TRF. Posted December 31, 2022 Author Posted December 31, 2022 BUY/LISTEN #20. Kali Malone Living Torch Genre: Drone, Electroacoustic Dark Ambient, Post-Minimalism, Microtonal Classical Label: GRM || Country: USA/Sweden Release Date: July 7, 2022 American-Swedish experimental musician Kali Malone has been one of the most beloved figures for fans of the genre since the release of 2019's The Sacrificial Code, a record composed of lengthy minimalist pieces played on a pipe organ. Her 2022 album Living Torch is much shorter, only two tracks with a total half-hour length, but they are among some of the most hypnotic tracks she's ever made. Changing the pipe organ for ARP 2500 synthesizer accompanied by a trombone and a bass clarinet, the textures present on Living Torch are incredibly rich and enveloping, giving her ominous-sounding drones newer depths. Highlights: it's a two track drone album RIYL: Eliane Radigue, Roland Kayn, Aine O'Dwyer, Yellow Swans BUY/LISTEN #19. Moor Mother Jazz Codes Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Experimental Hip Hop Avant-Garde Jazz, Jazz Poetry, Neo-Soul, Conscious Hip Hop, Spiritual Jazz, Drumless Label: Anti- || Country: USA Release Date: September 9, 2022 Multi-genre, multi-platform artist Camae Ayewa has left her mark on different genres, among others on club music with her 700 Bliss project, on jazz with Irreversible Entanglements and on rap and experimental music as Moor Mother. Her album Jazz Codes might be one of her best records to date in part because of how it feels like an amalgamation of every aspect of her work. While jazz definitely takes a huge part of the inspiration behind the project, you can hear rap, soul, even footwork, exploring every aspect of Black musical history from decades ago up to the present day. Highlights: "Umzansi", "April 7th", "Ode to Mary", "Woody Shaw", "Meditation Rag", "Rap Jasm", "Blues Away", "Arms Save", "Evening", "Barely Woke" RIYL: Noname, Billy Woods, Sonny Sharrock, Saul Williams BUY/LISTEN #18. Shygirl Nymph Genre: Alternative R&B, UK Bass, UK Hip Hop Future Garage, Experimental Hip Hop, Pop Rap, Trap, Deconstructed Club Label: Because || Country: UK Release Date: September 30, 2022 Since first hearing Shygirl's music I was excited to hear more and more. A debut album is something I've wanted since Cruel Practice in 2018, but her music has evolved a lot since then. Nymph sounds worlds different from her first EP, less industrial, abrasive production, influences from UK garage, R&B, ambient music, even Romanian dance-pop pop into the record from time to time. But while that change might still take a while to adjust for some, that does not make the record less interesting, in fact it feels very much Shygirl, but covering every aspect of what that means. Highlights: "Woe", "Come for Me", "Little Bit", "Firefly", "Nike", "Poison", "Honey", "Missin U", "Wildfire" RIYL: Kelela, Oklou, PinkPantheress, Dizzee Rascal LISTEN #17. Xênia França Em nome da estrela Genre: Contemporary R&B, Art Pop, Neo-Soul MPB, Neo-Psychedelia, Alternative R&B, Ambient Pop Label: self-released || Country: Brazil Release Date: June 3, 2022 The debut album from Bahia singer Xênia França explored R&B sounds from a very uniquely Afro-Brazilian perspective, with influences from jazz, soul and traditional Brazilian folk music and MPB. But on her newest album Em nome da estrela, she broadens her sound into something that sounds truly otherworldly. A record that's more experimental and notably inspired by psychedelic music, yet still retains plenty of catchy hooks, with instrumentation that is vivid, colorful and rich but never overshadows the power and strength of her vocals, it's one of the most unique R&B records of the year, one of its best too. Highlights: "Renascer", "Interestelar", "Futurível", "Dádiva", "Ancestral Infinito", "Animus x Anima", "From the Heights", "Magia" RIYL: Solange, L'Rain, Luedji Luna, Ravyn Lenae BUY/LISTEN #16. Nilüfer Yanya PAINLESS Genre: Indie Rock Post-Punk, Indie Pop, Art Rock, Indietronica Label: ATO || Country: UK Release Date: March 3, 2022 Nilüfer Yanya's debut album, 2019's Miss Universe, was a really unique, extensive indie pop/rock record, that combined different styles and approaches to make for a really fun and interesting