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Reviews

Raleigh Moncrief, ‘Watered Lawn’

This Sacramento-based engineer is trying his hand (and pipes) at bedroom rhythms and beats, casting himself as a disheveled James Blake. On more guitar-saturated delicacies (“I Just Saw),” he hits the sweet spot between psychedelic soul and myopic pining (for a beautiful stranger and friends he doesn’t have), while “Lament for Morning” flaunts his production chops with billowing bass, chopped rhythms, and wobbly synths. Moncrief has a habit of dislocating a good groove once he’s found it, but all that pirouetting, Afro-inspired plucking smooths over the bumps.