best of madonnas' best of 2018 - SOTY ANNOUNCED TODAY

[Kingie]

Luv Liberation  and KTSE is cute even if I only ever really go back to WTP. 

 

Poppy was such a shock to me because I paid no attention to the pre-release singles and thought pretty much everything she did before this album was complete **** (apart from Money) so the fact that she actually dragged her overwrought persona into some decent songwriting caught me off guard. Probably my fave album of the year, I think only In A Minute falls flat for me and I guess Aristocrat is kinda corny. 

[World Eater]

Okay, I'm gonna keep it short. Vibras was surprisinly good, Power and Salt were , I loved Aviary, 7, Nasty, Time 'n' Place (a grower!) and Harutosyura

[Unoriginal]

Aviary doesn't feel that long to me idk? I can listen to it in one sitting easily

KSG above 7 I- choices I guess

Nasty, Time 'n' Place, Premonitions and FM!  

 

[Remmy]

I enjoyed Liberation but whew our tastes are definitely not aligned for that one. Kimbra finally caught my attention w/ this release and it's great. Yeah, the last 4 tracks (sans Right Direction) aren't the best. Poppy's album is good, better than the first one but her EP is still superior. I agree with your weaknesses list aside from the title track. X + Time Is Up are standouts indeed Wasn't a fan of Kids See Ghosts aside from 2 tracks, Reborn is my least favorite as well.

[collin]

I've listened to pretty much all of the albums you've posted so far and most of them are also on my list.

Blood Orange, Julia Holter, Shopping and Xtina are my favorites so far.  

Edited December 20, 2018 by collin

[thecptz]

i need to listen to poppy's more  i've heard smack a bitch and it's such a slayage so gonna give rico nasty a try

[Tsareena]

whew mr twin sister... they did that on salt. tops and bottoms is my fave
premonitions great album
fm! , 7  
didn't listen to kids see ghosts yet
yas nasty! she did that on pressing me/ counting up
Die lit whew... bop filled
time n place was alright for me
 

[botnus]

I remember what attracted me to Mr. Twin Sister’s album was the album cover. It was so cute, so i downloaded it 

[Pink Matter]

Julia Holter's album was nice for the one listen I was able to brave through. She had no right putting out an album where avg length of each album was 6 mins.

Premonitions was also cute for a listen but I didn't really go back to it. FM! was nice. It bumps really nicely  

Beach House was nice but their music isn't something I can see myself going back to outside of a random song or two.

KSG should be higher but still  

 

and the ones I thought deserved better in the last batch were Rae, Pusha, and Travis lol

 

[Bubble Tea]

Not toooo familiar with any of these sadly.

 

 

[mokitsu]

J BALVIN  ahhhhh latinx excellence
didn't like lotic
enjoyed mr twin sister on an unfocused listen, maybe should revisit
poppy and julia
kids see ghosts, 7 kinda low imo
aal
die lit was garbage mama
completely forgot about mai lan OMG! nail polish was MY SHITTTTTT dunno why i deleted the album 

[Blue Rose]

I haven’t listened to Die Lit but Poke It Out is a banger.

Beach House  

[madonnas]

 

22 hours ago, Vilppu said:

julia has a gorgeous 8-track album there somewhere but i'm never listening to the full thing to decide which 8 tracks she should choose again

 

KSG and beach house low but i'll take it. poppy kinda makes me ctfu with how she's all sorts of boring and useless most of the time and then comes through with like play destroy/x but i mean those are great songs so i'm all here for that

d same.  She lucked out that I even put her on the list let alone that high, it was based on ambition and creativity.  

22 hours ago, Navyofbadgals said:

Beach House  

I couldn't get into Aviary  

I guess a lot of people felt that waay  

21 hours ago, Tom Vercetti said:

 I don't mind the 22-23 minute rap 'album' trend either since it's preferable over 26 album track migos/drake stuff. 

 

I still can't take poppy seriously at all.

Not to be like this but AAL is basically beginner's house and it doesn't keep me interested for long. 

I'm a firm believer that less is more.  My time is valuable too, so I get upset when artists unnecessarily waste mine!

d, I'm not the biggest fan of house and don't listen to it all the time (most of the time its just pop music influenced by it or indie music influenced  it) but even I could tell its beginniers lever, still liked it tho.

