How Gardens Grow

Allen Poe
(Self Released)

Wow. With “How Gardens Grow,” Allen Poe comes out swinging. Everything from the rhymes to the production is immaculate, and he seems to be adhering to Brian Eno’s famous adage about ambient music: that it should remain as ignorable as it is interesting. Not that you’d want to ignore this album, as it has some of the coldest bangers going now — just another sign at how incredibly vibrant the Kentucky hip-hop scene is — but it would work just as well in the back as the foreground. This is party music, the sort where you put it on and relax with your friends, but would also make for excellent driving music, with it’s contemplative beatscape and narrative raps. This is not to be missed.