dremolus - solarpunk
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 26, 2022 8:40:21 GMT -5
#17. A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression by Youth Code & King Yosef
And speaking of short albums full of fast and brutal music, this was an album I should've gotten to earlier. Almost half an hour of fast, hard, noisy, nihilistic electro-industrial that's hard as hell and will probably kill live, with misanthropic and pessimistic lyrics about society and human behavior throughout but it's not sound and fury signifying nothing. The nihilism and cynicism feels more concrete, grounded in real horror about the state of the world and the depression and suicidiation that follows, it's not just edgelord wish fulfillment. And yet what surprised me most and what made me especially fall in love with this album was how despite the loud aggression and energy, and the nihilism in the lyrics, both acts still managed to write real hooks for their anger and how much groove the brutality had. It's everything I love and want out of industrial music: aggressive, violent, and angry that feels exhilarating rather than energy draining, and yet still managing to instill horror as it's kicking ass.
Top 3 Songs: Violent Minds Looking Down The World Stage
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 26, 2022 9:00:09 GMT -5
#16. MONTERO by Lil Nas X
Yup. I know what most are thinking and I don't care at all.
Is it style over substance? Probably. Has it cooled on me since I first heard it? Yes. Is it flawed? Absolutely. But there's a reason this is still my favorite straightforward pop album of the year. An album that regardless of any problems in vocals or production, makes up for it by just being unabashedly queer and joyful. The production might not be the cleanest or more forward-thinking but it doesn't matter since there's still a lot of fun melodies that incorporate rock elements, latin influences, pianos, and even an acoustic guitar ballad, and it all feels cohesive. Lil Nas X might not be the best singer or rapper but he's still got a ton of charisma and passion for pop and it's clear that he's having fun and wants all to have fun. The lyrics might be lightweight but they're far from fluff and are actually smarter that most people will give it credit for in both the observations on fame as well as queer iconography in pop. And yeah, having a gay man make uncompromised queer art and have it be successful is something that should be praised and lauded, regardless of any chinks in the armor. It's the most fun I had with a pop album last year and while most may just see the gimmicks, I see a truly creative and imaginative mind in pop who could shape the mainstream for the better.
Top 3 Songs: INDUSTRY BABY THATS WHAT I WANT LOST IN THE CITADEL
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 27, 2022 6:40:56 GMT -5
#15. LP! by JPEGMAFIA
*note for this I'm using the OFFLINE version of this album.
Damn Peggy!
After a stream of compilation of singles into two EPs, I was curious as to where JPEGMAFIA would go after the critically acclaimed All My Heroes Are Cornballs. And while isn't as tight and cohesive as that album, it's yet another shining example of why Peggy continues to be one of the most creative and forward thinking artists not just in hip-hop but in music in general. And what's amusing is that there wasn't that big a change lyrically from past JPEGMAFIA releases. Wrestling references, clever brags, funny internet references, vicious take downs racism from both liberals and conservatives, finding solace in bubblegum pop - particularly Britney spears, more sung passages including an uncredited feature from Kimbra, and what is new to this album: sneak disses towards Armand Hammer, particularly billy woods, that have some surprising weight to them. There’s a real punk and anarchist energy to it all, and while Peggy's never been afraid to call out people and make enemies, he's not letting his own audiences off the hook in his attacks either. He's not holding back and is fine alienating some of his fans, including those he made with the last album! But never to the point of being overtly cynical or nihilistic, like the great comics, there's still some fun to be had at others' expense. But even if you don't care about all of the beef and don't get some of the references here, this album is worth checking out on the production alone. He's still got an incredible ear for production and on this album alone, it featured some of the best and most ingenious sampling I’ve heard this year. I'm not gonna spoil what songs were sampled and where but just know that when I learned off one sample, I actually got giddy realizing how they were sampled. It shows a rapper not slowing down anytime soon when it comes to his writing or his musical instincts, and his daringness to continue to push forward and challenge his audience even if it seems like in bad taste.
