MEDIA_as_an_expression

Note: this is an old review that I wrote 2 years ago. I would write it differently now but wanted to put it on this blog.

Darkly beautiful and twisted

In my opinion Tom Waits’ greatest album. He mixes the dark with the beautiful with the twisted elegantly weaving stories together as a third person narrator. Songs like Alice, Poor Edward and I’m Still Here fit into a category I call ‘beautiful songs about ugly things.’ In these three songs Tom puts the listener into the mindset of Lewis Carol and his obsession with Alice Lidell, a tortured suicidal two-faced (literally) man and the Alice Lidell and her childhood trauma. These songs have a fragile beauty to them that allows for the stories to take centre stage.

Tom also finds a way to mix in his trademark absurdity into the album. Kommienezuspadt sees Tom singing in a made up Bavarian style language. A fun detour for the album that is much needed after the devastation of Alice and before Poor Edward. Tom also finds a beautiful absurdity through songs like Flower’s Grave and Fish & Bird. He sings about putting flowers on a flower’s grave and the romance of a fish and bird. But he manages to find beauty in these subjects wistfully reflecting on a forgotten flower and finding beauty between the love of a fish and bird despite their separation between land and air.

My two favourite and most extreme detours from the album are Table Top Joe and Reeperbahn. Table Top Joe is maybe the most positive song despite the subject matter. It describes the life of Johnny Eck a side show performer born without a lower half. He shows an admirable amount of positivity in making a name for himself in Coney Island. Reeperbahn is almost the opposite of this song describing various lost souls and absurd characters who have their way to the reeperbahn a red light, entertainment district in Hamburg. It describes Rosie a woman who has been driven insane by the reeperbahn and Hans a gay man who found solace from the abuse in his home through selling lingerie in the reeperbahn. The songs ends with a verse almost treating the reeperbahn is it’s own character as a home for the downtrodden and discarded.

It’s interesting to think about if Alice is a concept album. Being based on a play Tom helped make there’s clear through lines and continued stories but there’s so many emotional and narrative detours. It makes the listener such for a concept and connections between songs which makes further listeners of the album more rewarding. The climax of the Lewis Carol portion of the album is Watch Her Disappear. This song reveals the extent of Lewis Carol’s obsession and creates a truly unnerving atmosphere through ambient and environmental noises. I see I’m Still Here as a sort of epilogue to this narrative showing Alice’s extreme trauma and deep loneliness.

The album has a beautiful ending. After all the twisted darkness and beauty explored it ends with a high pitched, twisting, instrumental string composition ending the album with true beauty.

The year is now in full swing and there have been amazing artists from mainstream and underground artists. As the year goes on my list just keeps expanding. After much consideration here are my top 16 albums from March.

16.

Kool Keith is one the strangest and most singular figures in rap. With too many alter egos to count he has been making unique and conceptual hip hop albums since the 90s. I think his uniqueness is why he fits so well with the modern boom bap production of Real Bad Man. He’s always changing and adapting so isn’t stuck in the past like some 90s artist. Real Bad really steps up to the plate and makes great moody and sample based beats throughout the album. The best beat on the album is the infectious choir vocal samples on the song Jungle Fever. Over all these modern beats Kool Keith sounds as fresh as ever with a smooth vocal delivery with abusrd lyrics. Features from ICE-T and Atmosphere fit well with the Kool Keith and Zelooperz brings more modern flows and youtful energy. Kool Keith continues to show himself as one of the most unique and versatile rappers and Real Bad Man shows how he can change his beats to fit rappers from all different styles.

15.

100 gecs are probably the biggest names in hyperpop. It had a cult following on Soundcloud but with 100 gecs releasing their debut album 1,000 gecs in 2019 it brought the genre to more ears. For anyone who doesn’t know what hyperpop is, it’s like blending pop and electronic music until you can’t recognise either genre. Their first album was short, insanely produced songs with robotic vocals. This spawned a plethora of artists trying to copy their insane and fast-paced style. On 10,000 gecs they still have their insane production and comedy but they take lots of influence from a variety of 2000s music including pop punk, pop, rock and ska. All these influences create an even more varied tracklist with oddball ballads like Frog On The Floor, alt-rock influenced tracks like Doritos & Fritos and songs with punk-like vocals like I Got My Tooth Removed. All these sounds are still filtered through gecs chaotic production and robotic vocals. 100 gecs continue to show their comedy and playful style and expand their influences to great success on 10,000 gecs.

14.

Grammy-nominated Dutch band Altin Gun release their 5th in only 6 years. Despite being founded in the Netherlands they play Anatolian rock – a fusion of Turkish folk and rock. Dutch bassist Jasper Verhulst became enamoured with Anatolian rock and put an ad on Facebook looking for Turkish musicians. Eventually, he formed a band with two Turkish vocalists. Altin Gun combines Anatolian rock with modern production and psychedelic guitars and funky rhythms. All these elements combine to create groovy and jammy songs. All the tracks on this album have infectious energy with distinctly Turkish grooves and rhythms. The male and female vocalists bring a nice variety to the album with passionate and catchy melodies from both singers. This whole album feels like it is one big jam session with energy close to a live performance. Altin Gun provides an excellent modern look at the oft-underappreciated scene of Turkish folk and rock music during the 70s.

13.

After a 5 year gap since their last album Unknown Mortal Orchestra release their most ambitious album yet – a double album clocking in at an hour in length. The breadth and ambition of this album feel like a culmination of all the band’s music up until this point. Across the 14 tracks, UMO creates one of their most distinctive and specific moods. Both the instrumentation and vocals here are lo-fi and minimalistic creating a delicate and tender feeling to all the music. The vocals specifically are mixed to have a 70s psychedelic feel which imbues the album with a sort of pre-emptive nostalgia. With the simple grooves, tight playing and delicate arrangements this music feels timeless. This album has received a mixed review with many people feeling like it’s just background music. While it is very relaxed I think works to create a smooth and chilled listen that doesn’t require a great amount of effort or focus to understand. UMO creates their most definitive work yet and manages to make a double album feel interesting throughout.

12.

Lonnie Holley is one of the most unique and inimitable figures in the art world. He’s claimed he is the 7th of 27 children and was once pronounced brain dead after being hit by a car. The lore surrounding Lonnie is deep including the fact the has 15 children. He began his artistic career in 1979 when he carved two tombstones for his sister’s children who died in his housefire. This inspired him to make other artistic sculptures mainly from junk and assembled them in his backyard. Eventually, his artwork went on display and he widened his artistic vision to include various forms of art including painting. After a long career in the arts, he began recording music in 2006 at the age of 56 and released his first album at 62. Now at the age of 73, he releases Oh Me, Oh My a strange album to match a strange man. The album is hard to define with elements of soul, ambient, spoken word, and jazz, but most of all experimental. His voice feels weary like an old traveller. There is still a great amount of soul in the vocals just with a dejected feeling. The instrumentation feels above anything ambient but with an avant-garde and surreal edge to it. The most impressive part of this album is the modern and varied features he gets on it. This includes fellow labelmate Bon Iver, Malian singer Rokia Kone, experimental hip-hop and jazz artist Moor Mother, and indie singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. Moor Mother’s a cryptic spoken word/rap style fits perfectly with the eclectic instrumentation while Rokia, Bon, and Sharon bring more beauty and melody to contrast with Lonnie’s dejected singing. Lonnie creates one of the most unique albums of the year working with some of the most interesting modern musical minds, and he does all this well into his 70s.

11.

The Record is the debut album by the indie supergroup Boygenius, made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. They are some of the biggest names in the sad girl indie scene – a specific 2010s subgenre of indie with female artists singing about personal issues and topics over melancholic indie-pop/indie-folk instrumentation. They had already combined forces on their 2018 self-titled EP but with a full-length album, their full talents are on show. They have a few more upbeat and anthemic songs like $20, Satanist, and Anti-Curse but the majority of this album is their signature style of sad girl indie. Songs like Emily, I’m Sorry, Revolution O and Letter To An Old Poet are some of the most melancholic songs of their career. Sometimes the album feels slightly disjointed with three singers and songwriters across 12 tracks. Still, it does bring variety but I find myself coming back to the songs heavily featuring Phoebe Bridgers the most. The opening song Without You Without Them is a great way to start the album with all three singers singing in tandem over extremely minimal production. Overall, if you’re a fan of this music scene and artists like Mitski and Soccer Mommy this album is a must-listen.

