#AlbumOfTheYear

[balleralbumcovers]

EPIC ALBUM COVER #40

of Montreal - Cherry Peel

Released: 1997 (Bar/None)

Indie pop, twee pop, psychedelic pop

Bonus:

[punkrockhistory]

1980 was a great year for releasing a punk rock long player

16 releases, all of which have cult status

Do you have a favorite or is your favorite LP missing?

[rainbowsfish]

anyone have any music recs? been meaning to get into some new artists

[nextquotes]

I drink a lot of water.

- SZA

[ambiguousthoughtsinsilence]

my year of boygenius

Why do we listen to music? Is it just melodic noise that provides background to our daily existence or is it a space where we look for meaning, purpose and beauty? This is a false question, as music can be all of these things, but it is so much more. For many people, the beauty of music gives their life meaning, whether listening or creating it. Most of us will have fond memories of listening to the radio in the car or discovering an album that transported us to a seemingly magical place, expanding our understanding of what music could be and do (e.g. Jeff Buckley’s Grace for me).

Growing up in a relatively small town by the Baltic Sea, one of my favourite activities was to go to the seaside in winter, when it was stripped of human presence, sit down on the staircase of a lifeguard’s lookout and listen to the songs on my iPod. Years before that I had a silver cassette player and a CD player that I always carried with me, along with a CD wallet. Music has always been a comforting presence in my life. But even in this rich history, there are certain albums and artists that have had such a transformative impact on my life that they have become part of who I am. There are not many albums that fall into this category, but this year one of them did appear.

In March, 2023 the record had come out, the first full LP from boygenius. As I listened to it for the first time, I knew it was going to embed itself in my brain as I was going to play it again and again and again. I became obsessed with the record and the three women responsible for creating it - Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers.

It was like being a teenage girl again, eagerly watching interviews, trying to find out ways in which to watch their Coachella performances and following a fan account that reposted every live video and tour photo imaginable. People always talk about separating art from the artist, but the songs on the record felt so grounded and rooted in familiarity, like they were made by people that felt real and compassionate and vulnerable. In interviews they would talk about books and artists they admired and how they valued each other, and for someone, who has long felt that romantic love should not be valued more than friendship, it felt almost revolutionary to hear that as a foundation of an indie ‘supergroup’s’ ethos.

In August I had a chance to attend Oyafestivalen with my best friend Tina, who had very kindly gifted me a ticket. boygenius were due to play in the early hours of the evening. This was my first time seeing them live.

‘I want to hear your story / And be a part of it’ / boygenius- without you, without them

Making meaningful connections with other people is probably one of the, if not the most, important things you can do with your life. As I stood on a lawn in Oslo and kept bawling my eyes out, I couldn’t help, but end up in existential ponderings about love, loneliness and human connection and the fact that my closest friend was sharing the gig with me. We live thousands of km apart, but I love her loads and appreciate that she’s a part of my life.

‘And it feels good/ To be known so well/ I can’t hide from you / Like I hide from myself’ / boygenius- true blue

After the concert ended, I sat down by a tree to regain my composure, tear streaked cheeks and red eyes, an emotional outpouring and connection that meant so much to me. A few weeks later, I saw them headlining at Gunnersbury Park, this time sharing it with Tina again and my other friend Peter. This experience was less rooted in existential ponderings and more just an overwhelming sense of joy. It was a scorchingly hot day and multiple people fainted, however everyone around helped to get those people taken care of as quickly as possible.

Queer care and joy was ever present in this audience, people had arrived with wonderfully crafted items of clothing or little references to boygenius lyrics on them. Tina and I handed out pink carnations to the younger girls behind us. There is something strange about loving a band, whose audience seems much younger than you are, but maybe the best kind of music manages to reach something within us that is shared, regardless of age.

As the fireworks went up into the dark night sky, I felt so much joy. This time their music had reached the part of me that felt an immense gratitude for being alive and being able to experience such happiness with more than 20’000 people. This performance felt even more explosive and raw, but also funny and deeply meaningful. It seemed that all of us were treating ourselves to some self-belief.

