Vxspertine Posted January 4, 2018 Posted January 4, 2018 Pörk had a good run Sampha I think the record didn't age very well because his great production just doesn't show on some tracks. They were more bearable on first listen but then just got extremely unnecessary imo. Melodrama Supergarbage didn't deserve any praise though Asseduction, I didn't expect it to reach this high tbh I have to give Algiers a listen, I've seen them on so many lists
Tom Vercetti Posted January 5, 2018 Author Posted January 5, 2018 Spoiler 3 hours ago, Vilppu said: all of her pre-Mass albums are, it's just the most prominient on s/t imo; this one I find more backloaded, if anything, but it really is v consistent and GOOD no matter how many times someone from above claims otherwise xx liked War & Leisure (better than Wildfart, I'll keep saying this until someone finally agrees), Melodrama and Process too. Actor (with the exception of the closer) is quality from start to finish. SM is also consistent. Mass did end on a good note tho as I found the opener kinda underwhelming. 3 hours ago, AlexisNeiers said: Another great set, whew Rocket is too low tho Also slept on Algiers back in 2015 but at least I was here when they released the better album Also agreed on Underside > Their debut. 1 hour ago, Pink Matter said: Gonna have to disagree with you on that one I was speaking more into the condition of when it was released at the time cuz it was still pretty early in the year. Overall i'm not too fond of the year when it comes the genre. 1 hour ago, Vxspertine said: Pörk had a good run Sampha I think the record didn't age very well because his great production just doesn't show on some tracks. They were more bearable on first listen but then just got extremely unnecessary imo. Melodrama Supergarbage didn't deserve any praise though Asseduction, I didn't expect it to reach this high tbh I have to give Algiers a listen, I've seen them on so many lists Production wise I didn't have much issue. Asseduction won over Melodramatic. Algiers are worth a try.
Playa Playa Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 Agree with all your thoughts on Melodrama, War & Leisure and Process whew First time I heard of Algiers was this year lol. That album was definitely stood out
Wicked Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 Alex, Algiers, Process, Post Self Couldn't really get into the rest like that. I kinda sort like Utopia.
Dom Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 I absolutely adore Melodrama, such a highlight for me tbh. The whole album is literally perfect, I wouldn't take anything out of it. uh. talent. St Vincent did good, I enjoyed her album. pills was great.
Tom Vercetti Posted January 5, 2018 Author Posted January 5, 2018 2 hours ago, Topmaster 2 said: I don't see Manchester Orchestra's album. I haven't even revealed all the albums yet OT: Top 20 leggo~~
Tom Vercetti Posted January 5, 2018 Author Posted January 5, 2018 20. Smino - Blkswn (Alt R&B/Hip Hop) Spoiler Keeping it simple here, but blkswn really fits the mellow night music vibe that I use. There's an adequate mix of singing & rapping around to show of smino's versatility. As a debut it's competent and through its hour long length, the smooth productions make it an easy enough listen. Highlights: Wild Irish Roses, Glass Flows, Netflix & Dusse, Anita, blkswn, Amphetamine 19. Gas - Narkopop (Ambient) Spoiler Wolfgang Voigt seemly disappeared for about 17 years before teasing his recent album. Narkopop is a long hypnotic experience of exploring a dark forest zone (how the covers fits the album). Compared to his last album, Pop, this one seems less loop based. When I want to listen to ambient music, I do it with the purpose of wanting to be fully engaged in the atmosphere and not just view it as plain background music. I feel Narkopop achived the latter and how certain tracks build up with the pulsating kick drums and droney synths keeps me occupied. It's all around dense and a more darker mood than their past work. Highlights: Narkopop 2, Narkopop 5, Narkopop 10 18. Octo Octa - Where Are We Going? (Deep House) Spoiler Where Are We Going is a fun house album with a vibrant aura. It stood out to me from the other dance techno records with its refreshing and soft touch. From the first track, Where Are We Going, there's just a sense of a warm welcome. I think Maya is a talented producer and wish her all the best on getting more recognized. Highlights: Adrift, Where Are We Going? Pt. 1 & Pt. 2, Fleeting Moments Of Freedom (Wooo) 17. Slowdive - Slowdive (Shoegaze) Spoiler Speaking of comebacks, Slowdive also returned with an well established collection of lush songs which signaled that they still had magic left in them. After the previous returns of