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piqueconcentration · 7 months ago

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(Some) Albums I Currently Adore

Originally posted January 1, 2023

The title to this post was originally "Albums You May Enjoy," but I remembered after writing a bit under that phrase that I kind of hate it when the title of a piece addresses me directly like: "Things You Didn't Know About ___" or "If You Like ____, You Should Check Out ____" or "Four Things You Absolutely Need if You Don't Want to Look Like a Troglodyte to your Houseguests" -for whatever reason it feels manipulative. Like, chill- you don't know me and don't assume that your opinion has any bearing on me as a human being at all.

Whatever, here are albums I like right now, whether or not you choose to check them out, and if you disagree with me, that's great! Genuinely! Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts, if you like.

Also! I fucking despise numerical album ratings, if you're looking for those, you won't find any here.

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New Music and Big Pop - Another Michael

Genres Indie Folk, Folk, Indie Pop

Time 35:01

Recommended Songs "New Music" "Big Pop" "What Gives?"

Though it may be a relaxing, acoustic listen, New Music and Big Pop has a quality to it that makes me stop what I'm doing in favor of experiencing the music on a deeper level. Comforting melodies, complex structures, and beautifully layered vocals, these songs give the impression of being produced to perfection- no aspect of them sticks out jarringly or feels out of place, the composition feels wonderfully aligned to a steady vision of the completed work. To me, the songs give a feeling of pensive calm but with a stylistic spin that is somehow evocative of garage rock or even punk. Also- listen to the whole thing.

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Growl Pop - Dan & Drum

Genres Alternative, Indie, Experimental

Time 41:48

Recommended Songs "Wanna Ride" "Interlude, Pt. 2" "Mona Lisa"

This one I was confused by when I found it. Dan & Drum make music that, while entirely entertaining and often melodically masterful, could really belong to a genre of its own just called 'Confusing.' Generally acoustically supported with some digital effects and various production quirks, the songs on Growl Pop can vary melodically so far within each song that it can be genuinely difficult to pin down what the main carrying melody may be, if there is one at all. The odd vocals and really cool harmonies also give each tune a very variable feeling.

Some of my favorite lyrics:

"I know better, it's mind over matter, yeah, it's mind if it's matter, it's a matter of time" - "Wanna Ride"

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Decide - Djo

Genres Synth, Synth-Pop, Pop, Alternative, Hypnotic, Aggressive, Dance

Time 36:03

Recommended Songs "End of Beginning" "On and On" "Slither"

This is one of those albums where the "Recommended Songs" section above is pretty much irrelevant. I think the entirety of this one absolutely rocks. Reminiscent of Daft Punk, reminding me of STRFKR and Video Age and Hall & Oates and even David Bowie or the Talking Heads, it feels like Djo has listened to all of my favorite music and taken all of that as influence, and then confidently produced the most powerful possible usage of elements from all of the above. This album is appealing to me to the greatest degree- sometimes dark, sometimes passionate, sometimes bouncy, sometimes explosive, I absolutely love it. Honestly it's so appealing that it makes me wish Djo kind of went a little weirder with the songs here- the potential for something groundbreaking is present, but for now it's just rad in all the right, if familiar ways.

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Digital Spool - Jazz Emu

Genres Comedy, Funk, Synth-Funk, Lyrical

Time 38:20

Recommended Songs "Still Waiting" "You Would Never" "Tonally Inconsistent?"

Comedy music can be a difficult genre for many to enjoy, especially when the current musical consumption climate makes each individual's music taste a point of scrutiny and something to base one's ego around- when any song you listen to has its main value in someone else hearing you listening to it and thinking highly of you, you tend not to want your sense of humor dissected as well. If you can't relate to that, congratulations and I'm happy for you. In any case, Jazz Emu has blessed us with a treasure trove of songs absolutely spine-tinglily funktastic, with lyrics that get me smiling every time. Emu has this way of weaving the comedy into the music as well as the lyrics, which is more than most others braving the genre are able to do, and I commend him heavily for that, as well as how this album deftly and ridiculously satirizes modern internet culture, even delving into issues of contemporary masculinity, insecurity, and the odd state of being a "content creator." The rare moment of sincerity is made even more powerful after you've heard the song that has a whole section of fart noises.

