Records Shmecords

It’s been a long time since I’ve broken out this ol’ Tumblr account. Life has changed in the...Jesus...four years since I last posted on here. But the fact of the matter is this; I was motivated to crank out my first end-of-the-year list for myself in quite sometime. A huge shout out to multiple random people that I’ve never met who approached me saying they actually read my nonsense throughout the years. Big reason I threw this list on this old account (seriously, people use Tumblr still? Shock). Thank you for the support and with that, here are 21 albums that kicked total ass in 2021, a year when good music was more necessary than ever. 

21.     Vince Staples – Vince Staples

Vince Staples gets straight to the point with no bullshit. His self-titled album, another knockout, is Staples’ least abrasive sonically, toning the energy down with his focused lyricism front and center. Unlike other Staples albums, there’s no real political or social commentary explicitly explored. Instead, this self-titled album plays as stories told from someone who’s lived them, painting vivid portraits of a life consumed by violence and fear. The inevitability of death permeates the album, be that the inevitability from the lifestyle or simple matter of fact that no one lives forever. Vince Staples reveals the traumas that brought him to the conclusions of life – violence and pain that would define his entire outlook.

20.     Sault – Nine

Everything about Sault’s fifth album Nine felt subtly monumental. The British soul/funk collective stays secretive, save for the knowledge that it’s a collab effort from producer Inflo with Cleo Sol (whose delivered a phenomenal album in 2021 with Mother) delivering some knockout lead vocals. In pure enigmatic fashion, Nine was only available for download/streaming for 99 days before disappearing forever. Though it may be gone, the thoughtful meditations of race and modern sociological issues resonated long past the album ran off into the night. Maybe it was the catchiness of the tunes; sticking these ideas in the mind through a subtle release that will never be forgotten.

19.     Turnstile – Glow On

An absolutely BITCHIN hardcore punk album that brought soaring emotions, Glow On is the best album from Maryland band Turnstile. Glow On shreds the fuck out. But it’s not all punk jamming; Brandon Yates’ vocal performance take on an anthemic quality soars along with the rifts, morphing the production into something dream-like and intoxicating. Glow On feels like a gung-ho, go for broke type of hardcore album grappling with existential ideas in the fiercest way possible, blurring genre lines but remaining a punk statement throughout. My favorite type of punk and an album that was a perfect catharsis throughout the year. Definitely damaged my hearing with this one.

18.     Squid – Bright Green Field

Hands-down the best debut of 2021, Squid are a post-punk British oozing with bountiful, off-the-cuff eccentricity throughout Bright Green Field. This is an album that indulges in any tendency as it sees fit, playing in its own labyrinthian world with listeners invited to spiral along. Whiplash is expected when songs veer from one end of the punk spectrum to whatever makes sense in the moment. As a band, Squid sound so secure in their vision here that it’s boggling to comprehend this as their first album. I randomly stumbled across Bright Green Field after a night of drinking, engulfing myself in its often unsettling atmosphere. This is one that begs to be listened in the dark, headphones cranked to deafening levels for the best “descent into madness” experience of 2021.

17.     Tune-Yards – sketchy.

It’s easy to forget, but Tune-Yards have been working in the industry for 15 years, delivering quirky art pop with Merrill Garbu’s lead vocals always acting as some of the genre’s most distinct. Each Tune-Yards album provides unique soundscapes, but sketchy. is possibly the band’s most eclectic and colorful work thus far. A more personal album than previous projects, sketchy. is a confidently anxious project that confronts all manner of issues by puffing its chest and doing what it needs for release. It’s always bizarre, as all Tune-Yards albums are delightfully weird in general, but sketchy. comes in guns blazing with pure intent and passion. I was taken off-guard by how much I loved revisiting the world crafted here throughout 2021. Tune-Yards don’t give a shit and will express the heart on their sleeve as seen fit, something I’m 100% here for.

16.     Julien Baker – Little Oblivions

Little Oblivions, the third album from singer/songwriter Juilen Baker, is an utterly punishing experience. Not in how abrasive the album isn’t, but how Baker’s self-destructive lyricism paints a vivid portrait of tormented emotions that feels like something beyond personal. Utilizing a full band rather than the simplicity of acoustic folk, Little Oblivions feels at once fittingly huge and painfully intimate. Like the diary of someone grappling with trauma in the midst of ego death, Baker brings a wide-eyed unpredictability of someone with nowhere to go but within. Little Oblivions isn’t a sad record because of the topics, it’s the singer’s own approach to the material that hurts the most. You want to tell Baker everything will be alright, despite knowing that’s bullshit.

15.     Self-Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure

When Rebecca Taylor left the band Slow Club to reimagine herself as the bonafide Madonna-esque popstar Self-Esteem, it seemed like a jarring shift of intent. And yes, indie-folk to pop-bombast is a pivot for the ages, but Self-Esteem’s true nature is more personal and direct than the quiet intimacy afforded to folk. Her second album as Self-Esteem, Prioritise Pleasre, is a direct takedown of relationship dynamics and sexist gender politics that eschews preachiness by delivering the years’ biggest anthems of self-gratification. Even when the album is fighting with fire in its eyes, there’s a genuine sensitivity that comes through with fantastic songwriting as Taylor isn’t pointing the finger or laying the blame; she’s showing her side and bearing her soul for anyone willing to listen. Taylor’s Self-Esteem moniker isn’t a statement of who she is, it’s statement reminding herself who she is. This album feels like she’s shaking you, crying passionately for understanding from every angle.  

14.     Kanye West – DONDA

To anyone that knows me: yes, I knew you knew DONDA would make my best of 2021 list. But the thing is, the experience of the DONDA lead up is crucial to understanding what made this Kanye West’s best album since The Life of Pablo. Constant delays, the massive listening events that showed an artist crafting the album in real-time, the constant turmoil of Kanye’s personal life; all factored into DONDA being as grand as it is. You don’t listen to a damn near two-hour experience this messy and nitpick the flaws; you admire some of Kanye’s biggest, boldest, and most emotional work yet.  It’s a slop-show structurally (my god, the deluxe is worse) and saves the best for the second half, but it’s a Kanye flex in every way imaginable. Being a Kanye fan can sometimes seem like a full-time job of defense and head-shaking, but 2021 was the gift that kept giving for Kanye fanatics with DONDA smack dab in the middle, defining a true cultural moment.

13.     Laura Mvula – Pink Noise

Despite being nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2016, British artist Laura Mvula was unexpectedly dropped from her label RCA. A heavy blow to any artist and one that would undoubtedly drudge up the worst emotions. Five-years-later, Laura Mvula returns not with negativity, but with Pink Noise - a glistening and sexy slice of 80s/90s pop with Mvula radiating more confidence and style than ever before. It’s her biggest sounding album, dominated by a vocal performance bursting with attitude, sass and passion. This feels like an album specifically for Mvula to prove her self-worth to herself, to show the labels and critics that she’s worthy of her own artistry. Screw the labels and critics – Laura Mvula deserves the happiness radiating on every inch of Pink Noise.

12.     Doja Cat – Planet Her

Easily the biggest surprise of 2021. I knew Doja Cat to be a talented rapper/singer with a dash of controversy, but hadn’t dug a complete project from her. Like other big name female rappers who’ve conquered the charts, Doja exuberant viral personality is tantamount to Planet Her’s energy and quality. She’s given us a chart-topping pop album that feels spaced-out and confident from beginning to end. Planet Her isn’t just full of catchy tracks specifically designed for maximum plays; these tracks earn your repeated listens with fantastic production and Doja Cat’s uniquely animated voice that’s as entrancing as it is hype as fuck. The pop-mainstream doesn’t always deliver on the album experience, but Planet Her powered through as one of the most worthwhile entries in some time. Sometime, a little faith in “what’s popular” can pay dividends.

11.     Jayda G – DJ Kicks (Mix)

I’m going to keep it real – “Both of Us” by Canadian house producer Jayda G is one of my favorite bangers to share with people. It’s full of raw emotion that builds at a breakneck pace to an explosive soulful climax without ever losing any propulsion that house music needs to be a success. It’s incredible and while I’ve waited to see a solo-release of some sort from this incredible new talent, I’m floored with Jayda G’s contribution to the DJ Kicks series. It’s a soulful blend of house utilizing a plethora of raw samples for maximum impact on the dance floor. Once Jayda G starts the set, she sounds like a veteran of the genre with complete control of her craft, creating art through movement. It never loses momentum and I dare say it’s the best installment in the DJ Kicks series heard in years. Jayda G continues to be an artist to watch, especially when a simple DJ mix holds a candle to the best works of 2021.

10.     Czarface & MF DOOM – Super What?

If 2020 didn’t suck shit enough, the death of hip-hop legend MF DOOM was a crushing blow to the entire rap community and artistry in general. DOOM amassed a following of rabid fans by simply being one of the best wordsmiths (an opinion I strongly share) of the genre. If DOOM’s death was a crushing blow, another collab with hip-hop supergroup Czarface was exactly needed to soften the hit. Super What? was delayed due to the pandemic and because of this, DOOM never comes off like an incomplete presence is in top form. DOOM may not be in every song, but his tracks feel like a pure showcase for a legend in prime form. Each member of Czarface (7L, Esoteric, Inspectah Deck) sound like they’re honored to be part of an icon’s legacy, delivering top-tier bars and production. It’s rare to get posthumous performances that live up to the life of the artist, but Super What? works as a bittersweet send-off to one of the all-time greats.

9.     Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

I remember the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All era of Tyler, The Creator like it was yesterday. The brutal shows of the collective, the abrasive (sure…problematic) attitude and sensation of a group bringing something new as a collective; it was exciting to see where it would all go. Throughout each subsequent solo album, ex-OFWGKTA leader Tyler, The Creator consistently challenged the perception of his brash persona, slowly peeling layers of his persona to reveal the intimate and personal side like never before. If Flower Boy was his descent into personal territory, and Igor was a bizarre interpretation of those sensibilities, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is Tyler, The Creator revealing and celebrating himself to the fullest. Tyler raps is ass off, bringing DJ Premier along for a personal odyssey that looks at the past to come to terms with the present. CMIYGL feels like the most cohesive vision of the Tyler persona; a soul-bearing rap epic that might just be his best album yet.

8.     Lakou Mizik & Joseph Ray – Leave the Bones

I’m going to be 100% honest about this entry – I didn’t know, and still don’t, much of the history behind Lakou Mizik or Joseph Ray. I know Lakou Mizik as a multi-generational Hation roots band and Ray won a Grammy for a Skrillex/Nero remix of one of his tracks. Whatever the case and lack of knowledge, I feel the music within Leave the Bones speaks for these artists better than any online search would bring. I like it that way; keeping Leave the Bones a multi-cultural house record that destroys the dance floor with peace, love and unity. It’s an album that immediately brings a better mood with an exuberance pouring out with every track. The less I know details, the more I focused on the act of crafting such joyous tunes. One of the purest experiences of 2021.

7.     Bo Burnham – Inside (The Songs)

Okay, so I tend to avoid comedy albums on end of the year lists, let alone one containing songs from a Netflix special. The thing is, no other piece of media grappled with the intimate issues 2020 left in its wake like the songs featured on Bo Burnham’s new special Inside. These songs are certainly hilarious at times, but strikingly catchy and produced with a level of craft often reserved for the biggest names in the business. Even without the visual aid of the film, Inside (The Songs) features tracks that feel remarkably honest and timely. Every one of Burnham’s songs seem to come from such an honest place of observation, like watching the world crumbling in 2020 felt to so many people. It becomes a mental health awakening that rightfully deserves to be in the conversation of the best album/film 2021 had in store. If you’ve ever felt trapped and insecure about yourself, maybe unsure how to channel personal energy, Inside (The Songs) has something guaranteed to get a laugh through a few tears.

6.     Porter Robinson – Nurture

In the seven(!) years since Porter Robinson’s debut album Worlds became a sensation of the electronic dance genre, times have changed. The initial burst of new and fresh EDM led to an oversaturation in the pop sphere, almost diluting what made some of the genre’s best so great in the early part of the 2010s. Nurture isn’t Porter trying to recreate the success of Worlds nor is it any sort of commentary on the state of modern dance music – it’s a full blown statement of an artist who used the gap in albums to refine his sound and come to terms with his own place in the world. Nurture feels like a sigh of relief - like a hug from a loved one that hasn’t been seen in years or a feeling of peace rather than anxiety in moments of solitude. Worlds has a special place in my heart, but Nurture is a personally fulfilling album that glistens with hope every step of the way.  

5.     Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

With her breakout mainstream appearance in the new Venom film (best scene in an otherwise mediocre movie), it’d be forgivable if Sometimes I Might Be Introvert being the FOURTH Little Simz studio album came as something of a shock. The British-Nigerian rapper delivered a major critical darling in 2019’s Grey Area, displaying her incredible flows and intricate wordplay to a whole new legion of fans and leaving everyone frothing for a follow up. Everything was all warm-up; Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the rapper’s best work by a country mile, no tall feat considering the quality of her previous albums. Little Simz matches her thoughtful bars with some of the best production of any album in 2021, booming along with soulful samples and kinetic beats that keep up with her madcap delivery. Easily one of 2021’s premier hip-hop records, Little Simz delivered something special that rightfully boosted her into a whole other level of fame.

4.     Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee

To say Michelle Zauner had the glow-up of 2021 would be an understatement. After two solid albums leading Japanese Breakfast, the singer shifted her focus towards writing and landed a New York Times bestseller with her memoir Crying In H-Mart. Zauner’s book is a beautiful read, meditating on life with her mother using food as a gateway into poetic ruminations on bittersweet memories that defined a relationship forever. While the book is the meditation on death, Japanese Breakfast’s third-studio-album Jubilee is the catharsis. It’s the band’s most confident and assured work yet, delivering some of the finest singles in 2021 (“Be Sweet”, “Posing In Bondage”). Though Crying in H-Mart isn’t required reading to connect with Jubilee, the pairing of both crafts a thoughtful narrative of the human experience at once gut-wrenching and all too real. It’s the remembrance of small moments that stay with us forever, no matter how insignificant in the moment, that define our lives forever.

3.     Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend

Hot off the heels of the 2018 Mercury Prize winning album Visions of a Life, Wolf Alice were in a situation award-winning, acclaimed bands find themselves; where do we go from here? Rather than completely reinventing, Wolf Alice doubled down and worked to perfect specific vibes on their newest album Blue Weekend. This is alternative rock by definition only; each song expertly plays as a series of vignettes, indulging in rock, shoegaze, folk, trip-hop and dream-pop without losing an ounce of cohesion. Wolf Alice keep a narrative of relationships and proceeding anxieties as a loose guideline to tell a mood-piece. Each song feels so distinct, its own contained story with something for any kind of vibe. Melancholic, joyous, or spacey; Wolf Alice have specifically designed the entire album to work on a multitude of emotional waves.

What separates Blue Weekend from the slew of dream-pop releases is not only the perfectly curated moods, but the fact that Wolf Alice delivered their best album by working towards improving everything that came before. The genres being explored don’t see reinvention often, so it’s up to bands like Wolf Alice to prove that a moody-shoegaze-alternative album can be thrilling. Not just music, but worlds to escape and discover ourselves within. A world of our own, separated from reality and finding the biggest truths. Blue Weekend is a masterpiece of the genre(s) that will be a blueprint (sorry) of what these sounds can accomplish in a new decade.

2.     CHVRCHES – Screen Violence

While touring their third album Love Is Dead, CHVRCHES received horrific threats of death and rape, often directed toward frontwoman Lauren Mayberry. The taunting from Chris Brown based off comments Mayberry made about domestic abuse set shitty Brown’s fans into a frenzy, attracting shitty Tyga fans to pick at the electropop band. Upping security, CHVRCHES powered on to finish the tour only to have Covid-19 isolate the band with the rest of the world. With the band already disillusioned with the touring life, isolation could have been the kiss of death. Instead, the band fittingly recorded their latest album Screen Violence over video sessions in isolation for what is easily the heaviest album the CHVRCHES discography. It’s also their best.

Lauren Mayberry sounds better than ever. Though the threats gave her enough material to tackle misogyny headfirst, Mayberry is more concerned with expressing the confusing and terrifying mental repercussions of trauma. Everything is based off the worst case “what if” scenario in Mayberry’s lyrics, yearning for the comforting past not out of naivety, but weariness. CHVRCHES are at their glitchy electronic best, throwing in more guitars and reverb than ever before which compliment the band’s darker turn. Mixing cinematic production with Mayberry’s awe-inspiring performance makes Screen Violence the most dramatically satisfying album from the band. It’s as if isolation allowed everyone to fully express themselves in a world of their own. Screen Violence doesn’t find answers in the turmoil, but confronts them head on with an aggression of someone backed into a corner. Of all albums in 2021, Screen Violence is the most personally impactful, digging deep into the darkest side of mental health with honesty and heartbreaking realism. It fucked me up.

1.     Jungle – Loving In Stereo 

The best albums of 2021 felt like the reprieve needed after a tumultuous year the world still grapples with. Many, myself included, were impacted on a personal scale in a myriad of ways that shifted perspective of life as we knew it. In a digital age, the worst tendencies of man are on full display for all to see and as such, every self-accomplishment can feel insignificant or inconsequential to the madness around us. The best music of 2021 felt like an affirmation that no matter the context, everyone struggles with acceptance on a personal and collective scale that requires looking inward first. The new Jungle album Loving In Stereo is the album of 2021, for me, because it epitomizes everything music does to free the mind from the darkest depths.

These are the best of the best. The 2017 albums that stuck with me more than the others. These are the remaining 25 of the greatest albums of the year.

25. Elbow – Little Fictions 

As the first album without drummer Richard Jupp, Elbow could have made the obligatory “safe” record and called it good. While there have been few knocks against the British rock band throughout their 20-year career, Little Fictions could have been a half-assed train wreck as the band lost their identity amid the shakeup. Instead, Little Fictions stands alongside the best of Elbow’s stellar discography, even topping some of their highest regarded albums. Rather than dwelling on the loss of their bandmate, Elbow turn in the most energetic and entertaining record in their entire discography.  

Little Fictions is a loving, reflective album, most evident during the song “Gentle Storm.” Lead singer Guy Garvey sounds more passionate than he has in years, with the chorus serving as a grand, loving statement. It’s a deeply romantic album at heart, but it’s also an album of great complexities. Little Fictions didn’t have to be this good to appease fans, but it gifted us with an album of numerous faces. Elbow show their beating heart on Little Fictions and elevate their status in the industry as one of the finest British bands in modern music. 

24. Bjork – Utopia 

With her previous album Vulnicura being one of the most downbeat of her career, with a messy breakup fueling the fire, famed Icelandic singer Bjork knew the follow-up would have to be the polar opposite in tone. Bjork albums usually swing back and forth like this, one of the many reasons she’s remained so vital to the music industry. She always experiments within the conventions and expectations of her fans and by doing so, continues to satisfy fan demand while creating wildly original music. Utopia sees Bjork on another upswing in her career, improving on her past few releases by doubling down on her gorgeous experimentalism. 

Bjork is an artist that’s always been uncompromising and on Utopia, Bjork delivers one of her most beautiful, lush and experimental albums yet. It’s not a bummer either, which is pretty great depending on which Bjork is your favorite, (I’m into the Homogenic, trip-hop Bjork personally, but this is the next best Bjork). Bringing along Arca to produce the album wasn’t a bad idea either as Eutopia sounds so different from Bjork’s catalog without compromising anything her fans want. Simply put, this is Bjork’s best album of the decade. 

23. Beach Fossils – Somersault

Beach Fossils have never received enough credit. In the realm of low-fi indie-rock, it’s easy to churn out forgettable, barely mastered records and use the term “low-fi” as a crutch for shitty music. But Beach Fossils have always found a smooth melancholy that has improved with each release. 2013’s Clash the Truth may not have been perfect, but it was an album that was easy to revisit because of its laid back vibe mixed with gorgeous melodies. If the band was to evolve though, they’d have to step their game up to remain relevant amidst all the low-fi albums cropping up. 

Though four years was enough of a wait that Beach Fossils could have released a total reinvention of themselves, the band sticks to what they know on their latest record, Somersault. A refinement of everything before, Somersault is the band’s best effort yet. It offers fans everything fans of the band could want, while trimming the rougher edges to make for a more cohesive listen. Somersault delivers the low-fi indie-rock you’d expect from Beach Fossils, just with a stronger grip on their craft and some of the smoothest hooks in the game. 

22. Destroyer – Ken

By now, Dan Bejar’s vision as Destroyer fails to surprise like before because the guy really doesn’t seem to have a bad record in him. Kaputt launched Destroyer into the stratosphere of indie love, but Poison Season reaffirmed his position as one of the most ambitious songwriters today. Ken follows closer to the subdued, reflective and borderline nostalgic grooves of Kaputt. His character in that album was a deeply flawed, but well intentioned man, who reflected on his time chasing girls and cocaine in his 20s with a sense of regret. If Kaputt is a meditation of the past, then Ken is the bummer present day comedown.  

The thrill of the moment took center stage on past Destroyer releases, and on Ken, Bejar looks at regrets with a wiser eye for his own character. He’s still the same guy from Kaputt and though he might not be chasing ladies and doing drugs, the thrill comes out in reminiscence.Ken is a more restless and uneven than Kaputt, but there’s never a doubt that the stories within come from a place of deep reflection that continues Destroyer’s penchant for fantastic songwriting.  

21. Death Grips – Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber)

Leave it to Death Grips to drop an EP that stands tall next to the best full LPs of the year. The incredibly titled Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber) sees the divisive trio at their experimental best. Over the course of the EPs single 22-minute track, the group flex their muscles, delivering some of the wildest sounds in their career. This EP is a return to the challenging Death Grips, the group that’ll blare a shitty sound in your ear until you like it.

The last Death Grips album, Bottomless Pit, was a success because it managed to blend the styles of all the bands’ releases into the complete Death Grips package. As a return to their more experimental tendencies on Steroids, the group have released some of the best sounding music they’ve ever put to record. Bottemless Pit was the grand return of Death Grips after announcing their “break-up,” but Steroids proves there are even darker avenues for the abrasive group to pursue with success.

20. Jessie Ware – Glasshouse

UK singer Jessie Ware has been a personal favorite since Devotion proved itself to be one of the best albums of 2012. Featuring production heavily influenced by dubstep and house sensibilities, Devotion was moody pop brilliance. The follow-up Tough Love was solid as well, but there was the sense that Jessie Ware was going through a crossroads: continue the mellow club vibes or branch out into pure pop-singer territory. Glasshouse comes after the birth of Ware’s first child and there’s a sensitive edge that is emphasized by the album’s stripped down approach.

Rather than being in a place of longing, Glasshouse sees Ware enjoying a life of love, both romantic and motherly. By choosing to emphasize her vocals and lyrics over anything, Ware cuts deep on Glasshouse and manages to find a new angle on her music that can bring in new fans while satisfying the die-hards. Glasshouse may take a couple listens to fully settle, but once the beauty of the album dawns, Ware’s stunning performance brings you into a mood of love like few albums in 2017.

19. Avey Tare – Eucalyptus

It’s been awhile since Animal Collective have come together for anything special. Their last album Painting With was easily their most forgettable album yet and prior to that, Centipede Hz polarized their entire fan base with its abrasive tendencies. The band has struggled to capture the brilliant highs of classic albums like Merriweather Post Pavilion or Sung Tongs. Despite this, solo efforts from the group continue to display a willingness to experiment and create soundscapes both gorgeous and weird as hell. Panda Bear has had the most success on the solo front, but Avey Tare proves with his second solo effort that he’s the atmospheric genius in Animal Collective. 

