One of the things I really like about the 1970s lists I have been doing is that many of those albums have been with me for years, if not decades. They have had their opportunity to grow on me. These records have not. Between now and, say, 2020, I'll buy more records from 2018 and I will listen to the ones I have more. Some will grow on me and others will fade.
Nonetheless, this is a place-marker, a suggestion as to what has stood out and is worthy of a comment. I'll not say much, I don't think.
These are in reverse order.
Blood Orange - Negro Swan
This is Dev Hynes fourth album and if this album matches the others, it'll take a long while to grow on me. It has begun that process, I think, but I am still finding it strange. Typically the first time I listen to his records, I find them curious 80s RnB throwbacks slightly too reminiscent of Prince. However, I am sufficiently tempted to return to them and each time new bits and pieces emerge and eventually I recognise something special. Time will tell with Negro Swan but it's looking promising.
Alele Diane - Cusp
I find Alela Diane's voice like a prettier, more delicate version of Nico. Her voice has a similar stridency. Her medium is a folksier Americana, though, and she has a far stronger sense of melody. The voice, though, forbids any whimsy and tilts towards the foreboding, the mournful - songs of loss and uncertainty.
Pusha T - Daytona
The first Kanye West production this year is the best, I think (although I did quite enjoy West's own Ye and his collaboration with Kid Cudi Kids See Ghosts). The beats are inventive and latch onto my mind and don't let go. The opener (If You Know You Know) kicks a steady organ, bass, drum rhythm which is catchy enough in itself but it is punctuates with sped up samples and other effects, adding hooks to hooks. Every track is simply fun to listen to.
Let's come at it another way - Kanye has been extra Kanye this year. There's a lot of people who would have been happy to see him tumble, especially with people like Kendrick ready to take his crown. And yet, when this came out, everyone jumped back on the Kanye train.
NAO - Saturn
This British neo-soul singer was new to me but I picked this up on the basis of a few good reviews and did not regret it. It's very much a slow to mid-tempo affair with deep grooves that make me want to nod my head. Irresistible.
Robyn - Honey
There's a lot of discussion about how this album is the first after six years for Robyn and how this follows a difficult time in her life and such like. That is great. What I care about more than any of this is that she is back and she is still awesome. She still does what she does better than anyone - uptempo dance pop music that doesn't feel like drunken nights out are its only relevant arena. Instead, while they have the bass, the beats, the fun, they are also well-crafted and thoughtful records. Robyn's back.
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
For many, this has proven album of the year. Despite the fact that it is on my list, I am actually a little disappointed in it. I've loved Janelle since her first EP and for me, this record represents a step backwards. There are a number of deeply catchy tunes and, please don't get me wrong, this is a fun album but it tilts too much towards the obvious. Monae's dependency on Prince feels a little too on the nose. And, I feel a little uncomfortable saying this since I wholly agree with Monae on pretty much all things, the 'wokeness' of the album feels overt to the point of being distracting.
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
According to Metacritic, this was album of the year and it was only then that it hit my radar. As a result, it's still new to me and settling in. All the same, it was easy to see why this made the splash that it did - it's gorgeous. It's country music but it tips its stetson firmly popward. But Kacey Musgrave seems more grown up than Taylor Swift and so it feels more grounded, less frothy. It has more of a yacht rock feel to it, and that to me, ain't no bad thing. I have a strong feeling that this will definitely be a regular player.
Courtney Barnett - Tell Me What You Really Think
I was a big fan of Barnett's debut album proper Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. I appreciate the Dylan comparisons but I am wary of them. Lyrically, she is very very engaging (and I think that they will continue to grow on me) but the nature of her songs feel more ephemeral than Dylan. Either way, regardless of what she is or is not singing about, she matches them with melodies and songs that are catchy and engaging and make you want to come back and spend more time with them.
U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited
Like several people this year, I only discovered Meg Remy (U.S. Girls) this year. Apparently, she's been about for a few years, beginning with more avant-garde sound collages (as I understand it) and has gradually crept in towards more straightforward song-writing. I'd suggest that she is a catchier and more pop-savvy Bat For Lashes. It is basically art-pop but definitely at the more more fun end. M.A.H. is protest song via Abba and a glitterball. I love it.
Kali Uchis - Isolation
I have been wittering on about Kali Uchis forever now. Everyone must be SO bored. To be honest, I figured that she'd be sitting in album of the year territory, but no... Despite having a higher critic score than many of her peers, she was passed over. This caused me some consternation...
I decided that the most likely reason was that Isolation is so summery, it feels a little out of place in the colder days and darker nights. Uchis's voice is warm and summery and somewhere between Latin and Jazz and just oozes balmy summer nights. She is so well versed in popular music, especially girl groups, bossa nova, reggae, as well as 70s soul, that the album covers a lot of ground. But it never feels like it has to try - it almost feels sleepy.
I'm heading to the Primavera Sound festival in May, Kali Uchis is playing. I'm not going to pretend like she isn't one of the main draws!
No comments:
Post a Comment