listen. Her follow up, PAINLESS, is shorter and more concise, but no less engaging. With a gloomier sound than its predecessor, she delivers another collection of fantastic tracks, this time more cohesively. She's showing her maturity as a songwriter, inspired by In Rainbows-era Radiohead or early post-punk, but never sounding derivative. It's exactly the kind of sophomore album you would expect from one of the most refreshing faces in indie rock. Highlights: "the dealer", "shameless", "stabilise", "midnight sun", "trouble", "try", "belong with you", "the mystic", "anotherlife" RIYL: Radiohead, King Krule, Young Marble Giants, early The xx LISTEN #15. Ethel Cain Preacher's Daughter Genre: Dream Pop, Slowcore Ethereal Wave, Post-Rock, Americana, Neo-Psychedelia Label: Daughters of Cain || Country: USA Release Date: May 12, 2022 Ethel Cain's Inbred EP was one of my favorites from 2021, but on her debut album Preacher's Daughter, she channels everything that makes her aesthetic so special and delivers the best from it. Narrating a story of a girl who grew up in a conservative religious background and meets a very dangerous man, it's a record that despite its lengthy tracks and slow-motion pace, never feels boring. Partly thanks to the variations genre-wise, as well as the numerous surprises found throughout, but moreso because of her fantastic way of crafting songs, resulting in one of this year's most memorable debuts. Highlights: "American Teenager", "A House in Nebraska", "Family Tree", "Hard Times", "Thoroughfare", "Gibson Girl", "Ptolemaea", "Sun Bleached Flies", "Strangers" RIYL: Ultraviolence-era Lana Del Rey, Lisa Germano, Duster, Nicole Dollanganger LISTEN #14. Lexie Liu The Happy Star Genre: Electropop, Mandopop, Dance-Pop Synthpop, Alternative R&B, Art Pop, Pop Rock, Electroclash Label: Nixie Music || Country: China Release Date: December 6, 2022 Right at the end of the year, Chinese singer Lexie Liu released her third album, The Happy Star. It's a far call from the trap and R&B influenced music she released at the beginning of her career, instead diving into full, pure pop. But that doesn't make it any less interesting, and in fact her vision of pop is some of the most exciting and weird the genre has seen in a while. Over heavily electronic production that lifts from different decades, but especially the 90s, Lexie Liu proves she's got what it takes to be an effortlessly cool popstar. Highlights: "FORTUNA", "dance dance", "3.14159", "GANMA", "MAGICIAN", "DIABLO", "Gaia", "Bad Dream", "Shanti" RIYL: Art Angels-era Grimes, Ray of Light-era Madonna, Impossible Princess-era Kylie Minogue, Witching Hour-era Ladytron BUY/LISTEN #13. Weyes Blood And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow Genre: Baroque Pop, Singer-Songwriter Soft Rock, Piano Rock, Art Pop, Psychedelic Pop Label: Sub Pop || Country: USA Release Date: November 18, 2022 In 2019, Weyes Blood enjoyed a huge breakthrough with her album Titanic Rising, a record which saw her philosophizing about love and the changes of the world over a nostalgic, 60s-inspired lush, orchestral baroque pop. Her follow-up, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is the second part of the trilogy that Titanic Rising started, so it does not differ greatly in sound, style of songwriting and aesthetic. But it does everything that the previous one did greatly, with some of the most gorgeous instrumentation she's ever sung on, with a perhaps bleaker, but still somewhat hopeful outlook on the world. Highlights: "It's Not Just Me It's Everybody", "Children of the Empire", "Grapevine", "God Turn Me Into a Flower", "Twin Flame", "A Given Thing" RIYL: Her album Titanic Rising, Kate Bush, Lana Del Rey, Enya BUY/LISTEN #12. Hatchie Giving the World Away Genre: Dream Pop, Alternative Dance, Baggy Shoegaze, Jangle Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Synthpop Label: Secretly Canadian || Country: Australia Release Date: April 22, 2022 Always was into Hatchie's music since first hearing it, but what the Australian artist brought to the table with her second album Giving the World Away exceeded all my expectations. It is heavy on the 90s revivalism, yes, combining different genres from the era like baggy, shoegaze, trip hop and more into her