Albums of 2016

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babydoll
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by babydoll »

Nassim, you still haven't listened to Lemonade? I'm surprised.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity

The whole shtick of this album is that it's a 40 something piece of music divided into 9 tracks that loops forever, the first track beginning in media res, the end of the last track ending as such. In this way "Nonagon Infinity" might just be the rock musician's "Finnegans Wake".

The main thing I have to say about this album is that it's incredible how forward thinking it is. Just when you think that rock music can't really find any truly new ways to progress, something totally bizarre like this album comes out and makes you rethink that. This album's combination of punk, of psychedelic rock, and of prog is like just about nothing I've ever heard.

But I can't fully love the album. It's not you, "Nonagon Infinity", it's me. Maybe it's the lead singer's voice that just doesn't jibe with me. Maybe it's the denseness of the album or the combination of punk and prog, while certainly making for an interesting experience also makes for a fairly uneasy one. There's something here that prevents me from connecting further with the music here, but the music here is more than unique enough to gain my approval from sheer admiration at the talent it took to pull this thing off.

Verdict: Good
amnt1882
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by amnt1882 »

Gosh Wildflower is phenomenal, first impressions better than Since I Left You for me
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4 How a guy can make a so good first album and bad second and third albums?
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8 Always a plaesure to listen these littles story with this charming music and beautiful voice.
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5 What a catching album. A lot of good songs, melodies everywhere…typicaly the kind of album I like.
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8.5 Without any doubt, one of the album I will listen all the summer. I have to say he is probably my favorite french singer nowaday.


David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8.5
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
M83 - Junk 0,4
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by PlasticRam »

M83 - Junk 9.3
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 8.8
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 8.6
Bob Dylan - Fallen Angels 8.5
Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book 8.5
James Blake - The Colour in Anything 8.4
Future - EVOL 8.4
Rihanna - Anti 8.2
Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger 8.0
Brian Eno - The Ship 7.9
Parquet Courts - Human Performance 7.8
David Bowie - Blackstar 7.7
Anohni - Hopelessness 7.6
Beyonce - Lemonade 6.9
Drake - Views 6.5
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered 5.0

-------------------------------------------------------

My all-time list at 500 albums:

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/galfond/ ... st_albums/
I feel like that
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

I like the link between our two lists...with some efforts, we can make a perfect 10 for M83. :mrgreen:
Gillingham
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Gillingham »

An update:

1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
2. Minor Victories - Minor Victories
3. The Avalanches - Wildflower
4. PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
5. David Bowie - Blackstar
6. Anderson .Paak - Malibu
7. Ahnoni - Hopelessness
8. Weval - Weval
9. Woods - City Sun Eater in the River of Light
10. Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness
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Moonbeam
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Moonbeam »

The Bride by Bat for Lashes is incredible. First album I've rated 5 stars since 2010.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

My current top ten:

1. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
2. Savages - Adore Life
3. Underworld - Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
4. Lucinda Williams - The Ghosts Of Highway 20
5. David Bowie - Blackstar
6. PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
7. Beyonce - Lemonade
8. Ben Harper - Call It What It Is
9. Tindersticks - The Waiting Room
10. Margo Price - The Midwest Farmer's Daughter
11. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
12. Julie Rhodes - Bound To Meet The Devil
13. The Pines - Above The Prairie
14. James Blake - The Colour In Anything
15. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - A Man Alive
16. Animal Collective - Painting With
17. Frightened Rabbit - Painting Of A Panic Attack
18. Explosions In THe Sky - Wilderness
19. School Of Seven Bells - SVIIB
20. The Jezabels - Synthia

I'm still surprise how few people here seem to be enjoying Ghosts of Highway 20. It's easily Lucinda Williams' best album in over a decade.
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Maschine_Man
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Maschine_Man »

Moonbeam wrote:The Bride by Bat for Lashes is incredible. First album I've rated 5 stars since 2010.
I feel like it lost a bit of its steam halfway through. I have left it alone for a while instead of trying to force it.

