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
