VotY 2015 and Summer 2016 catch-up
A little more than a year ago now, I was diving headfirst into all of the top-albums lists that the internet music world had to offer. It was the first year that I began to stay on top of music as it came out, following online reviews and community discussion. So, naturally, I figured I would throw my own two-cent hat into the ring, in the form of Vinyl of the Year--but it wasn’t really until now that I wanted to have a place to dump opinions while thinking about my own personal favorites to go along with it. It’s a win-win situation: It will help me remember what I like about music as it gets released, and you, the reader, can more easily tell me why I’m wrong!
So without further exposition, here’s a look back on what I liked in 2015 (in order of release date):
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Listen here
Throughout this whole record, Kendrick shows how much he’s grown from Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, from the amazing, complex production and instrumentals to the hilarious, heavy, and hard-hitting lyrics. Even the overarching theme of the album is centered on growing to his full potential, through the metamorphosis from the Compton streets to the Grammys--and the way this album sticks together to show that is one of the best parts about it. The monologue that builds up through the album takes the listener through various points in Kendrick’s development, and he’s able to seamlessly change the mood across tracks to match his perspective then--from triumphant, to suicidal, to arrogant, to enraged, to confident. With To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick gives us a complete view into how he got to the top, and if he keeps this quality up his reign is sure to continue--and hopefully he won’t get robbed of AOTY at the Grammys again when that happens.
Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves
Listen here
In their sixth album, Modest Mouse turn their trademark cynicism up to 11, while expanding in their musical style and using sounds that are a far cry from the band’s early days of guitar-centric rock. The change isn’t out of nowhere; a good chunk of the songs wouldn’t sound out of place if they were on previous records--and then there’s tracks closer to Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996), which completely push the boundaries of Modest Mouse’s musical niche with a mixed bag of criticism to go along with it. In a way, this album is also one of growth, showing that the band has not only expanded their repertoire of instruments and production tricks, but also the very subject of the album--for the first time the band criticizes society on a global scale, addressing humanity as the wasteful, malicious, selfish, and unbelievably short-sighted entity that it can seem to be. And yet, as the band’s views seem to strengthen, the way they’re conveyed seems for the most part weaker--Brock’s voice no longer punches you in the guts like it once would, and instead takes the easier way there by making the whole message easier to swallow with gentler, smoother production. Modest Mouse has ventured further into new territory than ever before with Strangers to Ourselves, and I think travelling back to their aggressive roots--and taking the tools and styles they’ve found back with them--would be the best next step.
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
Listen here
Carrie & Lowell is an album inspired by the passing of Sufjan’s mother Carrie in 2012, written and recorded as part of the grieving process he went through, and one can really hear the album progressing through its stages from shock through to acceptance, while using a healthy dose of nostalgia and memories to tie the feelings together. There’s a real beauty in the way everything flows and fades gently, even in the album’s darkest moments, easily making it one of the best albums to cry to. This album was my first experience with Sufjan, and after hearing his other work I think it would have been better to start elsewhere. On its own this album is immersive, gentle (almost to the point of sounding muffled), and depressing as hell--but after his earlier album Illinoise, which is much grander and brighter (and closer to baroque-pop), it becomes even more gripping and emotional in the very things it lacks by comparison. Sufjan’s tragedy is one that likely everyone will have to go through at some point in their lives, and I thank him for sharing his cathartic journey, and hope that he’s feeling better now.
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
Listen here
To most, southern rock is a genre that grew, blossomed, and wilted long ago--but Alabama Shakes continue to thrive from their southern rock roots, especially now that they’ve stepped out of the shadow of their influences (to borrow phrasing from Anthony Fantano) and made it to their own place in the sun. Their previous and first full album Boys & Girls was a delight of a rock record that is fully steeped in its inspirations, to the point where it wouldn’t sound out-of-place in a stack of ‘60′s-’70′s rock vinyls. This record, meanwhile, expertly keeps its feet planted while reaching out to modern, more complex production at the same time. From the more-monotone guitar-based tunes bloom some awesome dynamics, from the light and cheery melodies rise straight-up groovy and passionate songs, to show just a couple examples. Overall, Sound & Color leaves me excitedly wondering where the band’s talent will take them next, and whether they’ll end up uprooting some of their southern-rock core to continue branching further out.
