My Favorite Music of 2018
It's almost the end of the year (listen, I started writing this like two weeks ago so I didn’t know it would be THIS close to the end of the year), and I thought it might be nice to look back at some music I really enjoyed. Sorry for the delay, but music is just so personal to me that it can be hard to write about and explain why I enjoy stuff. 2018 was a dumpster fire of a year (really more like someone lit those garbage piles on the side of the street in NYC on fire), but one good thing to come from it for me was a revamped love for music. I really found my stride in appreciating music and not being self conscious about my music tastes. In the past, people made me feel less than about music since I'm not particularly musically inclined and don't understand much beyond what I like to hear. But this year taught me that's all that matters. I've adored music since I was a young kid, and as I talked about in the first piece I wrote for this blog, I've always used music as a way to understand the world around me. This was a really tough year to understand, so I relied heavily on music. Without further adieu, let's hop right into it (also, fair warning, this is by far my longest piece, so good luck).
Also, I made playlists for my favorite songs on the albums and my favorite songs list if you want to check them out and listen along:
APPLE MUSIC:
Songs
Albums
SPOTIFY:
Songs
Albums
Here are my top 10 songs from this year:
#10 - Poor Boy, by The Regrettes
I discovered The Regrettes around March this year and immediately fell in love with their pop punk sound. Since then, I’ve seen them twice and they’ve released some great singles. I picked "Poor Boy" for my list because it feels like a snapshot of this cultural moment. Inspired by the MeToo movement and specifically the Kavanaugh hearings, this angry track sarcastically sings the laments of men who are getting what they deserve. From the start, it’s clear this song is going to be intense, with the guitar riff and drum backing hitting hard, and never letting up. In the first verse, Lydia Night (which is an excellent rockstar name, right??) sings, “Silence is the perfect sound/for the man that tried to/hold you down”. This theme continues into the chorus, where she sings, “Poor boy/What you gonna do? These girls are coming for you!” With the sarcasm and lyricism in general, the song could easily come across as disingenuous or like it’s cashing in on the current social climate, but the delivery paired with the rawness of the instrumental combine to create an effective pop punk song with a strong message. With songs like this, The Regrettes have a bright future ahead of them.
#9 - Danny Don't You Know, by Ninja Sex Party
Definitely the strangest choice here, “Danny Don’t You Know” is an incredible song about self love and appreciation. I’m a fan of Ninja Sex Party because of my love for 80’s music and how much I enjoy the Game Grumps. Usually, I’m fairly embarrassed to admit that I love them, but honestly, this song is incredible. Much of their old work is somewhat problematic, and it’s important to acknowledge both that history and the strides they’ve made as a band. I’m usually willing to give a little more leeway to comedy, though there are still obvious lines that shouldn’t be crossed (but that’s a topic for a very different essay). Putting all that aside, this song still bops. Seriously, it manages to mix a great message with some bits that actually made me laugh out loud and the best version of 80’s rock I’ve heard in a while. The riffs for the last chorus always make me want to headbang as hard as I can. Also, the music video features Finn Wolfhard, who looks so similar to Danny Avidan it’s not even funny. Honestly, this song feels straight out of the long haired 80’s rocker days, and I couldn’t be more here for it.
#8 - Still Feel, by half•alive
The music video for this song is one of my favorites from the year as a whole (seriously, it’s wild how cool and interesting that video is). Overall, this song is the perfect modern interpretation of 70’s pop, and the video plays into that perfectly. It opens on a quick drum progression before jumping into the main melody of the track. Then the soft vocals come in, playing off the lofi-ish quality of the rest of record. The song is ostensibly about being lost and finding the thing that brings you back down and the first 2/3rds are relatively dark until the bridge and final chorus brings a sense of hope back into the track. When that chorus hits, you really feel the modern interpretation setting in as the bass hits hard, really transforming the song from a soft, 70’s dinner track into a danceable tune. This shift makes sense with the message, and the way they play with it in the music video is really fun. I highly recommend checking this song and group out, as both are amazing.
#7 - Happy Man, by Jungle
"Happy Man" will always have a special place in my heart because I listened to it nonstop when I first got a job at VICE all the way back in June. The modern, 70’s inspired, soul-funk tune really hits a lot of notes for me (pun very much intended). It captured the mood I was feeling at the time perfectly - a lot was going right for me, and on the surface the song is very happy and sweet. There’s this darkness that’s hidden just below that more holistically captures the mood of 2018 for me. Life isn’t about money and materialistic things, even though I know I personally crave those things more than I’m proud of. The chorus struck an especially meaningful chord for me, where they sing, “Buy yourself a dream/how’s it looking?/Buy yourself a car/and a house to live in./Get yourself a girl/someone different./Buy yourself a dream/and it won’t mean nothing”. Focusing on money and gains is meaningless if you’re not following your dreams and living a life you can be proud of. The darkness under the generally positive vibes contributes to an impressive tone. When we’re all chasing this same idea of happiness that’s put forth, none of us are really happy.
#6 - No Angel, by Charli XCX
First of all, fuck anyone who says Charli is a one hit wonder. She has so many great songs, they just weren’t on radio. The whole concept of a one hit wonder is spawned from a certain laziness since chances are that group released other songs with similar vibes that someone who liked their hit would also probably like, but people tend not to do that work, which I understand. Anyway, Charli has been sort of shelved since her sophomore album didn’t perform that well, and has been releasing album-length mixtapes and plenty of singles in the mean time. To me, "No Angel" epitomizes her style and what makes her so great as an artist while also deconstructing her own image. The opening draws you in with a great riff, before Charli dives into the meat of the song. The first couple of times I heard it, I didn’t really pay that much attention to the lyrics. Throughout the song, she really dives deep into her own perception of herself, playing with how others see her. The angel imagery is pertinent in her work, and as much as the song feels like a song meant for a lover, there’s a powerful interpretation that she’s really talking to her fans. The fears that she was shelved If she keeps making bops like this though, I hope we get a full third studio album soon.
#5 - 1950, by King Princess
King Princess blasted onto my radar earlier this year when I first heard this song. I actually saw her talking about it on an episode of Verified by Genius and was so intrigued by both her lyrics and the meaning behind them that I stopped what I was doing and immediately checked it out. I’m really glad I did because her music is so good and so wonderfully gay (which sounds weird, but bare with me). It was hard to pick my favorite King Princess track and it came down to "1950" and “Pussy is God”, an ode to her lover, but I chose this one since it was the first song of hers I heard and it’s such a bop. The song opens with her saying, “I hate it when dudes try to chase me/but I love it when you try to save me/‘cause I’m just a lady/I love it when we play 1950”, a series of lines full of reclamations of her own identity. The song is mostly about putting a lover on a pedestal and the difficulties that brings. “Tell me why my gods look like you/and tell me why it’s wrong” is a sentiment I know for a fact I’ve felt time and time again. The struggle of idolizing a crush only to realize that injected poison into the relationship is something I know all too well. There’s also this underlying theme of uncertainty and anxiety, with lines like “Did you mean it when you said I was pretty” hitting me particularly hard. The undercurrent of sadness and uncertainty elevates this song for me from a standard pop bop to a beautiful ode to the problems of crushes.
