Album Review: Alleyes Manifest - James Wavey Otoño
Album Review: Alleyes Manifest - James Wavey Otoño
By Brennan Ko
The 2018 self-released hip-hop album gets a 12” vinyl release for 2020
Otoño is the work of Oakland based artist Michael Bridgmon Alleyes Manifest - originally self-released in 2018 as a digital only album. A 7” vinyl release followed in 2019 courtesy of F5 Records & Jim's Pool Room in St. Louis, Missouri and now we are treated to the full vinyl experience set to drop on July 27th through Jim’s Pool Room and Oakland’s Econo Jam Records.
This Alleyes Manifest release comes under the artist’s James Wavey persona - a character that pays tribute to the music of the past and present. It’s an album with a central theme, songs that stay on topic and lyrics that tie back to the theme. It’s a complete body of work including title, album art, and sequence of songs - a rare occurrence in today’s landscape of music releases.
It’s an album about “...starting over, decluttering all the bad energy that we hold within ourselves in order to live out our best life.” Like the season it is named after - when leaves fall from trees to begin their cycle of renewal - the album lays bare the artist’s reflections on guilt, beauty, and the desire to grow as a person. This is most apparent on the track “Christian Guilt” with Wavey singing the hook, “I see your pain, washing away; No one change the path that you made”.
Artist Michael Bridgmon Alleyes Manifest as his James Wavey persona; courtesy of the artist
The album was largely produced by St. Louis producer Nicholas “Capo” Petty, but also features production from Alleyes Manifest on “Photogenic ft. Bryson Wallace” and a remix of “Soul Music” from St. Louis music legend DJ Crucial. The beats on Otoño remind us that classic sample based hip-hop is indeed timeless, but still incorporates chops that reflects the tastes of today. And these aren’t your stock 8-bar loops. Listen closely and you’ll notice layers that tactfully differentiate the hooks from the verses and provide subtle, yet meaningful depth to the songs.
I recommend this album to fans of hip-hop, conscious rap, and music listeners that enjoy lyrical depth in their music. If you are a fan of DIY projects Otoño is a shining example of that and what is possible with a belief in yourself and a bit of perseverance. Vinyl DJs will want to grab the new limited 12” release as soon as possible. The original 7” release in 2019 sold out quickly with no represses.
Otoño 12” vinyl releases on July 27, 2020 through Econo Jam Records and Jim’s Pool Room. Buy the album on Bandcamp, at Econo Jam Records in Oakland or Jim’s Pool Room in St. Louis.
Brennan Ko is the Editor for Fault Radio and member of the Oakland photo collective &TheOthers. He enjoys collecting records, being on the dancefloor, reading and writing about art and its sub-cultures, and playing video games.