10.

Big Ghost Ltd. continues his production hot streak after last month’s Wasn’t Build In A Day this time teaming up with grimy and vivid lyricist Che Noir. Big Ghost Ltd. tones down his beats on this release by him swapping out cinematic and grand soundscapes for grimy and nocturnal beats. This works perfectly for Che’s personal and vivid lyricism describing how she grew up, everybody who doubted her and where she is now. Across the tight 22-minute run time of this album, Che continues to show herself as one of the fiercest and most constant emcees right now. The features here are fairly standard for an album Buffalo boom bap lane with verses from Flee Lord, Planet Asia, D-Styles, Skyzoo, Ransom and 38 Spesh. Fellow female emcee 7xvethegenius is a particular standout here with her unique flow and high energy which brings a battle rap energy with Che Noir. Che Noir continues to show why she is one of the most underrated emcees out there creating a focused and exciting release with Big Ghost Ltd. If you’re interested in this album I suggest checking out Professor Skye’s video review which provides an interesting analysis on the limitations and dichotomy forced upon female rappers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYTjrNRAPgM&ab_channel=ProfessorSkye%27sRecordReview).

9.

I had high hopes for this sequel to 2018’s Notorious Dump Legends. I was nervous about the quality of this project after my slight disappointment in Mach’s last two albums. But, Mach and Fahim knock out of the park again on this album bringing a worthy following up to Notorious Dump Legends. The beats here are consistently great with beats from Denmark Vessey, Nicholas Craven, Sadhugold, Fortes and Fahim himself. Highlights on the instrumental end include the stretched and compressed vocals on Pissy Hastens, the delicate looped piano on N*ggas Sooooo Good and the uplifting sample on Wellness Cheques. Mach’s vocals are abstract and humorous on this album with him easily switching flows and languages between English and Haitian Creole. Tha God Fahim contrasts this with his direct flows and lyrics. The only feature on this album that works perfectly on the track Wellness Cheques. Left Lane Didion and Big Cheeko bring motivational and positive verses to the upbeat instrumental creating the most cohesive song on the album. The song also features the memorable line from Mach, “You think dog shit is chocolate ice cream,” in one of his most absurd and comedic metaphors yet. The duo of Mach and Fahim sound like them in 2018 again when they released amazing project after amazing project.

8.

B. Cool Aid is the musical duo of hip-hop genre benders Pink Siifu and Ahwlee. Individually, this is probably their most R&B and neo-soul inspired and as a group is definitely their most ambitious with 16 tracks and 1 hour and 7 minutes of music. To create this lo-fi and abstract fusion of hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul they enlist. This includes alternative R&B and neo-soul singers like Foushee, Liv.e, Jimetta Rose, and Melanie Charles, legacy hip-hop figures like Big Rube, and Ladbybug Mecca formerly of the Digable Planets, and fellow alternative rappers like Denmark Vessey, Butcher Brown, and Quelle Chris. None of these features have traditional verses or hooks like most albums but rather are layered into the many sounds and elements of each song making each contribution to the album not overtly clear. All these artists come together to create something greater than the sum of their parts. The instrumentals here are layered, and complex but bring a mellow and soothing atmosphere. Pink Siifu’s raspy and high-pitched vocals bring another unique layer to this album. The biggest strength of this album is the production on this album handled primarily by Ahwlee. He blends neo-soul, R&B and hip-hop to create a smooth and mellow blend that feels nostalgic and modern at the same time. All these elements come together perfectly on the penultimate track Brandy, Aaliyah. The beat is slightly boom-bap inspired but still has the same soothing feel as the rest of the album. The singers bring another layer as Pink Siifu raps a fast and complex verse about R&B legends Brandy and Aaliyah. The cherry on top of the hip-hop cake is two great verses from Denmark Vessey and Quelle Chris. Another highlight of this album is three verses from Ladybug Mecca who sounds just as conscious and thoughtful as she did in the 90s with the Digable Planets. Pink Siifu continues to show himself as one of the most ever-changing and creative minds in hip-hop and Ahwlee brings amazing simultaneous throwback and modern production.

7.

Masego is a multi-talented R&B artist who can sing, produce and play the saxophone. He’s currently most famous for work with other artists like Kaytranada, Kehlani, Spillage Village and most recently his track Navajo being sampled in the Certified Lover Boy opening track by Drake. On his second solo album, he combines contemporary R&B with trap production to create catchy beats and melodies. The first track Black Anime is the best showcase of Masego’s ability to create a fun and catchy track. The song builds up with whispered vocals and sound effects then breaks into a lilting trap beat with Masego almost rapping over it. The next track Sax Fifth Avenue shows his talents with the trap beat of the song being punctuated by elongated sax notes played by Masego himself. Despite Masego’s clear talents the album never feels pretentious or flashy for the sake of being flashy. The album is simple, catchy and perfect for the modern era of trap and R&B relevance. If this album doesn’t catapult Masego’s solo career into the mainstream, then I don’t know what will.

6.

Rapping has never been the main focus of Sage Elsesser. He has been sponsored by skater fashion brands and began skating professionally in 2014. He also models for clothing brands and ran the art direction for Earl Sweatshirt’s album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. He started rapping under the name Navy Blue in 2015 and started his own label in 2020 where he’s released three full-length albums. The rap game has never been for money or acclaim for Navy Blue but for having an outlet. His albums have always been authentic, conscious and deeply personal. On Ways of Knowing, his major label debut on Def Jam, he is just as genuine as ever. The production here is less experimental than on previous projects. The beats here are jazzy and lush with many samples using soul samples that are pitched up. In comparison to other chipmunk soul beats like early Kanye West these beats are mainly drumless. This makes the beats very minimalistic and means the quality of the beats relies greatly on the samples used. Luckily for this album the samples here a soulful and memorable with highlights being simmering emotions on Embers and the vocal chops on The Medium. These minimal beats mean there is a greater focus on Navy Blue’s lyrics. His lyrics are as personal and poetic as ever with much of the album feeling like diary entries or poetic self-reflections. The features here add to the feel of the album with verses from Budgie and Zeroh and soulful choruses from Kelly Moonstone and Liv.e. On Navy Blue’s major label debut, he shows his continued ability to make personal and authentic art.

5.

With the success of her 2018 album Isolation and her two huge collaborations with Tyler, the Creator Kali Uchis has been catapulted into the mainstream as one of the biggest names in R&B. This album further cements this position with the album debuting at number 4 on the Billboard charts and the single for the album Moonlight blowing up on Tiktok. She continues her blend of soulful and smooth R&B with catchy pop melodies and production. Her vocals across this album are irresistibly smooth and sultry. The opening track I Wish You Roses has one of the most catchy melodies and choruses on the album. She has some more smooth soul and funk influences on some tracks All Mine and Blue. All Mine has one of the most vocally impressive choruses on the album with Kali reaching into an extremely high register in the chorus. Blue feels like a homage to 70s psychedelic and smooth soul with groovy drums and more mysterious and deeper vocals. She switches into Spanish to great effect on this album on the tracks Como Te Quiero Yo, Hasta Cuando and Moonlight. Her ability to switch seamlessly between languages and make them sound smooth and purposeful shows her supreme vocal talents. The closing track Happy Now feels like the biggest summer jam on the album with an immediately catchy chorus, call and response vocals and summery, funky production. The features on here are well thought out and placed with her picking some of the best fellow R&B vocalists. Omar Apollo, Don Tolliver and Summer Walker all bring their own unique vocals and chemistry with Kali. Kali Uchis continues to show why she deserves to be one of the biggest names in R&B and makes probably my favourite mainstream album from the year so far.

4.

