pinknblue Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 gave alias a spin, wouldn't mind a record full of tastys
MP2K Posted December 20, 2020 Posted December 20, 2020 love most of your MV list! Gucci was def serving more than most of our pop faves
TRF. Posted December 20, 2020 Author Posted December 20, 2020 On 12/16/2020 at 5:12 AM, Claw said: You stay coming through with stuff I've never heard of. Like the Kelly Moran / Prurient split oh wow, oh wow.. Love how you chose the correct #1 - the rest of this page I will have to pore over in the morning with fresh eyes. Yasss On 12/16/2020 at 12:43 PM, TheWayWeWere said: La vita nuova is truly her best 'album' so far, even tho I loved her since very beginning I think same On 12/16/2020 at 5:07 PM, Blue Rose said: Currently listening to ALIAS (thanks to @Madame X ) Jockstrap solid too. I remember checking it out just because of the name Xtine stomping Yeah their band name... a choice Kinda put me off at first if I'm being honest but glad I got over it! On 12/16/2020 at 8:16 PM, Orfeo said: Shygirl, isee this name in many counts Escucha "Slime"! Si te gusta escucha el resto de sus temas On 12/17/2020 at 7:24 PM, Remmy said: Haven't heard any of these but I remember Tkay having a solid verse on Troye's first album. Let me come back later and check her + others out Actually a few days ago I peeked at a few Shygirl tracks but none of them connected with me. I actually think you'll like the Tkay EP! It's really fun stuff Albums HMs update coming shortly!
TRF. Posted December 20, 2020 Author Posted December 20, 2020 ALBUMS HONORARY MENTIONS All of these are albums from this year I liked, found good or great, but for one reason or another, either because they didn't stick with me a lot throughout the whole year or because I didn't allow myself to listen to them enough, will not be in my main top 50 list. Either way I deeply encourage you to check them all out in case you haven't! 070 Shake - Modus Vivendi (alt r&b/pop rap) A.G. Cook - 7G (electronic) AceMoMa - A New Dawn (jungle/techno) Autechre - SIGN (ambient/electronic) bod [包家巷] - Music for Self Esteem (sound collage/electronic) Chams - L'ame agit (uk bass/experimental hip hop) Cocanha - Puput (occitan folk) Ela Minus - Acts of Rebellion (electropop/house) Hook - Crashed My Car (trap) Julianna Barwick - Healing Is a Miracle (ambient) Kamixlo - Cicatriz (latin electronic/deconstructed club) Katie Gately - Loom (art pop/experimental) Kylie Minogue - Disco (dance-pop/disco) LA Timpa - Modern Antics in a Deserted Place (hypnagogic pop) Mac Miller - Circles (neo-soul) Machine Girl - U-Void Synthesizer (digital hardcore) Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts (synthpop/pop rock) More Eaze - Mari (sound collage/bubblegum bass) Nicolás Jaar - Cenizas (electronic/ambient) Nicolás Jaar - Telas (electronic/ambient) Nnux - Ciudad (art pop/post-industrial) Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (art pop) SAULT - Untitled (Black Is) (neo-soul) SAULT - Untitled (Rise) (neo-soul) Siavash Amini & Saaad - All Lanes of Lilac Evening (ambient) Slikback - /// (deconstructed club) Triángulo de Amor Bizarro - Triángulo de Amor Bizarro (indie rock/noise pop) William Basinski - Lamentations (ambient/tape music) Yelle - L'ère du verseau (electropop/synthpop) Zora Jones - Ten Billion Angels (uk bass)
TheWayWeWere Posted December 20, 2020 Posted December 20, 2020 some of these only HMs Plastic Hearts is her best body of work DISCO
Bubble Tea Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 6 hours ago, TRF. said: Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts (synthpop/pop rock) I've been seeing so much praise for this album. I really need to give it some spins.
Lazuli Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 noooo disco and SMHOFI only honorable mentions
Blue Rose Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 SMHOFI was robbed of a top10 placement okay with the rest. The Nicolas Jaar albums were definitely underwhelming but he redeemed himself with AAL. SAULT albums are great but dont have a lot of replay value. I was hyped about SIGN but ended up not liking it.
