Black Encyclopedia of the Air

Moor Mother - Black Encyclopedia of the Air
Critic Score
Based on 9 reviews
2021 Ratings: #185 / 753
User Score
Based on 224 ratings
2021 Rank: #649
Liked by 18 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Exclaim!

With Black Encyclopedia of the Air, Moor Mother uses her genre-agnostic style to tackle to world's most popular genre and make it undoubtedly her own.

80
AllMusic

Considerably less noisy than previous Moor Mother releases like her 2016 breakthrough Fetish Bones, the album flows through slippery jazz rhythms, mellow R&B vibes, and meditative ambient textures, with Ayewa's lyrics remaining forceful even as she's delivering them in a softer register.

80
Loud and Quiet

When the planets orbiting Black Encyclopedia collide, and modern-day corruption is extrapolated into Moor Mother’s spaciousness, the record sounds like a new type of haunting protest music.

80
Uncut

Black Encyclopedia... is less abrasive but no less urgently meaningful, a fusion of experimental hip-hop, soul, poetry and jazz-etched beatscapes that ebbs and flows around the concept of an Afrofuturist universe.

80
Mojo

It's a wilful shuffle through the space-time continuum, where powerful pearls of wisdom about memory, the future and black injustice pierce the sonic murk.

79
Pitchfork
Though she’s found a way to make the pill a little easier to swallow, Moor Mother re-emerges from her DIY time machine offering nothing but the bitter truth: Everything must change.
60
The Skinny

It’s in the curation of the record where Ayewa excels, presenting a platform for black and queer collaborators throughout.

BaddieBaphomet
60

NO NUANCE REVIEW

I always feel like an idiot whenever I don’t love a lyrical album because of stuff like song structure and production that doesn’t grab my ear. Like “no shit, bitch, that’s not the point. Look at the incredible lyricism”. But as much as I think Moor Mother’s poetry was incredible as always, I feel like this is probably her weakest batch of beats and overall songs.

AngelHerntz
74

Black encyclopedia of the air es el claro ejemplo de lo que me refiero cuando hablo de música que elude los géneros establecidos. Pero ya de aquí se desprenden dos vertientes, que ambas, desde mi punto de vista superan a las propuestas comunes, por no llamarlas comunales, por el simple hecho de arriesgar; esas dos vertientes son las que lo logran y las que no. Sé que esta postura es simplista y reduccionista porque el asunto muestra más mixturas, pero lo hago ... read more

PelicanManners
76

It didn’t move me as much as i would expect, but i still like this a lot. It’s not as abrasive, noisy and experimental as her previous projects, so sonically this is quite a smooth listen. Everything still hasn’t clicked with me, i need more time to process the lyrics. That’s why, my rating might change with more listens. I’ll be sure to update the review if that happens.

Favourite Tracks: Mangrove, Shekere, Made a Circle.

Light Eight /8

neptunians
45

This album didn't really connect with me, though I did like her last album Brass. I think the production didn't complement the vocals as well as it could

60

6/13. Fav Tracks: Mangrove; Obsidian; Made A Circle

Melancoholic
45

Было тяжело слушать.

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Added on: July 6, 2021