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There are people who are always in love with the sky, no matter the weather. One day you will find someone who’ll love you the same way.

n. m., from a book in progress (via wnq-writers)

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Abandoned by Defeater is hands down my favourite hardcore album of 2015. In typical Defeater fashion, Abandoned is packed with captivating lyrical content, this time revolving around the themes of finding one’s self and self-awareness. The songs on this album go to and fro from finding remorse in past sins and trying to find a way out in religion or alcoholism to not giving a damn about any of it. It touches on topics anyone that has ever had an existential crisis or felt regret could relate to.

I could not stress enough how honest this album sounds and how well written each song is. They have found the sweet spot between senseless heavy verses and the right kind of hardcore to compliment what is being said. Or screamed.

In my opinion, this album is everything a hardcore album should be. They didn’t have to prove how hardcore they could make this album but instead, seamlessly used hardcore as a vehicle for incredible storytelling. Much kudos from me.

 Harith rates this album 8.9/10

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Forest Hills Drive by J Cole was one out of two albums to hit platinum without any features on the album.

J Cole has always been a lyrical genius since his earlier albums. The only difference from this album compared to the rest is him telling his story and everyone else’s story as well. By everyone else’s I mean us. The people listening to it. He goes from his struggles to how much he’s balling now but still shows no signs of your everyday rapper.

This album has a full on chilled out theme where unlike his other albums it was your normal rap beats and sounds. But this is more of a ‘sit back and rethink your life’ album with great music. His lyrics in this album are amazing and the meaning for every song is just as amazing.

By far the top 5 albums of the year for me and honestly his songs are also not for everyone as you need a deeper understanding to appreciate songs like this.

Emma rates this album 8.7/10.

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If you pray to God for rain, don’t you complain about the lightning.

Cloud Cult - Complicated Creation

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Fated by Nosaj Thing is another great release from mid-2015, which has my vote for Chillest Album of the Year. This album’s sound remains in Nosaj Thing’s distinctive ambient electronic wheelhouse, which always feels like the soundtrack to a sad robot walking in the rain at night. Alone.

I highly recommend listening to this album with headphones on, to catch the subtle panning effects on almost every song. As certain parts float from left to right, it creates an atmosphere that makes you feel like the music is all around you, which is pretty trippy. The analog synths and samples that Nosaj Thing chooses to use on this album builds a sense of human emotion, which rarely sounds as genuine as this in electronic music. Some of the songs on Fated remind me of Radiohead’s older stuff in a weird, less depressing way. The songs are mostly short and bittersweet, making you fall in love, then departing immediately.

There isn’t much more to say about this album, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. It isn’t an album that begs to be remembered throughout time, but is the kind of album that is perfectly content with being in the present.

Harith rates this album 8.4/10

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‘Lickwood means rewind and gunshot means forward’ - February 13th.

As a person who has followed Drake since ‘Thank Me Later’. I can honestly say that his sounds have grown and expanded while maintaining the same lyrical meanings. Following his worldwide succes after ‘Nothing Was The Same’ he has managed to mantain his meaningful lyrics unlike some rappers who hit worldwide fame and all they can sing about is money and how much they made. Drake has done the same while still making songs about how she doesn’t call anymore or conversations with his mum to how he started from the bottom and now he’s here.

As a fan of Aubrey, the sound for this album has changed a lot from his slow chilled out vibe to gunshots and more ‘black rap’ sounds. He starts off the album by reminding everyone that he is the ONLY big rapper from Toronto and that he will always be remembered as a legend because of this. Besides being famous for singing about his feelings, this time he explains more about his success and how he doesn’t plan on stopping. In the song You & The Six, he explains about his relationship with his mum and how she has raised him in a way where he will stick to his roots. 

For me, this album is the perfect pick-me-up for someone who’s starting working life after college or for someone who wants to work harder for themselves at the same time be reminded that money isn’t everything. Besides this album being his biggest success by far, it is also a transition for Drake fans into a new sound and era where it’s less of ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’ to ‘6 God’ vibes.

Emma rates this album 9.6/10.

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Too much of whiskey all in my livers, I really like the punch it delievers, makes me warm while I high 5 sinners.

Kid Cudi - These Worries

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As the year comes to an end, and we all get overly optimistic and wishful to ring in the New Year, Emma and I thought we would start off strong by reviewing the best albums of the year every Tuesday and Thursday until then. We’ve compiled a list of albums from an array of different genres that kept our faith in good music alive, and decided to write reviews in appreciation of what we think are so great about them. Harmlessness by The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die stuck out to me this year and made me feel things for reasons that I will try and explain.

TWIABP released Harmlessness in late September, and I have listened to it several times since its release. For a band with an obnoxiously long name, this album was compelling and mysterious in all the right ways. Their signature post-rock/progressively atmospheric vibe combined with their emo-esque lyrical content came together in a form that was much more appealing than compared to their previous releases. Lyrically, Harmlessness was a lot less “the world is so big, and I am so insignificant boohoo” and a lot more “here are some vague songs that seem interpersonal, but you’re free to interpret them however you like boohoo”, which I very much liked. Each time I listen to this album, then go weeks before listening to it again, it feels like the lyrics mean different things between those two listens.

Instrumentally, Harmlessness goes back and forth between simple post-rock verses to multi-faceted orchestrated choruses, utilizing the (probably too) many members the band is comprised of. It sounds like their aim for this album wasn’t to impress, but to captivate, building on the feeling to compliment their sometimes obscure lyrics. This album doesn’t demand to be listened to, but instead is interesting enough that it leaves me wondering what the songs are really about. This album is that quiet girl in class that you’re either really into or couldn’t care less about.

Harith rates this album 8.2/10