21 hours ago, Bxtch said:

!! I don't really care for Poppy, but I LOVE this song  

Do you like X and Play Destroy?

21 hours ago, Body Electrician said:

that Miya Solick album sucked

 

Beach House waaaaay too low  

why didnt you like it? i saw some backlash to it and didn't rly understand.

and ahhh, here come the beach house stans fuming!!

21 hours ago, volition said:

i do love the short album rap trend but i also am fine with huge albums if i like everything about them, and for julia..  

The only huge album that I love all of is Rebel Heart

20 hours ago, Beyonnaise said:

KKB  Love how they evolved their sound.

 

It's interesting how Playboi is no better of a rapper than the Lil Pumps, etc. but his music sounds so next level compared to them

it's all a matter of taste level and self-awareness.  He knows how to play to his strengths.  

19 hours ago, Dom said:

Poppy is a slay

 

but omg are u for realz sis, J frickig Balvin, ew. and u dragged me for Freaky Friday. I trusted u, ewww. yuckyy.

WHATS WRONG WITH J BALVIN!!!

19 hours ago, theblackestday said:

Oh wow. Big update. okay.

 

I stan The Official Body although The Hype is one of my least faves, strong disagree on your Aviary writeup but you're entitled to your wrong opinion, FM! standouts and weaknesses are reversed must've been a mistake, no points @ 7, Rico Nasty, KSG, KKB & Harunemuri are all excellence, Lotic, Premonitions & A.A.L. were all great too.

 

You don't like Run the Bands??   The Hype is the one song from the album I returned to a lot outside of listening to it as a whole.

18 hours ago, Kingie said:

Luv Liberation  and KTSE is cute even if I only ever really go back to WTP. 

 

Poppy was such a shock to me because I paid no attention to the pre-release singles and thought pretty much everything she did before this album was complete **** (apart from Money) so the fact that she actually dragged her overwrought persona into some decent songwriting caught me off guard. Probably my fave album of the year, I think only In A Minute falls flat for me and I guess Aristocrat is kinda corny. 

To be honest I loved her previous album way more than the EP/Money lol.  I know I'm in the minority.  SHe's super tacky with her persona but you know she just knows what I want in pop music sometimes!  I just wish she gave us that without all the negative baggage.

18 hours ago, World Eater said:

Okay, I'm gonna keep it short. Vibras was surprisinly good, Power and Salt were , I loved Aviary, 7, Nasty, Time 'n' Place (a grower!) and Harutosyura

Taste!  KKB is a grower, though it's not as good as Bonito Generation which is one of the best albums of all time. 

18 hours ago, Unoriginal said:

Aviary doesn't feel that long to me idk? I can listen to it in one sitting easily

KSG above 7 I- choices I guess

Nasty, Time 'n' Place, Premonitions and FM!  

 

You are very patient then.  SEETHE BEACH HOUSE STAN!

18 hours ago, Remmy said:

I enjoyed Liberation but whew our tastes are definitely not aligned for that one. Kimbra finally caught my attention w/ this release and it's great. Yeah, the last 4 tracks (sans Right Direction) aren't the best. Poppy's album is good, better than the first one but her EP is still superior. I agree with your weaknesses list aside from the title track. X + Time Is Up are standouts indeed Wasn't a fan of Kids See Ghosts aside from 2 tracks, Reborn is my least favorite as well.

Are your faves Twice and Fall in Line?  I understand what they were trying to do with Reborn but it felt like sloppily written and the main hook went o too long.

16 hours ago, collin said:

I've listened to pretty much all of the albums you've posted so far and most of them are also on my list.

Blood Orange, Julia Holter, Shopping and Xtina are my favorites so far.  

queen.  I'm kinda surprised you loved Liberation.

16 hours ago, thecptz said:

i need to listen to poppy's more  i've heard smack a bitch and it's such a slayage so gonna give rico nasty a try

If you like Smack a Bitch you'll like a good chunk of her album.  Listen to Rage, Pressing Me, and Countin Up!!  I'm kinda pressed Smack a Bitch isn't on the album tbh... it deserves to be.

16 hours ago, Tsareena said:

whew mr twin sister... they did that on salt. tops and bottoms is my fave
premonitions great album
fm! , 7  
didn't listen to kids see ghosts yet
yas nasty! she did that on pressing me/ counting up
Die lit whew... bop filled
time n place was alright for me
 

Tops and Bottoms is def my fave.  Love that you think its gonna be about gays but then its about clothes.