Yves Tumor’s latest album, which challenges Fiona Apple for the longest album title, can be simplified to PALWCBWDNC(OSHBW). Yves Tumor has established their name as one of the most inimitable and talented figures in rock. In an industry with bands like Imagine Dragons getting labelled as rock Yves Tumor’s success has stood with their experimental blend of psychedelic blend of rock, punk, dance and funk music. This album is their most complete yet with the album blending glam rock, post-punk, psychedelia and art rock seamlessly. The album opens with God Is a Circle with a propulsive bassline and vocals chopped up to sound like someone breathing in and out rapidly. These elements create a groovy instrumental pallet that sounds like a twisted version of dance-punk. Another highlight from this album is Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood which uses dynamics to great effects. It starts with spaced-out guitars that cut turn into a slow and resonant bassline when Yves Tumor’s high-pitched vocals come in. The song builds up with a heavy classic rock-inspired guitar riff. The song repeatedly switches between these intense and delicate elements keeping the song ever-changing. Yves Tumor’s lyrics on this album create this otherwordly feeling that fits perfectly with instrumentation. They often refer to themselves in the first person but mix in elements of normal reflections and situations with otherwordly situations and mystical elements. This creates an interesting feeling that feels somewhat relatable but still creates a unique musical world. The biggest highlight on the album comes on the final three tracks on the album which is my favourite three-track run of the year so far. They are all so varied but flow effortlessly between each other and mix various elements of rock and psychedelia into funky and memorable tracks. Yves Tumor creates by far their most impressive work continuing to experiment and show themselves as a bastion of rock music.

3.

I was concerned for Black Country, New Road when their lead vocalist and songwriter, Isaac Wood, left. He had been so crucial to the mood and success of their last two albums. With emotive singing and songwriting, he set apart BC,NR as one of the most complete and exciting bands in the British indie rock scene. They were catapulted to success with their first album and when their second album took more elements from chamber pop and art rock their mainstream appeal and their popularity grew even more. This album is a live album of brand-new songs by their band. The vocal and songwriting duties on this album are shared between three members of the six-piece band. Despite concerns about how the loss of their lead singer would affect the band this album is emotive and beautifully written and arranged as ever. They lean more into the chamber pop and theatrical sounds of their second album. Tyler Hyde who sings on 5 of the 9 songs on this album still has the emotive tones in her voice that BC,NR had with Isaac Wood. The instrumental elements that make BC,NR so special are also here flute, violin and saxophone solos throughout the album. One of the highlights of Tyler’s singing and songwriting is the opening track Up Song. With saxophone buildups that lead to propulsive drum sections, Tyler sings through these sections with ease. This song has one of the most powerful choruses of the album with all the band members singing for the pre-chorus then Tyler singing powerfully alone in the chorus. Across The Pond Friend shows how sad the album can get with the song written and sung by Lewis Evans. The song is about a friend the narrator has met overseas that seems like it may have romantic implications. When they have to go they feel unready to leave their friend with the line, “How could I be ready to say goodbye?” In the chorus, he imagines meeting up with this friend again and them running to him and hugging him. The most ambitious and impressively arranged song on this album is the almost 10-minute-long Turbine/Pigs. The song shows the strength of subtlety in BC,NR’s music with a majority of this song being subtle piano with more subdued and melancholic singing by Tyler. The buildup of this song is only instrumental with a glorious cacophony of saxophone, guitar and piano ending the song. The strength and subtleties of these songs are even more impressive considering the whole album was recorded live. It will be interesting to see how many ideas and songs from this album make their way onto BC,NR’s third studio album. This band continues to show the strength of their sound and manages to capture a unique time in the band’s history in a beautiful and passionate live performance.

2.

Two of the biggest names in the underground hip-hop scene collab for the aptly named Scaring The Hoes. Danny Brown has been relevant since the early 2010s and has been known for their experimental production and his absurdist lyrics and crazy lyrics and flows that often feel unhinged. He’s had some mainstream crossover including hopping on the huge posse cut 1Train. JPEGMAFIA or Peggy on the other hand is the new blood of the underground hip-hop scene. He produces all his own music and has been implementing singing into some of his more recent albums. Bringing these two artists together is a fantasy for fans of the experimental hip-hop scene and this album lives up to the hype. Peggy produces the whole album and this may be his craziest production yet. Most impressively he produced the majority of the album without using modern technology. Rather than using the current industry standard of Pro Tools the SP-404 and manual sampler released in 2005. The fact that some of these beats like the particularly insane Garbage Pale Kids and Run The Jewels. Gargabe Pale Kids samples a Japanese ad from 1985 throughout the song and goes from glitchy electronic beats to grand guitar riffs throughout the song. Run The Jewels is barely over 1 minute long but samples one of the most insane horn solos I’ve ever heard. Because of this production style the album is mixed very uniquely with much of the album feeling very lo-fi and Danny Brown’s vocals sometimes being mixed very low. The rapping here matches the insane energy of the beats. Both of their rapping styles contrast well here to keep the album consistently interesting throughout. JPEGMAFIA has a great ability to change his flows and sound comfortable on any beat. His flow is fast-paced but his rapping sounds much more controlled. In comparison, Danny Brown has a much more wild delivery with his high-pitched vocals contrasting with JPEGMAFIA’s delivery. The song Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up/Muddy Waters shows their differing styles perfectly. Danny Brown raps over the first half of the song then a beat switch halfway through brings JPEGMAFIA’s more controlled flows and deeper vocals. This album truly lives up to the title with two of the most experimental artists in hip-hop teaming up to create one of the most insane hip-hop albums ever. Showing this album to a hip-hop fan in the 90s might legitimately kill them. And who knows what would happen if you showed this album to one of the aforementioned hoes.

1.

Throughout slowthai’s music, he has always shown he has bigger than just grime and trap-inspired UK hip-hop. His first album had more standard production but dove deep into political issues in Britain. His next album was split into two halves. In the second half, he gets personal and dives deep into his own mental health issues and experiments with R&B including a track with James Blake. On his 3rd album, UGLY, these ideas are fully realised. This album feels like the sonic representation and even deeper dive into the mental health themes addressed in the second half of his sophomore album. On the production, he recruits Irish post-punk Fontaines DC to help. The album is a unique blend of post-punk, dance and hip-hop music. Across much of the album, slowthai isn’t even rapping. The album opens with Yum which perfectly set the sonic and lyrical themes of the album. Over frantic production including recording over staggered breathing slowthai raps about sex addiction in the first verse then drug addiction in the second. The song ends with slowthai claiming he’s going to self-destruct. The fourth track, Feel Good, brings an interesting contrast to the album. Over anthemic guitars, slowthai sings about being happy and trying to see the best in life. Slowthai creates a post-punk motivational jam and it is by far the most positive song on the album. By itself the song is uplifting but in the context of the album it takes on a darker meaning. It feels like a temporary respite where slowthai temporarily feels positive before he goes back to his addictions and feelings of self-hatred. This self-hatred is exemplified on the track Fuck It Puppet. In the song, he talks to a manifestation of his own self-hatred and doubt. He raps about imagining dying in various ways and relapsing on his drug addictions. In the second half of the track, this manifestation of his negative thoughts talks back to him in a darkly comedic fashion. When he says at least my mum loves the voice responds that she’s biased, then when he says he wants to kill himself the voice claims he couldn’t do it which is then immediately contrasted when he says he wants to live and the voice offers him cocaine. On the track Never Again slowthai shows his ability to craft a story. The song is about someone who was in a relationship with a woman and after they broke up he is still clinging to the memory of her. In the first verse he runs into his ex’s parents who tell him that she’s now pregnant and dating someone called Stuart who she argues with frequently. In the second verse, he runs it to his ex with her newborn baby. She is immediately angry at the narrator and blames him for her issues. She then switches up and says she is proud of what he’s now achieved and wants him to succeed then immediately leaves. In the devastating final verse, he hears rumours of a girl murdered by her husband. He calls her ex’s brother is distraught and can’t speak. He then sees a memorial for his ex-girlfriend who has been killed by Stuart. The picture used for the memorial was one of them together at Winter Wonderland where the narrator was cut out. The whole song is an excruciating build-up of tension that shows slowthai’s songwriting ability to create a devastating song. My favourite song on the album is the penultimate track, Tourniquet. The song is made up of simple elements that pair together to create a tortured and complex song. In the chorus, he uses the metaphor of a tourniquet used to cut off his arm to compare to him cutting off the toxic people and aspects of his life. The chorus is sung angrily over a melancholic guitar line and slow and menacing drums. The refrain explodes in rage with slowthai yelling about breaking his bones and trying to find an escape from his pain. The bridge after the refrain breaks into lightly strummed acoustic guitar as he dives deeper into his self-doubts. With these simple elements, slowthai creates a complex song about his own struggles. This album is one of the most personal and introspective looks into mental health I’ve listened to and uses sonic ideas, lyrics and metaphors to explore these complex ideas. Overall, this is my favourite album of the year so far.

