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 | Album: 1 of 75 Artist: LCD Soundsystem Title: American Dream Released: 2017-09-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:08:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Oh Baby (05:49) 2 Other Voices (06:43) 3 I Used To (05:32) 4 Change Yr Mind (04:57) 5 How Do You Sleep? (09:12) 6 Tonite (05:47) 7 Call the Police (06:58) 8 American Dream (06:06) 9 Emotional Haircut (05:29) 10 Black Screen (12:05) |
| American Dream : Allmusic album Review : Even though James Murphy shuttered LCD Soundsystem in grand fashion with a sold-out Madison Square Garden show in 2011, it felt unlikely that the band was truly done. Certainly the individual members stayed busy making music, and in Murphys case DJing and producing. It seemed like a natural step to get back together and make music again, despite any possible embarrassment that may arise from having bowed out so grandly. American Dream is an emotionally charged and tightly wound return, balancing bursts of dance-punk energy with post-punk moodiness and synth pop abstraction, powered by insistent beats and Murphys distinctive vocals. Its an album made equally for the feet, the brain, and the heart, with moments of melancholy and release, sadness and joy, all delivered with an unsentimental, unpretentious eye and ear. As on past recordings, Murphy handles the bulk of the instruments himself, though Al Doyle is on hand to provide guitars and keys on many songs and everyone else has some input along the way. There is more focus on the less raucous dancefloor fillers this time out, though there are still plenty of wall-rattling tracks that sound like they are made out of sweat and smoke, namely the bubbling Talking Heads-inspired "other voices" and the hooky, immediate "tonite." The balance is tipped a little in favor of songs that show restraint and graceful sadness. Album opener "oh baby" sets the tone somewhere close to despair with its funereal tempo, thick slabs of synth bass, and glimmering melody. Other examples of the bands darker side are the moody synth goth ballad "i used to," the darkly insistent "how do you sleep?" (which features almost full band participation), and "black screen," Murphys heartbreaking tribute to David Bowie thats also an indictment of his own failure to connect. (Theres also a sweet tribute to another fallen hero, Alan Vega, on the title track, an appropriately doo wop-inspired rocker.) Theres also more 80s post-punk in the mix this time, as "call the police" sounds like a violent Psychedelic Furs and "emotional haircut" aims for the jugular and hits it dead-on. Its a thrilling, rampaging rocker with fiery guitars, furious drumming, and a sound that leaps out of the speakers like an angry version of "Drunk Girls." No matter the style or mood of the songs, Murphys vocals are the main attraction, delivering snaky asides, heartfelt emotion, and insistent chatter in his trademark fashion. The years off havent quite mellowed him or made him a crooner; he still mixes the tart with the bittersweet like a master chef. The years havent made LCD Soundsystem any less relevant or important, either. The times still require a great rock band (with synths) that can tap into the anxieties of modern life while also dancing the night away. American Dream isnt just a triumphant comeback, its another great album by a great band. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 75 Artist: The War on Drugs Title: A Deeper Understanding Released: 2017-08-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:06:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Up All Night (06:23) 2 Pain (05:30) 3 Holding On (05:50) 4 Strangest Thing (06:41) 5 Knocked Down (03:59) 6 Nothing to Find (06:10) 1 Thinking of a Place (11:10) 2 In Chains (07:20) 3 Clean Living (06:28) 4 You Don’t Have to Go (06:42) |
| A Deeper Understanding : Allmusic album Review : The War on Drugs debut for Atlantic Records, A Deeper Understanding, is very much a follow-up to the groups critically acclaimed Top 30 breakthrough Lost in the Dream from three years prior. That albums notoriously meticulous blend of heartland rock influences, Bob Dylan, and a swirling dream rock constructed of Wurlitzers, tape effects, analog synths, and 12-string guitar, just to name a few components, is, if anything, even more expansive here. The Drugs recorded it as a six-piece with frontman/songwriter Adam Granduciel, bassist Dave Hartley, whos been in the picture since the band’s debut, keyboardist Robbie Bennett, drummer Charlie Hall, and multi-instrumentalists Jon Natchez and Anthony LaMarca, all but the latter of whom contributed to Lost in the Dream. Theres no compromising to be found on their major-label debut, the first of a two-record deal that promises complete creative control to Granduciel. (To underscore that point, the first track released from A Deeper Understanding was the over-11-minute "Thinking of a Place.") The sets ten tracks drift unhurriedly over a course of more than an hour. Included along the way are a few additional timbres, such as the skittering electronic effects and stucco guitar textures of opener "Up All Night," the unexpected glint of glockenspiel on the bass-propelled tune "Holding On," and the saxophone on "Clean Living" with its sound distorted like a reflection. At first, these details hint at a possible redesign -- then just as quickly they don’t, as ears adjust to the broader palette. They weave their way into the hazy reverb, restrained pitch range, and shimmering, engulfing atmosphere that manages to never overpower Granduciels gentle ruminations on relationships, overcoming, and just coping. Though theres nothing here to grab headlines, A Deeper Understanding reclaims and explores the distinctive soundscapes, vastness, and haunted psyche of Lost in the Dream, and that in itself is significant. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 75 Artist: Kendrick Lamar Title: DAMN. Released: 2017-04-14 Tracks: 14 Duration: 55:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 BLOOD. (01:58) 2 DNA. (03:05) 3 YAH. (02:40) 4 ELEMENT. (03:28) 5 FEEL. (03:34) 6 Loyalty (03:47) 7 PRIDE. (04:35) 8 HUMBLE. (02:57) 9 LUST. (05:07) 10 LOVE. (03:33) 11 XXX. (04:14) 12 FEAR. (07:40) 13 GOD. (04:08) 14 DUCKWORTH. (04:08) |
| DAMN. : Allmusic album Review : To Pimp a Butterflys proper and oft-biblical follow-up arrived on Good Friday, 13 months after untitled unmastered., an intermediary release that eclipsed the best work of most contemporary artists. If Kendrick Lamar felt pressure to continue living up to his previous output, theres no evidence on DAMN. Hes too occupied tracing the spectrum of his mental states, from "boxin demons" to "flex on swole," questioning and reveling in his affluence, castigating and celebrating his bloodline, humble enough to relate his vulnerabilities, assured enough to proclaim "Aint none of yall fuckin with the flow." Throughout, he intensely examines most of the seven deadly sins, aware all along that his existence is threatened by anyone who objects to the color of his skin or clothes -- or, in the case of the blind stranger who shoots him during the albums opener, nothing that is apparent. Compared to the maximum-capacity, genre-twisting vastness and winding narratives of Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN. on the surface seems like a comparatively simple rap album that demands less from the listener. Theres relative concision in the track titles and material, and a greater emphasis on commercial sounds -- such as Mike WiLLs lean and piano-laced trap beat for the strong-arming "HUMBLE.," Lamars first Top Ten pop hit, and a couple productions that are merely functional backdrops lacking distinction. In a way, however, DAMN. is just as lavish and singular as the preceding albums, its quantity and weight of thoughts and connected concepts condensed into a considerably tighter space. It contains some of Lamars best writing and performances, revealing his evolving complexity and versatility as a soul-baring lyricist and dynamic rapper. Although its occasionally distorted, stretched, smeared, and reversed to compelling and imagination-fueling effect, his voice is at its most affecting in its many untreated forms. Take "FEAR.," in which he switches between echoing hot-blooded parental threats to enumerating, with a 40-acre stare, various death scenarios. His storytelling hits an astonishing new high on "Duckworth," the albums finale. Over ethereal funk sewn by 9th Wonder, Lamar details a potentially tragic encounter between his father and future Top Dawg CEO Anthony Tiffith -- and the conditions leading to it -- that occurred long before Kung Fu Kenny was known as K. Dot. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 75 Artist: The Weather Station Title: The Weather Station Released: 2017-10-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Free (03:07) 2 Thirty (03:40) 3 You and I (on the Other Side of the World) (04:40) 4 Kept It All to Myself (03:09) 5 Impossible (03:23) 6 Power (04:35) 7 Complicit (03:33) 8 Black Flies (02:09) 9 I Don’t Know What to Say (02:49) 10 In an Hour (02:53) 11 The Most Dangerous Thing About You (03:32) |
 | Album: 5 of 75 Artist: Joan Shelley Title: Joan Shelley Released: 2017-05-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 34:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 We’d Be Home (03:06) 2 If the Storms Never Came (02:58) 3 Where I’ll Find You (03:14) 4 I Got What I Wanted (03:06) 5 Even Though (03:20) 6 I Didn’t Know (02:16) 7 Go Wild (03:11) 8 The Push and Pull (02:33) 9 Pull Me Up One More Time (03:26) 10 Wild Indifference (03:02) 11 Isn’t That Enough (03:46) |
 | Album: 6 of 75 Artist: Richard Dawson Title: Peasant Released: 2017-06-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 58:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Herald (02:17) 2 Ogre (06:56) 3 Soldier (04:51) 4 Weaver (05:57) 5 Prostitute (03:59) 6 Shapeshifter (04:30) 7 Scientist (04:48) 8 Hob (05:57) 9 Beggar (07:23) 10 No‐one (01:19) 11 Masseuse (10:49) |
 | Album: 7 of 75 Artist: The National Title: Sleep Well Beast Released: 2017-09-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 57:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nobody Else Will Be There (04:39) 2 Day I Die (04:31) 3 Walk It Back (05:59) 4 The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness (03:56) 5 Born to Beg (04:22) 6 Turtleneck (03:00) 7 Empire Line (05:23) 8 Ill Still Destroy You (05:15) 9 Guilty Party (05:38) 10 Carin at the Liquor Store (03:33) 11 Dark Side of the Gym (04:50) 12 Sleep Well Beast (06:31) |
| Sleep Well Beast : Allmusic album Review : The National never seem in a hurry to reach their destination, but theres a sense of quiet urgency on Sleep Well Beast, their seventh album. Much of that momentum arrives in arrangements that generally tend to eschew the grayscale of its 2013 predecessor, Trouble Will Find Me, a record that felt sculpted so that each element was elegantly interlocked. Comparatively, Sleep Well Beast draws attention to itself through the occasional squall of noise ("The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness") and rushed tempo ("Turtleneck"), but also through an expanded sonic palette. Electronics are used for texture and shade, vocal harmonies glide through the mix, pianos anchor a couple of tunes -- all subtle gradients within the Nationals recognizable formula, but theyre enough to give Sleep Well Beast a distinct character. Such a shift may not be startling, particularly since it takes a while for album opener "Nobody Else Will Be There" to fade into view, but by the time the murmuring title track evaporates, its evident that Sleep Well Beast offers a journey with satisfying detours. This is a welcome departure (and perhaps necessary complement) to Trouble Will Find Me, which celebrated its finely manicured stillness. While Sleep Well Beast offers more than its fair share of hushed moments -- the National design their music to be lean-in listening, requiring an investment from their audience not only so that the lyrics can be deciphered, but so the subdued shifts in emphasis seem dynamic -- this familiar signature seems enhanced by the fact that these soft, slow songs are surrounded by cuts where the darkness opens up slightly but significantly. Its enough to make Sleep Well Beast feel like a dramatic departure in the close quarters of the Nationals discography. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 75 Artist: Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile Title: Lotta Sea Lice Released: 2017-10-13 Tracks: 9 Duration: 44:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Over Everything (06:19) 2 Let It Go (04:33) 3 Fear Is Like a Forest (04:47) 4 Outta the Woodwork (06:21) 5 Continental Breakfast (04:53) 6 On Script (03:59) 7 Blue Cheese (04:37) 8 Peepin’ Tom (04:14) 9 Untogether (04:50) |
| Lotta Sea Lice : Allmusic album Review : As heirs apparent to the throne of 90s alt-rock, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett appear to be an ideal match -- comrades in slacktivism united by a shrug and a smirk. If neither singer/songwriter sounds precisely like the other, theyre good complements, both cherishing laconic melodies, loping rhythms, and a loads of guitar. All of these elements are in play on Lotta Sea Lice, a rambling nine-song affair that finds the duo singing each others songs, playing tunes penned by friends, and covering Bellys "Untogether," an underappreciated 90s cult classic that the band once played as a duet with Radioheads Thom Yorke. Barnett and Vile do not bring to mind Yorke and Tanya Donelly, nor do they sound a thing like the original Kurt and Courtney of Nirvana and Hole fame. Singing together, Vile and Barnett evoke J Mascis and Liz Phair, comparisons that have been leveled against the individual rockers before, but on this lazy stroll of an LP, it appears the pair are indulging in alt-rock cosplay. It doesnt help matters that when they indulge in an explicit duet, they often veer toward the cutesy, as on "Continental Breakfast," where they puff up their international friendship over the titular meal. Food is a problem with Barnett and Vile: "Blue Cheese," one of the sprightlier numbers here, is undercut by a performance that suggests the pair know precisely that its hookier than the rest of the proceedings, as they lean into a "nanny nanny foo foo" lyric just a tad too hard. Usually, though, Lotta Sea Lice just settles into a cozy rustic groove that dispenses with any of the coiled energy of Barnetts Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. and opts for Viles cheery stoner strumming. As theyre both charismatic singers with a way with an elliptical melody, its pleasant enough, but by the time its 45 minutes wrap up, Lotta Sea Lice feels like a party where the hosts are having a much better time than their guests. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 75 Artist: St. Vincent Title: MASSEDUCTION Released: 2017-10-13 Tracks: 14 Duration: 44:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Hang on Me (02:48) 2 Pills (04:40) 3 Masseduction (03:17) 4 Sugarboy (04:01) 5 Los Ageless (04:41) 6 Happy Birthday, Johnny (02:58) 7 Savior (03:26) 8 New York (02:34) 9 Fear the Future (02:31) 10 Young Lover (03:33) 11 Dancing With a Ghost (00:46) 12 Slow Disco (02:44) 13 Smoking Section (03:37) 14 政権腐敗 (Power Corrupts) (03:11) |
 | Album: 10 of 75 Artist: Hurray for the Riff Raff Title: The Navigator Released: 2017-03-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 40:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Entrance (01:43) 2 Living in the City (03:16) 3 Hungry Ghost (03:25) 4 Life to Save (02:56) 5 Nothing’s Gonna Change That Girl (04:00) 6 The Navigator (03:07) 7 Halfway There (02:11) 8 Rican Beach (03:32) 9 Fourteen Floors (04:13) 10 Settle (02:57) 11 Pa’lante (05:53) 12 Finale (03:21) |