#4 - Crush, by Tessa Violet
Coming right after a song about the dangers of crushes comes another crush-focused record. I first saw Tessa Violet perform at Vidcon a couple of years ago, and have been a fan ever since. I was insanely excited when she announced she would be releasing new music this year, and “Crush” did not disappoint. I absolutely adore this song, and it’s one of the more relatable tracks of the whole year. “I can’t focus on what needs to get done” is potentially the most understandable lyrics of the year. We’ve all been there, where the person we’re interested in makes “it difficult to not overthink”, and where we’re “just trying to play it cool now”. I relate to almost every lyric in this song, and I love it. I got the chance to see her live in New York, and hearing this song with live drums and bass was just incredible. I can’t wait for her full project to drop, since the songs she’s released so far are ideal versions of the type of pop I most adore.
#3 - Time in a Tree, by Raleigh Ritchie
Raleigh Ritchie, also known as Jacob Anderson, is too talented. He's probably most well-known for his role as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones, though he was also in Broadchurch and is a hip-hop artist. I was a fan of his acting so I thought I should give his music a shot. Bolstered by a moving music video, Ritchie made one of the best tracks of the year. The song is about wanting to empty his busy mind and return to the mindset he had as a child. Interestingly, the song doesn’t flow like a traditional song, opening with the chorus before diving into two verses and hitting you with another chorus. The odd flow contributes to the dreamy feel, creating a powerful experience while listening. The song slowly builds both in themes and emotion, reaching an emotional and musical climax in the bridge. Ritchie really shows his abilities on this song, with all of the different elements working with each other to create a truly unique song. I can’t recommend this song enough, so just go watch the video.
#2 - Blu, by Jon Bellion
I did my best to avoid any tracks from the best album list, since it would be redundant. This is the one track that I felt deserved more attention, since I’m going to be kind of harsh to the rest of the album later. “Blu” has become my favorite Jon Bellion track, which is saying a lot since it was really hard to even pick one for a while. I’ll explain more later, but where a lot of Glory Sound Prep shows Jon’s worst traits, “Blu” highlights his best. In a certain sense, it’s kind of all over the place: the verse and chorus sort of feel like they come from two completely different songs, but not in a confusing way. He manages to marry his lyrical prowess with interesting production choices to make a beautiful song. It’s about a lot of the internal struggles he has while adjusting from single to married life. There’s a raw vulnerability that he seems ready to lay bare for us, which is why the dissonance between the chorus and verses doesn’t really feel odd. Instead, it feels like a musical representation of the struggle of committing fully to another person, which is such a beautiful thing to celebrate and explore. The way the song changes over time and incorporates all of the themes both lyrically and musically perfectly mirrors the feeling of truly going through with that commitment. It definitely doesn’t hurt that this song has mad horns, and I’m such a huge fan of horns (for real, ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m a sucker for horns).
#1 - Party for One, by Carly Rae Jepsen
I mean, come on. You all knew this was coming. She finally got a sword this year AND released a banger of a single? She HAD to top this list. It helps that "Party for One" is an incredible track about self-love with one hell of a music video. The release of this song so late in the year is such a blessing, since it allows me some semblance of happiness and hope heading into 2019. I can't wait to listen to her new album on repeat all year, especially if this is the quality I can expect. The song opens with a tantalizing electric piano lo
op that draws you in from the first bar. Just like the songs off Carly's incredible sophomore album E•MO•TION, the lyrics here are raw and honest. She talks about her struggles with getting over an ex, even as she admits to pretending like everything is okay, saying, “Tried to let it go and say I’m over you/I’m not over you, but I’m trying” before jumping into another one of her sticky choruses. I could honestly gush about Carly for hours, so I’ll try to contain myself, but at the same time, she talks about masturbation and self-love over an incredible synth beat, so what else do you need?
And now, here are my top 10 albums from this year:

#10 - Unusual, by Marian Hill
Starting off this part of the list is an album by Philadelphia music duo Marian Hill. This duo has a very specific style that continues into their sophomore album, but it's a style I find myself enjoying every time I hear it. It has the potential to grow old, as most heavily stylized acts do; though personally, I don't think this album has that issue. I actually ended up liking Unusual more than their previous project, which to me means they’ve just refined their style. Every song plays on different relatable themes and utilizes unique instrumentation that helps keep each song fresh. On "Differently", vocalist Samantha Gongol sings about an ex starting to see someone else, saying things like "even if you're missing me/I don't wish that we ended differently," something I know I've wanted to say. The chorus of my favorite track on the album, "All Night Long," hits you hard with these sharp horn stabs, for which my love can never be overstated. The song opens by describing basically every night of my life: "Every night's the same/and I'm to blame, I know it", before moving onto show the realities of meeting someone on a night out. This whole album plays with really interesting sounds, and left me hopeful for future releases from this group.
#9 - Glory Sound Prep, by Jon Bellion
It's hard for me to describe my feelings for Glory Sound Prep. On the one hand, I'm incredibly disappointed by a lot of the components of this album, but on the other I can recognize that on the whole, it's a pretty good album. I like most of the songs and will be listening to them for years, just like Bellion's other stuff. Part of the problem is that this album feels like such a direct sequel to The Human Condition that I'm not as impressed. Song for song, this album follows almost the exact same emotional and musical arc as his debut album, and that disappoints me. Still, it's clear that Bellion can make incredible pop tunes, and a lot of the tracks here are bangers. "Stupid Deep" hits me hard every time I listen to it, even through its relatively simple and repetitive lyrics. The repetition actually works for me, since it forces you to sit with what he's trying to say more than you would otherwise. "Adult Swim" features some incredible lyrics, though the Piccolo feature has the potential to be cringey, with the famed Namekian saying things like, "This Bellion guy's power level is amazing!" I think the song works though, since it feels as though Bellion is just a superfan and was probably just as giddy to have the feature as he was to wake up on Saturdays and watch the show as a kid. "Blu", as I talked about earlier, is one of my favorite songs this entire year and is definitely my favorite Jon Bellion song, dethroning the incredible "Luxury (feat. Audra Mae)". I think this album has other issues beyond its similarities to The Human Condition, or rather I think that Glory Sound Prep shows Jon's larger issues as an artist. The largest issue I have with him is the way his lyrics often jump all over the place, sometimes hinting at deep issues and other times flippantly making kind of bad jokes. The best song to showcase this problem is "JT", a song I initially adored as a single. The hook is catchy and the vocal effects on it are fascinating, but once I heard it a few times, I got a weird feeling about it. The inspiration behind the title is an off-hand joke that comes at the end of the chorus where he says, "Now my beats make feasts for holidays/in Greece, and I don't mean John Travolta". Not only is he referencing one of the worst musicals of all time, he seems alright throwing any sincerity earned earlier in the song out the window. It's not even that clever of a lyric, and he seems to prefer cleverness over depth, something I just am not a fan of. It's weird how much I wrote for an album so low on the list, but I feel the need to explain why this album isn't higher. Again, overall this album lands well, I just want to see more out of the Long Island native, and I know he can deliver.