Eucalyptus is an engrossing listen, one that’s a spiritual experience in the right mindset. It’s a beautiful, haunting and uncompromising listen, but it’s also a soothing album that feels like a type of bizarre nirvana in music form. Avey Tare’s latest is an album that sucks you into a labyrinth of sound that is consistently compelling. No moment is wasted on Eucalyptus, a characteristic shared by the best psychedelic music. Animal Collective may be struggling to keep fans happy, but solo efforts like Eucalyptus continue to show the members at their artistic best.

18. Tennis - Yours Conditionally 

Tennis always seemed to be a step behind the curve. Their previous album, the fantastic Ritual in Repeat, was full of solid hooks and sweet-as-sugar vocals, but Tennis sounded deeply rooted in the framework of indie-rock’s past. As a band that relied on a certain retro sweetness to their sound, Tennis ran the risk of being one-note, even if the band’s hooks were great and the songwriting tight. Rather than a drastic shake up, Tennis double down on their style on Yours Conditionally. This is still sun drenched affair, seemingly performed by a band who were born and raised on a California beach.

Here’s the thing though; the style of music Tennis perform relies less on established style, and far more on mood and melody. On that front, Yours Conditionally is a triumph, an album that sounds both laid back and intricate at once. Lead singer Alaina Moore carries the album on her shoulder, singing softly of all the emotions love brings, the bad and good, with a sarcastic wit that separates her from the rest of her contemporaries. Yours Conditionally is a fantastic album and a surprising one that deserves credit. Tennis have remained relevant by sticking to their guns and perfecting their craft, damning the changing trends.

17. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

As a die-hard Odd Future fan during the group’s rise in the early 2010s, Tyler, The Creator established himself as one of the freshest faces in hip-hop. Bringing a thematic richness to albums featuring horrific subject matter, Tyler, The Creator became one of the most controversial and unpredictable figures in music. It might come as a surprise to Tyler fans that Flower Boy is a radical shift for the talented rapper. Instead of relying on shock tactics, Flower Boy is the personal, heartfelt album we never knew Tyler would ever release. 

Tyler, The Creator lets loose sporadically on Flower Boy, but the album is at its best when it challenges the idea of who Tyler, The Creator really is. Every controversy Tyler has faced, be it his image of an immature maniac or his liberal use of slurs, is addressed in such a manner that previous albums become something else entirely. Few artists can change the perception of their previous works, but Flower Boy sees Tyler bringing his A-game and in turn, crafting one of the most fascinating hip-hop records of the year.

16. Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins

It took a whopping five years, but we finally got another Grizzly Bear album. To some, that statement might be worth a “oh cool” or two, but for fans of Edward Droste and company, it’s a cause for serious celebration. After leaving us with a career high in Shields, Grizzly Bear did some soul searching as a band and return in one of the most turbulent years in recent memory. Painted Ruins is an incredibly dense and beautiful listen, one that’s far more jaded than previous albums and all the more interesting for it.

It wouldn’t be fair to call Painted Ruins the band’s political album because it simply captures the emotion of living in such times rather than focusing on specific events. To some, this album may prove more challenging than what was expected, but that’s what makes this one of the groups best efforts. By challenging themselves, Grizzly Bear released an immaculately orchestrated art-rock record that anyone with a taste for beautiful tunes should seek out immediately.

15. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

By the time good kid, m.A.A.d city dropped, Kendrick Lamar was already touted as hip-hop’s savior. Kendrick was a rapper that had something to say and said it with a knack for compelling storytelling. Once To Pimp a Butterfly was released, Kendrick became so widely acclaimed for his powerful lyricism and stunning flows that it really seemed like he would do no wrong. That being said, how do you follow up an album that captured the zeitgeist like no other in 2015? Maybe you don’t, which is why Kendrick dropped his first inconsequential release with untitled unmastered. The b-sides album still became a widely acclaimed release with some of Kendrick’s best songs ever. Even Kendrick’s half-assed works were better than most, but would his next studio album fail?e

DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar’s most flawed album. It’s rough around the edges, features songs that are more filler than killer, and doesn’t have nearly the caliber of thematic weight to it. Then why is DAMN. one of the most vital records of 2017? Because here, Kendrick is at his most urgent and exhausted. The politics and events of America 2017 have only pushed people on the edge further and Kendrick is just as sick of the bullshit as all of us. An angry and relentless album, DAMN. is the toughest Kendrick album to revisit, but it’s one of the only records of the year to fulfill the need for music that challenged our social authority. Kendrick Lamar is a wiser rapper than most and while DAMN. is his most scattershot project, it feels like a much needed remedy to the endless bullshit cropping up in our current political climate.

14. Blue Hawaii – Tenderness

Though the Canadian electronic-pop duo Blue Hawaii had a great debut with 2013s Untogether, it seemed like another case of a well executed, trendy album that would soon fade into obscurity. And in a way, the band did fade out with their debut being largely forgotten as the brooding electronic-pop fad made way for the mainstream domination of brooding electronic R&B. Four years is a long time between a debut and sophomore release, but Blue Hawaii managed to drop one of the most surprising albums of the year with Tenderness.

Upping the tempo on Tenderness, Blue Hawaii deliver a pop album full of beauty and romance, something for the dancefloor just as much as it’s prime for late-night reflective listens. Most of the success here comes from the absolutely stunning performance from Raphaelle Standell-Preston, a voice known for her other band Braids. Preston evokes a mid-90s serenity that scales to soulful heights throughout. Tenderness is, excuse the pun, a tender and loving album that I grew to love more and more with every listen. Powerful and genuinely affecting, Tenderness displays the best of Blue Hawaii and in turn, brings out the most genuine emotions in the listener.

13. Sampha - Process

Gaining notoriety through amazing performances on albums from the likes of Drake and SBTRKT, Sampha seemed like he’d always be regulated to guest performances. His voice was distinct, but there was little in the way of evidence that he could carry an entire album by himself. Plenty of artists don’t make the transition out of the guest spot, but there’s occasionally one that rises above the rest. Look at Jessie Ware, who gained attention from the same SBTRKT album as Sampha. Ware proved that she could carry an album and in fact, maintain that quality as one of the previous mentions on this list will attest to. But Sampha was still a risk. Just what would an album from this man be like?

Process is maybe not the debut many had expected from Sampha. It’s a schizophrenic smorgasbord of electronics, wrapped up in a blanket of heartbreaking soul. Yes, Process is more than willing to live up to the hype Sampha had built for himself over the years, but it’s the intimacy and urgency that surprise. Every song veers off in various directions, making the whole album unpredictable even on repeat listens. It’s Sampha’s voice that never shakes though. He sounds so assured in his artistic direction that it’s impossible to not drop your jaw during some of the album’s heaviest moments. Process is one of the best debut albums in recent memory and hopefully ensures Sampha’s superstar status.

12. Brockhampton - Saturation Trilogy

Calling Brockhampton the break-out stars of 2017 is an understatement. With the release of Saturation, the hip-hop/boy band found a niche that embraced their forward thinking lyricism and vivid creativity. Tackling social issues wasn’t anything new by the time of the first Saturation’s release, but few had tackled various heavy topics with the wild creative edge on display. Saturation signified a group that was ready for the mainstream and though the album wasn’t perfect, it definitely signified a promising career. But while Saturation was the ribbon-cutting moment for the group, Brockhampton didn’t make us wait long for the follow-up…or the follow-up to the follow-up. Dropping two more albums in 2017, Brockhampton gifted us the Saturation trilogy and proved themselves as more than just an ambitious new group in hip-hop.

All three Saturation albums have their standout characteristics. The first is full of wild, funny lyricism that keeps even the darkest moments fresh and fun. Following up this album was tough and while Saturation II might be the lesser of all three albums, it’s still a fantastic album that is made better by the group’s subtle refinements. Saturation III, the best of the three, brings these attitudes together in their most diverse album of the bunch. While three albums in one year is nothing new, Brockhampton became a cultural voice for many over the course of their entire introductory year. It’s rare to get a group with such a fine grip on their art, but Brockhampton display a fresh talent that was refreshing to hear in 2017. And with an album on the way in 2018, we thankfully won’t have to wait long to see where Brockhampton’s career leads next.

11. Alvvays – Antisocialites

While the first Alvvays album was a nice breeze of sun-drenched indie-pop, it never felt consequential to the band’s image. People were hyping this band for their festival performances more than they were for their album, and three years later, it didn’t seem like the band were going to push their legacy. It’s easy to make the assumption that the band’s sophomore album, Antisocialites, would satisfy the band’s festival audience for another round of performances before fading from memory. Indie-darling bands run the greatest risk with their sophomore albums; it’s the moment that determines staying power and if the band has what it takes to extend outside the festival circuit. 

Carried by the performance of lead singer Molly Rankin, Antisocialites is evidence that Alvvays have a tighter grasp on their craft than any hungover, sunburnt festival goer could guess. This is the album that transcends Alvvays’ festival hype. The songs are better written, production is livelier and the whole album is a blast from beginning to end. Detailing the highs and lows of romance, Antisocialites is sad, funny and full of angst, often at the same time.  Songs cut deep into the realities of love and this means things aren’t always as cheery as they appear through the melodies. Still, there’s a warmth to the perspective Rankin shows in her smart lyricism that never lets the melancholy ruin the vibes. Antisocialites is such a surprise because of the attention to detail that isn’t always evident from bands like Alvvays. Sometimes, there’s more ambition than early festival performances lead on.

10. Joey Bada$$ - All-Amerikkkan Bada$$

Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ has always had an affinity for the hip-hop of yore. His debut mixtape 1999 sounded straight out of the East Coast prime, a time where rappers like Nas and Biggie would put their lyrics first and foremost. At the time of 1999, Joey Bada$$ still had years left in his teens, but he sounded so elevated from other rappers that his style became less of a rip-off and more of a loving ode. However, he couldn’t match his mixtape success with his debut album, B4.Da.$$. While the album received solid reviews, time has swiftly forgotten about the forgettable record.  

Any worries that Joey Bada$$ would rely on his 90s nostalgia and long winded verses again on All-Amerkkkan Bada$$ are quickly thrown out the window. Turns out the biggest shake-up Joey Bada$$ needed to take was to pursue a much poppier approach to his old-school affinities. A focus on a verse-chorus-verse structure greatly helps to keep Joey’s rapping from exhaustion. It’s a good thing because All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ doubles as Joey’s most political album to date, tackling topics of racism and violence with a bluntness I never thought him capable of. There’s still the love for the glory days of hip-hop, but there’s a focus that keeps All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ powerful and engaging throughout. Joey Bada$$ will always wear his influences on his shoulder, but this is the first time he’s stepped up to their levels on a thematic level. 

9. The xx – I See You

After the release of their second album Coexist, interest in The xx was already starting to wane. While decent enough, Coexist didn’t do anything the band’s moody debut album did better. The slow-burn indie-pop song format wasn’t displaying the initial creative spark the band rolled onto the scene with. In between the release of Coexist and their latest album, I See You, The xx found their already existing secret weapon: Jamie xx. The band’s producer, Jamie xx found incredible solo success with an album with the legendary Gil Scott-Heron and a solo album, In Colour, that stands with the best albums of the decade. By putting the production of Jamie xx to the forefront of I See You, lead vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim are in a different element than the band’s first releases, but it makes for some of their best music.

I See You is the best album from The xx. While their self-titled was a lightning-in-the-bottle debut, I See You is the band’s most creative, exciting and cohesive work yet. Jamie xx is heavily responsible for the band’s rejuvenated spirit. Most tracks on I See You depart from the spacy minimalism of previous albums, and make way for sample-based electronics that burst with color. I See You displays a surprising amount of passion from each of the three members in the band. Romy and Oliver’s vocals are at their peak, both neatly wrapped in a sonic palette that fits the band’s style perfectly. It’s unfair to name Jamie xx as the sole reason I See You is so brilliant, but he’s one of the best producers in music right now. Allowing him to let loose was bound to bring out the best in The xx and it did. The production is full of life, just like the performances from Romy and Oliver, who sound more inspired than ever. The xx ran the risk of becoming stale, but I See You sees a whole new creative life on the horizon for the band.

8. Lorde – Melodrama

Lorde was thrown into the celebrity spotlight at a shockingly young age. By age 17, the New Zealand born singer had a number one single in the U.S. and was gearing up to drop her first studio album. Pure Heroine was fine, but it wasn’t the stellar release that had been hyped to that point. You can’t really blame Lorde for that. Someone so young is bound to release a work that plays it safe, but she still showed promise as an artist. She came off as a shy, immediately likable and weird person who had something going for her. It wasn’t exactly clear what kind of pop star Lorde would become, but it was apparent that she wouldn’t follow the conventions pop stars typically follow. 

If Pure Heroine was the safe debut record, Melodrama is the ambitious arrival of an artist with an astounding grasp on her work. This is a concept album surrounding the events of a house party and the ensuing emotions that come with cramming a group of volatile emotions into one place. Lorde is a character that embraces solitude, but whose foray into new social territories brought heartbreak and anger. If “Green Light” is the best song of the year, it’s because it encompasses everything great about Melodrama and Lorde herself. Despite grappling with real human emotion, Lorde seems somewhat detached and embracing of her own world. Rather than dwell on a crumbling relationship, Lorde embraces the freedom and gains a new perspective to push her through life. Melodrama is an album less about dramatic interactions and more of the response to such things. Being alone is where Lorde finds perspective and on Melodrama, she’s become the fully fleshed out artist she always displayed the potential of becoming

7. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up

It’s been a long time since the Seattle-based indie folk band Fleet Foxes released anything. While a six-year wait is long, it’s felt all the more lengthy as indie folk began to branch off into new territories without one of the genre’s leading players. Even Bon Iver, one of the only other folk acts to achieve a legendary status with fans, branched into the realm of electronic with their last album. Would Fleet Foxes find themselves in stale artistic territory by leaning heavily on their past? Would they be the next band to pursue an electronic route? Would they even release another album? Fleet Foxes made their triumphant return in 2017 with Crack-Up and while they maintained the gorgeous serenity found in previous releases, the band has moved into far more interesting territories.

Crack-Up is a beast of an album that can be a tough one to fully grapple. Songs go on for eight minutes, changing trajectories seemingly by the minute. Pushing an hour, Crack-Up asks listeners to digest a big chunk of music all at once as this is an album that forces an entire listening session. It’s challenging, but Fleet Foxes have returned with their most ambitious, beautiful and grand statement yet. Fleet Foxes display a willingness to expand on genre conventions by simply making the music sound as grandiose as possible without losing any of the intimacy folk music relies on. Crack-Up is a defining moment for the band and one of the years’ most stunning experiences. Wait for the perfect rainy afternoon, grab your favorite warm drink and give Crack-Up an in-depth listen. It’ll affect you in ways Fleet Foxes never proved themselves capable of before.

6. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream

When LCD Soundsystem called it quits in 2011, the move was met with relative understanding amongst fans. It was sad seeing one of indie music’s biggest bands leave, but with three classic albums under their belt, it seemed fitting with James Murphy’s aging hipster ways. Murphy stayed busy, producing albums for the likes of Arcade Fire, and the rest of the band went on to pursue their own side projects. The end of LCD Soundsystem felt set in stone, an end of an era that This Is Happening perfectly capped off. Hell, there was even Shut Up and Play the Hits, a feature-length documentary surrounding the band’s final performance at Madison Square Garden. Everything felt so conclusive that when LCD Soundsystem announced their return five years later, it was met with some resistance. We just got done mourning the break-up and this band expects us to take them back now? Surely no album would stand up to the legacy Murphy built for himself.

American Dream isn’t a big, showy return that leans on past successes as a crutch. What’s most surprising is that LCD Soundsystem’s latest is their toughest, darkest and downbeat release yet. James Murphy himself, while still a witty smartass, is noticeably wearier throughout the album, jaded from the current social climate. Murphy has been one of the most observant lyricists in the past decade, and he channels this in a far more exhausted fashion. Maybe it’s the current state of politics, or maybe there’s too much change for Murphy’s pessimism to handle. He’s seeing the hipster dream vanish before his aging eyes and American Dream is the embodiment of that. LCD Soundsystem’s break-up felt as inconsequential as it was, but American Dream continues their flawless legacy with an album that’s angry, but self-aware in a way only Murphy can pull off.

5. Algiers - The Underside of Power 

Soul music has always been a genre of purpose. There’s a cathartic loudness to soul that reflects the inner turmoil of the voice. Franklin James Fisher, lead vocalist of Algiers, was just as angry about the rise of President Donald Trump as a large portion of the country were. With the social turmoil dominating media, this was the move that set in motion a chain of anger and violence that still dominates headlines to this day. On The Underside of Power, Fisher explores the life of minorities and how the positions of power have deliberately kept groups of people down. This is a big move for the second Algiers album, a band who gained attention more for their style and performances than their lyrical value. The first Algiers album wasn’t bad by any means, but The Underside of Power trumps it in every way and is one of the most important albums of 2017. 

The Underside of Power is an angry album, one that lashes out within the first song with abrasive electronics and a raw, unmastered quality to the production. Despite being purposely rough around the eges, every song hits with the force of a megaphone in your ear. Fisher’s performance is staggering as his voice ascends in a gospel-like splendor throughout the album. For all the album’s intense social critiques and raw mastering, it’s a surprisingly catchy and enjoyable listen. It’s abrasive sure, but there’s a fun and creative sensibility that offsets the intense anger on disply. It’s basically a punk album in various forms at once, and The Underside of Power was swept under the rug far more than it deserved. With all the attention given to artists who are speaking out against the shitty morals on display with the people in power, The Underside of Power emphasizes Algiers as one of the most important voices in music.

4. The Horrors - V

The Cure were an immensely influential band in the 80s, but their style has lent itself to the worst tendencies in goth music. Artists of the goth ilk never achieved The Cure’s level of success because The Cure were in a league of their own. No band handled pop production with brooding lyrics in a way that connected to an audience as intensely. The Horrors began their career as one of the best bands to sound like The Cure. While lead vocalist Faris Badwan fit the profile of a Cure-influenced goth, his voice and vision maintained a healthy respect for The Horrors. The band eventually gained indie-breakout success with albums like Primary Colours and Skying, but it was always unclear as to how much gas the band had left in them. Sure, Luminous wasn’t a bad album, but it was their blandest yet. The Horrors were at risk of becoming the stale Cure knockoffs they’d avoided.

Instead of a drastic departure, V presents itself as an album that doubles down on what makes The Horrors so great. Moody melodies, a sense of impending dread, and Badwan’s straight-out-the-80s vocals, all come together for a distinctly Horrors record. Where V deviates and excels is in the band’s pursuit of a lighter touch to the production and song structure. Lead single “Something To Remember Me By” is a perfect example of what makes the album so great. There are psychedelic tendencies and Badwan’s vocals are heavy on the feels, but it’s a distinctly fun track. The hook is far catchier than anything The Horrors have done before, but I could say that about half the songs on V. This is an album that wears its influences on its sleeve, but The Horrors take their trademark sound into cleaner, far more gorgeous territory. V is incredible and one of the years’ best releases, but the effort on display should be taken as a lesson to bands leaning on their influences. By branching off on their own weird, lovely terms, The Horrors have created a distinctly modern goth epic that shouldn’t be missed by any all-black dressing music lover.

3. Alex Cameron - Forced Witness

Who exactly is Alex Cameron? Musicians are known for sometimes skewing further into concepts than most, but Alex Cameron has fully adopted a bizarre persona of a failed entertainer throughout his two albums. 2017 saw the release of the second of these albums, Forced Witness, and upon first listen, Cameron’s persona is at once despicable and endlessly fascinating. Who is this man calling himself Marlon Brando as he puffs his chest and hurls homophobic slurs at men who talk to a woman of interest? And why the hell does he keep talking about masturbation? Forced Witness will undoubtedly shock anyone listening to Alex Cameron for the first time, but all the gratuitous shock tactics have a reason to exist. On his sophomore release, Alex Cameron has crafted an album of shocking social relevance and one of the most entertaining records of the year.

Forced Witness isn’t so much an indie dance record as it is a darkly comical portrayal of the dangers of masculinity left unchecked. With saxophonist Roy Molloy helping each song burst into satisfying climaxes (heh, fitting), Alex Cameron delivers an epic tale of a flawed character living life on his terms, aware of the damage he’s capable of. Rather than come off like a huge joke, Forced Witness eventually makes way for genuine emotions, the kind that makes the hedonism take on a human light. Alex Cameron warns women that he’s a horrible character and even apologizes for calling other guys homophobic slurs on the same song he does so. Alex Cameron is an impulsive character capable of seedy shit, but Forced Witness presents this character in a relatable light. Alex Cameron’s epic is hilarious and catchy as hell, and it’s the edgier moments that give Forced Witness an unexpected poignancy that’ll stick with listeners long after it ends.

2. Jay Z – 4:44

Did anyone really have any expectations for a new Jay Z album? One of the most celebrated figures in hip-hop, the man born Shaun Carter has become more synonymous with the business world than he has quality album releases. While I’m not a complete hater of his latest releases, Jay Z came off like he was going through the motions. Becoming richer than God will do that. But then his superstar wife Beyonce released Lemonade. One of 2016’s best albums, Lemonade was a deep examination on racial politics that just so happened to call out Jay Z for infidelity. Holy shit did the internet have a field day and though he kept quiet, you couldn’t help but imagine what it must be like for Jay Z to find himself in a controversy like this.

4:44 is something of a direct response to Lemonade. Here, Jay Z reflects on his career and the lives he’s come into contact with. He’s a father and husband, but also a millionaire business mogul, something that could have made 4:44 an insufferable listen. Instead, this is one of the best albums in Jay Z’s entire career, standing with the likes of The Blueprint, The Black Album and Reasonable Doubt. Rather than weaseling his way out of the controversy he was embroiled in, Jay Z raps from a perspective that is almost inhuman. His rich man problems reveal a history chock full of regret as he admits to cheating allegations and simultaneously makes you understand his perspective. Jay Z is a man who is larger than life and with No I.D. producing the entire album with comforting soul, his confessions come off as genuine and thought-provoking. 4:44 is a meditative album that is unlike anything to ever release because no hip-hop artist is on the level Jay Z is. For 4:44’s entire runtime, Jay Z becomes a more powerful voice than we ever thought him capable of.

1. Slowdive - Slowdive

In 2013, Shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine returned with their first album in 22 years, bringing a genre that had fallen into obscurity into the age of social media. Sure, shoegaze albums were still popping up, but no modern shoegaze band has been able to touch the heights set by the genre defining album Loveless. My Bloody Valentine have taken credit as the top dog in shoegaze so often that Slowdive often got buried underneath that group’s shadow. With fantastic albums under their belt, Slowdive epitomized what the genre was to a lot of people. Shoegaze is about pure, unfiltered emotion, delivered with attention to melody with almost no sense of lyrical direction. It doesn’t matter what the words are in shoegaze, it’s how the words and voice become an integral part of the melodies. It’s a tricky genre; the music can sound hollow if the right care isn’t given and can destroy the mood an artist might set up. This is why following up Loveless has been a bitch for anyone established in the genre. That’s an album that made a studio go bankrupt with how expensive it was. How would any aspiring shoegaze artist come close to what that album did?