I have really enjoyed the new Mitski album. What would be the next album of hers to check out?
DocBrown
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by DocBrown »

Maschine_Man wrote:I have really enjoyed the new Mitski album. What would be the next album of hers to check out?
While "Bury Me at Make out Creek" was much loved in the 2014 year end review at AMF, I really love her debut "Lush"
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Aphex Twin- Cheetah (EP)

Aphex Twin named his latest EP after Cheetah Marketing, a British manufacturer of electronic music instruments in the 1980s. The name is especially fitting, as the entirety of the EP recalls 80s techno, giving the release a decidedly retro feel to it. The songs here aren't typical Aphex Twin by any means, even ignoring the mild 80s revivalism. The EP moves at a slower pace than the bulk of his music does, and it moves with a relaxed, even calming feel to it, in marked contrast to some of Aphex Twin's most popular work. Overall the EP isn't doing anything stunning or innovative, which may disappoint some accustomed to Richard D. James' knack for constantly pushing the boundaries of the genre. But the EP does mark a new sound for Aphex Twin himself, and the songs found here are executed with great attention to detail.

Verdict: Good
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5 A band who overflow the radios in France in the end of the 90's. This return album is not bad but franckly not a masterpiece.
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5 If I don't like the volume one last year, this one is far better. The sound is impressive and all the collaboration are interesting.
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7 Interesting and solid album. A little bit too long maybe.
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5 A delicious album by a good band. The voices are particulary brillant.
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5 For the first time, a little bit disapointed by some songs…but the others…raaah, I love so much this band.


David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5
Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
M83 - Junk 0,4
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Mattceinicram
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Mattceinicram »

Hello, I have retured to the forum.

My top ten:
1. Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial
2. Chance the Rapper- Coloring Book
3. Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool
4. David Bowie- Backstar
5. Beyonce- Lemonade
6. ANOHNI- Hopelessness
7. Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth
8. Deakin- Sleep Cycle
9. Anderson Paak- Malibu
10. Whitney- Light Upon the Lake
Check out my music review blog! Matt and Music! mattandmusic.blogspot.com
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

After a really, really slow past month in terms of new releases, it's looking like we'll be getting some pretty cool stuff in September. Here's what's on my radar. Anything else I should be excited over?

Angel Olsen- My Woman- September 2nd
Wilco- Schmilco- September 9th
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds- Skeleton Tree- September 9th
M.I.A.- A.I.M.- September 9th
Bon Iver- 22, A Million- September 30th
Jenny Hval- Blood Bitch- September 30th
Green Day- Revolution Radio- October 7th

Chromatics- Dear Tommy- TBA
Flying Lotus- TBA- TBA
Frank Ocean- Boys Don’t Cry- TBA
Gorillaz- TBA- TBA
Justice- TBA- TBA
LCD Soundsystem- TBA- TBA
MGMT- TBA- TBA
Run the Jewels- Run the Jewels 3- TBA
The Shins- TBA- TBA
Spiritualized- TBA- TBA
Vampire Weekend- TBA- TBA
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Memoryhouse - Soft Hate 3 Not in the good mood at all for this music. Patricularly unpleasant for my ears.
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project 7,5 I'm not a huge fan of PJ Harvey. Let England Shake let me completely cold but this one touch a "sensible chord". I like it really much the variety of sound and atmosphere.
Preoccupations - Preoccupations 9 A great album with a great atmosphere, on a genre I always like.



David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Preoccupations - Preoccupations 9
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project 7,5
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5
Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate 3
M83 - Junk 0,4
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

Four albums quickly shooting up my list:

Amber Arcades - Fading Lines
The Pines - Above The Prairie
The Avalanches -Wildflower
Field Music - Commontime
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Frank Ocean- Endless

Frank Ocean's "visual album", the release of "Endless" preceded that of his formal second studio album "Blonde" by a couple of days. Rumor has it that "Endless" was released as a contractual obligation, a way to get out of his label in order to release "Blonde" independently. If true, this stunt will have to go right up there with the Stones' release of "Cocksucker Blues" in terms of giving your label the middle finger. "Endless" is mostly a mediocre mess, with plenty of songs that just end up going nowhere, and few songs that stick in your mind once you're a couple seconds into the next song. Case in point, out of the 18 songs here 9 of them are under the 2 minute mark (and 6 of those 9 are below the 1 minute mark). "Endless" isn't a total loss, though. Frank's voice is still as powerful as ever, after all. But the album doesn't feel like a real "album" (and if the rumors are to be believed, there's a good reason behind that). The album doesn't even feel like a B-sides compilation. Instead it just feels like the remnants of songs cut from "Blonde", rough drafts of songs that were never further developed.