Everything Everything - Get to Heaven
Listen here
I love this band, and I continue to be surprised that more folks don’t know about them (at least in America). Their third album continues the constantly-dynamic, instrument-rich, vocally-powerful, and lyrically-clever-and-intense style they’ve adopted and takes it to new, terrifying heights. Get to Heaven features punchy percussion, intricate guitar work, and grandiose soundscapes to push the central message of terrorism and the desperate actions of the disenfranchised (borrowing phrasing from Pitchfork’s review of this album). The album jumps around in its musical tone, but the lyrical themes don’t shy away from the message of doom even when the instruments seem to do so: songs range from extreme depictions of police riots and false prophets to downright groovy tunes about being desensitized to the atrocities of terrorism or growing to inevitably make the same mistakes as your forefathers. I am delighted that Everything Everything took their style to such a hot, era-defining topic and pulled no punches while doing so, and would love to see more concept albums like this from them in the future.
Tame Impala - Currents
Listen here
In the wake of their breakout hit album Lonerism, Tame Impala took their characteristic psychedelic sound and reworked it to become more poppy and much less rock-oriented or guitar-based. This caused Currents to get somewhat mixed reviews, with harsher critics claiming they diluted their sound to broaden appeal (similar to what I think Strangers to Ourselves was criticized for), and others simply pointing out that there are less good, memorable songs in this record among the repetitive pop style that band leader Kevin Parker utilizes. There are definitely a couple of yawners here (I don’t think Past Life is anyone’s favorite track, for one), but overall I still call this a fantastic album. Tame Impala’s production has finally left the garage and entered the studio proper with Currents, and the extra synths and instrumentation that come with it are composed with satisfying precision. Lyrically, the core theme of working through life’s changes is an almost painfully candid continuation of the saga that Lonerism began, with entire verses--hell, entire songs--that hit close to home. If nothing else, that’s proof that this album is far from diluted, and that Kevin is at least maintaining his composing/songwriting expertise, and at most vastly improving for this and future records.
Half Moon Run - Sun Leads Me On
Listen here
Another band I don’t think gets enough attention, Half Moon Run released this album a couple Octobers ago, their second record after their debut Dark Eyes. Listening to both albums in order feels like a long night followed by a sunny, pleasant morning, which the album titles almost imply by themselves. The atmospheric production and crisp vocals don’t contrast as much with darker lyrics and intense ambiance as they were in Dark Eyes, and instead they seem to fit perfectly with Sun Leads Me On‘s more light-hearted tone. What’s more, the few outlier songs that don’t fit this trend stand out nicely as experimental landmarks across the record--one moment you’re listening to a more traditional-sounding folk diddy, the next it’s a synth-centric pop song, and everything else seems to fall between those two extremes of the album. Half Moon Run has broadened their sound like several of the other artists I discussed, but unlike them I’m not sure which way I want Half Moon Run to go. Whichever musical path they take, be it more folk or more pop, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
And now, onto the VotY picks! You can probably already guess from the way the blog looks, but 2015′s Vinyl of the Year is:
Vinyl of the Year 2015: Tame Impala - Currents
2015 was a big year for me: I graduated high school, had my first semester of college, and went through several other major life changes either at the same time or as a result. For that reason especially, the way that Currents illustrated change and living with/through it really got to me. I played Yes I’m Changing probably every day that summer, and even louder on the drive to school--it and the rest of the album just felt like the perfect thing to listen to, and the perfect album to sum up 2015 for me.
Now, come summertime, I had an idea to also get a vinyl halfway through the year--but it couldn’t also be the last year’s worth of albums, or it’d overlap with the regular VotY. I’m still torn on what the criteria should be--”favorite album that I listened to in the past year regardless of release date”, “favorite album from exactly 10/15 years before”, and “favorite albums of all time” are all strong candidates. For summer 2016, I settled on the first one, and got a vinyl copy of:
Summer Vinyl 2016: Everything Everything - Get to Heaven
This album officially released over the summer in 2015, and I listened to it on YouTube on repeat for a while then while it wasn’t on Google Play Music. For some reason it had taken seven months or so for it to appear there, so I really grew to enjoy this album during this past year. Even more so, the album’s terror-based themes became more evident in 2016 with the increase of attacks and tragedy that this past year brought (especially over the summer when I bought the vinyl). Regardless of the terror it seemingly foretold, Get to Heaven is a fantastic record that I’m glad is now in my collection. (This album will also stay with the Summer Vinyl collection even If the criteria changes before summer 2017).
Okay, now that we’re all caught up to 2016, the end-of-year post will be on its way soon. Thanks for reading, and happy listening!