2023 is already hotting up with a slew of amazing albums releasing in February. I had to trouble cutting the list down but here are the top 12 best albums of February 2023.

12.

The latest album from singer-songwriter Andy Shauf continues on his soft rock sound with delicate and soothing arrangements calling back to 70s soft rock music. The majority of this is his softly strummed guitar with other elements of percussion subtly enhancing the sound in the background. His lyrics also fit the music with a soft and soothing singing voice that mixes in with the guitar. This album sets itself apart through the lyrics. In deeply ironic fashion the lyrics depict a twisted lover. On the surface level, the lyrics may seem like typical love ballads. But when the lyrics are listened to closely it clearly shows an obsessive love that veers into stalking. This creates a fascinating contrast and can create two distinct listenings of the album; focusing on the music or focusing on the lyrics.

11.

Tha God Fahim might be the most prolific artist in the rap game. He released 5 albums last year and this is already his 3rd album from this year. This constant release schedule has made it difficult for some of his projects to stand out despite his clear talents and artistic creativity. Everything on here feels more focused than some of his more recent albums. The beats are all catchy and consistent with production from Sadhugold, Camouflage Monk, Nicholas Craven, and Fahim himself. Fahim’s beats are a particular standout with catchy loops on Man Of Steel and Let’s Make A Deal. The features on this also step up their game with Mach-Hommy, Your Old Droog, and Tha God Fahim combining for an energetic and non-stop lyrical performance on Let’s Make A Deal and Your Old Droog having two other solid features on the album. Fahim also sounds hungry on this album with standout performances on Turbulent Nights and Battleship. Fahim continues to stay hungry and subtly refine his sound even through his plethora of releases.

10.

Shame continues their signature blend of indie and punk with energetic instrumentation and depressive lyricism. In comparison to some of the other artists in the British indie/post-punk scene, the vocals are much more traditionally sung rather than bordering on spoken word. On their 3rd album Shame sound tight and refined with a wide variety of instrumentation. They can easily go from slow prodding instrumentals to faster more art punk-inspired drums and guitar. The lead singer Charlie Steen puts emotion into all these songs with raw and passionate singing. Shame continues to refine their sound on their 3rd album and distinguish themselves from other artists in the British indie scene.

9.

This album is one of the most simultaneously surprising and emotionally potent listens for me this year. I was already aware of the Korean shoegaze and alternative rock scene with artists like Parannoul and Asian Glow and while I appreciated the music none of it fully connected with me. This album on the other hand is the perfect mix of slow, washed-out production and grand post-rock builds and orchestration. The soft and low-mixed vocals give this album a dreamy aesthetic. The grand shoegaze and post-rock arrangements and the dreamy vocals combine to create an ethereal experience. The structureless nature of these songs also enhances this experience with the album creating a singular mood. The last track, How To Avoid The Bends, ends the album perfectly with washed-out guitars and walls of noise over soft and beautiful vocals.

8.

Sam Gendel is one of the most adventurous voices in modern jazz. Unafraid to experiment with different sounds and break conventional jazz rules he is breathing fresh air into a somewhat stagnant and rigid jazz scene that often seems afraid to break from tradition. On this album, he is at his most daring. It is a cover album of sorts with each song a jazz interpretation of a classic 90s/00s R&B song. This includes covers of Aaliyah, Erykah Badu and Boyz II Men. This provides a unique framework to create a jazz album with familiar and catchy melodies built into avant-garde jazz tunes. For one example of the uniqueness of this concept on Are You That Somebody he takes the classic Aaliyah tune and pulls out the melody. He simplifies this melody to an almost repetitive extent with an emotionless spoken word section over the melody. When the spoken word section ends the repeated melody gives way to spacey and distant chords with the melody slowly breaking down in the background. Unique ideas like this are used throughout the album to great effect. From classic R&B tunes to neo-soul cuts the album covers a wide variety of songs from to 90s to the 00s keeping it interesting throughout. This album continues to show the unique ideas and sounds possible in jazz music and pushes the genre forward by referencing the past.

7.

After experimenting with indie and heartland rock on their last two albums The Men return to their signature style of noisy and energetic garage rock. They slip seamlessly back into this sound and show their experience with garage rock. The guitars and drums are loud and blaring but still controlled with fast and heavy riffs. Mark Perro’s vocals still stand out from the instrumentation with their anger and snarl. These simple and quick rock tracks are satisfying and scratch a certain itch. The last song on the album is the most ambitious track on the album clocking in at almost 6.5 minutes. While still noisy it is slower and the singer is more melodic. They pull this still off well with them maintaining their raw energy but still creating a longer and more melodically satisfying track. This track helps to end the album with more of a punch and shows variety to fairly basic garage rock tracks. While this album may be simple it does what it’s trying to do very well.

6.

If you found the rock on New York City too formulaic this might be the perfect album for you. The album combines punk, dance and industrial music for one of the most unique genre blends and rock records in recent memory. The tracks can go from simmering to self-righteous anger in seconds and the vocals bring a sense of manic rage. The touches of industrial production add to the anxious and ominous feel of the music. Where this album really succeeds is with its buildups and catharsis of emotion. The first track shows the album’s great use of dynamics starting with a simmering, thumping electronic beat which breaks into a faster rhythm with loud, aggressive drums. The most impressive part of this album is despite all the no-wave and industrial elements how catchy model/actriz manage to make this album. Despite the mechanical and industrial feeling of these beats they still weave this sound with dance and punk. A big part of the catchiness of this album is the lead singer, Cole Haden. He uses melodies that stick in the head and fit perfectly with heavy and angry beats. His lyrics toe the line between violent, indignant, angry and longing all combining to create a flurry of emotion. That sums up the overall feel of the album; emotional catharsis. Through all the various and disparate elements that Model/Actriz put into this album, they forge their own distinct sound that sounds wholly unique. On their debut album, they easily exceed the hype of their singles and show why they are one of the most exciting and forward-thinking voices in rock music.

5.

Rome Streetz has a big task following up the success and acclaim of last years Kiss the Ring. On his Griselda debut he combined with a series of regular Griselda producers to create a grimy and vivid album. He also debunked the critcism of his lack of verstality with flows. On this album he has a more focused vision with the whole album produced by Big Ghost Ltd. The beats here are much more focused and cohesive on this album with a big focus on grimy and cinematic samples. Over these drumless loops Rome brings his relentless flow spitting bars and bars over head bopping beats. He also brings some more choruses to relatively positive effect like the memorable repetition of, “suicide, it’s a suicide.” The standout feature comes from Method Man who over a looped piano sample spits a tight and memorable verse creating one of the best tracks on the album. Rome Streetz sounds as hungry as ever and the focus and talent of Big Ghost Ltd. helps him to create a worthy follow up to Kiss the Ring.

4.

Liv.e has already established herself in the alternative music scene through her 2020 album and a plethora of features with experimental and forward-thinking rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and Pink Siifu. On her second album, she experiments even more creating a psychedelic and alternative R&B album with influences from drum and bass, electronic, and hypnagogic music. She blends up all these influences into a trippy and eclectic 40-minute experience. She can go from trippy and chaotic production to minimal and lush layers of synths from track to track carrying these tonal shifts with the strength of her voice. No matter the production her voice always stands out as delicate and mellow helping to make the album cohesive. The album feels like one singular experience with no clear structure to the tracks and constant and unpredictable changes. Liv.e makes one of the eclectic R&B albums shows the genreless and boundless nature of made music made possible through modern technology and the near endless and accessible amount of music through the internet.

3.