#8 - Post Traumatic, by Mike Shinoda
I'm a huge Linkin Park fan. I was devastated last summer when I found out that Chester Bennington had killed himself. When Mike Shinoda released his EP titled Post Traumatic last fall, I had to sit down on 9th street and just cry (I actually get a littler teary eyed every time I pass that part of Manhattan). There was a raw honesty about his experience following his friend and bandmate's death that touched me when I first heard it. I was insanely excited when Shinoda announced that he was releasing an album length version of the EP, and it delivered on that excitement. I have to say, I still think the best songs are the ones that were on the original EP, but the new tracks are still good. They feel more polished and full, and lack a bit of that rawness that moved me so much the first time. But, songs like "Over Again" still cause me to tear up a bit every time I hear them. The song is about his experience rehearsing and playing a memorial set at the Hollywood Bowl, and the chorus is inspired by the difficulty of the band relearning all their hits without the frontman. He touches on a lot of incredibly real feelings after a loss, saying, "I get tackled by the grief at times that I would least expect/I know what I should be doing when I'm singing but instead/we'll be playing through a song and I remember in my head/sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once". He says that he recorded this verse the actual day of the concert, and you can really feel the depth of his emotional struggle, the fear of fucking up a tribute to his good friend. Later in the song, he says, "And everybody that I talk to is like ‘wow,/it must be really hard to figure what to do now.’/Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge?/Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance". Mike didn't just lose one of his best friends, but he lost his partner in his career, the person to whom he is inextricably linked. Mike Shinoda will always be the other guy from Linkin Park, and he's clearly struggling with what his identity means in the wake of that tragedy. So many of the songs on this album have this same emotional and performative depth that makes every listen compelling.

#7 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, by The 1975
Weirdly, I've never listened to an album by the English pop group The 1975. I say it's weird since my best friends both adore them and their style is right up my alley. The first single I heard off this album was "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME", which got me hooked. At first, the song is just an upbeat tale of a relationship, but over a few listens I saw the way it analyzes what a relationship even is in the digital age. I gave the rest of the album a listen and fell in love. Frontman and vocalist Matthew Healy is a brilliant lyricist, stringing together beautiful phrases that convey complex emotions quickly and effectively. The album covers a huge amount of ground, talking about everything from the lead singer's heroin addiction to a fictional man's friendship with the Internet. On "Give Yourself a Try", Healy talks about growing up and not being afraid of change. My favorite lyric on the album comes in this song, when Healy says, "And what would you say to your younger self?/Growing a beard's quite hard and whiskey never starts to taste nice./And you'll make a lot of money, and it's kind of funny/'cause you'll move somewhere sunny and get addicted to drugs/and spend obscene amount on fucking seeds and beans online." These lyrics build into this alliterative crescendo, showing an awareness for the absurdity of the modern life of a rockstar. On the whole, this album is relatively slow, taking its time to dissect the complex topics of modern life, but I found myself enjoying the moments where it speeds up the best. A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships dissects the nature of interpersonal interactions in the information age in a fresh way.

#6 - Superorganism, by Superorganism
It's hard to pin down this debut album from indie pop group Superorganism. Made up of 8 members from around the globe, this ragtag group of artists rocketed to the front of my radar with the 10 delicious songs on this record, many of which feature a strange obsession with prawns. Almost everything about this band is trippy as hell, and they lean into it hard, as you can see by this wonderful music video that shows a FMV-style whale-based NES platformer might've looked like. Seemingly birthed by meme culture, Superorganism's self titled album includes some of the strangest samples and sonic progressions I've ever heard. Songs like "Everybody Wants to Be Famous" highlight our culture's obsession with virality and popularity. The wonderfully weird music video (linked above) tells a fictional story about a group rising to fame, but losing that popularity by selling out to prawn flavored soda. Also, there's a side plot that implies the lead singer is a Japanese hologram. Seriously, this band is all over the place in the best way imaginable. They actually played a tiny desk concert back in April, an impressive feat considering that their reliance on weird samples seems to contrast with the acoustic nature of those concerts. Their performance features some of the band members blowing bubbles in a glass of water and blowing an old-timey air horn to produce some of the samples. Halfway through their first song, the lead singer pulls out a copy of Self-Reliance & Other Essays, by Ralph Waldo Emerson and begins reading a passage. Perhaps the best way to sell this group is to quote the organizer of the tiny desk series, Bob Boilen, "I went from really loving the music of Superorganism to being a transformed super-fan the moment they sent me an email ahead of their Tiny Desk performance asking, 'is it okay if we [bring] inflatable whales when we play?'" This group is a lot of fun, and you should definitely give this album a listen.
#5 - Dax Nextdoor, by Moziah
We made it! We're in the top 5! And just squeezing into that number 5 spot is the debut album from a young artist named Moziah. Full disclosure before we start, this artist is a friend of mine I went to college with. That being said, I absolutely adore this album by Marcus Guerrier. Every track on this record is incredibly produced and sonically consistent, though never redundant. I found myself immediately drawn to one of the singles, "Can't Stay in One Place," and its companion that follows it, "Skerred (feat. Chandler James & Little Bear)." Together, these songs tell a story that really allows Marcus to show off his lyrical and vocal abilities. "Can't Stay in One Place" is an ode to being overbooked, with everyone around Marcus telling him he needs to "chill the fuck out," while all he wants to do is keep moving. The song transitions into "Skerred (feat. Chandler James & Little Bear)", a track on which Marcus wails about his fears and insecurities. The features on this track are also given room to showcase their own talent. When that bridge hits and Marcus wails, you feel the raw emotions he's laying bare for us. On the track "Washingtonsquarepark (feat. Ms. White)", he plays out a conversation about wanting to leave New York while the feature, Ms. White, sings about the beauty of New York in the summer, with lines like, "There's a light beyond what you see/behind the streets of 42nd street/don't ever sleep on the city that never sleeps". It's clear that Ms. White has this deeply felt love for the city, even the shittier aspects ("we jumping in front of traffic to pay NYU debt"), but Marcus is unsure. In the bridge, he wonders, "Don't you wonder what it'd be like to run away?/To escape it all?" That conversation plays like so many that I know I've had with friends, where one person is tired of New York and the other is still just as enamored as they ever were. There's a sincerity on this track and throughout the whole album that is hard to come by. That plus beats that move you create an album that is a must listen. His talent shines so brightly on this album, you just know he's going to kill it and with a debut album this strong, I can't wait to see what he makes next.