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From 2 to 3 - Peach Pit

Genres Alternative, Indie Rock, Acoustic, Indie Folk

Time 37:54

Recommended Songs "Up Granville" "Look Out!" "Everything About You"

Peach Pit returns, in this album, with a pretty folk-y feel, much more than previous albums. It feels like if the songs from 2018's Being So Normal were teenagers, the songs from From 2 to 3 are adults. That parallel may just be me projecting, as the former album came out and had a great impact on me when I was, in fact, a teenager, and the latter arrives with similar importance in my burgeoning adulthood, but It's not totally without base. The songwriting in question has much less garage-rock angst (not that angst is a bad thing), the metaphors are much more refined, it really feels like Peach Pit's style has settled into a very comfortable era where nothing feels forced and the style is solid without being monotonous. An album like this could, in a very personal way, frame my decade.

Let it be known- almost every review of this album that I have seen has described it as Peach Pit's most "mature."

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Color Theory - Soccer Mommy

Genres Alternative, Indie, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Rock, Dark

Time 44:13

Recommended Songs "lucy" "circle the drain" "royal screw up"

Dark and brooding, powerful and brooding, heartfelt and brooding, you get the idea- Color Theory falls in line with the movement in modern music of seemingly very sad, wonderful women, singing their hearts out in gut-wrenching rock and roll irreverence. Artistically, Soccer Mommy very regularly knocks it out of the park for me, I envy the raw ability that she has to convey feeling directly through the medium of sound, and this album is no exception. Many of the hits here were previously released as singles, but when put together in an arrangement like this, they are made all the more powerful.

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Modern Johnny Sings (Songs in the Age of Live) - Theo Katzman

Genres Rock, Indie Rock, Pop Rock, Funk, Indie Funk, Jazz

Time 1hr 25min

Recommended Songs "My Heart is Dead (Live)" "The Death of Us (Live)" "Lily of Casablanca (Live)"

Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Vibe, the 2020 studio album, is a masterpiece in its own right. In fact, I do even like some of the songs on it more than their versions in this Live album, but the reason that the latter is featured here is that to miss the back and forth of Katzman and the audience, the absolutely incredible keyboard solos, the times where the vocals match up perfectly to what would otherwise be called instrumental improvisation if it hadn't been immaculately practiced, and the absolutely vivid joy of performing would be a disservice to no one but yourself. A Live album like this, that makes the listener feel as though they can see the action in front of them, is a gift. There are a few too many vocal embellishments for my taste, but regardless this work is one you shouldn't pass up.

Not sure if anyone's still reading, but here's hoping I keep writing.

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wordsandsound14 · 2 years ago

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2022 Albums of the Year

What a year it’s been. In all honesty, 2022 was a little disappointing in the album department. The albums I have on this list are all ones that I like and enjoy, don’t get me wrong. But I feel that I didn’t have an album that blew me away that normally does. However, I also didn’t have albums that I absolutely hated. Even the Panic! album that I didn’t care for isn’t an unbearable mess, it’s just not good and that’s it. Regardless, I listened to a good amount of albums from this year that I feel confident in my top 20. (I’m sure when I look at other year end lists, that my ranking will get changed. Yet, this list still feels good.) Let’s just jump in now

20. Sometimes, Forever - Soccer Mommy

I find this album really explores the different sounds that Soccer Mommy is capable of producing. “Clean” was an introduction to her sound and “Color Theory” took that sound and made it larger. “Sometimes, Forever” doesn’t do anything unexpected but it does embrace experimental sounds that she hasn’t yet made. I adore the pinball “With U” as it launches into a electro-rock track that embraces the energy it has while still having an incredible chorus to hold the song together. “Shotgun” is another standout and the numbers back up how catchy the chorus is. It’s the most memorable song off the album and it’ll be stuck in your head. The rest of the album does a marvelous job of weaving the new ideas without feeling like two completely different thoughts, all the while still sounding like Soccer Mommy. A very unique album that will stand out in her discography with the years coming.