The only way for shoegaze to get another classic was to have it come from the genre vets. Like My Bloody Valentine, it took 22 years for Slowdive to release another album. It’s a wild coincidence, but it makes sense when you realize shoegaze only had its real moment in the 90s. Slowdive are a band who have always been under the shadow of their contemporary, but their return to shoegaze is an unexpected resurgence of the genre that shouldn’t have even happened. Slowdive is the most beautiful, captivating and awe-inspiring shoegaze album since Loveless, and that easily makes it the best album of 2017. Rather than aiming for political and social relevance, Slowdive delivered an album that provided the best escape for our troubled times. It’s an album that shows shoegaze in its best tux, washing over the listener with an impeccable beauty. Slowdive may not have been the big dogs during the prime of shoegaze, but they are responsible for a resurgence that might stick. Let’s hope because the world could use a little more beauty nowadays.

Thus concludes my choices for the 50 greatest albums of the year. Let’s just hope 2018 can measure up to the amount of quality on display here.

The whole year of 2017 was a cluster fuck. Be it politics, media or our own social standing, 2017 was the year most would like to forget. Throughout the year though, quality music releases popped up to remind us that all of the bullshit is indeed, bullshit. When listening to music this year, I wanted to hear music that transported me out of reality or music that challenged listeners to think deeply about the events around them. Music in 2017 was a catharsis, and these are the albums that represented the very best escapism possible. Picking 50 of my favorite albums of the year was almost impossible, but the albums presented struck a chord with me in one way or another. These are my choices for the 50 best albums of the year. (Part one of two, of course).

50. Bicep – Bicep

Hailing from Northern Ireland, the electronic duo Bicep quietly wormed their way into minds with this stunning self-titled debut. On paper, there isn’t much to this album that we haven’t seen before: low-key house music and subtle shifts to carry the entire album. But what makes Bicep stand out is the way the whole album buries itself deep in the subconscious mind. At first, I felt this album was decent, but unspectacular. But even after one listen, I had various effects from every track stuck in my head for weeks. Bicep is so low-key that you might miss the intricate electronics on display, but the album is seemingly designed to get in your head whether you want it to or not.

49. Majid Jordan – The Space Between

As one of the many to be affiliated with Drake’s OVO Sound label, R&B duo Majid Jordan displayed promise on their debut self-titled album in 2016. A promise left initially unfulfilled, but one capitalized here on their sophomore album The Space Between. Sure, there’s the obvious Drake influence here, but Majid Jordan find a surprising balance between full-blown pop and the moody R&B that has defined the Toronto sound for years. As writers for one of Drake’s biggest hits, “Hold On We’re Going Home,” Majid Jordan finally capitalize on their potential with a set of atmospheric, immaculately crafted R&B.

48. Julien Baker – Turn On the Lights

On Julien Baker’s second album Turn On the Lights, the singer-songwriter grapples with the bleakest of themes. Shaken faith and anxiety fuel the album’s 11 tracks, all of which are stripped down to the bare essentials to allow Baker to to be at the forefront of each track. Turn On the Lights is a moody piece as songs gradually build a surprising amount of tension throughout the runtime. I was genuinely surprised to get lost in Baker’s haunting narrative, as if she was singing directly into my soul. This is an album of questioning, one that feels real because it taps into anyone’s fear of the world around them. Turn On the Lights may not be the easiest listen for some, but for those with patience and the desire to ask the existential questions, this is the perfect reflective album.

47. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding

With their previous album Lost in the Dream, The War on Drugs finally made their way to a bigger audience. Drenched in Springsteen-inspired Americana, the album was full of epic hits that were seemingly pulled straight out of the 1980s. A Deeper Understanding continues what made that album so great in the first place, doubling down on the layered production and epic feels that made Lost in the Dream so great. If this new album isn’t quite the masterpiece the last album was, it’s only because it’s more of a refinement instead of an originator. No matter, A Deeper Understanding is a great follow-up and an indicator that this band is only now getting started.

46. Gorillaz - Humanz

For all the hubbub of a new Gorillaz project from Damon Albarn, Humanz is a surprisingly scattershot record that managed to alienate a number of fans. No matter, Humanz still sees the Gorillaz in the familiar twisted-pop frame as before. The D.R.A.M featuring “Andromeda” could bring the whole club down, but Humanz is at its most provocative with tracks like “Ascension”, featuring a politically charged performance from Vince Staples. With aggressive beats propelling the whole album, there’s a politically charged message here, but one that greatly benefits from the trademark kinetic eccentricity of the Gorillaz.

45. Arca - Arca

I can’t say I’ve been a fan of Venezuela producer Arca’s previous two records. These albums were critically acclaimed across the board, enough so that he’s been getting producer credits from various projects and artists. Personally, I found the music more aimless than it needed to be; abstract electronics with no real emotional core to them. However, Arca’s third and self-titled album is fucking great.

With an increased vocal presence among the eccentric productions, Arca displays an emotional center that greatly improves his abrasive electronics. Arca is an album of personal reflection, one that takes shape with its abstract beauty and never winds down. Easily the best album in Arca’s catalog, this self-titled album finally gives him a platform that even his past critics can’t fault.

44. Rezz – Mass Manipulation

In the world of festival-ready EDM, innovation has taken a backseat to instant bangers, the kind of songs that provide a visceral thrill without any lasting impact. Rezz’s debut album Mass Manipulation provides the requisite bangers, but there’s a creative spark that carries the album beyond a quick adrenaline shot.

Mass Manipulation isn’t a total genre reinvention, but the willingness to experiment with genre conventions gives Rezz a one-up on her contemporaries. Short and sweet, Mass Manipulation descends into odd, sometimes psychedelic territories without sacrificing the bangers. And really, who thought there was any gas left for albums in this genre? A good one is a cause for celebration.

43. Kelela – Take Me Apart

As one of the years’ freshest voices, Kelela’s debut album Take Me Apart might be the sexiest album of 2017. Not in the manner that every song features a frank discussion about the biznizz, but more in a way that washes over you in a soothing manner. Take Me Apart shifts gears and presents itself as a document of a flawed woman, basking in her imperfections and reflecting the ups and downs of love better than most albums in 2017.

Kelela is confident in her tone throughout Take Me Apart, but she never deviates from a subtle singing tone that makes the album a bit of a slow burn, expanding into heavier territory to match cathartic revelations. Take Me Apart might fall into the conventions of electronic R&B, but the results are so seductive and revealing that it begs for repeat listens to dissect every emotional intricacy.

42. Migos – Culture

Migos dominated 2017. The trio of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff managed to climb their way into the public consciousness with Culture, the debut studio album that wasn’t supposed to be this good. It’s hard to consider now, but Migos were looking to fall into obscurity, only reaching a select audience and never making it abundantly clear what the endgame was. However, from the moment the first track begins, Culture reveals Migos as a rap trio meant for the big leagues.

Culture is the culmination of everything trap music has been leading to, solidifying the genre’s ground in the mainstream. Artists like Future or Chief Keef brought this particular rap music to the mainstream, but no other artist created respect from all angles quite like Migos did. With Culture 2 slated for release in 2018 and each member joining various collab projects, the Migos domination doesn’t look to end anytime soon.

41. St. Vincent – Masseduction

Every St. Vincent album has a theme and if her 2014 self-titled masterpiece was the artsy world builder, Masseducation is the more intimate and personal record in her discography. While this new album can’t quite reach the highs of that previous record, it’s still a fantastically weird and entertaining look at one of the most exciting artists in music.

More than any of St. Vincent’s albums, Masseduction feels like the culmination of a varied career as songs branch into every style St. Vincent has dabbled in; songs go from electronic pop to psychedelic rock at a moments notice. St. Vincent juggles so many concepts on Masseduction that the results are most certainly overwhelming, but it’s never less than engrossing throughout.

40. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy

Josh Tillman has become one of the most respected musicians for simply being a satiric asshole. Maybe just an asshole, but as Father John Misty, Tillman explores endless social topics with a wink and a nudge around every corner. Pure Comedy, Tillman’s third album as Father John Misty, continues this tradition over the course of an epic, hour-plus runtime. While lengthy, Pure Comedy wastes no time getting to the best aspects of the Father John Misty legend.

Pure Comedy is unfortunately a more unwieldy beast than Tilllman’s career best, I Love You, Honeybear. But while Pure Comedy is a more challenging record, Tillman remains ever satiric, touching on themes of social interaction, politics and love with the same middle finger we’ve always enjoyed. At this point, it’s hard to knock Father John Misty for anything other than predictability, but the biting lyrics emphasize a man with a lot on his mind and a big middle finger towards all of it.  

39. Sylvan Esso – What Now

Electronic-pop duo Sylvan Esso first broke onto the scene in 2014 with a self-titled debut that was decent enough but far from memorable. They seemed destined to follow the route of an indie-electronic artist following trends that had already faded. There were good ideas, but it didn’t seem like there was room for any more artists of their type. Surprisingly, the duo’s 2017 follow-up What Now improves on everything the band had tried before.

On What Now, Sylvan Esso’s songs sound better and feature a bevy of catchy hooks. It’s a fun record, full of folk-pop littered from beginning to end with odd electronic flourishes. If the duos first album wasn’t your favorite, definitely give What Now a listen. It’s a whole hell of a lot more fun and displays more ambition than this duo initially displayed.  

38. Kesha – Rainbow

Who would have thought the woman behind “Tic Tok” would drop one of the most relevant albums of 2017? In a year where sexual assault allegations dominated the headlines, Kesha’s sexual assault accusations against producer Dr. Luke in 2014 an unfortunate precursor. While the case was dismissed in 2016, Kesha’s cries for justice were later echoed by a plethora of celebrities across a multitude of platforms. Kesha’s shocking allegations had a profound effect on her, something immediately evident on her third album Rainbow.

Deviating from the shallow club music of previous albums, Kesha sounds like a completely revitalized artist, dabbling in country, rock and soul music throughout. There’s more talent on display here than Kesha had ever exhibited before, a response to the horrific legal battle that preluded the album’s release. Kesha stands defiantly on Rainbow, singing from a place of newfound wisdom and perspective as she rallies against those who wronged her not only as a woman, but as a human being.

37. Arcade Fire – Everything Now

Easily one of the most divisive albums of 2017, Arcade Fire’s Everything Now pushed the band further into the alternative dance-rock style that was first introduced on their previous record, Reflektor. But while that album was bogged down by filler and an excruciating run-time, Everything Now delivers a quick burst of indie-pop centered on the dangers of a world dominated by mass media. Even as the most scattered in the band’s discography, Everything Now is a poignant reflection of our modernized culture.

Arcade Fire have always concerned themselves with societal issues in their music and here, it’s a concern that’s brought out through the ABBA-inspired title track, or by the fuzzy electronics of “Creature Comfort.” It’s easy to knock Everything Now as this is no Funeral, The Suburbs, or even Neon Bible. But as the next chapter in the band’s reinvention, Everything Now displays a band unafraid to take risks, exploring concepts that make us look at ourselves in a different light.

36. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me

Death is the only inevitable thing in life. It’s the crushing weight of knowing this that can lead to the most cathartic moments in music. After the passing of his wife in 2016, Phil Elverum took a needed year off to grieve and returned to his Mount Eerie project with A Crow Looked At Me. His eighth studio album, A Crow Looked At Me is one of the heaviest meditations on death ever put to record.

A Crow Looked At Me is not an easy listen. Stripped down to the bare essentials, Elverum takes center stage on the album with only his guitar in hand and the words of a man coming to terms with death in the harshest of moments. A Crow Looked At Me might not be the album to test your new subwoofer out with, but it’s one of the realest and deeply felt albums of the year.  This is the kind of album the power to bury itself deep into the soul of anyone who has experienced any sort of death life.

35. Open Mike Eagle – Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

As the sixth album from Open Mike Eagle, aka Michael W. Eagle II, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream stands tall as the rappers’ best work to date. It’s also the timeliest. A concept album centered around a housing project in Chicago, Open Mike Eagle tells the stories of the people and the interactions within the neighborhood to give the impression of a lived-in place. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream doesn’t examine racism by focusing on harsh realities or reinforcing the violence around such realities.

Instead of centering on heartbreaking anecdotes, Open Mike Eagle simply raps his observations of everyday life in the projects. It’s a poetic and lyrical achievement, bringing to light stories that aren’t portrayed on the media and giving credit to the beauty still found within less desirable conditions. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream functions as a snapshot of a place tarnished by media perception as the day-to-day lives continue with startling beauty.

34. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Soul Of A Woman

The death of Sharon Jones at the end of 2016 wasn’t just a blow to rest of the members of The Dap Kings, it was a blow to the entire music industry. Jones achieved success relatively late in life with her breakout performance coming from the 2014 album Give Them What They Want. The album was a Grammy award winning hit that catapulted Jones’ soulful ferocity into a new spotlight. Her final album with The Dap Kings before her death, Soul Of A Woman stands as a testament to the woman Jones’ always was: a ferocious presence in music that demanded attention.

Jones carries every song on Soul Of A Woman with a snappy soul that’s impossible to recreate. It’s her presence on Soul Of A Woman that reminds the listener of everything this woman was capable of. The album sounds nostalgic, but completely fitting with the times. Maybe it has something to do with how delightful the whole thing can be, even with the death of Jones looming over it. It may not be a total game changer of an album, but with Jones and The Dap Kings at their absolute best, Soul Of A Woman serves as a fitting conclusion to a spectacular life.

33. Spoon – Hot Thoughts

Nine albums in, it was safe to assume Spoon would slip up.  After all, the indie-rock band had become synonymous with the genre, gaining a feverish following with albums like Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Kill the Moonlight considered classics by fans and critics alike. The thing is, their worst album is still damn good and Spoon’s discography has gone without a ding in sight. Hot Thoughts is not the best Spoon album, but it’s a fantastic albu that continues one of the hottest streaks in music.

Rather than playing it safe, Hot Thoughts sees Spoon experimenting with a heavier emphasis on electronics throughout. It’s a move that makes the album their most accessible yet, but it also allows for the group to try out new dynamics while keeping the band’s spirit in tack. Hot Thoughts is another great Spoon album and though that might not be enough for some, most should be pleased with this addition to a stellar discography.

32. SZA - Ctrl

As the sole female member of Top Dawg Entertainment, the same house as Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q, SZA has taken her time to stand out among the group. Her EPs, while solid and well received, didn’t help her garner nearly the level of attention her label mates were receiving. Well, turns out she was quietly waiting to drop the bomb of her debut studio album Ctrl.

Ctrl is a phenomenal record, full of complex characterizations that hadn’t been expected from SZA until now. It’s an album about the intricacies of love, one that fuses soul music with the hip-hop sensibilities straight out of the TDE playbook. With Ctrl, SZA establishes herself as a heavyweight among her peers, but the album also continues the label’s incredible hot streak with finding incredible talent capable of dropping instant hits.

31. Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder

For the seemingly endless array of artists involved in Broken Social Scene, the group have consistently entertained with cohesive, epic indie-rock albums that never crumble under the densely packed songs. Seven years removed from their previous album Forgiveness Rock Record, it seemed like the weight of getting so many artists together for a record was next to impossible. Thankfully, Hug of Thunder is up to the challenge of continuing the band’s fantastic track record. 

Hug of Thunder surprises by bringing back a majority of the original band members, but surprises even more by being a fucking great rock record. Full of emotion and soaring crescendos, Hug of Thunder is Broken Social Scene at their most comfortable, and while it is a relatively safe record, it’s also an immensely well-executed one. On almost their second decade, Broken Social Scene continue to prove their vision time and time again. Amazing considering it’s the vision of over 20 musicians.

30. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

While Summertime ’06 was a telling and often violent meditation of his past, Vince Staples’ debut studio album was unsatisfying. The lyrics were great and the production was fine, but Staples displayed a far more interesting version of himself on the preluding EP, Hell Can Wait. By experimenting with hip-hop conventions, Vince Staples sounded more crucial than ever. Summertime ’06 seemed content with following the debut studio album checklist.

Big Fish Theory is by far the most radical change the rapper has dropped on us yet. Instead of the usual rap tropes, Vince Staples dropped an album of ferocious raps delivered over club beats too fucked up for the club. Big Fish Theory takes seemingly danceable club bangers and flips them into visceral vignettes too abstract for the club. But underneath the bizarre production lies Vince Staples with a lyrical ferocity that demands attention. It might not be the album some were expecting, but it’s Vince’s wildest statement yet. 

29. Washed Out – Mister Mellow

The era of chillwave dominance has long since passed, but don’t tell that to Ernest Greene, the man behind Washed Out. Mister Mellow, the third official studio album from the chillwave pioneer, delivers the expectations of the genre’s low-fi pop and then some. Featuring a new obsession in sample based production, Greene orchestrates a breezy, enjoyable listen that’s primed for a stoned Saturday afternoon.

Mister Mellow doubles as a visual album and becomes a compelling psychedelic experience when paired with the accompanied visuals. It’s an album of few faces. This is a chillwave artist after all, so the results are bound to be breezier than they are complex. But it’s the song craft and a loving embrace for all things retro that elevates Mister Mellow above any Washed Out project yet. There’s so much to enjoy on Mister Mellow and nothing that demands anything more than to listen and relax.

28. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest

As an actress who has appeared in art-house fare like Nymphomaniac and Antichrist, Charlotte Gainsbourg has somehow carved a unique voice for herself in the music industry. Her fifth album Rest may be sung in more French than most English-speaking audiences would be interested in, but the themes of loss and addiction are driven in with shocking emotional precision.

There’s pain in Gainsbourg’s voice across the 11-tracks of organic and electronic pop. Rest surprises by simply how much fun the album can be, but that doesn’t mean heavy emotions aren’t delivered with a sucker punch to the gut. Something like this shouldn’t be made by someone who acts for a living, but Rest truly makes it clear Charlotte Gainsbourg is a bonafide artist who can use any medium to convey the most intimate of emotions.

27. Perfume Genius – No Shape

Mike Hadreas used to shock me. As Perfume Genius, the talented musician approached uncomfortable topics surrounding his upbringing with heavy reflection. No one would ever call an album like Put Your Back N 2 It or Too Bright easy listens, but as his breakout albums, the pain within each song was too real to brush off so easily. Approaching his own sexuality with frank and heartbreaking revelations, Hadreas has never minced words, but on his latest album No Shape, he looks ahead with a hopeful gaze.  

The pain of the past is still present, but there’s a quirky spirit to this latest Perfume Genius record that could deem it the “happy” record of his catalog. Make no mistake, No Shape still sees Hadreas hurting and hoping for change, but the fact that there is hope for change already elevates this album beyond being another confessional. Anger makes way for love on No Shape, but the album still shows that the anger will always be there. It’s a stunning album, realized by an artist who has yet to compromise his art for the sake of anyone.

26. The National – Sleep Well Beast

Fans are likely to be torn on Sleep Well Beast, the latest album from The National. Some may find the slower approach to their trademark, brooding indie-rock too patience testing. Some may find this to be the most personal and adult album of the band’s career. Both sides are valid, and while Sleep Well Beast lacks the triumph and accessibility of albums like Boxer or Trouble Will Find Me, The National have never sounded as fine-tuned as they do here.

Sleep Well Beast is a slow-burn of a life lived with regret, hoping to find the light in the murkiest of times. By doubling down on the anxiety and fear present on previous albums, The National have crafted their most intimate record yet, one that doesn’t initially reveal its beauty, instead taking its time to set the perfect mood. Sleep Well Beast demands repeated listens, but when the music is this powerful, that’s more of an endorsement than anything.

2017 is already a distant memory, but like every year, there’s a huge selection of incredible music releases that’ll make sure the year won’t be soon forgotten. It’s a daunting task picking 50 of the best releases of the year and when crafting such a list, there’s bound to be a few missing gems. With my annual list of the years’ best albums arriving tomorrow, I picked 30 albums that didn’t make the list, for whatever reason, and made this gallery to honor them. These albums might have a flaw or two that held them back, or maybe I didn’t hear the album as much as others, but it was still a damn challenge keeping these off the top 50. These are the albums that DEMANDED to be mentioned and who knows, maybe a new favorite is among the choices...

21 Savage/Offset & Metro Boomin - Without Warning 

Actress - AZD

Ariel Pink - Dedicated To Bobby Jameson

Big K.R.I.T - 4 Eva Is a Mighty Long Time

Chastity Belt - I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Ruler Rebel 

Colin Stetson - All This I Do For Glory

Drake - More Life

Feist - Pleasure

Frankie Rose - Cage Tropical

Goldfrapp - Silver Eye

Jlin - Black Origami 

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Kid

King Krule - The OOZ

Laural Halo - Dust

Lil Yachty - Teenage Emotions 

Mac Demarco - This Old Dog 

Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile To The Surface

Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives

The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions 

Nmesh - Pharma

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?

Paramore - After Laughter 

Rapsody - Laila’s Wisdom

Richard Dawson - Peasant 

Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love 

Susanne Sundfor - Music For People In Trouble

Thundercat - Drunk 

Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life 

Zola Jesus - Okovi 

Since his breakthrough mixtape 1999, Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ painted himself as an artist rooted in hip-hop’s past. The flows, beats and lyrical content on his releases were nostalgic in a sense that they had a sound right out of the 90s East coast hip-hop scene. Joey Bada$$ nailed the atmosphere and hard-hitting storytelling reminiscent of artists like Nas, Mobb Deep and even Biggie Smalls himself. However, it’s hard to maintain a career simply resembling the all-time greats, something that affected Joey’s debut album B4.DA.$$. While a decent album, the sound of the 1990s was starting to sound stale. Joey’s lyrics were there, but he was still stuck in hip-hop’s glory days.

 All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, Joey’s sophomore studio album, reveals its intentions right in its title. The intentional misspelling of “American” refers, of course, to the white supremacist group the Klu Klux Klan. Right there, it’s evident that Joey Bada$$ is ready to make a political statement regarding issues of race in the United States. It’s a move that might be out-of-the-blue for casual listeners, but Joey has always painted a picture of the struggles of African Americans in his music. Where All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ deviates from the other releases from Joey is his blunt, political stance made clear throughout the album’s runtime. This bluntness proves to be the strength of All-Amerikkkan Bada$$$ as it’s Joey’s most cohesive and meaningful release to date.

Joey thankfully hasn’t toned down his East Coast influences. All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ will sonically hit the same notes fans have come to love. The East Coast influence on Joey doesn’t seem so much like a gimmick as it does a natural part of his artistry. Late album cut “Super Predator” wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the mid-90s if it wasn’t for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of the title word to describe African Americans. This song exemplifies Joey’s juxtaposition of current events tying in with that of the past. “She critical, exactly what made my niggas criminals/Typical America, damn sure ain’t no miracle,” says Joey on the track. This song’s critical approach to American politics brings questions: anti-race sentiments were made on both sides and sometimes, terms have been mentioned to subliminally marginalize others.

“Yeah, you know sometimes I think/They don’t truly understand me/Cause they don’t,” spits Joey on album standout “Land of the Free.” When paired with the criticism of what Clinton said, there’s an idea of what African Americans are defined by in American politics as defined by Joey Bada$$. Throughout his incredible performance throughout All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, Joey humanizes an African American struggle through his own eyes. He’s never sounded better, dropping flows that seem like modernized takes on the old greats while carving his own distinctive identity. Because he’s able to ground his songs in his own reality, Joey hits on topics of race relations with a poignancy that few artists have managed to achieve in recent years. It might be a more mainstream album, simplified from Joey’s previous works, but the mainstream ends up smoothing out some of the wrinkles in his sound. These songs slap hard, drive a point home and maintain a level of ubiquity for each song to have as much reach as possible.