SLIME Posted December 22, 2020 Posted December 22, 2020 Not 7g I can see why most of these are HMs but a few faves lie here. Machine Girl + Zora Jones were 2 good finds for me this year
Sunderland 4ever Posted December 23, 2020 Posted December 23, 2020 (edited) Ela Minus, Kylie and Yelle. I saw that both records from SAULT were chosen as two of the best albums of the year according the KEXP followers. I'm going to give them both a try. Edited December 23, 2020 by Sunderland 4ever
TRF. Posted December 23, 2020 Author Posted December 23, 2020 TOP 50 ALBUMS STREAM #50. Lous and the Yakuza Gore Genre: Alternative R&B, Pop Rap, Trap Afrobeats, Cloud Rap, Neo-Soul Label: Sony || Country: D.R. Congo/Belgium With her debut single "Dilemme", Congolese-born Brussels-based vocalist Lous and the Yakuza, arose to an initial success in most of Europe. But her debut album Gore, assisted by Spanish producer El Guincho, truly sets her apart from anyone else. Combining contemporary pop and rap sounds found in the charts with her gorgeous vocals and catchy melodies, she also shows a lot lyrical prowess. It's an invitation to her world, the saddest parts, like European colonialism in Africa, rape culture, homelessness and depression, but not kicking celebratory moments away. It's a great debut from an artist who will probably continue to evolve into a status of icon sooner than later, and that time can't come soon enough. Highlights: "Télephone sonne", "Tout est gore", "Dans le Hesse", "Amigo", "Messes basses", "Quatre heures de matin", "Solo" You'll like it if you like: Playboi Carti, FKA twigs, Christine and the Queens BUY #49. Beatriz Ferreyra Echos + Genre: Musique concrète Tape Music, Sound Poetry, A cappella Label: Room40 || Country: Argentina Argentinian composer Beatriz Ferreyra was one of the pioneers of electroacoustic music and “musique concrète”, being the only female member of Pierre Schaeffer’s GRM, and her work some of the most boundary-pushing of the group. Echos +, released earlier this year via Lawrence English’s Room40, compiles three pieces composed between the late-70’s and the mid-00’s, and it’s probably one of the most representative collection of her works. The first two are built from recordings of her niece singing Argentinian and Brazilian music, but chopped, stretched, and reconstructed into something that is barely recognizable, emphasizing heavy breaths or coughs more than any melody. Echos + as a whole could perfectly work as a great introduction not only to one of the most important experimental music artists alive, but also to concrete music itself. Highlights: "Echos", "L'autre rive" You'll like it if you like: Graham Lambkin, Stockhausen, Holly Herndon BUY #48. Empress Of I'm Your Empress Of Genre: Synthpop, Electropop Dance-Pop, Latin Electronic, House, Art Pop Label: Terrible || Country: Honduras/USA Electronic-pop singer, songwriter and producer Lorely Rodríguez a.k.a. Empress Of made a name by herself with her debut Me, which was one of the most acclaimed of 2015. After Us, her second album in which she collaborated with producers like DJDS, Pional and Dev Hynes, I'm Your Empress Of, sees her returning to a more cohesive, organic yet exciting and uniquely experimental sound. It fully embraces her Latin American heritage with influences from freestyle, reggaeton and salsa spread throughout the record, but is also marked by a strong house music background in some of its biggest tracks. While maybe her most accessible album so far, Rodríguez doesn't leave behind what made her music special to begin with. Highlights: "I'm Your Empress Of", "Bit of Rain", "U Give It Up", "Give Me Another Chance", "What's the Point", "Not the One", "Awful" You'll like it if you like: Jessy Lanza, Mula, Javiera Mena, Charli XCX BUY #47. Kaatayra Toda história pela frente Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Folk Metal, Sertanejo de raíz Label: self-released || Country: Brazil Brazil's Kaatayra is the project of one-man band Caio Lemos, who also makes music under the name of Bríi. He's put out several releases over the past 24 months, the most recent of these being Toda história pela frente, his second album of 2020. The black metal in this record feels as dark and atmospheric as the ones of bands such as Ulver and bands of the second wave of BM, with its extensive length, 50 minutes in just three tracks. But what sets this album apart from any contemporary metal bands is the influence of Brazilian music, with interludes that seem to reference traditional MPB, folkloric music or original sertanejo in a similar fashion to the way people like Panopticon would reference country or American folk. It's an interesting, refreshing take in a genre that most certainly needs it. Highlights: "Toda mágoa do mundo", "Miséria da sabedoria" You'll like it if you like: