#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]

🇲🇽 墨西哥超級新星 Peso Pluma 發行新專輯【GÉNESIS】 歌曲【LADY GAGA】獲得各大樂評廣大迴響！

當紅 24 歲墨西哥流行歌手 Peso Pluma 發行個人第三張錄音室專輯【GÉNESIS】，Peso Pluma 表示他為這張所有的「墨西哥音樂」花了一年創作，並製作了一段日子。知名樂評 Pitchfork 寫道：

「他的新專輯【GÉNESIS】標誌著墨西哥音樂在進軍全球的一個轉折點，跨越了多種風格。」

🎤 曲目：

1. Rosa Pastel (ft. Jasiel Núñez)

2. Luna (ft. Junior H)

3. 77 (ft. Eladio Carrión)

4. Rubicon5. Carnal (ft. Natanael Cano)

6. Gavilán II (ft. Tito Double P)

7. VVS (ft. Darey Castro & Edgardo Nuñez)

8. Su Casa (ft. Luis R Conriquez)

9. Lady Gaga (ft. Gabito Ballesteros & Junior H)

10. Zapata

11. La People (ft. Tito Double P)

12. Nueva Vida

13. Lagunas (ft. Jasiel Nuñez)

14. Bye

其中最受矚目的新歌【LADY GAGA】是一首不插電民謠，與 Gabito Ballesteros & Junior H 合唱，歌詞創作借鑒了遊戲《GTA 俠盜獵車手》、社群軟體 Instagram 與網紅文化，為經典的傳統墨西哥敘事詩可利多（Corrido）注入了 Z 世代的風格，歌曲歌名靈感來自傳奇流行天后「女神卡卡 Lady Gaga」代言的頂尖的香檳酒品牌《香檳王 Dom Pérignon》，歌曲第一句為：

「Dom Pérignon Lady Gaga…」

Peso Pluma 在歌曲的故事中將自己比作一位戴著墨鏡的流行歌星，正在適應奢侈的新生活方式，並把自己比喻為【LADY GAGA】。它感覺就像一首悲傷的南方男孩的說唱歌曲，講述的是除了人與人真誠的聯繫之外，金錢可以買到一切。對於 Peso Pluma 來說，正在把 Corrido 複雜的歷史帶到拉丁音樂的最前線。

【LADY GAGA】理所當然的因為歌名「LADY GAGA」的影響力與話題性，成為專輯【GÉNESIS】新曲中在串流與數位銷售最突出的歌曲，【LADY GAGA】��被收錄在擁有 1,394 萬粉絲追蹤的 Spotify 官方播放清單《Viva Latino》第一順位，發行首日單日串流量達到 369 萬，登上：

－ 全球 Spotify 排行榜第 8 名/美國第 4 名

－Top Song Debut Global 全球排行榜冠軍 (2023.6.23-25)

－墨西哥獲得熱烈迴響！當地 Apple Music 與 Spotify 皆獲得單曲榜冠軍！

【GÉNESIS】在 Spotify 以發行首日 2,280 萬串流的好成績，成為 Spotify 全球專輯排行榜，史上首日串流第 5 高的西語專輯：

1. Bad Bunny - Un Verano Sin Ti (1億4,580萬)

2. Bad Bunny - EUTDM (7,480萬)

3. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG (6,003萬)

4. KaRoL G - MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO (3,240萬)

5. Peso Pluma - GÉNESI (2,280M)

Little Monsters 小怪獸們如果對 Peso Pluma 這張新專輯【GÉNESIS】有興趣，整張專輯語歌曲【LADY GAGA】都已經在各大串流平台上架囉！

✏️ 文章翻譯｜卡編

🎨 視覺設計｜虎編

.

💽 專輯【GÉNESIS】各大線上串流收聽

https://orcd.co/genesisalbum

🎵 歌曲【LADY GAGA】

.

⚡️小怪獸們 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐌���𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 按下「追蹤 𝐹𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌」

🎧 獲得更多 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐀 最快最新的西洋流行資訊

@littlemonster.taiwan

@ladygaga.taiwan (備用)

▶ 🔘────── 2023:06:26

#女神卡卡 #女神卡卡臺灣粉絲團 #西洋 #西洋音樂 #音樂 #年度專輯 #年度歌曲 #拉丁音樂 #拉丁 #西語專輯 #墨西哥 #レディーガガ #레이디가가 #LadyGaga #Gaga #LittleMonsters #Taiwan #LadyGagaTaiwan #QueenOfPop #AlbumOfTheYear #SongOfTheYear #Spotify #AppleMusic #KKBOX #Music

#LatinMusic #GRAMMYs #PesoPluma #GÉNESIS #Mexico

[bloodtitsandfire]

it's a car. #arcticmonkeys #thecar #2022 #aoty #albumoftheyear #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #vinylcollector #vinyljunkie #records #music #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinylrecords #nowspinning #instavinyl #vinylporn #vinyloftheday #recordcollector #rpm #record #vinylcollectionpost #lp #nowplaying #vinyligclub #vinylgram #vinyllover #vinyllove #embuscadovinylencantado https://www.instagram.com/p/ClrtAatsv1B/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[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=

[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! 🎇