pure-pop sound, but escapes derivativeness by the strength of its songwriting and hooks. When they hit, they feel as special as getting the first kiss from your longtime crush, or the soundtrack to the best coming-of-age movie that never existed. Heartwarming and memorable, one of a kind. Highlights: "Lights On", "This Enchanted", "Take My Hand", "The Rhythm", "Quicksand", "Giving the World Away", "The Key", "Don't Leave Me in the Rain", "Til We Run Out of Air" RIYL: Alvvays, The Happy Mondays, Magdalena Bay, A.R. Kane LISTEN #11. Marina Satti YENNA Genre: Art Pop, Greek Music Alt-Pop, Alternative R&B, Cretan Folk Music, Glitch Pop Label: Walnut || Country: Greece Release Date: October 28, 2022 Would be very tempting to describe this as "Rosalía but Greek", but that description doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what Marina Satti's debut album sounds like. YENNA (Greek for "birth") combines Greek music, both ancient and modern, with avant-garde pop in very unpredictable ways, from vocoder-heavy acapella renditions of traditional music about the fall of Constantinople or Cretan folk music to IDM-influenced melancholic R&B passing through actual pop bangers, and there's not a single miss. One of the best, most unique pop records of the year, very enjoyable even for someone very little knowledge of Greek music like myself. Highlights: "Yiati pouli m' (den kelaidis)", "Pali", "Kritiko", "Ase me na figo", "Prosefhi", "Spirto ke venzini", "Ponos krifos", "Miroloi" RIYL: Rosalía, Björk, Conan Osíris, Irene Papas
MP2K Posted December 31, 2022 Posted December 31, 2022 The song you picked for Villano Antillano gives Rico Nasty vibes. I actually like the song too. Thanks for the background on them. Himera is cute too. I can get into it CRASH
TheWayWeWere Posted December 31, 2022 Posted December 31, 2022 yeah, GTWA was so surprisingly amazing, like I knew that she's good in dream pop, but this is another level
TRF. Posted December 31, 2022 Author Posted December 31, 2022 13 hours ago, MP2K said: The song you picked for Villano Antillano gives Rico Nasty vibes. I actually like the song too. Thanks for the background on them. Himera is cute too. I can get into it CRASH Yes!!! It's literally the first thing I thought about it re:Villano! 12 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said: yeah, GTWA was so surprisingly amazing, like I knew that she's good in dream pop, but this is another level I liked her other music but this album is fantastic, I can't wait to hear what she's gonna deliver next
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 1, 2023 ATRL Moderator Posted January 1, 2023 Preacher's Daughter and Giving The World Away After so many years, I finally listened to Titanic Rising and it is absolutely magnificent. I'll try to listen to her new album soon too
TRF. Posted January 1, 2023 Author Posted January 1, 2023 LISTEN #10. Feli Colina El valle encantado Genre: Art Pop, Hispanic American Folk Music Chacarera, Carnavalito, Piano Rock, Candombe, Spoken Word, Zamba Label: Popart || Country: Argentina Release Date: March 30, 2022 With her most recent album El valle encantado, Salta-born artist Feli Colina delves into experimenting with the sounds of Argentinian folklore, taking it to a conceptual terrain within an imagined planet, and showing an artistic proposal that expands the universe she created in her album Feroza. As someone who grew up listening to all this kind of music, going to festivals since I was a little kid, it makes me happy to listen to hear artists explore the rhythms of carnavalito, chacarera, zamba, candombe and other genres that had their birth in Argentina and South America in general. And what Feli Colina does in this album feels completely natural, experimenting and combining folklore with different sonorities, from the percussion or the constant presence of the piano to the slightly electronic production, it is clearly a tribute to Argentinian culture, but from a point of view that is uniquely her own. Highlights: "El valle encantado", "Aguatera", "Chukatrunka" (feat. Valentina Brishantina), "Diablo", "La entrega", "Ancora", "Madre", "La gracia" RIYL: Rosalía, Mercedes Sosa, Lido Pimienta, Raly Barrionuevo BUY/LISTEN #09. billy woods