fellow Shoegaze groups (MBV, Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush, Ride), it felt appropriate for Slowdive to show what they were still capable of. Souvlaki being my favorite shoegaze album meant to me that I was always looking forward to new material. I did not place expectations however on their self titled being on that level because I didn't want to disappoint myself. I treat this as a reunion album and it delivered for me in that regard. Highlights: Star Roving, Sugar For The Pill, No Longer Making Time 16. Perfume Genius - No Shape (Art Pop) Spoiler No Shape is Perfume Genius's most fully realized album imo and consistent. I love the variety it contains with meaningful uptempo tracks like Slip Away, breathy and sensual tracks like Die 4 You, the unconventional Go Ahead, and even the orchestral moments on Choir. The way he expressed his personal topics in dynamic ways from the melodies to song structures was ideally executed. Highlights: Die 4 You, Slip Away, Choir, Run Me Through, Wreath 15. Fever Ray - Plunge (Electropop) Spoiler The best way I can describe Plunge is through its outlandish and honest lyrical content of social commentary combined with the standout production from Karin. It's not exactly Self Titled 2.0 and at first when I heard it I was underwhelmed. It took some time for me for the more outgoing tracks like IDK About You and This Country to grow on me. There's still some homage, as tracks like Mustn't Hurry and Red Trails hints back to the previous moments. Still it's more accessible than, say Shaking The Habitual and there are memorable moments of catchiness and weirdness. Highlights: This Country, Mustn't Hurry, Red Trails, An Itch 14. Blanck Mass - World Eater (Electro-Industrial) Spoiler I love how the mixes of electro samples, noise and industrial elements can come together to create a melodic and memorable experience. John Doe's Carvinal plays like a beginning jack in the box but once the clown pops up (the 2nd track) that's when the ongoing party really starts. *Plays Rhesus Negative for the first time* Overall it's a fun album and there's really no noticeable downturns for me. Highlights: Rhesus Negative, Please, Silent Treatment 13. Susanne Sundfør - Music For People In Trouble (Chamber Folk) Spoiler Synthpop: *off* Acoustic, Angelic & Intimate melodies: *On* Music For People In Trouble is an apparent change of sound into a more stripped back and natural affair. It took me a couple of listens to really get in touch with this music since it was different from what I loved most about her. She reaches out to the injured (from either War, heartbreak, or other natural causes) through the emphasized focus on just her voice and the folky guitar. The neat thing about this album is that is doesn't just contain those two elements, as there's also temporary drone, ambient & even jazz sections that pops up in certain tracks. I previously mentioned how i'm not a huge fan of ballads in general, so with an album just full of them I wasn't too enthusiastic on the idea, but with Susanne she gets a pass from me. Highlights: The Sound Of War, Undercover, Mountaineers, 12. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy (Hip Hop) Spoiler Going back to Tyler's old mixtapes, i'm kind of grown out of that style from him and i'm happy that Tyler is as well. With Flower Boy, Tyler managed to wake up and further realize the kind of person he truly is. Whether the whole "i'm bi" scenario upon the album release was a gimmick or not is up to interpretation, but i'm more of a fan of the musical content here than all else he's done before. The features are definitely a nice touch too, from the familiar faces of Frank, A$ap and Kali Uchis to the upcoming fresh faces of Rex Orange County and Steve Lacy . The evidence of growth from Cherry Bomb to Flower Boy on a lyrical, production & pacing level is noteworthy and as a result, Tyler gained the most acclaim and praise he's ever received. Highlights: See You Again, Garden Shed, Boredom, I Ain't Got Time, 911/ Mr. Lonely 11. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding (Dad Rock) Spoiler As an excellent followup to Lost In A Dream, A Deeper Understanding is sprawling with rich and layered instrumentation and warm vocals. To me it's an immaculate mixture of sophisti pop and Americana styled rock. While SOTY 'Thinking Of A Place' provides the centerpiece of the album, I believe that some other tracks around it necessarily didn't need to be as stretched out as they are since there are minor moments of flatness due to the albums length and ongoing sound. Other than that, it's a concise experience of with enjoyable production and plenty of ambition. Highlights: Up All Night, Pain, Strangest Thing, Thinking Of A Place (!)
