.