best of HONESTLY, 2021. - finished!!

[TRF.]

 

 

#50. Halsey If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power Genre: Art Pop, Alternative Rock, Electronic Post-Industrial, Singer/Songwriter, Alt-Pop Label: Astralwerks || Country: USA   It is well documented that I used to be a Hardcore Halsey Hater. That said, I felt like I was always open to the possibility of her making music I could enjoy, "Nightmare", left off of her third album 'Manic' for some reason, was mostly that. But nothing really prepared me for 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'. The first thing I learned about it was it being produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which was unexpected. They push forward with the production to places that no other recent popstar of her fame would've ever gone to, like industrial rock, shoegaze or d'n'b, and while they are a great combination, the progress and maturity in Halsey's songwriting, reflecting on identity, womanhood, motherhood and mental health in a way that feels authentic made it click for me truly. Look at us. Who would have thought? Not me!   Highlights: "The Tradition", "Bells in Santa Fe", "Easier Than Lying", "Girl Is a Gun", "You asked for this", "1121", "I'm not a woman, I'm a God", "The Lighthouse", "Ya'aburnee" RIYL: PJ Harvey, Trent Reznor, Kylie's Impossible Princess, Lana Del Rey

 

#49. The Body I've Seen All I Need to See Genre: Drone Metal, Power Electronics Sludge Metal, Death industrial Label: Thrill Jockey || Country: USA   Deciding which The Body album is the most abrasive feels like a pointless exercise, each and one of their albums feel confrontative and noisy in ways most of us can't even conceive. That being said, their last few albums did have a lot of levels of intensity and even experimented with relatively more "accessible genres". This is nothing of the sort though. I've Seen All I Need to See is probably some of the most intense music they have ever done, no moment in its 8-track and 38-minute length seems to give any space for the listener to breathe at all. At times they kinda just stay away from any metal convention just to focusing on delivering the noise, taking everything up a few notches even when it seems impossible to.   Highlights: "A Lament", "Tied Up and Locked In", "Eschatological Imperative", "A Pain of Knowing", "Path of Failure" RIYL: Boris, Pharmakon, Earth, Dreamcrusher

#48. Tarta Relena Fiat Lux Genre: A cappella, Traditional Folk Music, Folktronica Avant-Folk, Catalan Folk Music, Art Pop, Ambient, Post-Industrial Label: La Castanya || Country: Spain   The music of Catalan duo Tarta Relena has always taken an interesting approach to vocal-centered folk music, but on their debut album proper, Fiat Lux, they push all boundaries possible of what the genre can be whilst still making it recognizable as such. Covering not only Catalan folk music but also interpreting traditional songs from across the world like Pashto, Sephardic and Georgian music through their own lense (almost entirely in Catalan), they merge their ancient-sounding vocal melodies with production inspired by artists like Arca, Eartheater and their frequent collaborator Holly Herndon. The result? Folk music from the year 3000, far beyond any crossover of folkloric sounds and electronics, sounding ghostly and spaced out when needed but also absolutely dense and other-worldly more often than not.   Highlights: "El suïcidi i el cant", "Stabat mater", "Nunc aperuit nobis", "Relatable Content", "Las Alamedas", "Me yalassan" RIYL: Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés, Rosalía, Holly Herndon, Lyra Pramuk

 

#47. Armand Hammer / The Alchemist Haram Genre: Hardcore Hip Hop, Abstract Hip Hop Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip Hop, Political Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop, Drumless Label: Backwoodz || Country: USA   Since 2013, rappers Billy Woods and Elucid have been making music as Armand Hammer, and enjoyed a breakout in the year 2018 with their stand-out album 'Paraffin'. So them working with The Alchemist, legendary producer who's worked with Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah and most recently, Freddie Gibbs and members of the rap collective Griselda, was highly anticipated. This is probably one of, if not the most experimental projects Alchemist has ever worked on, but it also makes perfect sense as Elucid and Billy Woods fit perfectly with his production taken to a grittier place than ever before. They shine all throughout the record, dealing with social themes like white supremacy, capitalism, police violence, the way all these intersect and interact, but also dealing with their personal demons and examining themselves, often reaching hopeful moments amidst such a rough world this album reflects.   Highlights: "Sir Benni Miles", "Roaches Don't Fly", "Black Sunlight" (feat. KAYANA)", "God's Feet", "Peppertree", "Falling Out the Sky" (feat. Earl Sweatshirt), "Chicharonnes" (feat. Quelle Chris), "Stonefruit" RIYL: Earl Sweatshirt, Freddie Gibbs, MF Doom, Mach-Hommy