Young Fathers are a band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland but you couldn’t tell that from their music. They fuse pop and indie music with a wide range of genres that sound on paper like they wouldn’t work. But somehow they pull it off with ease. This album comes 5 years after their last album Cocoa Sugar won Scottish album of the year. To follow up this album they expand their influences even more taking ideas and sounds from gospel, industrial and West African music. All these influences are still filtered heavily through art pop and catchy melodies. For all the genre influences this album is incredibly cohesive with each track performed with passion and energy. This is probably the most consistently fun album I’ve listened to this year with anthemic vocals and bright production. They also tinge this album shown best by the spacious production on Tell Somebody which builds to a resplendent crescendo with pummeling drums and strings. The production here is glossy and smooth with each groove and instrument being crystal clear in the mix. This album is so catchy that one of the tracks, Rice, was even featured in the FIFA 23 soundtrack. Young Fathers continue to push their sound to create one of the catchiest, most fun and most genre-diverse albums of the year.

2.

Caroline Polachek began her career with the popular indie pop duo Chairlift. In that group, it was obvious her ambitions were more experimental and forward-thinking than the genre allowed her to be. These ambitions were realised on 2019’s Pang, a glitchy and electronic alt-pop album. With the immediate success of that album, she established her name in the alternative pop scene along with the likes of Charli XCX and FKA Twigs. Expectations were high for her follow up but with this album, she shows why she is the most exciting and forward-thinking pop artist right now. The instrumentals here are glitchy, and electronic but undeniably catchy. Her vocals are even better here than on Pang with a smooth and pitch-perfect delivery. Highlights of her singing from this album come from her vocal flexibility on Bunny Is A Rider and the warm humming and melodies on Blood And Butter. She also teams up with Grimes and Dido on the track Fly To You to create an alternative pop holy grail with very different voices bringing interesting variety over a punchy, electronic beat. Caroline Polachek creates one of the most interesting and forward-thinking pop albums in recent memory and sets a high bar for the ambitiousness of pop music.

1.

This is the 4th album by the post-punk and alternative rock group Algiers. On this album, they experiment with experimental and political hip-hop. Rather than taking the Rage Against the Machine approach of energetic rage, they use hip-hop to create more sombre and indignant political anger. Speaking of Rage Against the Machine, lead singer Zack De La Rocha is featured on the second track Irreversible Damage. He brings contrast to Algiers frontman, Franklin James Fisher’s deep delivery reminiscent of soul, with his energetic half-rapped delivery. This album is packed full of surprising collaborations including spoken word passages throughout the album by legendary hip-hop figure Big Rube, verses from underground legends billy woods and Backxwash, and Egyptian folk artist Nadah el Shazly. billy woods and Backxwash combine for their first collaboration on an ominous track. The track begins with an ominous piano where billy woods spits a complex and vivid verse. The track then explodes with punchy drums suiting Backxwash’s angered and loud delivery. Franklin James Fisher’s deep delivery helps bring a soulful feeling to this album and provides an interesting contrast to the industrial production across this album. The biggest criticism I’ve seen of this album is that it lacks cohesion. While it is a chaotic album I think the manic energy and off-kilter sequencing work in its favour. The album never really lets you rest going from hip-hop to soul to punk to spoken work to industrial and even to sombre and atmospheric tracks like Cleanse Your Guilt Here. Algiers combine with a variety of names to create one of the most chaotic, politically potent and stressful (somehow in a good way) albums of the year.

While the start of this year may not have the big name releases like last year it has had some very good albums to start the year of music off right. Here are the my top 10 albums from the first month of the year.

10.

John Cale has had a long career in music. Starting his career with the Velvet Underground he then ventured into a successful solo career that only got more experimental as he went on. This is ever the case in his first album in 11 years. At 80 years old, Cale is as hungry as ever combining his style of art pop with dark electronic and atmospheric music. To dive into this sound he collaborates with a fascinating group of musicians including Actress, Weyes Blood, and Animal Collective. Only of these songs is under 5 minutes with most songs allowing the atmosphere to carry these songs. While sometimes the songs feel drawn when the longer and more atmospheric songs work, they work very well. The best example of this is the eight-minute long song STORY OF BLOOD with Weyes Blood. With no clear verse-chorus structure, the song relies on the instrumentation and the strength of the two vocalists. The washing walls of electronic music mix in with John Cale’s vocals swaying and moving with the song. Weyes Bloods’ beautiful vocals create a contrast sometimes layering with Cales’ vocals and sometimes standing on their own. A recommended album if you like electronic or experimental music or just want to see how far John Cale can experiment.

9.

Indie and underground darling Parannoul have released After the Magic after their last album catapulting into the underground and music nerd scene. While I understand the appeal of their last album it never clicked with me. This album I enjoy more with a slightly bigger focus on indie rock. This album is more restrained and less angsty than their previous effort. They choose to take a bigger focus on beautiful melodies and structures within the fuzz and atmosphere of their shoegaze elements. While I still don’t understand all of the hype monumental hype for this artist this album is helping me to appreciate their sound more and I am excited to see where they go from here.

8.

This album introduced me to both Norwegian saxophonist and composer Mette Henriette and ECM jazz; a style of jazz that is very minimal combining cool jazz, jazz fusion and classical music. This album is a very relaxing and atmospheric listen. Mette’s saxophone play is the true focus of the album with soft piano and strings in the background setting a background for the saxphone to glide through. Her playing is cool and subdued showing a strong influence of cool jazz. While there is nothing truly exciting or genre-pushing for jazz music this album continues to show the strength and abundance of modern jazz.

7.

Gaz Coombes creates a likeable album filled with positive indie rock and rock pop songs with catchy choruses and positive vibes. Lots of this album feels like a more refined and genuine version of the mainstream indie-pop that blew in the mid to late 2000s. This is my first time listening to Gaz Coombes but he was previously in the popular Britpop group Supergrass so it was interesting first listening to his album divorced from that context. Now knowing that context it shows in the mature songwriting and musicianship shown on this album. Gaz Coombes shows more of a throwback Britsh indie rock scene in comparison to the more experimental groups coming out of the scene like Black Country, New Road and Wet Leg. While he may not have the relevance or hype of these artists he shows how this 2000s style can still be successfully translated to now and not feel tacky or like nostalgia bait. 

6.

While this definitely isn’t one of Boldy’s James compared to his prolific releases over the last 2 years. Despite this, my lovely for Boldy James still stands strong with melancholic, drowsy rapping. This album is produced by RichGains who has primarily produced trap music. RichGains adapts his styles with a plethora of vocal samples but still has a trap feel. This changes Boldy James’ style bringing a new vibe to his music with personal raps about drug dealing. He also has more features on this album teaming up with Jai Imani for a trap cut and with Sir Michael Rocks from the Cool Kids for the closing track. While this is definitely one of Boldy’s weakest releases in recent memory a subpar Boldy is a great album for most artists.

5.

The 4th in the Lyrics to GO series by Kota the Friend continues with his series of summery and snappy tunes clocking in at 16 minutes. His previous albums I have listened to haven’t fully connected with me. But this short and sweet style works perfectly for Kota’s style. The beats are simple and catchy on this album. This also allows Kota’s lyricism to be clear and direct. In contrast to the happy beats Kota gets very personal talking about the future, his doubters and how he has struggled. While the lyrics have a positive outlook took about the things that happened in his past and where he is now with him delving into his struggles still creates an interesting dichotomy between the beats and lyrics. Kota slots into a style that really works for him and hones his lyricism and songwriting in a simple and fun to listen to album.

4.

Japanese singer-songwriter Ayano Kaneko has been able to break through into her mainstream with her familiar style of indie pop and rock and sets herself apart with her musical consistency and singing in another language. Guitar is the dominant instrument on this album and it’s played with a variety of grooves and styles throughout the album. She sets herself apart by her singing with long passionate notes that are reminiscent of J-Rock singers. This brings an interesting dynamic with the indie pop instrumentation and adds more passion to the songs. Her singing also allows the album to get noisier and play with dynamics, especially on the track 気分. It starts out with loud guitars and drums and uses multiple breakdowns throughout the song to keep it interesting. While this is not a particularly genre pushing album it shows an interesting crossover between indie pop and Japanese music.

3.

