year: 2018
tones of: dolly parton (voice), goo goo dolls, the shins, christina aguilera (voice), aerosmith (on lonely weekend)
genre samples: dream pop, contemporary country, pop/rock, girl pop (late 90s), folk pop, disco
music: simple, positive, beautiful, slow, summer, open, honest, pure, mature, heart filled, sunny, surreal, dreamy, gorgeous, optimistic, sweet, peaceful, warm, soothing, earnest, nostalgic, bright, aching, healing, sonic
favs: slow burn, lonely weekend, love is a wild thing, space cowboy, high horse, happy & sad
notes: i am quite routinely sleeping on this "countray music thang" but i'm here now. the production on this record is otherworldly and kacey's voice is like an angel whispering sweet melodies. this is brilliant.
score: 8.5/10
year: 2018
tones of: bright eyes, perfume genius, freddie mercury, modest mouse, bruce springsteen, velvet underground
genre samples: lo-fi rock, rock and roll, blues, folk, art pop
music: harsh, naked, metaphorical, dark, epic, fantastic, visual, real, lyrical, marching, edgy, anxious, direct, unhinged, extraterrestrial, tragic, raw, crunchy, melodic, weird, comedic, supernatural, busy, triumphant, renegade, theatrical, personal
favs: suck the blood from my wound, no place, maraschino red dress $8.99 at goodwill, i lost my innocence, peel my orange every morning, come here get away from me
score: 8.5/10
year: 2017
tones of: michael jackson, prince, bruno mars (but better)
genre samples: alternative r&b, soul, funk, pop, rock n roll
music: groovy, energetic, attitude, bold, sincere, sexy, funky, grown, beautiful, head rocking, swaggerific, futuristic, smooth, confident
favs: pineapple skies, city of angels, now, sky walker, told you so, caramelo duro
note: not sure how i missed this in Dec. (unacceptable really), but i sure am glad i circled back around to check in on miguel for no reason. #latebutgreat
score: 8.5/10
year: 2018
tones of: sade, wet, sinead o'connor
genre samples: alternative r&b, new age, soft pop
music: soothing, relaxing, smooth, chill, lovesick, clean, soft, delicate, romantic, melancholy, safe, silky, graceful, lush
favs: count to five, taste, waste, softly
note: if you listen to this album you might think rhye "sounds like a woman" but nope, he's a cisgender male. rhye is the artistic vehicle of one, michael milosh.
score: 7/10
year: 2018
tones of: huerco s., gas
genre samples: electronica, ambient, experimental
music: simple, pleasant, plodding, subtle, quiet, foggy, ominous, vast, professional, heavy, soothing, dark, spacey, weird, static-y, tense, ambiguous
favs: bbn-uwz, aae-kzt, vvq-ssj, kvl-lwq
notes: pendant is one of the alter egos of music producer, huerco s. electronic artists hiding in plain sight seem to be one of my listening themes lately or perhaps just a feature of the genre. disappointingly enough you can't find this album on spotify or soundcloud but thankfully it is available on youtube along with links to support the artist by buying the record (only $10 bucks!).
score: 7.5/10
year: 2018
tones of: dj koze, moby, nico jaar, darkside, fuck buttons
genre samples: house, disco, soul, electronica, dance, funk
music: fun, danceable, glitchy, joyous, tricky, exhilarating, scratchy, warm, kinetic, technical, funky, energetic, precise, soulful, wild
favs: i never dream, you are going to love me and scream, now u got me hooked, flash in the pan, cityfade
notes: a.a.l. stands for against all logic which is apparently one of a handful of pseudonyms nicolas jaar operates under (he also does work as a member of darkside, just friends, bladerunner, and daftside). this seems to be a collection of his work under that moniker from 2012 to 2017.
score: 8/10
year: 2018
tones of: lil wayne (early dedication weezy)
genre: rap, trap rap, southern rap, mixtape rap
notable samples: kendrick (loyalty), lil pump (gucci gang), migos (slippery), makavelli (hail mary), jay-z (family feud), playboi carti (woke up like this)
lyrics: metaphorical, clever, graphic, egotistical, sophisticated, comical, layered, crazed, imaginative, irreverent, violent, structured, visual, disrespectful, complex, absurd
favs: bloody mary, for nothing, back from the 80's, big bad wolf, family feud, back to sleep
notes: the question and answer style responses from Weezy at the end of every track on here are priceless. this is also one of the better outings he has had in quite some time in terms of lyrical content, consistency, and delivery.
