10 | Twin Sister — In Heaven
In Heaven is a sweet album that sounds like it’s from the 80s. I love the girl/boy duo of Andrea and Eric, who complement each other wonderfully. They pull you into their dreamy little world of their own, full of nostalgia and adolescence.
09 | M83 — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (1 | 2)
AUGH OKAY songs about dreams/songs that sound like dreams are my favorite. The title itself already ranks itself as one of my favorite album titles ever. The whole album feels very childish and reminiscent of a fantasy, and Anthony Gonzalez captured it perfectly. Hurry Up is synth pop at its best, lush with layers and imagination. Like Liz Lemon, I want to go to there.
I’m not even a huge dub step fan but this 21 year old wunderkind re-invented that genre. Sometimes it’s just like, What the fuck where you saying in that one song? I don’t care, these beats are dope!!! His music can be sort of irritating sometimes with how sparse it is but he can control it so well because he knows what he’s doing. James Blake translates even better live, when the bass pierces from your ribs to your spine.
07 | Lykke Li — Wounded Rhymes
Lykke Li just exudes confidence and sensuality, but then she also reveals a vulnerable side in her second debut album, too. I love love love how sexual she is: like a shotgun needs an outcome / I’m your prostitute, you’re gonna get some. and then she can also write incredible depressing songs: sadness is a blessing / sadness is a pearl / sadness is my boyfriend / sadness, I’m your girl. Wounded Rhymes is a great album from start to finish and is such a treat.
06 | Frank Ocean — nostalgia/ULTRA
FRANK MOTHERFUCKING OCEAN. I was really hesitant to listen to him at first because he’s part of OFWGKTA and I hate them more than annual pap smears, but after hearing We All Try I was in love. This is his debut mix tape but it hardly even sounds like one. Plus, he sampled over The Eagles’ “Hotel California” which is ballsy as fuck. I’m just so proud of how far he’s gone from barely anyone knowing his name earlier this year to working with Jay-Z and Kanye West. I wish more R&B could sound like him: honest, raw and bare.
05 | The Throne — Watch the Throne
The two masters of hip-hop from opposite sides of the spectrum was a great collaboration, with Jay-Z being pulled into Kanye’s crazy world. I really love the idea of Watch the Throne, how even though they’ve paved their way to fame, they still have to watch the throne. Even though the album talks about their lavish lifestyle, they still recollect on their hardships, especially in Gotta Have It and Murder to Excellence.
04 | St. Vincent — Strange Mercy
I’ve always liked St. Vincent but it wasn’t until her third album, Strange Mercy, that I really connected with her. Strange Mercy is just so somber and pessimistic yet confident, especially in Cheerleader when she repetitively says, I, I, I, don’t want to be a cheerleader anymore. Strange Mercy represents a proud rebellion to life; finally standing up for what one believes.
03 | The Rapture — In the Grace of Your Love
The Rapture came back after a long hiatus. They’ve refined their sound from punk rock to more disco and In the Grace of Your Love is such a feel good album all around. It must not be easy coming back after such a long time, but they did it well because all I want to do is dance my ass off to this album, even to the sad post-break up song of Miss You.
02 | The Weeknd — House of Balloons
Abel Tesfaye is only 21 and has already released three mix tapes this year. His music is simply incredible, because he doesn’t sound like an amateur at all. Even his lyrics paint such a dark picture that make you question whether it’s fantasy or reality. I sort of think of him and Lana Del Rey in the same vein, how Lana Del Rey is more of the daylight of Hollywood and The Weeknd is the night time, since he talks about such heavy subject matter like drugs and the morning after. The Weeknd is so much more about show than tell, which is why his music can be so jarring and captivating at once.
House of Balloons is such a great narrative because the songs start from the beginning of the night with getting high, to having sex and coming down from drugs to the morning after and then the consequences. This line from House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls is my absolute favorite: “I heard he do drugs now” / you heard wrong I been on them for a minute / we just never act a fool / that’s just how we fuckin’ livin’ / and when we act a fool / it’s probably cause we mixed it. I also can’t get over the fact that he sampled Beach House and Siouxsee and the Banshees.
01 | Tune-Yards — W H O K I L L
This probably surprises no one, but I pretty much consider Merrill Garbus one of my idols. At first I was turned off by Tune-Yards a) because of the sticky caps, WHO DOES THAT? but Merrill explained that in her MySpace days it was to catch attention and b) they just sounded so rambunctious! But that’s sort of the point: Merrill wants to be loud and release this beast inside of her. I love how she brings in these African influences but still manages to create her own sound that can only be Merrill. Sometimes she doesn’t even use words, she just goes ARGHHHH and makes random police noises on her own. Her voice is an instrument all on its own, and she utilizes to the max. Her music isn’t just about being loud, though: she brings up all sorts of social issues such as feminism, racism, oppression, body image, etc. She’s really inspired me to be louder and not to be passive anymore.
prguitarman
pixelskylines
turnnoffyourmind
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