Noname – Sundial

Review Score:

B-

The Unprecedented Times –

September 5 / 2023

Noname’s newest album, Sundial, is something of an unfortunate case. The album’s overall sonic vibe is strong and consistent. The album offers a lot of interesting elements. It contains strong messages here and there, but regrettably, there are other songs that undermine these messages. Any strong, leftist, political stance taken by Noname is unfortunately subjected to scrutiny due to the Jay Electronica feature. I don’t feel like I need to take time to explain why antisemitism is bad. It’s bad. That’s it. We don’t need to make excuses for it. Noname wasn’t oblivious to Jay Electronica’s previous comments; she excused them by stating, “well, other people’s songs and topics are even worse, so…”. It all just seems a little reductive.

The Ayoni feature on “boomboom” showcases strong vocals and a reasonably catchy melody. However, this is undercut by the lyrics as is the case for several other songs here. The jazzy, groovy style is great. I particularly enjoyed the billy woods appearance, who is having a great 2023. During my initial listen, I allowed the project to wash over me without focusing on the lyrics, background knowledge, or the context of Noname’s past work. Upon listening to some of her previous releases, it’s clear that Noname’s style has remained largely unchanged. This doesn’t bother me as a first-time listener, but it’s worth noting that Noname appears comfortable, perhaps a bit too much so, in this genre and style.

It’s not easy to separate the art from the artist. There’s a great deal of context required for something like that. In Noname’s case, I wasn’t aware of her existence prior to this week. I don’t have a long history with the artist, so it isn’t difficult for me to write her off when I see her associating with antisemitism. It’s unfortunate because my first listen was pleasant, and I was ready to love this album. However, when the art and the artist are as tightly entwined as Noname and her work, context matters.

Review Score:

B –

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.