Tom Vercetti Posted January 5, 2018 Author Posted January 5, 2018 Finishing this up tomorrow along with the HMs. Again, feel free to guess who made it or not. Recap: Spoiler 20. Smino - Blkswn 19. Gas - Narkopop 18. Octo Octa - Where Are We Going? 17. Slowdive - Slowdive 16. Perfume Genius - No Shape 15. Fever Ray - Plunge 14. Blanck Mass - World Eater 13. Susanne Sundfor - Music For People In Trouble 12. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy 11. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding Album Recap so far Spoiler 75. Washed Out - Mister Mellow 74. Chris Stapleton - From A Room: Vol 1 73. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice 72. Nick Hakim - Green Twins 71. Call Super - Arpo 70. Allie X - Collxtion 2 69. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness 68. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism 67. John Maus - Screen Memories 66. Your Old Droog - Packs 65. Porter Ricks - Anguilla Electrica 64. Goldfrapp - Silver Eye 63. Billy Woods - Known Unknowns 62. Oxbow - Thin Black Duke 61. Idles - Brutalism 60. Wednesday Campanella - Superman 59. Karen Gwyer - Rembo 58, Upper Wilds - Guitar Module 2017 57. Caligula's Horse - In Contact 56, Laura Marling - Semper Femina 55. JMSN - Whatever Makes U Happy 54. Deepchord - Auratones 53. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest 52. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life 51. The Doppelgangaz - Dopp Hopp 50. Planning For Burial - Below The House 49. Power Trip - Nghtmare Logic 48. Xiu Xiu - Forget 47. Migos - Culture 46. Pond - The Weather 45. SZA - CTRL 44. Ariel Pink - Dedicated To Bobby Jameson 43. Shabazz Palaces - Quazarz vs Jealous Machines 42. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Async 41. G Perico - All Blue 40. BROCKHAMPTON - Saturation II 39. Fleet Foxes - Crack Up 38. Alvvays - Antisocialites 37. Thundercat - Drunk 36. Arca - Arca 35. Charli XCX - Pop 2 34. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet 33. Protomartyr - Relative In Descent 32. Richard Dawson - Peasant 31. Jay Z - 4:44 30. Björk - Utopia 29. Godflesh - Post Self 28. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana 27. Miguel - War & Leisure 26. Sampha - Process 25. Lorde - Melodrama 24. Algiers - The Underside Of Power 23. Milo - Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! 22. St. Vincent - Masseduction 21. (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket 20. Smino - Blkswn 19. Gas - Narkopop 18. Octo Octa - Where Are We Going? 17. Slowdive - Slowdive 16. Perfume Genius - No Shape 15. Fever Ray - Plunge 14. Blanck Mass - World Eater 13. Susanne Sundfor - Music For People In Trouble 12. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy 11. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
theblackestday Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 On 1/4/2018 at 10:54 PM, theblackestday said: Hoping to see Scandinavian legends Sundfør and Dreijer though. Ahhh you came tf through World Eater, Slowdive and Flower Boy as well Think I have a clue how the top 10 is gonna look
TRF. Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 I agrih about Perfume Genius, Gas and Fever Ray!! And I definitely felt the same way about Blanck Mass, even if I like the more lowkey tracks like "Please" tbh lol. Also I still need to listen to Octo Octa and Smino
ATRL Moderator Unoriginal Posted January 5, 2018 ATRL Moderator Posted January 5, 2018 Susanne deserved top ten tbh but if you're not a fan of ballads top fifteen is pretty great Surprised A Deeper Understanding missed the top ten I understand the length criticism but the only track I feel it really detracts from is Clean Living I was expecting No Shape because I think I remember you saying something about it not being as good when you came back to it Soooo Kelela and Kendrick top ten and maybe eight albums I never got round to listening to?