Verdict: Meh

Frank Ocean- Blonde

It's almost impossible for me to think of "Blonde" without comparing it to "Channel Orange", and I won't try and shy away from such comparisons here. Released 4 years after his previous album, "Blonde" is sparser, more laid back, more melancholic, and more world weary than "Channel Orange". On songs like "Bad Religion" he sounded desperate, on "Blonde" he sounds like a man full of blase acceptance. It's an interesting flip side to the more passionate romanticism of that 2012 album of his, and most of the time the songs truly pull through, the resigned synths that back up Frank's always stellar voice are the perfect accent to the angst that fills his lyrics. But the comparisons to "Channel Orange" are ever present, and it's easy to miss the sonic diversity that "Channel Orange" had (compare "Thinkin Bout You" to "Pyramids" to "Monks" to "Fertilizer" to...). This is especially evident in the album's second half, where the singular aesthetic of the album starts to grow a little monotonous. At its best, there's no song on "Blonde" that can stand in the same lofty echelon as "Thinkin Bout You" or "Pyramids". But this is an album meant to be devoured as a single, cohesive whole. It's an album that rewards repeated listens.

Verdict: Very Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Bruno »

Cool reviews, Nick.

What your favorite songs on "Blonde"?
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Bruno wrote:Cool reviews, Nick.

What your favorite songs on "Blonde"?
Thanks!

My favorites all come from the first half. "Ivy", "Pink + White", "Solo", and "Nights". People really seem to love "Nikes", but I can't get past the weird voice.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Crystal Castles- Amnesty (I)

Losing a lead vocalist is hard, especially when you're a duo like Crystal Castles. So how has the band fared without Alice Glass? Surprisingly well it seems. "Amnesty (I)" is a confrontational blast of Crystal Castles' signature experimental witch house sound, condensed into a brief 33 minutes. There's nothing on the album that reaches the incredible heights of "Celestica", "Untrust Us", "Not in Love", or any other of the band's most well known songs. But Edith Frances is a more than capable vocalist, helping propel the otherworldly dread and ethereal aesthetic of Ethan Kath's instrumentals, the same way that Alice Glass did on the band's first three studio albums.

Verdict: Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Young Thug

I've never really liked Young Thug, but after his fantastic feature on Jamie xx's "Good Times" and the positive reviews this mixtape was getting, I thought I'd give him another chance.

My opinion hasn't changed. By now I've figured out that the "point" of Young Thug is that the music is supposed to be fun, but there's really no fun found here for me. Thug's voice still really isn't my cup of tea, the songs here have memorable elements, but never really come together in a way to make anything stay in your mind once the song's over. I guess it sounds like adequate party music, but there's really so much better party music out there that it's hard for me to ever imagine putting this tape on at a party.

It's not bad, but I really don't get it.

Verdict: Meh
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whuntva
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by whuntva »

Has anyone heard Skeleton Tree yet?

I'm about halfway through now and I do kinda like it. Nick Cave doing monotonous spoken-word like stuff is actually kinda enjoyable. I feel like this record has a good flow and surprisingly, an energy.

He's proven that age is but a number and he can still crank out a good one now and then.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by TimmyWing »

Skeleton Tree is one of the most chilling albums I've ever heard in my life.
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Metronomy - Summer 08 4 Less and less interesting each albums. Two songs to save here.
The Divine Comedy - Foreverland 6 Very disapointing. I adore this "band" especially for their melodies and their catchy songs. Here, it's always pleasant but nothing more.
Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 8,5 This album is a splendor. I hope it can became a classic in the futur.
Anohni - Hopelessness 9 What I have to say? Always the same story with her, a sublime voice and good storyteller. I'm in love with her music since the first time I hear his song.



David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Anohni - Hopelessness 9
Preoccupations - Preoccupations 9
Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 8,5
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project 7,5
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5
The Divine Comedy - Foreverland 6
Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

Metronomy - Summer 08 4
Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate 3
M83 - Junk 0,4
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BleuPanda
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by BleuPanda »

Skeleton Tree might have overtaken Blackstar as my album of the year...what a depressing year at the top...
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Some new listens to review...

Angel Olsen- My Woman

While I prefer her last album, 2014's "Burn Your Fire for No Witness" a little over this one, "My Woman" is still an engaging listen. The album combines the singer's signature indie folk/pop/rock sounds with some occasional bursts of dissonant guitar work. Occasionally on the longer songs the album will meander, but punchy tracks like "Shut Up Kiss Me" make the LP as a whole more than worthwhile.