#46. Slikback MELT Genre: Deconstructed Club, Power Noise Trap EDM, Hard Drum, UK Bass Label: self-released || Country: Kenya   Earlier this year, Kenyan producer Slikback expressed in a Twitter post his desire not to release under labels anymore, self-releasing all his works from then on. After releasing on many prestigious labels, it was interesting to see this resulting in some of his most prolific, creative output thus far. He released multiple EPs and short tapes this year, but the peak of his 2021 work was arguably his album MELT, made in collaboration with an array of different producers from all around the world. Each track features a different collaborator whose presence is definitely felt, but Slikback pushes them closer to his own orbit, making it sound cohesive moreso than a random collection of great club bangers would, heavily featuring his characteristic hybrid of intense noise, hip hop production and club music from around the globe in each piece.   Highlights: "Toketa" (feat. Teya Logos), "Mugen" (feat. Brodinski), "Ixoshi" (feat. Exploited Body), "Jahad" (feat. Tzusing), "Skin Tight" (feat. Van Boom), "Dissociation" (feat. KMRU), RIYL: Amnesia Scanner, Dreamcrusher, Jlin, Hyph11e

 

 

#45. Yola Stand for Myself Genre: Country Soul, Pop Soul Contrypolitan, Psychedelic Soul, Blues Rock Label: Easy Eye || Country: UK   Yola's debut album was a very good starting point for the artist, making her multiple Grammy nominations well-deserved in my opinion. But in concept, production, songwriting and sheer vocal power, her sophomore album Stand for Myself blows it out of the water. Produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auberbach just like its predecessor, it's a record that combines country songwriting with production from different eras and genres, like 70s psychedelic rock and soul, disco, 90s smooth R&B ballads and more. But beyond style, lyrically it deals with multiple hardships in Yola's life, heartbreak, loneliness, insecurities, etc., and trying to come out alive at the other end. When she screams "I'm alive!" at the very end of the album, not only can you believe it but you can also feel it with your entire heart.   Highlights: "Barely Alive", "Dancing in My Tears", "Diamond Studded Shoes", "Starlight", "If I Had to Do It All Again", "Now You're Here", "Stand for Myself" RIYL: Kacey Musgraves, Bill Withers, Dolly Parton, Alabama Shakes

 

#44. Rauw Alejandro VICE VERSA Genre: Latin Pop, Reggaetón Contemporary R&B, Synthpop, Dance-Pop, Dancehall, Alternative R&B Label: Sony Latin || Country: Puerto Rico   Rauw Alejandro was always kinda popular in Latin America, but this year he enjoyed a very special breakout. Amongst the highlights was "Todo de tí", a song that brought disco-revival pop to the region, resulting in a #1. hit in many Spanish-speaking countries and his first top 40 hit in the States. VICE VERSA, the album the song is taken from, is a much-deserved victory lap for Rauw. It's definitely identifiable as a reggaetón album, but it also does a lot more than explore that genre. Going from genres like 80's influenced synthpop to deep house to latin balladry and even going as far as pulling off a drum and bass track (!!!), you'll have a hard time finding two songs that sound any similar here, a criticism often raised at reggaetón production, yet definitely pays homage to genre's roots. It's the greatest hits collection many pop singers in Latin America can only dream of. Out of the norm, but never pretentious, just pure fun.   Highlights: "Todo de tí", "Sexo virtual", "2/Catorce" (feat. Mr. Naisguy), "Aquel nap ZzZz", "Cosa guapa", "Desenfocao'", "La old skul", "¿Y eso?" RIYL: Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Kali Uchis, The Weeknd

