10 best
so, uh, shut the **** up sometimes and listen to me
not tryna be rude but having an attitude
is counterproductive to being blissful
make me not miss you
i'm dodging bullets yet i'm sending back these missiles
10. Big Grams - Big Grams
Big Boi's collaboration with Phantogram definitely isn't the maximization of his potential but it still ended up a mostly fun listen that came together to make more sense sonically than it had a right to, where any weaker moments are 100% redeemed by that RTJ collab. I mean I'm still holding out for The Son of the Son of Chico Dusty, but 21 years removed from Southernplayalistic I'll take what I can get.
That girl like doesn't really need to be rapping though.
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dance
dance
boy your bones are lazy
9. Annie - Endless Vacation
Quarter of an hour of blippy Eurotrash that I'm guessing did nooot cost a lot of money to produce, but hay, in this economy! I love a lot of Annie's previous stuff but think she's sometimes been held back by lyrics that don't translate 100% into like the English pop structure, so it was nice to hear in this case how everything fits together very directly like it knows exactly what it wants to be. I made the cover art bigger so all could grab a proper look at it because like, just take it in. That's ****ing amazing.
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nobody move, there's blood on the floor
and i can't find my heart
8. Thundercat - The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam
So think Flying Lotus except with less room for all the stuff going on to move around in your head because of the guy singing alongside it (same guy who sings on some songs off like all the Flying Lotus albums). Instrumental jazz is something I'm still working my brain around but this was a prime combination of a lot of cool complex **** grounded/made all the more jammable by a more traditional (...relative) element hanging around on top.
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hey, tell me all about your mistakes
tell me bout the love and the pain
i know somebody hurt you some way
hey, it's okay!
7. Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique - Love Is Free
Love is free + EPs are cheaper than albums! This was a lot more content to take itself less seriously than Robyn's EP from last year and I'm not sure whether or not that resulted in stronger songs, but as a well-structured lil jolt of energy there wasn't much else like it this year.
Robyn is just really important