 | Album: 11 of 75 Artist: Slowdive Title: Slowdive Released: 2017-05-05 Tracks: 8 Duration: 45:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Slomo (06:53) 2 Star Roving (05:38) 3 Don’t Know Why (04:36) 4 Sugar for the Pill (04:30) 5 Everyone Knows (04:22) 6 No Longer Making Time (05:48) 7 Go Get It (06:09) 8 Falling Ashes (08:00) |
| Slowdive : Allmusic album Review : When they returned to the stage after two decades, the members of Slowdive had no intention of being a mere shoegaze nostalgia act, playing the old songs to death until there was nobody left save for the custodial crew. They almost instantly made plans to record new music, and after a few years of writing and recording, the 2017 album Slowdive is the result. Taking elements from the music each member has made in the time since the bands demise and wrapping them in modern production techniques while still coating everything in a familiar velvety haze, the album is a worthy addition to their catalog. Slowdive may play it a bit conservative at times, sounding more like a follow-up to the poppy Souvlaki than the experimental Pygmalion, but the bandmembers dont merely rest on their shoegaze bona fides. While the guitars are suitably drowned in FX and let loose to billow like clouds, there are looped samples running through the mix, some of the folky melodies Neil Halstead has been playing on his own come through, Rachel Goswells vocals show much more power (there are a couple times she really belts it out), and there is the occasional bit of mixing trickery courtesy of the records mix engineer Chris Coady. It all comes together very well, thanks to both the subtle hooks of the songwriting and the commitment shown by everyone to not just make an album of retreads. There is the occasional moment when the mix seems a little off, most notably on "No Longer Making Time," which sounds like its using stock GarageBand drum sounds, but mostly the album delivers exactly what a Slowdive fan would want. Lots of songs to dream to (the ethereal, Cocteau Twins-sounding "Dont Know Why," the calming "Sugar for the Pill"), get lost in (the noisy "Go Get It"), and swoon along with (the positively dreamy pop song "Everyone Knows"). The group tosses in some surprises, too, with a couple songs having a bit more energy than vintage Slowdive may have felt comfortable displaying. "Star Roving" sounds like a Ride song dipped in honey; the closing "Falling Ashes" is a piano-led ballad that lasts a long time but never gets boring, feeling like the albums one nod to the sparser, less guitar-driven direction they were heading in when they broke up after Pygmalion. Slowdive may not be a dramatic return that will blow people away; its far too peaceful and calm for that. It will comfort fans of the band, both those who loved them at the time and those who have discovered them in the intervening years, by being very much a Slowdive album. One that feels modern enough, but also very classic at the same time. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 75 Artist: Peter Perrett Title: How the West Was Won Released: 2017-06-30 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 How the West Was Won (04:33) 2 An Epic Story (03:20) 3 Hard to Say No (03:28) 4 Troika (03:44) 5 Living in My Head (06:31) 6 Man of Extremes (02:42) 7 Sweet Endeavour (03:25) 8 C Voyeurger (05:47) 9 Something in My Brain (04:53) 10 Take Me Home (04:21) |
 | Album: 13 of 75 Artist: Father John Misty Title: Pure Comedy Released: 2017-04-07 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:14:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pure Comedy (06:24) 2 Total Entertainment Forever (02:53) 3 Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution (04:18) 4 Ballad of the Dying Man (04:50) 5 Birdie (05:19) 6 Leaving LA (13:11) 7 A Bigger Paper Bag (04:41) 8 When the God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay (04:04) 9 Smoochie (03:45) 10 Two Wildly Different Perspectives (03:12) 11 The Memo (05:16) 12 So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain (09:58) 13 In Twenty Years or So (06:27) |
| Pure Comedy : Allmusic album Review : Like anything that comes out of the mouth of Father John Misty -- the hipster gadfly persona Josh Tillman adopted after leaving the Fleet Foxes in 2012 -- it can be difficult to discern whether the title of Pure Comedy is intended sincerely. Father John Misty cherishes his public role as a prankster, a stance that can sometimes seem at odds with his grand artistic ambitions. And, make no mistake about it, Pure Comedy is indeed a very grand record, an old-fashioned major statement designed to evoke memories of classic long-players from the 70s. Often, its stately march and decorated pianos call to mind early Elton John, suggesting the hazy vistas of Madman Across the Water. This shift toward progressive pop underscores how Father John Misty has streamlined his music since I Love You, Honeybear, whittling away the minor feints toward modern music and stripping away lingering rustic folk influences. Hes now a postmodern troubadour, halfway between a song poet and a baroque craftsman. Where his antecedents (and clear influences) Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman sculpted their music and words, Tillman isnt quite so restrained. Hes a maximalist, overstuffing his lyrics with florid imagery and letting his songs spill out at lengths up to 13 minutes. From a certain angle, all this can play like an elaborate stunt -- particularly when he baits the listener with lines about "bedding Taylor Swift" -- but theres a strong melancholy undercurrent to Pure Comedy that suggests Father John Misty is something more than a jester. All of this can be felt through the music itself -- through the melodies and movement, through the arrangement and production -- and that, more than the verbal gymnastics, is why Pure Comedy delivers upon much of Father John Mistys outlandish promises. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 75 Artist: Julie Byrne Title: Not Even Happiness Released: 2017-01-13 Tracks: 9 Duration: 32:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Follow My Voice (04:02) 2 Sleepwalker (04:19) 3 Melting Grid (04:21) 4 Natural Blue (03:59) 5 Interlude (01:37) 6 Morning Dove (02:59) 7 All the Land Glimmered Beneath (03:04) 8 Sea as It Glides (04:12) 9 I Live Now as a Singer (04:04) |
 | Album: 15 of 75 Artist: Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society Title: Simultonality Released: 2017-04-07 Tracks: 5 Duration: 42:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Maroon Dune (09:05) 2 Ophiuchus (07:24) 3 St. Cloud (04:20) 4 Sideways Fall (12:11) 5 2128½ (09:03) |
 | Album: 16 of 75 Artist: Jane Weaver Title: Modern Kosmology Released: 2017-05-19 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 H>A>K (03:31) 2 Did You See Butterflies? (03:45) 3 Modern Kosmology (05:01) 4 Slow Motion (05:05) 5 Loops in the Secret Society (04:28) 6 The Architect (04:02) 7 The Lightning Back (03:38) 8 Valley (05:12) 9 Ravenspoint (04:37) 10 I Wish (04:25) |
