TRF. Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 LISTEN #10. MIKE Burning Desire Genre: Abstract Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Cloud Rap, Drumless, Vaporwave Label: 10k || Release Date: 13/10 || From: Livingstone, USA Despite his young age, MIKE in some way has become the figurehead for a very specific type of rap music that has with time proven to be very influential, and yet he still feels unique in his lane. Burning Desire, with its Ghanaian-film-poster-inspired album cover is the latest entry in his discography, and the one that I feel might be his best to date. The quality present in production, crafted for the most part by MIKE himself under the DJ blackpower alias, can create atmospheric pieces out of sampling soul, R&B, jazz and disco tracks, but still have enough bite to feel memorable, and when bringing other producers (like GAWD in "African Sex Freak Fantasy") to the mix, it only elevates that. While MIKE's rapping is as poetic, sentimental and pensive as it always is, Burning Desire never stops feeling like a fun listen, something he's very good at doing. RIYL: billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Standing on the Corner, Cities Aviv Highlights: "Dambe", "African Sex Freak Fantasy", "plz don't cut my wings" (feat. Earl Sweatshirt), "Real Love" (feat. Fashionspitta), "U Think Maybe? (feat. Liv.e & Venna), "Set the Mood", "Do You Believe?", "Burning Desire", "Mussel Beach" (feat. El Cousteau & Niontay), "should be!" (feat. Lila Ramini), "Golden Hour" (feat. Larry June), "Let's Have a Ball" (feat. mark william lewis) LISTEN #9. ML Buch Suntub Genre: Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock Ambient Pop, Post-Rock, Ambient, Art Pop Label: 15love || Release Date: 27/10 || From: Copenhagen, Denmark Skinned, the debut album by Danish singer-songwriter-producer ML Buch, was equally divided into gorgeous digital-pop songs and abstract electronic experiments, both peeking pretty much the same amount of interesting in me in the artist, who delivered one of the best records of 2020. Her follow-up record, Suntub, is notably different in approach. While electronics are still present, the key instrument is the guitar, billing that album as "15 guitar compositions". But what ML Buch does with the instrument is exploring its possibilities, aiding in her very singular, melodic songwriting, expanding the world she created with her debut into something that feels even more tangible, without taking away any of the experimentation. It sounds kinda like indie rock, kinda like the Cocteau Twins, but also like something that has never existed before. Suntub in turn is one of the prettiest-sounding albums of the year. Maybe guitar music is alive after all. RIYL: Cocteau Twins, Alex G, The Blue Nile, Oklou Highlights: "Pan Over the Hill", "Whoosh", "Flames Shards Goo", "High Speed Calm Air Tonight", "Fleshless Hand", "Clearing", "Well Bucket", "Big Sun", "Solid", "Working It Out" LISTEN #8. Tainy DATA Genre: Reggaetón Pop Rap, Alternative R&B; Synthpop, Chillwave, Latin Electronic Label: NEON16 || Release Date: 29/6 || From: San Juan, Puerto Rico Despite only being in his early-to-mid 30's, Tainy is one of the most respected veterans in reggaetón. Since his teenage years he's been key to the genre, producing for many greats like, Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel or Plan B, and continuing his presence into the 2020's with hits for Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro or Ozuna. Although he's a very accomplished producer on his own, crowning his career with a full-length album felt necessary. And DATA is exactly that, filled with collaborations from not only the hottest artists in reggaetón but also newcomers or relatively-underground figures (like The Marías, Arca or Four Tet), it's a demonstration of Tainy's versatility as a producer, adding influences from 80's synthpop, blog-house, chillwave or indie rock into tracks that can feel