Verdict: Good

M.I.A.- AIM

Even at her worst (2010's "Maya"), M.I.A. still had a way of sounding unique. Sadly, that uniqueness is sorely missed here, as many of these songs sound like generic radio pop without the hooks to land them in the Billboard top 10. There are some really good tracks here though, particularly the first two, but for every good track with the sort of stellar production that was found on "Arular" and "Kala" you're met with tracks with really questionable production choices, like on "Bird Song" and "Freedun". This album is a mess, there's no way around that. As it stands, I'd say it's her second worst album, after 2010's disaster that was "Maya". But at least "Maya" had the highlights where it counted (see "Born Free" and "XXXO").

Verdict: Meh

Wilco- Schmilco

More most of the last decade in Wilco's career, they've had the unfortunate label of "dad rock" hanging over their heads. My feelings towards the idea of labeling something "dad rock" aside, this still isn't a fair treatment of post-"Ghost is Born" Wilco. While the experimentation of that album and previous works is missed, the band has cranked out enough great tunes during the past decade to make any band jealous ("Impossible Germany", "What Light", "You Never Know", and "Art of Almost" being a few of many). But lately the band seems to be running low on ideas. Last year's "Star Wars" was full of good aesthetic sense but bereft of memorable songs, and "Schmilco" suffers from the same problems. Here's hoping the band makes one last magnum opus before calling it quits.

Verdict: Decent

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Skeleton Tree

I've been waiting for the album that turns Nick Cave from an artist I admire into an artist that I love. This album may not be it, but it's a damn good album nonetheless. It's a morbid album, and in light of both Nick Cave's past three decades of work as well as the circumstances of its creation (his teenage son dying during the recording process), such morbidity is to be expected. If you've heard previous Nick Cave albums you more or less know what you're getting into here, but the songwriting chops and relative brevity of the record put this one a cut or two above some of the other albums of his that I've heard.

Verdict: Very Good

Kemba- Negus

Kemba has more than enough lyrical and rhythmic chops to hold his own on "Negus", his debut rap album under this name (previously he rapped under the moniker "YC the Cynic"). His raps are both witty and poignant, and the socially conscious themes that he deals with suit the dark tons of the production. For the most part, this dark understated production does well with both his lyrics and his voice, though other times the production could've been a little livelier. Regardless, Kemba is definitely a rapper to keep an eye on. Great things could come from him.

Verdict: Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jackson »

Skeleton Tree is just a brutal listen, instantly becoming one of the saddest albums I've ever heard. It definitely deserves the acclaim it is getting, particularly for the final three songs, which are absolutely devastating. I Need You is one of the best songs I've heard by Nick Cave.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Pierre »

I'm just out of Skeleton Tree. This album, man. I just feel so empty now. I haven't felt like walking through the ruins of a shattered soul this intensely since Closer.

I feel so sad for Nick Cave. How did he even manage to walk into a studio? He feels totally devastated on several numbers here. All my thoughts are with you, Prince of Darkness. I can't even imagine how you're feeling now, but if what's on Skeleton Tree is even merely a reflection of it, it must be so intensely painful that I'm wondering how you even found the courage to share it with us.

Sorry for the swearing, but what the f--- is going on with the last two years? The terrorist attacks everywhere, David Bowie's Blackstar followed by is passing and then a wave of passings across beloved artists that seemed like it would go on forever and took away several of my idols, some passings among my friends and acquaintances which thankfully didn't affect my family and closest loved ones, now this. I feel terrified now. It seems the current years are dedicated to death and mourning, and after Bowie, Nick Cave just soundtracked it so perfectly. I'm just left wondering when it will be my turn to see a close loved one go. We're going through such a weird era.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

Just found out Preoccupations is Viet Cong. There needs to be memos for this sort of thing.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Harold »

Jirin wrote:Just found out Preoccupations is Viet Cong. There needs to be memos for this sort of thing.
http://acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewto ... f=2&t=4141

:|
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

Harold wrote:
Jirin wrote:Just found out Preoccupations is Viet Cong. There needs to be memos for this sort of thing.
http://acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewto ... f=2&t=4141

:|
Nice, guess there was a memo. ;)

Really good album.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by jamieW »