| Modern Kosmology : Allmusic album Review : On her 2014 album, The Silver Globe, Jane Weaver took a step away from the gentle psych-folk she had been making into something more German and droning. Abetted by a wide array of synthesizers, she wrapped her dreamlike songs in cushy waves of sound for a large part of the album. On 2017s Modern Kosmology, Weaver dives headlong into dream pop thats filtered through vintage synthesizers, motorik beats, and jangling guitars. Playing most of the instruments herself, with help from the occasional drummer or guitarist, she creates a world of sound that envelops the listener in much the same way that the tendrils of synths wrap around her rich, woody vocals. From the opening notes of the album, she weaves a sonic spell that doesnt break, or even bend. The tempos may change, the mood may shift a bit here and there, the arrangement may go from dense to sparse, but through it all Weaver conducts the sound like a magician in full command of her powers. There are hints of Stereolab and Broadcast, echoes of Can and Harmonia, shades of Spectrum, and nods to synth pioneers like Suzanne Ciani, but when the album is done, it mainly feels like a pure manifestation of Weavers vision. Songs like "Did You See Butterflies?" and "Loops in the Secret Society" certainly owe a great debt to artists of the past, but the way Weaver puts together the pieces is fresh and entrancing. The record really takes off when she breaks out of the mood established on those aforementioned tracks and adds unexpected elements, like the heavy post-rock drums on the pulsating "The Architect" and the sawing violins and stentorian vocals of guest Malcolm Mooney of Can on the utterly hypnotic "Ravenspoint." Not only do these tracks serve to add an extra bit of dynamic tension to the album, they also point to more exploratory avenues Weaver could attempt in the future now that shes mastered synth-heavy dream pop. The Silver Globe was Weavers coming-out party; Modern Kosmology serves notice that shes here to stay. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 75 Artist: Juana Molina Title: Halo Released: 2017-02-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Paraguaya (03:43) 2 Sin dones (05:41) 3 Lentísimo halo (05:23) 4 In the Lassa (04:39) 5 Cosoco (04:57) 6 Cálculos y oráculos (04:46) 7 Los pies helados (05:22) 8 A00 B01 (04:29) 9 Cara de espejo (05:09) 10 Andó (03:50) 11 Estalacticas (04:52) 12 Al oeste (03:37) |
 | Album: 18 of 75 Artist: Lorde Title: Melodrama Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Green Light (03:54) 2 Sober (03:17) 3 Homemade Dynamite (03:09) 4 The Louvre (04:31) 5 Liability (02:52) 6 Hard Feelings/Loveless (06:07) 7 Sober II (Melodrama) (02:59) 8 Writer in the Dark (03:36) 9 Supercut (04:37) 10 Liability (reprise) (02:16) 11 Perfect Places (03:42) |
| Melodrama : Allmusic album Review : Growing up in public has been a rite of passage for pop stars since at least Frank Sinatra but, as with any classic storyline, what matters is the execution. Lorde, the preternaturally talented New Zealand singer/songwriter who became an international sensation at the age of 17, knows how to execute not only songwriting and public narrative but also a melding of the two. Melodrama, arriving nearly four long years after her 2013 debut, picks up the thread left hanging on Pure Heroine, presenting Lorde as a young woman, not a sullen teenager. Tonally and thematically, its a considerable shift from Pure Heroine, and Melodrama feels different musically too, thanks in part to Lordes decision to collaborate with Jack Antonoff, the leader of Fun. and Bleachers who has been nearly omnipresent in 2010s pop/rock. Antonoffs steely signatures -- a reliance on retro synths, a sheen so glassy it glares -- are all over the place on Melodrama but Lorde is unquestionably the auteur of the album, not just because the songs tease at autobiography but because of how it builds upon Pure Heroine. Lorde retains her bookish brooding, but Melodrama isnt monochromatic. "Green Light" opens the proceedings with a genuine sense of exuberance and its an emotion she returns to often, sometimes reveling in its joy, sometimes adding an undercurrent of melancholy. Sadness bubbles to the surface on occasion, as it does on the stark "Liability," and so does Lordes penchant for blunt literalism -- "Writer in the Dark," where our narrator sings "bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark," thereby suggesting all of her songs are some kind of autobiography -- but these traits dont occupy the heart of the album. Instead, Lorde is embracing all the possibilities the world has to offer but then retreating to the confines of home, so she can process everything shes experienced. This balance between discovery and reflection gives Melodrama a tension, but the addition of genuine, giddy pleasure -- evident on the neon pulse of "Homemade Dynamite" and "Supercut" -- isnt merely a progression for Lorde, its what gives the album multiple dimensions. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 75 Artist: The Clientele Title: Music for the Age of Miracles Released: 2017-09-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 The Neighbour (05:09) 2 Lyra in April (01:31) 3 Lunar Days (04:13) 4 Falling Asleep (06:33) 5 Everything You See Tonight Is Different From Itself (06:39) 6 Lyra in October (00:41) 7 Everyone You Meet (04:18) 8 The Circus (03:57) 9 Constellations Echo Lanes (03:43) 10 The Museum of Fog (04:11) 11 North Circular Days (01:48) 12 The Age of Miracles (04:51) |
 | Album: 20 of 75 Artist: Grizzly Bear Title: Painted Ruins Released: 2017-08-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wasted Acres (02:52) 2 Mourning Sound (04:22) 3 Four Cypresses (04:48) 4 Three Rings (04:48) 5 Losing All Sense (05:05) 6 Aquarian (04:17) 7 Cut‐Out (03:45) 8 Glass Hillside (04:53) 9 Neighbors (04:44) 10 Systole (03:16) 11 Sky Took Hold (05:32) |
| Painted Ruins : Allmusic album Review : During the five years between Shields and Painted Ruins, the lives of Grizzly Bears members changed, thanks to marriage, children, and divorce. So did the way many listeners consume music, thanks to the advent of streaming music services and other advances. So if the bands meditative fifth album feels a little out of time, its in a good way; Painted Ruins sounds timeless rather than tied to any particular moment. Even its structure suggests an old-school album, beginning with the somber prologue "Wasted Acres," which offers a welcome return to the bands postmodern chamber pop even as it mentions a Honda TRX 250 all-terrain-vehicle, and closes with the sweeping, brass-driven melancholy of "Sky Took Hold." In between, the band revisits their music from new perspectives, making slight tweaks but remaining unmistakably Grizzly Bear. "Aquarian" and "Cut-out" borrow some of Shields insularity as they ponder lifes unanswerable questions, while the gorgeous harmonies and harpsichord on "Neighbors" hark back to Yellow House. Elsewhere, the band expands on Veckatimests poignant pop with "Losing All Sense," which is cut from the same cloth as "Two Weeks," and "Mourning Sound," where the upfront rhythm section gives a deceptive bounce to lyrics like "This isnt a place where I can even try." Throughout Painted Ruins, the beautiful arrangements reflect -- and invite -- contemplation as they carry the songs ambiguous themes and lyrics, which balance cryptic introspection with flashes of clarity. Grizzly Bear channels the chaos and turbulence of the 2010s more subtly than some of their contemporaries, imbuing it with political and personal depth on songs like "Four Cypresses," which creates a tension between its fluid strings and martial beats thats all the more intriguing because it isnt obvious. And when Ed Droste tells a lover whos on the way out "Dont you be so easy" on "Three Rings," it might as well be the albums manifesto. Occasionally, Painted Ruins drifting meditations border on meandering, but its open-ended beauty is well worth the close listening it takes for the album to fully reveal itself. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 75 Artist: Laura Marling Title: Semper Femina Released: 2017-03-10 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Soothing (04:16) 2 The Valley (05:40) 3 Wild Fire (04:50) 4 Don’t Pass Me By (05:09) 5 Always This Way (04:33) 6 Wild Once (04:22) 7 Next Time (04:01) 8 Nouel (04:53) 9 Nothing, Not Nearly (04:31) |
 | Album: 22 of 75 Artist: Ty Segall Title: Ty Segall Released: 2008 Tracks: 12 Duration: 23:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Go Home (02:07) 2 Pretty Baby (You’re So Ugly) (01:18) 3 The Drag (02:39) 4 Watching You (01:44) 5 Oh Mary (01:35) 6 [untitled] (02:11) 7 Don’t Do It (02:05) 8 You’re Not Me (02:41) 9 Dating (01:57) 10 You Should Never Have Opened That Door (01:28) 11 So Alone (01:50) 12 An Ill Jest (02:14) |