The music from this album matches perfectly with the album cover. It feels ethereal, ghostly and almost otherworldly. It is also a beautifully delicate album with soft vocals and instrumentation. Nicole Dollanganger is already over 10 years into her career making indie folk tunes but she continues to innovate. She brings a gothic and dreamy sound to this album with very soft and slow layers of piano, guitars, drums and some song synths. She cuts through this perfectly with her high-pitched wistful voice that is mixed higher than average above the instrumentation. The album is also very focused with Nicole singing about this sort of otherwordly love and the darkness that comes with it. She fully commits to the world of this album and for that, she creates one of the most engaging and entrancing listens so far this year.

2.

The second album by The Murder Capital follows up on When I Have Fears. They swap out the anger and aggression in that album for melancholy and art rock aesthetics. Lots of the instrumentations combines off-kilter rhythms with more beautiful moments creating a juxtaposition between the different style. It is also everchanging, for example, The Stars Will Leave Their Stage the song with bare rhythmic hits which eventually gives way to washing drums and a melancholic guitar lick. This is indicative of the instrumental pallets throughout the album changing from rhythmic and anxious to beautiful and longing on a dime. James McGovern, The Murder Capitals’ vocalist, is similar to many other vocalists in the recent post-punk scene. He straddles the line between singing and speaking and puts emotion behind his voice. If you’re a fan of the current post-punk scene with bands like Squid and Black Country, New Road this an album worth checking out.

1.

Probably the most unexpectedly amazing album I’ve ever listened to. Lil Yachty completely reinvents himself on this grand and psychedelic rock album. Coming from the SoundCloud scene Lil Yachty found his own niche with his unique voice and use of autotune. The success of pop rap hit Poland makes this left turn all the more surprising. To create this new sound he worked with some of the biggest names in the indie and rock scene including members from Magdalena Bay, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and the now defunct Chairlift and Jeremiah Raisen who has produced for a multitude of artists including Yves Tumor and Charli XCX. Yachty is clearly inspired and channels psychedelic bands like Pink Floyd and Tame Impala. While he wears his influences on his sleeve he sets himself apart with his vocals. With heavy autotune Yachty’s voice sounds almost robotic at points and essentially acts as another instrument. To contrast his vocal style he features a series of amazing vocalists Wynter Gordon on 3 tracks including the opening track where she gives a passionate, operatic performance reminiscent of The Greatest Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd during the instrumental at the tail end of the song. He also features vocals from Teezo Touchdown, Foushee, Daniel Caesar, Justine Sky and Ant Clemons. The variety and talents of these vocalists help to add to the grandiosity of the album and to contrast Yachty’s autotuned vocals. Across 14 tracks Yachty also keeps the tracks interesting with grand instrumental passages, trippy breakdowns, lush atmospheres and the showcasing of a plethora of artists in the current indie and rock scene. Yachty’s full commitment to a completely new sound and style pays off creating one of the most surprising genre shifts in music.

Big dissapointment from Stormzy’s third album. I was excited for the album considering his song Mel Made Me Do It which is defintely my favourite Stormzy song. It’s an 8 minute show of his rapping ability full of quotables and a music video with a plethora of entertaining appearances. The album takes a steep depature from this sound moving into very bland R&B. Much of his rapping is almost spoken word on this and his lyrics aren’t powerful enough to carry over 50 minutes of this slow style. While he does reach someone moments of heart touching introspection and religious belief like Holy Spirit most of the album falls short. Sampha has a great feature on this though, on Sampha’s Plea.

A pretty bland showing from Rodrigo Campos especially considering his exciting, avant-garde work with Jucara Marcal. This is a pretty basic MPB with from Sara Bentes on 3/4 of these tracks. Sara Bentes brings an even more commercial sound to this album. While it’s not bad nothing is particularly memorable and ranks pretty low on the plethora of interesting and ground-breaking Brazilian albums released this year.

This is the 7th album from NBA Youngboy released this year and you can feel he’s running out of steam. Luckily he teams up with Quando Rondo to bring more energy. This album is much more focused on Quando Rondo with 5 solo tracks out of 16. He brings an exciting energy of typical trap beats. None of Youngboy’s verses are bad but you can tell he’s running out of energy and lyrics by his 7th album. While nothing really stands out this is a solid album and defintely better than Youngboy’s other collab album this year with DaBaby.

I discovered this artist off the Black Panther 2 soundtrack released two weeks ago. Building off the attention that comes with a big soundtrack feature she’s released her 3rd album. This album is in the Amapiano genre which is South African house music featuring minimal and rhythmic production. This album features at least two people on every track and up to 7 people on the longer tracks. This showcases a wide variety of talent and voices from South Africa. While all the production is solid this album feels long with most tracks clocking in at over 6 minutes. Interesting to get into South African house music but overly long.

This album is originally released in 1997 but was just released on streaming services by reggae legend Barrington Levy. While this wasn’t released during his commercial peak during the early 70s and 80s this still is a great reggae and dancehall album. Catchy, groovy and rhythmic; this album ticks all the boxes of a great reggae album. Barrington Levy’s album sounds powerful and more mature here being almost 20 years into his career. This is a solid album to get more into reggae music beyond just Bob Marley.

The latest album by one of the biggest in the rapidly emerging and developing Afrobeats scene. His last album and its hit single Essence helped to bringing Afrobeats into the view of the greater public. He follows this album up with a another solid collection of groovy and moody songs. This album also has a stronger influence from African music in, comparison to the last album’s more neo-soul inspired sound, with heavy inspirations from South African music. This also has interesting colloborations with Don Tolliver and a great verse from Skepta. Another good album in the Afrobeats scene that ultimatley doesn’t reach the heights of the genres best albums.

AKAI SOLO proves once again why he is one of the most underrated artists in even the underground scene. AKAI has worked with some of the biggest and most taleneted artists on the underground including features with Moor Mother and billy woods and collab album with Pink Siifu. This album shows his solo talents with only one feature by Armand Hammer. He has the abstract, lo-fi and drumless production present in lots of albums in this scene in the underground. He sets himself apart with his deadpan and detailed rapping. This mood of this album matches the album cover very well feeling moody, abstract, dense and psychedelic. A good album to get into the underground scene and probably AKAI SOLO’s best solo album.

Mysterious British musical collective dropped 4 new albums on streaming and one on bandcamp. I’ve yet to listen to their bandcamp album but the 4 on streaming truly shows their talent and verstaility. The members is a mystery with the only known memebers being Inflo as the producer and Cleo Sol and Kid Sister contributing to vocals.

11 is Sault’s more typical neo-soul sound. It also draws influences from reggae. All the tracks are very groovy and have well thought structures with many songs reaching the 5 minute mark.

Aiir is a follow up to their previous album Air. It again is essentially a classical album heavy string production and choral vocals. This album reaches absolute beautiful highs and is a more impressive sequel to Air.

Earth is another neo-soul album with more influences from African music. This is probably my favourite of the 4 albums with beautiful production and vocals and spiritual lyrics.

The final album Today & Tomorrow sees them venturing into rock music. The album experiments with many rock sounds including funk, boogie, psychedelic and punk. While maybe not as complete or measured as their other albums this experimentation with rock creates a really interesting album with amazing grooves.

This quarter of album shows the versaility of one of the most mysterious and interesting artists right now.

This soundtrack for the new Black Panther film explores the sounds of African and South American music. Controversially, I also prefer this to the original Black Panther Soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar. This album feels much more thematically appropriate for Black Panther. It features two Rihanna songs showing she hasn’t falted in quality at all in 6 years. It also features albums from Afrobeats and South African house arists and South American folk music. Another Interlude is the moody and lyrical Interlude by Stormzy. All the songs in her bringing a varied sound while still feeling thematic and appropriate for Black Panther.

Nas somehow does it again with his 4th album in three years produced by Hit-Boy. At 50 years old Nas sounds more hungry then over with 17 tracks and 0 features. This is first time he’s had an album with no features since the Lost Tapes which was a collection of previously unreleased songs. Acorss 50 minutes Nas brings non-stop flows and lyrics. This album lyrically sees Nas album to take a more mature and reflective approach looking back at his 4 decades in the music industry. Hit-Boy has some of his best production on this album with highlights including the double header Legit and Thun and the punchy horns on Til My Last Breath. Nas brings some of his best lyrics especially on the tracks WTF SMH and Once a Man, Twice a Child. While I may not like this as much as the moody and concise Magic this is my favourite album in the his King’s Disease series.

