I’m going to write here at the end of the month to talk about music! I’ll probably follow a similar structure each time, giving my opinions on the bigger releases and pointing out some smaller releases that I think deserve a listen. I’ll highlight some stuff from other years that I listened to for the first time that I enjoyed and some stuff I’m looking forward to next month. I’m also going to include a playlist of some of my favorite songs from the month. Alright, here we go. Oh! I’m also going to put the genre next to the album title so you’ll have a better idea if the album is something you’ll enjoy. If you don’t know what the genre means, give the album a listen and learn what the sound is!
The Big Releases
DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS - Bad Bunny (Latin Pop, Reggaetron) After rocketing to the top and recognizing that his last album sounded too complacent and uninspired, Bad Bunny returned to his Puerto Rican roots. This album is so emotional and pulls from so many personal places for Mr. Bunny. Definitely worth a listen, even if you have to read a translation to understand the words. EUSEXUA - FKA twigs (EDM, Art Pop) Just like Bad Bunny, twigs writes a love letter with this album. She expresses love for shitty relationships, strangers, the night, and most importantly dance. Stylistically this one is all over the place but twigs stays consistent vocally throughout the whole thing. I think twigs’s last album, CAPRISONGS, does what this album was trying to do a little better, but Eusexua is still very good. WHAM - Lil Baby (Trap) This guy still makes music? Can we just stop with this garbage already? Modern musicians have a few big songs and then they can just hang around for years. Throw a couple big features on the album to get clicks and push out another low-effort piece of crap that hopefully has a sticky chorus so everyone will listen to the next one. Perverts - Ethel Cain (Drone) This was a heck of a 180. Off the back of Preacher’s Daughter, a successful indie pop album that told a pretty compelling story, Ethel went drone. I’m sure someone finds this album crushing and emotional, but the hour and a half mostly filled by pained instrumentals just doesn’t make me feel anything. This album has a clear message, but to me it’s wayyyy too blurred and underdeveloped by the emphasis being placed on droney background music over lyrics. Balloonerism - Mac Miller (Jazz Rap, Neo-Soul) Whenever you listen to Mac's music, it's impossible to ignore just how much he talks about death. He was obviously fully aware that living fast was going to catch up with him at some point. It makes it uncanny to listen to his music that is being released now. He prophesied a lot of the end of his life. All of the talk about death somehow does not take away from the fun moments of the album. Mac is one of few artists that has music that is his and his alone. He has his own style that he really never wavers from. Unapologetically the most dope. Hurry Up Tomorrow - The Weeknd (Alternative R&B, Synthpop) The Weekend has really just decided that he’s going to stick with this 80s inspired sound, huh? I’m perfectly fine with that because he sounds great in this lane. The hour and a half runtime and 22 tracks also makes it drag a little bit. There are also two very distinct styles of music on this album. It almost feels like this is just two albums weaved together. One other knock I have is that After Hours and Dawn FM did a great job at being over-the-top melodramatic. This album sits in whiny melodramatic territory. Despite those issues, this album definitely has some tracks I’ll come back to.Worth Your Time
Bugs Forever - Gumshoes (Chamber Pop) Who gives a shit that this album sounds like stuff you’ve heard before. It’s fun. That’s good enough for me. The two biggest compliments I can give this one is that the people who made it obviously care very much about the music they make and that all of the songs justify their runtime. 11100011 - Asian Glow (Shoegaze, Noise Pop) This is another album that is not in English. But it’s shoegaze anyways so the words aren’t too important. Listen to this one for the vibes. This may be unlike most stuff you’ve ever heard, but if you like it there’s a whole world of new stuff you’ll love. My Way - Yola (Synthpop, Dance Pop) The energy that Yola brings to her music is unmatched. If these five songs leave you wanting more, do yourself a favor and listen to her 2021 album, Stand For Myself. One off-topic thing I want to point out is that some of the vocal runs on My Way sound similar to a vocal run Jazmine Sullivan does in Pick Up Your Feelings. Any chance I can find to mention Heaux Tales by Ms. Sullivan, I will. Please listen to Heaux Tales if you have not.Why Didn’t I Listen Sooner