#4 - Chris, by Christine and the Queens
I was turned on to this French singer through Apple Music's woefully lacking New Music playlist. Once a week, Apple Music trots out some assortment of basic and uninspired pop and hip hop, desperately hoping that I'll like at least some of it. Usually I find one or two songs that are enjoyable, and sometimes I discover an artist I grow to admire. Such was the case with this album, when the algorithms that be placed "Doesn't Matter" onto my weekly playlist. As soon as I heard it, I immediately downloaded the entire album and listened to it and fell in love with this funk pop record. That first song I listened to remains one of my favorites, discussing suicidal thoughts and using sex to suppress them over a bass line that's impossible not to dance to. She vents her frustrations with the male gaze, ideal body types, abusive relationships, and the lack of hope she feels in her life. In the music video, she dances with a man who, at one point, becomes a literal drag on her life before leaving her in much the same place she was before. The funkiest track on the album, "Girlfriend (feat. DâM-FunK)", talks about the struggle of committing when something casual seems so much easier. On the Genius lyric page for the song, Chris commented on some of the lyrics, saying things like, "langage [sic] is a virus, we should twist it to our advantage until it gives us justice". One of the coolest components of the album is that all of the songs are also in French on disc 2. Even though I don't speak a lick of French, I still find myself enjoying some of the French versions more than their English counterparts. Please do yourself a favor and enjoy these delicious, funky tracks (man, it's kind of weird how often I talk about music like it's food).

#3 - Marbled, by Abhi the Nomad
Marbled is a full feast of a hip-hop album. Austin rapper Abhi the Nomad serves you meal after meal with each funkier than the last. The album opens with "Mama Bling", an ode to his mother and what really matters in his life. Abhi exclaims in the chorus, "We don't need diamond rings or fancy things/they don't mean a thing/got my mama on my line/that's my bling, I'm her only king". This wasn't the first song of his I heard, but it's what made me fall in love with this beautiful human. The earnestness with which he proclaims his love for his family is just so sweet that it makes me smile every time I listen. The next song, "Dogs (feat. Sherm & Dani Rae)", dives into his relationships with his friends, playfully teasing them and setting up a party scene. The song opens with him singing, "Picture twenty somethings in a room of dumb consumption/drunk and hungry, dunking balls in cups/dumping fucking feelings onto someone that they ain't ever met before". We've all felt been there, getting real with someone whose name you won't remember in the morning. The song continues with a chorus that feels like the height of a party, showcasing Abhi's vision for the album. When the titular song "Marbled" follows up this party anthem, you feel the loneliness that always seems to accompany the end of a party. The whole album is incredible, with each song building on the themes of the last, making for a wonderful listen all the way through. My favorite track on the album is "Headcase (feat. Local Foster)", with a fast beat and a monster of a feature from Local Foster. The song uses clever lyrics to talk about deeply felt insecurities and identity-related anxieties. Honestly, there’s not much I can say that would be better than just listening to the album, so I’m just going to go back and do that. The list continues!
#2 - Palo Santo, by Years and Years
This album is by far the best pop album of the year. Palo Santo is pop perfection, bubbling at every level with smart arrangements and tasty hooks. The first music video from the album tells about the dystopian world of Palo Santo where androids capture humans to perform cabarets to help them feel emotion. With the backdrop set, the album sets off at a blistering pace, only slowing down to catch its breath a few times. Every song is expertly produced, avoiding the problem that a lot of pop seems to have where the song becomes too busy. With the relative simple production comes an element of uniqueness to each track, such that the record never becomes repetitive. "Sanctify" opens the album with the lyrics, "When I pray," followed by an intense drum beat, both of which set the tone for the album. The song continues about Olly Alexander’s relationship with a straight man who is uncomfortable with his own sexuality, including him calling him out by saying, “You don’t have to be straight with me,/I see what’s underneath your mask”. In the bridge, Olly confronts some bigger questions, saying, “You’ll find redemption when all this is through/Father forgive me for finding the truth/love takes its toll on me, I’m just like you/maybe it’s heavenly, maybe it’s heavenly”. The third track, “All For You”, is a bubbly piece about shitty breakup, a common theme throughout the album. I’m impressed by how well Years and Years has managed to bury emotional depth in bubbly synth progressions and catchy hooks. It reminds me a lot of E•MO•TION, a comparison that is among the highest praise I can give a pop album. While the sound is pretty different, the themes explored and the manner in which they are explored is similar. One of the more underrated songs on the album is “Lucky Escape”, where Olly laments about a broken relationship and how his ex has already moved on. “Don’t lose perspective, we all get damaged/and some of us don’t ever heal./But you must be happy without me/from all of the pictures I’ve seen of the two of you/is he a model? I’m not surprised, you’re so vain.” This line in the first verse hit me hard, reminding me of my own struggles with exes. Basically every song on this album touches on a different relatable aspect of breakups, leading you through a cathartic journey. My favorite track, “If You’re Over Me”, is a certifiable bop of a breakup song. Again, the dissonance between the happy instrumental and fairly sad lyrics creates an eery effect that moved me when I first heard it. The music video for this record is also my favorite of those released from this album, with Olly’s dystopic dancing elevating the video to new heights. The chorus urges his partner to be honest with him about how they feel, when Olly exclaims, “One minute you say we’re a team/then you’re telling me you can’t breathe/well you should set me free/baby if you’re over me./Yesterday you said I’m the one/but now you say you’re done/stop telling me what I need/baby if you’re over me”. With a hook this relatable, “If You’re Over Me” stands out to me among an album full of excellent songs. Years and Years’ sophomore album is a success, showing their mastery over pop.
#1 - Lamp Lit Prose, by Dirty Projectors
I mean, of course the Dirty Projectors' ninth studio album was going to top my list. As I’ve said before, I adore David Longstreth and his unique style. Their last album was quite the departure from that style, and since it’s my favorite, I was really anxious that I wouldn’t enjoy this project nearly as much. I’m sure that people had the inverse feelings, namely that they didn’t enjoy the departure and were potentially worried that Lamp Lit Prose would be similar in style to their previous piece. As soon as they released the first single, “Break-Thru”, my fears were quelled immediately. If Dirty Projectors puts forth the idea that love is dead or at least that love can and often does die, Lamp Lit Prose loudly exclaims the opposite. “Break-Thru” wants you to know all of the things Longstreth loves about his current partner, with the same great lyricism I’ve come to expect from the group, with lines like, “Her line is Pablo, but her color’s Fauve/so what about it?”. (Quick side note, my favorite lyric of all time is from their last album, where Longstreth opens a song with, “Hold up, I was reborn the second before the/plane became shards of glass/and ash when it crashed on arrival I woke up/feeling like I’m sipping on some René Descartes/and you’re Big Gulping the Bible”, which is just such a fucking good line, hot damn.) This song feels almost like a direct respond to their previous album, with his current partner breaking through all the struggles and heartbreak he endured before. This album experiments with drums and guitar riffs often, with songs like “I Found It in U” featuring really unique arrangements. While a lot of the songs are about his newfound love, he also tackles other topics, like the way the powerful and wealthy prey on those less fortunate in “That’s a Lifestyle”. In that same song, he also seems to be lightly calling out the commercialization of the music industry when he says, “That’s a product, that’s a brand, that’s a lifestyle”. The chorus is deliciously ambiguous, while still clearly pointing out societal inequality and the evil things that those in power continuously do. This whole album is packed to the brim with ambitious and ambiguous lyricism combined with some incredibly unique arrangements. Do yourself a favor, and give this album a shot.