"Skeleton Tree" does pack some emotional wallop. Since I live in a shell, I might be the only one on the forum who hadn't yet heard about the tragic death of Nick Cave's teenage son. When I first listened to the album, I still didn't know. It was dark, but that's exactly what I expect from Nick Cave. (The first time I heard "Mercy Seat," my favorite song of his, I was shocked by how relentlessly brutal it sounded.) Then, when I read the comments in the forum, I re-listened to it fully aware of the painful context. It's often difficult for me to rate albums like this, simply because they're too harrowing for repeat listens, but I'm quite sure this will rank very highly on my year-end list.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

1. Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool
2. Emma Pollock: In Search of Harperfield
3. David Bowie : ★
4. Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial
5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree
6. Angel Olsen: My Woman
7. Whitney: Light Upon the Lake
8. Mothers: When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired
9. The Avalanches: Wildflower
10. Sunflower Bean: Human Ceremony
11. Michael Kiwanuka: Love & Hate
12. Damien Jurado: Visions Of Us On The Land
13. Andrew Bird: Are You Serious
14. Parquet Courts: Human Performance
15. Anderson .Paak: Malibu
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

I will add Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate to my list of YE top ten contenders.

Great soulful protest album.
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Bombay - Show Your Teeth 6,5 Typicaly the kind of music I like but here, something missed on the production to creat a great album… alittle bit of madness maybe?
Papooz - Green Juice 7 Simple pleasant album full of melodies and picking guitars. Too bad the rest of the album is not as good as the first three songs.
Françoiz Breut - Zoo 7,5 One of my favourite French artist since some years. Good text, beautiful voice and great music.
Ólafur Arnalds - Island Songs 8 Always in love with this guy. Here, one song per week, in seven places of his island.
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm - Trance Frendz 8,5 Simple piano, a little bit of electronic and, as usual with Olafur, a peaceful time capsule. All the pieces written and recorded in 8 hours.


David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Anohni - Hopelessness 9
Preoccupations - Preoccupations 9
Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 8,5
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm - Trance Frendz 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8
Ólafur Arnalds - Island Songs 8
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Françoiz Breut - Zoo 7,5
Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project 7,5
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Papooz - Green Juice 7
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5
Bombay - Show Your Teeth 6,5
The Divine Comedy - Foreverland 6,5
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5

Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

Metronomy - Summer 08 4
Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate 3
M83 - Junk 0,4
Nick
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Preoccupations- Preoccupations

Formerly known as Viet Cong, Preoccupations make claustrophobic post-punk music that has all the fierce and brutal emotional hallmarks of the genre's forebears. What the band may lack in originality they more than make up for in style, as every song on their latest album is packed with catharsis. There's something to be said about bands that aren't doing anything new, but what they are doing they're doing well. If you liked the first Viet Cong album, you'll like this.

Verdict: Good

Japanese Breakfast- Psychopomp

Some bands I check out because they've been recommended to me by a friend. Others I check out because they've been getting great reviews and I want to see what all the hype is about. And other bands I check out because any chance encounter I've had with them has been so enticing, so wonderful, that I just have to hear more. Japanese Breakfast, on the other hand, I checked out because I they're band name sounded cool. Japanese Breakfast is the musical project of Michelle Zauner, and the music she makes could best be described as "lazy Sunday afternoon staring at the ceiling existential teenage angst dream pop guitar music". "Psychopomp" is short, sweet, and to the point, without so much as a second wasted. And the song "Everybody Wants to Love You" may just be one of the most infectious indie pop releases of the year.

Verdict: Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Jenny Hval- Blood Bitch

I happened to see Jenny Hval live, as an opener for St. Vincent back in early 2015. I didn't really know what to expect, but the ghostly wailing of Ms. Hval accompanied with instrumentation that could easily soundtrack a torture chamber certainly wasn't what I, nor the hundreds of St. Vincent fans filling the venue, expected. But hearing "Female Vampire", the first single off of her latest album "Blood Bitch", was enough to place the album on my list of anticipated releases. The song has an atmosphere reminiscent of the best songs off of Grimes' 2012 album "Visions", an ethereal voice, both ominous and alluring, along with pulsating synths that propel the songs here forward and only further the already ominous air the album has. The rest of the album never reaches the heights that "Female Vampire" does, but at its best it's able to come close, like on songs such as "Conceptual Romance". Where the album falters is when it gets a little too abstract for its own good. The 6 minute long "The Plague" is filled with promising ideas, but just comes off as a formless mess. That being said, the good outweighs the bad here, as the "Blood Bitch" has great singles, exceptional sense of atmosphere, and strong thematic elements (references to feminism appear throughout, whether in the form of periods, vampires, or both) that make it an album worth hearing.