Aethiopes Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Drumless Label: Backwoodz || Country: USA Release Date: April 8, 2022 After releasing a couple great records with Elucid as Armand Hammer, Aethiopes is rapper billy woods first solo album in years, and every second of it is worth it. The record features some of the best bars he's ever delivered, discussing difficult topics like racism, family trauma and violence, and unsettling and dark as these subject matters may be, he also demonstrates his ability to keep you engaged with his brilliant storytelling as he'll always do. Marked by Preservation's shadowy, erratic and minimal production inspired by Ethiopian avant-garde jazz and Jamaican dub, as well as fantastic features courtesy of people like Boldy James, El-P or even Elucid himself, this record stands as not only a highlight in billy woods' discography − although his most recent album Church with producer Messiah Musik is very good too! − and also as one of the best rap records of the past couple years. Highlights: "Asylum", "No Hard Feelings", "Sauvage" (feat. Boldy James & Gabe Nandez), "The Doldrums", "Christine" (feat. Mike Ladd), "Heavy Water" (feat. Breeze Brewin & El-P), "Haarlem" (feat. Fatboy Sharif), "Protoevangelium" (feat. Shinehead), "Remorseless" RIYL: Elucid, Ka, Moor Mother, Earl Sweatshirt BUY/LISTEN #08. KMRU & Aho Ssan Limen Genre: Drone, Post-Industrial, Noise, Glitch Dark Ambient, Progressive Electronic, Electroacoustic, Epic Collage Label: Subtext || Country: Kenya/France Release Date: April 29, 2022 Kenyan ambient musician KMRU and French experimentalist Aho Ssan both have very different approaches to electronic music. The former's music leans heavily into field recordings to create large, somewhat nostalgic soundscapes you can get lost into. Meanwhile, as shown on his debut album Simulacrum, Aho Ssan's work is packed with distortion, with sound design reminiscent of deconstructed club stripped almost entirely from its dancefloor context. Commissioned by Berlin Atonal and released by Subtext Records, their collaborative album Limen brings the best out of each other. This record feels like 40 minutes of sheer intensity, combining KMRU's lengthy, atmospheric, melodic drones with Aho Ssan's maximalist industrial production, and even in noise and experimental-adjacent stuff, it stands out for its attention to textures, details and magnitude. Limen feels earth shattering and abrasive, but like all the best extreme music, still feels very much cathartic, proving how well they function as a team. Highlights: it's three lengthy drone tracks, "Resurgence" is a fav though RIYL: Ben Frost, Roly Porter, Paul Jebanasam, Tim Hecker LISTEN #07. Beyoncé Renaissance Genre: Dance-Pop, House, Contemporary R&B Pop Rap, Alternative R&B, Ballroom, Afrobeats, Afro House, Hip House, Diva House, Disco Label: Parkwood || Country: USA Release Date: July 29, 2022 What can I say about Renaissance that hasn't already been said? Many have sung their praises, a few their criticisms, but very few albums in 2022 have been as discussed as this one has, even for Beyoncé standards. Which is crazy because, mostly stripped of a surprise release or a larger narrative about a relationship, this is probably the most straight-forward Beyoncé record in a while. Renaissance is a record inspired by dance music, not just house, but dancehall, bounce, disco, techno, afrobeats and more. But cool samples, producers and homages aside, it is a pop record first and foremost, and with Beyoncé's great-as-always vocals over these instrumentals and the quantity of infectious hooks, it's an uncomplicated-yet-exciting club-pop record that will sound on gay clubs for years to come, and personally, the hype and acclaim is well-deserved. After all, you know you're that ***** when you cause all this conversation. Highlights: "I'm That Girl", "Alien Superstar", "Cuff It", "Virgo's Groove", "Move" (feat. Grace Jones & Tems), "Heated", "Thique", "All Up in Your Mind", "America Has a Problem", "Pure/Honey", "Summer Renaissance" RIYL: Confessions-era Madonna, Janet Jackson, Donna Summer, Kelela LISTEN #06. Isabella Lovestory Amor Hardcore Genre: Neoperreo, Latin Electronic, Reggaetón Electropop, Dancehall, Pop Rap, Alternative R&B Label: self-released || Country: Honduras Release