‘will you be a nihilist with me / if nothing matters, man that’s a relief / Solomon had a point when he wrote Ecclesiastes/ if nothing can be known, then stupidity is holy / if the bore becomes a void, we’ll treat ourselves to some self-belief’ / boygenius - Satanist

The last time I saw them live was thanks to Peter, in a small and intimate acoustic set in Kingston. It was another very special experience as the songs had become embedded in my brain and hearing them acoustically felt quite different from the previous shows with a full backing band, here were the three people who were responsible for all those captivating melodies. They embody a vulnerable compassion and a reliance on friendship that feels authentic, and it is wonderful to see creativity blossom from a place of deep love and appreciation for each other.

The record is an album I have grown to love deeply, because it seems to fit whatever mental state I am in. Without You, Without Them for when I want to remind myself of the love I feel for my friends, Cool About It as a reminder that all of have had to play it cool, when someone has hurt us deeply, Not Strong Enough and Anti-Curse for when my mental health lies somewhere in the bottom of the bin. Whatever I am going through, I can find comfort in knowing that the record is there to give me solace and company, whether I am staring at the ceiling or going on a walk around North London.

[arcticfoxfacts]

I made a few music lists on albumoftheyear for Elephant 6 and Vinesauce, cataloguing as many releases related to them as possible, check them out!

The Elephant 6 one

The Vinesauce one

[th3voidwayfarer]

[ladygagataiwan]

🔵 † Pawp Up! Little Monsters. #9YearsOfARTPOP「她的流行．是門藝術」神專《#流行藝術 ARTPOP》9歲生日快樂，#女神卡卡 (Lady Gaga) 的第四張錄音室專輯《#ARTPOP》發行9週年，是張帶有著實驗性 EDM 電子舞曲的專輯，專輯的詞曲&製作皆由 #LadyGaga 完成，並找了些製作人為不同歌曲加持。

專輯的歌曲伴隨著我們長大，小怪獸＆Gaga 歌曲意涵與回憶，與我們的生活重疊、交織而成，哪些歌曲是你的愛歌呢？

希望明年 ARTPOP 十週年 #10YearsOfARTPOP

會有什麼特別的驚喜！（既期待又怕受傷害）

🎨 她的流行絕對是門藝術！

「帶領藝術文化進入流行空間，展開一場逆轉普普藝術大師安迪沃荷風格的探險！」

製作人名單： Lady Gaga、DJWS / DJWhite Shadow、Zedd、Madeon、Dino Zisis、Nick Monson、Rick Rubin、Giorgio Tuinfort、Infected Mushroom、will.i.am、David Guetta

💽 專輯曲目：

1 - Aura（光環）

2 - Venus（維納斯）

3 - G.U.Y. (Girl Under You)（主宰者）

4 - Sexxx Dreams（綺夢）

5 - Jewels n' Drugs（財富與上癮）ft. T.I., Too Short and Twista

6 - MANiCURE（美甲沙龍）

7 - Do What U Want（為所欲為）ft. R. Kelly

8 - ARTPOP（流行藝術）

9 - Swine（豬）

10 - Donatella（唐娜泰拉）

11 - Fashion!（時尚！）

12 - Mary Jane Holland（荷蘭”麻”莉珍）

13 - Dope（麻醉自己）

14 - Gypsy（吉普賽）

15 - Applause（掌聲）

【專輯評價】

這張專輯獲得的樂評介於「褒貶不一」到「好評」間。

一些樂評人稱讚了專輯製作和 Gaga 的聲音表現及其野心，然而另一些則批評專輯的歌詞內容較其前作缺乏成熟性。

專輯發行前舉行了專輯發行派對「ArtRave」。也在發行後的首週以銷量25.8萬「空降美國告示牌 Billboard 200 專輯榜 — Top1 冠軍」，並超過百萬銷售拿到白金唱片！���其成為Gaga連續的第二張冠軍專輯，並且是2013年美國女歌手專輯首周銷量的第四高，也是2013年最暢銷的專輯之一，截至今日已在全球賣出 — 超過４５8萬份。（不包含許多一直沒有更新的認證。《ARTPOP》在「英國金榜 Official UK Charts 專輯榜」& 「日本 ORICON 公信榜 專輯榜」也奪下 Top1 冠軍，iTunes 專輯下載榜方面，當時成為 iTunes 歷史上最多國家第一名的專輯 (51個國家)。