Verdict: Good
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Pierre
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Pierre »

I know that La Femme's first album, Psycho Tropical Berlin, was popular here so I want to let you guys know that their sophomore release, titled Mystère, is out. The album roughly features the same formula as on their first album, and the second-to-last song, "Vagues", is unnecessarily long, but otherwise it's really good. As I said, their blend of new wave and surf rock is still their main recipe, but I feel that the influence of 60s psych pop and yé-yé is more visible than before. The album is receiving triumphant reviews from French outlets.

It easily unseats Christophe's Les Vestiges du chaos as my favourite French album of the year, which is a relief for me as having a work from such a veteran act as my favourite of 2016 made me fear that I was growing old. That said, my favourite 2016 album overall is a tie between David Bowie and Nick Cave, so I'm not exactly out of trouble yet...
Nick
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition

Taking its name from both the Joy Division song and the J.G. Ballard novel, Danny Brown's latest album is probably his best album yet, an especially high praise when considering how great previous albums "XXX" and "Old" were. Right from the album's first song, "Downward Spiral", we're met with some of the most abstract beats that Brown has rapped to. The producers here (including Petite Noir, The Alchemist, and Black Milk, though many of the tracks don't have their production credits listed on Wikipedia) craft ominous beat after ominous beat, which might suggest monotony, but the producers ultimately succeed where lesser ones would fail, by crafting a sonic landscape that is both ominous and incredibly engaging, just like the way Joy Division were able to do with their music. The music on the album undergoes a sort of tonal shift on track six ("Ain't It Funny"), as the beats become more abrasive and searing. They sacrifice some of their subtlety that made the production on the first five songs so engaging, but Brown's rapping suits the songs, and within a couple of tracks the album reverses on its tonal shift. The music here is dense, and the album is more concise than anything Brown has put out in the past, a scant 15 tracks over 46 minutes (compare to "Old", which had 19 tracks over 56 minutes). If you like Danny Brown, and his signature blend of drug addled paranoia rap, this album is a must.

Verdict: Great
discord
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by discord »

This year's Weezer album is fantastic. I actually think it might be their best album.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Nicolas Jaar- Sirens

The songs here congeal in a way that the previous work I've heard by him never really has (exempting his work as a member of Darkside). With that being said, Jaar still has a tendency to drag things out to where my interest begins to fade, but this is only really a problem on the two songs here that hover around the ten minute mark. There are a lot more traditional song structures here than on his debut, 2011's "Space Is Only Noise" as well as his series of "Nymphs" EPs he put out last year, which often work to his favor, as does his blend of electronica, downtempo, rock, pop, and occasionally dissonant bursts of jazz. I'm still not entirely sold on his aesthetic, but if he keeps at it with this direction he's taking, I could be totally won over in an album or two.

Verdict: Good/Decent
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bootsy
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by bootsy »

Nick wrote:Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition

Taking its name from both the Joy Division song and the J.G. Ballard novel, Danny Brown's latest album is probably his best album yet, an especially high praise when considering how great previous albums "XXX" and "Old" were. Right from the album's first song, "Downward Spiral", we're met with some of the most abstract beats that Brown has rapped to. The producers here (including Petite Noir, The Alchemist, and Black Milk, though many of the tracks don't have their production credits listed on Wikipedia) craft ominous beat after ominous beat, which might suggest monotony, but the producers ultimately succeed where lesser ones would fail, by crafting a sonic landscape that is both ominous and incredibly engaging, just like the way Joy Division were able to do with their music. The music on the album undergoes a sort of tonal shift on track six ("Ain't It Funny"), as the beats become more abrasive and searing. They sacrifice some of their subtlety that made the production on the first five songs so engaging, but Brown's rapping suits the songs, and within a couple of tracks the album reverses on its tonal shift. The music here is dense, and the album is more concise than anything Brown has put out in the past, a scant 15 tracks over 46 minutes (compare to "Old", which had 19 tracks over 56 minutes). If you like Danny Brown, and his signature blend of drug addled paranoia rap, this album is a must.