19. Lila - Marketa Irglova

After the long hiatus, the third album (and apparently the ending of a trilogy of albums) has finally arrived. Many know Marketa as being a member of The Swell Season and being a co-star in the film Once. Years later, we arrive at “Lila” and her long journey to where she is today. For those unfamiliar, she creates piano driven music that often focusses on the complexities and intricacies of love and its many different forms: platonic, parental, eternal, romantic, etc. She touches on a lot of topics but often, endearingly, looks at the side of love. While the short track listing is a hard pill to swallow after the wait (being only 9 tracks long), each song does feel special if you give it time to bloom. I was initially a little disappointed that after all these years and it didn’t feel like they compared to the past two albums. But living with the songs and listening to them more often proved how intricate these songs are. My personal favorite being “Girl From a Movie” with a melody that touches my soul and calms it. I hope these songs can find you where you are at and you can embrace the peacefulness they bring

18. Dance Fever - Florence + The Machine

The song “King” alone is enough to land this album on this list. Being the feminist song of the year and maybe decade, it has an ability to be empowering without feeling like there is an agenda or coming off really corny/obvious is what sets this track apart. “Cassandra” is another highlight that brings attention to the gothic fantasy that is thematically embraced by the band this time. The thing that does hold this album back is there is a series of songs on here that I don’t care for. From “Back in Town” to “Prayer Factory” is what feels like a very automatic Florence. However, everything else exceeds my expectations and fulfills that Florence scratch that I didn’t know I needed itching. I think what made this album work so well was the subtle experimentation they used. I felt like they utilized Florence’s fantasy sounding voice really well and made music that surrounded her voice well and doubled down on it. I think it’s the best decision they could have made and embracing it only created the album that we have here.

17. Hold the Girl - Rina Sawayama

There’s not a huge stand out here but this album fully showcases Rina’s ability to songwrite while fully embracing the pop genre. With her last album, she genre bounced almost as many times as she could and here she still incorporates other genres but I would still put them all in the pop genre. That being said, I fully understand why if others weren’t too fond of the this project. It doesn't feel like a betrayal from the artist but it isn’t a path that works for everyone. Without a standout, it can feel like you’re waiting for her to break the ceiling and it can feel like she never really does but if you take each individual song as it is, she does a great job of making them unique and their own. I see this album more as a collection of songs rather a complete project that has a start and finish. However, this perspective has helped me hear the songs for what they are and that each one was carefully made to be the best pop song it can be. “This Hell” being a catchy Gaga inspired song, “Hurricanes” being a momentous pop song, and “Frankenstein” being the iconic rock-pop song off the album (I think it’s an actual leftover Gaga track). Rina Sawayama is making waves as a new pop star that has no limits on her genre.

16. Chloe and the Next 20th Century - Father John Misty

This is probably the hardest album to rank. It took all year (did listen to this a little late; believe it was June when I listened to it for the first time) for this one to grow on me. Upon first listen, I felt like the title track was the only standout song (which it still is my favorite from the album) and the rest fell short of what I wanted from the 20′s inspired album. I lived with the songs some more and found some more songs from it but still felt like the songs felt a little stale. Then came late November and it’s time to re-listen to all of the albums I heard from the year so I can make my year end list and it clicked this time. Really clicked and suddenly there’s no skip tracks and it sounds super cohesive and I hear the diversity of the album. (There’s maybe one ballad that goes on too long but that was my only major complaint). It’s so well crafted and I think my only wish was that he committed to the 20′s sound more but he still did a really great job of getting that sound to the modern day. I’m sure this album will age like wine.

