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: 2016
tones of: james blake, kanye, anohni
genre samples: electronica, country, folk, pop, jazz
music: experimental, soft, layered, misty, beautiful, multifaceted, wispy, quiet, melodic, robotic, artistic
favs: 22 (over s∞∞n), 8 (circle), 666 ʇ, 33 "god"
notes: yet another album this year that just does so much in only about half an hour. amazing.
score: 8.5/10
year: 2012
tones of: duffy, amy winehouse, adele, gwen stefani (on lolita),
style of: madonna (her iconic potential), katie perry (her superficial flash), pink (her irreverence)
genre samples: glamour pop, r&b, blues, hip hop, noise pop
music: sweeping, somber, full, orchestral, playful, nostalgic, immersive
lyrics: picturesque, love obsessed, intense, plain, unstable, storytelling, confessional, emotional, longing, fragile, disturbed, unsophisticated, straightforward, one dimensional
vocals: smooth, glamorous, sweet, sexy, majestic, dreamy, smokey, passionate
favs: born to die, blue jeans, video games, dark paradise, radio (encapsulates the whole album), summertime sadness, this is what makes us girls (awesome production), without you
note: you can hate the presentation/hype/musician/SNL performance/story line all you like, but strip that away and THIS is GOOD pop music.
score: 7.5/10