#43. Arooj Aftab Vulture Prince Genre: Chamber Folk, Ghazal Thumri, Qawwali, Chamber Jazz, Ambient Pop Label: New Amsterdam || Country: Pakistan/USA   Very few albums released this year can pull on one's heartstrings as Pakistani-American musician Arooj Aftab's Vulture Prince. Sung mostly in her native Urdu and taking influences not only from folk, jazz, reggae and ambient music but also traditional Sufi music, qawwali, thumri or ghazal, it's a record that deals with grief, loss and uncertainty in a way that can bring tears to your eyes, from the instrumentation to Arooj's performance, transmitting every emotion vividly regardless of whether you understand each lyric she's singing. Still, it's insane to see how much love this album has gotten from Western music publications, going as far as being nominated for multiple Grammys. My knowledge of South Asian music is unfortunately rather limited so I don't have much of a point of comparison, but I can at least attest this album is absolutely gorgeous and its acclaim is well-earned.   Highlights: "Baghon Main", "Diya Hai", "Inayaat", "Mohabbat", "Saans Lo" RIYL: Abida Parveen, Ichiko Aoba, Vashti Bunyan, Adrianne Lenker

 

 

#42. Space Afrika Hoonest Labour Genre:Ambient, Sound Collage, Electronic Trip Hop, Ambient Pop, Spoken Word, Illbient Label: Dais || Country: UK   According to many one of the musical highlights of 2020 was Manchester duo Space Afrika's mixtape hybtwibt, which stands for "have you been through what I've been through?". It was a collage piece that worked pop sample, dark ambiance and recordings of protests into a statement about police brutality and anti-Black racism. Honest Labour, in comparison, might be less direct in its messaging, but it's by no means less meaningful. A statement about love and loss in the modern age, it features similar usage of samples and voices as their mixtape did, but extended into album format, maintaining its unpredictability. Informed by Burial, 90s trip hop and rap, it sounds a lot busier than your average ambient-adjacent album, less built for relaxation and/or for background music, but definitely inviting introspection of some kind.   Highlights: "yyyyyy2222", "Indigo Grit" (feat. Guest), "LV", "Preparing the Perfect Response", "Rings" (feat. Guest), "B£E" (feat. Blackhaine), "U" (feat. KinseyLloyd), "<>", "Strength" (feat. LA Timpa), "Honest Labour" (feat. HforSpirit) RIYL: Burial, Klein, early Yves Tumor, Deux Filles, 2814

 

 

#41. Backxwash I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses  Genre: Horrorcore, Industrial Hip Hop Industrial Metal, Electro-Industrial, Political Hip Hop Label: self-released || Country: Zambia/Canada   Backxwash's second album God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It was a huge breakout for the rapper, earning her the Polaris Prize. Its success was kind of unexpected, but very much deserved, as it was one of the most impressive hip hop albums of 2020, fusing horrorcore-like raps with production influenced by metal and industrial music. I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses pushes boundaries even further with full on metal and noise sections, collaborations with people like clipping., Speedy Ortiz's Sad13, Lauren Bousfield, Black Dresses' Ada Rook and more. But while the sound and aesthetic is great in and of its own, her raps are what make this album work as well as it does, addressing suicidal ideation, racism, colonialism and transphobia, it embraces fury like very few other albums and artists have done in the genre.   Highlights: "I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses" (feat. Ada Rook), "Terror Packets" (feat. Censored Dialogue), "In Thy Holy Name" (feat. Lauren Bousfield), "Blood in the Water", "666 in Luxaxa", "Nine Hells" RIYL: clipping., Gravediggaz, Godflesh, Dälek

[TheWayWeWere]

If I Can't Have Love is probably her best record to date  

[TRF.]