All-Amerikkan Bada$$ is the most overtly political record of Joey Bada$$’s career and by streamlining his sound, he’s crafted his most effective album to date. On “For The People”, Joey spits, “They don’t wanna see you fly, they just gonna shoot your wings/Everything ain’t what it seem: Wishin’ all these dirty cops, would come clean.” It’s a contemplative moment that calls out the police of America for their actions against the African American community, but it’s also a criticism of how people have created norms. Politics aren’t here to do anything but reinforce stereotypes, even when these reinforcements seem to be positive in their nature. Joey Bada$$ doesn’t have all the answers to race relations in the United States, but he has thoughts that sometimes paint “heroes” as hypocrites. It’s thought-provoking sentiment, something that Joey Bada$$ has never achieved until now. All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ is a statement that begs to be heard, trading preachiness for understanding. For someone steeped in nostalgia, Joey Bada$$ remains critical of what’s current, through the ears of someone who longs for better days like there was ever better days.

GRADE: A- 

From the moment The Chainsmokers dropped their first breakthrough track “Selfie”, the duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall became a punching bag for EDM-hating enthusiasts. While hardly an utter atrocity, “Selfie” made it big by leaning on ridiculous stereotypes of the genre. “LEMME TAKE A SELFIE” became meme-worthy, but the vapid nature of the song made it easy to target to those who saw it purely as an example of EDM bastardizing popular culture. In the years since, pop and EDM have continued to merge into some of the biggest hit songs and as this trend has continued, The Chainsmokers continue to follow suit. “Roses” became their biggest hit at the time of its release, quickly followed by the even more popular “Don’t Let Me Down”. These songs were huge, but the Halsey featuring “Closer” eclipsed both and became the world’s biggest song, pushing The Chainsmokers into the limelight like never before.

Just because The Chainsmokers made it big doesn’t mean they shed the criticism directed towards their music. Nothing about either the Collage or Bouquet EPs was particularly offensive, but both reinforced the idea that the duo were leaning on tried and true formulas designed to churn out radio hits rather than quality tunes. There were glimmers of something special though. Songs like “Waterbed” or “New York City” were great tracks, with The Chainsmokers bringing an almost theatrical structure into these tracks. And the duo’s live performances? Fantastic. I had a chance to see them strut their stuff at an EDM festival where they played for the most enthusiastic crowd of the entire festival.

With all this said, the duo’s debut album Memories…Do Not Open is a mess that betrays the duo’s greatest strengths. Rather than deliver an album that followed through with their phenomenal live performance, The Chainsmokers play things way too safe. Not one song throughout the entire album deviates from a previously established formula. If you hate the album’s first song “The One,” you might as well piss off because this album repeats the song’s same structure throughout the entire runtime. It would help if there was any lyrical substance throughout the album, but instead, we get lines like “She wants to break up every night/Then tries to fuck me back to life” on the atrocious “Break Up Every Night”.

Thematically, Memories…Do Not Open aims to be a piece that evokes a sense of nostalgia. Remember all the bullshit breaking up your high school relationship brought? Well, The Chainsmokers are intent on evoking those old emo-like feelings within 12 tracks of horribly dull pop music. Not that there’s anything wrong with nostalgia, but here, the lyrics are completely aimed at a target demographic that weren’t even alive in the 1990s. And what the fuck is up with Taggart singing on a mess-load of these songs? While somewhat effective on “Closer”, the guy does not have a singing voice that could carry much of anything, let alone an album. Sure, there are guest spots from Jhene Aiko, Emily Warren and Florida Georgia Line to name a few, but none of them deliver a single memorable performance. Having a country heavyweight like Florida Georgia Line on an EDM song sounds ridiculous, but “Last Day Alive” is such a snooze that it doesn’t even matter.

There are times where Memories…Do Not Open shows glimmers of what The Chainsmokers do best. The Coldplay-featuring “Something Just Like This” is embarrassingly corny, but when fused with a “Roses”-esque drop, it’s a triumphant love song for the EDM crowd. “Bloodstream” may follow the format of every other song on the album, but it reaches an undeniably thrilling peak towards the end. But a couple good songs aren’t enough to save an album that buries itself in downbeat pop tracks that sound like a rip-off of “Closer” over and over. EDM acts like Disclosure, Porter Robinson, Baauer, Flume and Jack-U have all proven an EDM album can successfully deliver on different levels. The Chainsmokers refuse to progress or experiment like these artists, intent on refining a sound that’s been dated for years. Without the explosive characteristics that have defined their live shows, The Chainsmokers are left with an album full of songs destined annoy on the radio.

GRADE: D+

Of all the rappers to rise from Chicago, Lupe Fiasco has always been one of the most intriguing. The biggest names from that city have followed different trajectories with what Chicago hip-hop sounds. Kanye West, once the biggest rep for Chi-City, has distanced himself from his soulful early days in pursuit of personal artistry. The new king of Chicago rap, Chance the Rapper, has been following this old-school Kanye formula with a heavier gospel influence and messages of unity. At a point, Chicago rap was full of violent music that reflected the violence in the city. Chief Keef, the biggest name in the Chicago drill scene, once beefed with Lupe over the subject of violence in hip-hop. It was a fair argument from Lupe: how can you improve the city when the violence is glorified in popular culture?

As a rapper, Lupe Fiasco’s lyricism and flows have been some of the best in the genre, relying on dizzying and often bizarre wordplay. Albums like Food & Liquor and The Cool showed his knack for great songwriting, but then Lasers happened. That album was a slap to the face as Lupe seemed to dumb down his songs for radio-friendly hits. An awful, cold and shallow album, Lasers represented a downward trend for Lupe Fiasco that would continue with Food & Liquor II. While not horrible, it was instantly forgettable. Where were the politically charged songs like “American Terrorist” or “Hip-Hop Saved My Life”? Buried underneath the efforts of an artist trying to change himself to fit modern trends, that’s where.

And then Tetsuo & Youth dropped in 2015. It was an astounding return to form, featuring dope production and bars upon bars of some of the best lyricism in the game. Lupe Fiasco was passionate again, fueled by the racial injustice that has been popping up in recent years. While Lupe had a couple misses, Tetsuo & Youth restored my faith in the rapper. So when Lupe announced a trilogy of albums, proceeding to cancel all the albums and then going back on that, there was reason to be excited. It seemed Lupe was back. With all the turmoil going on in the United States, this was the exact time we needed a dope Lupe Fiasco album to give us food for thought while also delivering some banger tracks.

So here we are with Drogas Light. It’s an album that requires background knowledge because that background gives insight to why this album is an utter failure on almost every conceivable way. On his sixth album, Lupe Fiasco falls back on the radio sounds that tanked Lasers. I thought Lupe had learned something after he was offering to destroy copies of Lasers with an ACTUAL laser, but no, he falls int that album’s traps and more. If Lasers represented a pop-rap crossover failure, Drogas Light represents the same thing but with Lupe fitting into a style of trends that suits him even worse. 

Drogas Light actually starts off well with “Dopamine Lit” displaying Lupe at his most enjoyable. His flow is stunningly smooth as he drops dope lines left and right over an aggressive, bass-fueled beat. Despite being a great song, there’s a line that stands out in an unfortunate manner. “This ain’t the kind of rap the opps and the thots like,” Lupe spits. Well sure, this song may not be, but the following songs like the Ty Dolla $ign featuring “NGL” or “Promise” tell a different story. These tracks are appeals to the pop mainstream and bad ones at that. The beat on “NGL” sounds like a failed Lasers production and “Promise” shows Lupe straight up trying to imitate a flow from the Future playbook with no success. Future makes great music, but in trying to imitate that style of music, Lupe sacrifices his lyrical wit for what sounds like someone trying so hard, and failing, to make a radio-trap song.

The bright spots of Drogas Light often seem like mistakes. Lead single “Jump” is easily the best track on the entire album as it mixes Lupe’s incredible flows with a beat that was stuck in my head to annoying degrees. “Tranquillo” features fantastic guest spots from Rick Ross and Big K.R.I.T that make the song one of the album’s few fun moments. After these though, the album spirals downhill fast. “Law” could have been a politically charged track but is let down with a corny chorus and an EDM-inspired beat that never gels with Lupe’s performance. And fuck, what’s with “Pick Up the Phone”? It’s like Lupe wanted to make the rap version of an Imagine Dragons song and it’s even worse than that sounds. “Pick Up the Phone” represents exactly what makes Drogas Light such a disappointment: Lupe’s total disregard for his own abilities and a lack of any poignant point whatsoever.

Lacking any poignancy is ultimately the crippling flaw of Drogas Light. At the time of its release, Tetsuo & Youth was at once exciting and politically charged, reflecting on current social relations with such astounding technical abilities. In 2017, there’s even more material for Lupe to work with. Regardless of your thoughts on our current president, I expected Lupe to make an album that tackles certain controversies head-on. That’s when Lupe is at his absolute best, not when he’s dumbing down his wisdom for radio-friendly rap music. Drogas Light is arguably worse than Lasers because while most of the album feels like B-sides of that album, (which it actually might be), it’s a disappointing missed opportunity. Lupe could have been profound here, but chose to go a safe and cringe-worthy route. If Lupe does pursue a trilogy this year, hopefully he can right the wrongs here and deliver something astounding. Maybe then he’ll rate his own album higher than a 7 out of 10.

GRADE: D

By Connor Hanna

It all comes down to this. These are the rest of the years’ best albums and each of these 25 offered something special to be remembered for years to come. Each one deserves a listen and has the potential to be anyone’s favorite album of the year. 2016 was awesome for music and these are the very best the year had to offer.

#25. Moth by Chairlift 

Recently, indie-pop group Chairlift called it quits, making Moth the final album from the little band who could. Bummer, but they went out swinging because Moth is by far their best album. While Something launched the group into the attention of mainstream artists like Beyoncé, Moth fine tunes their formula for something weirder but no less catchy. “Polymorphing” would not get out of my head this entire year and the jingles that accompany Caroline Polachek’s vocals in “Ch-Ching” still grace my dreams. It’s an album about love, the transformation of admiration into deep feelings and Chairlift have the songwriting chops to ensure Moth never devolves into cheese. Capturing the beauty of love is tough without being eye-rollingly corny, but Polachek’s vocals soar with beauty, unfazed and locked in with serious conviction. Moth is pure love in music form.

#24. You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen 

We lost too many legendary artists in 2016 (more on that later), but around release of Leonard Cohen’s 14th album You Want It Darker, the enigmatic singer/songwriter proclaimed he was “ready to die”. Sad, for sure, but his acceptance of death painted this final and possibly best album with a level of wisdom most old-timers could only dream of. “Treaty” plays as one of the most heartbreaking songs of the year as Cohen seemingly comes to terms with a relationship that has long since dissolved. Acceptance and meditations on the past are the theme here and playing as his last album, one gets the feeling he wanted to shed all the emotions before dipping out of this cruel world. Leonard Cohen will go down as one of the all-time great singer/songwriters and it’s hard to think of a better way for him to go out.

#23. Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper 

After years of teases, Chicago native Chance the Rapper finally released his feverishly anticipated third mixtape Coloring Book. Anticipation could have sank this record, with Chance mentioning it should have a place at the Grammys on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam”. Turns out that Coloring Book is the gospel-fueled rap album West promised and failed to deliver on his own album this year (though, that doesn’t make that album bad as you’ll see soon). Chance the Rapper is one of the most exciting rappers in years and he hones his craft further here. Pop hits like “No Problem” keep the fun going while “How Great” sounds like a sermon Chance and Jay Electronica decided to release, attempting to unite everyone in spiritual power. Coloring Book isn’t the greatest album ever made like the hype would have you believe, but it’s considerably uplifting and impeccably crafted. Chance continues to hone his craft and Coloring Book is another evolution for an endlessly promising artist.

#22. blackSUMMERS’night by Maxwell 

You’d be forgiven to have forgotten about Maxwell like I did. The once immensely popular R&B singer was relatively quiet in the seven years since his immensely popular 2009 album BLACKsummers’night. On his follow up, the similarly titled blackSUMMERS’night, Maxwell delivers a traditional R&B album that’s a triumph for it’s adherence to the singers of old rather than that of modern-day acts like Frank Ocean or The Weeknd. This album is nothing but a warm, loving embrace of smooth R&B music that’ll probably be the soundtrack for countless sexy times for years to come.

Maxwell is timeless here and while the longevity of this album is a question that’ll be answered with each passing year, blackSUMMERS’night comes off like an album that begs to be remembered through the association of loving feelings. Hell, Michael Jackson influences come through on songs like “Lake By the Ocean” and damn it if it’s not a song that’s simply impossible to not love. This isn’t an album bogged down by trashy sexual desires; instead, it’s a loving ode to the best love has to offer.

#21. Starboy by The Weeknd

Moving into full-blown pop territory, Beauty Behind the Madness was a successful shift for Abel Tesfaye that moved him into the frontlines of the mainstream. Arriving only a year later, Starboy distances The Weeknd further from the sounds he introduced in his mixtape trilogy. This isn’t a detriment. While the drug-fueled debauchery of House of Balloons still remains his most thematically rich album, Starboy is a refined take on his brand of pop that builds on the successes of his previous albums.

Lyrically, Starboy is typical Weeknd; debauchery looked through a self-aware lens. However, The Weeknd’s massive rise is reflected just by looking at the tracklist for Starboy. It’s a lengthy project with not one, but TWO features from the legendary dance duo Daft Punk. The ambition of the project makes way for some of Tesfaye’s catchiest songwriting yet. Songs like “Secrets,” “Attention” and “Reminder” display a confident, if not damaged, view of Tesfaye that continues to make his music so great. Starboy isn’t the boldest album in The Weeknd’s discography, but it’s certainly one that moves him forward into exciting pop territory without compromising the artistic vision found on his greatest works.

#20. Faraway Reach by Classixx  

The debut album from Los Angeles bred DJ duo Classixx was among 2013’s biggest sleeper hits. Hanging Gardens found a sweet spot between pop-fueled dance music and instrumental grooves. It’s an album that still holds up and despite some minor filler, is still one of the best dance records of the 2010s. On their sophomore record, Faraway Reach, Classixx stick to their formula and continue to do what they’re so great at: writing catchy hooks and making songs with some of the grooviest, prettiest production in the genre.

Faraway Reach is a fun record. T-Pain shows up on “Whatever I Want” and weirdly meshes well with Classixx, creating a song that I’ve yet to get out of my head all year. This is a largely pop-focused album, with features from How To Dress Well and Michael Angelekos of Passion Pit singing some of their best songs in some time. There’s still room for Classixx’s production flourishes as the instrumental “Pure Distraction” steals the show with it’s groovy beauty. Classixx gave us more of the same with Faraway Reach, but with a tighter focus on their biggest strengths. It’s everything a sophomore dance record should be.

#19. Still Brazy by YG

When YG dropped his debut album My Krazy Life, it was one of the biggest surprises that shouldn’t have been a surprise. YG’s love for West Coast sounds and the pairing with producer DJ Mustard produced sparks that made the album a total party. But while it was fun, the stuff YG rapped about was gritty as hell, reveling in a dangerous gang-bangin’ lifestyle that put the horrors of such in full view. Still Brazy is even better and, like the best sophomore albums, refines and improves the music. 

YG details brutal stories on tracks like “Gimme Got Shot” that show a rapper who’s not only a party starter, but a storyteller who’s seen and done some shit. “FDT” is an immediate standout and after the presidential win of Donald Trump, continues to be a rallying cry for those concerned with the controversial approach to politics the president elect has displayed. Still Brazy is a continuous blast of dope ass West Coast bangers, but there’s a depth that moves it beyond the status of a simple party album.

#18. Wildflower by The Avalanches 

Did anyone really think we were going to get another Avalanches record? Since I Left You is a masterclass in dance music, using a plethora of samples to drive home the feel-good tunes. That record felt like the best party you’ve ever been to. Not one where frat dudes puke out windows while cops bust the place because neighbors called in a noise complaint. This was the party with the best of friends coming together, staying up late at night to chat and laugh about the best of memories. In the 16 years it took to get a follow-up, Since I Left You has gotten better with each listen and rightfully established itself as a hipster-must-listen.

Wildflower has a lot to live up to and The Avalanches don’t settle for more of the same. The sampling is still fantastic, giving songs like “Subways” and “Because I’m Me” the same charm that attracted us all to the group in the first place. Bands who return after a decade-plus hiatus don’t always succeed, opting to play it safe and failing to do anything new and exciting. The Avalanches dish out a hefty amount of risks, bringing contemporary musicians like Danny Brown and Toro Y Moi into the fray. The result is an album that may not be as timeless as Since I Left You, but it feels remarkably of its time. Wildflower is fun, weird as shit and a solidification of The Avalanches’ timeless sound. 

#17. Opus by Eric Prydz

A two-hour trance epic is a tough thing to pull off. If songs follow the same pattern, you run the risk of stagnancy real quick. Switch things up too much, the album can be a disjointed mess that deviates from what the artist does so well. Legendary trance producer Eric Prydz is a man who is a master of his craft and his albums have typically been super long affairs. Opus is ballsy title to give an album. If it doesn’t succeed at delivering the musician’s best work, the number of people crying foul would be unfathomable. Looking at the album’s tracklist was troubling at first: what the hell were these under-four-minute songs doing on an Eric Prydz album? Why are there songs we’ve heard to death on here? Is this just an album where Eric Prydz is throwing all his shit to record and hoping we buy it?

No. No. Absolutely not. Opus is without a doubt the best release from Eric Prydz and certainly lives up to its title. It feels like an accumulation of everything that makes the genre work and everything Prydz has been working toward. My recommendation: split the album into two halves and listen to either half when on a long drive. This music demands attention and the feeling of driving to such entrancing music ranks as one of my most memorable music listening experiences of the year. Opus is a monster of an album, but it’s a monster of an album that doesn’t demand anything but your pure enjoyment. EDM gets a bad rap sometimes and that’s unfortunate. The genre can generate a feeling that nothing else can; a pure euphoria associated with the simplest of life’s pleasures. Opus is proof that the right EDM artist can produce an artistically astounding monster epic that can soundtrack life’s best or worst moments with equal joy.

#16. untitled unmastered by Kendrick Lamar 

Kendrick Lamar has become one of the most reliable guys in hip-hop. Each one of his releases have ranged from fantastic (Section.80) to bona-fide hip-hop classic (both good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp A Butterfly). Each release tightens Kendrick’s grasp on the genre and even when he releases an album of unfinished demos, he still manages to wipe the floor with just about everyone. Untitled remastered is Kendrick’s roughest, most immediately flawed release, but that doesn’t stop it from being a must-listen that’ll make any Kendrick fan giddy.

Thematically, Kendrick doesn’t deviate from topics found on other releases, displaying an open eye for the world around him and the hardships in American society. Kendrick is at his lyrical best through the album of and while the eccentric production spirals each song into a surreal abyss, untitled unmastered never loses focus for a second. Songs like “untitled 02,” “untitled 03” and even the Cee-Lo Green featuring “untitled 06” represent some of the best songs in an already astounding discography. Sure, untitled unmastered doesn’t have the polish of Kendrick’s previous two masterpieces, but it’s incredible that he can drop an album of rough demos and shit on most rap releases in the process.

#15. My Woman by Angel Olsen 

I must admit, when every critic under the moon was singing their praises for Angel Olsen’s debut album Burn Your Fire For No Witness, I found it to be a solid, but unspectacular record. Her songwriting was fantastic, but it was still an indie-rock record that relied too much on promising talent rather than the music at hand. I didn’t hate the record and rightfully placed the album in the lower end of my top 75 records of its year. The biggest concern was that she would continue to pursue an indie-folk sound that we’ve all heard before, risking stagnancy right out of the gate. On her sophomore record My Woman, Angel Olsen attempts to bring a much needed variety to her music and because of this, ends up with an album that wipes the floor with her debut.

The first song on My Woman, “Intern”, will surprise anyone who listened through Angel Olsen’s first record. It’s her first foray into using synthesizers, which she used to apparently “fuck with people.” Touché, but it’s an incredible song, buoyed by Olsen’s stunning vocal performance. My Woman follows suit, not with the synthesizers, but with the overall “I’m getting fucked with” vibe. Influences of glam rock, country pop and grunge are all over the place before “Pops” ends the record with a piano ballad. Olsen is all over the place and it makes My Woman a ridiculously fun listen. Her knack for a solid chorus shines on “Shut Up Kiss Me,” one of the year’s catchiest songs. But it’s the album long cuts “Sister” and “Woman” where Olsen channels her inner Stevie Nicks with astounding results. My Woman is a phenomenal record, one that came out of left field with the immense skill on display. With this record, Angel Olsen established herself among the indie-rock elite and I’m beyond excited to see what she has in store next.

#14. Aa by Baauer 

When Baauer hit the scene in 2013 with his viral hit “Harlem Shake”, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought he had any longevity. The viral song was cool, but it was the kind of simple hit that people obsess over for a few months before hype dies out. Since then, Baauer spent his time releasing music that was decent, but hardly memorable. In a genre like EDM, sustaining that first hit with a fully-realized release is a necessity that clearly didn’t register to Baauer. Three years after that initial hit though, Baauer finally released his debut album Aa. Turns out he was prepping an unexpected, and far more exciting, direction.

Aa is short, clocking in at barely over 30 minutes across 13 tracks ranging from psychedelic wig-outs (“Good & Bad) to infectious Daft Punk-inspired grooves (“Pinku”). Baauer doesn’t settle on one EDM sound and in doing so, Aa turns out to be one of the wildest, experimental and just plain fun EDM records in the past few years. No song is alike, but they’re all boosted by bangin’ beats and fantastic guest performances from artists like M.I.A and Future. There’s an exploration of sound on Aa that demands repeat listens, easy enough considering the short album length. It’s all the more of a triumph when you realize Baauer was at risk of being obsolete for the past three years. Aa not only proves Baauer’s unique presence in the EDM community, but his necessity to the genre as a whole.  

#13. SVIIB by School of Seven Bells

Few albums come with a backstory where tragedy is engrained into the creation of an album. School of Seven Bells had made a name for themselves with fun, shoegazed-infused indie-rock releases that may have not been classics, but were lovely listens. Alejandra Deheza’s otherworldly vocals were always a delight and Benjamin Curtis knew his way around a synthesizer, layering songs with gorgeous atmosphere that sucked listeners into their lovely world. But then tragedy struck. The two had been a couple for years before settling into a respecting band-focused friendship. Tragically, Curtis lost his battle with lymphoma in 2013, leaving the fate of the band in question.

SVIIB had been almost finished before Curtis’ death and in her grieving process, Deheza went through and finished the album herself. This album hurts. It at once beautiful, but tragic. Entertaining as hell, but somber. SVIIB pays tribute to the lost of a love one in a way few artists have put to record. Curtis’ presence is felt throughout and by the conclusion of “This Is Our Time”, the sadness that has dominated the record opens your eyes to the beauty of the album: celebrating the life of someone who was taken too soon while handling their grief. Finishing this album had to have been a taxing process, but it pays off, elevated by the sheer magnitude of emotion on display. I loved few albums this year the way I loved SVIIB. Benjamin Curtis would be proud.