Drake’s 3rd album in a just over a year and probably his best since Nothing Was The Same. 21 Savage really brings the best out of Drake with him rapping alot more than he has on his more recent projects. The biggest problem with this album is that it doesn’t really feel like a collab album. Drake by far gets more focus on the album despite 21 Savage bringing more heat to his verses. This just leaves me wanting more 21 Savage on this album. Despite this there are some very good songs on this album with both artists pushing each other. Drake’s singing is also a lot more tolerable on this album especially compared to his misguided forray into house music on Honestly, Nevermind. Middle of the Ocean is a shockingly good track with three beat switches and Drake rapping better than he has in years. While this album is still held back by Drake being Drake, 21 Savage really helps to make this a decent album.

The 3rd album from New Jersey rapper Cakes da Killa. He continues to fuse hosue and rap music in interesting ways. This album features his best production with more jazz influenced house music and layered beats He brings his firey delivery style to these 15 tracks and shameless lyrics. He brings a unique perspective to hip hop a genre that has traditionally had a large amount of homophobia. Cakes da Killa unshamedly raps about being gay and his relationships with other men. This album brings together all these unique and interesting ideas into a cohseive project with short interludes creating a mood for this album. Despite his first and layered flows this album is still very chill with Cakes still fitting perfectly on the nocturnal, atmospheric instrumentals. This truly feels like Cakes da Killa shows his unique style and full talents.

Joji’s style makes relatively well with very minimal lo-fi production. This album doesn’t overstay its welcome at 24 minutes. It starts with the heartbreaking single Glimpse of Us. Die for You is another highlight with Joji creating another bittersweet, depressing banger. The rest of this album is very low-key with Joji’s soft singing style. This is somewhat to its detriment with lots of the album outside of the two standout tracks feeling samey and too minimal. If the album was longer it may cause a bigger problem but at only 24 minutes it creates a relatively consistent vibe. Interesting artistic change from Joji which shows some of his best songwriting.

His third album this year alone Boldy somehow does it again. The key to keep his style interesting across such a short period of time has been in its production. Each album is fully produced by a singular produced bringing a unique style and statement to each album. Killing Nothing produced by Real Bad Man brings boom bap production, Fair Exchange No Robbery brings sample-heavy drumless beats while this most recent brings jazzy drumless loops. Boldy’s lyrics are as specifc and memorable as ever with his weary and detailed drug tales. Another great showing by one of the most prolific and consistent rappers right now.

The latest album from abstract, conscious rapper R.A.P. Ferreira shows him at most concise and conistent. The album across this album is jazzy, lo-fi and abstract with each beat working perfectly with Ferreira’s rapping. His rapping borders on spoken word with a clear delivery drawing attention to his lyrics. Much of these lyrics could read like poetry with Ferreira’s wit and self-deprecating humour coming through. He always talks from a personal perspective talking about the music industry and his own personal experiences. There is a great feature from Hemlock Ernst on the 4th track with both rappers trading back and forth over a soulful beat. This album is by far the best from this week and I know I’ll discover more and understand the lyrics more deeply as I continue listening.

Honourable mentions: Deluxe albums

Freddie Gibbs released the deluxe version of $oul $old $eparately. He added five tracks that had already been released as singles. While it doesn’t add anything new its nice seeing these tracks on an album and their all good additions to the album.

Baby Keem also released a deluxe version for The Melodic Blue. Some of these tracks are better than regular songs on the album. killstreaks is a killer collab between Don Tolliver PinkPantheress who both show their unique styles and voices. naked freestyle and fine china are two great beats where Baby Keem gets to show off his unique flows. Overall adds a lot to the album and really shows why Keem is one of the most exciting young rappers.

6.

The 3rd edition in Detroit rapper BabyTron’s Bin Reaper series. While you know exactly what to expect from a BabyTron album he still makes it memorable. Very simple, catchy trap beats with a memorable sample and BabyTron rapping completely offbeat. He keeps his signature, almost wonky flow throughout the album. This flow makes his one liners all the more memorable. Some of the best include, “Have my dawg catch the play, he like Air Bud”, “Need a jersey that say “Maravich”, how I pistol tote”, and my favourite, “Supreme Timbs, came a long way from ACGs
He a roll player on his team, call him “KCP””.

The opening track is also probably BabyTron’s most serious song where he raps about his come up and people not understanding his unique style. This storytelling only continues for one a half verses before he breaks into constant one liners. This album also has a great feature from supremely underrated fellow Detroit rapper Icewear Vezzo. Overall, BabyTron shows his unmistakeably, unique style and continues to show the talent of the Detroit trap scene.

5.

The third album from one of the most underrated and versatile rappers out there. This is his most ambitious mixture of hip-hop and R&B yet. Smino creates unique beats with his mellow and abstract style. He employs his features very well on this album with great verses from J. Cole, Lil Uzi Vert and Doechii. These features also show how versatile Smino is creating a mellow, introspective vibe for J. Cole and a more energetic vibe for Lil Uzi Vert. He also shows his ability to make pure R&B songs with Settle Down featuring Cory Henry and Ravyn Lenae. While this album still feels bloated and never fully realised its potential like hist past two albums still shows the voice of the one of the most unique artists.

4.

Che Noir’s second album this year alone, Che follows up Food for Thought with The Last Remnants. While it may not have the conceptuality of Food for Thought or the constant bars of Thrill of the Hunt 2 this is a solid album showing Che’s talent in telling a story and putting emotion into her songs.

In an interview for this album she says 7 of the 9 tracks for this album were recorded 3 years ago. She also doesn’t produce any of the beats on this album with a lot of the production coming from long time colloborator 38 Spesh. Despite this the album still shows increase consistency and cohesiveness throughout.

She uses her vivid storytelling to weave stories of growing up, hustling and beating her competition. The features across this album are all great, especially Benny the Butcher on Wash the Dishes. Over a funky bass line and an enchanting chopped up sample Che raps about trying to provide newfound wisdom from her succes to her friends still stuck in the crime ridden streets of Buffalo. Benny stars with big ups Che at the start verse claiming most female and male rappers can’t step to her level. This high praise is proven true through this album and her past works and Che continues to be one of the most talented and underrated lyricists currently.

3.

Cities Aviv follow up to one of my favourite experimental hip hop albums this year, Man Plays the Horn. While Man Plays the Horn is a winding, conceptual opus on the history of jazz music through hip hop this album provides a more traditional experimental lo-fi jazz album.

Through lo-fi, psychedelic samples Cities Aviv creates everchanging, abstract soundscapes. Rather than trying to cut through or draw too much attention to the vocals Cities Aviv uses his voice to blend into the abstract sounds almost creating another instrument. His abstract, conscious lyricism provides another layer to this album and will help to provide more interest with future listens. While this album doesn’t have the conceptuality and scope of Man Plays the Horn, it’s not supposed to, instead showing Cities Aviv talents as a rapper and producer in creating a specific and consistent mood and tone throughout a whole album.

2.

Prolific Australian rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard release their third, and my favourite album, in this month alone. They show their ridiculous verstality being able to play any sub-genre of rock imaginable. On Changes they seamlessly mix psychedelic pop and jazz-rock together together creating a funky but more traditional experience than their last two albums.With funky guitar lines and tight drumming across the album this album is sure to get you bobbing your head along.

It starts with a 13 minute long winding jazz rock piece with minimal vocals. Gondii also shows their talent in writing catchy melodies adding elements of pop into their jazz-funk sounds. Overall, this album succeeds by having a large centre peice track at the start and shorter tracks following. Because of this conciseness and its blending of jazz and pop sounds this is probably my favourite King Gizzard album from this year.

1.

