Conveying a gritty minimalism, Boston-based emcee Jay Minor‘s downtempo tracks compel with their refusal to be merry. While the gospel-swirled "Liquid.Screens" from last year seemingly portrays a lovesick soul’s search for solace in television, the jazzy "The Peter Piper Theory" (streaming below) from New Year’s Eve harshly yet vitally depicts post-violence duress. Perhaps taking cues from Earl Sweatshirt’s great sophomore album ‘I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside,’ these tracks aren’t light but definitely intriguing. Jay Minor plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow (1/19). – Zach Weg