like inescapable radio or TikTok hits, but also go a little beyond that. Undoubtedly one of the best mainstream-adjacent records of the year. RIYL: Bad Bunny, Neon Indian, Plan B, Buscabulla Highlights: "Pasiempre" (feat. Myke Towers, Arcángel, Jhayco, Arca & Bad Bunny), "Fantasma | AVC" (feat. Jhayco), "Mojabi Ghost" (feat. Bad Bunny), "11 y 11" (feat. Sech & E*Vax), "mañana" (feat. Young Miko & The Marías), "me jodi..." (feat. Arcángel), "Volver" (feat. Four Tet, Skrillex & Rauw Alejandro), "Lo siento BB:/" (feat. Bad Bunny & Julieta Venegas), "si preguntas por mi" (feat. Judeline & Kris Floyd), "Sci-Fi" (feat. Rauw Alejandro), "Paranormal" (feat. Alvaro Díaz) LISTEN #7. PinkPantheress Heaven Knows Genre: Alt-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Electronic Dance Music Liquid Drum and Bass, Breakbeat, Alternative R&B, 2-Step, Dance-Pop Label: Parlophone || Release Date: 10/11 || From: Bath, UK PinkPantheress came through like a wrecking ball for pop music. Right as we were (sorta kinda) leaving the pandemic behind, her songs took over the Internet through TikTok. Inspired by underground UK club genres like jungle, garage or breakbeats, but songwriting typical to 00's pop/rock, rarely exceeding the two-minute mark. It quickly caused a shift in the music world, spewing many imitators and eventually reaching a notable influence on the mainstream. Heaven Knows is her first album and it does not deviate strongly from the formula that worked, but also pushes herself far from lo-fi Y2K nostalgia into genuinely good and often-touching pop songwriting about love, heartbreak and growing up, with an inventive production that matches it. While not everyone might get what makes her so special or relatable, PinkPantheress herself is a positive force in music and I hope she continues to deliver the quality she brought here. RIYL: Imogen Heap, Everything But the Girl, Kelela, Katy B Highlights: "True Romance", "Mosquito", "Nice to Meet You" (feat. Central Cee), "Bury Me" (feat. Kelela), "Internet Baby", "Ophelia", "Blue", "Feelings", "Capable of Love", "Boy's a Liar Pt.2" (feat. Ice Spice) LISTEN #6. Tinashe BB/ANG3L Genre: Alternative R&B, Electronic Trap Soul, UK Bass, UK Garage, Art Pop Label: Nice Life || Release Date: 8/9 || From: Lexington, USA Ever since becoming independent, Tinashe has been unstoppable. Constantly delivering creative takes on pop and R&B that never sacrifice her individuality and fun, all her projects so far have been very much acclaimed, and deservingly so. BB/ANG3L is her first associated to a proper label (Nice Life), and yet it might be one of her most experimental releases to date, at least since like, Nightride. With contributions from Machinedrum, Nosaj Thing and Vladislav Delay (!), the influence from electronic music is felt throughout the record, often taking meditative, minimal approaches (like the Laurie Anderson-like "ha"s on "Talk to Me Nice") or a more club-friendly one (like the up-tempo "Tightrope"), Tinashe's excellent vocals are able to transmit the sensuality, confidence or vulnerability that each track requires. BB/ANG3L is a very short record, being seven tracks long and barely exceeding the 20-minute mark, but there's not a second that's gone wasted. RIYL: Rochelle Jordan, Summer Walker, Erika de Casier, The Velvet Rope-era Janet Jackson Highlights: "Treason", "Talk to Me Nice", "Needs", "Gravity", "None of My Business", "Tightrope" LISTEN #5. Luiza Lian 7 estrelas | Quem arrancou o céu? Genre: Art Pop, Alternative R&B, Alt-Pop Glitch Pop, Hypnagogic Pop, Funk brasileiro Label: ZZK/Risco || Release Date: 28/7 || From: Sao Paulo, Brazil Brazilian musician Luiza Lian has been crafting a very singular take on electronic-pop. Her sound may have some connection with Brazil's popular music (baile-funk, MPB, samba, etc), as well as with its more experimental proposals. But what may separate Lian's project from any other is a dense, complex production, assisted by collaborator