Date: October 5, 2022 Honduran pop singer Isabella Lovestory is an icon in the making. With her EPs Humo and Mariposa, as well as the series of singles she released in 2021, she crafted a sound built on early 00s reggaetón, but with an aesthetic inspired by Y2K and McBling styles of the era, as well as acts like Crystal Castles or blog house. Amor Hardcore, oddly enough, less vulnerable and more fun than her previous releases, but by no means less interesting. It's a record largely about fashion, sex, being sexy, and Isabella sells it all really well. Despite it being her debut album, she has the charisma and confidence of a veteran popstar, bringing something quite unique to Latin pop music, a kind of reggaetón that's not afraid to get weird, take inspiration from unexpected places, and with someone like Isabella on the mic, everyone is bound to fall into her spell. Highlights: "Cherry Bomb", "Fashion Freak", "Exibisionista", "Sexo Amor Dinero", "Tacon" (feat. Six Sex, OH!DULCEARi & Meth Math), "Hit" (feat. Chucky37), "Colocho", "Keratina" RIYL: Tomasa Del Real, La Factoría, María Daniela y Su Sonido Lasser, Uffie BUY/LISTEN #05. Sudan Archives Natural Brown Prom Queen Genre: Alternative R&B, Art Pop Pop Rap, Trap, Neo-Soul, Experimental Hip Hop, Dance-Pop, Downtempo Label: Stones Throw || Country: USA Release Date: September 9, 2022 The early music of Brittney Parks as Sudan Archives was very experimental in nature, centering her sound on the exploration of African fiddling styles and folk music, it was something very unique and interesting, albeit somewhat serious in nature. Her 2019 album Athena was exactly that in album form, and while it was very good, it did not get the attention I expected to see or what it deserved. Her new album, Natural Brown Prom Queen, is by comparison a lot more playful, taking inspiration from trap (including Parks fully rapping on plenty of the tracks), disco and R&B, but with an approach that feels completely free of boundaries, and by no means less important. It's a celebration of her journey as a Black woman, of violin as an instrument far beyond classical music and as something that can be synonymous with partying, it's a unique and eclectic pop record. Highlights: "Home Maker", "NBPQ (Topless)", "Ciara", "Selfish Soul", "Loyal (EDD)", "OMG BRITT", "Chevy S10", "FLUE", "Freakalizer", "Homesick (Gorgeous & Arrogant)", "Milk Me", "#513" RIYL: Caprisongs-era FKA twigs, Tkay Maidza, Bbymutha, if The Dreaming-era Kate Bush was produced by Pharrell LISTEN #04. Rosalía MOTOMAMI Genre: Neoperreo, Art Pop Latin Electronic, Alternative R&B, Flamenco nuevo, Deconstructed Club Label: Columbia || Country: Spain Release Date: March 15, 2022 If the shift from Los Ángeles to El mal querer was already huge for Rosalía fans to take in, imagine showing MOTOMAMI to someone who just discovered her back in 2017... yeah. And yet, that's exactly the album's point, a record about openly embracing transformation and contrasts, loosely divided into two sides that show both her confidence and her vulnerability, it's a big part of what makes it work. This album is placed firmly in pop/reggaetón moreso than her previous albums' flamenco-inspired work, and yet it's probably the most experimental thing she's ever done, going from industrial reggaetón beats to autotuned piano lullabies like effortlessly, and certainly cements her status as one of the best, most interesting popstars of our generation. Even if the tracklist can be all over the place, good luck finding a recent mainstream pop album as daring, entertaining and with as much replay value as MOTOMAMI. Highlights: "FORTUNA", "dance dance", "3.14159", "GANMA", "MAGICIAN", "DIABLO", "Gaia", "Bad Dream", "Shanti" RIYL: Art Angels-era Grimes, Ray of Light-era Madonna, Impossible Princess-era Kylie Minogue, Witching Hour-era Ladytron BUY/LISTEN #03. Mabe Fratti Se ve desde aquí Genre: Art Pop, Electroacoustic Chamber Music, Ambient Pop, Avant-Folk, Modern Creative, Progressive Electronic, EAI Label: Unheard of Hope || Country: Guatemala Release Date: October 14, 2022 My first interaction with the music of Guatemalan cellist, singer and producer Mabe Fratti was in 2019, going from Paris to London, first in a bus, then in a ferry, late at night. Having this