Tom Vercetti Posted January 5, 2018 Author Posted January 5, 2018 1 hour ago, theblackestday said: Ahhh you came tf through World Eater, Slowdive and Flower Boy as well Think I have a clue how the top 10 is gonna look Don't spoil too much 1 hour ago, TRF. said: I agrih about Perfume Genius, Gas and Fever Ray!! And I definitely felt the same way about Blanck Mass, even if I like the more lowkey tracks like "Please" tbh lol. Also I still need to listen to Octo Octa and Smino Please is my favorite but Rhesus is a monster as well. 20 minutes ago, Unoriginal said: Susanne deserved top ten tbh but if you're not a fan of ballads top fifteen is pretty great Surprised A Deeper Understanding missed the top ten I understand the length criticism but the only track I feel it really detracts from is Clean Living I was expecting No Shape because I think I remember you saying something about it not being as good when you came back to it Soooo Kelela and Kendrick top ten and maybe eight albums I never got round to listening to? MFPIT isn't my favorite from her but still a worthy addition in her discog. No Shape is actually my favorite PG album, followed by Learning. I don't think all of the eight albums will be completely unknown
Wicked Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 Whew this set No Shape & A Deeper Understanding are so good. If the albums I think are in the top 10 are actually there
World Eater Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 Damn, I thought TWOD would be a biT higher And mess @ my entire top 3 appearing in this set Couldn't agree more with Flower Boy's highlights The album grew on me massively, already regretting not putting it even as one of my HMs, yet alone on the main list I didn't bother with listening to Octo Octa's album because the artwork for some reason made me think it'd be another boring indie pop album It's on my queue now though
Pink Matter Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) Fantastic set! Tyler, TWOD, PG, and BM were excellent The only ones I'm not super familiar with is Octo Octa. I was lowkey strapped for time so I never got to finish the Narkopop album (but I checked one of the songs out and wasn't feeling it so ).Smino's album was wayyyy too long so that didn't hold up for me much. And Fever Ray is being queued for later. Everything else is great though Edited January 5, 2018 by Pink Matter
Pink Matter Posted January 5, 2018 Posted January 5, 2018 As for your top 10, I assume Kelela, Kendrick are for sure making it. And possibly Vince. Also gonna go with Big KRIT too Beyond that, I'm not sure. In for some surprises though
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 6, 2018 ATRL Moderator Posted January 6, 2018 will listen to that fever ray this year i hope
volition Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 Ahh now we're talking Glad to see Narkopop getting some love, it's a rich foresty listen that lost a bit of attention when Fantano gave it a 2 (fool) Slowdive your write up reminded me about Lush, i think I'm gonna listen to them today Not dad rock he delivered though, expected higher cause of the SOTY No Shape, Plunge Susanne is too low but your reasoning makes sense Excited for the top 10
Topmaster 2 Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 A Deeper Understanding IS PURE ART. MessT and that genre tho is even a thing? Slowdive
Playa Playa Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 I hope Maya keeps on getting more recognized too
Tom Vercetti Posted January 6, 2018 Author Posted January 6, 2018 Spoiler 7 hours ago, AlexisNeiers said: Damn, I thought TWOD would be a biT higher And mess @ my entire top 3 appearing in this set Couldn't agree more with Flower Boy's highlights The album grew on me massively, already regretting not putting it even as one of my HMs, yet alone on the main list I didn't bother with listening to Octo Octa's album because the artwork for some reason made me think it'd be another boring indie pop album It's on my queue now though U thought. And just a coincidence Judging an album only by its cover I recced u that album when u wanted something house like, it wouldn't be indie pop 7 hours ago, Pink Matter said: Fantastic set! Tyler, TWOD, PG, and BM were excellent The only ones I'm not super familiar with is Octo Octa. I was lowkey strapped for time so I never got to finish the Narkopop album (but I checked one of the songs out and wasn't feeling it so ).Smino's album was wayyyy too long so that didn't hold up for me much. And Fever Ray is being queued for later. Everything else is great though The length for the smino record could be offputting for some, not to mention the amount of tracks it has. Luckily for me I like Smino's delivery and beats so that's not an issue for me. Narkopop also isn't for everyone either. If you're familiar when any of The Knife albums (particularly Silent Shout) then Plunge should be gr8. 7 hours ago, volition said: Ahh now we're talking Glad to see Narkopop getting some love, it's a rich foresty listen that lost a bit of attention when Fantano gave it a 2 (fool) Slowdive your write up reminded me about Lush, i think I'm gonna listen to them today Not dad rock he delivered though, expected higher cause of the SOTY No Shape, Plunge Susanne is too low but your reasoning makes sense Excited for the top 10 There's plenty of reasons why I stopped caring about Fantano reviews and that was just one of the post examples.. Lush only had a small EP from 2016 iirc, nothing major. There was minor factors holding TWOD back, and for Susanne, yeah didn't stan as hard as everyone else. 5 hours ago, Topmaster 2 said: A Deeper Understanding IS PURE ART. MessT and that genre tho is even a thing? Slowdive Just another term for Heartland Rock, like Bruce Springsteen stuff. 1 hour ago, Playa Playa said: I hope Maya keeps on getting more recognized too Will be prepared for her next album. 8 hours ago, Wicked said: Whew this set No Shape & A Deeper Understanding are so good. If the albums I think are in the top 10 are actually there We shall see~ a new page~ There's a couple of albums in my top 10 I used to keep switching back and forth and I hate it.
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