best of Vxspertine's 2017 In Review |#1 Album Revealed: Björk LOST

[Egon Schiele]

4 minutes ago, Vxspertine said:

Favorite music videos of the year: 

 

2. Björk - The Gate

 

 

Björk came through with A VIDEO. This is another amazing addition to her already-amazing videography, and it's definitely the best video from Utopia (yet ). Everything about this video is flawless - It fits the song perfectly, her looks are amazing, the story is heartwarming and the DANCERS, she did THAT.

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Yas at this literal piece of art 

[Vxspertine]

 

6. Jlin - Black Origami

 

Spoiler

Score: 9/10 (9.15/10)

Trinity: Enigma, Holy Child, 1%

Worst track: Never Created, Never Destroyed

 

Jlin is the best footwork producer out there right now. With 2 excellent albums under her belt, she keeps getting critical acclaim with every release, and deservedly so. She pretty much masters the footwork sound, and adds her own flare to it.

 

Her sound isn't just footwork though, she brings in all sorts of sounds and elements from electronic music into her music that makes it really really exciting, energetic and catchy.

 

Both of her albums bring a pretty much brand new sound to the table, and fuses genres in a very unique way. It feels very calculated in a way, which gives it a very robotic vibe. Some songs feel a little evil in a way.

 

Also her live performances seem godly, I would love to see her live.

[Vxspertine]

2018 Anticipation:

Fiona Apple – a new album with a really really long name

 

 

Fiona is known for taking long breaks in between albums (long to say the least). She's been around since the 90's and she only has 4 albums in her discography. Her last album came out in 2012, which is over 5 years (!!) ago now.

 

She's been more active in the music world lately, performing here and there and going to events sometimes, and I really hope her next album is in the making.

 

We'll have to wait and see cause for all I know she could be on a 10 years break right now!

Edited December 23, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Lucas32]

The Gate is a fantastic video. Perched to see a better one  

[Vxspertine]

 

5. Xiu Xiu – Forget

 

Quote

A piano fell on my face
You told me to get up
When I could not control myself
You said to get up

 

Spoiler

Score: 9.5/10

Trinity: The Call, Jenny GoGo, Forget

Worst track: Wondering

 

I've heard of Xiu Xiu before I listened to this album, but I never actually listened to any of their music, so I didn't really know what to expect before my first listen.

 

What I got was an album that sounds like it was made by an insane group of gays, so ofcourse I loved it. It's explosive and futuristic, and it's also catchy in a really unique way, which is something I really enjoy in albums like this.

 

It's definitely not all bubbly and fun though, this is a pretty heavy album that deals with a lot of serious topics, especially on songs like Petite and the closer to the album. The serious topics that are discussed in this album fit this whole year very well, which is also one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

 

The lyrics on this album are probably the weirdest and saddest thing about it, especially on songs like Jenny GoGo which is super creepy and pretty disturbing, an amazing song. This album is so insane, I really love it.

The Call might be my song of the year, THE CHORUS IS INSANE.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Vxspertine

[volition]

A SAXOPHONE FELL ON MY FACE

[Vxspertine]

Favorite music videos of the year:

 

1. Mount Eerie - Ravens

 

 

One of the most heartbreaking videos I've ever watched.

It very simply captures the feelings of the entire album perfectly.

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited December 23, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Vxspertine]

 

4. Susanne Sundfør - Music For People In Trouble

 

Quote

The almighty scientist
Says most of the universe is empty and gods don’t exist
Well maybe that's where our love ends up
No holy grail, just an empty cup

 

Spoiler

Score: 9/10 (9.4/10)

Trinity: Music For People In Trouble, Bedtime Story, Undercover

Worst track: The Golden Age

 

Susanne is one of the most underrated pop singers out there. She has an amazing voice, she's incredibly talented live, and she makes diverse and emotional music, and yet she almost has no following to her name.

 

She really came through with this album. Amazingly cohesive and nostalgic album, it's so heartbreaking but peaceful at the same time, it even brings elements of jazz and country music in some parts, and I really love the spoken words parts. Her vocal performances on this album, WHEEEEW, she literally sounds like an angel.

 

I liked it the first time I heard it, but then when I came back to it I was really floored by how beautiful it is. With the slow start of Mantra, it really gets you into the mood of the album, and with the stunning Reincarnation the album really starts going. Then we get to the elegant Good Luck Bad Luck and the eerie Sound Of War, both are amazing tracks and I really love the lyrical themes of both. I think this album peaks from the second half of the title track, through the incredible Bedtime Story (Madonna is SHOOK), to the heavenly Undercover, which has, with absolutely no doubt, her most beautiful vocal performance yet.