Charles Tixier, using samples and instruments in a unsettling way, while still finding the time and place for catchy melodies. This duality is something present on her latest, 7 estrelas | Quem arrancou o céu?, which works for the better. The dark and the luminous, the calm and the despair, the romantic, sensual and spiritual lyrics and the social and political commentaries, the futuristic sounds and the traditional art. Perhaps what the album implies is that there is not always a dichotomy per se, that the lines between one thing and the other are not necessarily so clear. RIYL: Marina Sena, Gal Costa's more experimental works, L'Rain, FKA twigs Highlights: “A minha música é", "Homenagem", "Forca", "Cobras na sua mesa", "Viajante", "Eu estou aqui", "7 estrelas", "Desagua" LISTEN #4. Chuquimamani-Condori DJ E Genre: Epic Collage, Latin Electronic, Indigenous Andean Music Deconstructed Club, Bolivian Huayno, Saya, Caporal, Tinku, Kullawada Label: self-released || Release Date: 15/11 || From: Riverside, USA Whether as Elysia Crampton, E+E or now as Chuquimamani-Condori, producer Elly Crampton has made some of the best electronic music of the past decade, creating a sound, a genre of their own that's basically impossible to replicate. Informed by Andean folk music like huayno, saya, caporales or kullawada, their Aymara Queer identity or the production style of 90s/00s Southern rap music, it sounds like nothing else anywhere. Elly's most recent project, DJ E is a very heavy, busy listen. Packing in less than 30 minutes so much it feels almost overwhelming, it does a great job of bridging traditional folk music with experimental club sounds, but also feels like someone opening like 7 or 8 tabs on a computer and playing sound effects off of it. In a good way though, as this might be one of their best projects to date, Elly Crampton is always able to surprise. RIYL: Chino Amobi, TAYHANA, Los Kjarkas, Luzmila Carpio Highlights: "Breathing", "Eat My Cum", "Engine", "Forastero Edit", "Return", "Until I Find You Again" LISTEN #3. Taichu RAWR Genre: Pop Rap, Dance-Pop Hip House, Trap, Deconstructed Club, Industrial Hip Hop, Neoperreo, Electropop Label: Dale Play || Release Date: 22/9 || From: Buenos Aires, Argentina Taichu has been a key feature of the Argentine trap scene since she first debuted years ago, making waves thanks to her clever, funny lyrics and ever-present personality just as much as her creativity and unique beat selection. Her debut album, RAWR, is everything she promised and more, capturing the evolution of her taste and song-crafting abilities. While her rapping is present throughout the record, it's only one of the many facets she displays on RAWR. From hard-hitting perreo tracks, gorgeous electronic-pop ballads and industrial EDM bangers, all influenced by futuristic sound design and aesthetic, Taichu sums up of all these different styles in a single term: "hot-core". And this is exactly that, music to feel hot to. Not unlike Charli XCX's iconic Pop 2, this feels like something unique, the starting point for something exciting for Argentina and for the world at large, it's only a matter of time. RIYL: Charli XCX, M.I.A., Isabella Lovestory, Azealia Banks Highlights: "TOP", "Noche de sateo", "Payday" (feat. Rusowsky), "Presión" (feat. Alvaro Díaz), "Babyspice", "Baladarks", "Tu si k ta loko", "Gas" (feat. Muerejoven), "Alaska", "Chacha Fight" LISTEN #2. Amaarae Fountain Baby Genre: Alté, Alternative R&B Dance-Pop, Pop Rap, Funk brasileiro, Neo-Psychedelia Label: Interscope || Release Date: 9/6 || From: Accra, Ghana/New York, USA While Amaarae already had a breakthrough with her Kali Uchis collaboration "Sad Girlz Luv Money", Fountain Baby feels more than just a step forward, it's undoubtedly one of the best pop music albums this year. The lyrics on the artist's second album sound melancholic, funny and sensual, often times all at once, while musically, you can hear it borrowing inspiration from different