You just can't hate an album that has the line: Love screwin' with the cops, I'm Lana
Top 3 Songs: ARE U HAPPY? REBOUND! 🔥
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 27, 2022 7:09:35 GMT -5
#14. hypnagogia by sonhos tomam conta
I listened to a ton of shoegaze this year; both classics and newer acts blowing up, including acts I've already mentioned like Asian Glow, Parannoul, and For Tracy Hyde. And while they're all great for their own reasons, for the most part lyrics are not the main appeal for these acts. They're more there to create a dreamy world and suck you in with the atmosphere. There are exceptions and it's for that reason this was my favorite shoegaze album of last year. This is by far the most realistic and bleakest depictions of depression I’ve heard this year, and she doesn't hold anything back. Contrary to most music and art about mental illness, there's hardly anything poetic or beautiful about the constant apathy in thinking there's no purpose in waking up, not engaging in anything or anyone for fear it may backfire and make you worse, and just the sedation in craving death. It’s the sort of emotional black hole that you shouldn’t be listening to everyday if you want a healthy head, and the music also captures that abstract, incoherent, hynagogic and numbing sensation your body goes through when you're depressed, trapped in your room, even the sun feeling cold and are truly at your darkest point. It's not an easy album to recommend or even one I want to listen to every now and then...but it is album that needed to be made, and if anything, I just hope that sonhos tomam conta is able to wake up soon to a sun that's warm.
Top 3 Songs: reverb na master lonely people in neon cities aurora
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 27, 2022 7:20:30 GMT -5
#13. Cavalcade by black midi
And for awhile I was worried I wouldn't "get" black midi. See, I respected black midi’s album from a distance back in 2019. And even as I've gotten used to more noisy experimental music back then and while I can respect what they brought to the table with Schlagenheim, two years later I'm still not wild about that album. Well this is their potential being realized and me finally getting on board with the band. Not only are the grooves and compositions tighter, they feel a lot more cohesive than their debut with more solid melodies, the greater integration jazz elements , especially in the horns and pianos helping the pacing a lot, and pumping up the bombast of these arrangements. The more theatrical instrumentation definitely compliments the writing getting more creative. I love the commentary on the nonsense that goes into authoritarian, nationalist mindsets, and the bitterness and impatience with the world that drives people to rail against why they perceive as threats to their comfort and familiarity. It's far from a sympathetic view and yet it does capture the desire to conquer life and all the flaws of the world that might drive people to traditional conservatism, even if it most likely will only result in a harsher cycle of pain for more people. It's smart and intelligent without needing to lecture audiences, and it's camp and more colorful without being too silly and being a parody of itself. A wonderful evolution of the band, I can't wait for what other messes Georgie and his band have in store next.
Top 3 Songs: Dethroned John L Hogwash and Balderdash
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 27, 2022 7:50:33 GMT -5
#12. radical by Every Time I Die
This was the year I finally understood the appeal and got into metalcore. It took a while and a few projects but between the revival of metalcore acts in the mainstream as well as projects from Bring Me the Horizon, ERRA, Architects, Trivium, Zao, even acts I wasn't wild about Spiritbox and Ice Nine Kills all helping disprove the notion the genre was more than just bad relationship melodrama against sludgy djent grooves. And of all the acts metalcore acts, this was by far my favorite. Pumped up and aggressive drumming that manage to good beats and production with some surprisingly melodic bass lines and guitar grooves. All of this backs up Keith Buckley howling his lungs out as he rails against environmental collapse and a global government that doesn't give a shit while us common folk - the ones with the least responsibility for the all the destruction happening - are stuck doing are best to adapt and survive. And what I love especially about this album is that it isn't full-force every song, it's not just about being angry about political inaction. There's still a human side that takes a step back to deal with mortality in the face of a death in the family and to recharge your drive, not succumb to burnout. That as cheesy as it sounds, with the dystopia ahead of us, we still have to step up together; be empowered by that anger, by the hatred of greed and corruption that's caused so much pain, that even if we don't succeed, we go out swinging. Political rock in 2021 didn't get much better than this and even if you don't care much for the lyrics, if you're just looking for a rager to mosh out to, this will satisfy you as well. It's got brains and braun, if you're a metal head or in need of good bands to support for rock crossover, please support this band ASAP.