🎵〈掌聲 #Applause〉專輯首支單曲於2013年8月12日發行奪下iTunes全球７７國冠軍！美國告示牌百大單曲榜Top4，並獲得了商業成功和樂評人的好評。

🎵〈為所欲為 #DoWhatUWant〉第二支單曲於2013年10月21日發行，為宣傳單曲，在89國iTunes發行後，奪下８３國冠軍，在美國也成為2013年iTunes下載榜最快登頂的歌曲，共花了５小時！美國告示牌百大單曲榜 Top13 、英國金榜單曲榜 Top9〈Do What U Want〉因為太熱門而轉為第二主打單曲，但因為許多事件的發生，導致宣傳上的大亂，MV 也因導演與合唱的歌手R.Kelly各自的性醜聞而喊卡， Christina Aguilera 相挺，獻聲新版的〈Do What U Want〉 Lady Gaga 是首位下架歌曲抵制 R.Kelly 的歌手，此歌曲也在所有的數位平台上下架，連實體專輯也跟著重新發行。

🎵〈主宰者 #GUY〉第三支單曲於2014年3月28日發行，音樂錄影帶 Lady Gaga 再次擔任導演，自導自演將近7分半的MV，並向流行音樂史偉人致敬，美國告示牌百大單曲榜 Top76，這首歌曲因〈Do What U Want〉Lady Gaga 拒絕釋出 MV，與唱片公司想法不合，所以有一段黑歷史。

🎵〈維納斯 #Venus〉雖為宣傳單曲也奪下iTunes全球６１國冠軍，美國告示牌百大單曲榜 Top32、、英國金榜單曲榜 Top76

🎵〈麻醉自己 #Dope〉宣傳單曲意外成功打進美國告示牌百大單曲榜Top8

🎵〈#Aura〉的歌詞展現了Lady Gaga 的藝術和表達自我的方式。Gaga 再次伸張她是一名女性，一個人類，和一個掌握自己性的女人。Gaga 強調她並不是將穿罩袍作為政治主張,而是因為她覺得她認同那些穿罩袍者。她總結全曲，誦唱母專輯名字ARTPOP。Aura在ARTPOP全專發行前期間提前外流，使小怪獸們認為那是最終的專輯版本，但是 Gaga 隨後確實了泄露版本僅為歌曲Demo。

Aura曾被猜測作為專輯的��單，因為 Lady Gaga 做了一項投票，問小怪獸們喜歡哪首歌作為單曲發行，而Aura贏得了此次投票；但是 Gaga 自己選了〈Venus〉。

【頒獎典禮表演】

ARTPOP 時期 2013 年，Lady Gaga 擔任了 MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) 頒獎典禮的 30 週年開幕表演者，Lady Gaga 首次演唱了來自冠軍專輯《ARTPOP》的最新單曲〈Applause〉，表演也3度變裝，像她過去的3個時期致敬，分別是：《THE FAME》、《THE FAME MONSTER》與《BORN THIS WAY》，最後 女神卡卡 穿上她《ARTPOP》其一經典造型「貝殼比基尼」為表演畫下完美句點。ARTPOP 時期的街拍時尚與個頒獎典禮紅毯也都非常 Fashion iCon

「此張專輯，許多小怪獸都認為被低估。」

甚至許多「黑粉 & 媒體」在專輯未釋出之前，就開始了媒體霸凌的言論，把《ARTPOP》稱之為《#ARTFLOP》

Lady Gaga 在 2021 年說過：「他們甚至在 ARTPOP 出來之前就提出了批評。因為言論自由，人們可以寫任何他們想寫的東西，即使是謊言，但多年後，它是我最受好評的專輯之一。」