15. All Girls Go To Heaven - Mint Green

I did a lot of listening to Spotify’s Discover Weekly, a curated playlist of new music and this band showed up with their song “Body Language” (still my favorite from the album). I put the new songs I like in a “Rotation” playlist and I listen to them and funnel some in and out every 2 weeks. (It’s a whole system) To listen to new albums, I’ll pick a few songs that have albums attached to them. This is one of those albums that I found through this system. (Keep in mind that there are plenty of other albums but some come from last year so they don’t qualify for this year.) This album really impressed me, even though I thought there was places that it could improve on. The songwriting of this group is amazing and you can just imagine these being played in small rooms/live. You can hear their love and understanding of music through listening. These songs have such a great energy and it feels like there’s so much more of their talent for them to discover. I really can’t wait to hear what’s next for them but I also have this selection of songs to continue listening to. I also really love the dynamic of this band and having to women who sing in the band (though it seems the lineup of the band keeps changing every time I look). It’s a little difficult to rank a band on their music and not the potential of their music but they’ll land right here for now.

14. Asphalt Meadows - Death Cab For Cutie

While I’m sure Death Cab has made better albums, I feel this one is going to go under many radars of music from this year. This album showcases that they are a band who have plenty of ideas still for those still listening. I say it like I’m a longtime fan but really I only knew a handful of the bigger songs. I listened to “Plans” earlier in the year and then I saw that they dropped an album and gave it a listen also. I was pleasantly surprised when I gave it a listen and the songs have only improved with time. “Fragments From the Decade” is the perfected indie ambient music that I love from the band. “I Don’t Know How to Survive” is an excellent opener that presents the listener with confirmation that the rest of the album will be a good ride with its indie flares. “Hear to Forever” is another highlight that simply evolves with how the album is moving thematically but hits as a high point for the album. Each song is sonically interesting though and feel like they got the songs to the best of place they could get them in.

13. The Art of Survival - Bush

In 2020, Bush reinvented themselves with “The Kingdom”, opting for more of a modern hard rock sound with post-grunge. I loved the approach they did with their sound and evolving it to a place where that felt like it was appreciation to listeners who were still here after their on-and-off career. I wanted more of their recent evolution and they answered back maybe a bit too literally. It’s an album that serves as a sister album more than a sequel. But damn, this sound is really good. They don’t nail the ballad as good as they could have but all the other songs have a lot of energy to them with booming guitars and hard hitting drums. You can feel the wave of sound with every chorus that comes and the song structures are varied enough so that you never feel like it’s the same song over and over. It’s a great listen that I hope they can use it as a stepping stone for the next album. They can get away with one sister album but not two.

12. Meet the Moonlight - Jack Johnson

I hadn’t given up on Jack Johnson yet but I figured his best years were behind him, being a remnant of the 2000′s acoustic/folk scene. His past two albums didn’t seem to pushing his career forward in a significant way anymore, the first being more of a copy of his earlier work and the later feeling over-produced and sounding forced. But this album proved that he still has songs. I think the issue was that he was happy just touring, being a humanitarian, and being a family man. The studio and notebook weren’t calling him and he pushed himself to meet the page in times when it felt like his life wasn’t calling him that way. Here, you can feel that these songs were from his heart that he had something to say. The music matches the tone and Jack’s personality shines through; the Hawaiian beach ocean is almost tangible. It’s an album that feels like coming home. He has interesting songs and I’m extremely happy that he took a chance on ambient music with the title track and it ended up being my favorite from the record. It makes me happy to hear that he’s back in his element with music again.