 | Album: 23 of 75 Artist: Chuck Johnson Title: Balsams Released: 2017-06-02 Tracks: 6 Duration: 41:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Calamus (05:10) 2 Riga Black (06:38) 3 Moonstone (09:04) 4 Eye on the Sparrow (07:15) 5 Labrodite Eye (05:19) 6 Balm of Gilead (07:52) |
 | Album: 24 of 75 Artist: Margo Price Title: All American Made Released: 2017-10-20 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Don’t Say It (02:43) 2 Weakness (02:46) 3 A Little Pain (02:55) 4 Learning to Lose (06:19) 5 Pay Gap (03:53) 6 Nowhere Fast (04:07) 7 Cocaine Cowboys (03:26) 8 Wild Women (02:56) 9 Heart of America (03:15) 10 Do Right By Me (03:10) 11 Loner (04:30) 12 All American Made (05:50) |
 | Album: 25 of 75 Artist: Robert Plant Title: Carry Fire Released: 2017-10-13 Tracks: 11 Duration: 49:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The May Queen (04:14) 2 New World… (03:29) 3 Season’s Song (04:19) 4 Dance With You Tonight (04:48) 5 Carving Up the World Again… A Wall and Not a Fence (03:55) 6 A Way With Words (05:18) 7 Carry Fire (05:25) 8 Bones of Saints (03:46) 9 Keep It Hid (04:07) 10 Bluebirds Over the Mountain (04:58) 11 Heaven Sent (04:42) |
| Carry Fire : Allmusic album Review : Robert Plant opens Carry Fire with "The May Queen," a song that cant help but stir up memories of "Stairway to Heaven," the most mystical number Led Zeppelin ever cut. "The May Queen" doesnt sound a thing like "Stairway to Heaven," which is deliberate. As Plant murmurs about "the dimming of his light," the churning folk-rock -- a rootless, restless gypsy hybrid of American, English, and Middle East traditions -- comes to crest upon a violin line that appears to quote "Prodigal Son," a gospel blues attributed to Robert Wilkins. Its hard not to read this as a sly wink to the audience, a suggestion that Plant, after years of rambling, has returned to where he belongs. Such suspicions are underscored by the fact that Carry Fire is Plants first album in over a decade where hes retained the same supporting crew, recording once again with the Sensational Space Shifters, the same outfit who backed him on lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar. Where that 2014 record carried a cataclysmic undercurrent -- his return to England bore the full weight of mortality -- Carry Fire is so casual it can even get loud. Guitars ricochet throughout "New World," a slice of hard mysticism that evokes the spacier elements of Zeppelin even as it consciously chooses the spiritual over the carnal. Despite Plants clear favor of the heart and head over primal pleasures, Carry Fire retains a visceral kick, because the singer/songwriter understands the transportive power of music, how the old can seem new when seen with a different light. Take "Bluebirds Over the Mountain," an obscure 45 from the obscure rockabilly singer Ersel Hickey: It was written and recorded in 1958 and cut a decade later by the Beach Boys, but here it sounds as eternal as a mountain spring, a song that was never composed, but rather always existed. Plant surrounds "Bluebirds Over the Mountain" with songs that are equally ageless: Their bones feel old yet the sound is fresh, even if the record makes no concessions to modernity. Carry Fire also doesnt concede to how Plant once wielded tradition as a bludgeon, since every moment of the album is underplayed. Subtlety, once a word never associated with Plant, is now his greatest strength, and Carry Fire carries a real, substantial difference from lullaby, which gained power from its moodiness. Here, Plant doesnt seem quite so melancholy. The very richness of the music bears the weight of a long, unpredictable life, but the albums tenor -- not to mention the songs themselves -- suggests a boundless possibility, and thats why Carry Fire is an album of hope: Plant wears his years proudly, yet hes not concerned with any moment other than the present. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 75 Artist: Rhiannon Giddens Title: Freedom Highway Released: 2017-02-24 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 At the Purchaser’s Option (04:16) 2 The Angels Laid Him Away (02:33) 3 Julie (04:29) 4 Birmingham Sunday (06:15) 5 Better Get It Right the First Time (03:25) 6 We Could Fly (04:53) 7 Hey Bébé (03:19) 8 Come Love Come (05:20) 9 The Love We Almost Had (04:19) 10 Baby Boy (04:29) 11 Following the North Star (01:56) 12 Freedom Highway (04:47) |
| Freedom Highway : Allmusic album Review : Rhiannon Giddens has always been keenly aware of the arc of American history -- the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the 2000s band she once led, was designed as a critique of the darker moments of Americana -- but Freedom Highway, her second solo album, puts her intent into perspective. Where her 2015 solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, was essentially a covers album, gaining its importance through context, Freedom Highway relies on originals, but the past is never far behind. This should be expected from Giddens, who is at her core a folk artist building upon -- and expanding -- tradition, but its still startling to realize how she establishes a vernacular at the outset of Freedom Highway, then explores all of the possibilities of African-American folk music on the album. "At the Purchasers Option," the song that inaugurates Freedom Highway, explicitly evokes slavery, and its spare and haunting, standing in contrast to the title-track closer, a funky number that illustrates how far African-Americans have traveled during the course of the history of the United States. Throughout Freedom Highway, Giddens plays with this idea -- how oppression gave way to freedom -- and its not just through her lyrics, but how the music expands as the album reaches its conclusion: at the outset, it seems austere, but by its conclusion its a robust celebration of all the weird, wonderful parts of America. This isnt an accident. Freedom Highway draws upon deep American traditions, and while its form may be a throwback, it speaks to a time when the phrase "Black Lives Matter" can be seen as controversial and, in doing so, it illustrates how these issues are deeply ingrained in American life and cannot be forgotten. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 75 Artist: Hiss Golden Messenger Title: Hallelujah Anyhow Released: 2017-09-22 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Jenny of the Roses (03:38) 2 Lost Out in the Darkness (03:22) 3 Jaw (03:12) 4 Harder Rain (04:15) 5 I Am the Song (02:48) 6 Gulfport You’ve Been on My Mind (04:42) 7 John the Gun (03:27) 8 Domino (Time Will Tell) (03:45) 9 Caledonia, My Love (03:00) 10 When the Wall Comes Down (04:03) |
 | Album: 28 of 75 Artist: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Title: The Kid Released: 2017-10-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 51:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 I Am a Thought (01:53) 2 An Intention (04:00) 3 A Kid (05:04) 4 In the World (03:00) 5 I Am Consumed (00:54) 6 In the World, but Not of the World (03:57) 7 I Am Learning (03:15) 8 To Follow & Lead (04:48) 9 Until I Remember (04:23) 10 Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am (05:20) 11 I Am Curious, I Care (03:44) 12 I Will Make Room for You (04:58) 13 To Feel Your Best (06:20) |
 | Album: 29 of 75 Artist: Michael Chapman Title: 50 Released: 2017-01-20 Tracks: 10 Duration: 56:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 A Spanish Incident (Ramón and Durango) (05:04) 2 Sometimes You Just Drive (04:40) 3 The Mallard (05:44) 4 Memphis in Winter (06:50) 5 The Prospector (06:39) 6 Falling from Grace (06:31) 7 Money Trouble (04:32) 8 That Time of Night (06:11) 9 Rosh Pina (05:06) 10 Navigation (05:13) |
 | Album: 30 of 75 Artist: Susanne Sundfør Title: Music for People in Trouble Released: 2017-08-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mantra (03:31) 2 Reincarnation (04:05) 3 Good Luck Bad Luck (03:40) 4 The Sound of War (07:49) 5 Music for People in Trouble (02:55) 6 Bedtime Story (03:31) 7 Undercover (04:17) 8 No One Believes in Love Anymore (05:21) 9 The Golden Age (04:09) 10 Mountaineers (05:21) |