experienced be soundtracked by her Pies sobre la tierra album was something magical, and everything she's done since then, including last year's excellent album Será que ahora podemos encontrarnos, has placed her as one of the most interesting experimental artists of the past few years. Her record Se ve desde aquí, her third under Unheard of Hope, is her technically most stripped-down to date, without the least amount of layers of sound, but it's not like you could tell given the complexity of each of these compositions. However, its emotional core still feels inviting, her vocal melodies sounding gorgeous throughout, and its raw approach to recording allow a new side of Fratti to be shown. Highlights: "Desde el cielo", "No se ve desde acá", "Esta vez", "Cada músculo", "Deja de empujar", "Siempre tocas algo" RIYL: Julia Holter, Julianna Barwick, Arthur Russell, Lucrecia Dalt BUY/LISTEN #02. Björk Fossora Genre: Art Pop, Electronic, Post-Industrial Gabber, Chamber Music, Choral, Avant-Folk, Deconstructed Club Label: One Little Independent || Country: Iceland Release Date: September 30, 2022 Well obviously this would be here, and it would be high. But Fossora works so well for me because to one extent or another, it sounds like an amalgamation of all the most divisive Björk records to date, records I always found interesting. Which is essentially anything she's put out after Vespertine. Fossora is not an album about grief, but it is not-not that. It's a record that pays homages to matriarchs, motherhood and the growth of women, about finding love and important connections even in difficult times, and about mushrooms too, because why not? Since nature has always a key feature of Björk's music anyway. With contributions from Gabber Modus Operandi's Kasymin, El Guincho, serpentwithfeet, Emilie Nicolas as well as her own children, Fossora is one of the most interesting additions to Björk's catalog to date, continuing to be the vanguard in experimental pop decades after she first debuted. Highlights: "Atopos", "Ovul", "Sorrowful Soil", "Ancestress", "Victimhood", "Allow" (feat. Emilie Nicolas), "Fungal City" (feat. serpentwithfeet), "Fossora", "Her Mother's House" RIYL: the most divisive Björk records LISTEN #01. Hikaru Utada Bad Mode Genre: J-Pop, Contemporary R&B Dance-Pop, Alternative R&B, Art Pop, House, Downtempo Label: Epic || Country: Japan/USA Release Date: October 28, 2022 Since their debut in 1999, Japanese-American popstar Hikaru Utada showed a lot of prowess in their involvement in production and songwriting, instantly making them one of the best, most influential, successful artists in J-pop. After an extended hiatus following the loss of their mother, they've returned by making music that's a little more sophisticated than their earlier pop and R&B bangers, but Bad Mode might be one of their best yet by combining the best of both worlds. Compiling songs released in the past couple years and including tracks co-produced by Floating Points, PC Music's A.G. Cook and Skrillex, Bad Mode displays plenty of maturity, introspection and good taste, without leaving the dancefloor behind, by, for example, including a 12-minute-long house-pop banger in its tracklist. It's without a doubt one of Hikki's most definitive works to date, and one of the most special pop records released in all of 2022. Highlights: "Bad Mode", "Kimini Muchuu", "One Last Kiss", "Not in the Mood", "Darenimo Iwanai", "Find Love", "Somewhere Near Marseilles" RIYL: Caroline Polachek, Imogen Heap, Crystal Kay, Robyn
Polgg48 Posted January 1, 2023 Posted January 1, 2023 #46. Deize Tigrona - Foi eu que fiz #45. Joe Rainey - Niineta #37. Huerco S. - Plonk #32. Lucrecia Dalt - ¡Ay! #27. Marina Herlop - Pripyat #17. Xênia França - Em nome da estrela #10. Feli Colina - El valle encantado #03. Mabe Fratti - Se ve desde aquí stanning
elvenOCEAN Posted January 1, 2023 Posted January 1, 2023 I am seriously going to need your Spotify/Apple Music/... profile or at least some kind of a playlist with all of these albums/highlights that I can follow because you managed to make, through your writing and presentational skills, so many of them sound so extremely interesting. Reading your descriptions I remembered why I've been living and breathing music my whole life.