 

The only 2 songs I didn't absolutely love were the last 2, and again, this is an amazing album, one of the most beautiful albums of the decade, and definitely one of the best albums of the year.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Vxspertine

[Lucas32]

A new Fiona Apple album? In 2018? She'll release together with Joanna Newsom in 2020, bookmark me.

The Ravens video   Susanne  

Edited December 23, 2017 by Lucas32

[Vxspertine]

2018 Anticipation: FKA Twigs – anything please

 

 

FKA Twigs has been ON FIRE since she dropped her second EP, EP2 in 2013. Since her first EP she's been releasing new music pretty much every year, and since EP2 every single release has been incredible. LP1 is one of the best albums of the decade, and all of her EPs are among the best EPs of the decade. 

 

One release I cannot wait for is FKA Twig's next studio project. Everything she released so far has been incredible, and 2017 has been the first year that she remained completely silent with her musc. She's been performing new songs since 2016 (when she dropped Good To Love, which is also excellent), but nothing official has dropped this year.

 

 It's not like anyone was expecting her to drop anything this year though, since she's been saying that nothing new is coming this year since the beginning of 2017.

But hopefully she'll come thru in 2018 with the best album of the decade.

 

Edited December 23, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Eeveelution]

Overrated. Even a hymn like The Golden Age can't save it.

 

I want more twigs music. Too bad she's an instagram model now

Edited December 23, 2017 by Eeveelution

[Vxspertine]

 

3. Kelela - Take Me Apart

 

Quote

If you know I'm giving my best
Then fill in the rest and slow your pace down
The tears try to fall, I won't let them down

 

Spoiler

Score: 9/10 (9.45/10)

Trinity: Onanon, Truth Or Dare, Frontline

Worst track: S.O.S

 

I pretty much hated Kelela before this year. I didn't like her mixtape and I thought she was copying FKA Twigs on songs like A Message, so I didn't really pay much attention to her. I finally got into her EP this year before her album dropped, so I was pretty excited to hear it.

 

First time I listened to it I didn't like it very much, since it really wasn't what I wanted or what I was expecting from her. But it grew on me SO much since then. Songs like Blue Light that I didn't like initially became some of my favorite songs of the year.

 

There are really only a few small duds on this album, and the album has a very cohesive, futuristic sound, and it's excellently performed, with great lyrics and flows. Production could have been better on some tracks, but it doesn't harm the album much.

 

It's definitely not what I wanted from her or what I was expecting, but it's amazing nonetheless and it turned out to be great anyway, and maybe even better than what she would do if she stuck with the sound of her EP.

 

I'll never forgive her for making Bluff so short though.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Vxspertine]

 

2. Björk – Utopia

 

Quote

I've been wrestling my fate
Do I accept this ending?
Will I accept my death
Or struggle, claustrophobic?

 

Spoiler

Score: 9/10 (9.3/10)

Trinity: Body Memory, Blissing Me, Loss

Worst track: Claimstaker

 

As y'all know, Björk is one of my favorite musicians of all time (if not my favorite). I've been listening to her music for a long time now, but I actually became a stan pretty recently, it was around the time of the Vulnicura leak that I actually started exploring her discography into her less-known releases, and since then I've been listening to her music pretty much all the time. Her music always makes me happy and helps me keep a positive attitude and mindset.

 

Utopia is no exception to that – it's an excellent concept album that is meant to be a contrast to her previous album, Vulnicura. The whole albums lives in a utopia, and is talking about striving for utopia, and the difficulties of not living in one.

 

This whole idea of the album is one of the things I like to see most in music, dealing with reality with a certain mindset, and the songs that make up this album are pretty much all super airy and lavish, and I enjoyed (almost) all of them.

 

She was also pretty much the center of this year for me musically, since she's been teasing for this album since the beginning of the year and I've been anticipating it since she first started talking about it.

 

I do have to say though, with each listen it becomes clearer to me that this isn't one of her best albums, and that it's too long. It was almost my AOTY pick, but my #1 pick ended up just slightly surpassing it.

 

Did it snatch a great spot on my list? Yes. Will it snatch a great spot when I make my best albums of the decade list in 2020?

Probably not. 

Edited December 23, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Vxspertine]

 

1. Big Thief – Capacity

 

Quote

Every mile that is owned
Only stands still by the grace of the stone

 

Spoiler

Score: 9.5/10 (9.75/10)

Trinity: Shark Smile, Watering, Great White Shark

Worst track: Haley

 

If you know me you've seen this coming

 

I didn't know who Big Thief were before this album came out, and I randomly stumbled across it when I was looking for albums on Pitchfork. They gave it the BNM title and I was like "this looks interesting, lemme give it a listen".