Despite claiming Hitler Wears Hermes 8 Side A & B would be the last editions in his prolific Hitler Wears Hermes (a play on the Devil Wears Prada) mixtape series, Westside Gunn chooses to surprise release Hitler Wears Hermes 10, shortened to simply, 10. This also apparently counts HWH8: Side B as Hitler Wears Hermes 9 meaning he can skip straight to HWH10. Despite the confusing logisitcs of this album Gunn once again shows why he is the most prolific and famous figure in underground hip-hop right now.

The album starts off with the RZA produced Intro, with AA Rashid narrating over the top of it. A typically grimey and exciting start to a Hitler mixtape this is further elevated by the outstanding RZA production that sounds like it could fit on a 90s Wu-Tang album. The next song, Flygod Jr is produced by Gunn’s son and is full on trap. While there is a good Doe Boy feature this is defintely the weakest song on the album with cheap sounding production paling in comparison to the rest of the album.

The best part of this album by far is its features with an insanely long and talented list of names for a 12 song album. As Gunn has been doing more recently he steps back on his own his album bringing together his features to shine. This has his widest variety of features by far, with a wide range of MCs rapping over the typical Grisleda, grimey, druless and cinematic. These features include a song with A$AP Rocky and Stove God Cooks contrasting beautifully on Shooters in Soho. It also contains songs featuring legendary duos Blackstar and Run the Jewels respectively.

The two most impressive feature lists on this album are the two large posse cuts, Science Class featuring Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Stove God Cooks, and the over 10 minute long Red Death featuring Benny the Butcher, Stove God Cooks, Rome Streetz, Armani Caesar, Jay Worthy, Conway the Machine and Robby Takac to end the album. The latter is perhaps Gunn’s most ambitious song ever featuring meaty verses from 7 rappers and a triumphant outro from legendary rock bassist and vocalist Robby Takac from the Goo Goo dolls.

White there is so much more of this album to analyse including the celebration and use of Westside Gunn’s children across this album and the use of local crackhead Eastside Flip as the cover art this review can only go on for so long. If this album truly is the last in the HWH series it provides a truly triumphant celebration of underground hip-hop and the success of Griselda.

5.

An interesting album for Taylor Swift getting announced less than two months before it was released with no singles for the album. It’s completely produced by Jack Antonoff both to this albums benefit and detriment. Taylor drops the folky feeling to give way to Jack Antonoff’s very 80 insipired production. While it gives a unique feeling compared to Taylors other albums it does work out that well. While there was no clear misses or bad songs in the tracklist nothing really stands except a few more memorable songs like Sweet Nothing. Overall, a disspointment compared to her last two albums but still decent.

4.

Following up one of my favourite hip hop albums of 2021, Half God, Wiki releases Cold Cuts produced by Subjxct 5. One of the most common criticisms of Half God is that it was too long. I didn’t really feel it on that album but I see it as an issue on this album clocking in at 1 hour and 11 minutes. The production also feels less distinct and memorable than on Half God. Overall, Wiki still brings his bars and there’s some good songs but this album could have defintely used with some trimming to create a better project overall.

3.

The 7th studio album from this millenniums biggest inide rock band. This album sees them transforming their album to more baroque and lush arrangements. This keeps the album interesting with beautiful production throughout. While it may not be as hard hitting as the bands previously loved albums it creates a new interesting style for the Arctic Monkeys. My biggest criticism is that I don’t love Alex Turner’s vocals in this new style. A lot of the time they feel over the top distracting from the music. Still a must listen for Arctic Monkey and indie rock fans.

2.

Carly Rae Jepsen does it again creating pop perfection to get lost it. Probably her best album since Emotion. The sounds of this new album perfectly reflects the album cover feeling more lush than her previous albums. It still very much feels like a Carly Rae Jepsen with her catchy style of dance pop. While it may not reach the heights of Emotion this still a very solid album and one of the better straight pop albums from this year.

1.

Far and away the best album from this week this feels like Armani Caesar truly realising her potential . This is her second album signed to Griselda following up The Liz which was good but felt too short to fully show her talent. The Liz 2 follows this up with 17 tracks and a plethora of features. Westside Gunn executively produces this album and creates a perfect vibe throughout the album. It very much feels like the classic Griselda style with grimey beats and over the top interludes and skits about high art and fashion. This style fits Armani perfectly with her bragadocious and explicit rapping reaching a peak. All the features help this album with the regular Griselda crew of Benny the Butcher, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Stove God Cooks all spitting great verses. Kodak Black comes as a surprise spitting a decent verse on the most luxurious beat of the album, Diana. Armani still holds her own with 10 solo tracks. This album finishes interestingly with possibly Griselda’s most mainstream trap song. With a trap beat you could hear Migos rapping over, Armani shows her verstality creating a unique and memorable ending. Overall, this feels like a throwback to the classic Griselda sound and shows that there is talent across the roster of Griselda.

This week was filled with amazing albums so I had to add an extra spot

6.

The debut album from ont he most interesting genre-bending artists out right now. Combining R&B, Hip-Hop, Club music this debut album from Shygirl stays interesting and everchanging throughout the tracklist. This isn’t as in your face and and out there as her previous music both to this albums benefit and detriment. It loses some of the punchiness and appeal of Shygirl’s music but creates a more balanced album. Overall, makes me excited for the next Shygirl album to see if she could do something crazier.

5.

Rome Streetz debut Griselda album and feels like a Griselda album. His style was already clear on previous releases but he meshes well with the Griselda sound. The beats on this album come from the regular Griselda producers most notably Conductor Williams producing the most songs on this album. No real weak beats and the innecesant producer tag of, “Conductor, we have a problem,” still entertains me. All the features on this are great and really show the talent of Griselda and most importantly help to break Rome Streetz repetitve flow. Over 17 tracks and 50 minutes his flow does get repetitive and this album could have been helped with more variety in flows. Still a great album and exciting to see for the future of Griselda.

4.

Freddie Gibbs first album since his Grammy-nominated album with the Alchemist, Alfredo. Maybe influenced by the Grammy nomination this is by far Gibbs’ most mainstream album with features from Offset and Moneybagg Yo. This also had his strangest rollout with Freddie setting up a fake casino website to promote the album. Ultimately all the hype and features came together to create a solid Freddie Gibbs that doesn’t live up to his previous highlights. The wide range of features work great with a great verse from Pusha T and MoneyBagg Yo. This album also has his most varied beats which is expected considering it’s one of his few studio albums without full production from a single producer. Ultimately, this makes this one of his less cohesive albums despite the concept, which is only held together by various celebrity skits by infamous characters like Jeffery Ross and Joe Rogan. While this album pales in comparison to his previous efforts with Madlib and The Alchemist, an average Freddie Gibbs album is still a great hip hop album.

3.

The second Boldy James album this year, this one fully produced by Canadian beatmaker Nicholas Craven. Boldy James still says consistent with his drowsy and cinematic rapping. He always brings a certain maturity and weariness to his tales of drug dealing and trapping. This album stands out in his discography with its beats from Nicholas Craven. He still uses the drumless beats that Boldy James has regularly rapped over but he uses a large amount of pitched up samples. This creates a unique atmosphere for Boldy to rap over. Boldy also shows his ability to carry an album by himself only one feature on this album. This album continues to show Boldy consistency slowly building one of modern hip hop’s most impresive discography.

2.

A surprise drop from billy woods he shows his ability to create unique soundscapes and vivid and abstract lyrcisim. This album is fully produced by Messiah Muzik creating consistency within the album last shown on his 2019 album Hiding Places. While it doesn’t reach the heights of that album Church is still one of the most lyrically interesting albums of the year. This is one of his most abstract and personal albums with woods lyrics diving into his mindstate. More of listening of this album is required to fully understand the lyrics and see how it compares to the rest of his amazing discography.

1.

A new Björk album has to be a good week for music. Her first album in 5 years this really goes shows how as Björk has aged her music has only gotten stranger and more experimental. This has her strangest instrumentals with a plethora of genre influences. It also continues her more recent trend of having multiple colloborations on an album. This has by far her most colloborations with all of them blending perfectly with the glitchy and emotional tone of the album. This includes colloborations with her two children adding to theme of family throughout the album. Ultimately this may be one of Björk’s most divisive albums but to me shows she continues to innovate almost 30 years into her solo career and more listens will only continue to show the complexity of Björk’s tenth album.