#12. 99.9% by Kaytranada 

There’s a moment on Kaytranada’s debut album 99.9% on a song called “Lite Spots” where the song sounds like it could go in any number of directions. Foreign vocals slowly peer through a layer of electronics before the song abruptly shifts into a flickering bass line backed by horns. But this isn’t the true song; the vocals jump back in, acting as the vocal loop as one of the grooviest dance tracks on the album commences. It’s unexpected, but that’s Kaytranada’s specialty. He specializes on throwing you off, building anticipation and delivering something unexpected, but even better than what you envisioned. It’s absolutely mind-blowing that 99.9% is Kaytranada’s debut album. It sounds like someone who is the master of their craft, bobbing and weaving through the genre tropes to deliver a dance record that acts as something more than that: an album bursting with ideas.

No song on 99.9% is the same, but Kaytranada has established a sound of his own that underlines the mix-mash of dance styles. The house bangers are here, such as the above mentioned “Lite Spots” or “You’re the One” that features a beautiful, soulful performance from ex-Odd Future member Syd. Silky basslines propel these songs to house glory, but Kaytranada throws curveballs, delivering one of the best rap bangers in recent memory with the Vic Mensa featuring “Drive Me Crazy”. And of course, the Anderson .Paak featuring “Glowed Up” displays an immense level of talent from both artists. 99.9% has the feel and warmth of a record that one might put on to cheer themselves up. It’s cliché to say, but Kaytranada’s debut is full of good vibes, layered with a masterful level of experimentalism. Once the album ends, you may be compelled to go back through, discovering new things to love with each listen. 99.9% demands repeated listens, but Kaytranada skillful and joyous execution will migrate you to it anyway.

#11. Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown 

Danny Brown’s unique delivery isn’t for everyone. Any fan of his knows that; he understands this. But since his sophomore album XXX broke into the music collective’s conscious, he’s been everywhere with guest spots on the biggest rap albums in the past five years. His third studio album Old was arguably his best work, but you could hear Danny Brown somewhat compromising his sound for a radio-friendly audience. Beats from trendy producers? Check. Guest spots from the hottest rappers and pop stars in the game? Check. Less abrasive nature? Check, check, double check. Old was awesome, but most Danny Brown fans would say they wanted to see another psychotic piece of fucked up work like XXX. Judging by Atrocity Exhibition, Danny Brown’s abrasive approach was arguably toned down earlier than previously imagined.

Atrocity Exhibition is a fucked up album. Not just in the lyrics, but in the actual sound of the album. This is a nightmare of an album and everything from the beats and insane vocal deliveries accentuate this. Danny Brown raps about his constant drug abuse on “Ain’t It Funny”, treating it like a curse that ruins his life. The production follows suit, hypnotically spiraling out of control along with Danny’s vocals. Every song is so disturbing, nightmarish and insane that Atrocity Exhibition continuously feels like we’re in the nightmare of a really fucked up individual. This feeling extends even into the the posse cut “Really Doe” which features Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Earl Sweatshirt absolutely killing it with all their verses. Atrocity Exhibition is Danny Brown’s craziest album, but since he’s also one of the most skilled rappers around, it’s also his best.

#10. Bottomless Pit by Death Grips

In retrospect, it’s kind of stupid that we all bought into the idea that Death Grips had retired. For years, Death Grips has fucked with their fans more than any artist ever. The cancelled live shows, the endless amount of sudden album drops, the giant “fuck you” to their major record label; all of this was an exhilarating ride. Death Grips knew they had their fans by the balls at all times. When they announced their retirement with, fittingly, a handwritten note on a crumpled napkin, it seemed like the journey was over. It made sense; MC Ride, Zach Hill and Andy Morin are statement makers and this was the ultimate statement. Death Grips would exit as quickly as they had entered. And then, seemingly out of the blue, they announced Bottomless Pit, shitting on their plans for retirement almost as fast as they made them. The wild thing wasn’t how “out there” the lead-up for this album was rather than how traditional the release build-up was. Leave it to Death Grips to fuck with us by being normal.

Thank the heavens that they returned because Bottomless Pit is the best Death Grips album since The Money Store. Throughout the album, Death Grips make it evident that they were building towards this moment, a culmination of everything their fans love. Bottomless Pit takes the rock sounds of Jenny Death, the nasty industrial aggression of The Money Store and rough-around-the-edges feel of No Love Deep Web and spins a yarn of its own. Few albums will make you want to cause damage to your home like this. Bottomless Pit is a fucked up, insane record that hits all the notes Death Grips fans want. Songs like “Spikes”, “Three Bedrooms in a Good Neighborhood” and “Giving Bad People Good Ideas” might be the best tracks Death Grips have ever put to record. Every song brings something new to the table while retaining the sounds that make Death Grips records so exhilerating. Bottomless Pit is a stunning return from a group that didn’t leave for long, but were missed anyway. Living a world without their brand of chaos just sounds boring.  

#9. Lemonade by  Beyoncé

Does anyone remember that it was actually Coldplay that was supposed to be the headliner for the Super Bowl 50 halftime show? Beyoncé came out and shut that shit down, performing her anti-police violence protest anthem “Formation” in a show for the ages. It pissed people off, leading a number of police officers to voice their complaints that it painted them in a negative light. This disregarded the point of the song and performance; it was a call to action from Beyoncé, someone with a big enough superstar status to make change. In the recent years, violence towards young African Americans shot into the public spotlight despite being a problem dating back decades. Beyoncé’s triumphant performance was the defiant middle-finger that made people move towards taking a stand.

“Formation” concludes Lemonade, an album exploring topics of infidelity and societal distrust. Beyoncé’s second album to drop out of nowhere and easily her most defining release, Lemonade made headlines for its “Jay Z cheated” narrative. This narrative of coming to terms with a loved one’s cheating is a mask for an album that continuously relates the idea of betrayal to a larger story. Guest spots from Jack White, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar give the idea that this is a badass radio-friendly album, which it is and isn’t. On one hand, the production on songs like “Sorry” or “Hold Up” make them perfect for club bangers, but on the other hand, you have songs like “Freedom” that show a yearning for a world of fairness. Beyoncé’s defiant performance cannot be understated; she’s simply never been better, making Lemonade an album that compares the racism in America to that of infidelity. This is a rallying cry disguised as a badass mainstream pop album that Beyoncé had to have known the country would eat up. Lemonade shows her desire to use her massive stardom to say something we should all be paying attention to.

#8. 22, A Million by Bon Iver

Justin Vernon is a legend. We all know the story of For Emma, Forever Ago; in a heartbroken fury, Vernon isolated himself in a cabin for months and as Bon Iver, put together one of the most heartbreaking and essential albums of the late 2000s indie-rock scene. Any music nerd has some appreciation for it; I mean, how do you deny the power of a song like “Skinny Love”? The follow-up, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, still remains divisive for it’s grander scope and a more positive outlook lyrically. Personally, I love this sophomore album as it shows Vernon crawling out of the wreckage and reintegrating himself into the world. It’s been awhile since the last time Bon Iver put out a record as Vernon seemed busy guest spotting on various albums and hanging out with Kanye West. Hanging out with West brought a shift to Vernon as he began experimenting with confidence, a far cry from the hurt emotions of his debut record.

22, A Million is the furthest Vernon has veered from his indie-rock roots. Abrasive production, soulful samples and the weirdest track names this side of an Aphex Twin record are all staples of Bon Iver’s third album. The first time I heard 22, A Million, I was driving up through mountains, admiring the beauty of the surrounding nature. It fit perfectly, despite how off songs like “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” or “666 (upsidedowncross”) can seem. Electronics have been a staple of Bon Iver releases like Blood Bank and 22, A Million finds beauty through it’s cluttered and not-easily digested nature. Give the album time and you’ll see Bon Iver have created their best album since For Emma, Forever Ago. There’s a confidence here that pushes Vernon to explore new terrain with such beautiful results, it boggles the mind that this ended up being as much of a success as it is. 22, A Million is an epic existential crisis that moves Bon Iver into an unexpected, but gorgeous path. Hopefully it won’t be another five years for another Bon Iver album, but if the wait is that long, we can at least rest easy knowing it’ll be something truly special.

#7. Blackstar by David Bowie

David Bowie was a lot of things to different people. He was Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom, Halloween Jack and countless personas over the course of his incredible career. David Bowie could be anyone. He could be a character we all related to or some random character that made some sort of statement. Bowie’s untimely death at the beginning of the year was a tragedy for people that grew up listening to his music and let their true self blossom through his influence. Bowie’s music encouraged everyone to live the life they wanted and be whoever they wanted. Hell, he did it and made looking like a flamboyant crazy ass cool as fuck. To me, Bowie could tap into a person’s inner self without singing anything that would indicate as such. “Heroes” stands as my favorite Bowie and each time I hear him yell “I WILL BE KING” during the album’s jaw-dropping finale, I can’t help but shed a tear or two. The song just hits me.

Bowie died of liver cancer two days after the release of his last album Blackstar. It was a tragedy, but Bowie’s mysticism lived on through the album’s uncanny connection with his death. Blackstar is a dark, often disturbing musing on death and embracing the inevitable darkness. While Bowie’s career ended with this, possibly his darkest album ever, there’s a sense of understanding with the whole proceedings. Bowie’s death gives the album an otherworldly feel, like he’s communicating with us from the afterlife. He must have known his demise was imminent and Blackstar almost plays like his last will and testament. Months after the album’s release, observant music fans noticed that if the Blackstar vinyl cover was placed in the sunlight, stars would appear all over the art. Even after his death, Bowie proved to be an otherworldly figure. Going out with Blackstar was the most David Bowie thing David Bowie ever did.

#6. The Life of Pablo by Kanye West 

The lead up to the release of Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo was full of false starts. First, it was titled So Help Me God, then SWISH and Waves before the title of The Life of Pablo was settled on. Just what the hell was Kanye doing? Tracklists were thrown around, constantly taking new forms and new lengths. Missing were singles like “Only One” or “All Day”, two tracks Kanye hyped throughout the year prior. It was a cluster fuck of a lead up, but it seemed that Kanye was creating his album in real time for all of us to see. The album cover made no damn sense but had an aura that was weirdly appealing. After Kanye’s intense and enigmatic rollout for Yeezus, his approach to The Life of Pablo was transparent to the point of being a sort of art project in itself. We all saw the Yeezy Season show at Madison Square Garden, anchored by a Kanye who seemed way more low-key than normal. He was making as little sense as possible, making every tidbit of information concerning his actual album all the more important.

The Life of Pablo is a head-trip of an album that eschews all sense of hip-hop normalcy. The first version was an erratic collection of songs that were rough around the edges, smoothed out throughout the following months of its release. Songs were added, verses were re-recorded and versions of songs we had previously heard in a different manner (“Wolves”) were structured according to fan demand. This shit was bananas and The Life of Pablo captures an artist at a point where he’s just throwing stuff out there to see if it sticks. “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” is possibly the best Kanye song in ages, despite its absolutely ridiculous lyrics that betray the soulful samples on the beat. “Famous” seemingly pissed everyone off with that racy Taylor Swift line and “Freestyle 4” sounds like a manic episode caught on the mic. Each track offers a glimpse into the psyche of one of the most controversial artists of our time and despite its erratic nature, The Life of Pablo consistently thrills because of Kanye’s conviction. Nothing like this should work, but Kanye has made a habit out of making things work when they shouldn’t. With Yeezus and The Life of Pablo representing the craziest albums in his discography, Kanye continues to push the boundaries of modern day hip-hop.  

#5. A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead 

Often hailed as the greatest rock band on Earth, Radiohead stopped being a traditional rock band ages ago. Ok Computer saw them beginning their journey into exploring deep existential questions, creating a world with their sound that sounded like a post-apocalyptic dream. Kid A upped the feeling immensely, bringing listeners into a cold, alien world with a mastery of electronics that no rock band had presented before. Throughout the 2000s, Radiohead made some game changing moves, including the innovative pay-what-you-want release of In Rainbows. Their previous record, King of Limbs, alienated some fans because of it’s inability to innovate like albums before, settling for a brief burst of glitchy electronics under Thom Yorke’s unmistakable vocals. It’s a good record, one that people expected different things from. Same could be said of A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead’s most low-key affair yet.

A Moon Shaped Pool is a very slow moving record, there’s no denying that, but giving it your patience reaps bountiful rewards. On opener “Burn the Witch”, Thom Yorke proclaims that “This is a low flying panic attack”, fitting considering the song sounds like an on-the-record anxiety attack. A Moon Shaped Pool, in all its beauty and grandiosity, is an album that feels just as isolated and emotionally drained as the best works in their discography. Not only does this feel like Thom Yorke’s most heart-wrenching performance yet, but the band brings in songs they’ve been playing live for years in full studio glory that add to the album’s feel of desperation. “True Love Waits” is a song Radiohead fans have waited for years to hear on record and it fulfills all expectations, standing as one of the band’s crowning achievements. Detailing issues with intimacy in heartbreaking fashion, Thom Yorke pleads for his lover to not leave in the chorus. It’s a final reminder that A Moon Shape Pool is an album that observes the most uncomfortable truths with anxiety. Thom Yorke has never sounded so hopeless.

#4. Malibu by Anderson .Paak

The debut album is a funny thing. It can be a compromise that artists put out to get their name out in the open or it can be a promise of a new talented artist. Anderson .Paak’s debut album Venice lands somewhere in between. It’s a solid album, but you can tell there’s songs that don’t fit the vibe of Paak’s raspy, soulful sing/rap style. Paak is at his best when a groove is set with organic instrumentals that leave room for his life stories. Malibu, Paak’s sophomore album, could have gone a number of directions, but settled for one that’s intensely personal and basking in personality. While Venice ushered in his talent, nabbing him a Dr. Dre cosign, Malibu sounds like an album made by an artist who’s already perfected their craft. When this album dropped in the early winter months of 2016, I didn’t expect this to be one of the most re-listenable and relatable albums of the year. Paak’s personal life is put on full display for all to see and he makes it very clear this is the album he’s been wanting to make this whole time.

Album opener “The Birds” is one of the best songs of the year, detailing Paak’s upbringing in sobering fashion. The song details his mom’s struggles with gambling as she tried to raise Paak in house without a father. As someone raised by a single mother who faced poverty and potential homelessness, “The Birds” struck a personal chord right out of the gate. Paak’s a relatable presence, tackling similar subject matter on “The Waters”, an exhilarating foray into pure hip-hop bliss. Malibu is a fitting title for the album as it basks in warmth and positivity, even when it tackles potentially downbeat subject matter. Paak throws in bangers like “Come Down” or “Room in Here” to keep the mood fun without losing any sense of introspection. “Parking Lot” is a blissful, looking at love through a song that was heard in a parking lot. It’s a beautiful track that cements Paak among the contemporary soul greats, but Malibu is so much more than just a soul album. It’s a testament to the power of positivity’s ability to triumph over a past full of struggle.

#3. Blank Face LP by ScHoolboy Q

In the Top Dawg Entertainment crew, ScHoolboy Q has often played second fiddle to Kendrick Lamar. It’s a shame too because despite not being the group’s most lyrical rapper, ScHoolboy Q has always had a knack for sharp storytelling and burying the listener in a drug-induced haze. On his previous album Oxymoron, ScHoolboy Q integrated radio-friendly sounds into his brand of gangster rap. Songs like “Studio” and “Man of the Year” proved to be hits with fans and mainstream audiences alike, but it sounded like an artist compromising his vision to appeal to a broader audience. In the days leading up to that album’s release, ScHoolboy Q hosted a listening party, wandering around the party in a haze that indicated he was high off his ass, not caring too much about the success of the record. His lack of interest was telling; this wasn’t the record he was hoping to make.

Oxymoron was great, but ScHoolboy Q’s newest album, Blank Face LP, is everything the rapper has been leading up to. This new album is a sprawling, psychedelic gangster epic spanning 17 songs and a 72-minute runtime. 2016 was the year of the overlong rap album, but unlike others, Blank Face LP demands a length for ScHoolboy Q to fully tell the story he’s always wanted. Rooted in his past as a member the Los Angeles Hoover Crip gang, Blank Face LP is an intense piece of storytelling that’s powerful, tragic and a total blast to listen to. Songs like “By Any Means” and the E-40 featuring “Dope Dealer” show ScHoolboy Q having fun while also detailing a past full of questionable decisions. He’s never been more personal, shifting the violence in “Groovy Tony” into an almost dream-like descent into drugs to cope with it all. Even with such dark subject matter, ScHoolboy Q keeps Blank Face LP a thrill from beginning to end, urging further listens with it’s diverse range of production and catchy hooks. Despite previously never gaining the notoriety of Kendrick, ScHoolboy Q has released an album that stands tall as one of the very best releases from TDE, let alone one of the best albums of 2016.

#2. Blond by Frank Ocean 

During Odd Future’s reign in the early 2010s, Frank Ocean always seemed like the odd man out. His meditative R&B storytelling was a far cry from the crazy shit Tyler, the Creator and company were releasing. Right before Frank Ocean released Channel Orange, one of the best albums in recent memory, he penned a letter that had him coming out as gay. This was a shock not because he was gay, but because he was a gay man associated with a group that was often criticized for the use of homophobic lyrics. Odd Future’s aesthetic wasn’t one of hate, but an anarchy-fueled “fuck you” to any sense of good taste. They were purposely trying to push buttons and having not one, but two gay members of the group (Syd being the other member) made everyone reevaluate their stance on the lyrics they deemed hateful. Meanwhile, Frank Ocean disappeared from the spotlight without any word of new music over his four-year absence. We all heard the title Boys Don’t Cry floating around, but this ultimately wouldn’t become the title of his next album.

Out of nowhere, Frank Ocean dropped Endless, an aimless visual album that would have been disappointing if it had been the true Channel Orange follow-up. Instead, it was a contract lifting album that paved the way for his true artistic follow-up, Blond. Rather than being another album of surreal pop music (though it is that in a sense), Blond is a slower, deeper affair than Channel Orange. Only once does the music resemble something of a grandiose R&B epic. “Nights” shows Frank singing from the perspective of someone wanting more from a mundane life, capped with production reminiscent of his monster epic “Pyramids”. It’s possibly the best song of the year, but it doesn’t accurately represent the sound of the album. Songs move in an out in a dream-like haze as Frank Ocean distorts his vocals, sings his ass off or brings one of the numerous contributors in to add to the background of the songs. At the center of everything is Frank Ocean’s beautiful and heartbreaking vocals, continuously adding to his mystique and making Blond another one of the best albums in recent memory.

#1. We got it from here...Thank You 4 Your Service by A Tribe Called Quest 

During their prime, no hip-hop group was better than A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White introduced the concept of using jazz styles into mainstream hip-hop to accentuate their socially conscious lyricism. Jarobi would leave the group after only their first release, leading Q-Tip and Phife to carry the group with their stunning flows and personality-fueled bars. The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are two of the best hip-hop albums of all-time because they never lost a sense of fun amidst their unique brand of hip-hop. The group would eventually call it quits after their 1998 album The Love Movement due to conflicts regarding Q-Tip and Phife Dawg’s relationship. This split was so infamous that it spawned a phenomenal documentary in 2011 that got everyone talking again. Would we ever see another album from the group? We all hoped, but 2016 saw the tragic passing of Phife Dawg who died of complications stemming from diabetes. This solidified the popular thought the group would be gone for good until Q-Tip dropped the ball, stating the whole group, including Phife Dawg, had recorded a ton of new material. In the months following Phife Dawg’s death, A Tribe Called Quest came together to mourn and honor their late friend by performing and releasing music for the first time in 18 years.

We got it from here… Thank You 4 Your Service is the best album of 2016 for reasons that transcend its initial blast of “oh shit, it’s a new Tribe album finally”. For many, 2016 represented a low point in American history as racism and violence became more than social concerns; they became an epidemic, exacerbated by a divisive political candidate hit with claims of racism and intolerance. Regardless of your thoughts on our new president elect, the week of his win was a weird time for the American public. To many, this was a huge blow and people were overcome by fear for what was in store in the next few years. At the end of the week (and on the night of my birthday I might add), A Tribe Called Quest returned with an album that took on our political climate, the entire group back together to display their wisdom and calm everyone down. It’s a socially concerned album, but one that looks towards a positive future while calling for unity on our own social level. We don’t need to base our treatment of others on stupid politics that have let us down for decades. A Tribe Called Quest bring everyone into the Tribe for one last blow out and at the center of it is Phife Dawg, rapping with pure glee from the afterlife and a final reminder of a hip-hop legend. We got it from here… may forever represent a dark moment in American history, but it serves as a reminder that we’re still here damn it and it’s time to make the best of it.  

Well shit, 2016 is done and the best thing we have to show for it is a damn fine crop of albums. I’ll dig into this more with the 50 Best Albums list, but music was one of the main bright spots in a year most would like to forget. Tomorrow, I’ll deliver the first batch of my favorite albums of the year, but fitting all this years’ phenomenal albums on one list was near impossible. This is a list of albums that definitely deserve your attention despite not making the big 50. These aren’t my 51-75 spots; These are albums that I had fun listening to, found myself revisiting or found one song to truly love. Whatever it is, these are albums that shouldn’t be ignored. I’ve just put the album covers and titles for your own research. Hey, writing about 50 albums is time consuming let alone 75. 

Savage Mode by 21 Savage/Metro Boomin

I Remember  by AlunaGeorge 

Gore by Deftones

  Views by Drake 

Big Baby D.R.A.M. by D.R.A.M.

The Wilderness by Explosions in the Sky

Skin by Flume

Next Thing by Frankie Cosmos

Revolution Radio by Green Day

The Colour In Anything by James Blake

Psychopomp by Japanese Breakfast 

A Good Night in the Ghetto by Kamaiyah

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ by Kid Cudi 

Rojus by Leon Vynehall

Lil Boat by Lil Yachty 

Sunlit Youth by Local Natives

Blush by Moose Blood

Nomads by No Wyld

Junk by M83 

Holy Ghost by Modern Baseball

Sirens by Nicholas Jaar

The Triad by Pantha Du Prince

Adore Life by Savages

Konnichiwa by Skepta

Jeffery Young Thug

It’s impossible to talk about Kid Cudi without addressing the fact that he’s fallen off in recent years. After the moody, introspective Man on the Moon albums gained him a loyal fanbase of emo stoners, Kid Cudi took his promise and made everyone say “what in the fuck is this?” with each subsequent release. His rock collab with Dot Da Genius WZRD bombed, Indicud was a self-indulgent mess and Satellite Fligh: Journey to Mother Moon is a Cudi album even Cudi die-hards forget exists. With each of these releases, Cudi veered further away from what made him so great. While he was never a perfect rapper, Cudi was the guy that acted as an older, more fucked up brother who had all the answers. Post-Man on the Moon II albums became experimental pity parties that were impossible to connect with.

And this is all without even mentioning 2015’s Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, one of the worst albums of the 21st century. A rock album completely amateurish in execution, Cudi alienated even his most die-hard fans. It didn’t feel like a coincidence that 2016 saw Cudi at his lowest, getting checked into rehab for depression and feuding with high-profile artists. Even his mentor Kanye West wasn’t exempt from a few choice words. Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ arrives at the end of turbulent year for Cudi and there was reason to hope for something good. As singles, “Frequency” and “All In” brought back the spaced-out vibes of early Cudi releases and while they weren’t the best Cudi songs ever, they were a welcome sign of promise. At 19 songs and an hour and a half runtime, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is certainly ambitious and throughout, Cudi makes it evident that he still holds promise.