| Music for People in Trouble : Allmusic album Review : The sixth studio long-player from the Norwegian singer/songwriter, Music for People in Trouble sees Susanne Sundfør ditching the glacial dancefloor synth pop of 2015s acclaimed Ten Love Songs and looking inward. Written during a period of personal upheaval -- a huge star in her native Norway, the success of Ten Love Songs, among other things, nearly broke her -- the stark and aptly named set delivers all of the emotional richness of its predecessor, but in a more meditative voice. Willfully intimate, Sundførs vocals, powerful as always, are more often than not accompanied only by piano or guitar. A classically trained pianist who isnt afraid to incorporate elements of jazz, folk, and musique concrète into her pieces -- the latter disposition looms large on the fractured title cut -- Sundførs songs are both relatable and alien; dispatches from a planet whose axis is tilted a single degree further out from the plane of its orbit around the sun than our own. Contrast is key, like the thermal pedal steel that punctuates the otherwise downcast "Reincarnation," the ambient footsteps, cell phone beeps, and wandering clarinet that highlight the cruel boredom of insomnia on the evocative "Bedtime Stories," and the arm-hair-raising crescendo of the majestic, John Grant-assisted closer "Mountaineers." Such militant introspection can sometimes be off-putting, but Music for People in Trouble is rooted in empathy, and even at its most cynical -- the woebegone "No One Believes in Love Anymore" comes to mind -- the warmth of its core radiates outward. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 75 Artist: Gas Title: Narkopop Released: 2017-04-21 Tracks: 21 Duration: 2:38:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Narkopop 1 (04:26) 2 Narkopop 2 (09:44) 3 Narkopop 3 (03:50) 4 Narkopop 4 (03:34) 5 Narkopop 5 (06:03) 1 Narkopop 6 (04:43) 2 Narkopop 7 (08:40) 3 Narkopop 8 (06:07) 4 Narkopop 9 (07:02) 1 Narkopop 10 (17:08) 2 Narkopop 11 (16:17) 1 Narkopop 1 (04:26) 2 Narkopop 2 (09:44) 3 Narkopop 3 (03:50) 4 Narkopop 4 (03:34) 5 Narkopop 5 (06:03) 6 Narkopop 6 (04:43) 7 Narkopop 7 (08:40) 8 Narkopop 8 (06:07) 9 Narkopop 9 (07:02) 10 Narkopop 10 (17:08) |
 | Album: 32 of 75 Artist: Sleaford Mods Title: English Tapas Released: 2017-03-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Army Nights (03:03) 2 Just Like We Do (02:55) 3 Moptop (02:38) 4 Messy Anywhere (03:13) 5 Time Sands (03:10) 6 Snout (02:44) 7 Drayton Manored (03:36) 8 Carlton Touts (02:53) 9 Cuddly (03:44) 10 Dull (02:42) 11 B.H.S. (03:48) 12 I Feel So Wrong (03:12) |
 | Album: 33 of 75 Artist: Oh Sees Title: Orc Released: 2017-08-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 50:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Static God (04:20) 2 Nite Expo (02:57) 3 Animated Violence (05:06) 4 Keys to the Castle (08:10) 5 Jettisoned (05:14) 6 Cadaver Dog (04:50) 7 Paranoise (04:28) 8 Cooling Tower (03:35) 9 Drowned Beast (05:02) 10 Raw Optics (06:22) |
 | Album: 34 of 75 Artist: Saint Etienne Title: Home Counties Released: 2017-06-02 Tracks: 19 Duration: 56:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Reunion (00:22) 2 Something New (03:17) 3 Magpie Eyes (03:34) 4 Whyteleafe (03:09) 5 Dive (04:48) 6 Church Pew Furniture Restorer (01:53) 7 Take It All In (03:25) 8 Popmaster (00:28) 9 Underneath the Apple Tree (02:35) 10 Out of My Mind (03:57) 1 After Hebden (03:31) 2 Breakneck Hill (01:39) 3 Heather (03:58) 4 Sports Report (00:12) 5 Train Drivers in Eyeliner (03:16) 6 Unopened Fan Mail (03:04) 7 What Kind of World (03:07) 8 Sweet Arcadia (07:43) 9 Angel of Woodhatch (02:14) |
 | Album: 35 of 75 Artist: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Title: Flying Microtonal Banana Released: 2017-02-24 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Rattlesnake (07:48) 2 Melting (05:27) 3 Open Water (07:13) 4 Sleep Drifter (04:44) 5 Billabong Valley (03:34) 6 Anoxia (03:04) 7 Doom City (03:14) 8 Nuclear Fusion (04:15) 9 Flying Microtonal Banana (02:34) |
 | Album: 36 of 75 Artist: Four Tet Title: New Energy Released: 2017-09-29 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Alap (01:21) 2 Two Thousand and Seventeen (04:12) 3 LA Trance (05:47) 4 Tremper (01:29) 5 Lush (05:11) 6 Scientists (04:59) 7 Falls 2 (01:12) 8 You Are Loved (06:08) 9 SW9 9SL (07:55) 10 10 Midi (01:25) 11 Memories (03:17) 12 Daughter (04:55) 13 Gentle Soul (01:12) 14 Planet (07:18) |
| New Energy : Allmusic album Review : Since the late 2000s, Kieren Hebdens work as Four Tet (plus side ventures like Percussions and KH) has explored club culture more thoroughly than his earlier releases, nodding to pirate radio and U.K. garage with albums like Beautiful Rewind and white-label collaborations with producers such as Burial and Terror Danjah. New Energy, his 2017 full-length, seems somewhat ironically named at first, as it finds him revisiting the downtempo sound of earlier productions such as his 2003 breakthrough, Rounds. Following the brief ambient intro "Alap," "Two Thousand and Seventeen" saunters in and drops an astonishingly gorgeous melody played on what sounds like a hammered dulcimer. A few atmospheric synths and additional effects and samples join it, as well as a plaintive bassline, but the melody speaks volumes, and its touching enough to make it seem like the best Four Tet track in ages. "LA Trance" features a slow, scratchy, thumping beat along with several light, spacious sounds (chimes, birds, ambient drift) as well as simple yet imaginative synthesizer melodies courtesy of Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Much of the rest of the album, aside from atmospheric interludes and the stirring downtempo cut "Daughter," consists of uptempo tracks, but even these are reflective enough to be more appropriate for home listening than club play (with the possible exception of "SW9 9SL," a slightly trancey epic with a galloping beat and a rolling garage bassline). "Lush" isnt an Orbital cover, but its lovely enough to be worthy of such an honor. "You Are Loved" features shuffling drum breaks and a delectable kalimba melody over spacy keyboards, gradually joined by jolts of squirmy, spark-like synths. Tracks like "Scientists" and "Planet" return to the ecstatic vocal manipulations prominent on 2010s There Is Love in You, but there appears to be more of a sense of spaciousness here. Hebdens instruments seem more intimately recorded and cleanly arranged than on his early, glitchier releases, but they manage to avoid sounding sterile or soulless. New Energy is one of the most accessible, listener-friendly releases in the Four Tet catalog, but it still maintains the creativity and unpredictability that have always made his work stand out. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 75 Artist: Ride Title: Weather Diaries Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lannoy Point (05:57) 2 Charm Assault (04:12) 3 All I Want (03:57) 4 Home Is a Feeling (03:19) 5 Weather Diaries (06:59) 6 Rocket Silver Symphony (05:25) 7 Lateral Alice (02:55) 8 Cali (06:29) 9 Integration Tape (02:26) 10 Impermanence (04:23) 11 White Sands (06:08) |