13 hours ago, botnus said:

I remember what attracted me to Mr. Twin Sister’s album was the album cover. It was so cute, so i downloaded it 

Have you heard their other album under "mr twin sister"?  

12 hours ago, Pink Matter said:

Julia Holter's album was nice for the one listen I was able to brave through. She had no right putting out an album where avg length of each album was 6 mins.

Premonitions was also cute for a listen but I didn't really go back to it. FM! was nice. It bumps really nicely  

Beach House was nice but their music isn't something I can see myself going back to outside of a random song or two.

KSG should be higher but still  

 

and the ones I thought deserved better in the last batch were Rae, Pusha, and Travis lol

 

Beach House definitly have a signature sound that people looo0ove but I only stan the highlights/singles.  I mean, 7 is good tho.  It's definitely their best besides Bloom.  Poor Pusha, he prob woulda been higher but I kept forgetting about him.

3 hours ago, Reinvention said:

Not toooo familiar with any of these sadly.

 

 

Listen to all of them, then report back to me (or just listen to Mai Lan and Rico Nasty)

2 hours ago, mokitsu said:

J BALVIN  ahhhhh latinx excellence
didn't like lotic
enjoyed mr twin sister on an unfocused listen, maybe should revisit
poppy and julia
kids see ghosts, 7 kinda low imo
aal
die lit was garbage mama
completely forgot about mai lan OMG! nail polish was MY SHITTTTTT dunno why i deleted the album 

OMG HOW COULD U FORGET MAI LAN!  Listen to Dial My Number its even better than Nail Polish.

 

1 hour ago, Superpower said:

I haven’t listened to Die Lit but Poke It Out is a banger.

Beach House  

Poke It Out is so good, ugh why does Nicki have to suck at being a person bc her features are so great.

 

 

[kelly-clarkson]

I didn't hear Autopilote but I liked Dial My Number. I should give it a stream!

[Bxtch]

38 minutes ago, madonnas said:

 

  Hide contents

 

Do you like X and Play Destroy?

 

 

I hated it on first listen, but after some plays I like it now 

[KasioKas]

4 hours ago, Reinvention said:

Not toooo familiar with any of these sadly.

 

 

Ditto.

[TRF.]

didn't really care for KSG and I am... not a Poppy fan to say the least.

 

however, LOVE seeing J Balvin, Lotic, Julia, Rico, Beach House, KKB, Haru Nemuri and A.A.L.!

[madonnas]

 

I didn't really listen to Anna's second album much, but I really did stan her first project.  This album focuses more on gender identity and being trans/non binary.  I like the themes, and musically it has a nice power pop vibe.  It's a little darker musicalyl than her previous stuff, but also has a raw vulnerability to it that I really appreciate.

Standouts: As a Man, Don't Beat the Girl Out of my Boy

Weaknesses: Alpha 

 

Kali's strength is versatility!  Each song on this album is pretty much influenced by a different genre yet the album flows seamlessly.  There are obvious highlights on it, but that's not a bad thing.  Lyrically it's autobiographical and romantic.  Overall I think this was a very solid debut and honestly I was never a big fan of her previous stuff so she definitely stepped it up on every level.

Standouts: In My Dreams, Dead to Me, After the Storm

Weaknesses: Just a Stranger

 

 

THIS IS HOW YOU DO AVOCADOS AND BANANAS VOICES, LADIES!  This album hits the right blend of experimental and catchy throughout most of the album which allows those shrill voices to shine in my opinion.  They're young and they know it, but instead of trying to constantly prove they're "more mature" or "just kids" they just are themselves.  I really like that about them.

Standouts: Donnie Darko, Falling Into Me

Weaknesses: Cool & Collected

 

 

Robyn released two singles for this and I was SERIOUSLY CONCERNED FOR THE QUALITY F IT.  Luckily, its one of those albums you have to judge as a whole than by individual songs.  The best part of the album is how it grows from sad to liberating and fun, it definitely tells a story.  People disagree but I would say the second half is the stronger half.