Damn, you really made it through me ranting about music I loved this year for over 6000 words. Thanks for that! Here’s to a great new year, see you all on the flip side!
Also, I made playlists for my favorite songs on the albums and my favorite songs list if you want to check them out and listen along:
APPLE MUSIC:
Songs
Albums
SPOTIFY:
Songs
Albums
Here are my top 10 songs from this year:
#10 - Poor Boy, by The Regrettes
I discovered The Regrettes around March this year and immediately fell in love with their pop punk sound. Since then, I’ve seen them twice and they’ve released some great singles. I picked "Poor Boy" for my list because it feels like a snapshot of this cultural moment. Inspired by the MeToo movement and specifically the Kavanaugh hearings, this angry track sarcastically sings the laments of men who are getting what they deserve. From the start, it’s clear this song is going to be intense, with the guitar riff and drum backing hitting hard, and never letting up. In the first verse, Lydia Night (which is an excellent rockstar name, right??) sings, “Silence is the perfect sound/for the man that tried to/hold you down”. This theme continues into the chorus, where she sings, “Poor boy/What you gonna do? These girls are coming for you!” With the sarcasm and lyricism in general, the song could easily come across as disingenuous or like it’s cashing in on the current social climate, but the delivery paired with the rawness of the instrumental combine to create an effective pop punk song with a strong message. With songs like this, The Regrettes have a bright future ahead of them.
#9 - Danny Don't You Know, by Ninja Sex Party
Definitely the strangest choice here, “Danny Don’t You Know” is an incredible song about self love and appreciation. I’m a fan of Ninja Sex Party because of my love for 80’s music and how much I enjoy the Game Grumps. Usually, I’m fairly embarrassed to admit that I love them, but honestly, this song is incredible. Much of their old work is somewhat problematic, and it’s important to acknowledge both that history and the strides they’ve made as a band. I’m usually willing to give a little more leeway to comedy, though there are still obvious lines that shouldn’t be crossed (but that’s a topic for a very different essay). Putting all that aside, this song still bops. Seriously, it manages to mix a great message with some bits that actually made me laugh out loud and the best version of 80’s rock I’ve heard in a while. The riffs for the last chorus always make me want to headbang as hard as I can. Also, the music video features Finn Wolfhard, who looks so similar to Danny Avidan it’s not even funny. Honestly, this song feels straight out of the long haired 80’s rocker days, and I couldn’t be more here for it.
#8 - Still Feel, by half•alive
The music video for this song is one of my favorites from the year as a whole (seriously, it’s wild how cool and interesting that video is). Overall, this song is the perfect modern interpretation of 70’s pop, and the video plays into that perfectly. It opens on a quick drum progression before jumping into the main melody of the track. Then the soft vocals come in, playing off the lofi-ish quality of the rest of record. The song is ostensibly about being lost and finding the thing that brings you back down and the first 2/3rds are relatively dark until the bridge and final chorus brings a sense of hope back into the track. When that chorus hits, you really feel the modern interpretation setting in as the bass hits hard, really transforming the song from a soft, 70’s dinner track into a danceable tune. This shift makes sense with the message, and the way they play with it in the music video is really fun. I highly recommend checking this song and group out, as both are amazing.
#7 - Happy Man, by Jungle
"Happy Man" will always have a special place in my heart because I listened to it nonstop when I first got a job at VICE all the way back in June. The modern, 70’s inspired, soul-funk tune really hits a lot of notes for me (pun very much intended). It captured the mood I was feeling at the time perfectly - a lot was going right for me, and on the surface the song is very happy and sweet. There’s this darkness that’s hidden just below that more holistically captures the mood of 2018 for me. Life isn’t about money and materialistic things, even though I know I personally crave those things more than I’m proud of. The chorus struck an especially meaningful chord for me, where they sing, “Buy yourself a dream/how’s it looking?/Buy yourself a car/and a house to live in./Get yourself a girl/someone different./Buy yourself a dream/and it won’t mean nothing”. Focusing on money and gains is meaningless if you’re not following your dreams and living a life you can be proud of. The darkness under the generally positive vibes contributes to an impressive tone. When we’re all chasing this same idea of happiness that’s put forth, none of us are really happy.
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| I couldn't find the real album art :( |
#6 - No Angel, by Charli XCX
First of all, fuck anyone who says Charli is a one hit wonder. She has so many great songs, they just weren’t on radio. The whole concept of a one hit wonder is spawned from a certain laziness since chances are that group released other songs with similar vibes that someone who liked their hit would also probably like, but people tend not to do that work, which I understand. Anyway, Charli has been sort of shelved since her sophomore album didn’t perform that well, and has been releasing album-length mixtapes and plenty of singles in the mean time. To me, "No Angel" epitomizes her style and what makes her so great as an artist while also deconstructing her own image. The opening draws you in with a great riff, before Charli dives into the meat of the song. The first couple of times I heard it, I didn’t really pay that much attention to the lyrics. Throughout the song, she really dives deep into her own perception of herself, playing with how others see her. The angel imagery is pertinent in her work, and as much as the song feels like a song meant for a lover, there’s a powerful interpretation that she’s really talking to her fans. The fears that she was shelved If she keeps making bops like this though, I hope we get a full third studio album soon.
#5 - 1950, by King Princess
King Princess blasted onto my radar earlier this year when I first heard this song. I actually saw her talking about it on an episode of Verified by Genius and was so intrigued by both her lyrics and the meaning behind them that I stopped what I was doing and immediately checked it out. I’m really glad I did because her music is so good and so wonderfully gay (which sounds weird, but bare with me). It was hard to pick my favorite King Princess track and it came down to "1950" and “Pussy is God”, an ode to her lover, but I chose this one since it was the first song of hers I heard and it’s such a bop. The song opens with her saying, “I hate it when dudes try to chase me/but I love it when you try to save me/‘cause I’m just a lady/I love it when we play 1950”, a series of lines full of reclamations of her own identity. The song is mostly about putting a lover on a pedestal and the difficulties that brings. “Tell me why my gods look like you/and tell me why it’s wrong” is a sentiment I know for a fact I’ve felt time and time again. The struggle of idolizing a crush only to realize that injected poison into the relationship is something I know all too well. There’s also this underlying theme of uncertainty and anxiety, with lines like “Did you mean it when you said I was pretty” hitting me particularly hard. The undercurrent of sadness and uncertainty elevates this song for me from a standard pop bop to a beautiful ode to the problems of crushes.