Sonically, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ sticks to the formula of “Frequency” and “All In” with spacey beats, moody vibes and Cudi’s mix of humming and rapping. The production on this album is fantastic. “Releaser” sounds like if Cudi made a song with Portishead with a trip-hop beat propelling dark subject matter of damaged mental health and drug use. The album starts out well, with Cudi’s auto-tuned performance on “Swim in the Light” making for a catchy standout. It has to be noted that Cudi got Andre 3000, credited as Andre Benjamin, on two of the album’s tracks. “By Design” grooves with a danceable beat as Cudi and 3 Stacks trade bars, singing and rapping with a chemistry as stunning as it is surprising while “The Guide” ups the sinister factor immensely. Cudi’s often at his best when collaborating with other rappers and he’s at his best here.

When the tracklist for Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ was released, one of the most eyebrow-raising features came from actor Will Smith’s daughter Willow Smith. “Rose Golden” is quite possibly the best song Cudi has dropped in years, singing harmoniously with Smith about overcoming the toughest of obstacles. Cudi’s performance is powerful, humming with deep pitches along with his rapping. This is classic Cudi, oozing dark moods and reflective lyrics that remain relatable to anyone who’s battled depression or drug abuse. Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ dishes out a number of phenomenal songs. Both Pharrell collaborations “Flight at First Sight/Advanced” and “Surfin” deviate from the moodiness that pervades the album, but Cudi’s rap performance on the former is a career best, as is the chorus of the former.

There’s so much to enjoy, love even, about Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’. As an old Cudi fan who obsessed with both Man on the Moon albums as an angst-ridden high-schooler, this new album genuinely thrilled me. “Does It” is a space-rap banger destined to be a cult-favorite, “Kitchen” is absolutely beautiful and “Dance 4 Eternity” makes the idea of a Cudi dance album actually sound cool. Cudi’s ear for sinister beats, passionately mellow flows and smokey choruses all come together for “Distant Fantasies,” a track that would sound right at home on either Man on the Moon album. The thing about these songs is that they don’t constitute the “merely okay” spectrum like his best songs in recent years. These are fantastic tracks with Cudi at peak performance.

Despite this, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ can’t escape some of Cudi’s worst tendancies. First off, this album is too fucking long. 2016 has been the year of the hour-plus rap/R&B epics and Cudi is the latest to overextend his reach. He doesn’t extend the album for much of an artistic statement either. While it’s evident Cudi wanted a depressed rap epic, filler threatens to derail the album. Rather than rapping about anything meaningful sometimes, Cudi reverts to his aimless humming. “Wounds” and “Cosmic Warrior” are forgettable tracks with mediocre vocal performances, sometimes being cringe worthy in their corniness. Nothing on here is in the same league as Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven thankfully, but Cudi’s self-indulgence peaks through every now and then. You want to jump through the headphones and tell Cudi that not every idea needs to be put to record.

Still, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is a welcome return for Kid Cudi. The album brings back elements of what made his music connect in the first place while also setting the groundwork of what’s to come. Easily his best album since 2010, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is the album Cudi fans have been hoping to see. The extended length and abundance of filler bring the album down a bit, but not enough to completely derail the experience. If Cudi ever decides to work on Man on the Moon III, this album will be one of the reasons all his fans explode with anticipation. Cudi finally seems to be back on a musical track loaded with promise. Never thought I’d see the day

 SCORE: B

Danny Brown’s fourth studio release shares its name with the opening track from Joy Division’s 1980 album, Closer. Brown has never been shy to share his love for alternative music, painting himself as a music-fan’s rapper, but this is the first time he’s pushed for a specific comparison. Closer came out two-months after lead vocalist Ian Curtis committed suicide and helped better paint a picture of his depression through haunting lyricism. “Atrocity Exhibition,” featured lyrics that were buried in hopelessness, as if Curtis had already made up his mind through the recording of that entire album.

On Atrocity Exhibition, Danny Brown seems keen on shedding the festival-attending fan base he was awarded after his previous album, Old, was released to widespread acclaim. Thematically, this new album harkens back to XXX, when Brown’s focus was detailing drug addiction, depression, and sexual depravity in the grimiest way possible. But while Brown could always make you laugh with an over-the-top lyric or two, (“Stank pussy smellin’ like Cool Ranch Doritios” still gets an uncomfortable laugh), there’s always a hint of sadness that turned the debauchery into a call for help. If Ian Curtis is Danny Brown’s inspiration on this latest album, it’s because both share a pessimism based off life experience. Atrocity Exhibition is Danny Brown’s most personal, downbeat and flat-out dark album, all of which contribute to making it the best release of his career so far.

Old had an indie-coated flair to it that appealed to a wider audience, but Atrocity Exhibition almost completely does away with all of that. Opening track “Downward Spiral” paints horrific pictures of drug use with a sparse, off-key beat that puts attention directly on Brown’s lyrics. The production on Atrocity Exhibition is both one of the album’s biggest wins and its most divisive aspect. Posse cut “Really Doe” features the album’s most accessible production, and with pitch-perfect features from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt, the song is the only moment that seems primed for a wide-audience. Other songs revel in menace (“Tell Me What I Don’t Know”) or explode with manic psychedelia (“Ain’t It Funny” “White Lines”) to paint a sonic picture of a truly tortured persona.

Danny Brown’s vocals remain his most identifiable attribute. Nasally and often obnoxious, Brown’s vocals are at their wildest on this whole album. In fact, his attention grabbing vocals sometimes overshadow the fantastic flows Brown performs on the album. He never sounds out of tune with a track, each one focused with a drug-fueled, wide-eyed awareness. Digging into a history that involves crack dealing and lower-class Detroit living, Danny Brown details this subject matter with no compromises. “When It Rains” features a stunning performance from Brown with lyrics detailing violence in Detroit. It’s a distinctly Danny Brown song that spirals out of control the more the track goes on. Rather than revel in the hedonism featured on the tracks, Brown always sees things as a gateway into something darker.

Atrocity Exhibition is Danny Brown’s best album. It’s absolutely bat-shit crazy from beginning to end, creating a manic energy that fascinatingly spirals more and more out of control. It’s the most challenging listen of any Danny Brown album, but with more challenges come more rewards. Brown has made a career out of shock factor, but here, the shocks come with emotions that are deeply felt without ever feeling forced. Once Atrocity Exhibition ends, Danny Brown’s Joy Division comparison makes more sense. This album is the soundtrack to the downward spiral, but rather than just being about that, Atrocity Exhibition SOUNDS like a downward spiral. It’s wild, dark, vivid and simply one of the best rap albums of the year.

SCORE: A- 

People tend to remember heartbreak by reminiscing on varied moments through the crumbled relationship. As the memories flood in, joyful times are quickly underlined by a sense of sadness, or the bad add fuel to the post-break up fire. The unpredictable emotions that come along with heartbreak have led to some incredible music where the music itself acts as a gateway to catharsis.

On AlunaGeorge’s second album I Remember, the London duo have crafted a collection of songs that approach a heartbreaking sadness with pop bangers. This is something the duo have done ever since “White Noise,” their breakout single with Disclosure. Like Disclosure, AlunaGeorge approach pop with skill, utilizing silky smooth beats and Aluna Francis’s sweetly executed vocals to bring emotional weight in equal measure to the fun of pop music. The duo’s debut album, Body Music, was largely harmless, but was disappointingly forgettable in large part because every song followed a similar format. It grew stale, but the hints of greatness were still there. I Remember scales down the extravagance of the production, making for a suitably more intimate affair. The album doesn’t always hit the mark and AlunaGeorge have yet to perfect the album format, but I Remember ends up being a welcome progression with the duo tightening their grasp on pop music glory.

Right away, the guest vocalists don’t do too much besides add some slight variety to the album. “Full Swing” opens the album with a sugar-coated anthem, but Pell’s rap vocals do nothing but detract from Francis’s performance. Zhu doesn’t do a single, identifiable thing on “My Blood,” opting to instead deliver a trap-beat that sounds like something AlunaGeorge could have done themselves. The features are the best when they adhere to AlunaGeorge’s song direction. The duo brings extra EDM bombast to “Mean What I Mean,” fitting both Leikeli47 and Dreezy’s verses in naturally. Rather than conflict with the song’s sound, both Leikeli47 and Dreezy are woven into the song and it sounds all the more fun because everyone’s in tune with one another.

I Remember is full of songs that are defiant and burst with emotion, but listening to the album from beginning to end make tracks bleed into each other a little too much. That being said, there are moments that truly are some of the best pop moments of 2016. The title-track might be the catchiest, heartbreaking piece of music AlunaGeorge have made. “I Remember” plays to the past, looking back on a crumbling relationship with an attention to detail on the little things that made the relationship work in the first place. It’s a great song, tuning down the extravagance of the production for the most stunning vocal performance on the album. “Heartbreak Horizon” is also another major highlight, bouncing between a subdued groove and exploding into a horns/clap filled chorus that’s the best kind of bubblegum pop. It has a groove that this writer must admit to getting a little too crazy over.

There are some genuinely stand-out moments on I Remember that makes the album worth a recommendation for any fan of pop music. AlunaGeorge prove themselves further by having an ear for pop music that delivers emotional beats while sounding like no one else out there. It’s unfortunate that the album doesn’t always know how to use the guest artists and though their presence adds layer of variety, some of the songs unmemorable lulls. Still, this is a major step forward for AlunaGeorge that just needs minor fine-tuning to get an album that’s more consistent. When I Remember hits its peaks, it offers some of the best pop music of the year. AlunaGeorge might not be at their own artistic peaks, but this album does nothing but point to an even more promising future than before.

SCORE: B

New M.I.A albums typically arrive following a wave of controversy and on a bonus track to her fifth studio album AIM, the woman born Mathangi Arulpragasam seems more aware of this than ever. “I talk and talk until I piss em’ off,” M.I.A repeats on the chorus of the fittingly titled “Talk.” She’s not wrong. M.I.A has made a career pissing people off as frequently as she drops music. Her last album, 2013’s excellent Mantangi, was filled with anti-authority raps following her middle-finger display during the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show. This was the moment when the woman known almost exclusively for “Paper Planes” brought her fire to the mainstream. Anyone familiar with M.I.A’s music may not have been shocked, but the NFL feud that followed gave M.I.A a larger platform to advocate worldwide issues.

In 2016, the controversy that usually surrounds M.I.A is present, but less sensationally so. Tweeting months before her newest album, M.I.A made it clear she was living outside of the U.S. and unable to tour due to the lack of a visa. Because of this, the release of AIM was at the mercy of her label Interscope. Mantangi followed a similarly turbulent release and capitalized on the unrest by being loud and uncompromising, featuring lyrics that were larger middle fingers than her Super Bowl display. The album delivered a mix of politically charged anger and bass heavy beats that was a monstrous return to form after 2010’s underwhelming MAYA. Touted as M.I.A’s “final album,” AIM is similarly loud and bombastic, pushing her once-again politically charged anthems forward with trap-heavy production. Unfortunately, while Mantangi was focused and wildly experimental, AIM is ultimately a step back with M.I.A displaying a lack of anything new to say.

AIM does feature some of the best songs in M.I.A’s career. The two Skrillex-produced tracks are easily the biggest successes of the album. “Go Off” and “A.M.P” exhilarate while highlighting M.I.A’s strength with flow. She remains the captivating point of the songs, even when the production explodes into “lose your shit” territory. “Borders” is the most politically charged track here, opening the album with a dose of anarchy (“Guns blow doors to the system/Yeah fuck ‘em when we say we’re not with them”) and activism (“Borders, what’s up with that?”).

On “Freedun,” M.I.A enlists ex-One Direction member Zayn for a chorus that is the album’s best pure-pop moment. While the lyrics are as political as always (“Some people fuck it up, take vactations/Refugees learn about patience”), Zayn’s vocal performance gives the song an empathetic, heart wrenching feel that is fitting with the subject matter of refugees. This is a catchy song and one that doesn’t skimp on the emotional beats necessary to bring a subject like this to life.

Despite all the fun and food for thought individual tracks provide, the entirety of AIM is harmed by a lack of focus. “Freedun” may be a great song overall, but mediocre lyrics from previous albums show up to cheapen the message, (“Lara Croft is soft when it comes to my stuff” has always been a cringe-worthy line to me). Even the criticisms aimed in “Borders” could have had a little more bite to them if there wasn’t the insistence on repetition in the lyrics. Rather than focus herself for maximum impact, M.I.A has a bit of fun on AIM that often contradicts the serious nature of her tracks.

It doesn’t help that tracks are often aimless and in return, grow dull long before the end. “Jump In” and “Fly Pirate” begin with sonically interesting ideas that go absolutely nowhere. M.I.A basks in repetition on these songs, both in the production and vocals, which never brings the songs to a satisfying conclusion. It’s as if the rough draft of the production was looped without any additional polish.  Another pre-release track, “Bird Song,” shows up as a Blaqstarr remix on the album and suffers from these issues worse than any song on the album. There’s actually another, Diplo remixed version of “Bird Song” on the deluxe version and it’s only marginally better.

Speaking of bonus tracks, the ones featured on AIM are quite strong. If “Swords” and “Talk” replaced a couple tracks on the standard album, it might have a positive impact on the flow of this album, which is sloppy at best. With so many tracks going nowhere, sounding rushed or falling completely flat, AIM could have used a few more weeks being cooked up. M.I.A has rarely sounded so uninspired and though she has a lot on her mind, AIM never knows how to keep things fresh through its haphazard sequencing. This is the kind of album that seems a lot longer than it really is because to get to the songs that actually pop, there’s too much of a grind with other tracks required.

M.I.A has proved herself as an important voice in the music industry time and time again. She doesn’t need to prove anything she hasn’t already and despite AIM’s flaws, there are songs that bring back memories of when M.I.A was a force to be reckoned with. These moments are some of the best in her career, but most of AIM drags on with little to say and few ideas to say it with. AIM is plenty fun enough, but coming from an artist who has made a career out of scathing critiques and experimental production, “fun enough” is a too little for a final send-off.

SCORE: C

So here’s the deal: I love listening to albums and continue to do so on a daily basis, but I’m on the final stretch of my college career. That means I’m struggling to do anything fun and anything cool, like review Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo or tell you just how psyched I am for a new Radiohead album this June. Yeah, it’s a true struggle, but I hope to be back by the start of the summer with regular music updates. This is a dope year for music and we all need to be talking about some great albums this year. Anderson .Paak’s Malibu still blows me away everyday and Chairlift’s Moth has songs rattling my brain with how catchy they are. Oh, and that little Kendrick Lamar album/demo-thing was dope too. 

Please, go out and stay updated with new music releases. A new PJ Harvey album just dropped for goodness sake (it’s great too), so there’s no reason why you should be music-less. If you need some recommendations, holla. I’ll gladly point you in the right direction. But as for any badass reviews, I’m going to have to do the same thing James Cameron is doing with those Avatar sequels. Namely, delay the work and promise way more than anyone really even wanted. Keep your ears healthy by listening to some great tunes until then. Or go deaf listening to the new Deftones album. Either one. 

With Much Love,

Hymns is likely to be your least favorite Bloc Party album. It’s not necessarily a statement of quality, but Hymns follows a period of unrest and doubt from a band that used to be the next big thing. The band’s 2005 debut Silent Alarm introduced many of us to Kele Okereke’s straightforward, but powerful, sentiments that propelled songs like “Helicopter” or “Blue Light” into the alternative subconscious. However, we all know it was the insane and “too precise to be true” drumming of Matt Tong that took songs on Silent Alarm to the next level. There’s a chaotic feel to Silent Alarm that remains as impactful as ever, but in the years since, Bloc Party haven’t captured that same level of magic. A Weekend In the City’s cultural observations were let down by the album’s somewhat forgettable nature and Intimacy was a noble, if directionless, attempt at a new direction for the band. 

And then Four released to a collective sigh in 2012. While all the original band members were on board, Bloc Party tried to make another Silent Alarm without all the raggedness required. Though more bland than bad, Four ended up being a turning point for the band, losing both Tong and bass player Gordon Moakes after the album’s release. Without them, Bloc Party lost two of the key components to the band’s success, putting their future into serious “break-up” rumor territory.  After the band’s “extended break,”Okereke proceeded to release his second solo album, Trick, in 2014. It wasn’t consistently great, but there was an earnestness to Okereke that made him sound restless. Restless for more music. So, with Justin Harris added on bass and Louise Bartle on drums, Bloc Party was reborn. 

In terms of style and sound, Hymns is closer to the blend of electronic and rock on Intimacy than the ferocity of Silent Alarm. As the album title alludes to, Hymns is heavy on spirituality but fuses it with love story sentiment. “Only He Can Heal Me” exemplifies the theme best with a fantastic chamber choir chant backing the soft production that bursts with raw emotion from Okereke’s vocals. It sounds like he’s explaining himself to God when singing “When everyday feels like a hustle/Everyday I’m saving face.” There’s desperation in Okereke’s voice throughout the album. “So Real” and “My True Name” flirt with classic Bloc Party sentiment, but slowly themselves . The tempo is slower, but Okereke never sounds less than sincere. When Okereke sings “What am I supposed to do/When the only good thing about me was you,” his direct lyricism and vocal performance bring out that universal Bloc Party emotion.

Hymns suffers most from an identity crisis. Like Intimacy, Hymns shifts between electronic and rock atmospherics. Right out of the gate, “The Love Within” establishes an uneasy alliance with the two. Okereke’s vocals mixed with the blaring, organ-sounding electronic beat and rockin’ chorus. It just feels off and though Okereke does his best to keep up, it ends up sounding like a corny experiment more than anything. “The Good News” doesn’t do anything interesting with it’s blues angle and “Into The Earth” reeks of emotional potential that is never fulfilled. 

Okereke’s lyrics have always been direct to the point of cheesiness, but it’s both a major positive and a detriment to Hymns. “Fortress” is a great example of what can go right. It’s the best song on the album, drenched with potentially eye-rolling lines like “These sheets shield our bodies like a fortress/They keep us safe from harm” or “Pull me under/Under the ocean/Cover my mouth, with yours.” But you know what? The slow build atmosphere and Okereke’s undeniable passion make it one of Bloc Party’s most beautiful and affecting songs in years. Okereke’s cheese ball lines sound like meaningful and sincerely clumsy proclamations rather than groan inducing. 

But while Okereke’s lyrics can strike right to the core of the feels, they too often simplify the grand scheme of Hymns. This could have been an introspective and emotionally intense album, a real resurgence for the band and a great introduction for the new members. Unfortunately, nothing clicks the way it should for maximum impact. Songs like “Different Drugs” or the closer “Living Lux” are two songs that are certainly good, but they could have been better with an extra emotional punch or two. There’s a lot to like on Hymns and though I’ve been dogging on it pretty good, I actually think it’s a stronger album than Four. There’s room for the new Bloc Party to expand further on the ideas on Hymn and the signs are there that they can make a consistently beautiful album. New Bloc Party may not stand up to the old, but Hymns has enough glimmers of hope to sometimes forgive what doesn’t work.

Score: C+

Here we are. The best of the best, the cream of the crop. Albums that made 2015 one for the the books. Every one of these albums are of impeccable quality and deserve your undevided attention. Without further ado, here are my absolute favorite albums of 2015. 

25. Kate Boy – One

In 2012, the song “Northern Lights” dropped from the Swedish synth-pop duo Kate Boy and it sounded like the future. I remember feeling like I had just discovered the next “big thing” when this song dropped and being horribly disappointed when we heard next to nothing over the course of the next three years. Chvrches became the dominant artist of the sound Kate Boy seemed to almost pioneer and with the duo’s debut album One, it seemed like another case of too little, too late. Thankfully, this couldn’t be further from the truth. One surprises right out of the gate with the unreal catchiness of “Midnight Sun” and the album continues to surprise once it becomes apparent that there really isn’t a drop off in quality. One features some of the shiniest, glitziest and downright infectious synth-pop of the year, maybe even ever. I could go on forever about the highlights of this album because songs like “Burn” and “Self Control” completely capitalize on all the genre’s strengths. The songs on One burst with confidence and while Chvrches might be the most popular of this type of music, Kate Boy come in with convincing enough evidence to call them the current genre MVPs.

24. George FitzGerald – Fading Love

He may not be the biggest name in the business right now, but English producer George FitzGerald remains as confident as if he was. Fading Love came out of nowhere, an album by an unknown producer that sounded like a decent listen on a Monday night. This wasn’t just some decent album though. Fading Love is a downbeat journey that’s hypnotic, atmospheric and a whole hell of a lot of fun. Electronic albums of this kind can all too easily fall into categories like “boring” or “forgettable”, but not George FitzGerald’s debut. Songs like the brilliant “Call It Love (If You Want To)” are trance-enducing and perfect for late-night dance parties. There’s just a feeling to this album, one of pure emotion and spontaneous energy that keep the vibe fun and meditative at the same time. I didn’t know who George FitzGerald even was before 2015, but luckily I do now and I’ll be sure not to miss whatever he does next.

23. Hudson Mohawke – Lantern

As a producer, Hudson Mohawke has remained a constant force without ever releasing a solo album until this point. His collaboration with Lunice for TNGHT produced one of the best EPs ever and the guy has worked with Kanye West. Hudson Mohawke has done quite a bit in his career and Lantern reflects the producer’s various styles. Songs like “Very First Breath” and “Warriors” represent the album’s pop core while “Ryderz” brings some serious soul to trap music. Lantern could have crumbled at the weight of the ambition on display, but the opposite is the truth. Hudson Mohawke’s debut plays things fast, loose and fun, constantly shifting gears before any one style begins to bore. The best part of the album comes from the 1-2 punch of “Kettles” and “Scud Books”. The former works as a build to the latter’s bangin’ beats and it’s downright chill-inducing. From beginning to end, Hudson Mohawke continuously reminds everyone that there’s a reason his name has been synonymous with quality production. Lantern overflows with creative production and does nothing but solidify Hudson Mohawke’s impeccable reputation further.

22. Empress Of - Me

Lorely Rodriguez has performed music as Empress Of for a short period of time now, but she’s already demanding attention with her first full-length album Me. Maybe it has something to do with the immense care and confidence displayed throughout the album, or maybe the unique production techniques throughout have something to do with it. No matter, Me is a blast to listen to with the emotional core of an album that should sound more subdued. ”Standard” is an immediate classic, dropping a load of rough bass on top of one hell of a catchy chorus. Rodriguez’s lyrics are sometimes wishful for more and torn in love, but they come off like frustrations rather than depressors. Me is full of bitterness, but it’s offset by confidence and that confidence has led to a debut album that is as exciting as it is powerful.

21. The Chemical Brothers – Born in the Echoes

When discussing the electronic music boom of the 1990s, there are a few artists that absolutely need to be mentioned. Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Aphex Twin and The Crystal Method all come to mind, but The Chemical Brothers often stand in my mind as the ultimate 90s electronic duo. Daft Punk may have had the better album (Discovery is just an all-time great) but The Chemical Brothers always experimented with dance music, making some of the most bizarrely danceable tunes ever heard. Born in the Echoes does nothing but reaffirm the duo’s talent. It’s the weirdest Chemical Brothers album since We Are the Night, but where that album was experimented with to a fault, Born in the Echoes commands your attention from the very beginning. Q-Tip shows up with one of his best performances in years on “Go” while St. Vincent and Beck lend their talents throughout the album. Born in the Echoes made me want to dance, but more importantly, the album reminds us that the ol’ Brothers aren’t ones to play it safe and are all the better for it.