MP2K Posted January 2, 2023 Posted January 2, 2023 PAINLESS, Giving the World Away, Renaissance, MOTOMAMI Weyes Blood and Sudan - been meaning to check them out.
Remmy Posted January 2, 2023 Posted January 2, 2023 Giving the World Away She just can't miss... although I'm sad to see it miss your top 10!! Sunday Song absent from your highlights RENAISSANCE yuppp The tracklist is pretty much just eat after eat. Why does it seem like a lot of people underappreciate and/or forget about COZY
TheWayWeWere Posted January 2, 2023 Posted January 2, 2023 Renaissance is probably her best and most ambitious album ever Fossora such an amazing record, I'm so glad because I never liked Utopia at all I've listened to Bad Mode last week, not really my tea, but SNM snatched the wig from me one of the best produced songs this year tbh
TRF. Posted January 9, 2023 Author Posted January 9, 2023 Well okay so apparently I had to expand this from 75 singles to 100 because there's too much stuff I couldn't pass on. Let's get this first part over with! #100. María Becerra - "Automático" Not the biggest fan of her but this single eats, the beat switch is fantastic. #99. Bar Italia - "miracle crush" These people have the potential to be one of the most interesting indie rock bands in the world, and they show it here. #98. Yugen Blakrok - "Pedestal" A uniquely eerie rap track, her verses match the ominous-sounding production. #97. PVA - "Untethered" The post-punk band bring their vibe to a club music context and it hits super hard. #96. Raveena feat. Vince Staples - "Secret" Kind of an odd match in theory but works super well in execution, she's great on these kinda beats too. #95. Gilla Band - "Backwash" Carries the intensity of all their music, only to a faster, almost danceable rhythm. #94. Hemlocke Springs - "Girlfriend" I know MARINA is scared... she kinda out-The Family Jewels'd her on the bridge. #93. HYRA - "REM (No Sleep)" She understands that one of the best eras of """""hyperpop""""" was whatever Danny L Harle was doing on 2015. #92. Hook - "Gameboy" Sad this wasn't on her album, it's probably one of my favorite songs she's ever made. #91. Asake - "Terminator" I'm sad I didn't pay attention to his album cause this is something unique in all of afrobeats-adjacent stuff, gorgeous. #90. Chat Pile - "Slaughterhouse" Truly captures the concept behind the word of the title. #89. Meth Math - "Catastral" Brings joy to my inner 13-year-old Crystal Castles stan (**** Ethan Kath btw). #88. Thaiboy Digital - "I'm Fresh" Kinda better than anything on his new album I'm afraid. #87. BabySolo33 - "LilWitch" French e-girls doing rap-influenced UK garage? I'm here for that actually! #86. Rico Nasty - "Gotsta Get Paid" Typically not a 100 gecs fan but they really brought their best to this beat, Rico being on it helps too of course. #85. death's dynamic shroud - "Neon Memories" Where they fully go from a vaporwave experimental outfit to a pop band, without losing any of their weirdness. #84. Pongo - "Hey Linda" Love her kuduro style being placed into something more pop. #83. Rei & Callejero Fino - "Tu turrito" Lowkey the best romantic ballad of the year. #82. Magdalena Bay - "All You Do" While I get why this didn't make it onto the record, they still work great in a more indie-pop/psychedelic context. #81. Moor Mother feat. Wolf Weston - "Barely Woke" While she's great on anything, Moor Mother on a footwork beat is something I truly dig. #80. Oliver Sim - "Hideous" One of the few songs this year to give me goosebumps, in a good way. The lyrics, especially in the last part, hit you like a truck. #79. Natalia Lafourcade - "De todas las flores" Natalia is simply an expert at making sweet-sounding music, and this is no exception. #78. Tokischa & Trentisiete 3730 - "Sistema de patio" While she's known for her racy and sexual lyrics, Tokischa really does great at showing the reality of the Dominican Republic beyond that, in all its bad and good. #77. NEW YORK feat. Mina - "L.A." This sounds like an alternate world in which hyperpop was mostly influenced by felicita's Frenemies EP. #76. Daniela Lalita - "Tenía razón" Great inclusion of South American folk music into eerie art-pop stuff.