#4 - Crush, by Tessa Violet
Coming right after a song about the dangers of crushes comes another crush-focused record. I first saw Tessa Violet perform at Vidcon a couple of years ago, and have been a fan ever since. I was insanely excited when she announced she would be releasing new music this year, and “Crush” did not disappoint. I absolutely adore this song, and it’s one of the more relatable tracks of the whole year. “I can’t focus on what needs to get done” is potentially the most understandable lyrics of the year. We’ve all been there, where the person we’re interested in makes “it difficult to not overthink”, and where we’re “just trying to play it cool now”. I relate to almost every lyric in this song, and I love it. I got the chance to see her live in New York, and hearing this song with live drums and bass was just incredible. I can’t wait for her full project to drop, since the songs she’s released so far are ideal versions of the type of pop I most adore.
#3 - Time in a Tree, by Raleigh Ritchie
Raleigh Ritchie, also known as Jacob Anderson, is too talented. He's probably most well-known for his role as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones, though he was also in Broadchurch and is a hip-hop artist. I was a fan of his acting so I thought I should give his music a shot. Bolstered by a moving music video, Ritchie made one of the best tracks of the year. The song is about wanting to empty his busy mind and return to the mindset he had as a child. Interestingly, the song doesn’t flow like a traditional song, opening with the chorus before diving into two verses and hitting you with another chorus. The odd flow contributes to the dreamy feel, creating a powerful experience while listening. The song slowly builds both in themes and emotion, reaching an emotional and musical climax in the bridge. Ritchie really shows his abilities on this song, with all of the different elements working with each other to create a truly unique song. I can’t recommend this song enough, so just go watch the video.
#2 - Blu, by Jon Bellion
I did my best to avoid any tracks from the best album list, since it would be redundant. This is the one track that I felt deserved more attention, since I’m going to be kind of harsh to the rest of the album later. “Blu” has become my favorite Jon Bellion track, which is saying a lot since it was really hard to even pick one for a while. I’ll explain more later, but where a lot of Glory Sound Prep shows Jon’s worst traits, “Blu” highlights his best. In a certain sense, it’s kind of all over the place: the verse and chorus sort of feel like they come from two completely different songs, but not in a confusing way. He manages to marry his lyrical prowess with interesting production choices to make a beautiful song. It’s about a lot of the internal struggles he has while adjusting from single to married life. There’s a raw vulnerability that he seems ready to lay bare for us, which is why the dissonance between the chorus and verses doesn’t really feel odd. Instead, it feels like a musical representation of the struggle of committing fully to another person, which is such a beautiful thing to celebrate and explore. The way the song changes over time and incorporates all of the themes both lyrically and musically perfectly mirrors the feeling of truly going through with that commitment. It definitely doesn’t hurt that this song has mad horns, and I’m such a huge fan of horns (for real, ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m a sucker for horns).
#1 - Party for One, by Carly Rae Jepsen
I mean, come on. You all knew this was coming. She finally got a sword this year AND released a banger of a single? She HAD to top this list. It helps that "Party for One" is an incredible track about self-love with one hell of a music video. The release of this song so late in the year is such a blessing, since it allows me some semblance of happiness and hope heading into 2019. I can't wait to listen to her new album on repeat all year, especially if this is the quality I can expect. The song opens with a tantalizing electric piano lo
op that draws you in from the first bar. Just like the songs off Carly's incredible sophomore album E•MO•TION, the lyrics here are raw and honest. She talks about her struggles with getting over an ex, even as she admits to pretending like everything is okay, saying, “Tried to let it go and say I’m over you/I’m not over you, but I’m trying” before jumping into another one of her sticky choruses. I could honestly gush about Carly for hours, so I’ll try to contain myself, but at the same time, she talks about masturbation and self-love over an incredible synth beat, so what else do you need?
And now, here are my top 10 albums from this year:

#10 - Unusual, by Marian Hill
Starting off this part of the list is an album by Philadelphia music duo Marian Hill. This duo has a very specific style that continues into their sophomore album, but it's a style I find myself enjoying every time I hear it. It has the potential to grow old, as most heavily stylized acts do; though personally, I don't think this album has that issue. I actually ended up liking Unusual more than their previous project, which to me means they’ve just refined their style. Every song plays on different relatable themes and utilizes unique instrumentation that helps keep each song fresh. On "Differently", vocalist Samantha Gongol sings about an ex starting to see someone else, saying things like "even if you're missing me/I don't wish that we ended differently," something I know I've wanted to say. The chorus of my favorite track on the album, "All Night Long," hits you hard with these sharp horn stabs, for which my love can never be overstated. The song opens by describing basically every night of my life: "Every night's the same/and I'm to blame, I know it", before moving onto show the realities of meeting someone on a night out. This whole album plays with really interesting sounds, and left me hopeful for future releases from this group.
#9 - Glory Sound Prep, by Jon Bellion
It's hard for me to describe my feelings for Glory Sound Prep. On the one hand, I'm incredibly disappointed by a lot of the components of this album, but on the other I can recognize that on the whole, it's a pretty good album. I like most of the songs and will be listening to them for years, just like Bellion's other stuff. Part of the problem is that this album feels like such a direct sequel to The Human Condition that I'm not as impressed. Song for song, this album follows almost the exact same emotional and musical arc as his debut album, and that disappoints me. Still, it's clear that Bellion can make incredible pop tunes, and a lot of the tracks here are bangers. "Stupid Deep" hits me hard every time I listen to it, even through its relatively simple and repetitive lyrics. The repetition actually works for me, since it forces you to sit with what he's trying to say more than you would otherwise. "Adult Swim" features some incredible lyrics, though the Piccolo feature has the potential to be cringey, with the famed Namekian saying things like, "This Bellion guy's power level is amazing!" I think the song works though, since it feels as though Bellion is just a superfan and was probably just as giddy to have the feature as he was to wake up on Saturdays and watch the show as a kid. "Blu", as I talked about earlier, is one of my favorite songs this entire year and is definitely my favorite Jon Bellion song, dethroning the incredible "Luxury (feat. Audra Mae)". I think this album has other issues beyond its similarities to The Human Condition, or rather I think that Glory Sound Prep shows Jon's larger issues as an artist. The largest issue I have with him is the way his lyrics often jump all over the place, sometimes hinting at deep issues and other times flippantly making kind of bad jokes. The best song to showcase this problem is "JT", a song I initially adored as a single. The hook is catchy and the vocal effects on it are fascinating, but once I heard it a few times, I got a weird feeling about it. The inspiration behind the title is an off-hand joke that comes at the end of the chorus where he says, "Now my beats make feasts for holidays/in Greece, and I don't mean John Travolta". Not only is he referencing one of the worst musicals of all time, he seems alright throwing any sincerity earned earlier in the song out the window. It's not even that clever of a lyric, and he seems to prefer cleverness over depth, something I just am not a fan of. It's weird how much I wrote for an album so low on the list, but I feel the need to explain why this album isn't higher. Again, overall this album lands well, I just want to see more out of the Long Island native, and I know he can deliver.