20. Tame Impala – Currents

While Tame Impala has grown to become the “it” band on the block the past few years, the music itself has always been the product of front man Kevin Parker. It’s no surprise then that Tame Impala’s third album, Currents, was completely recorded and written by Parker. Where Innerspeaker and Lonerism basked in psych-rock jams, Currents axes all guitars and instead, cakes on layers of synths to move the album. It’s a ballsy move, ditching the established sound that gathered legions of fans, but the final product is a resounding success of an experiment. “Let It Happen” may be the most accessable song yet from Tame Impala and “Yes I’m Changing” is one of my personal favorite songs of the year. These songs have such a strong emotional core that Currents ends up being Tame Impala’s most personal and emotive album. While Innerspeaker still reigns as the (in my opinion) best Tame Impala record, Currents remains the most fascinating of the band’s catalog. It’s different and marks a drastic shift from the established formula, but Currents shows that Tame Impala can successfully change the formula and bring a plethora of new ideas to the table.  

19. Deafheaven – New Bermuda

Back in 2013, Deafheaven released Sunbather, a metal record that sounded less hardcore than it did beautiful. I loved that record and still do, so of course New Bermuda was on my radar since it was announced. Let’s get this out of the way: no, New Bermuda is not quite Sunbather, but that doesn’t mean it’s not absolutely fantastic. New Bermuda is the darker, heavier and more aggressive side to Deafheaven that took a backseat to shoegazey theatrics on Sunbather. It works though, boy does it work. New Bermuda is crazy and an album that’s tough to describe because it’s a burst of melodic, metal aggression that needs to be heard to be understood. I’m not much of a metal fanatic, but that hasn’t stopped Deafheaven from making metal records that appeal to even me. Deafheaven are the most consistent band in metal music and New Bermuda solidifies their accent into metal legend. Sunbather is an almost impossible album to successfully follow up, but Deafheaven continue to surprise with an album that has all the trademarks of the band while also being a completely separate entity. New Bermuda may not have the revisiting power that Sunbather did, but in its place is a more intense and immediate album ready to envelope anyone into its decent into chaos.

18. Destroyer – Poison Season

Dan Bejar, the guy behind Destroyer, has always had a knack for generating nostalgia with instruments rather than his words exactly. While there’s plenty of emotional musings in his lyricism, Bejar has always sounded like a man who has experienced plenty throughout lives and makes music that reflects on the old with sound. Poison Season, Destroyer’s tenth album, contains all of what makes Destroyer albums such a fantastic listen while pushing a much heavier emphasis on instrumentation. “Dream Lover” is a major stand-out, sounding like a triumphant and hopeful arrival into New York City. It’s crazy how much this album will make you “feel” with just how it sounds, but it does. Bejar is a perfect guide for nostalgic trips because he taps into feelings on insecurity, regret and unrequited love better than most musicians on the market. Poison Season is brilliant and at ten albums in, Destroyer shows no signs of slowing what made the band so great in the first place.

17. SOPHIE - Product

Who the hell is SOPHIE? The mysterious producer has been around for a couple years at this point, living only through heavily experimental pop singles that had the music community stunned with the immense level of creativity packed into each song. Product barely constitutes an album. It’s a collection of eight singles that has been released in tandom with sex toys. Yeah, who knows what’s really going on in the world of SOPHIE, but I can tell you that Product was the single best surprise I heard all year. Before, I was never into any of the singles, but Product sequences the tracks so perfectly that the album constantly sounds like it’s evolving. Whether it’s the weird, bubbly beat in “Lemonade” or the insane bass in the trap heavy “Msmsmsm,” the idea of what pop music constitutes is constantly warped and skewed.

Fun side story: during a party, I played “Msmsmsm” knowing that I had a bunch of almost exclusive country/rap music listeners at said event. That didn’t matter as everyone stopped everything they were doing and lost their damn minds. While this was my finest moment as a party DJ, it speaks volumes to how accessible the bizarre pop vision SOPHIE has crafted can really can be. Product is great and if I didn’t find the song “L.O.V.E” to be such a weak link, it could have made a go for the album of the year. Alas, it’s still one of the best albums (or collections) of the year and I have a feeling that whatever comes next for this break-out producer will shatter minds.

16. A$AP Rocky – At. Long. Last. A$AP

Since 2011, A$AP Rocky has progressed from being that drugged out rapper that has really cool beats to being one of the most popular mainstream rappers around. And honestly, it makes sense that he’s grown to be such a big name because his music has been remarkably consistent while constantly being tweaked. At. Long. Last. A$AP is A$AP Rocky’s second (and best) studio album and the Harlem rapper gets fixated on the wonders of LSD throughout. The production on this album reflects this, from the drugged out mellowness of “L$D” to the classic Clams Casino atmosphere in “Fine Whine.” There are bangers too, but the album is more dialed back than previous albums. The death of fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Yams is a constant reminder throughout the album, adding a layer of sadness to the proceedings that A$AP Rocky’s previous works didn’t have. As a memorial to a friend who died and a drug that helped cope with the loss, At. Long. Last. A$AP ends up being the most well rounded album of the rappers career and suggest even bigger improvements in the future.

15. Braids – Deep In the Iris

Before the release of their third album Deep In the Iris, I had always found Braids to be a sonically lush and interesting band without a real sense of direction. Their first two albums are moody and nice sounding for sure, but there wasn’t much there other than pretty little artsy songs. Deep In the Iris surprised the hell out of me and is one of the top underdogs of the year. For this new album, the band decided to take a sunnier approach sonically while emphasizing a new focus on songwriting. Because of this shift from the moodier atmospherics of previous albums, songs like “Taste” and “Blondie” are not only absolutely gorgeous listens, but emotionally affecting tracks on a lyrical stand point.  Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s astonishing lead vocals are given far much more room to soar, resulting from some of the most beautiful moments 2015 had to offer. Why Braids haven’t gathered a larger audience is beyond me because Deep In The Iris is a fine-tuned beauty machine full of ethereal tracks oozing with layers of deeply beautiful electronics. This is the kind of album you play and lose yourself in. While they may be underdogs, Braids delivered an album that’ll pay emotional dividends even through the 2016 year.  

14. Disclosure – Caracal

For anyone that knows me, seeing a Disclosure album placed anywhere but the number one spot is probably quite the shock. Guy and Howard Laurence make dance music with a pop edge that clicks with me on a level few artists have even come close to. Caracal may have been my most anticipated album of all time. Settle still stands as my personal favorite album of all time and the prospect of a sophomore album featuring artists like The Weeknd, Lorde and Miguel joining relative unknowns had me foaming at the mouth. Keeping my expectations in check were beyond difficult, but thankfully Caracal ended up being loaded with some of the best sounding dance music, well, ever. “Nocturnal” and “Superego” are immediate Disclosure classics while “Hourglass” and “Willing & Able” smoothed their way into my subconscious, sticking in my head for days.

Caracal admittedly has faults, some that even a die-hard fan like myself must acknowledge. Yes, not all the songs stick and yes, every song follows a similar structure. The album sacrifices the relentless pace of Settle for something much softer, darker and smoother. Besides the bonus track “Bang That,” bangers do not have a place on Caracal and to some, the album has potential to grow tedious by the end. However, despite some little complaints, Caracal was my most obsessed over album of 2015. The build to the release was excruciating and when the album dropped, euphoria rushed through my body as I listened to the album with a fat grin on my face. Caracal is not Settle, but this is still a truly fantastic follow-up that is a more-than-worthy of repeated listens. You better believe I’m ready for album number three.

13. Dr. Dre – Compton

Over the course of roughly fifteen years, legendary rapper Dr. Dre teased and promised us the ultimate album with Detox. Despite some iffy songs supposedly on the album releasing to mixed reactions (*cough*I Need a Doctor*cough*), fans of hip-hop were always out there theorizing about what was going down with this thing. So it was pretty insane when Dr. Dre said Detox was scrapped because it sucked and proceeded to drop an entirely different album to coincide with the release of the N.W.A. biography film Straight Outta Compton.

Compton, the new beast of an album, more than makes up for the cancellation of Detox and contains all the hallmarks of a classic Dr. Dre album. Countless guests ranging from modern stars (Kendrick Lamar, The Game) to vets of the genre (Snoop Dogg, Eminem) show up on Compton and all of them bring out some of the best verses of theirs in years. Dr. Dre’s production is simply unparalleled, delivering banger after banger through an album that could have collapsed under the weight of everything going on within it. Dr. Dre is a master though and collaboration has always been his specialty, crafting some of his best songs in decades. Compton may be more of an “of the moment” album than a bonafide classic, but this moment happens to be pretty fucking sweet.

12. Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy

Punk rock has long relished the idea of the “double album.” From Fucked Up’s incredible 2011 album David Comes to Life, The Clash’s classic Sandinista or Say Anything’s In Defense of the Genre, the attitude bursting from the genre is perfect fodder for massive, rockin’ epics. The Most Lamentable Tragedy is the latest in the long line of punk-rock epics from Titus Andronicus, a band quite highly revered after a string of fantastic records. At 29 tracks and 92 minutes, The Most Lamentable Tragedy is a daunting album to initially dig into. The Shakespearian roots of the band’s nam and title of this album really come through with the album’s structure. It’s a five act rock opera detailing a man who is visited by his doppleganger, sending him off on a life journey that heavily works as a metaphor for depression.

The Most Lamentable Tragedy is the best album from Titus Andronicus while also being the most erratic and unpredictable album of theirs yet. A one-minute song may be followed by a 30 second track which proceeds into an epic 10 minute rock tune. Songs shift between rough and dirty punk-rock to heartwrenching ballads on a dime and with no warning. All of this could have led to an unfocused disaster, but The Most Lamentable Tragedy keep you guessing throughout its epic tale and as a band, Titus Andronicus have never sounded so raw and emotional. Not a single second on this latest album is wasted, not even the one minute silent intermission smack-dab in the middle. Everything works to make  The Most Lamentable Tragedy the Shakespearian epic the band always seemed to be heading for.

11. Shamir - Ratchet

I was impressed with Shamir’s 2014 Northtown EP and leading up to the release of Ratchet, I found the character of Shamir to be even better. The androgynous singer originally aimed to be in a punk band as a teen but when that failed, he set his sights on pop-music. Ratchet contains some of the catchiest songs Shamir has ever written and solidifies the talented singer as a talent to be taken seriously. I don’t know how many times I listened to songs like the irresistibly catchy “Call It Off” or the somber “Demons”.

There’s always something to like on Ratchet, be it the personal lyricism or fantastic production that compliments Shamir’s incredible vocals perfectly. Shamir’s music is bursting with personality and character, something pop music isn’t always known for. Instead of having dumb-downed music to appeal to a wider audience of listeners, Shamir’s charisma does the marketing itself and Ratchet simply lets Shamir be Shamir. There were a lot of debut albums this year but Ratchet was one of the only ones that signified a monster star in the making.

10. Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon

Lana Del Rey remains a polarizing figure for a really stupid reason. People just love bitching and moaning about how she plays such a helpless, one-note character in her albums. Sure, this is true, but it’s all a part of the Lana Del Rey character and her music has always been a fascinating portrait of a possibly fictional representation of who Lana really is. Honeymoon is hands down Lana Del Rey’s best album for multiple reasons, but it succeeds because it feels like an album refined through the flaws of previous records. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Born to Die and Ultraviolence quite a bit, but Honeymoon drastically ups the smoky seduction and inner turmoil. Think of those 1960s clubs you see in movies where a singer gives a soft, but devastatingly emotional performance in front of a chain-smoking crowd. That’s how Honeymoon sounds and while it’s definitely soothing and soft enough to put anyone to sleep, there’s so much beauty and gut-wrenching emotion that the album begs repeated listens.

Lana Del Rey’s haunting presence throughout leads to some of the very best songs of her entire career. “Music To Watch Boys To,” “Freak” and “High By the Beach” are immediate stand-outs that completely sucked me in with dense atmosphere and ethereal vocals. When I listened to Honeymoon for the first time, it completely transported me to an entirely different era in history and gave me feels that few albums managed to give me this year. There’s a seedy sense of seduction throughout Honeymoon and Lana Del Rey uses her fragile character to explore the worst side of the American dream. Heavy, beautiful and complex, Lana Del Rey’s latest album hits all the notes I wanted from a new Lana Del Rey record and then some. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been on the Lana-wagon the past few years to enjoy Honeymoon. This is a sexy album that should not be missed by any means.

9. The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness

When The Weeknd’s debut album Kiss Land dropped in 2013, fans were somewhat let down. Abel Tesfaye skyrocketed to stardom after gracing us with three brilliant mixtapes in 2011, but by the time his true debut album came around, his pop-aspirations were drowned out by redundancy. Beauty Behind the Madness was the album that was going to make or break The Weeknd’s career. If it was another failure, we’d have those old mixtapes and proceed to carry on with our lives as he fell into obscurity. Anticipation was followed with skepticism, but there was no need as Beauty Behind the Madness ended up being one behemoth of a great pop record.

All the trademarks of a good Weeknd album are here: drugs, sex and nonstop debauchery. “Can’t Feel My Face” is a universal hit and one that sets the stage for what the album is all about. Beauty Behind the Madness is just as dark and debaucherous as previous Weeknd releases, but there’s an added bounce to the style. The Kanye West assisted “Tell Your Friends” is one of the year’s best songs as The Weeknd celebrates hedonism at its most soulful. House of Balloons still stands as his best record, but Beauty Behind the Madness successfully transitions The Weeknd into the pop stratosphere without sacrificing his character. This could have been a disaster, but instead, we got to see the next big thing emerge into the limelight he was always meant for.

8. Beach House – Depression Cherry/Thank Your Lucky Stars

Two albums within a mere couple of months can sometimes do more harm than good. Remember when Justin Timberlake dropped two albums back in 2013? Yeah, the first one was amazing, but by the time album two came around, the surprise was gone and the album suffered for it. Now, Justin Timberlake may be a weird person to compare to the dream-pop duo Beach House, but with two albums in 2015, the question of oversaturation has to be brought up. Even though Beach House hadn’t been seen since 2012’s incredible, top 100 album of all time worthy Bloom, two albums was seemingly too much for a band that’s always been admittedly one-note. But holy hell, the last three years must have led to some level of artistic awakening because Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars are two highlights in Beach House’s stunning discography.

Depression Cherry strips down the Beach House sound to its bare essentials, letting the atmosphere of the songs be in direct correlation with Victoria Legrand’s mesmerizing vocal melodies. It’s their most stripped-down album, but also their most vulnerable. “Sparks” flirts with shoegaze influences and “Space Song” is so catchy that it may just piss you off with how little attention you’ll pay to other songs for a little bit. So yeah, Depression Cherry is great and then Thank Your Lucky Stars does nothing to squander the goodwill, actually improving in some aspects. While again more stripped down, Thank Your Lucky Stars proceeds towards a middle ground between the simplicity of Depression Cherry and the gorgeous atmospherics of Bloom. It’s absolutely fucking great as “One Thing” and “The Traveller” end up being further additions to the greatest hits list Beach House has been racking up.

Both Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars could both be considered for the title of best Beach House album after Bloom. They’re both that good and though it may be a lot of slow-burn dream pop for one year to handle, both albums ended up delivering some of the best music in the genre. In Beach House’s case, it didn’t ended up being a matter of oversaturation. It led to an establishment of re-relevancy that quite a few indie-hit bands lose after a couple albums. We may have thought there could be a thing as “too much Beach House,” but after these two albums, all I want is more Beach House.

7. Grimes – Art Angles

Did anyone else just breathe a sigh of relief when Art Angels was finally announced? The latest album from Grimes had quite an uphill battle getting into our ears. Criticisms of mistreatment from record labels and an entire album ending up in the trash were just two of the hiccups leading up to this album’s release. We all wanted it. Visions was a major highlight in 2012 and a breakout hit for Grimes, who had only been regulated to the underground music-nerds at the time. Visions made Grimes a phenomenon with the indie crowd as much as it did with the festival crowd, two of the most difficult to please groups in the business, so it was a excruciating having to wait for a follow-up when there was so little known about it.

Art Angels is hands-down the most pop-oriented Grimes album yet, something that became somewhat of a trend in 2015. Unlike plenty of albums though, Art Angels retains everything that made Grimes such a great artist in the first place. Her music feels liberating, like she went into the studio and pulled out all her influences to make something that means something special to her. Art Angels simply sounds like there’s a lot going on in the mind of Grimes. “Realti” has been retooled from its demo days into a total banger of a pop track. I couldn’t get over the relentless groove Grimes had to her vocals and it kept songs like this or “Belly of the Beat” stuck on repeat for weeks.

“Venus” is the song that really drives home the theme of the album, with Grimes and a featured Janelle Monae singing about being confident women over a hard, bass-heavy beat. Grimes comes out with such confidence throughout Art Angels that it’s hard not to be convinced that this is her best album yet. There’s so much creativity put into every single song that by the end, you’re left in an experimental pop stupor that’s easy to want to return to. Somehow, Grimes capitalized on all the hype and followed through with the boldest album of her career.

6. Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth

Prior to 2015, I had written Lupe Fiasco off almost entirely. I’m a big fan of his albums The Cool and Food & Liquor, but in recent years, his releases have been mediocre at best. 2010s Lasers was an attempt at the mainstream that failed on every level and a sequel to Food & Liquor was released and forgotten in the same week in 2012. I just wanted a Lupe album with intelligent lyrics, catchy hooks and production that surprises with every song. Leading up to Tetsuo & Youth, I was skeptical that Lupe could deliver this and expected another forgettable release. As you can tell by the placement of this album on my list, that was ultimately not the case.

Tetsuo & Youth is one of the most challenging rap albums that came out of 2015. Songs like “Dots & Lines” and “No Scratches” contain hooks that help the songs soar while tracks like “Mural” and “Prisoners 1 & 2” are two of the best lyrical verses in Lupe’s career. Every song hits here, with the four seasons breaking up the album sonically as tracks fit the lighter or darker nature of the season they’re in. Tetsuo & Youth is relentless and some may find it a bit too complex, but that’s what made it such a stand-out in 2015. When rappers like Young Thug, Fetty Wap or any number of club-friendly rappers were taking up the spotlight in 2015, Lupe Fiasco returned with a thinking-man’s rap album, making us forgive for his past two albums. Tetsuo & Youth should be rightfully mentioned in the same league as Lupe’s classics because this is just as good, if not better, than those wonderful albums. It’s nice having you back in top form Lupe.

5. Rudimental – We the Generation

Of all the albums this year, no other surprised and bewildered me quite like Rudimental’s second album We the Generation. I was really excited for this album, being a huge fan of the UK drum n’ bass group’s debut Home. They fit in a category of music populated by other favorites of mine like Disclosure in that Rudimental brings a sense of soul to their dance music. There’s a beating heart to go along with the infectious dance tunes that I find irresistible. Closing in on the release of We the Generation, I was just hoping for an album that was at least close in quality to Home, but noticed the album was getting little coverage on music websites. Was this album going to just drop and evaporate in an instant?

We the Generation answers that with a resounding “no” and blew me away in a way no other dance album did this year. You see, this album is one of the most positive records I heard all year and after this year of political controversy, horrific violence and increasing tension, We the Generation was the full embracement of love that I needed more and more each day. “Go Far” still stands as one of my favorite songs of the year for its beautiful, straightforward lyrics calling for unity, but there are so many gems here. “Foreign World” gives me chills with every listen once it gets all psych-trance toward the end and “Needn’t Sleep” is so beautiful, that I teared up from Lianne La Havas’ astounding vocals. “Rumor Mill” follows in the footsteps of “Baby” as the album’s fantastic duet and “Never Let You Go” is the prettiest song I’ve ever heard that contained elements of drum n’ bass styles. I loved this album and it’s varied style.  We the Generation is so fun, positive and bursting with life that it stuck with me every day since its release. It’s an album that’s a perfect remedy to all the bad in life.

4. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

Father John Misty has been a part of quite a number of bands, most notably playing as a drummer for the band Fleet Foxes. But while his resume may be impressive, it was his first album Fear Fun where his true talent started to shine. Both sincere, heartbreaking and hilarious, Father John Misty’s first album established him as an eccentric character capable of poignant writing songs with straight-faced, ironic hilarity. I Love You, Honeybear was released early in the year, but managed to leave a lasting impact that made it become one of my most listened to albums.

I Love You, Honeybear is both an album about love and not an album about love. It’s grapples with insecurities that may be personal for Father John Misty, but universal for the rest of us. Lyrically, Father John Misty has never written a better album. “Bored in the USA” would be the kind of song that would be unreal levels of heartbreaking if it wasn’t so darkly humorous. Lyrics like “They gave me a useless education/and a subprime loan” don’t sound comical, but audience laughter is cut in, making the song more sarcastic and snarky than hopelessly depressing.  There’s constantly a sheen of humor that gives the more downbeat musings a personal touch that makes the humor bite and hurt.

In I Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty questions the human condition constantly through the lense of humor, but in one particular song, he uses electronic melodies to propel his vocals instead of the usual guitar/piano. “True Affection” hit the feels almost more than any other song this year with Father John Misty asking a partner “When can we talk/With the face/Instead of using all theses strange devices?” The song grooves and is absolutely gorgeous, but it’s also a prime example of what makes I Love You, Honeybear such a fantastic album. There’s a real sense of frustration and emotion in Father John Misty’s words that relates his insecurities to relatable songs. You can’t help but laugh with Father John Misty and because of this, I Love You, Honeybear establishes an emotional connection that proceeds to reach into 2016.

3. Jamie xx – In Colour

Jamie xx has long been known for his production with The xx, but we’ve always known there was more to him than being behind the scenes for a prominent indie band. Jamie xx’s debut album In Colour has been in the making for quite some time and this longevity is instantly noticeable in the varied nature of the songs. Tracks feature members of The xx while others are brooding electronic tracks with the use of metal drums. In Colours takes it’s time, forcing anyone who hears it to focus on the smallest elements of these tracks. There’s so many little details in each song that by the end of the album, you’re left in bewilderment that an album could bring you down into a labyrinth of constantly shifting electronic music. 

In Colour is the best work from Jamie xx because even when it veers off into traditional territory like the Romy featured “Loud Places,” the results still mesmerize. In fact, “Loud Places” is the best song of the year for numerous reasons, but one reason is because it holds a power that few songs even came close to this year. The soul-sampling, moody atmosphere and soft-vocals come together in a way that impacted me in ways I can’t explain. Songs like “Gosh” or “The Rest Is Noise” have a similar effect, just without any non-sampled vocals. In Colour is one of those albums that can mean something different to anyone who listens to it, but it’s undeniably an experience that helped shape quite a bit of 2015 for me. 

2. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly

We all know how brilliant To Pimp a Butterfly is. If you’ve paid attention to music at all in 2015, you know that To Pimp a Butterfly is one of the most important albums to come out in decades and you know that it will rightfully go down as a classic for not only the year 2015, but for an entire generation sick of all the wrongdoing in the world. To Pimp a Butterfly is consistently surprising, dense, unflinchingly real and asks for your attention more than any hip-hop album since Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Do I agree with the sentiment towards this album? 100% and I believe that To Pimp a Butterfly is not only a part of the 2015 elite, but it’s one of my favorite albums period.