Verdict: Great
I seeing very good things about this. I can't wait to listen to it.
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spiritualized
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by spiritualized »

Pierre wrote:I know that La Femme's first album, Psycho Tropical Berlin, was popular here so I want to let you guys know that their sophomore release, titled Mystère, is out. The album roughly features the same formula as on their first album, and the second-to-last song, "Vagues", is unnecessarily long, but otherwise it's really good. As I said, their blend of new wave and surf rock is still their main recipe, but I feel that the influence of 60s psych pop and yé-yé is more visible than before. The album is receiving triumphant reviews from French outlets.

It easily unseats Christophe's Les Vestiges du chaos as my favourite French album of the year, which is a relief for me as having a work from such a veteran act as my favourite of 2016 made me fear that I was growing old. That said, my favourite 2016 album overall is a tie between David Bowie and Nick Cave, so I'm not exactly out of trouble yet...
Totally agree. Love the variety of it.
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by PlasticRam »

New Bon Iver is a lot to digest, but I like it. Very experimental, weird.
I feel like that
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

Birdy Nam Nam - Dance Or Die 1 Nope nope nope nope nope nope !
Bon Iver - 22 A Million 3 It's not because you try something that is good thing. And I usually love him a lot.
Bat For Lashes - The Bride 5 Far too much pathos for me.
Chairlift - Moth 5,5 Not my dope.
Guided By Voices - Please Be Honest 6 The "long" songs are good but the album is full of little piece of music not so interesting.
Wire - Nocturnal Koreans 7 If you like Wire, no chance to dislike this one, it's Typically them.
Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being 9 I love this kind of album. Their first album (Zaba) in 2014 was a complete success and this one is totally enjoyable again.

David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being 9
Anohni - Hopelessness 9
Preoccupations - Preoccupations 9
Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 8,5
Yeasayer - Amen and Goodbye 8,5
The Kills - Ash and Ice 8,5
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm - Trance Frendz 8,5
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 8,5
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8
Benjamin Biolay - Palermo Holywood 8
Ólafur Arnalds - Island Songs 8
Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 8
The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect 8
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8

Françoiz Breut - Zoo 7,5
Yuck - Stranger Things 7,5
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project 7,5
Band Of Horses - Why Are You Ok? 7,5
Wire - Nocturnal Koreans 7
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 7
James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7
Savages - Adore Life 7
Papooz - Green Juice 7
Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 The Heart Of Noise 6,5
Bombay - Show Your Teeth 6,5
The Divine Comedy - Foreverland 6,5
Jain - Zanaka 6,5
Louise Attaque - Anomalie 6,5

Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Guided By Voices - Please Be Honest 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5
Chairlift - Moth 5,5
Bat For Lashes - The Bride 5
Metronomy - Summer 08 4
Blood Orange - Freetown Sound 4
Bon Iver - 22 A Million 3
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate 3
Birdy Nam Nam - Dance Or Die 1
M83 - Junk 0,4
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Bon Iver- 22, A Million

Bon Iver's first album, 2007's "For Emma, Forever Ago" was a great record, but a record of fairly straightforward folk tunes that gained their power not from experimentation, but from the great songwriting they contained. But as soon as 2009's "Blood Bank" EP came about, it was clear that Vernon had greater aspirations for the band than just repeating what made "For Emma" such a success. On that EP Vernon displayed an admiration for something almost antithetical to both the sound and the underlying philosophy of folk music, the synthesizers. But the times of Dylan being branded Judas for daring to play the electric guitar were far behind Vernon, and his evolution lead him not only to critical acclaim and a loyal fan base, but also to some unlikely bedfellows (most notably Kanye West). In 2011 Bon Iver released their self-titled sophomore album, an album that by some strange alchemy perfected the alignment of these two disparate genres, melding acoustic guitar and synthesizer in a way that never once felt gimmicky or cheesy, but felt like a marriage done in earnest. With this in mind, it's only natural to see "22, A Million" as the culmination of this marriage, the point where one begins to wonder how on earth the band could ever go any farther than this.