 

Will do stuff with descriptions and stuff in the top 20  in the meantime!:

 

75    Laura Les - Haunted
74    Tkay Maidza - Cashmere
73    Sega Bodega - Only Seeing God When I Come
72    CHVRCHES/Robert Smith - How Not to Drown
71    Trippie Redd & Playboi Carti - Miss the Rage
70    Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet
69    Oli XL - Go Oli Go!
68    LVL1 - FVN!
67    Polo G - Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)
66    Mitski - The Only Heartbreaker
65    Morad - Que Pasa?
64    Danny L Harle - On a Mountain
63    Sharon Van Etten/Angel Olsen - Like I Used To
62    Perfume - Polygon Wave
61    Jessie Ware - Hot n Heavy
60    Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae - You
59    Xiu Xiu/Liz Harris - A Bottle of Rum
58    Mandy, Indiana - Alien 3
57    Laura Mvula - Church Girl
56    L'Rain - Two Face
55    Midwife - God Is a Cop
54    Salute - Want U There
53    MC Dricka - Gadinho de faz tempo
52    Circuit Des Yeux - Disappearing
51    The Weather Station - Atlantic

 

 

[JGibson]

How Not To Drown 

[SLIME]

why are you so (:ABRAjonny:)

 

I will be perusing for new finds ofc but WLR/Miss the Rage are too low!

[PrinceMichaelFan]

6 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said:

If I Can't Have Love is probably her best record to date  

The way she ended her debut album with “you asked for this” 

[Alldeezy]

Miss The Rage & How Not To Drown

[Sunderland 4ever]

14 hours ago, TRF. said:

70    Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet
66    Mitski - The Only Heartbreaker
61    Jessie Ware - Hot n Heavy

These three

[wish]

Laura Les, FVN, Danny L Harle, Sega Bodega YUP

 

I’ll have to check out some of these tracks, ur serving taste 

[popstar]

How Not To Drown (feat. Roberth Smith)

 

Also Halsey and Rauw Alejandro

[Remmy]

Albums~ Added Yola to my list of artists to check out a few days ago  Halsey starting off the list Yeah it was a solid abum from her. "Darling" and "honey" snubbed from the highlights list  || Singles~ Cashmere + You  Hot N Heavy  How Not to Drown yesss they snapped.

[Lazuli]

agreed about halsey nn i thought she was really extra and pretentious but my opinion slowly switched when nightmare came around

Quote

72    CHVRCHES/Robert Smith - How Not to Drown
70    Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet
66    Mitski - The Only Heartbreaker
63    Sharon Van Etten/Angel Olsen - Like I Used To
61    Jessie Ware - Hot n Heavy
51    The Weather Station - Atlantic

wish some of these (hntd, be sweet, the only heartbreaker, like i used to) were higher tbh! 

[TheWayWeWere]

The Only Heartbreaker   her pop bops are so underrated

Hot n Heavy  

[TRF.]

  

 

BUY

#40. Circuit des Yeux -io Genre: Art Pop, Neoclassical Darkwave Progressive Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Baroque Pop Label: Matador || Country: USA   Haley Fohr’s first project as Circuit des Yeux for label Matador is probably one of her most grandiose-sounding to date. -io deals with grief for a close friend, but also for the world in general, the loss of normality, the loss of happiness. It features acoustic guitars and electronics just like its predecessor Reaching for Indigo did, but it also has a special focus on orchestral arrangements, horns and strings that make it sound bigger than any other album of hers. But what makes -io truly stand out, just like with every other project of Fohr’s, is her vocals. In this album, she pushes them to reach high highs and extremely low lows, showcasing an impressive, inimitable vocal range that could make one confidently place her deservedly as one of the greatest vocalists of our day. -io can be dark and menacing, but it also can present true beauty.   Highlights: “Vanishing”, “The Chase”, “Sculpting the Exodus”, “Neutron Star”, “Stranger”, “Oracle Song” RIYL: Weyes Blood, ANOHNI, Nico, Julia Holter

 

STREAM

#39. luan sounds 2002 Genre: Experimental Hip Hop, Abstract Hip Hop, Industrial Hip Hop Alternative R&B, Sound Collage, Spoken Word, Noise, Trap, Glitch Hop Label: self-released || Country: Argentina   I have always waited for someone from Argentina to come up with a sound like that, and Santiago del Estero rapper and producer Luan (or luan sounds as he is credited here) didn't dissapoint. '2002' is his debut album proper, and it definitely feels in tune with a lot of industrial hip hop-adjacent music released in the past few years. And while there may have been artists who were intentionally referenced throughout it, it still feels like its own thing, most importantly. With production that feels incredibly detailed, and lyrics that range from humorous and badass to sensual and personal, I don't think that I've ever heard something that brings to the table what this album does, and I hope this inspires more rappers and producers in Argentina to take similar risks, because this is the real deal. Also the fact that someone born in 2002 was able to come up with something like this... surely makes me feel some type of way.   Highlights: "K.M.A.", "Unchained", "84 Saavst", "Supah Cumpa", "Sangre", "Boss 3" RIYL: Arca, JPEGMAFIA, Blackhandpath, Ysy A