11. It’s Almost Dry - Pusha T

I really liked Pusha T’s last effort with “Daytona” but felt that it could be expanded on in a way that could feel fully realized. “It’s Almost Dry” is the answer to that request. His hooks are impeccable and each song feels like its own. My favorite unfortunately has West attached to it and I had to make the tough call of not including it within my top 50 to not endorse West. While I know my actions alone will not really change what his reputation is, I don’t feel comfortable supporting him in any way. With that said, it doesn’t stop the music and hooks being absolutely great, with the only skip track being “Scrape It Off” as it uses a beat and plays of typical modern trap beats. But everything else is really progressive and evolves his songs in a new way. I know a lot of people say that Pusha T makes only one type of music and that you should know what you’re getting when you put on his music but idk, this album seems to prove that wrong and I might bet that’s what he was after cause no track sounds the same and I can tell he used his creativity to expand the best he could within the rap genre.

10. Where the Heart Is - Sweet Pill

Another Discover Weekly band that I found and fell in love with. The best way I can describe this band is take Paramore’s first two albums and they have recreated it without sounding like carbon copies. You can hear the heavy influence but it doesn’t take away from their own original sound. “High Hopes” was the song that got me hooked and still is my favorite with its addicting riff and high energy rock. However, the title track does make it run for the money providing a great thesis for the album. “Sometimes” is the perfect song for you if you are interested in their Paramore similarities. It’s a great callback album to the 2000′s edgy alt rock scene but moves it to a modern headspace. Overall, I’m super delighted to have found this band and am super excited to how they expand their sound next time.

9. Harry’s House - Harry Styles

Separate the art from the artist they say. I’ll do that here. And it’s not like I started hating or disliking Harry that much but the second half of this year has proved how much growing up he has left as a human. The drama behind the movie is difficult to ignore and how he is in interviews (especially surrounding the film) has made it evident that he isn’t really ready for any type of normality/reality check. Being someone who loves Harry, his daring outfits, and protest against gender norms seems like a long past now. He now seems like that annoying little brother who got famous but isn’t ready for the responsibility but is still able to BS through life. It’s complicated; he hasn’t done anything really wrong but he could be doing better. Anyways, more about the music since that’s what this is about. Harry’s ability to create insanely catchy pop hooks and do it successfully 12 times is truly a feat. And a good portion of them are fully realized and the others work well as shorter songs. He doesn’t try to push an idea further than it needs to if he doesn’t know how to fill that space. “Boyfriends” is the only song that I feel falls short. Everything else keeps up with the rest of discography. This album might be a little more simple musically, goes for the pop production, and sticks to shorter songs but I feel that these choices benefit the album majority of the time. There’s a song for everyone in here and Harry’s House is a good addition to his portfolio.

8. Spinning the Truth Around (Part 1) - Blue October

Blue’s last album was such a major disappointment. I felt like a lot of it was overproduced and that a lot of songs didn’t get fully realized. And it sucks because there’s a “fan reason” behind it that really seems to be true for this band. It goes something like this: “Justin (Blue October frontman) only makes music if he isn’t doing well. I’m happy that he’s finally happy and in a good place but the music doesn’t hit like it used to when he was depressed and anxious all the time.” And well... he made some really good music. The news is that he’s going through a divorce with his second wife. Luckily, it’s not even close to how messy the first divorce went. It seems like they just grew apart and didn’t feel their marriage was what it was supposed to be nor did it feel right for them. Yet, that still is a gut punch and you can hear it in the songs where Justin talks about this topic. He perfectly walks you through the emotions of losing a love that you still love. The anger, the sadness, the confusion, the passion, the acceptance, the etc. The greatest thing to come out of this album is how diverse their sound has become. While there’s still a glossy pop production to the album, there’s a lot of different sounds and approaches to songwriting. I can hear the band really pushing themselves to make great songs here and it really pays off. “Where Did You Go I’m Less of a Mess These Days” is my favorite for its soaring chorus and gut wrenching words. “How Can You Love Me If You Don’t Even Like Me” is groovy and incorporates its dark tone with its ambient sound. “Change” is a super unique, sleek rock song that I wouldn’t have seen coming from the band. I’ll let you listen to it but I’m super excited for Part 2 if it continues this new ambition within the band.

7. THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND- PUP

PUP seems to have found their sound and seems super comfortable with exactly how to expand that sound while maintaining it. They nailed a great sound with their last album “Morbid Stuff” and continue by going a little harder but continue with their great energy punk with indie rock. While I’m not a fan of the interlude songs in-between the longer songs, they are quick. But every normal length song on here is an absolute blast to listen to. They’re snappy, punchy, and rock really hard. “Matilda”, “Robot Writes a Love Song”, and “Habits” are the highlight tracks but it’s really hard to hand pick the songs off from here when each one is so well made. It’s an album that you can hear it being played live just by listening to the studio recording (but I kinda wanna hear it in a small room too).

6. 22 Make - Oh Wonder

Last year saw the return of Oh Wonder. Not that they went away but their album before “Nobody Can Wear Your Crown” felt like Oh Wonder on autopilot. 22 Break had urgency, creativity, and passion. It felt like that music was the only route for them to work through this part of their life. 22 Make is 2nd part of the album, a sister album. The first half explored how their struggles, doubts, and conflicts lead to a difficult first year of marriage. This album is reaffirming themselves through all the pain that they truly love each and backing away from their marriage and time together would be for the worse. The love is bleeding through the sound and the choice to stay in a relationship after a time of hardship is never more beautifully displayed than here. While there’s a bit more tendency for pop production compared to the first one, this still has a lot of creative ideas and unique sounds. Oh Wonder has still yet to really branch into something unknown but they have continually made interesting songs and sounds the accompany their music. Also the more time passes, the better Anthony’s production skills get. His beats, mixing choices, and selection of effects are really spectacular. Truly a producer I’m inspired by.

5. Are You Happy Now? - Jensen McRae

Discover Weekly really brought me to an artist here that has such a bright future in front of her. Comparable to Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Jensen McRae’s lyrics and indie folk music is soulful, introspective, and meaningful. “Wolves” is commentary on average predatory men and how they affect women’s lives. “Adam’s Rib” is a desperation we all feel from unrequited or decaying love that is out of our hands. “Dead Girl Walking” was my introduction and utilizes its infectious beat to display her insecurities and stress. Her ability to share her thoughts well, keep the lyrics intimate, and the music interesting are welcome in the realm in highly praised modern folk songwriters mentioned above. Her album really caught me off guard tho. On the surface, she’s an indie artist that has a good knack for interesting songs but nothing that really jumps out. The moment you realize what she’s doing and how she sings really changes that perspective and tells you how wrong you are. There’s a lot more depth and letting these songs sing to you is the key to listening.

4. HOLY FVCK - Demi Lovato

Even with all of the discover weekly finds this year, this is still the biggest left field album for me this year. I’ve never listened or been interested in her music. I heard her music was actually rock this time and I kind of assumed people who said this were stretching the truth and it would sound way more like pop than rock. (kinda like Avril’s release) But I gave it a chance so I could have my own opinion and I was so surprised with what I found. Actual rock music... like what I was told. There are definitely some songs that have a pop sound to them but she never leaves the realm of rock music. Two biggest complaints is that there isn’t a song that super stands out to me and the track listing is bloated. I enjoy the whole track listing so it’s a little difficult to eliminate songs but it does indeed drag. Anyways, I was really taken back with how hard these songs rock and how ambitious it is for a pop artist to commit to a sound that would seemingly alienate the target pop audience. This album could have flopped (for Demi standards) and I may have never heard it. But she nails each of these songs and doesn’t make any adjustments for her audience. On top of it all, these songs are super honest with the listeners. She doesn’t sugar coat her experience the past years and has so much self-awareness. It’s how we get songs like “29″ and “SKIN OF MY TEETH” on how she realizes what her choices, things that have happened to her, and everything in between has affected. It’s her art and she made sure it was her story. It’s an impressive album and is executed as so. (I do also apologize if excluding them/them pronouns is harmful. It is not my intention to inflict harm. I remembered their pronouns changed at the beginning of this year. I thought it was she/her but it was they/her. Since they do go by she/her pronouns currently, I’ll keep my wording the way it is but I did not want to exclude they/them without mentioning those pronouns in a disclaimer at least.)