Top 3 Songs: Thing with Feathers People Verses We Go Together
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 27, 2022 8:00:22 GMT -5
#11. CRAWLER by IDLES
God it’s good to have IDLES back!
While, I enjoyed Ultra Mono last year but it was absolutely a backslide in quality and it definitely did start exposing IDLES' weaknesses, especially in the writing. I'm not that surprised there was quite a bit of backlash and fuel for IDLES' critics. What was surprising WAS seeing the polarizing and mixed reaction from IDLES defenders towards this album because not only do I think this a return to form for the band, I actually think it's an evolution and their most mature album to date lyrically particularly of the lyrics. Rather than continue making angry political art punk, this album looks at their own faults in their past drug abuse. It's them kamikazeing, trying to satisfy their cravings, bodies weakened as they're crawling about, and even on more lighthearted tracks, the only joy that's there is darkly laughing at how shitty the whole situation is. And just when you think you've been able to break through and the high subsides and you stand up face covered in sweat, you relapse and go even further than before. And to match the bleak content, the productions gotten darker as well. There's still good grooves and good hooks but the spunk of joy to fight has been replaced by more downtuned guitars, abrasive vocal production and mixing, and sharper drums. And perhaps that's why people didn't take to the album: it is bleaker and not as fun as their previous albums but I think it's what was needed for the content and also helps it stand out in their catalog. With this album, IDLES proved they could do more than just positive sloganeering and can still make amazing and thoughtful rock even when as they're on the ground, tearing open themselves.
Top 3 Songs: Crawl! The Beachland Ballroom The New Sensation
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 28, 2022 8:00:15 GMT -5
Ayt time to finish the Best EPs of 2021 list
#5. AGNUS DEI by Lingua Ignota
Yup, Lingua Ignota appears on both of my lists although this EP is crafted and structured very differently than SINNER GET READY. It’s only four songs long with most of the music is built off of recordings and samples, static noise, and adaptations of three different works after the opening prelude: a cover of Iron Lung’s Sexless//No Sex, a reading of the poem "I Know, You Walk" played against Handel's "Where'er You Walk", and her playing Bach's Agnus Dei. The added static and heavy bass to the instrumental just adds a level of what I can only describe as unpolished age, like a lost recording of the supernatural being uncovered and releasing all of it's horror. And the closest comparison is the work of The Caretaker, in taking fragments of music and art to craft a chilling and atmospheric even if you don't quite understand what's going on. And that's before getting into the fact that 'I Know, You Walk' being spoken by Alexis Marshall adds an...unfortunate layer to some of the fear on this album.
In just 16 minute, Kristin Hayter manages to create one of the scariest projects of last year, an EP that shows her talents as both a composer and as a creative curator in making fragments utterly terrifying.
Top 2 Songs: WHERE’ER YOU WALK IN TONGUES
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 28, 2022 8:20:26 GMT -5
#4. Ambivalent by Kessler
Under traditional categorizations, this project skirts the edge of being an “extended play” since this clocks at 40 minutes long, longer than some albums I’ve discussed! Well regardless of the length, I think this is an EP worth celebrating. There's a good amount of variety in this blissful and tranquil EP that jumps from ambient techno to jungle to breakbeats to house, all of them with textured nocturnal production and great moody dance grooves. The artist that came to mind while revisiting this album was Aphex Twin and while I know that's a lofty comparison, I think given the strength of this compositions both melodically and in the percussion beats, it's a worthy one. If you need music to sit back and have on the background while thinking on a moody late night, you can't choose a better soundtrack than this EP.
Top 3 Songs: Moonlight Branches Old Wives Tale Only a Fool
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 28, 2022 8:47:59 GMT -5
#3. Yellow by RAY
To those who remember my list last year, you may remember I had RAY as an honorable mention for my favorite albums of last year with Pink. A slice of simple, dreamy shoegaze that while not reinventing the wheel, was beautiful music regardless. Well, not only did they continue making that type of music with a short EP this year, I think the shorter runtime of the EP actually made me enjoy this more than their debut album. There weren't that many big changes instrumentally, although the lyrics and storytelling did become more colorful, it's just that 18 minutes makes their sound a lot more palatable and less time consuming than an hour long LP. It's short and sweet, straight to the point and while some may say that makes this a filler release, for this humble, non-pretentious shoegaze, you don't really need a lot of time to make it great. It's just a really joyful album, always puts a smile on my face, and with shoegaze's revival of interest, at least on the internet, I look forward to RAY's future projects as an act to look at for in the new scene.
