This week’s song comes from a jazz group hailing from Canada’s largest city. This is Time Moves Slow by BadBadNotGood.
BadBadNotGood are a four-man modern jazz group formed in Toronto, Canada in 2010. They got their break covering hip-hop tracks, and rose to internet fame when one of their earliest covers was noticed and popularised by one of the group’s most popular artists, US hip-hop giant Tyler the Creator. They released their debut album, BBNG, in 2011, which featured many more hip-hop alterations including that of Tyler the Creator’s Odd Future group. Since then they have released five albums, with the most recent album IV being released in 2016. They have played in concerts all over the world and are seen as many as the forerunners in modern jazz, winning global praise for their popularisation and revitalisation of a genre that is still seen by many as reserved for formal, upper-class scenarios.
Sam Herring is the frontman for American synthpop group Future Islands, who formed in 2006 but reached their peak in 2014 when their single Seasons (Waiting on You) won many song of the year awards in America. During their first television appearance, performing that song on prime-time American TV, the group became in internet sensation, in no small part down to the antics of Sam Herring on stage.
Personally, I’ve always struggled to get into BBNG, however this song is a perfect representation of what many believe this group is achieving. By blending classic jazz tones with a hint of modern electric sound this song feels like it’s in a time and genre of its own. With the slow, feet-tapping tempo and the meaningful but also catching lyrics of Sam Herring, this is a song that has plenty to satisfy, and all while sounding like it’s not even trying!