#8 - Post Traumatic, by Mike Shinoda
I'm a huge Linkin Park fan. I was devastated last summer when I found out that Chester Bennington had killed himself. When Mike Shinoda released his EP titled Post Traumatic last fall, I had to sit down on 9th street and just cry (I actually get a littler teary eyed every time I pass that part of Manhattan). There was a raw honesty about his experience following his friend and bandmate's death that touched me when I first heard it. I was insanely excited when Shinoda announced that he was releasing an album length version of the EP, and it delivered on that excitement. I have to say, I still think the best songs are the ones that were on the original EP, but the new tracks are still good. They feel more polished and full, and lack a bit of that rawness that moved me so much the first time. But, songs like "Over Again" still cause me to tear up a bit every time I hear them. The song is about his experience rehearsing and playing a memorial set at the Hollywood Bowl, and the chorus is inspired by the difficulty of the band relearning all their hits without the frontman. He touches on a lot of incredibly real feelings after a loss, saying, "I get tackled by the grief at times that I would least expect/I know what I should be doing when I'm singing but instead/we'll be playing through a song and I remember in my head/sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once". He says that he recorded this verse the actual day of the concert, and you can really feel the depth of his emotional struggle, the fear of fucking up a tribute to his good friend. Later in the song, he says, "And everybody that I talk to is like ‘wow,/it must be really hard to figure what to do now.’/Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge?/Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance". Mike didn't just lose one of his best friends, but he lost his partner in his career, the person to whom he is inextricably linked. Mike Shinoda will always be the other guy from Linkin Park, and he's clearly struggling with what his identity means in the wake of that tragedy. So many of the songs on this album have this same emotional and performative depth that makes every listen compelling.

#7 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, by The 1975
Weirdly, I've never listened to an album by the English pop group The 1975. I say it's weird since my best friends both adore them and their style is right up my alley. The first single I heard off this album was "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME", which got me hooked. At first, the song is just an upbeat tale of a relationship, but over a few listens I saw the way it analyzes what a relationship even is in the digital age. I gave the rest of the album a listen and fell in love. Frontman and vocalist Matthew Healy is a brilliant lyricist, stringing together beautiful phrases that convey complex emotions quickly and effectively. The album covers a huge amount of ground, talking about everything from the lead singer's heroin addiction to a fictional man's friendship with the Internet. On "Give Yourself a Try", Healy talks about growing up and not being afraid of change. My favorite lyric on the album comes in this song, when Healy says, "And what would you say to your younger self?/Growing a beard's quite hard and whiskey never starts to taste nice./And you'll make a lot of money, and it's kind of funny/'cause you'll move somewhere sunny and get addicted to drugs/and spend obscene amount on fucking seeds and beans online." These lyrics build into this alliterative crescendo, showing an awareness for the absurdity of the modern life of a rockstar. On the whole, this album is relatively slow, taking its time to dissect the complex topics of modern life, but I found myself enjoying the moments where it speeds up the best. A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships dissects the nature of interpersonal interactions in the information age in a fresh way.

#6 - Superorganism, by Superorganism
It's hard to pin down this debut album from indie pop group Superorganism. Made up of 8 members from around the globe, this ragtag group of artists rocketed to the front of my radar with the 10 delicious songs on this record, many of which feature a strange obsession with prawns. Almost everything about this band is trippy as hell, and they lean into it hard, as you can see by this wonderful music video that shows a FMV-style whale-based NES platformer might've looked like. Seemingly birthed by meme culture, Superorganism's self titled album includes some of the strangest samples and sonic progressions I've ever heard. Songs like "Everybody Wants to Be Famous" highlight our culture's obsession with virality and popularity. The wonderfully weird music video (linked above) tells a fictional story about a group rising to fame, but losing that popularity by selling out to prawn flavored soda. Also, there's a side plot that implies the lead singer is a Japanese hologram. Seriously, this band is all over the place in the best way imaginable. They actually played a tiny desk concert back in April, an impressive feat considering that their reliance on weird samples seems to contrast with the acoustic nature of those concerts. Their performance features some of the band members blowing bubbles in a glass of water and blowing an old-timey air horn to produce some of the samples. Halfway through their first song, the lead singer pulls out a copy of Self-Reliance & Other Essays, by Ralph Waldo Emerson and begins reading a passage. Perhaps the best way to sell this group is to quote the organizer of the tiny desk series, Bob Boilen, "I went from really loving the music of Superorganism to being a transformed super-fan the moment they sent me an email ahead of their Tiny Desk performance asking, 'is it okay if we [bring] inflatable whales when we play?'" This group is a lot of fun, and you should definitely give this album a listen.
#5 - Dax Nextdoor, by Moziah
We made it! We're in the top 5! And just squeezing into that number 5 spot is the debut album from a young artist named Moziah. Full disclosure before we start, this artist is a friend of mine I went to college with. That being said, I absolutely adore this album by Marcus Guerrier. Every track on this record is incredibly produced and sonically consistent, though never redundant. I found myself immediately drawn to one of the singles, "Can't Stay in One Place," and its companion that follows it, "Skerred (feat. Chandler James & Little Bear)." Together, these songs tell a story that really allows Marcus to show off his lyrical and vocal abilities. "Can't Stay in One Place" is an ode to being overbooked, with everyone around Marcus telling him he needs to "chill the fuck out," while all he wants to do is keep moving. The song transitions into "Skerred (feat. Chandler James & Little Bear)", a track on which Marcus wails about his fears and insecurities. The features on this track are also given room to showcase their own talent. When that bridge hits and Marcus wails, you feel the raw emotions he's laying bare for us. On the track "Washingtonsquarepark (feat. Ms. White)", he plays out a conversation about wanting to leave New York while the feature, Ms. White, sings about the beauty of New York in the summer, with lines like, "There's a light beyond what you see/behind the streets of 42nd street/don't ever sleep on the city that never sleeps". It's clear that Ms. White has this deeply felt love for the city, even the shittier aspects ("we jumping in front of traffic to pay NYU debt"), but Marcus is unsure. In the bridge, he wonders, "Don't you wonder what it'd be like to run away?/To escape it all?" That conversation plays like so many that I know I've had with friends, where one person is tired of New York and the other is still just as enamored as they ever were. There's a sincerity on this track and throughout the whole album that is hard to come by. That plus beats that move you create an album that is a must listen. His talent shines so brightly on this album, you just know he's going to kill it and with a debut album this strong, I can't wait to see what he makes next.