Top 2 Songs: Rusty Days Resignation
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 28, 2022 9:00:12 GMT -5
Okay so for my Top 2 EPs of last year I'm actually going to reveal them at the same time. I think they're about the same in terms of quality, I have mostly similar reasons as to why I love them so much. So much so don't pay attention so much as to the placement of these projects, you could interchange their spots and my opinions wouldn't really change. Just pay attention that these were the best EPs of last year by a huge margin.
#2. EAT by Poppy
#1. timeabout, by YUKIKA For me, there was nothing that was going to beat these two EPs for the top spots. Hearing these EPs felt like a revelation for both of these acts.
For Poppy, it was a statement that she was more than just a dilettante or dabbler in alt metal. For me, more than her previous songs and music, this is her best ever project and truly the mark she deserves to be in the conversation of great modern alt-metal acts who can also have crossover appeal. Her screaming and vocal presence as a screamer has gotten more powerful better, the fast playing having so much energy and adrenaline, and sharp punchy lyrics that have more weight knowing the trials she's gone through with past abuse and label mishandling. And while she's shed her cutesy image of her past work, she's still got a ton of personality and humor on this album, and I'd argue that the duality is sharper here than on any of her albums!
And with YUKIKA, I don't know what else to say outside of her not a single bad song on her EP, just a tight project where all of the songs are uniformly great, and while some may still call the whole co-opting of city pop aesthetics and sound a "gimmick", there's just so much sincerity, natural charisma, and general likeability YUKIKA has that it's hard to not to smile and have fun. Pop doesn't need to be complicated or "deep" to be great, even when doing shameless throwbacks, and with a bubbly personality and the funky city pop sound behind her that I'd say is tighter than her album with the short run length, this is not only the best Korean music of last year, it's some of the most fun pop releases of last year.
They're the best EPs of last year for living up to the phrase "all killer, no filler". Short projects that don't waste your time but still showcase the best music either artist have made up to this point, as well as some of the best music in their respective genres. And given the brevity of both of these projects, if you haven't at least given either a chance, I don't know what else you're waiting for. Seek these out immediately and do yourself and everyone a favor by relishing in amazing music.
Top 3 Songs of EAT: Breeders EAT CUE
Top 3 Songs of timeabout,: Insomnia TIME TRAVEL Love Month
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 29, 2022 9:40:26 GMT -5
#10. Modern Grotesque by Dreamwell
I've talked about a lot of albums that discussed heavy topics from sexual abuse and trauma to perpetual depression to mortality to climate grief and general themes of anxiety and nihilism. And while all of those albums are still powerful works, no album stunned me quite like this one. A screamo post-hardcore as Keziah Staska howls out all the trauma that's lingered from fatherly abuse, not just the painful memories or the strained relationship but also the scars by the depression that was a by-product. It's the sort of festering pain that will never, ever go away, it will forever be a part of him and he realizes that while he can't make any promises, at least not right now, he can rise from the ashes and whatever finality there is in life (while we're living, seeing as how there's one song about the death of his father), it isn't the end and it can be the start of a change he needed. I don't mean to ridicule the lyrics when I say they're barely poetry, but more like Mount Eerie or sonhos tomam conta, there's a big sense of intimacy on this album. That you're interrupting a breakdown and that you shouldn't be listening or analyzing something so personal and honest, but it's all for there to see and with beautiful post-hardcore guitars and drumming that manage to be both melodic to power the more moving moments, and fast and chaotic during downward spirals. It's powerful music that leaves me stunned every time I read the lyrics and if you need a gateway into post-hardcore, I can't recommend this album enough.
