Once again thanks for the comments guys.
I am literally in LOVE with Kelis and anything she does musically. Her three previous albums still go hard and I was absolutely elated when "Jerk Ribs" was released last year - it charted top twenty in my last year's best of, I believe? When
Food was released in April this year, I was certainly not disappointed. The album bends genres perfectly - you hear elements of funk, some soul, some gospel, all backed by Sitek's amazing electronic sounds (his name is attached to other wonderful projects, like TVotR, Santigold, Foals, etc.) The food influences seen in the track's titles may seem corny or ridiculous at first, but the theme makes an interesting addition through some of the tracks, namely the sensual "Cobbler" (who would've thought?) and the wonderfully soulful "Biscuits n' Gravy". She wants you to taste the food through her music, and I'm enjoying a damn great meal. But if you can't get into this album, support Kelis' side job as a cooking show host on the Cooking Channel.
I'm extremely glad I got into Mac Demarco this year. Although his music certainly doesn't fall under the music I generally listen to, I have thoroughly enjoyed
2,
Rock and Roll Night Club, and especially this year's release,
Salad Days. It takes all but half a second for the album to begin and it starts off strong with the title track welcoming you to this psychedelic pop journey. It's very relaxing, Demarco does not seem to take himself too serious at any moment throughout the album, which really makes me enjoy his approach to music. It's not as quirky as his earlier releases, which I thought was endearing, but the fact that this music is a little more commercial or mainstream-friendly really opened me up to his music, so I can appreciate that. His songwriting is wonderful, and all his music is so uniquely his, I absolutely love his distinct persona that no one else can really challenge. Demarco made his mark on me this year and I'm excited for a follow up.
Totally here for this. Not familiar with much of his other work, but this was definitely something I came to enjoy and appreciate this year. The album is insane and I can't bare to listen to it unless I know I can listen to it in its entirety, in a state of peace, because it deserves that much. There's really no singling out certain tracks and whatnot because the structure of the album makes it so good as a single entity. It's wild, all-over-the-place but amazingly structured at the same time, and it embodies such a cool sound. The genres fly all over the place - at times, you escape in a jazzy trance, before it levels out to wonderful guitar riffs and a rock-influenced sound, and all of a sudden, there's sounds of Kendrick and Snoop. It's exciting and you hear something new nearly everytime, there's a lot going on and it's just a cool explosion of different sounds that simply work together. It's definitely worth a listen!
I didn't really have high expectations for this album and even after my first few listens, I didn't want to admit how great I thought it was, but
The Golden Echo has made a slow crawl to being one of my favorite albums of the year. The quirky, indie sound that Kimbra possesses in her music is really intriguing and really works for her. The songs are reasonable pop perfection, I really enjoy her sound and her lyrics, it's a surprise that she hasn't become a powerful force in the pop industry, considering the fact that "Somebody That I Used to Know" was huge. Her vocals took some time to get used to, and at first I was really turned off by them, but this album has unraveled the beautiful quirks and tones to Kimbra's voice. Her ability to jumble a bunch of different sounds into an album without being a complete mess impresses me heavily. And yeah, I've proven to be quite the singles-stan, but I can never get enough of lead single "90s Music", which possesses the sound I think Gwen Stefani SHOULD be trying to come back into the scene with. (/randomthought)
My first exposure to Tinashe was some random ass acne commercial, so the release of "2 On" and eventually
Aquarius was surprising because she has IT. Tinashe has proven to be a strong contender as a new it girl, she can sing, she can dance, and has amazing music. The elements of PBR&B, which I've mentioned loving earlier, are peeking out in a lot of these tracks, so I was bound to love her, but I really came to appreciate her artistry. Her lyrics have more substance than what "2 On" will make you believe, but even when she's providing music just for the bops - "All Hands on Deck", "How Many Times" - it still completely works. She does ballads extremely well, although her vocals aren't technically strong, they are extremely effective and she controls it wonderfully to evoke the emotion of each line she sings. This album suggests a certain force from Tinashe, it's a strong showcase for a debut album and a great first chapter for more things to come in Tinashe's career. Watch your faves, because Tinashe can easily come and snatch them.
Also, she went to my high school.