 

I fell in love with it pretty much instantly, with the incredible lyrics of Pretty Things, and the amazing story behind Shark Smile, both of the songs that kick the album off. Then the 1-2-3 punch that is Watering-Coma-Great White Shark kicked in. I was SOLD.

 

It's been among my favorites of the year since July, and then I saw them live in November.

I'd say this is my album of the year for a few reasons. It's the best indie record I've heard this year, with a pretty diverse sound (with some instrumentally unique songs like Coma and the Great White Shark) and great production (for how simple it is), and I've been pretty obsessed with indie this year, so it's only fitting that an amazing indie album would be the one to top my list. The story telling of this album is so captivating, and Adrianne's vocals work so well with her stories. Every song is personal, and every sound feels like it just fits perfectly with the story the song is telling. Every song has a story behind it and is important in the track list. And also, the reasons why they wrote it. When I saw them live Adrianne explained that she writes about these traumatic events because for her, talking about it and telling her story isn't sad, it's her way of healing and she thinks that's a really happy thing.

 

Ugh, my ****ing new favorites. Buy it on iTunes and stream it on Spotify fats.

[Lucas32]

Amazign Top 2  also I need Miss. FKA twigs to come through next year and she better include the bops she's played live so far.

[Zay]

Wow love most of your top 7 

[theblackestday]

Perfect top 7  I love all of these. I knew Capacity would be your #1

 

As for your anticipations

 

Fiona Apple

But even if she's releasing an album it won't have a long name cause Tidal (short) --> Pawn (long) --> Machine (short) --> Idler (long) --> FA5 (short)

 

FKA twigs

 

[World Eater]

Amazing list  I already regret not putting Capacity on my album list, a 2016 Solange tea

[Pink Matter]

Interesting top 7! Some albums I haven't heard (Jlin, Xiu Xiu, Big Theif) but of the ones I did hear, they're all really good. Overall, a great best of! This was fun to be a part of  

[Eeveelution]

Amazing top 3, Big Thief did that!  

[Unoriginal]

Susanne  

[feelslikeadream]

Twigs is never giving us new music  Good To Love is amazing and then she vanished

[Vxspertine]

Spoiler

3 hours ago, Lucas32 said:

A new Fiona Apple album? In 2018? She'll release together with Joanna Newsom in 2020, bookmark me.

The Ravens video   Susanne  

2 hours ago, Lucas32 said:

Amazign Top 2  also I need Miss. FKA twigs to come through next year and she better include the bops she's played live so far.

I would mind a Fionna x Joanna collab at all tbh

And Twigs can do whatever she wants as long as we get a MUSIC project next year

3 hours ago, Eeveelution said:

Overrated. Even a hymn like The Golden Age can't save it.

 

I want more twigs music. Too bad she's an instagram model now

1 hour ago, Eeveelution said:

Amazing top 3, Big Thief did that!  

Susanne sweetie, I'm so sorry.

That line about Twigs literally almost made me start crying

2 hours ago, Zay said:

Wow love most of your top 7 

Thanks 

2 hours ago, theblackestday said:

Perfect top 7  I love all of these. I knew Capacity would be your #1

 

As for your anticipations

 

Fiona Apple

But even if she's releasing an album it won't have a long name cause Tidal (short) --> Pawn (long) --> Machine (short) --> Idler (long) --> FA5 (short)

 

FKA twigs

 

I've been praying heavily for both of them 

2 hours ago, AlexisNeiers said:

Amazing list  I already regret not putting Capacity on my album list, a 2016 Solange tea

Capacity deserved better  Your list is canceled 

1 hour ago, Pink Matter said:

Interesting top 7! Some albums I haven't heard (Jlin, Xiu Xiu, Big Theif) but of the ones I did hear, they're all really good. Overall, a great best of! This was fun to be a part of  

Thanks for participating!  

45 minutes ago, feelslikeadream said:

Twigs is never giving us new music  Good To Love is amazing and then she vanished

I mean she has been saying that she won't be releasing new music in 2017 all year

 

 

Thanks for commenting everyone! 

Edited December 24, 2017 by Vxspertine

[Lazuli]

Take Me Apart and Utopia

Capacity as your #1  Deserving tbh! 

[Uncatena]

Xiu Xiu, Björk and kellallah

 

What a wonderful top 10, taste won