BUY

#38. Giant Claw Mirror Guide Genre: Progressive Electronic, Epic Collage Modern Classical, Glitch, Utopian Virtual Label: Orange Milk || Country: USA   My introduction to Keith Rankin’s work was with his album Dark Web in 2014. In it, he twisted pop, R&B and hip-hop samples in a way both similar to vaporwave but also close to what footwork producers do, fusing abstract compositions with more accessible sounds and somewhat danceable beats, it was something I had never heard before. He’s done a lot since then, working with people like Rico Nasty and Guerrilla Toss for their artwork, putting out more releases as Giant Claw and help run the Orange Milk label. But this album, Mirror Guide, has to be one of the best things he’s done. It takes a completely different approach from his earlier work, yet similarly deconstructing genres related to classical music, jazz, folk, prog, giving them a modern yet warm polishing. Not using many samples at all, he still manages to make a dense, massive collage of sounds that sound chaotic and pleasing all at once. Would also recommend checking out death’s dynamic shroud’s Faith in Persona, a group he frequently contributes to and worked on this album mostly by himself, takes a different approach but also has great results!   Highlights: “Earther”, “Mir-Cam Startup”, “Mir-Cam Online”, “Until Mirror” (feat. Tamar Karmin), “Mirror Guide Part II (You and Me)” (feat. NTsKi) RIYL: Oneohtrix Point Never, James Ferraro, Euglossine, Fire-Toolz

 

BUY

#37. otay:onii 冥冥 Míng Míng  Genre: Post-Industrial, Art Pop, Electronic Drone, Ambient Pop, Necolassical Darkwave, Glitch, Dark Ambient Label: WV Sorcerer || Country: China/USA   Lane Shi Otayonii is the vocalist of noise-rock/metalgaze band Elizabeth Colour Wheel, who in 2019 released one of my favourite rock albums of that year, 'Nocebo'. But she also has a solo project, Otay:onii, under which she makes dark, strange experimental pop music. The name of her latest album '冥冥 (Míng Míng)', references Chinese traditions and philosophy, touching on one's soul being in limbo and the blending of the past and future with what we know as the "present". This is manifested on her record by a stronger presence of industrial sounds, a generally darker tone in songwriting and some of her most intense vocal performances to date, but all this combined with some genuinely beautiful and meditative moments which makes for a really interesting contrast and thus probably becoming one of the biggest surprises of the year so far.   Highlights: "Child No.22", "Through Death a Cup of Coffee", "Blackheart Breakables", "In Between Angel and Fly", "Un Deciphered" RIYL: Coil, Biophilia-era Björk, Eartheater, Pan Daijing

BUY

#36. ZelooperZ Van Gogh's Left Ear Genre: Trap, Abstract Hip Hop Detroit Trap, Experimental Hip Hop, Cloud Rap, Hardcore Hip Hop Label: Bruiser Brigade || Country: USA   I first heard Detroit rapper ZelooperZ was on “Kush Coma”, featured on fellow Detroit rapper Danny Brown’s 2013 album Old. I really dug his unique, almost ridiculous style and flow, something he would expand on his 2014 mixtape HELP and in further EP’s, mixtapes and albums. But Van Gogh’s Left Ear, is probably the best of them to date. His raps can vary from manic and abrasive on its first half to (mostly) dreamy and melodic on the second half, allowing all his versatility and singularity. The production is as distinctive as his performance is. With collaborators such as 454, Skywlkr, Dilit, Tony Seltzer, Owwwls and more, it varies greatly from track to track, from jazz samples to hard hitting trap beats, and the whole thing edges into pure insanity more often than not. Say, trying to make sense of the beat in “Bash Bandicoot” is nearly impossible, but it’s part of what makes it as magic as it is, just as the rest of the album.   Highlights: “Battery”, “Van Gogh’s Left Ear”, “Paranormal Snaptivity” (feat. Quadie Diesel & RXK Nephew), “Bash Bandicoot” (feat. Danny Brown), “Other Side of the Mirror”, “Crying in the Club”, “Andrea Bocelli”, “Don’t Leave”, “Remote Island”, “Satellites” RIYL: RXK Nephew, Hook, Danny Brown, ShittyBoyz