Afro-diasporic genres like baile funk, R&B, dancehall or zouk, but also bringing psychedelic rock or indie pop to mix, everything fitting just right. Amaarae's presence is felt with her very characteristic vocals, and her talent for creating memorable hooks and one-liners is impressive. Fountain Baby feels like a huge leap forward not just for afrobeats, a genre that has become a feature of the mainstream, but also for what the future of pop music overall might be like. If this is what's next for it, I'm all ears. RIYL: Cruel Santino, Janelle Monáe, FKA twigs' Caprisongs, Jim Legxacy Highlights: "Angels in Tibet", "Co-Star", "Princess Going Digital", "Big Steppa", "Wasted Eyes", "Counterfeit", "Disguise", "Sex, Violence, Suicide", "Sociopathic Dance Queen", "Aquamarie Loves Ecstacy", "Come Home to God" LISTEN #1. Kelela Raven Genre: Alternative R&B, Electronic Ambient, Breakbeat, UK Bass, Ambient Pop, Downtempo Label: Warp || Release Date: 15/12 (2022) || From: Washington, USA Kelela's much-anticipated second album Raven was billed as a club record, and it makes sense when hearing the production inspired by breakbeats, UK garage, dancehall, techno or other varieties of underground dance music, with contributions from producers like LSDXOXO, BAMBII, Badsista or Kaytranada. However, as much as it has one foot on the dancefloor, the other one is in peaceful sonic environments, building on what she began on her 2019 Aquaphoria mix, which beautifully filled in the empty canvas that ambient music may represent. Raven is a very stimulating listening experience from beginning to end, and while the aquatic tropes and recurring themes do make things coherent, as do the transitions (the "Raven" to "Bruises" one!!), Kelela's R&B-inspired vocals and songwriting do bring it all together. Raven isn't necessarily a political statement (although it does contain some of her most charged lyrical content), but it is a homage to the Black roots of dance music and constructing its future. Raven might have taken a while to come out, but it was more than worth it. RIYL: Gaelle, Solange, Dawuna, Jody Watley Highlights: "Washed Away", "Happy Ending", "On the Run", "Missed Call", "Closure", "Contact", "Fooley", "Raven", "Bruises", "Sorbet", "Divorce", "Enough for Love", "Far Away"
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 3 ATRL Moderator Posted January 3 Very happy to see Kelela topping this, an absolute masterpiece of an album
TheWayWeWere Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Heaven Knows was such a nice surprise for me this year Raven and Fountain Baby back to back
TRF. Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 #50. Lua de Santana "PiRi PiRi" #49. Fever Ray "Kandy" #48. Caroline Polachek "Welcome to My Island" #47. Slauson Malone 1 "Voyager" #46. Luiza Lian "Eu estou aqui" #45. Tkay Maidza feat. Flume "Silent Assassin" #44. Armand Hammer feat. Pink Siifu "Trauma Mic" #43. ODD EYE CIRCLE "Air Force One" #42. Slayyyter "Erotic Electronic" #41. Hemlocke Springs "Sever the Blight" #40. Snow Strippers "Under Your Spell" #39. Charli XCX "Speed Drive" #38. 703863457 "Square Heart" #37. Dua Lipa "Houdini" #36. Judeline "Canijo" #35. Liv.e "Wild Animals" #34. bala "barla" #33. untitled (halo) "Limewire" #32. Shygirl "Playboy/Positions" #31. Kylie Minogue "Tension" #30. Alison Goldfrapp "So Hard So Hot" #29. Jessie Ware "Begin Again" #28. SZA "Snooze" #27. Ralphie Choo & Mura Masa "Máquina culona" #26. Estratosfera "Frío"
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 10 ATRL Moderator Posted January 10 Welcome To My Island, Houdini, Tension, So Hard So Hot, Begin Again, Snooze ughh the taste tho Fever Ray's appearance on the chart is an interesting choice
