Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week features folk-rock by Darrin James, chamber jazz by The Eleventh Hour, dark ambient by Paper Petals, black metal by Anteomedroma, and hip-hop from MC Kadence.

Darrin James, See Right Through
Darrin James has been busy. From his Afrobeat-funk band Disaster Relief and his Ravine Records label to the new recording studio on Felch Street in Ann Arbor and producing records for pals such as Chelsea's Scotty Karate. In the middle of all that, James found time to record a heart-on-his-sleeve singer-songwriter record, See Right Through. The seven twangy tracks are defined by James' deep and raspy voice, and the album should appeal to fans of John Prine, John Hiatt, Tom Waits, and Warren Zevon. James celebrates the release of See Right Through with a concert at The Ark in Ann Arbor on February 22.

The Eleventh Hour, Under the Wire
Benjamin Miller has been creating forward-looking music ever since the psychedelic rock band Sproton Layer, when he was a student in the late 1960s at what is now called Pioneer High School. Miller seems extra-inspired the last few years, too, digging through his archives with twin brother Laurence to highlight past jazz-classical works, exploring multiphonic guitar pieces, and tuning up his alto sax for The Eleventh Hour. This chamber-jazz quartet also features Marlena Boedigheimer (tenor sax), Joel Peterson (double bass), and Dave Hurley (drums) along with the occasional drop-ins from brother Laurence (alto clarinet) and Jonathan Taylor (drums). The group's new album, Under the Wire, offers compositions that "use interval sequences, tone rows, as well as conventional methods," and three artists tagged on the album's Bandcamp page should give you an idea about how the record sounds: Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and Angelo Badalamenti.

Paper Petals, I AM A MANY EYED THING
Ann Arbor's Paper Petals is a sound sculpture who creates spooky audio collages. The artist describes their latest album, I AM A MANY EYED THING, as "A journey through losing ones mind and self, how it feels regaining control, and ultimately the uncertainty that lingers." Recommended if you like the more industrial ambient sides of Current 93, Nurse With Wound, and Cold Spring Records.

Anteomedroma, L'appel Du Vide
Ypsilanti's Anteomedroma is (or was) a one-person black-metal project, and this three-song EP doesn't stray from that description. It's a noisy, lo-fi rager whose only moment of beauty comes from the brief acoustic guitar opening of "Knell." Otherwise, it's pure metal maelstrom with just a touch of shoegaze.

MC Kadence, Rhetoric 2: Divine Speech, "Blindly We Go" featuring Dede Alder and "The Clearing"
Ann Arbor rapper Kadence is routinely cited by local artists as a go-to favorite ever since his days with Abolitionist Projects in the late 2000s. He put out Rhetoric 2: Divine Speech last August but it didn't come across my radar until the first singles from the imminent Rhetoric 3 started to trickle out. While he's not lyrically wild like Kool Keith, Kadence shares his ability to rap over any type of beat or sound, and he has a similar commanding cadence that forces you to pay attention to what he's saying. Go listen now.

Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.