| Weather Diaries : Allmusic album Review : During a 27-month period in which they released four EPs and two albums, Ride grew from a charmingly scruffy composite of inspirations into a source of gleaming nuggets that mixed power pop and dream pop with confident emphasis on the former. At the end of this phase, Ride recorded a song about entering a time machine. When the band reappeared two years later, they sounded and looked as if they had taken one through the late 60s. A couple years after that, album four arrived with the band no longer intact, their farewell single a backslide across Primal Screams retracing of Stones/Faces steps. After nearly 20 years spent mostly apart -- they met up in 2001 to record an improvisation for a Sonic Youth documentary -- Ride re-formed for gigs, then recorded their fifth album with production from Erol Alkan and mixing from old partner Alan Moulder. Considering Rides fast and prolific early development, the museum phase that followed, and two decades of near silence, Weather Diaries isnt easy to separate from the history that led to it. Not wanting to pick up where they left off, Ride hoped to generate the positive energy they felt as they made second album Going Blank Again. Weather Diaries in turn sounds like the work of a version of Ride that perhaps vanished immediately after that set, with neither Carnival of Light nor Tarantula in their past. Much of Weather Diaries lyrically is unmistakably a 2017 work. In the first three songs, there are allusions to Brexit, a reference to an "acid sweating hunchback apparition" who "sets fire to your world," and the feeling of an "ill wind blowing." Later, theres some existentialism, suspicion in another setting that whats "too perfect" is a mirage, and a bit of reflection about the bands break and existence. There are also states of contentment and bliss to fill out an emotionally rounded group of songs that looks outward more often than any previous Ride release. Whether downcast or upbeat, drifting or driving, the songs levitate with those familiar sighing/soaring harmonies and cascading guitar lines, and a slight haze that coats almost everything, thickening only for a brief ambient instrumental. There are other flashes of the past, good and bad, from the spring-loaded rhythms to reminders of the sometimes vast qualitative disparity between their melodies and lyrics. Ultimately, compared to their 1996 sendoff, this is more like it. | ||
 | Album: 38 of 75 Artist: Robyn Hitchcock Title: Robyn Hitchcock Released: 1995 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 City of Shame (03:19) 2 Night Ride to Trinidad (03:31) 3 Heart Full of Leaves (02:27) 4 Im Only You (04:25) 5 Listening to the Higsons (02:54) 6 Airscape (05:09) 7 I Got a Message for You (03:06) 8 Queen Elvis III (04:24) 9 Surgery (02:36) 10 Statue With a Walkman (04:30) |
 | Album: 39 of 75 Artist: Arca Title: Arca Released: 2017-04-07 Tracks: 14 Duration: 48:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Piel (04:07) 2 Anoche (03:36) 3 Saunter (02:09) 4 Urchin (04:00) 5 Reverie (03:12) 6 Castration (03:21) 7 Sin rumbo (03:35) 8 Coraje (04:31) 9 Whip (01:20) 10 Desafío (03:53) 11 Fugaces (03:07) 12 Miel (02:56) 13 Child (03:23) 14 Saunter (Reprise) (05:00) |
 | Album: 40 of 75 Artist: Mount Eerie Title: A Crow Looked at Me Released: 2017-03-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Real Death (02:26) 2 Seaweed (03:02) 3 Ravens (06:40) 4 Forest Fire (04:15) 5 Swims (04:06) 6 My Chasm (02:22) 7 When I Take Out the Garbage at Night (02:25) 8 Emptiness, Part 2 (03:29) 9 Toothbrush/Trash (03:52) 10 Soria Moria (06:33) 11 Crow (02:21) |
 | Album: 41 of 75 Artist: Fleet Foxes Title: Crack‐Up Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 55:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar (06:25) 2 Cassius, - (04:50) 3 - Naiads, Cassadies (03:11) 4 Kept Woman (03:55) 5 Third of May / Ōdaigahara (08:45) 1 If You Need To, Keep Time on Me (03:31) 2 Mearcstapa (04:10) 3 On Another Ocean (January / June) (04:23) 4 Fool’s Errand (04:48) 5 I Should See Memphis (04:44) 6 Crack‐Up (06:24) |
| Crack‐Up : Allmusic album Review : Following a lengthy hiatus and some apparent soul-searching from bandleader Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes aim for dramatic reinvention on their cerebral third LP, Crack-Up. When they debuted in 2008, they were widely designated as torchbearers of the burgeoning indie folk movement, but there was always an academic element to the Seattle bands work that vaulted them into a class of their own. Their exultant vocal harmonies rose like a misty hybrid of the Beach Boys and Steeleye Span and their complex chamber pop arrangements recalled the autumnal splendor of the Zombies paired with the melodic complexity of early Yes. On the bands long-awaited third effort, its the latter of those two references that jumps to the fore as they deliver what is easily their most progressive album to date. Named for an essay by F. Scott Fitzgerald and bearing references to Spanish painter Francisco Goya, the American Civil War, sociopolitical anxiety, and inner-band strife, Crack-Up is dense and difficult, but ultimately rewarding. At the albums vanguard is "I Am All That I Need/Arroyo Seco/Thumbprint Scar," an ambitious three-part suite in which the familiar strains of Fleet Foxes trademark wall of harmonies become suddenly hijacked by crudely mumbled interludes and various forms of rhythmic and tonal dissonance. Its a method employed throughout Crack-Ups 11 tracks, which seem to zig and zag through zones of chaos, fellowship, and transcendence as Pecknold the scholar unveils his strange architecture in layers of detail and nuance. That the nearly nine-minute centerpiece, "Third of May/Ōdaigahara," was chosen as the albums lead single says something about the availability of easily digestible material on Crack-Up, and yet its aspirations are the glue that holds it all together. Orchestral, experimental, and more challenging than either of the bands previous releases, its a natural fit for the Nonesuch label, whose heritage was built on such attributes. For Fleet Foxes, it represents a shift away from their more idyllic early days into a period of artistic growth and sophistication. | ||
 | Album: 42 of 75 Artist: Thundercat Title: Drunk Released: 2017-02-24 Tracks: 23 Duration: 51:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Rabbot Ho (00:38) 2 Captain Stupido (01:41) 3 Uh Uh (02:16) 4 Bus in These Streets (02:24) 5 A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II) (02:38) 6 Lava Lamp (02:58) 7 Jethro (01:34) 8 Day & Night (00:37) 9 Show You the Way (03:34) 10 Walk on By (03:19) 11 Blackkk (01:59) 12 Tokyo (02:24) 13 Jameels Space Ride (01:09) 14 Friend Zone (03:12) 15 Them Changes (03:08) 16 Where Im Going (02:09) 17 Drink Dat (03:35) 18 Inferno (04:00) 19 I Am Crazy (00:25) 20 3AM (01:15) 21 Drunk (01:42) 22 The Turn Down (02:29) 23 DUI (02:18) |
 | Album: 43 of 75 Artist: Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet Title: Ladilikan Released: 2017-09-15 Tracks: 10 Duration: 46:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Tita (06:53) 2 Kanimba (04:40) 3 Eh Ya Ye (04:51) 4 Garaba Mama (03:03) 5 God Shall Wipe All Tears Away (03:07) 6 Samuel (03:52) 7 Lila Bambo (04:59) 8 Kene Bo (03:03) 9 Ladilikan (04:58) 10 Sunjata (07:19) |
 | Album: 44 of 75 Artist: Jake Xerxes Fussell Title: What in the Natural World Released: 2017-03-31 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Jump for Joy (04:15) 2 Have You Ever Seen Peaches Growing on a Sweet Potato Vine? (06:09) 3 Pinnacle Mountain Silver Mine (04:18) 4 Furniture Man (04:39) 5 Bells of Rhymney (04:02) 6 Billy Button (04:44) 7 Canyoneers (04:33) 8 St. Brendans Isle (03:52) 9 Lowe Bonnie (06:44) |
 | Album: 45 of 75 Artist: Spoon Title: Hot Thoughts Released: 2017-03-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Hot Thoughts (03:48) 2 WhisperI’lllistentohearit (04:20) 3 Do I Have to Talk You Into It (04:20) 4 First Caress (02:48) 5 Pink Up (05:57) 6 Can I Sit Next to You (03:54) 7 I Ain’t the One (03:48) 8 Tear It Down (04:20) 9 Shotgun (03:38) 10 Us (04:59) |
 | Album: 46 of 75 Artist: Broken Social Scene Title: Hug of Thunder Released: 2017-07-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sol Luna (01:19) 2 Halfway Home (04:41) 3 Protest Song (04:18) 4 Skyline (04:11) 5 Stay Happy (04:10) 6 Vanity Pail Kids (03:59) 7 Hug of Thunder (04:54) 8 Towers and Masons (04:00) 9 Victim Lover (04:55) 10 Please Take Me with You (04:53) 11 Gonna Get Better (05:10) 12 Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse (05:44) |