TRF. Posted January 14 Author Posted January 14 #25. Irmas de Pau "Medley do Submundo" (beat bruxaria) #24. Taichu feat. Alvaro Díaz "Presión" (neoperreo) #23. Yves Tumor "Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood" (neo-psych/art rock) #22. Tove Lo "i like u" (eurodance/dance-pop) #21. Juliana Gattas "Maquillada en la cama" (dance-pop/electro-disco) #20. Megan Thee Stallion "Cobra" (hardcore hip hop/trap) #19. Sampha "Spirit 2.0" (alt r&b) #18. Everything But the Girl "Nothing Left to Lose" (uk bass/future garage) #17. By Storm "Double Trio" (experimental hip hop) #16. Lana Del Rey "A&W" (art pop) #15. Marina Satti "Tucutum" (pop rap/greek neoperreo) #14. Feli Colina "Chakaymanta" (avant-folk/chacarera) #13. Tinashe "Talk to Me Nice" (alt r&b/uk bass) #12. Julie Byrne "Summer Glass" (ambient pop) #11. Christine and the Queens "Tears Can Be So Soft" (alt r&b/trip hop) #10. Danny Brown "Tantor" (experimental hip hop) "Got a Mexican homie named Chinese Mike" is the best line of 2023 I think. #9. NewJeans "Ditto" (k-pop/baltimore club) I could've put anything from their Get Up EP but this song despite being from late 2022, hits uniquely hard because it's what made me finally get them. #8. Eartheater "Pure Smile Snake Venom" (alt-pop/uk bass) Definitely the most Pop song she's made, but the contrast between the tense, futuristic-sounding verses with the bright, Dido-like hook works so well. #7. Tainy feat. J. Balvin, Young Miko, Jowell & Randy "Colmillo" (g-house/reggaetón) A track with J. Balvin on it in the year 2023 (2024 now) should not work this well. And yet! The beat switch-up(s) are genuinely worth it. #6. Amaarae "Co-Star" (alté/dance-pop) I'm kind of a horoscope skeptic (maybe if I wasn't such a Scorpio!) But this song's concept works great and the hook with the elements is clever. Also the beat being as hard as it is helps! #5. PinkPantheress "Mosquito" (liquid drum and bass/alt-pop) I could've put many different songs from her album on here but this one feels so bright, yet there's a desperate sadness behind it that feels relatable, like, sadly, you've been there before. #4. Kelela "Contact" (alt r&b/breakbeat) This definitely captures the feeling of getting prepared for a very special night-out, and definitely has the best harmonies on the whole album. Even Obama was gagging! #3. Björk & Rosalía "Oral" (art pop) This lost track from the 90s getting a remake with Rosalía is great, it feels like a midpoint between Homogenic and Vespertine, but also para las chicas lindas! Congrats to the fishes! #2. Emilia & Ludmilla feat. ZECCA "No_se_ve.mp3" (baile funk/dance-pop) Very few tracks released this year brought me as much joy as this one has. Baile funk made by non-Brazilians is tricky but this genuinely feels like a great take on it, just pure fun. #1. yeule "Dazies" from Softscars Genre: Noise Pop, Shoegaze Shoegaze is back, whether it ever left was arguable to begin with, but it certainly isn't going away now. Singaporean musician yeule shifting from ambient and glitch-influenced electronic-pop into it (among other 90's alt-rock influences) for their new album Softscars could be seen as trendhopping... except it isn't. And "Dazies" really works not just because it genuinely sounds good, which it does, its riffs are catchy and so are its melodies. But the story that it narrates seems like it comes from a place of pain and grief, like seeing someone you love self-destruct and not being able to do much about it. Maybe that person can be you, yourself. And those guitars, that distortion that is characteristic of the genre, it only makes the lyrics and the message more powerful. As someone who's had a tough year, to put it in some way, this really made me feel seen, and very few songs this year felt as special to me as this one has.
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 15 ATRL Moderator Posted January 15 Incredibly happy to see Nothing Left To Lose quite high here. I got quite emotional listening to it again today A&W is also very nice Contact is amazing I love your #1, yeule is definitely a unique artist, very well deserving of this feat. Congratulations on finishing, great chart as always!
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