去年 2021 全球的「小怪獸 Little Monsters」在 Twitter 上發起流行趨勢【#buyARTPOPoniTunes】呼籲大眾在自己國家的 iTunes 上購買女神卡卡 (Lady Gaga) 2013年發行的冠軍專輯《流行藝術 ARTPOP》，專輯製作人 DJWS 也共同推廣！

這個活動全球發酵，並且這張已經發行8年的專輯，真的在法國、巴西、義大利、菲律賓等３２個國家拿下「iTunes 專輯榜 第１名」，47國 Top10、55國 Top100，在美國iTunes 流行專輯榜拿下第１名，在美國iTunes專輯總榜也拿到了第1名，最後也在「全球榜」、「歐洲榜」都重回冠軍。Apple Music 也一起發酵，也在多國重回 Top1 並且進入百大。

女神卡卡 Lady Gaga 當時也回應了：

「大家為了《ARTPOP 2.0》而發起的『在iTunes購買ARTPOP』與『連署』讓我的心覺得好溫暖。製作這張專輯的過程宛如開了心臟的手術，當時的我很絕望且痛苦不已，所以把我的一切都傾注到電子音樂當中，我從中獲得的快感比任何毒品都要猛烈。」

「這張專輯發行後，我整個人身心崩潰。謝謝你們一同讚揚這個曾經讓我感覺天摧地塌的作品。我們一直都相信這張專輯在當時太過於前衛。多年後事實證明，有���候藝術家的洞悉力果然沒錯，小怪獸們亦然。舉起獸爪 Paws Up 」

⋯

🎧 Spotify 收聽

https://open.spotify.com/album/2eRJUtI7nXrQ5uYQ7tzTo9

🎧 Apple Music 收聽

https://music.apple.com/tw/album/artpop/1451767863

🎧 KKBOX 收聽

https://www.kkbox.com/tw/tc/album/Kqydh5zqOnJP4Tc_Mf

https://www.kkbox.com/tw/tc/album/Koh5Rlpq1IXU_vmNIP

🎧 MyMusic 收聽

https://www.mymusic.net.tw/ux/m/album/show/726420

🎧 friDay音樂收聽

https://omusic.friday.tw/albumpage.php?album_id=1591302

⋯

Universal Music Group

Interscope Records

環球音樂 西洋

† #PawpUp! #LittleMonsters.

[italobrutalo]

Words can´t describe how happy I am: My debutalbum „Heartware“ has been voted as their favourite album of 2022 by @fazemag readers. Around 23000 people took place and it´s such a big honor that my album is on top of a list full of great artists and albums. First of all I would like to thank my partner and @bungalo_disco label partner Tania, who put so much work and energy in creating a stunning artwork and design. Without her the album would not look and feel as good as it is. People who already have it know what I am talking about. Then I would like to thank my brother Martin who took the pictures of the booklet and @geraldvonforis who made super cool press pictures. Besides that I would also like to thank @my45vinylpressing for taking care of the production and making it possible to keep all tight deadlines, @robertdrewek and his team from @dbh_music_distribution for the great distribution work, @steffenmuellermastering for his superb analog mastering and Felix from @silentshoutcommunications for spreading the word! I would also like to thank @svenmanfaze and his team for presenting my album in their magazine. I also would like to thank my friends @anthony_rother and @kris_menace for their great and helpful feedback when i was mixing my album. Thank you also my friend @defexogram who let me use his studio for writing and producing the song „I feel lonely“. Thank you to my parents and family for always supporting me. Last but not least I would like to thank everybody who bought the album in any of it´s forms (vinyl, cd, tape or digital), posted or reposted it and charted it. Without you this award would not been possible. As some of you know 20 years ago i won several national and international titles as a dj at championships. There has always been a well curated jury out of former champions. This reader award now is something very special for me because it was not given by a jury but by people, who like and love my album. So once again thank you all for supporting my music in the past, present and future! ❤️ I put a link to the interview in my linktree in bio. #albumoftheyear #album2022 #faze #fazemag https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxXd-jsbXs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mranonymoustaylorsversion]

