Gifted Gab,

Girl Rap (out now, self-released, 1giftofgab.bandcamp.com/album/girl-rap) For all of Seattle hip-hop’s perceived positivity, the one thing this album really drives home is our city’s incredibly polarized, complex rap identity. On her first full-length, Gifted Gab—aka 22-year-old Gabrielle Kadushin—is getting lots of support, including a nice push from her all-male rap crew, the Moor Gang, and praise from her female peers in the biz, like Miss Casey Carter and Thee Satisfaction. They’re right, of course: This girl can rap. The beats on this 11-track album are solid enough but pale next to the record’s best quality: the rapper’s quick rhymes and lyrical agility. Gab can spit and snarl a stream of words like the best, alternating tone and feeling as the subject demands. For her brassy confidence and braggadocio, she’s been compared to Queen Latifah, and it’s a good fit. The singular irony here is that for an album called Girl Rap, Gab still plays a man’s game. Bitches abound, and with them the inherent misogyny and all the other trappings of gangsta rap: money, drugs, thuggish threats. The problem this poses, not just for Gab but for this particular genre of hip-hop, is compelling, because we’re living in a world in which the NFL is considering banning the use of the “n-word” (liberally used on the album) among its players; anti-bullying awareness is at an all-time high; and sensitivity campaigns denounce the use of frequent gangsta slurs like “gay” and “faggot” (not heard here, to the rapper’s credit). There is, however, a sense that Gab feels conflicted about where she should direct her skills in this medium. On opener “Problems,” she’s just one of the Moor Gang guys, echoing the agenda of misogynistic bravado heard throughout the crew, rapping “We’re the goddamn Moors/Got a lot of whores.” Picasso himself is on the next track, rapping about how he “killed that bitch.” Gab changes her tune a little on “Pop It,” when she quasi-advocates for female sexual empowerment: “The bitch already sucking dick and fucking for nothing/Bitch is fucking trippin’/Stop it/Pop it for a profit.” While Gab can turn a rhyme on a dime, it’s worth paying attention to what is actually being said here. With every casual dis of her gender, she helps proliferate the Moor Gang’s rapey, thuggish worldview, one I’ll leave you to explore at your own risk. And as long as Gab’s preaching this kind of sermon, she’ll have to be OK with being the First Lady of the Moor Gang—not the president of her own club. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

Goodbye Heart,

Restless Nights (out now, self-released, goodbyeheartband.com) It’s been only a year since Sam Ford and Nila K Leigh relocated to Seattle from New York City, but the duo has kept busy playing shows all over town and working on this, their debut EP. Aside from “Seconal,” released in March 2013, the five-track Restless Nights is all new, atmospheric material, created with only the pair’s voices, two synths, a guitar, and a drum machine. The EP begins with “Just Kids,” which sounds like a more restrained version of M83’s “Midnight City.” “Seconal,” a song about sticking together when everything is falling apart, featuring a great guitar interlude, follows. “How to Make Friends in a New Town” shows how well the huskiness in Ford’s voice pairs with Leigh’s more pristine vocals, and closer “Don’t Slow Down” successfully experiments with a variety of tempos, from slow and somber to upbeat and dancey. The EP’s lush, ethereal quality makes it easy to enjoy, and the combination of synth and drum machine adds an almost electro-hip-hop feel. Recorded with producer Shawn Simmons (The Head and the Heart, Lemolo, Kithkin), Restless Nights is as dreamy as dream-pop gets, though dark tones keep it from wandering into sugary-sweet territory. Ford and Leigh illustrate the balance perfectly on the bright yet reflective “Wish”: “I dream in neon/I live in gray.” (Thurs., April 3, Lo-Fi Performance Gallery) AZARIA C. PODPLESKY

Virgin of the Birds,

Winter Seeds (4/8, Abandoned Love Records, virginofthebirds.com) A project of singer/songwriter Jon Rooney, Virgin of the Birds recorded this debut LP at Fremont’s Her Car studios with studio proprietor and Foghorns member Colin J. Nelson on drums and Mark Laurick (of China Sea Recordings) on bass. The nine-track album contains four new tracks and reworkings of five songs from his EP releases. Overall, Winter Seeds is a step forward for Rooney. It’s a bit more folk-sounding than his previous releases: Textures are thinner, and there’s generally less distortion and rhythmic activity. Reverb and recording techniques (the saxophone in the distance on “Nine Sisters,” for example), along with generally sparse structures and slow tempos, project wide-open spaces, which leave Rooney’s well-crafted tales almost naked for inspection. This was a risky choice, but Rooney’s adventurous songwriting backs the new direction with confidence. Indeed, the songcraft is the brightest star here and rewards multiple listens, with engaging tales delivered effortlessly with vocals reminiscent of the late Lou Reed’s. (Sat., April 5, Conor Byrne) MICHAEL F. BERRY