Top 3 Songs: Plague Father, Vermin Son The Lost Ballad of Dominic Anneghi Sisyphean Happiness
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 29, 2022 10:03:21 GMT -5
#9. Inside by Bo Burnham
Inside was an interesting project that I can't say I've never experienced, and not just because of the original take on stand-up comedy. It wasn't a movie I immediately enjoyed or found that funny, and when I finished watching it, I respected a lot of the ideas and themes but didn't think it worked as good as it could've as a comedy show. But as I let it sit with me, I started reflecting on the themes of self-worth during isolation, the more prevalent focus on the drama and character growth rather than the jokes, and the darker satire at it all. And while I haven't been in the mood to rewatch, it has stuck with me regardless.
Now that's the movie and the music should be able to stand on it's own outside of it, so how are the songs out of context? Honestly, I actually found the songs funnier outside of the movie than in context. Yeah some of the shorter skits like 'Unpaid Intern' and 'Shit' are still annoying and unfunny but for every joke that misses, there's three that work and still make me smile even after multiple listens. From deconstructing white stereotypes and the white savior trope - and including himself as an example, internet culture and language especially how it's grown with the pandemic, capitalist systems and the dark future of climate changethat awaits us in the future thanks to these systems. But what I love about this album is vulnerability Bo shows. Yes, he'll laugh at the situation and idiots and how fucked we are regarding the climate, but unlike other comics who will point out the dark absurdity from a certain smug vantage point, Bo doesn't act like he's above the situation. After the laughing subsides, he experiences the same fear and anxiety about the future we all do, not to mention his own history of anxiety regarding his art, the worth of his comedy, what he's been doing with his life, and his battles with depression. Dark and grim but still being able to make other people laugh, this shows that Bo Burnham truly has a remarkably creative mind for both music and comedy, and while I don't think we'll get another album like it from Bo given his other ventures, it's a project I hope he can be proud of and laugh with.
Top 3 Songs: Goodbye How the World Works Welcome to the Internet
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 29, 2022 10:20:53 GMT -5
#8. An Overview On Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins
Few albums leave you wanting more but spiritually uplifting and enriching as this album. I know that sounds cheesy and an album about grief being called "soothing" is a bit odd out of context but that's the best way to describe this album. An album that has Cassandra Jenkins struggling with the tragic death of her close friend, singer David Berman; chronicling the numbness as she's travelling to the funeral to the acceptance of his passing. The very soft-spoken delivery of some stellar poetry against ambient jazz and soft country production, it's not music that's showing a breakdown of existentialist dread, but truly is a quiet reflection and meditation of her emotions. All of this sounds so simple and straightforward as I write it and with this just being 31 minutes long, a lesser artists would have the drama feel undercooked or undercut by the song length but Cassandra doesn't waste a second. All the emotions about the situation that need to be expressed are done so with adult maturity that stays composed and it honestly inspires me because of that. If you need soothing music that will also a character wisdom that should be respected and perhaps even emulated, highly say you check this out. It's an overview on human nature that was unlike anything other in 2021.
Top 3 Songs: Ambiguous Norway Hard Drive Michelangelo
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 29, 2022 10:40:16 GMT -5
#7. Julius Eastman, Vol. 1: Femenine by Wild Up
Okay so this is a weird album to have on the list, let alone this high so I need to explain what the hell this is is before I explain why I love it.
So this modern classical is a 67 minute long minimalist chamber music piece entitled Femenine originally composed and performed back in 1974 by Julius Eastman, now being performed, now being played by a group known as Wild Up. I actually listened to the original 1974 piece after I listened to this album and learning about its background. The original piece is also fantastic and if you're into classical composed music, I highly recommend listening to it as well. Listening to this Wild Up's performance, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were simply playing the same composition, note by note and not changing anything. Much in the same way an orchestra may play a piece by Beethoven, there’s subtle changes in how certain instruments are mixed or how there's a greater sense of room in the recordings. Again, it's not immediately noticeable to an untrained ear but to me, it helped show respect for a great and creative piece of music that they also managed to make their own through their playing and recording. Even if you're not into classical music and music composing, I say still check this out if only to hear beautifully choreographed chamber music. I'm looking forward to what Wild Up can make next, either adapting from Julius Eastman again or even their own original creations.
Top 3 "Songs": No. 8 Be Thou My Vision No. 6 Increase No. 5 Eb
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 29, 2022 11:02:09 GMT -5
#6. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz
It’s the most acclaimed album of 2021 for a reason.
