tagged by @shinydudunsparce :3 thank you best non romantic platonic frieeeeeeeeend
okay you want all time? i'll give you all time
(the body, the blood, and the machine by the thermals. imagine if the mountain goats was a pop punk band. that's how the band's sound is and it's GLORIOUS)
(quaranta by danny brown, all songs are good but y.b.p., jenn's terrific vacation, and bass jam are ALL standouts and shows off danny brown's versatility VERY well)
(grae by moses sumney, it's a standout, please listen)
(shook by algiers, probably my all time favorite album PERIOD)
(a calculated use of sound by protest the hero, probably one of the best math rock/thrash metal crossovers)
(trava linguas by linn da quebrada, an artful album that explores desire, sexuality, and transfemininity in one of the most unique ways. quebrada's voice is next to NONE and her musical sound is also next to none, it's hard to describe her music unless you actually LISTEN to it. it's a beautiful mix of hip hop, particularly pop rap and conscious hip hop with mpb, art pop, and even some vocal jazz and experimental hip hop influences from the production side from BADSISTA)
(12D by queen bee. if you have to listen to any of queen bee's albums, it's this. avu-chan is at her finest here, and her voice has wonderfully androgynous qualities that are only emphasized by her vocal versatility regarding emotions. king bitch is a standout song forever)
(CHAI by CHAI. man, 2023 was a good year for music.)
(piece of cipher + by electrocutia. i heard a song of theirs come on a japanese radio app of mine on my iphone and man...electrocutia's music holds up to modern sensibilities of 2023, and this album was released like 10 years ago. timeless.)
(opheliac by emilie autumn. i'm sorry. i'm still an edgy teenager on the inside. i love all the songs on this album, they hold up)
The streaming services are putting out their year end wrap up posts, so I figure it’s time to post my top ten albums of the year.
10. Full Of Hell and Primitive Man - Suffocating Hallucination
The first of a few collaborations on this year’s list, Suffocating Hallucination is a sludgy combination of hardcore and extreme noise. The two styles are blended effortlessly here, yielding a true collaboration.
9. Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here
Easily the biggest surprise of the year was Lil Yachty putting out an epic space rock album that combines psychedelic rock, soul, and funk with unbelievable grace. Yes, the vocals are still auto tuned to hell and back, and I think it hurts the record a little, but this is still a shocking gem.
8. Wolf Eyes & Model Home - More Difficult Messages
Acid baselines and industrial beats try to claw their way out from under sheets of noise. Add heavily affected vocals (think early power electronics), and you have, maybe not the purest noise album, but my favorite of the year.
7. Slowdive - Everything Is Alive
A pleasant surprise after I had a hard time getting into their 2017 comeback album. Everything Is Alive is definitely Slowdive’s most mature album, bringing in hints of Disintegration-era Cure alongside their usual dream pop. Not every track is wildly engaging, but they are all good to great.
6. 100 gecs- 10,000 gecs
One of the best avant-garde pop acts of the last decade got there by not giving a fuck about being avant-garde, pop, or anything else. 10,000 gecs steps up their hook writing even more, with song after song that will get stuck in your head for weeks, whether it’s pure hyper pop (“757”) or a near cover of Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” (“Hollywood Baby”).
5. Ada Rook - Rookie’s Bustle
Ada Rook (Black Dresses, Crisis Sigil) continues to be one of the most thrilling musicians around with her combination of hyper pop, metal, industrial, and whatever other genres pop into her head. This record is actually a combination of tracks that didn’t make it on her other solo albums, but as she says, “they found a home together.” Extra points for naming it after the incredibly weird and obscure Japanese PC game, Cookie’s Bustle
4. Earl Sweatshirt & the Alchemist - Voir Dire
On Earl’s third album since the major stylistic change of 2018’s Some Rap Songs he seems to have mastered his newish flow and song construction. The Alchemist’s low-fi, sample heavy production plays perfectly against Earl’s mumbled, barely on the beat flow. The album’s best track, “Heat Check” even strays into vaporwave territory with its saturated lead sample. I figure I’ll love whatever Earl does in the future, but it does feel like maybe it’s time to shake things up again.
3. MUN SING - Inflatable Gravestone
An album about the ambivalence that can come with loss, told largely through instrumentals and suggestive song titles. Sounds a little like a collaboration between Bjork and Iglooghost.
2. Russian Tsarlag/Secret Boyfriend - Split
While this is a true split LP, the artists match up well enough in terms of ethos for the final product to sound completely coherent. Russian Tsarlag’s half is dreamy, lo-fi ambience; Secret Boyfriend’s is some of the best lo-fi shoegaze since Flying Saucer Attack. The whole is over an hour of dreamy cassette goodness.
1. Danny Brown - Quaranta
I wouldn’t say that Quaranta is Danny Brown’s best album, but it is his slickest and most likely to cross over. That doesn’t mean he’s sold his soul, though. This isn’t his usual collection of molly anthems and cautionary tales about drug abuse. Instead Brown is rapping about class. The best tracks, “Y.B.P.” (young, black, and poor) and “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” deal with growing up poor in Detroit, and struggling to stay there as white people move in and turn crack houses into organic gardens. Brown sounds self-assured throughout, as if he can handle whatever subject matter he decides to approach with ease.
Every month I listen to the majority of bands/singers/musicians/artists who are playing in Los Angeles and select some for a monthly playlist. It includes a variety of genres and usually newer work by the artist.
The song above is from Danny Brown’s 2023 album, Quaranta.
Click the link to download or stream Music Music Music spring 24 episode 1 (great songs from 2023): https://app.box.com/s/av7a2wx6dmjn5nsfw2jg7vyvfhukbcj6
Playlist:
Shykids - Lovin You (Baby)
Belle and Sebastian - When You're Not With Me
Toro y Moi - Girl Like You (Live)
Will Butler + Sister Squares - ME N MY FRIENDS/Saturday Night
Screaming Females - Desert Train
Aesop Rock - Living Curfew
M.U.T.T. - Bad to the Bone
Yves Tumor - Echolalia
Killer Mike - DON'T LET THE DEVIL
Snooper - Pod
100 Gecs - Hollywood Baby
Jungle - Candle Flame
The Strangers - Chasin' Sunshine
sopie meiers - collar
Babe Rainbow - Bad Day
Ratboys - Crossed That Line
Jeff Rosenstock - Doubt/3 Summers
Roisin Murphy - CooCool
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Layla
Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD - Underwater Boi
Khemist - Night Night
Slothrust - Pony
Mayer Hawthorne - The Pool
Better Love - I Spend Too Much Time
Gorillaz - Tormenta
Quantic - Run
Danny Brown - Jenn's Terrific Vacation
Janelle Monae - Water Slide
LEISURE - Last Dance
New Danny Brown album!!! After a lot of hard hitting (I guess the word I'm looking for is loud?) songs coming out (especially with SCARING THE HOES) while not every track on here is slow going (tracks like Tantor and Jenn’s Terrific Vacation are the stuff I usually expect from Danny Brown), this album is a lot more personal and lighter with it's vocals and instrumentals and I really enjoyed it.
Favorite Tracks: Quaranta, Tantor, Ain't My Concern, Y.B.P., Jenn’s Terrific Vacation, Down Wit It, Celibate, Hanami, Bass Jam