Nathan Bass
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, now is a great time to take a look at how the music scene has been this year, and which deserve a mention as some of the greatest from this year.
The albums nominated this year, like last year, are five of my favourites from this year, as well as the five highest rated on music rating sites. Many different factors went into these choices, such as cultural impact, rollout, overall music quality and, well, how much I personally liked them.
Honorable Mentions
The Boy Who Played the Harp is the third studio album by British hip-hop artist Dave. Now, this album personally hit me hard. Dave is insanely introspective on this album, with references to his upbringing and themes of self-reflection and an analysis of his own strengths and weaknesses really drives this album home. Essential tracks like ‘My 27th Birthday’ and ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’ have excellent instrumentals, and the lyricism on each track is top-notch. My personal favorite would actually be ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’. With a beautiful instrumental and a hard-hitting lyric every stanza or so, it’s hard not to love this one. I would highly recommend this album to anyone interested.
Turning away from the hip-hop scene, we have Hayley Williams’s third solo studio album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. This album might be Williams’s best solo album to date, with a range of tracks for the average listener to choose from. The album received a 91/100 on Metacritic, and for good reason. Tracks like ‘Parachute’ and ‘True Believer’ hit hard, with Williams tackling her own problems and faults throughout the tracklist. Some of the songs on this record felt gut-wrenching at times, with ‘Parachute’ feeling like a sucker punch after ‘I Won’t Quit On You’. Overall, this was an insanely good record, especially while being so different from her creations with Paramore.
A Matter of Time is Icelandic singer/songwriter Laufey’s third studio album, and it’s one that diverts a bit from her normal slow, jazzy feel. Sure, there are songs like that on this album like ‘Snow White’ and ‘Mr. Eclectic’, but other songs like ‘Tough Luck’, ‘Castle in Hollywood’ and ‘Clockwork’ break from her usual mold and feel of slow, comfortable jazz. The entire album is honestly a beautiful work, and I love the instrumentals throughout the record. Laufey also keeps her beautiful vocal feats with fun motifs that didn’t leave anything to be desired. Something that I see a lot of reviews missing are the underlying themes on this record, such as ‘Silver Lining’ pointing out unreasonable expectations for women, as well as tracks that tackle her coming into contact with her identity and heritage. Overall, this album may be performative, but I’d gladly take the title for listening to such a beautiful record.
Eusexua is the third studio album of British singer FKA Twigs. Honestly, the best way to describe this album (or rather the best thing to compare it to) would be the modern version of 90s Madonna. You can almost feel the beats in tracks like ‘Eusexua’ and ‘Perfect Stranger’, and while the themes of these tracks may be a bit unorthodox, but Twigs’s chilling vocals just drive home the feeling of wanting to move. Overall, the aforementioned feeling of 90s pop remains throughout the album, and each song is unique while still providing a new sound. Some of these tracks feel even mesmerizing at times. It’s honestly just an insanely good record, one that any listener willing to get up and move should listen to.
Balloonerism is Mac Miller’s seventh studio album, and his second posthumous release following his death in 2018. Now, this record follows Miller’s iconic feel of psychedelic, ethereal-sounding production and vocals, with a few extra caveats that I love. The songs on this album feel almost exactly what you’d expect from a posthumous album, but at the same time, the concerted overarching theme makes it feel like one he crafted while alive. Miller’s estate did amazing with this album in my opinion, with groovy tracks like ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’ being mixed with incredible lyricism and production on songs like ‘Funny Papers’ and ‘Rick’s Piano’. ‘Funny Papers’ is probably my favorite on this album, with the song feeling like you’re sitting down for an old story time. This album is amazing, and I highly recommend it.
Top 5
DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOToS is Puerto Rican singer/songwriter Bad Bunny’s sixth solo studio album, and while it isn’t normally my type of music, I absolutely loved this album. What blows me away is how unique each of the songs on this album are. No two songs are the same style, and with traditional Puerto Rican music traditions like bomba and salsa blended with Bad Bunny’s iconic house/reggaetón sound. This album has so many hits that I can’t exactly pick a favorite, but songs that stand out include ‘VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR’ and ‘DtMF’. The crazy thing is, not only does he make this album sound so good, but he also tackles some political and cultural issues in his lyrics. With a score of 95 on Metacritic and a 8.8/10 on Pitchfork (making it one of the highest rated albums of the year), this album is definitely worth more than one listen.
God Does Like Ugly is Atlanta rapper JID’s fourth studio album, and boy, does this deserve its spot. JID in my opinion has one of the best flows and lyricism in the rap game, with beautiful entendres and vocals throughout this album. There’s a little bit of everything here too, with vocals-based tracks like ‘Wholeheartedly’ and ‘Of Blue’, rage-filled, hardcore rap in songs like ‘Community’ and ‘On McAfee’, and even some gospel-based songs like ‘Glory’ and ‘For Keeps’. Overall, the production and sampling are clean, and with the lyricism and pure rapping ability being as immaculate as it is, I think this album deserves its ranking here.
LUX is the fourth studio album by Spanish singer Rosalía. Now, the reason that I put this here is not only because it’s one of the top rated albums of the year, but also because it just barely beats its predecessors in my opinion. Rosalía’s beautiful voice in over twelve separate languages mixed with themes of religion and transformation creates a masterclass of sound and feeling. With a 93 critic score and 88 score, this album is a beautiful look into Rosalía’s struggles with lyrics and soundscapes that reach deeper than the normal pop record. It seemingly is a look into Rosalía’s soul, and beautiful tracks like ‘La Yugular’ and ‘Mio Cristo’ are sucker punches of tracks that had me basically ascending. This record is definitely worth more than one listen.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is the sixth and final studio album by Canadian singer/songwriter Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd. This album is probably one of if not the strongest records in The Weeknd’s discography. The huge range of sounds on this record is astonishing, and you can really tell that Tesfaye is showing off his entire range of ability. This record can take you anywhere, with grooves like ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘São Paulo’, slow and melodic tones in songs like ‘Take Me Back to L.A.’ and ‘Niagara Falls’, and personal, raw tracks like ‘Baptized in Fear’ and ‘Cry For Me’. The most popular track on this album is ‘Timeless’ featuring Playboi Carti with over a billion streams on Spotify, but honestly, my favorite here has to be ‘Open Hearts’. Overall, with such beautiful production, a stacked feature list with Travis Scott, Lana Del Rey and Future, and Tesfaye’s vocal feats being as strong as they are, it’s no wonder that reviews for this album are so strong. If you haven’t heard it already, definitely check it out.
Let God Sort Em Out is American hip-hop duo Clipse’s fourth studio album, and this honestly deserves its spot here. It’s a wonder that the duo of two rappers in their forties can produce an album this flawless. Pharrell Williams’ production on this record was extremely strong (as expected from an esteemed producer like Pharrell), with perfect samples and beats throughout. The two rappers had excellent lyricism and powerful verses on each track, with heartfelt and emotional songs like ‘The Birds Don’t Sing’ and ‘By the Grace of God’ mixed in with passionate headbangers like ‘Chains & Whips’ and ‘Ace Trumpets’. This album’s most popular song is still Chains & Whips with around 30 million streams on Spotify, and honestly, that and ‘P.O.V.’ have to be my favorites. With features from Kendrick Lamar, John Legend and Tyler, The Creator giving this album high reviews on many critic platforms, this album is an absolute must-listen, and it is my album of the year.