I'm honestly at a loss for words and what else I can even say. Simz is proving to be one of the best lyricists in hip-hop. Her pen game is unmatched as far as 80% of other rappers are concerned, as is her flow. She's just got so much swagger and confidence, while being able to do faster flows as a spitter and also even a few mainstream drill flows. The varied production is consistently great as it ranges from soulful sample based hip-hop to more tribal African inspired track to softer and mellower piano tracks. And yeah, the content is as powerful to match how bombastic and epic instrumentation can get: a true female empowerment album that not just shows a good amount of swagger and confidence, not just takes down patriarchal systems both cultural and familial, but still shows her own insecurities and doubts as a rapper and as a woman. Needing to find that balance of being both being strong in the public eye and needing time to be on her own. Again, it's gotten boat loads of acclaim for a reason. Little Simz may have succeeded on both ends of this album: making fantastic music and in being a strong powerful woman in hip-hop not to be messed with. All Hail Simbi.
Top 3 Songs: I Love You, I Hate You How Did You Get Here Rollin Stone
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 7:40:42 GMT -5
#5. The Architect by Eidola
Towards the end of the year, I was beginning to think that I’d listened to most of what this year had to offer. Outside of Arca’s quadrilogy of releases and listening to Sewerslvt’s (potentially) final album, I thought that was all I needed to pay attention to in December. So it was a big surprise and relief I was able to get into this album before the year ended with that. In fact, I’m surprised this hasn’t gotten more attention given how much nostalgia there is now for mid-2000s alt rock is in vogue, and metalcore is seeing a comeback and re-evaluation. Hell, they’re on Rise Records, the same label as Spiritbox, Circa Survive, Mayday Parade, Memphis May Fire, AFI, Angels & Airwaves, PUP, Placebo, and At the Drive In, how has this band gone under the radar?
And seriously, if you're into that mid-2000s progressive alt-rock emo adjacent sound of Coheed & Cambria, Saosin, and Hawthorne Heights, you'll eat this right up. But it's not just a blanket and safe pastiche of old sounds: the screaming sounds great and with real grit and angst, the electric guitars are given real body and there are even some kick-ass solos, the slower more progressive moments aren't too slow and plodding, and throughout it all, it's got some of the best hooks and melodies in rock I've heard in a long time! And that's before we get into the lyircs. I talked about honest vulnerability in the last entry, recognizing your own faults with self-reflection. This is in essence the next step: one that sincerely asks for help without resorting to gaslighting or manipulation and without also being too clingy. And that last bit is very important to why this album works so well: a less honest and poppy band would play it all for cheap melodrama and never really get to vulnerable the way this band does. They acknowledge not only do they have to be honest and naked in wanting that change, but that personal growth is a long road with ups and downs but that we can be make it easier if we reach out with every step. It’s a recognition you can’t do this on your own and you do need help alongside others because like it or not, your struggles with depression and addiction affects everyone. And towards the end of the year...yeah, that was a message I needed to hear. The best rock album of last year by a large margin and one of my favorite discoveries in rock, support this band as soon as possible. Out of all the acts on this list, this is one really more people need to hear.
Top 3 Songs: Perennial Philosophy Counterfeit Shrines Forgotten Tongues
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 8:00:19 GMT -5
#4. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST by Tyler, the Creator
I’m a bit surprised this wound up as my favorite hip-hop album of 2021. It’s not the drastic change in attitude that Flower Boy represented nor did it have the more experimental music and personal writing of IGOR. It probably is Tyler’s most straightforward album. And while I don't think this is as good as Flower Boy, I actually did enjoy this more than IGOR and once it was all said and done, no hip-hop album in 2021 was as consistently enjoyable and fun as this was. Tyler's just gotten so much smoother, confident, and charismatic with his flows and bars that I'm almost jealous of how natural and easy he makes it all seem. The bars And they guest features all bring their A-game: with my favorites coming from great features from Lil Wayne, 42 Dugg, and DAISY WORLD, hell even YoungBoy pulls his weight. And the productions is so summery and chill, it's probably Tyler's lightest and breeziest album to date.