Standouts: Ever Again, Beach 2k20

Weaknesses: Missing U

 

 

Leikeli takes her diverse and charismatic approach to Hip-Hop and then takes it to a whole new level.  If you liked her album last year, you will like this album most likely.  If you were unsure about her album last year, you will probably like this album.  It's way more polished and her rapping and charisma gets a huge upgrade on most of the tracks.  What shocks me about it is the sheer consistency.  I'm having so much fun I didn't even realize I was done with an insane 19 tracks!

Standouts: Roll Call, In My Eyes, Acrylic

Weaknesses: Honestly none that I can think of.

[madonnas]

MGMT have gone down a synth direction!! So you know I'm gonna stan because I love synthpop.  They have shinier and happier moments that are good (and more classic MGMT sound) but the best moments are the darker and more bitter cuts.  I feel like they both realized they were mining an artistic route that was not gonna reward them in any major way and this complete overhaul was a very wise decision.  Going down the 80s synth route is kind of an "easy way out" but I still think that they did it right by expanding new (and not 'obvious') territory while keeping their signature style and perspective.

Standouts: Little Dark Age, TSLAMP, She Works Out Too Much, Me & Michael

Weaknesses: Hand It Over

 

 

I really like Future Funk, but this and the Moe Shop EP were really the only things I returned to (or really tried tbh lol).  This is an album full of bangers.  If you like trendy microgenres and are a weeaboo you should try this out.

Standouts: Wake Up

Weaknesses: Honestly? idk the album is consistent throughout.

 

 

Remember when Lil' Wayne released that rock album in 2008 and everyone made fun of him for it?  Well, he deserved it.  BUT now we kind of have to give him props as a lot of rappers are influenced from it.  This album is a blend of Hip-Hop, Emo rock from 2005 ish, and power pop.  It's daring and kind of stupid how well it works.  Bali has a lot of charisma and her autotuned voice gives us enough actual emotion to connect to the songs.

Standouts: Backseat, Candy, Electrical

Weaknesses: Killer

 

 

Natalie's second album, while maybe not as adventurous as her first, is an artistic step forward.  The album is full of white girl R&B ala Dirty Projectors but the lyrics are political enough to send a positive message but not enough to be in over its head.  The best moments are the funkier and jazzier moments.  I honestly think this album is quite underrated, and its a shame that a lot of the people who connected with her debut didn't connect with this so it seems like she lost her fanbase.  BUT if you didn't like her debut that much you should give it a try!!

Standouts: Ship Go Down, Short court Style, Sisters

Weaknesses: Hot for the Mountain

 

 

This album is full of bangers.  Love the spoken choruses, love the overly sarcstic lyrics, just love everything.  I like that it pulls from the likes of Junior Senior/Moby/Deee-Lite/Alphabeat, it gives the album a unique but familiar sound. 

Standouts: C.O.O.L. Party, Bubblegum, Boyfriend, 

Weaknesses: Out the Window

 

[mokitsu]

little dark age  don't use the others, bali baby was kinda tragic imo  just not here for rap/rock fusions

[Vilppu]

natalie's album was an upgrade over debut but ehh. the songs you mentioned as standouts are the only i felt like coming back to

 

robyn's missing u was kinda garbaj, glad everything else is better

 

anna, kali, LEG slay

[Tom Vercetti]

You're correct on the 2nd half being better than the first for Honey.

The vocals from Let's Eat Grandma are a turnoff for me.

Solid debut indeed for ms. uchis.

LDA's title track is still the best on the album. 

[TheWayWeWere]

Let's Eat Grandma  

Honey is so good, but BT remains untouched  

[Remmy]

Honey  It's good but I only enjoy 5 songs while the other 4 are definitely underwhelming. Missing U + Honey both disappointed me when they dropped but they grew on me when hearing them within the tracklist. I actually agree that the second half is better (if you start from track 6.)

 

Quote

Are your faves Twice and Fall in Line?  I understand what they were trying to do with Reborn but it felt like sloppily written and the main hook went o too long.

Like I Do/Right Moves/Deserve would be my top 3. Yeah, I definitely agree with that.

[Sbbmsve]

So many great albums Agreed on Isolation’s versatility, there are many genres on one album. LEG drag I-, they kinda sound like that . It was an unexpected album for me, amazing stuff. Honey was a great album, kinda worth the wait. Missing as a dud... agreed  LDA was too 80s at times but it is a solid effort. Wig at this update.