best of All done! | Kang's oozy best of '17

[SLIME]

 

you sayin your wrist is rocky, well i got some boulders

ice on my neck, cold shoudler

you talkin bout modern day rap, but don't know the CULTURE!

42. Migos - Culture

skrr skrr! I'd argue Culture is a few flaws away from making it into that upper upper echelon of 2017 rap albums, but I also can't pretend it wasn't THE center of a really exciting movement in hip hop, one we haven't seen anything like in the mainstream for a long time... maybe ever. Trap isn't historically known for being an albums genre anyway, so with the focus here being as much on the Migos themselves as it is the songs, it was nice to see them rewarded this year on such a large scale. What it most reminds me of is when Future blew up with DS2? As in a time where clearly people were rocking with the music, but a part of the hype also seemed centered around Fewtch finally getting to cash out on all his influence over the genre in a way the climate hadn't allowed for previously (hope that makes sense).

 

That's not me hating or diminishing though bc it's to their credit that they've grown into themselves at the perfect moment to capitalize on the scene they helped create. And cuz the album is bretty gud too. I try to think of Migos less as a rap group and more as a hip hop barbershop quartet, and the extended run time here gives them the chance to play off each other in a way that showcases all their strengths (yes even Takeoff), while pushing their sound into some pretty spacey territory. Hype now to see if 2 can push it even further.

 

top peeps: Kelly Price, Get Right Witcha

Spoiler

 

 

[SLIME]

my ... hands

[SLIME]

~~~~~

~~~~~~~

~~~~~

 

41. Forest Swords - Compassion

Maybe not as much to say off the top of my head about this one, but it did stand out strong to me among the electronic stuff that I sampled this year. The overall sound is much more relaxed compared to certain... noisier releases that I'll get to, however don't think you could classify it as ambient either with how many strong/memorable melodies there are floating around. Defo better study music than FJM, although I heard he makes you smarter so who knows.

 

It was inevitable that a lot of projects released this year would end up at least partially as the creators' takes on the state of the world/society etc., but I found it super interesting how different that end result could sound between any 2 artists, even the mostly instrumental types i.e. this one. This album's got its gloomy stretches for sure but I think there are moments of hope that shine through and re-frame the title as something central to the music itself. Always a nice trick.

 

top peeps: Raw Language, The Highest Flood

Spoiler

 

 

[TRF.]

Looooove love love King Krule and Forest Swords, my redheaded men  also Migos' Culture was p nice even though it aged badly for me kind of.

[madonnas]

Culture is a cute album.

V is my fave from this set of 5.   It's cohesive AND diverse.  My fave! 

[theblackestday]

Compassion is fantastic  I was actually just listening to it when you posted it. Raw Language and especially The Highest Flood are indeed the best songs and actually among the highlights of the year for me

[SLIME]

3 hours ago, Tom Vercetti said:

I'd said V is Horror's 2nd best album, right after Primary Colours. 

That's the first one eye need to listen to, Sea Within a Sea >>

3 hours ago, bluth said:

i only heard of king krule from appearing on mount kimbie's stuff and i cba'd to listen through the whole album so eye shall just give ur highlights a go

archy marshall - a new place 2 drown (same artist just diff name) is kinda a similar vibe, maybe a little more Nico Jaar'd, + only <40 mins. ur british so i know you'll like it!

46 minutes ago, theblackestday said:

Compassion is fantastic  I was actually just listening to it when you posted it. Raw Language and especially The Highest Flood are indeed the best songs and actually among the highlights of the year for me

love when I get those right after a very limited listening time. But yea Raw stood out from the jump, we love a late album energy shot

[MP2K]

don't particularly mess with Migos all the time, but I will admit they are one of the best at what it is they do . Deedz, Slippery and T-Shirt will probably be the only things sticking with me.

[Penk]

On 12/13/2017 at 2:49 PM, Playa Playa said:

Been through my shoegazy jangle pop phase and I still love Alvvays!

 

They just do it good + better than all their contemporaries who aren't as original either imo

This!

[Vxspertine]

Great choices so far 

[Wicked]

Culture

[TheWayWeWere]

Migos has song about Kelly Price? need to listen it now

The Horrors album has some nice picks

[Playa Playa]

Whew love what you said about Culture and Migos

 

Compassion is a great album. So many strong melodies indeed

 

[Navyofbadgals]

I was surprised by Culture tbh, much better than I thought it would be

[Pink Matter]

dd at you adding more HM's  Some GREAT album picks though. Paramore, FJM, Sheer Mag (WAY too low ) and The Horrors  

Wanted to get to the Alvvays album but never got the chance. I never bothered to listen to Culture, but I did happen upon What The Price recently and it's  The Ooz was soooooo boring though. It took all of my strength to finish one listen  Dum Surfer is cute though  

 

[K$Ellie]

Don't mind After Laughter being so low  Hard Times was an amazing lead single but it was such a disappointment, especially after Self-titled which was amazing

[World Eater]

There was too much filler on The OOZ for my taste. Aside from Dum Surfer, Emergency Blimp is my fav song and weirdly enough, it reminds me of The Glow, Pt. 2  Compassion and The Underside of Power were both nice

[Tom Vercetti]

Feeling the Culture writeup. I wouldn't say they were the top dogs of the rap scene but their presence was undeniable and made them relevant enough. Their album was pretty enjoyable as well. Forest Swords came through too. 

[Unoriginal]

i wish i had something constrictive to add to the conversation but I'm not familiar with any of these albums other than for the fact that I've heard of them before  

[SLIME]

Yall these last 48 been a roller coaster omgggg

 

Sorry for no update tho. Ima knock out a big one tomorrow

[SLIME]

[SLIME]

ooh ooh ooh ooh

...i think i left my wallet at the club

 

40. Thundercat - Drunk

Knew those baselines were beaming in from another world lol! Ok but even though FlyLo might be the most obvious point of comparison, I think it should be obvious where their differences lie so I give Thunder credit for making an album that plays so clearly to his own strengths. The goofy lighthearted vibe was actually somewhat of an entry barrier for me (prob cuz I was holding that comparison so close), but once I was able to get past it I realized it was concealing a surprising amount of emotional depth and obviously a ton of amazing playing as well. I appreciate how it's structured as well; yall might know how I feel about (most) long albums, but the short track lengths keep things flowing v smoothly. Even if a lot of the songs come off almost as sketches, the overall effect of everything sequenced together is something deeper and better.

 

top peeps: Show You the Way, Walk On By

Spoiler

 

 

[madonnas]

Mmm it’s oaky.  Cute album 

[SLIME]

as i went they're all beside us in silence

as if unaffected amid the violence

ooh, are we also tamed?

 

39. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up

Ayy yet another one that takes some patience, but despite these songs being longer and less pop-accessible than FF have been before, the heart of the band i.e. the gorgeous harmonies and the (sometimes) explosive folky arrangements are definitely still in place so at any given moment there remains plenty to latch on to. Something the absence of those pop melodies made me realize is that being the kind of music listener I am, I never paid tooo much attention to this band's lyrics in the past. But with the songs drawn out I was kinda forced to follow closer, and even through some of Robin's Newsom'd literary references I found out that ... I **** hard with pretty much all he had to say! Just clever, insightful stuff, jumping around from serious world issues back into his mind and personal relationships then back again like it's nothing. An ambitious album that IMO succeeds at what it tries to do, not everyone has that.

 

top peeps: Fool's Errand, Crack-Up

Spoiler

 

 

 

[madonnas]

I don't listen to them.!