But I know you see that it’s not number one. 2015 was so difficult picking an album of the year and To Pimp a Butterfly is totally deserving of the number of album of the year accolades it’s received. Songs like “Momma” kept me emotional all year while songs like “The Blacker The Berry” and “Alright” served up some of the most forward thinking verses in years. Every song, every guest and every collaborator come together with their A-game to piece together To Pimp a Butterfly and the effort shows in just how busy the album sounds. Busy, but controlled and beautiful, To Pimp a Butterfly is without a doubt one of the best albums of the year and legitimately one of the best albums of all time. Thing is, one other album struck a similar chord with me…

1. Sufjan Stevens  - Carrie & Lowell

Indie-rock/folk has long focused on the story of the sad guy. Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago was made all the more heartbreaking because of the story of its creation. The Antlers wrecked everyone with Hospice, an album about death and love that to this day can generate the waterworks of my face. Something about an album’s simplicity set-up with the pained lyrics of a torn singer, can generate a sense of catharsis that is hard to match. Sufjan Stevens has long been a character of this genre, dropping albums centered around faith and the human condition, only breaking to drop a weird (but really cool) electronic album in 2010.

And that’s where we left Sufjan, in 2010 with a bizzaro electronic album. Over the next five years, his mother would die and began the reflection period of who this woman was. Carrie & Lowell is the album of the year because it taps into something personal. “Death With Dignity” starts the album with gentle acoustics before a piano is thrown into the mix at the song’s emotional peak. It sets the stage perfectly for the rest of the album, but it’s the poetic lyricism of Sufjan himself that dig deep. “Fourth of July” is the album’s centerpiece and as such, is definitely the saddest and most beautiful track on the album. As a back-and-forth between Sufjan and his deceased mother, it’s the most tragic tune and balances the metaphorical conversation with actual emotion.

Carrie & Lowell isn’t just a sad album that sounds sad. It’s an album that reflects on past turmoil, finding answers beneath the rubble of something that was never there. Sufjan wasn’t close with his mother, but through this album, he begins to understand her actions and character better than ever. Albums come around that can make anyone cry, but albums that stay grounded and dig into our collective soul are all so rare. There’s a universal message of forgiveness and understanding in Carrie & Lowell, but it’s the album’s ability to put you smack dab at the center of the emotion that makes it timeless.

THANKS FOR READING. STAY TUNED IN 2016 FOR SOME COOL BLOGGIN’ FROM YOURS TRULY. 

2015 was a fantastic music year. Artists showed up with their A-game and music got weirder, yet more accessible at the same time. It was the year of surprises, complex stories and unforgettable moments that stood tall with 2010 and 2013 as one of this century’s best music years. Sure, I don’t expect my choices to reflect anyone else. These albums stuck with me, whether they were bizarre electronic albums that grew overtime or inspiring rap epics. I couldn’t stop revisiting these albums and in the end, they’re the ones that came together to soundtrack 2015 perfectly. These are my favorite albums of 2015. 

50. Rustie - EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE

Starting off the best albums of the year, Rustie made quite the comeback with EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE. UK producer Rustie has made some of the prettiest electronic music of the 2010s and it was disappointing to hear a sophomore slump as bad as Green Language. That album’s interesting ideas were ruined by the unfinished feel of the entire album. EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE is like if the Green Language didn’t suck. Rather than deliver banger-after-banger, Rustie’s production here is soothing, peaceful and, of course, beautiful to hear. Concepts that were explored in Green Language are fully realized here and though I thought the album was simply good upon first listen, it ended up growing on me quite a bit. Sure, it doesn’t quite get as exciting as the fury Glass Swords dropped, but EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE is more than worthy of washing away the bad taste Green Language left.

49. Kamasi Washington - The Epic 

If you want to make an attempt at listening to the first studio album from jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, you’re going to have to set aside quite a bit of time. The Epic isn’t just some bullshit title; this album is nearly three hours of jazz music. It’s such a gargantuan album and one that may be easier to appreciate than to fully enjoy, but if you’re a fan of some good jazz music, The Epic is essential listening. Each song takes its time to fully submerge listeners with dense, complex and challenging jazz compositions that all thrilling to listen to. It’s a tough album to get all the way through in one sitting and this music is certainly an acquired taste, but the jazz genre hasn’t seen an album break-out into a larger market like this in some time. The Epic takes its sweet time delivering some great jazz tunes, but with music that lives up to the title, it’s an unforgettable experience that should at least be admired.

48. Pusha T – King Push - The Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude  

Pusha T has always been a long-time favorite since he destroyed the game with Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury and since, has showed signs that he’s on the rise to something bigger and better. My Name Is My Name, his first studio album, was an excellent introduction into the mainstream for him and ended up being one of my favorite albums of 2013. King Push may not see the light of day until spring this year, but Pusha T made the wait so much easier with The Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude. As the title suggests, this latest album works as a prequel but also manages to stand on its own. The lyricism is top-notch with Pusha T sounding more aggressive than ever before and the production all fits the sinister vibe throughout. At 33 minutes, this prequel surprises with the level of care taken to craft it and it would be much higher if it wasn’t the main event. No matter, with the level of quality presented on its prelude, King Push could be one of the best albums of 2016.

47. Mac Miller – GO:OD AM

Mac Miller has only become better. His debut mixtapes were far too one-dimensional and “frat-rap” oriented for my taste, but Mac Miller surprised me when he dropped Watching Movies With the Sound Off. That album proved that Mac Miller had what it took to shake things up and deliver an album full of weirdo rap songs that satisfied on the banger front as well. Even more of a surprise was that he progresses even further with GO:OD AM, Mac Miller’s best album yet. There’s just so many bangers, so many fantastic beats and an evolved rapping style that makes this the first Mac Miller album that I can see pleasing long-time fans as much as the critics. GO:OD AM only needed to be as good as the last album for me to give it some credit, but Mac Miller has shown such a progression that I can’t help but find this to be the winner in his discography. I can’t wait to see where he goes next.

46. Jlin – Dark Energy

Dark Energy is an album packed full of confidence that it’s a surprise that it’s footwork producer Jlin’s debut release. Jerrilynn Patton is one of the few female producers out in the spotlight right now and it’s a damn crime that Dark Energy hasn’t been talked about more. Jlin’s debut features endless vocal loops and disorienting song structures that bend the mind, providing a space between uncontrolled ambiguity and maintained electronic chaos. The thing that stands out though is the lack of pretension that sometimes weighs records like this down. At 39 minutes, Dark Energy is a blast of hypnotic footwork that doesn’t overstay its welcome and in turn, makes Jlin’s debut one that will hopefully catch on to a larger audience.

45. Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves

As a comeback album, Strangers to Ourselves may seem like a standard release for Modest Mouse, a band that had fans begging for new material over the course of eight-ish years. It follows a similar sound to the band’s previous albums and certainly plays it safe, but really, is that such a bad thing? Absolutely not. What kind of band can make the weird, indie-cliché quirks featured on “Lampshades on Fire” work as a radio-friendly hit? Modest Mouse is a band that can be really easy to take for granted, but playing it safe still produced one of the finest records the band has made in over a decade. Strangers to Ourselves is a goofball record that’s fun, lyrically crafty and endlessly weird. Hopefully there won’t be another almost-decade wait for another Modest Mouse trip.

44. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

One of the most acclaimed debuts in quite some time, Courtney Barnett went from borderline unknown to one of the most hyped gals in music. While I may not be screaming “best album of the year” like some critics on this one, that doesn’t mean I didn’t absolutely enjoy Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. Throughout the album, Courtney Barnett displays a raw and sometimes humorous attitude that’s just barely a step-up from slacker levels. Her music is fun and her writing is incredibly sharp, but Courtney Barnett succeeds as a character herself. Who else gained publicity for wearing countless band tees at shows? You really get the sense that Courtney Barnett is a true music fan and it makes her music so damn likable. Tightly focused and bursting with confidence, Courtney Barnett’s debut ushers in a new talent who is sure to become a favorite amongst all the music nerds out there.

43. Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon

Goon, the debut album from singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr., is an album that was born out of failure. The song “Hollywood” paints the picture perfectly as Tobias Jesso Jr. details his experience trying to become a huge pop songwriter in Los Angeles. Settling for an album of reflection and complex relationships, Goon is heavy on ballads and tight songwriting. The whole album is a redemption story of sorts, looking back on all the past failures and lessons learned from them. Just the fact that Goon exists ties into the story of refining life through failures. How many of us can get behind that sentiment? Everyone’s hands should be raised because we all change, becoming better for it. Goon captures the lessons of life, pointing out failed relationships that could have been more had the circumstances been different. Tobias Jesso Jr. appeals to that mid-20s era of life where things just barely start to make sense. Goon reflects on the human condition and gives us all a moment to think about our own lives in the process. Not bad for a debut.

42. Tyler, the Creator – Cherry Bomb

Tyler, The Creator is a different character than he was back in 2011, when Odd Future exploded into the mainstream conversation and Goblin was released to a whole slew of controversy. Thematically, Cherry Bomb follows a similar template as Tyler’s previous album Wolf. It’s less a fictional character piece and more of an introspective work from Tyler. However, where Wolf was a bit too ambitious for its own good, Cherry Bomb hits you with the roughest and leanest release of his career. “Deathcamp” and “Cherry Bomb” are pure Death Grips-ish visceral experimentalism while “Fucking Young” and “2 Seater” offer lush breaks from the abrasive sounds throughout the album. While admittedly an acquired taste, Cherry Bomb surprised me, a giant Tyler, the Creator fan, with its stubborn mentality to sound however Tyler wants it to sound. It’s probably the most Tyler, the Creator album ever made.

41. Nadastrom – Nadastrom

With their self-titled debut as Nadastrom, DJ Nada and producer Matt Nordstrom made an album that slipped under the radar a bit too much in 2015. Nadastrom is a bangin’ dance record suited for moody nights alone with a pair of bass-heavy headphones. Right after the intro, tracks like “Fallen Down” and “Go Back” pull you into a labyrinth of heavy bass and pulsing beats that propel the album into a mid-90’s mindset of grimy electronic music. Tracks begin to find a pop structure as singers lend their talents to songs like “House Shoes” and “Phantom Shoes,” songs that successfully blend catchy choruses with the downtempo thrills featured throughout. Constantly entertaining and dark, Nadastrom is a great record and I hope an audience really begins to grow for this thrilling duo.  

40. Deerhunter – Fading Frontier

After the grunge-inspired Monomania, Bradford Cox and the rest of Deerhunter sounded like they were at a bit of a crossroad. The album was fine, but lacked a lot of spirit from albums like Halcyon Digest or Microcastle. You could tell that the band was grappling with where to move forward and a definite answer didn’t present itself until Cox’s involvement in a car accident that almost killed him. Cue Fading Frontier, a back-to-basics Deerhunter album with the most accessible lyricism yet of any of the band’s albums. It’s more straightforward, but that doesn’t mean the album is dumbed down. Fading Frontier sees Cox reflecting on morality with some of the prettiest melodies ever cooked up by the band. Deerhunter have always sounded tragic while maintaining a smirk in lyricism, but Fading Frontier is a wide-eyed approach at understanding death that stands as one of the most emotionally fulfilling performances yet from Cox.  

39. Bring Me the Horizon – That’s the Spirit

Change is something that can be a detriment for bands if not pursued carefully. Whether it’s ditching an established fan base or completely bombing the new direction, change can be a tough act to pull off. Bring Me the Horizon may always be that emo-metal band you used to love in middle school, but That’s the Spirit changed the band’s formula for the better. Instead of bombing the shift into straight-up rock music, Bring Me the Horizon proved they were ready for the stadiums they so aspired to play in. Though this shift in style proved to be divisive to the band’s fan base, Bring Me the Horizon never come across as a band who sold out to blindly appeal to everyone. It feels like a natural progression, a newfound maturity rarely seen from bands like this. That’s the Spirit kicks serious ass and throughout the album, the band proves why they’re ready to be acknowledged as more than that band your weird little goth cousin likes so much.

38. Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside

As a fan of Odd Future, I never really got the Earl Sweatshirt hype. He seemed to work better as a meme and there was a time where “FREE EARL” was a Facebook post or two from yours truly, but Earl’s return wasn’t nearly as glorious as I thought it was going to be. Doris was a boring mess that hinted at a complex character Odd Future needed without providing any surprises and Earl seemed content to show up at festivals solo, playing a background role when he had all the potential in the world. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside shatters all expectations of Earl and in this album, there’s a better sense of Earl the character. At a lean 30 minutes, songs are kept short and to the point, but this prevents Earl’s verses from turning into an endurance test and paint a better picture of his psyche for it. This album does away with everything that made Doris such a disappointment and Earl Sweatshirt has finally begun to capitalize on the overwhelming fan support to deliver his best work yet.

37. Vince Staples – Summertime ’06

It’s been royally frustrating to see Vince Staples struggle to make it to the mainstream. His Hell Can Wait EP was a perfect mix of bangin’ beats and raw rhymes that made people take notice. Summertime ’06 is the debut album from Vince Staples and instead of catering to the friendliness of the radio, the Long Beach, California native dropped the best rap debut of the year. Summertime ’06 tells a rags-to-riches story that at first recalls the works of Kendrick Lamar or YG, but Vince Staples tells his story with a shocking sense of grit. There’s no glamour or embellishments throughout Summertime ’06. This is a challenging tale of violence and redemption that lacks the sheen most rappers paint their albums with. Vince Staples makes sure every line is as raw as the last and the forboding atmosphere that permeates the entire album constantly fills each track with dread. Summertime ’06 is one of the finest rap releases of the year and missing out on this incredible voice is something any fan of the genre should avoid doing.

36. Death Grips – The Powers That B

Leave it to Death Grips to throw everyone through the ringer. The first half of their dual album release The Powers That B may have been released last year, but 2015 was the year we finally got Jenny Death, the second half and, at the time of its release, final release from the polarizing group. While we know now that this isn’t the last we’ll see Death Grips, Jenny Death is a fitting concluding piece to The Powers That B. Jenny Death fits on a more stable ground that makes it a bit more accessible than the heavily Bjork featured niggas on the moon. The Powers That B is the full realization of a two-album arc that contains everything everyone loves about Death Grips and everything the haters love to hate about. But hey, as a Death Grips fanatic, this is what I love most about the work of MC Ride, Zach Hill and Andy Morin. The Powers That B may not beat The Money Store as the best Death Grips work, but it’s easily their most ambitious work and it’s always exciting to get trick-fucked yet again from the group best at doing so.  

35. Miami Horror – All Possible Futures

It’s been five years since Miami Horror released Illumination, an infectiously good time of an album that was pure fun to listen to. Fun fact: I had actually looked up when I could expect a new album from the producing group when I found out that All Possible Futures was a mere day from release. I’m still pretty surprised by the low-key nature of its release because this is the Miami Horror album I was hoping to get for years. It’s perfect summertime fodder, with songs like “Cellophane (So Cruel)” and “Wild Motion” providing some of the best dance-pop tracks all year. All Possible Futures took forever to come out, but it was a fantastic surprise that it was everything I admired about Illumination and then some. Feel-good music isn’t always this well-crafted and Miami Horror’s second album is the perfect recipe for cheesy smiles.

34. Death Cab for Cutie – Kintsugi

I always felt Death Cab for Cutie received too much flack for their 2011 album Codes & Keys. It was a solid record that brought a newfound sense of happiness into Ben Gibbard’s lyricism, obviously a result of his marriage with the quirkiest gal on screen, Zooey Deschanel. Their marriage unfortunately crumbled and fans immediately imagined the possibilities of heartbroken Gibbard making a return. Kintsugi is not the sad sack return-to-form, but rather an album of reflection. Songs like “Ghosts of Beverly Drive” and “Little Wanderer” are instant Death Cab classics that capture feelings of longing the way only Death Cab can do. It’s a slightly uneven album that fans will inevitably bitch about to the same degree as Codes & Keys, but Kintsugi isn’t trying to replicate past glories. It’s an album about making sense of life after losing a large piece of it and if you ask me, that’s some classic Death Cab right there.

33. Neon Indian – VEGA INTL. Night School

In 2009, Alan Palomo blew my little high school mind with Psychic Chasms. The album was weird as hell, but chock-full of brilliant 80’s inspired tracks that marked the beginning of chillwave, a genre that took the world by storm for around a year before dying a necessary death. While 2011’s Era Extrana was okay, it certainly seemed that Neon Indian was stepping out of relevancy by relying on a genre that was just proclaimed to be dead. Cue VEGA INTL. Night School, the best work from Palomo since Psychic Chasms and the most fun all year for any fan of dense, challenging pop tunes. Songs like “Street Level” and “Annie” will be stuck in your head for days and while Palomo’s knack for catchy songwriting is no surprise, the sheer amount of production packed into each song is mesmerizing. Every song on VEGA INTL. Night School screams maximalist 80’s throwback, but the whole album never once seems like a blatant attempt towards a retro homage. Each song is packed with a variety of sounds that ensures each song is not like the last and with the expert skills needed to bring these sounds together, Neon Indian crafted an increasingly fun album bursting with creativity.

32. Jack U – Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U

Who would have thought that one of the years’ best, if not the best, collaboration albums would be from two of the biggest names in EDM? What a surprise this collaboration between Skrillex and Diplo ended up being. Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U is a burst of wild, maximalist EDM that’s just a whole hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Of course this isn’t a particularly deep album, but the album moves at such a relentless pace that it never once fails to thrill. At barely over a half-hour, Jack U never extends its welcome, packing enough big stars and dope drops to fill 20 albums alone. Skrillex and Diplo know how to start the party, but they’ve never made an album so tightly paced and exhilarating. If you’re not a fan of either artist, Jack U will probably still come off as another loud and obnoxious electronic album.  But for those of us who got a kick out of the works of these two talents, Jack U proves to be EDM nirvana.

31. Madeon – Adventure

If you need just a little more evidence to why the UK produces some of the best electronic dance music out there, listen to Adventure, the debut album from French producer Madeon. This isn’t EDM music designed to shatter eardrums with bass. Adventure is chock full of lush, glitchy electronic music that is somewhere between the atmospheric world building of Porter Robinson and the shimmering bangers of Odesza. There’s plenty of feels on Adventure and Madeon proved he could make these feels as accessable as possible. “You’re On” and “Pay No Mind” both play as gleefully euphoric dance tunes and as some of the prettiest pop music of the year. Adventure scratched an itch this year like few albums did. Instead of being forced through another run-of-the-mill dance record, Madeon delivered an album of endless fun that could soundtrack a party just as well as it could serve as the backdrop for homework. Personally, I love a good EDM album that can do just that and Adventure is a great album that I see becoming more highly regarded in the long run.

30. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf

No, it’s not the proper Chance the Rapper album we’ve all been waiting for since Acid Rap, but Surf is still something special. Released for free with very little notice, Surf is credited as a Donnie Trumpet album, the stage name of trumpeter Nico Segal, who leads Chance the Rapper and the rest of The Social Experiment through one of the most purely fun records of the year. In a sense, Surf is a spiritual spin-off of Kendrick Lamar’s own 2015 hit To Pimp a Butterfly (more on that later). Both albums are rooted in the topic of racial relations, but while Kendrick’s album works as a rallying cry for peace and unity, Surf is a full embracement of positivity brought on through the differences in people. It’s a fun album, with “Slip Slide” offering one of the easiest songs to sing along to this year and “Wanna Be Cool” being a damn groovy good time. At face value, Surf is perfect summer fodder with songs that continuously bend into the “feel-good” side of the mood spectrum. But there’s more to it than just feeling good and by blending positive social awareness with an eclectic mix of collaborators, Surf ends up being a great time with a subtle call-to-action that everyone can get behind.

29. Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness

On Julia Holter’s excellent fourth album Have You In My Wilderness, sound is just another piece to a larger puzzle. While 2013’s Loud City Song also reveled in ambiguity, the latest album from Holter is far more abstract and cluttered without doing so in a problematic manner. Have You In My Wilderness is avant-garde pop at its most beautiful and compelling. The longer the song, the better too. Songs like “Vasquez” and “Betsy on the Roof” extend past the six-minute mark, but they never feel like they’ve been padded out to add to the album’s runtime. Each moment of every song is packed with a dense beauty that never falters in packing each track with brilliant new ideas. All of this would be impossible to pull off, but Holter’s creativity and sheer musical talent guide the mass of ideas into a challenging, ethereal album that’s an undeniable pleasure to listen to.

28. Beach Slang – The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us

When I first heard about Beach Slang this year, the band was used in the same breath as rock groups such as Japandroids and Titus Andronicus. Of course, being a fan of those bands, this album was something I sought out quickly. Like the two mentioned bands, Beach Slang revel in the recklessness of youth with songs that straight up beg you to sing along. The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us is the Philadelphia band’s debut album and with a runtime not even reaching a half-hour, it’s a reasonably brisk debut. Despite this, Beach Slang manage to pack each song with enough raw emotion that every second holds great power. Songs like “Porno Love” and “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” really speak to those feeling a little different and lost in life. I swear, play any song on this brilliant debut and you may be looking at a night of reflection. The Things We Do… is fantastic because it recognizes the imperfections of life, understanding that some of life’s greatest moments are when you have absolutely no idea what direction you’re heading.

27. New Order – Music Complete

It’s been since 2005 since we’ve seen a proper studio album from New Order and in that time, it was a seemingly safe bet that the band was finished. With the departure of bassist Peter Hook and nothing but a lame album of B-sides within the 10 years, we all shrugged off the band and went back to listening to the band’s awesome 80’s records. So sure, Music Complete wasn’t really an album I had high hopes for, but what a surprise it ended up being. Music Complete is easily the band’s best album since 1989’s Technique. I KNOW. Who woulda thought? New Order haven’t sounded this fun in years and Music Complete is filled with pure synth-pop pleasures. “Restless” is the band’s best song in decades, containing one of the catchiest choruses the band has ever put together and “Plastic” proves the band can still write a meaningful song that doesn’t skimp on the fun. Music Complete is a welcome addition to the New Order’s discography for sure, but it’s the prospect of what’s to come next for the band that’s really exciting. For the first time in a long time, New Order leave us wanting more.

26. Bjork – Vulnicura

Bjork’s been around for so long that the singer doesn’t need a proper introduction. Getting straight to the point, Vulnicura is the best album Bjork has put together since Vespertine, the album often cited as Bjork’s best. While I may be more of a Homogenic fan, Vulnicura draws obvious influences from Vespertine such as dense string arrangements and a vibe that never rises above “sad as shit.” You see, Vulnicura is a straight-up break-up record. There’s some serious pain in Bjork’s vocals and it’s downright impossible not to “feel” this album. I didn’t really expect such a glorious return to form for Bjork, but she found some real inspiration through pain. I listened to this album at night with all the lights off and had a very serious misty eyed diagnosis afterword. Vulnicura displays Bjork, one of the important music figures out there, at her most fragile and pained. You feel every spoken word and it’s only elevated by a string-heavy arrangement that constantly brings the crescendos for the sadness to soar rather than sulk. Vulnicura is great and deserves a spot in the upper echelon of Bjork albums. It’s one of the most epic sad albums in quite some time.

THANK YOU FOR READING PART ONE.

CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR PART TWO