So the Grammy's are done. Can't express how mad I am they snubbed Taylor from SOTY again 😑. This time I'm mad. 6 times they snubbed her. Plus Beyonce is snubbed again from AOTY and even Kendrick. I'm happy for Harry though. It's not the best album of the year but if course it's a great Album. So it's alright ig. Plus he had the biggest year last year. He deserved it. Anyway let's celebrate our director Taylor Swift 😍🥺 All too Well the short film won best music video I'm so happy. Plus her blue dress of course it's midnights era 🥺 she looked gorgeous. Beyonce broke record with most Grammys. Kendrick won the rap categories. So I'm happy. Lizzo ROTY Adele best pop solo performance. Unholy pop duo performance. Everybody got something. I'm happy for them. Grammys aren't perfect another proof. Anyway. When i think about song of the year it still makes me mad. So let's forget about it. Midnights is coming next year. better sweep all of them... I can't believe next year Taylor about to win her 13th Grammy 🌚 . . . . . #midnightstaylorswift #midnights #alltoowelltheshortfilm #alltoowelltenminuteversion #grammys #albumoftheyear #harrystyles #harryshouse #antihero #tsantiherochallenge #bejweled #karma #lavenderhaze #grammys2023 #1989taylorsversion #adele #beyonce #folklore #evermore #swiftieforever #swifties #TaylorSwift #taylornation #explore #explorerpage #renaissance #asitwas #lizzo #taylorswiftmemes #memes (at Taylor Swift Nation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoUVJ3Npdw4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[anthonyataide]

(1 Life ft @thereal98baybee)Dropping Jan 27th 🔥💯 coming in the start of the year hot 🥵 I been saying one day imma blow up but that’s done 🙅🏻‍♂️from now on every day is the blow up im on the rise as the 🕰️ ticks so imma enjoy the ride and let’s see how far down the road i am this time next year 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #2023music #newmusic #2023 #folkmusic #ratingalbums #spotify #2023goals #concert #freestyle #indiemusic #instamusic #livemusic #music2023 #musica #newyear #rap #singersongwriter #albumoftheyear #albums #albums2023 #andreatacchiguitars #announcement #applemusic #beats #bestalbums #bestalbumsof2023 #bestof2022 #beyond #boomtakeover #castelnuovotedesco (at Sarnia, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm-j54IOCiQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[balleralbumcovers]

EPIC ALBUM COVER #107

The Velvet Underground & Nico - self-titled

Released: 1967 (Verve)

Art rock, experimental rock

Bonus:

[punkrockhistory]

Some great punk rock albums were also released in 1983.

Here is a selection of them. Do you have a favorite or is there an important record missing from this year in this collection?

[somethingvinyl]

Ghost at # 1!? I’ve always loved Ghost, but # 1? I wouldn’t have seen it coming. But when I stacked up my favorite albums of 2022, this was simply the one that came out on top. Tobias played to his strengths and upped his game in a hundred ways. Every song hits on every level. Those giant arena pop choruses… I turned up the volume all the way in my car and often started tracks over to sing along a second time. Haters be damned, follow your heart: the best album of 2022! #ghost #thebandghost #albumoftheyear #vinyl #vinyladay #lp #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinyljunkie #vinylcommunity #vinylcollective #instavinyl #vinylgram #recordcollector #nowspinning https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2MMYbO5TV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nextquotes]

I love empowering women. I think it's crazy: if you ever try to belittle women, you're playing yourself - I ride with whoever rides with me.

- SZA

[blackaltarapparel]

Well, what a year 2022 has been! Despite Instagram's efforts to censor us, shadow bans and dramatically lower our reach, we are still here! We thought instead of giving Instagram all the attention with the annual Top 9 posts.

We wanted to celebrate our Top 9 albums of 2022! This year has been crazy for new metal music & we feel so humbled to be welcomed into this community over the years.

Well, these are our top picks, but what are yours? Drop your comments below! Oh, and Happy New Year! 🎇