Juno - Remi Wolf (Contemporary R&B, Synth Funk) It’s between Remi’s Big Ideas and Porter Robinson’s SMILE! XD for my album of the year in 2024 which is why I can’t believe I didn’t go and listen to Remi’s earlier stuff sooner. While Big Ideas tries a loooot of different stuff, Juno says in a funky, bedroom pop lane that suits Remi’s voice and vibe pretty well. It does start to drag for me towards the end, but it’s just too fun to not love. Minecraft: Volume Alpha - C418 (Video Game Music) You know, I've wanted this one on vinyl for a long time but I had a realization that I've never listened to the album front to back. Boy was it everything that I wanted. This album is fantastic in a way that only a few albums are fantastic for me. Like Phoebe Bridgers’s Punisher and Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, I have experiences that are directly tied to the music. The important way in which this album distinguishes itself from those other ones is that soooooo many people have the same experience with this album. This is the soundtrack of creativity, friendship, trial, triumph, and every other emotion that the shared experience of Minecraft can generate. It may sound silly, but think about it. Minecraft is massively popular in a way that very few things are. The fact that so many people feel the same rush of nostalgia hearing Wet Hands is amazing. It is something that is impossible to separate from the music itself. That shared experience is what makes this album what it is. Tidal Memory Exo - Iglooghost (Deconstructed Club) This one got a loooot of love last year and I just never listened to it. Shame on me. There's way too much electronic music that just sounds like everything else because it's just not that hard to do. The glitchy sound is getting old mostly because everyone is just doing the same thing. Not Iglooghost. This one brought a ton of unique sounds to the table. I'm a sucker for when songs transition into one another, especially on an electronic album where the transition makes it feel like a DJ set. And I’m a sucker for the same instrumental section weaving its way seamlessly into a bunch of songs across an album. The album cover also goes so hard. Capacity - Big Thief (Indie Folk) If I keep saying "I can't believe I didn't listen to this sooner," I'm gonna say that for every album in this category for the rest of the year, so I'm gonna stop saying it. This album is definitely Big Thief. Adrianne's vocals are as intimate as ever which complements the intimate subject matter of the album. Her voice may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely worth giving a shot.What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month
Choke Enough - Oklou (Art Pop) I’ve loved almost everything Oklou has put out, including the teasers for this album. Cowards - Squid (It’s probably gonna be post-punk) Squid made me enjoy post-punk, which I hadn’t really enjoyed before. I’ve since enjoyed a lot of the alt-punk revival stuff that’s flooded in from Europe over the past few years. Automatic - The Lumineers (It’s probably gonna be pop folk) I like basic bitch folk music. Sue me.My January Favorites
Apple Music -> https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/january-2025/pl.u-6mo4aWLiB6rWYvESpotify -> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5RbRc3PHScEP0Smb6LyHvA?si=UNAjtPXeS1agoEF3YbItSA
That’s all I’ve got for this month. See you in a little bit for a baseball take, or a project portfolio, or next month for another one of these.
Bad Bunny surprised me. I've never given him a full listen, assuming that it wouldn't be for me. Not only is the music catchy and fun, but he also has a really good voice that isn't just suited for rap. My favorite off the album is turista.
ReplyDeleteFKA twigs is an artist I knew of but never listened to, maybe a song here or there as a part of a shuffle. I really enjoyed the album. it has a very heavy "pop" feel. Not the genre but in the sound. A lot of the instruments and even her voice sound similar to drums or "beat". My favorite is perfect stranger.
Actually, almost fell asleep at work listening to the lil baby album. first few songs were okay, a nice underwhelming feature from glo. Rap/Trap has never been my favorite; this did not change that.
My criticism of "Perverts" is that I think I could make this album too. However, I don't think I hated it as much as the author of this article. It kind of gives a corecore vibe and sometimes I'm into that. In addition, some of the shorter tracks with vocals were enjoyable. My favorite was amber waves.
I love mac's music although it is a bit uncanny listening to this album postmortem. Like the author stated, mac was highly aware of the end of his days. Whether he knew or how was just an avid ponderer, we won't know. The music itself is great as always, but it has a more somber feel than the previous music of his I've listened to. I agree with the sentiment that Mr. Miller has his own style. If you were to listen to just the instruments, I think it would be obvious that he is the composer of these songs.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is a nice album. I feel like it's the weeknd's bread and butter at this point. This is the type of music that is expected from him. I really enjoyed it the first run through and even more the second.