 

BUY

#35. The Weather Station Ignorance Genre: Art Pop, Sophisti-Pop Chamber Pop, Indie Pop Label: Fat Possum || Country: Canada   The Weather Station is the project of Tamara Lindeman, formed over a decade ago but who had their truly big breakout this year with their latest album 'Ignorance'. Their earlier music used to have a more straight-forward acoustic indie-folk sound, but with very poignant and heartfelt, genuine songwriting. 'Ignorance' takes this up a few notches. It opts for maximalism instead of minimalism, with a huge band accompanying Lindeman this time, and it seems to be rooted in 80's artsy sophisti-pop, soft rock and a few hints of disco and new wave here and there. But what makes this really stand out is the lyrical content, discussing political issues like climate change and humanity's relationship both with it in particular and with nature in general in such a beautiful yet detailed way. It makes sense to see why this would catch the attention of many publications and newer fans alike, as it certainly caught mine.   Highlights: "Robber", "Atlantic", "Tried to Tell You", "Parking Lot", "Loss", "Wear", "Heart" RIYL: Destroyer, The Blue Nile, Weyes Blood, Annie Lennox

 

BUY

#34. L'Rain Fatigue Genre: Neo-Psychedelia, Neo-Soul Psychedelic Soul, Sound Collage, Field Recordings, Art Pop, Hypnagogic Pop Label: Mexican Summer || Country: USA   New York experimental singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taja Cheek has been working as L’Rain since at least 2017, when she put out her debut self-titled album. It caught my attention almost immediately, but didn’t click with me until revisiting it two or three years after. It was a record that put together soul, pop, jazz, rock music and more through a psychedelic lense, connected by collages and tape sounds making it a very cohesive listen, a true slow burner.  Her follow-up, Fatigue, is not dissimilar in sound and approach, but widens its palette to include even more genres and aesthetics, so that it feels like one of the most complete albums of the year despite its length of under half an hour, feeling a lot more immediate as well despite lacking anything close to a “big single”. Expanding on themes of death, violence, spirituality and change, each song feels like a vignette encouraging the listener to feel every emotion very deeply.   Highlights: “Fly, Die”, “Find It”, “Blame Me”, “Kill Self”, “Two Face”, “I V”, “Take Two” RIYL: WIGH-era Solange, Slauson Malone, MHYSA, Dean Blunt

BUY

#33. John Glacier SHILOH: Lost for Words Genre: UK Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop, Trap, Glitch Hop Abstract Hip Hop, UK Bass, Cloud Rap, Hypnagogic Pop, IDM Label: PLZ Make It Ruins || Country: UK   South London vocalist John Glacier has made a name for herself working with people like Dean Blunt, Shygirl, Jadasea, Lutto Lento and more, but SHILOH: Lost for Words is a work that puts her and her lyrical prowess on the focus of it all, and it works marvelously. Mostly produced by frequent Frank Ocean collaborator Vegyn and released under his imprint Plz Make It Ruins, they are a perfect match.  The beats on this album feel airy, glitchy and weird, yet still maintaining some relation to contemporary hip hop production, both mainstream and underground, even if completely warped. This matches with John’s own vulnerable lyrics, and moreso her kinda-monotone-but-still-quite-emotional vocal performance. It’s very likely that fans of the artists I previously mentioned will find a lot to enjoy in this record, but you’d still have a hard time finding anything that sounds exactly like what John Glacier does here.   Highlights: “If Anything”, “Icing”, “Cryptomnesia”, “Timing”, “Boozy”, “Green Elephants Freestyle”, “Some Other Thing”, “On Formulation” RIYL: Babyfather, early Arca, MIKE, Tirzah