3. Vaxis II: Window of the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria

This is one of the most consistent bands of modern day. I understand that they aren’t for everybody but I find their music has always been so carefully made. This time, they took a few notes from classic metal and made the bold decision of making the majority of their songs shorter. If you aren’t familiar with the band, they are a modern Prog Rock band. Prog is known for their story driven albums and longer songs (Rush and Pink Floyd are well known classic Prog bands). While Coheed has a story within their album, it doesn’t need to be known to like or even connect with their music. I do think it helps knowing that there is a story so if something feels a bit narrative, you’ll understand why. However, Coheed has always done a wonderful job of displaying the emotion of the narrative if there is a story element happening. This is all beautifully displayed on the title track, which really feels like a Magnus opus. All of their skills, learning, and creativity reaches its max with this song. While you can jump into it if you really need to, the payoff is way better when the whole album is listened to so the last song has the impact that it has. Your mind will subconsciously pick up on the journey of the album and the final song will conclude this story well. They also lead this album off right where the last album drops off (more listening if you end up liking the band) with the melody of “Unheavenly Creatures”, which is thematically satisfying. Then you have the electrifying “Comatose” and the anthemic “The Liar’s Club”. And if that’s not enough, the band really experimented and mixed their sound with a Eurovision sound in “A Disappearing Act”. It’s a solid release from a band that continues to display their growing talent and professionalism as musicians.

2. Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar

I’m unsure if this is a hot take or not. All I can say is that Kendrick did a daring move and instead of tackling racism again after the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, he took a step away to focus on his family trauma and his healing process through therapy. I feel like he even stepped away from flashy hooks in an attempt to make music that felt like less of a product and one that told his story. At first, I was thinking this project would land lower on my list, remembering that the songs felt like they missed the musical creativity that Kendrick offers more of and it sometimes felt like sitting in on his therapy sessions vs listening to a creative project. However, upon re-listening, I don’t feel that way anymore. These songs now feel like an old best friend that I’ve been needing to connect with again and I had put it off. These songs become personal in the same way that they are to him. They keep their impact, the theming becomes so much purposeful, and his execution of this album is precise. There’s so much depth and importance in what he’s saying: “Stop tiptoeing around the conversation”, “I’ve got daddy issues and that’s on me”, and “So I set myself free from all the guilt I thought I made.” There’s a deep sense of self healing and helping his loved ones with their healing. He’s tired of the damage that has been done and the passing of the damage with generation to generation. Hurt people hurt people. He decided that instead of continuing the conversation of racism he started, he wanted to start a new one on generational trauma. While I think a lot of us were doing healing ourselves at the same time during the pandemic, I don’t think there is a better example of this process than this album.

1. Expert in a Dying Field - The Beths

It’s a tough choice between this album and Kendrick’s. I went with this one because of how consistent it is in comparison. Kendrick’s album is a bit like a roller coaster of what works and what doesn’t. And sure, it does feel weird to have an album like this at my number 1 but it really has topped my list for best album. This album is full of amazing songwriting and consistently delivers throughout its runtime, plateauing at a high line. The Beths also take great notice to incorporate parts of different genres within their indie rock sound. Punk, 2000′s pop, and adult contemporary. And it sure sounds like a weird and maybe boring mix of genre’s but it never leaves the realm of indie rock. The catchy melodies with lyrics that paint a picture of different relationships and the aftermath of them are surrounded by carefully curated guitar tones. It’s an easy album to listen to but doesn’t sacrifice musicality, lyrics, or enjoyment. It’s a really solid album that keeps every song interesting and fun. Give this energetic album a chance and you’ll soon be singing along to the choruses of these songs. Maybe you too can be an expert in a dying field.

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