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: 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
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: 2016
tones of: lil wayne (the "lean" version), travis scott, rich homie quan, mystical
genre samples: trap rap, southern rap
music: ecstatic, cool, chill, smoky, bouncy
lyrics: unwieldy, disrespectful, improvised, shocking, unpredictable, cubist, irreverent
vocals: stretched, bruised, scratchy, intense, flexible, floating, uninhibited
favs: pick up the phone, swizz beatz, riri, guwop, harambe, kanye west
notes: don't mind the dress or the mumbling, thugger is the real deal
score: 8/10
year: 2014 (#latebutgreat)
tones of: shlohmoh, four tet, floating points
genre samples: electronica, house, ambient, 80s glam pop, techno
music: detailed, hopeful, intricate, scattered, light, slow, satisfying, airy, elaborate
favs: slam city jam, i met you on bc ferries, if sylvia built a house, telegraph my love
score: 8.5/10
year: 2016
tones of: local natives, iron & wine, modest mouse, the black keys (softer side of), the shins
genre samples: indie folk, country blues, indie rock, california rock
music: crooning, calming, weightless, beautiful, nostalgic, warm, soothing, shimmering
lyrics: longing, lost, confused, cathartic, contemplative, hopeful, reflective, mature
favs: no woman, light upon the lake, golden days, dave's song, red moon
notes: similar to Cardinal from Pinegrove this album only takes 30min to do what is does so well
bonus: lead singer is a former member of unknown mortal orchestra (a 2015 favorite, with a way overdue review)
score: 8/10
year: 2016
tones of: prince, stevie wonder, youth lagoon, the beach boysgenre samples: electronica, r&b, psychedelic rock, world music, indie folkmusic: experimental, sparse, warbled, robotic, stripped, futuristic, trippy, echoing
lyrics: introverted, honest, emotive, earnest, visual, experiential, realistic, authentic
best guest: andre 3k delivers yet again on another frank ocean track [solo (reprise)]
favs: self control, nikes, seigfried (lyrics), nights, futura free, be yourself
bonus: i was asked about it, and yes, i think this is def better than Channel Orange
score: 9/10
year: 2016
tones of: four tet, shlohmo, darkside
genre samples: indie electronic, post-dubstep, electropop, uk grime
music: energetic, uplifting, busy, human, delightful, positive, buoyant, downtempo
lyrics: inspiring, resolved, vulnerable, exposed, raw, determined
favs: copper wire, florida, five four, falling out of phase, no loss, 1804
bonus: all the vocals on this album are from unique posters that the range mined from the vast depths of youtube. and their stories make the album's documentary truly fascinating: Superimpose
score: 8.5/10
year: 2016
tones of: bright eyes, tonic, wilco
genre samples: rock n roll, emo, lo-fi rock, garage rock, college rock, grunge
music: bare, simple, fuzzy, acoustic, detailed, jangly, distorted
lyrics: detached, somber, intellectual, dense, cynical, introspective
vocals: raspy, emotional, straining, punchy, urgent, distressed
favs: old friends, aphasia, size of the moon, cadmium, new friends
nb: this album only clocks in at half an hour, but really maximizes every minute
score: 8/10
year: 2016
tones of: anthony hamilton, cody chestnutt, the roots, bruno mars (on heart don't stand a chance), d'angelo, james brown (come down)
genre samples: r&b, jazz, hip hop, soul, psychedelic rock
music: playful, artistic, rhythmic, bouncy, spacey, atmospheric, live, instrumental
lyrics: straightforward, story-telling, autobiographical, simple, realistic
vocals: smooth, crooning, raspy, emotional, earnest
favs: the season i carry me, the bird, put me through, the waters, heart don't stand a chance, without you, come down, silicon valley, the dreamer
score: 8/10
note: in addition to being a singer and rapper, .Paak is also a talented producer - he actually produced six tracks on dr. dre's latest album.
year: 2014
tones of: janet jackson (voice), the weeknd, jesse lanza
genre samples: dubstep, indie-pop, r&b, drum and bass
music: cool, smooth, mechanical, sweeping
vocals: cascading, sensual, manipulated, stretched, soft, pitched
lyrics: direct, vulnerable, sexual, longing, needy, sweet
favs: two weeks, pendulum, video girl, give up
score: 8/10
nb: i was looking forward to what fka twigs would do with her LP since "Water Me" ranked 4th on my top tracks of 2013 (http://simmserely.blogspot.ro/2014/01/top-albumstracks-of-2013.html). the production here is so fresh and the music so bold. i am not disappointed.