 

BUY

#32. S280F 28 Genre: Ambient, Epic Collage Deconstructed Club, Modern Classical, Field Recordings, Neoclassical New Age Label: self-released || Country: USA   Mysterious producer S280F's latest release 28 is an intense yet beautiful album that brings a lot of emotions and sounds into one single 58-minute piece. Inspired by club music, noise and neoclassical music, it merges the abstract with the material, complete with a sound design that feels genuinely out of this world. 01001111 01101110 01100011 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01101110 00101100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100111 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101101 01100001 01101001 01101110 00100000 01100110 01101001 01111000 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110011 01101001 01100100 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101000 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 00101110   Highlights: it's better enjoyed in one piece RIYL: Rabit, Elysia Crampton, bod [包家巷], Ryuichi Sakamoto

 

 

BUY

#31. Smerz Believer  Genre: Art Pop, Electronic Modern Classical, Post-Industrial, UK Bass, Alternative R&B, Experimental Hip Hop, Trance Label: XL || Country: Norway   It's been half a decade since Norwegian, Copenhagen-based duo Smerz put out their debut EP Okey, fusing synthpop with R&B, techno and footwork. And they've gone a long way from that. After signing with XL Recordings, they released Have Fun, a collection of tracks that saw them moving into more abrasive, experimental structures and beats. Their full-length debut Believer feels like the logical conclusion of all of their efforts. Don't go looking for big singles like "Because" or even "No Harm" because the mood of this album is way less accessible than that. Taking inspiration from their upbringing in classical music, they take influences from that to build something that feels a lot more grandiose and difficult to pinpoint. Think Coil, Jessy Lanza, Inga Copeland, Meredith Monk, Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, and late 90's/early 00's euro-trance all put together and you might get somewhat close to describe this. 'Believer' is not the easiest album to decipher, but makes every listen even more worth it.   Highlights: "Gitarriff", "Max", "Believer", "Hester", "Flashing", "The Favourite", "Sonette", "Glassbord", "I Don't Talk About That Much" RIYL: Inga Copeland, Jessy Lanza, Coil, Meredith Monk

[Sunderland 4ever]

29 minutes ago, TRF. said:

The Weather Station

Ignorance

I listened to it once, but sadly didn't grow on me.

[witness1.3]

IICHLIWP, Be Sweet, The Only Heartbreaker, Hot N Heavy, You 

[TRF.]

 

50    Kælan Mikla - Ósýnileg
49    Smerz - Believer
48    G. Brenner - Dee Dee
47    Injury Reserve - Superman That
46    Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens & Caroline Polachek - New Shapes
45    Jenny Hval - Jupiter
44    Normani feat. Cardi B - Wild Side
43    Princesa Alba - Miss U BB
42    Six Sex - Duro
41    Marina Sena - Voltei pra mim
40    Rochelle Jordan - Next 2 You
39    Paco Amoroso - Viuda negra
38    Megan Thee Stallion - Thot Shit
37    Spirit of the Beehive - I Suck the Devil's Cock
36    Javiera Mena - Debilidad
35    Caroline Polachek - Bunny Is a Rider
34    Magdalena Bay - Secrets (Your Fire)
33    La Zowi & Mark Luva - Matrix
32    Sleigh Bells - Locust Laced
31    Black Midi - John L

[JGibson]

Bunny Is A Rider

[Alldeezy]

Charli 

[dreamofyou]

new shapes

[Lazuli]

the weather station is kinda nice  

new shapes, wild side, bunny, secrets, locust laced  

[popstar]

Viuda Negra  es un bop

 Bunny Is  rider slays too...

[TheWayWeWere]

Bunny is a Rider

New Shapes could've been better considering this trio  

[Sunderland 4ever]

17 hours ago, TRF. said:

45    Jenny Hval - Jupiter
34    Magdalena Bay - Secrets (Your Fire)

A big yes! to these two.

[Remmy]

Wild Side is alright  Wish New Shapes had a stronger chorus but it's a good bop! Bunny Is a Grower  Thot Shit, the first Megan song I've enjoyed  Sooo catchy and her flow on it is excellence. Secrets (Your Fire) oh yes oh yes