And while it’s be easy to just say this album is just smooth upbeat production with great flows and fun bars thoughts Tyler still shows maturity and cleverness in heavier topics like the in, his public image and person stability of his fame, his public persona and image being co-opted by white audiences without understanding real black concerns, how his past work has helped who he is now but also how it's aged, wanting solidarity with other black men who aren't as successful as him, and especially on WILSHIRE, one of the best and adult songs on cheating I've heard in a while. But at the end of the day: it's Tyler setting the bar yet again with another stellar release of simple, straightforward, fun hip-hop with some of his best ever production, hooks, and fun flows and still being thoughtful, the best type of hip-hop to get lost into.
Top 3 Songs: CORSO RISE! WILSHIRE
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dremolus - solarpunk
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 8:21:17 GMT -5
#3. Nurture by Porter Robinson
I mean…duh. Given this had my favorite song of 2021, it had to show up sooner or later but it wasn’t until I was finalizing this list that this shot up to make the Top 3.
There’s honestly little I can say about Nurture that thousands of Porter’s fans haven’t said. The evolution of Porter as a musician, singer, and especially as a writer was incredible to see in 2020 and to see the results in full were beautiful. From the poppy, mainstream sound of his debut to more luscious, dreamy electropop arrangements with gorgeous piano compositions, erratic breakbeat drum and bass drops, and Porter's vulnerable and frail but engaging vocals. From going from the simple themes and writing of Worlds, to more personal writing about finding value as a musician, celebrating the love of his mother and his fiancé, and just the joy that comes from embracing life and love. It sounds cheesy and corny but after a turbulent year where it seemed like greater change was stalled and compromised, and after yet another episode of depression where I wondered, it was just so refreshing to have an album about having hope and optimism.
And that optimism and positive attitude really was what made me fall in love with this album more than I already had. Hearing a song that enthusiastically and proudly say “I’ll be alive next year”, it really did help me during a few weeks of mental hell, as it did with a lot of people who've also loved this album. It helped remind me the optimism, joy, and hope towards life and love aren't childish or naïve at all, that it is worth living. And if only for the fact it has helped me and other people remember that, this album deserves all the praise and more it's already gotten.
Top 3 Songs: Unfold Look at the Sky Musician
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dremolus - solarpunk
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 8:40:32 GMT -5
#2. OH NO by Xiu Xiu
When you take a step back, I think it’s odd to say art is complex. The idea that something being “complex” is even more subjective than liking something or not. After all, even the simplest pop songs can trigger a multitude of emotions. Much like how liking something is subjective, art having layers and depth or not having it, even if the author intends for that to be the case, is all in the audience’s hands. That things unintentionally unveil deeper societal truths or are more complex Again, all of this is subjective but for me, if there’s an album this year I’d describe as “deep”; that felt like a full palette of emotions, one that varied from wild chaotic noise to genuine, throat drying sadness, sweet love to empty and isolated depression it’s this one.
I’ll be honest, my first impression of Xiu Xiu was not one I enjoyed. I checked out their album from 2019 and even in terms of experimental, nihilistic noisy music, it didn’t really click with me emotionally outside of the blank nihlism and misanthropy. Thus checking this out after some softer dreamier singles would be interesting and just...wow, I did not expect this at all. It's not just that this album is less noisy or experimental as their last album, it's the beautiful dreamy art production on this album still keeps a lot of the darkness but importantly has more humanity on display. Now wild production and bleak nihilism hasn't completely gone away, songs like Rumpus Room, One Hundred Years, and Fuzz Gong Fight sound properly hellish but it's not as in your face. It's slower and creeping with a gothic atmosphere, heavy reverb, and Jamie Stewart in a less manic performance. And it's not just the experimental noisy production that's been scaled back, in place of the sour cynicism and nihilism that could get tired after awhile is a level of vulnerability I did not expect from Jamie Stewart. And it's not just him airing out his own faults and shortcomings as a person, like with Bo Burnham, Jamie Stewart drops any act of being strong and brave and shows a genuine fear towards isolation, of dying before he's properly lived, that he may never be forgiven for any indiscretions he faces, and where a lot of that typical misanthropy towards humanity is reflected back at him. Every song has Stewart singing with a female singer to contrast him and I love the chemistry he has with all of them: in particular Liz Harris of Grouper, Chelsea Wolfe, and Sharon Van Etten. Whether they're acting like a mirror for his own worst tendencies or helping him realize, it never feels like in service of a "woe-is-me" narrative of male ego.
