The Canadian pioneers known as BADBADNOTGOOD continue their brand 
of hip-hop- and electronica-influenced jazz with their fourth solo studio album (fifth if you count last year’s collaboration with Ghostface Killah, Sour Soul).
With the recent, official induction of the brass master, Leland Whitty, IV strikes back with full saxophone excellence especially present in the track “Confessions Pt. II,” a continuation of a one of the hits off of their 2014 release, III. This BBNG installment invites more electronic elements than previous releases but maintains the moody tone set in III (see track 5, “Lavender feat. Kaytranda”).
While some tracks off this album feel less innovative than what die hard BBNG fans like myself have come to expect, and more like dungeon crawling background music from “Legend of Zelda,” the hits from this collection carry this release into the same vein of excellence the group has come to call their home. With a wealth of features including Haitian born producer Kaytranada, rising rap heavyweight Mick Jenkins, and Future Islands’s own Sam Herring, IV is not something to sleep on.
Recommended If You Like: Kaytranada, Mick Jenkins, Flying Lotus, Tyler the Creator, John Coltrane
Recommended Tracks: 2 (Speaking Gently), 3 (Time Moves Slow feat. Sam Herring), 4 (Confessions Pt. II Feat. Colin Stetson), 5 (Lavender feat. Kaytranada), 10 (In Your Eyes feat. Charlotte Day Wilson)
Do Not Play: 8 (Hyssop of Love feat. Mick Jenkins)
Written by Cody Boston on 06/30/16