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36. Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
| Let's just continue the strange head on album cover theme from the last album update for one more album...
One of my greatest regrets of the last year was not getting into Protomartyr's Under Cover Of Official Right in enough time to include them into my best of. It was a great post-punk album that just sounded cool. The Agent Intellect doesn't quite reach the same heights as their 2014 album, but it's still a great album in its own right. The Agent Intellect is a sleek album with plenty going on musically to keep you interested, but it's not the type of album that's immediately going to jump out and grab you with sugary hooks. The music can be catchy at times, but it's the type of album that requires some investment to get into. Just reading through the lyrics on Genuis will reveal the band has kind of a silly sense of humor, but also plenty of social commentary and they cover everything from electronic demons to Alzheimer's. The album's worth a listen, anybody that liked The Walkmen, The Weekend, or Viet Cong might like this album.
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32. Locrian - Infinite Dissolution
| I discovered this band earlier in the year. It was summer, there really wasn't anything too interesting to listen to, so I started skimming through new releases, liked the cover and downloaded this album. Glad I gave these guys a try. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I would classify the album. I'm pretty bad at genres. I guess it might be metal(ish?), or at least mechanical. The album definitely has a metallic element to it; Locrian are no Metallica or Slayer that's for sure. Infinite Dissolution really isn't overbearing or confrontational like some metal can be, this album is actually really effective mood music that is more concerned with telling a story. Synths are often used throughout this one for atmosphere, to build a mood, and the music just seems to open up around you as you listen, building an empty and cold world with each note. At it's core, the album is a really lonely and sullen listen, almost feeling cold and empty, like a planet that has long been abandoned by people. Despite being an instrumental album, expcept for the rare echoes background vocals, it was probably the most compelling and engaging listens of the year, always whipping by, and occasionally becoming downright epic.
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34. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Cullah
| I went to play this album for the first time and was instantly shocked at their change in sound. I was a huge fan of Boys & Girls and that album's loose southern garage band sound (Heavy Chevy remains my favorite song by them). Where Boys & Girls seemed to want to immediately grab you and hold on to you, the new album felt a lot more indie? oriented and to be ok with taking its time to unfold. The album is definitely a much more relaxed Shakes, and the sound worked for them. The restraint they showed on the album helped the songs sink in. Although they did largely abandon their southern sound like a Taylor Swift accent, but they kept their spunk which helped the album succeed, mostly thanks to frontwoman Brittany Howard (D-D-Don't Wanna Fight No MoaRRRR). The album ended up being a very good, polished indie sounding album, kind of reminding me of Arctic Monkey's stylish AM, but at times, Sound & Colour feels just a little too much like these guys were playing dress up in a different genre when they just wanted to rock out.
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33. Ricky Martin - A Quien Quiera Escuchar
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I'm kind of a Ricky Martin stan. The guy did record song of the best songs of all time (Living La Vida Loca, The Cup Of Life, She Bangs) and I will almost always check for him because of those. So, I was pretty hyped when I saw he dropped a new album earlier this year, when I was looking for new Spanish music to help me correct with my roots, after staying quiet for 4 years. I don't know why music by Latin artists always gets written off and ignored, there have been some excellent Spanish language albums these past couple years and this is one ranks right up there. A Quien Quiera Escuchar is the type of pop album that English artists should be making, it's entertaining and fun but feels mature and is sonically interesting. The ballads soar and don't take up too much time on the album: Perdoname especially is epic, the title track is sweet, accompanied by a warm acoustic guitar and light piano. Most importantly, the uptempos are all pretty excellent, either being latin influenced (Cuanto Me Acuerdo de Ti, is a slinky danceable number that's sexy sounding af with a great piano and accordion break-down), La Mordidita is a cousin to Shakira's electro-banger Loca and Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty, and Isla Bella is an epic party. |
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32. Tame Impala - Currents
| This was the year I stopped hating on Tame Impala. I had always taken the stance of "they sound so much like the Beatles, why not just listen to the Beatles instead?" They kind of switched up their sound with the move to a major label. Interscope proved to be a good fit for them. I liked this album because they seemed to adopt a poppy sheen that really seemed to make their album more unique. I liked all the synth work they did here as it really seemed to allow them to try out new sounds and push into different territory. Let It Happen is an epic, constantly changing, glitching (or was that just my copy of the album?) and moving forward with a certain sense of playfulness and most of the album follows suit. They nailed the pop elements in this album and I'm kind of hoping now they explore that sound further with the next one. |
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so glad that king is here 
...adios 
Rihplies
definitely in my top three for art angels. soooooo g00d 
. Thought Yeezy was going to have another 808s, but due to delays & change of sound, I'm not sure it's going to make it anymore. The ANTi of rap. 
He should have just Yeezus'd this whole project and dropped it all at once without any notice. Now, we have no album 
But I like a lot of songs tho 
or The raptors I guess. 
The Beatles sound that psychedelic? 
But I totes agree on the pop thing!