#4 - Chris, by Christine and the Queens
I was turned on to this French singer through Apple Music's woefully lacking New Music playlist. Once a week, Apple Music trots out some assortment of basic and uninspired pop and hip hop, desperately hoping that I'll like at least some of it. Usually I find one or two songs that are enjoyable, and sometimes I discover an artist I grow to admire. Such was the case with this album, when the algorithms that be placed "Doesn't Matter" onto my weekly playlist. As soon as I heard it, I immediately downloaded the entire album and listened to it and fell in love with this funk pop record. That first song I listened to remains one of my favorites, discussing suicidal thoughts and using sex to suppress them over a bass line that's impossible not to dance to. She vents her frustrations with the male gaze, ideal body types, abusive relationships, and the lack of hope she feels in her life. In the music video, she dances with a man who, at one point, becomes a literal drag on her life before leaving her in much the same place she was before. The funkiest track on the album, "Girlfriend (feat. DâM-FunK)", talks about the struggle of committing when something casual seems so much easier. On the Genius lyric page for the song, Chris commented on some of the lyrics, saying things like, "langage [sic] is a virus, we should twist it to our advantage until it gives us justice". One of the coolest components of the album is that all of the songs are also in French on disc 2. Even though I don't speak a lick of French, I still find myself enjoying some of the French versions more than their English counterparts. Please do yourself a favor and enjoy these delicious, funky tracks (man, it's kind of weird how often I talk about music like it's food).

#3 - Marbled, by Abhi the Nomad
Marbled is a full feast of a hip-hop album. Austin rapper Abhi the Nomad serves you meal after meal with each funkier than the last. The album opens with "Mama Bling", an ode to his mother and what really matters in his life. Abhi exclaims in the chorus, "We don't need diamond rings or fancy things/they don't mean a thing/got my mama on my line/that's my bling, I'm her only king". This wasn't the first song of his I heard, but it's what made me fall in love with this beautiful human. The earnestness with which he proclaims his love for his family is just so sweet that it makes me smile every time I listen. The next song, "Dogs (feat. Sherm & Dani Rae)", dives into his relationships with his friends, playfully teasing them and setting up a party scene. The song opens with him singing, "Picture twenty somethings in a room of dumb consumption/drunk and hungry, dunking balls in cups/dumping fucking feelings onto someone that they ain't ever met before". We've all felt been there, getting real with someone whose name you won't remember in the morning. The song continues with a chorus that feels like the height of a party, showcasing Abhi's vision for the album. When the titular song "Marbled" follows up this party anthem, you feel the loneliness that always seems to accompany the end of a party. The whole album is incredible, with each song building on the themes of the last, making for a wonderful listen all the way through. My favorite track on the album is "Headcase (feat. Local Foster)", with a fast beat and a monster of a feature from Local Foster. The song uses clever lyrics to talk about deeply felt insecurities and identity-related anxieties. Honestly, there’s not much I can say that would be better than just listening to the album, so I’m just going to go back and do that. The list continues!
#2 - Palo Santo, by Years and Years
This album is by far the best pop album of the year. Palo Santo is pop perfection, bubbling at every level with smart arrangements and tasty hooks. The first music video from the album tells about the dystopian world of Palo Santo where androids capture humans to perform cabarets to help them feel emotion. With the backdrop set, the album sets off at a blistering pace, only slowing down to catch its breath a few times. Every song is expertly produced, avoiding the problem that a lot of pop seems to have where the song becomes too busy. With the relative simple production comes an element of uniqueness to each track, such that the record never becomes repetitive. "Sanctify" opens the album with the lyrics, "When I pray," followed by an intense drum beat, both of which set the tone for the album. The song continues about Olly Alexander’s relationship with a straight man who is uncomfortable with his own sexuality, including him calling him out by saying, “You don’t have to be straight with me,/I see what’s underneath your mask”. In the bridge, Olly confronts some bigger questions, saying, “You’ll find redemption when all this is through/Father forgive me for finding the truth/love takes its toll on me, I’m just like you/maybe it’s heavenly, maybe it’s heavenly”. The third track, “All For You”, is a bubbly piece about shitty breakup, a common theme throughout the album. I’m impressed by how well Years and Years has managed to bury emotional depth in bubbly synth progressions and catchy hooks. It reminds me a lot of E•MO•TION, a comparison that is among the highest praise I can give a pop album. While the sound is pretty different, the themes explored and the manner in which they are explored is similar. One of the more underrated songs on the album is “Lucky Escape”, where Olly laments about a broken relationship and how his ex has already moved on. “Don’t lose perspective, we all get damaged/and some of us don’t ever heal./But you must be happy without me/from all of the pictures I’ve seen of the two of you/is he a model? I’m not surprised, you’re so vain.” This line in the first verse hit me hard, reminding me of my own struggles with exes. Basically every song on this album touches on a different relatable aspect of breakups, leading you through a cathartic journey. My favorite track, “If You’re Over Me”, is a certifiable bop of a breakup song. Again, the dissonance between the happy instrumental and fairly sad lyrics creates an eery effect that moved me when I first heard it. The music video for this record is also my favorite of those released from this album, with Olly’s dystopic dancing elevating the video to new heights. The chorus urges his partner to be honest with him about how they feel, when Olly exclaims, “One minute you say we’re a team/then you’re telling me you can’t breathe/well you should set me free/baby if you’re over me./Yesterday you said I’m the one/but now you say you’re done/stop telling me what I need/baby if you’re over me”. With a hook this relatable, “If You’re Over Me” stands out to me among an album full of excellent songs. Years and Years’ sophomore album is a success, showing their mastery over pop.
#1 - Lamp Lit Prose, by Dirty Projectors
I mean, of course the Dirty Projectors' ninth studio album was going to top my list. As I’ve said before, I adore David Longstreth and his unique style. Their last album was quite the departure from that style, and since it’s my favorite, I was really anxious that I wouldn’t enjoy this project nearly as much. I’m sure that people had the inverse feelings, namely that they didn’t enjoy the departure and were potentially worried that Lamp Lit Prose would be similar in style to their previous piece. As soon as they released the first single, “Break-Thru”, my fears were quelled immediately. If Dirty Projectors puts forth the idea that love is dead or at least that love can and often does die, Lamp Lit Prose loudly exclaims the opposite. “Break-Thru” wants you to know all of the things Longstreth loves about his current partner, with the same great lyricism I’ve come to expect from the group, with lines like, “Her line is Pablo, but her color’s Fauve/so what about it?”. (Quick side note, my favorite lyric of all time is from their last album, where Longstreth opens a song with, “Hold up, I was reborn the second before the/plane became shards of glass/and ash when it crashed on arrival I woke up/feeling like I’m sipping on some René Descartes/and you’re Big Gulping the Bible”, which is just such a fucking good line, hot damn.) This song feels almost like a direct respond to their previous album, with his current partner breaking through all the struggles and heartbreak he endured before. This album experiments with drums and guitar riffs often, with songs like “I Found It in U” featuring really unique arrangements. While a lot of the songs are about his newfound love, he also tackles other topics, like the way the powerful and wealthy prey on those less fortunate in “That’s a Lifestyle”. In that same song, he also seems to be lightly calling out the commercialization of the music industry when he says, “That’s a product, that’s a brand, that’s a lifestyle”. The chorus is deliciously ambiguous, while still clearly pointing out societal inequality and the evil things that those in power continuously do. This whole album is packed to the brim with ambitious and ambiguous lyricism combined with some incredibly unique arrangements. Do yourself a favor, and give this album a shot.
Damn, you really made it through me ranting about music I loved this year for over 6000 words. Thanks for that! Here’s to a great new year, see you all on the flip side!
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