And while this album came up short in topping this list; from a writing stand point, this is the best written project of the year. Just some absolutely beautiful poetry across the project, nearly every song has three to six lines that cut deep, that carry so much weight and power and there's so many examples I could list here but let me just share my favorite from the first song on the album: "I have only ever been special to you/You were so much more than only special to me"
It's an album that tears my heart out every time I listen to even parts of it...so what could be better?
Top 3 Songs: A Bottle of Rum One Hundred Years Sad Mezcalita
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dremolus - solarpunk
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 8:55:18 GMT -5
…y’all are not going to like my pick for the best album of 2021.
Not just because it’s a bit unknown and underground, not just because it’s very experimental and abrasive, but because it’s the type of uncompromising music that alienates a lot of people. Hell, two years ago I would’ve also written this as nothing more than badly mixed noise that was just out to shock the audience rather than make an actual point.
But now, I realize not only is that the point, not only do I see the deeper truths and mature emotions behind it all but that amongst the noise and anger…Black Dresses made not only the best music of their career, they made one of the best musical statements of 2021.
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dremolus - solarpunk
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Post by dremolus - solarpunk on Mar 30, 2022 9:00:07 GMT -5
#1. Forever in Your Heart by BLACK DRESSES
Even though I had been aware and listening to Black Dresses for a while now, hearing Forever in Your Heart for the first time felt like a discovery; the project of theirs that not only showcased the best of their talents but saw them realized in glorious, industrial fashion.
The bleak nihilism and unhinged screaming of Devi, feeling more real and raw than it has ever been with its temptation towards doomerism and defeatism. It's the desperate act in trying to revel and laugh at the world while also trying to keep that anger alive, if only just to want wake up the next morning. The melodic sensibilities of Ada coupled with her more introspective writing on depression, that plays the role of trying to focus all that anger but also still being fragile. The fusion of electropop, screamo, and industrial coalescing in not only their hardest and heaviest project to date, but also actually one of their catchiest and paradoxically most fun album, with some of the best hooks in industrial music I've heard in a while, very Nine Inch Nails-esque. Hell some of the guitars and synths are more crushing and atmospheric than some metal acts I heard last year! It's an album that drags and scrapes you face down against the gravel and concrete, makes sure you understand how bloody, draining, ruthless, and ironically tired the world is in beating the life out of you. The girls are exhausted by the constant struggle to just stay sane and fight on Track 1 and they only pile it on further with the cosmic joke of our existence, how pathetic some attempts at motivation and inspiration for a better future that might never ever come, how nothing politically has gotten better - especially in the climate. So why not just give up already?
Why not just give in to animalistic and nihilistic hedonism, sit back and watch the world burn? There's nothing we can do against a system that won't budge and incremental change will only do so little, and that we've got no power over nature, right now, throwing your hands up feels like the only human thing to do.
And yet at the end, after all is said and done, they'll stand up after getting the shit kicked out of them, wipe the dirt and rubble off their bodies, see how bloodied and bruised they all are...and still fight. That regardless of how terrible the world is or will turn out, how heavy society makes it to live happy lives, living is still all we've got. And whether it's finding commonalities in our anger or depression at the world, we've got each other to keep us intact. Just like my favorite album of last year; it just feels like the vision of the artist was perfectly captured, fully realized to the best of their abilities in both writing and in the music, a project that crept on me with it's greatness.
I’m well aware this is not “objectively the best” and I know most will disagree. But I’m all about honesty so with that said; this is what I think was the best album of 2021. It was the first album I gave an A+ back at the start of March and since that time no album in 2021 came close to topping it. I could say more but I think I've gone on enough and should just let the music speak for itself.
Even if no on else agrees, it's music with emotions I'll have in my heart, forever.
Top 5 Songs: PEACESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gone in an Instant We'll Figure It Out Silver Bells Bulldozer
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