A certain recent release (as in... today) has inspired me to compile a list of the worst releases this year. This includes singles/albums/anything. Hehehahaho. I'll do it after my top albums.
Dance music with interesting lyrical content! I absolutely love Katy B, and have been dying for new music from here ever since the
On a Mission era ended. By the end of 2013, "5AM" had been an extremely underwhelming lead single to me and my excitement for the album disappeared, but the release of "Crying For No Reason", one of the album's obvious highlights, got me right back on board. The album in full was an extreme bop and I can't get enough of it! I love the eclectic mix of Katy's very focused, emotive lyrics that are harmoniously backed by interesting and varying electronic beats. Nothing feels too same-y here, which is something I tend to have against electronic albums, and every track feels fresh and unique. It runs on incredibly long, something I fault it for, but the standout tracks make it worth it. Tracks three-to-five are an incredible run, leading with Jessie Ware-featured "Aaliyah", onto electro-ballad "Crying For No Reason", to the absolute bop that is "I Like You".
I feel bad for rewarding the man who cheated on my girl Ciara, after I cheated her on my Best Of last year (I bop to
Ciara daily to compensate), but I can't deny how much I love
Honest. Future being attached to two of my favorite tracks this year, leading with the infectiously catchy "Move That Dope" earlier this year and then the my-fave-Kanye-featured "I Won" made it difficult to stay away from the album, which I immediately fell in love with. The album doesn't try to be anything it isn't, it's simply a string of different hard-hitting bangers. Add in a repertoire of acclaimed rappers - Drake, André 3000 (who are attached to the two best tracks, naturally!), Pusha T, and even Lil Wayne his "Karate Chop" remix verse, and
Honest is an enjoyable listen throughout. Both Mike Will Made It tracks are some standouts, but the album's penultimate track, "Benz Frienz" is one of, if not the best album track of the year!
Atlas is a stark contrast from the two albums directly blow it, as it's much more soothing and calming than Katy's chilling beats and Future's bangers. Real Estate's third release isn't too far off from the sounds of their earlier releases, which I'm a big fan of, as well. Their peaceful guitar melodies backing the lead's wonderful vocals is the common structure for these songs, but the songs become much more complex when you uncover the amazing songwriting of
Atlas. Some of the bits that I enjoyed in particular come from my personal favorite "Navigator", a three-and-a-half minute that gets through a total of sixteen lines detailing the whims and woes of time passing by. The opening verse, "we stare at the shadows on the sidewalk, they're moving on flowers rendered in chalk, the day is young but I'm already spent, I have no idea where that time went" is just one of the many lyrics on
Atlas that I have treasured as the best of this year.