Panopticon, Ulver, Volahn BUY #46. Special Interest The Passion Of Genre: Synth Punk, Industrial Rock Post-Punk, Electro-Industrial, No Wave, EBM, Industrial Techno Label: Thrilling Living || Country: USA One of the greatest bands to enjoy a breakout of sorts in 2020 was New Orleans' Special Interest. They keep the "punk" part of "post-punk" to its name, with the abrasiveness, chaos and rawness of some of the best acts in the genre, but they are also known for their incorporation of electronic music into their sound. On their second album, The Passion Of, they push that to the extreme, sounding better than they ever did before. The production is much cleaner, and can make you feel like you're getting wild on the dancefloor with the club music influences all over the record, which is much needed in a post-COVID world, but also its lyrics feel particularly intense, brimming with excess, tying the origins of techno within black and queer communities in a very special way with this album. Highlights: "Disco III", "All Tomorrow's Carry", "A Depravity Such As This", "Homogenized Milk", "Tina", "Street Pulse Beat" You'll like it if you like: Boy Harsher, TR/ST, D.A.F., Street Sects STREAM #45. Natalia Lafourcade Un canto por México Vol. 1 Genre: Mexican Folk Music, Ranchera Mariachi, Bolero, Son Jarocho, Cumbia Mexicana Label: Sony || Country: Mexico Over the past few years, Mexican singer/songwriter Natalia Lafourcade became known for her interpretations of traditional folk music of her native Mexico, starting with her fourth solo album Hasta la raíz, and continuing with her two Musas albums. With her most recent work, Un canto por México vol. 1, she continues this journey, including both reinterpretations of previously released original songs and cover versions of folk songs, with only three original brand new tracks. And while "rancheras" seem to be its main focus, it is varied enough so that there are also sones, boleros, cumbias and more. Bringing an array of collaborators like Los Auténticos Decadentes, Cafe Tacvba's Meme or Carlos Rivera, it's a gorgeous addition to Natalia's already near-flawless discography. Highlights: "El Bajalú/Serenata Huasteca", "Veracruz", "Una vida", "Mi religión", "Nunca es suficiente", "Un derecho de nacimiento" You'll like it if you like: Chavela Vargas, Los Lobos, Selena, Julieta Venegas BUY #44. Oliver Coates Skins n Slime Genre: Electroacoustic, Modern Classical Noise, Ambient, Totalism, Chamber Music, Drone, Progressive Electronic Label: RVNG Intl. || Country: UK British cellist and producer Oliver Coates has been known as a collaborator to people like Thom Yorke, Mica Levi, Steve Reich and more. But he's also known as someone who takes contemporary classical music and does very special, innovative things with it on his own, with the help of electronics, loopers, effects, distortion and much more. Skins n Slime, his best solo release to date, feels like the logical conclusion of all his experimentations, fusing his signature cello-based sounds with what sounds like harsh noise, shoegaze, drone metal and more, creating a very special and slightly menacing atmosphere that blurs the lines between maximalism and minimalism. Highlights: "Caregiver part 2 (4am)", "Caregiver part 4 (spirit)", "Caregiver part 5 (money)", "Butoh Baby", "Reunification 2018", "Soaring X" (feat. Malibu) You'll like it if you like: Glenn Branca, Colin Stetson, Ian William Craig BUY #43. Buscabulla Regresa Genre: Synthpop, Latin Electronic Hypnagogic Pop, Chillwave, Latin Funk Label: Ribbon || Country: Puerto Rico Puerto Rican husband and wife duo Buscabulla, shortly after the release of their second EP, decided to move from New York back to their home region. Regresa, their full-length debut album, is some sort of document of their return. This album is filled with soft electronic pop songs quite close to chillwave but with the rich influence of reggaeton, salsa, bomba and other Puerto Rican music, that deal with the post-Hurricane Maria situation in the island and its U.S. occupation, along with other social and cultural phenomena relevant to the territory. And yeah, that does include Bad Bunny. It is a magnificent statement to make as a debut, and Buscabulla carry that combination of styles with perfection. Highlights: "Vámono", "La fiebre", "El aprieto", "Mío", "Nydia", "Ta que tiembla" You'll like it if you like: Neon Indian, Lido Pimienta, Toro y Moi, Helado Negro, Empress Of BUY #42. Jam City Pillowland Genre: Electropop, Neo-Psychedelia, Indietronica UK Bass, Bubblegum Bass, Noise Pop, Hypnagogic Pop, Deconstructed Club Label: Earthly || Country: UK Electronic music producer Jam City, born Jack Latham, is one of the most important architects of modern club music sounds. His 2012 debut album Classical Curves predicted a lot of aesthetics that would be relevant in