MP2K Posted January 9, 2023 Posted January 9, 2023 thanks for links, illl check some of these later. Loved Secret and All You Do Need to check out more of Oliver since I only listened to one song
TRF. Posted January 11, 2023 Author Posted January 11, 2023 #75. Yves Tumor - "God Is a Circle" Continuing with the post-punk direction they showed on their latest EP proved to be a great choice. #74. Bebé Yana - "SPACE MULAN" As someone who loves girls whispering over drum and bass instrumentals, loved this song from first listen. #73. MC Pipokinha - "Bota Tudo com Pressão" Incredible things are happening in Brazil... unfortunately not last Sunday though. #72. Caterina Barbieri - "Broken Melody" Wished the album featured her vocals a little more prominently, but this goth-ambient-trance-pop thing suits her really well. #71. Lexie Liu - "Magician" This is... a potential mother. Euphoric dance-pop at its best. #70. Malibu - "Atlantic Diva" Malibu is just the best at creating the most gorgeous soundscapes you'll ever hear. #69. Beach House - "Hurts to Love" One of the relatively few Beach House songs to really put the pop in dream pop. #68. Flume feat. MAY-A - "Say Nothing" For some reason kind of a divisive track but idk the combination of baile funk with Flume's style (even in a pop context) just works for me! #67. Paramore - "This Is Why" Someone said this sounded like FIFA game music, and that's the highest praise you can give to something imo. #66. black midi - "Sugar/Tzu" It's them fully descending into pure prog-jazz madness, and they sound good as hell doing it. #65. LYZZA - "Ressaca" Updating Brazilian 90s and early 00s pop for the clubs, such a fun track. #64. Yeah Yeah Yeahs feat. Perfume Genius - "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" They're one of the most beloved indie rock bands ever and for a very good reason! #63. FLO - "Immature" As someone who considers Full Moon by Brandy a masterpiece, this song captures a lot of what made that music so magical. #62. Bad Bunny - "Moscow Mule" Captures the feeling of being on the beach at dawn with the person you're really into so well. #61. Fever Ray - "What They Call Us" Like Plunge for people who still can't let the self-titled record behind, a wonderful middle point between the two. #60. Marina Herlop - "abans abans" I'm a sucker for the combination of glitchy production and catchy melodies, so this weird little song really catches my ear. #59. Jenny Hval - "Year of Love" Lyrically brilliant as a reflection of marriage as an institution, but it also helps that it sounds like early Everything But The Girl. #58. Nia Archives - "So Tell Me..." Someone pointed out this sounded like Natasha Bedingfield doing drum and bass and I think that's why I love it. #57. Megan Thee Stallion - "Plan B" Ended so many losers! #56. 1 800 PAIN - "Freakout" Makes me wanna smash my head against a wall in the best way possible. #55. Six Sex - "Putishoot" Come on 2011 cumbia turra revisionism! #54. Huerco S. & Sir E.U - "Plonk IX" A track between these two should not work as well as this does. #53. Mabe Fratti - "Cada músculo" Among her most experimental work, her latest album contains what's probably one of her most straight-forward songs ever. #52. Yung Kayo - "It's a Monday" One of the most insane rap tracks of the year in my opinion. #51. SZA - "Shirt" Loved this since first hearing the snippet, would be higher if she kept the "damn ***** you're like thirty" line.
JGibson Posted January 11, 2023 Posted January 11, 2023 Spitting Off The Edge Of The World + This Is Why
Mr. Blue_Shirt Posted January 11, 2023 Posted January 11, 2023 Hurts to Love, This Is Why, Immature, Moscow Mule, Year of Love, Plan B & Shirt are all bangers like WOAH
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 12, 2023 ATRL Moderator Posted January 12, 2023 De Todas Las Flores and Shirt I have just listened to Natalia's album and I am so pissed I passed on this cause it was stunning
Remmy Posted January 12, 2023 Posted January 12, 2023 MAGICIAN is great Might get into more from her but we'll see. All You Do is nice, wasn't in love with it at first but it grew a bit. Unconditional outsold though! This Is Why Immature mmm so great, just like the rest of their EP
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