The limits of the possibilities in this union of folk and synth are pushed to their furthest logical extent, acoustic guitars and Vernon's soulful voice interjected with a robotic "it might be over soon" and swelling synths come on the opening track, "22 (OVER S∞∞N)", the album's mission statement that only really hints at what is to come. Soon, the songs begin to dissolve under the weight of their duality, as if folk and synth can no longer exist in the sort of perfect harmony they did on "Bon Iver, Bon Iver". Digital artifacts and glitches abound here, but no matter how chaotic it gets, the soul of these songs remain intact. That is to say, no matter how great of an aesthetic the band is able to come up with, they're still able to give you something that has a core to it, something that's more than just empty experiment for the sake of empty experiment. Much like My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless", an album that comes with its own idiosyncratic aesthetic, there are still some great songs buried under the layers of distortion/corruption here. And ultimately, that's the highest compliment that I can give the band. They've succeeded in doing what few bands are capable of, taking a sound and pushing it to its absolute conceptual limit, without ever losing sight of the one thing that made the sound so appealing in the first place. It all comes down to the songs.

Verdict: Excellent
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Live in Phoenix
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Live in Phoenix »

I have the new Garbage album Strange Little Birds (they're coming to the state fair, which I can't make it to anymore, but anyhoo). It's actually quite good as I'm listening to it. I would have maybe figured they'd still be partying like it's 1995, but the production is more high-tech, and it no longer has the B-movie atmosphere of the first 2 albums.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

The year is three quarters of the way over! Time for a round up...

Excellent:

1. David Bowie- Blackstar
2. Anohni- Hopelessness
3. Bon Iver- 22, A Million

Great:

4. Maxwell- blackSUMMERS'night
5. Beyoncé- Lemonade
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Skeleton Key
7. Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition
8. Kanye West- The Life of Pablo
9. Kaytranada- 99.9%
10. Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial

Very Good:

11. Frank Ocean- Blonde
12. Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool
13. The Avalanches- Wildflower
14. Swans- The Glowing Man
15. PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project
16. James Blake- The Colour in Anything
17. Death Grips- Bottomless Pit

Good:

18. Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth
19. Preoccupations- Preoccupations
20. Jenny Hval- Blood Bitch
21. Angel Olsen- My Woman
22. Mitski- Puberty 2
23. Japanese Breakfast- Psychopomp
24. Blood Orange- Freetown Sound
25. Chance the Rapper- Coloring Book
26. Kiran Leonard- Grapefruit
27. Chairlift- Moth
28. Anderson .Paak- Malibu
29. Parquet Courts- Human Performance
30. Tegan and Sara- Love You to Death
31. Joey Purp- iiiDrops
32. Todd Terje & The Olsens- The Big Cover-Up (EP)
33. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity
34. Crystal Castles- Amnesty (I)
35. Aphex Twin- Cheetah (EP)
36. Pinkshinyultrablast- Grandfeathered
37. Woods- City Sun Eater in the River of Light
38. Kamaiyah- A Good Night in the Ghetto
39. Kendrick Lamar- Untitled Unmastered
40. Weezer- Weezer (White Album)
41. Nicolas Jaar- Sirens
42. White Lung- Paradise
43. Bob Dylan- Fallen Angels
44. Kemba- Negus

Decent:

45. G.L.O.S.S.- Trans Day of Revenge (EP)
46. Wilco- Schmilco
47. Disclosure- Moog for Love (EP)
48. Tim Hecker- Love Streams
49. Brian Eno- The Ship

Meh:

50. Young Thug- Jeffery
51. M.I.A.- AIM
52. The Strokes- Future Present Past (EP)
53. The Field- The Follower
54. Frank Ocean- Endless
55. Drake- Views
56. M83- Junk
57. Primal Scream- Chaosmosis
58. Savages- Adore Life
59. Animal Collective- Painting With

Very Bad:

60. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon- Jesu/Sun Kil Moon
Bruno
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Bruno »

Top Albums

1. Frank Ocean - Blond
2. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
3. Beyoncé - Lemonade
4. David Bowie - Blackstar
5. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
6. ANOHNI - Hopelessness
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
8. Maxwell - blackSUMMERS'night
9. Angel Olsen - My Woman
10. PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
11. Bon Iver - 22, Million
12. Parquet Courts - Human Performance
13. Anderson .Paak - Malibu
14. Blood Orange - Freetown Sound
15. The Avalanches - Wildflower
16. KAYTRANADA - 99.9%
17. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
18. James Blake - The Colour in Anything
19. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
20. Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
21. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate
22. Mitski - Puberty 2
23. Savages - Adore Life
24. Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth
25. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
26. Drake - Views
27. Daughter - Not To Disappear
28. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
29. Tim Hecker - Love Streams
30. Tindersticks - The Waiting Room
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