score: 7/10
year: 2017 (broader release)
tones of: floating points, todd terje, LNRDCROY, skee mask, shlohmoh
genre samples: jazz, techno, house, electronica, drum'n'bass, ambient
music: sonic, chaotic, impromptu, encircling, busy, layered, improvised, echoing, ecstatic, reverberating, drum saturated, off beat, lively, high frequency, colorful, crowded, energetic
favs: untitled a1, untitled b3, untitled d3, untitled a2, untitled c1, untitled d2
notes: apparently SW. never names anything, hence all the generics - from the album name, its tracks, and cover, down to his own moniker. i consider this just an unconventional but principled way of letting the music speak for itself.
score: 8/10
year: 2016
tones of: drake (esp noah "40" shebib's production style), kid cudi, chris brown, childish gambino (on the kauai mixtape)
genre samples: r&b, rap, hip hop
music: chill, dark, trippy, mature, spacious, sexy, moody, hazy, ominous
favs: prblms, never know, alone/ea6, ex callin (cover of Future's "perkys callin"), gettin' old, worst luck
notes: 6lack is pronounced: "black". this was one of my favorite low key artists back in 2016 (this is a long over due sketch!). looking forward to his next project.
score: 7.5/10
year: 2017
tones of: caribou, four tet (from the "rounds" era), massive attack (on "planet")
genre samples: electronica, ambient techno, jazz, indian classical, downtempo
music: spacious, frenetic, light, simple, charming, circling, fresh, sparse, bright, quirky, airy, amorphous, expanding, clean, happy, dainty, soothing, textured
favs: lush, two thousand and seventeen, daughter, planet, memories, you are loved, LA trance, the scientist
notes: beautiful enough at first listen but the intricacies really start to reveal themselves over time. keep listening until you get there. it's worth it.
score: 7.5/10
year: 2017
tones of: big boi, scarface, bone thugs-n-harmony (on "layup"), UGK, outkast, nappy roots
genre samples: jazz, indie rap, gospel, hip hop, big brass brand, southern rap, blues
music: soulful, banging, joyous, big, rattling, bass filled, majestic, swaying, horn heavy, chill
lyrics: humble, political, realistic, conscientious, authentic, serious, personal, boisterous, intelligent, confessional, introspective
vocals: crisp, drawling, precise, athletic, rhythmic, dexterous, smooth
favs: big k.r.i.t., drinking sessions, confetti, bury me in gold, 1999, price of fame, get away, miss keep the devil off (production), georgia fornia, mixed messages (lyrics)
best guest: lloyd (on "1999")
notes: the split personality that is Big King Remembered In Time offers up a rare double disc rap album that delivers nearly its full record length in musical gold.
score: 8.5/10
year: 2017
tones of: bright eyes, black keys, the flaming lips (on mal à l'aise)
genre samples: indie rock, punk pop, DIY rock, folk
music: jangly, marching, lofi, bright, jagged, melodic, soft, quick
lyrics: longing, regretful, reflective, abstract, nostalgic, insular, assured, cathartic
vocals: scratchy, straining, blue, angst-ridden, delicate
favs: fear & force, cold apartment, the embers, alive and well, cleaning house
notes: this album only clocks in at 28mins but it takes every advantage of that limited time
score: 8.5/10
A L B U M S
1. Kendrick Lamar: Damn.
2. Perfume Genius: No Shape
3. St. Vincent: Masseduction
4. Forest Swords: Compassion
5. Sampha: Process
6. Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder
7. Yumi Zouma: Willowbank
8. Kelly Lee Owens: Kelly Lee Owens
9. Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory
10. Blanck Mass: World Eater
HM. The Other People Place: Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café [2017 Reissue]
This year in music for me was a barbel-ed affair. I listened to a lot of albums during the first quarter of 2017 and then in the last half of the year. The albums represented here left bold traces in time or catapulted themselves by the force of their sonic presence. They have marked 2017 and left an indelible impression.
T R A C K S *
My preferred method of music consumption is listening to albums from start to finish. I believe song selection and album order are under appreciated dimensions in which artists construct unique listening experiences. From inside those spaces, these are the 2017 tracks that stood out the most from the comfort of my headphones.
* Not ranked. Scroll for complete list.