post-club, PC Music, even in vaporwave, with a clean yet uncanny production. After his 2015 second album Dream a Garden, he started producing for pop acts like Troye Sivan, Bad Gyal, Kelela and Conan Gray. All this experience is, to a certain extent, translated onto Pillowland, his most accessible record, and yet... the oddest. It's probably going to be a bit confusing to listen to for the first time, but it feels like one of the most interesting crossovers of pop and experimental music released this year. Like hyperpop, except not really, as he surely knows to write a catchy, great pop song. That album cover is... a choice though. Highlights: "Sweetjoy", "Cartwheel", "Climb Back Down", "Cruel Joke", "Cherry" You'll like it if you like: A.G. Cook, Sleigh Bells, MGMT, Clarence Clarity BUY #41. Against All Logic 2017-2019 Genre: Post-Industrial, Tech House IDM, Deconstructed Club, Industrial Techno, Microhouse Label: Other People || Country: Chile/USA In 2018, Chilean-American producer Nicolás Jaar released 2012-2017, an album under the name Against All Logic, which compiled several house bangers he made over the years, and that got him loads of acclaim. 2017-2019, his second under this name, is nowhere near as banger-filled as the previous one, but Jaar really came through with some strange, fun, loud and danceable tracks with a rough, industrial edge he's never shown before. Nico put out a lot of music this year, two records under his birth name, a film soundtrack for Ema, and even announced the return of his already iconic DARKSIDE project with Dave Harrington. And while most of what he does can be expected to be great, very little of it feels as enticing, dark and most importantly, enjoyable as this record does. Highlights: "Fantasy", "With an Addict", "If You Can't Do It Good, Do It Hard" (feat. Lydia Lunch), "Alarm", "Deeeeeefers" You'll like it if you like: Container, Regis, Andy Stott, Daniel Avery
Alldeezy Posted December 23, 2020 Posted December 23, 2020 sad plastic hearts didnt make top 50, overall happy to see it at least mentioned
TRF. Posted December 23, 2020 Author Posted December 23, 2020 TOP 100 SINGLES 100. Princesa Alba & Alizzz - "Me equivoqué" 99. Ms. Nina feat. Soto Asa & Diego Raposo - "Location" 98. Hayley Williams - "Simmer" 97. Lido Pimienta feat. Li Saumet - "Nada" 96. Playboi Carti - "@ MEH" 95. Yung Lean - "Boylife in EU" 94. Kito & Empress Of - "Wild Girl" 93. Sech feat. Daddy Yankee, Rosalía, J Balvin & Farruko - "Relación (Remix)" 92. Tora - "Escape Room" 91. Dua Lipa & Angéle - "Fever" 90. Perfume Genius - "On the Floor" 89. María José Llergo - "La luz" 88. Julianna Barwick - "Inspirit" 87. Jessy Lanza - "Lick in Heaven" 86. Illuminati Hotties - "will i get cancelled if i write a song called, "if you were a man you'd be so cancelled"" 85. Rakky Ripper - "Coyote" 84. Klein - "No More Shubz" 83. Hook - "NVR" 82. Bree Runway & Yung Baby Tate - "Damn Daniel" 81. Rina Sawayama - "Bad Friend"
TheWayWeWere Posted December 23, 2020 Posted December 23, 2020 Bad Friend is pop perfection Fever was so surprisingly good Simmer
Reverse Warholian Posted December 24, 2020 Posted December 24, 2020 6 hours ago, TRF. said: TOP 100 SINGLES 98. Hayley Williams - "Simmer" 90. Perfume Genius - "On the Floor" 81. Rina Sawayama - "Bad Friend"
Reverse Warholian Posted December 24, 2020 Posted December 24, 2020 This is gonna sound dumb but how did you shrink down your YT embeds? Hate using spoiler tags for everything.
TRF. Posted December 24, 2020 Author Posted December 24, 2020 2 hours ago, ReverseWarholian said: This is gonna sound dumb but how did you shrink down your YT embeds? Hate using spoiler tags for everything. made a table on Microsoft Word with two columns, made one column smaller than the other and then took all its borders out looks really good on Desktop! Not so much on Mobile apparently but
Reverse Warholian Posted December 24, 2020 Posted December 24, 2020 2 minutes ago, TRF. said: made a table on Microsoft Word with two columns, made one column smaller than the other and then took all its borders out looks really good on Desktop! Not so much on Mobile apparently but Ngl it looks messy on mobile but so clean and elegant on desktop
Lazuli Posted December 24, 2020 Posted December 24, 2020 simmer, on the floor, bad friend are my favourites
TRF. Posted December 24, 2020 Author Posted December 24, 2020 21 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said: Bad Friend is pop perfection Fever was so surprisingly good Simmer Yeah right? At first Fever was kind of meh to me but it grew on me a lot, esp Angele's part. Warm by Charli XCX teas. 13 hours ago, ReverseWarholian said: Ngl it looks messy on mobile but so clean and elegant on desktop I know! It's worth the effort for me. Next update in a bit!
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