| Hug of Thunder : Allmusic album Review : The fifth full-length outing from the substantial Toronto collective -- this iteration is 15 strong -- the aptly named Hug of Thunder is the bands long-awaited follow-up to 2010s Forgiveness Rock Record. A dense, soul-searching blast of civic-minded indie rock/alt-pop comfort food, the 12-track set is mired in the cultural and political miasma of its time, but Broken Social Scene have always been about community -- Kevin Drew has suggested in interviews that the 2015 terror attacks in Paris served as the impetus for the bands reconvening. Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, and Kevin Drew may serve as the groups ambassadors, but BSS are a ship requiring the whole crew to stay afloat, and Hug of Thunder is buoyant with inclusiveness and cautious hope. The shambolic, post-rock kissing cousins to fellow veteran Canadian pop army New Pornographers, Broken Social Scenes aural emissions may be less confectionary, but theyre no less immediate. Forgoing some of the elongated, atmosphere-driven instrumentals that peppered prior outings (wordless opener "Sol Luna" clocks in at just over a minute), things escalate quickly with co-openers "Halfway Home" and "Protest Song," two of the punchiest things the band has offered up in years. They dial it back a bit on the dreamy, Drew-led "Skyline," a lush, midnight highway-ready affair that evokes the easy, classic rock vibe of the War on Drugs, but "Vanity Pail Kids" turns the power back on with a knotty, all-hands-on-deck electro-disco party that sees all three lead vocalists representing. However, its the wordy, Feist-delivered title cut, a master class in balancing mood and melody, that delivers the albums finest moments, and the best distillation of what makes BSS so venerable. | ||
 | Album: 47 of 75 Artist: Pond Title: The Weather Released: 2017-05-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 30000 Megatons (04:02) 2 Sweep Me Off My Feet (03:29) 3 Paint Me Silver (03:44) 4 Colder Than Ice (03:10) 5 Edge of the World, Pt. 1 (04:54) 6 A / B (03:28) 7 Zen Automaton (04:01) 8 All I Want for Xmas (Is a Tascam 388) (02:36) 9 Edge of the World, Pt. 2 (06:22) 10 The Weather (03:58) 11 Fire in the Water (04:04) 12 30000 Megatons (live at MOTH club) (03:39) |
 | Album: 48 of 75 Artist: Lindstrøm Title: It’s Alright Between Us As It Is Released: 2017-10-20 Tracks: 9 Duration: 51:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 It’s Alright Between Us as It Is (00:51) 2 Spire (05:15) 3 Tensions (06:51) 4 Sorry (05:22) 5 Versatile Dreams (interlude) (02:38) 6 Shinin (07:02) 7 Drift (07:38) 8 Bungl (Like a Ghost) (07:00) 9 Under Trees (08:54) |
 | Album: 49 of 75 Artist: Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band Title: Adiós Señor Pussycat Released: 2017-10-20 Tracks: 13 Duration: 44:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Picasso (03:45) 2 Overjoyed (03:43) 3 Picklock (03:23) 4 Winter Turns To Spring (03:34) 5 Working Family (02:40) 6 4 & 4 Still Makes 8 (04:13) 7 Queen Of All Saints (03:06) 8 Josephine (03:14) 9 Lavender Way (02:52) 10 Rumer (03:21) 11 Wild Mountain Thyme (02:22) 12 What’s The Difference (03:55) 13 Adios Amigo (04:13) |
 | Album: 50 of 75 Artist: The xx Title: I See You Released: 2017-01-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dangerous (04:10) 2 Say Something Loving (03:58) 3 Lips (03:20) 4 A Violent Noise (03:47) 5 Performance (04:06) 6 Replica (04:09) 7 Brave for You (04:13) 8 On Hold (03:44) 9 I Dare You (03:53) 10 Test Me (03:55) 11 Naive (03:35) 12 Seasons Run (04:22) |
| I See You : Allmusic album Review : In music and love, routine can be deadly. The exquisite stillness of the xxs music was so distinctive and influential that, by the time of Coexist, it felt dangerously close to confining them instead of defining them. Given the half decade between that album and I See You, change wasnt just necessary, it was inevitable. Jamie xxs solo work signaled that something different was on the way, and in retrospect, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sims cameos on In Colour feel like previews for these songs about being musically and romantically bold. I See You unleashes the xxs passion with swifter tempos, fuller arrangements, and a newfound heat in Sim and Crofts vocals on songs like "On Hold," which also showcases Jamie xxs audacious production skills as he turns a snippet of Hall & Oates "I Cant Go for That (No Can Do)" into an irresistibly jittery hook. The bands commitment to taking chances reaps rewards elsewhere: "Dangerous" kicks off I See You with a brass fanfare thats about as far as the xx can get from the plaintive seduction of their early work. Indeed, the albums happiest songs are among the best, whether Sim and Croft are falling in love all over again over contrail guitars on "Say Something Loving" or letting a relentless beat give their flirtation momentum on "I Dare You." When the xx pare back, they do it with purpose, and still find subtle ways to push themselves. In another acts hands, the propulsive self-doubt of "A Violent Noise" would be a club banger, but they opt for simmering tension instead of drops and peaks. Croft shows off her seldom-heard upper register on "Lips" and "Performance," one of several moments on I See You where the bands self-awareness borders on meta. Sometimes, this becomes too literal and repetitive; as enjoyable as the sultry swagger of "Replica" and heartfelt balladry of "Brave for You" are, its hard to shake the feeling that the xx are retracing their steps. Nitpicking aside, the risks they take on this album pay off: I See You is some of their most captivating music since their debut. | ||
 | Album: 51 of 75 Artist: Randy Newman Title: Dark Matter Released: 2017-08-04 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Great Debate (08:09) 2 Brothers (04:54) 3 Putin (03:45) 4 Lost Without You (03:54) 5 Sonny Boy (04:42) 6 It’s a Jungle Out There (03:19) 7 She Chose Me (03:12) 8 On the Beach (04:31) 9 Wandering Boy (03:01) |
 | Album: 52 of 75 Artist: Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band Title: Dreaming In The Non-Dream Released: 2017-08-25 Tracks: 4 Duration: 36:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 History & Science Fiction (11:07) 2 Have We Mistaken the Bottle for the Whiskey Inside? (06:40) 3 Dreaming in the Non-Dream (15:53) 4 Two Minutes Love (02:20) |
 | Album: 53 of 75 Artist: SZA Title: Ctrl Released: 2017-06-09 Tracks: 14 Duration: 49:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Supermodel (03:01) 2 Love Galore (04:35) 3 Doves in the Wind (04:26) 4 Drew Barrymore (03:51) 5 Prom (03:16) 6 The Weekend (04:32) 7 Go Gina (02:42) 8 Garden (Say It Like Dat) (03:28) 9 Broken Clocks (03:51) 10 Anything (02:29) 11 Wavy (interlude) (01:16) 12 Normal Girl (04:14) 13 Pretty Little Birds (04:06) 14 20 Something (03:18) |
| Ctrl : Allmusic album Review : Solana Rowes proper debut album, due to its title, invites comparisons to Janet Jacksons 1986 personal and commercial breakout. Its an individual statement, however, one distinct from even the contemporary likes of Kehlanis SweetSexySavage. Placed beside only Z, its three-year-old prelude, Ctrl is the work of a considerably less-inhibited songwriter. Rowe likewise truly fronts these frank songs that wield power as they lament lonesomeness, insecurity, and inertia. She neither projects slight wisps nor obscures herself inside swirling synthesizers, yet she oversells not a single thought. On screen, a slight shrug from her would probably devastate an expectant admirer. In the slow-motion hip-hop soul of "Doves in the Wind," featuring a hectoring verse from fellow TDE artist Kendrick Lamar, Rowe schools inapt and inept male behavior, offering intimate counsel and acerbic derision in a uniquely offhanded style. As assured as she is in this mode, shes not too proud to test a partner ("Call me on my bullshit, lie to me and say my booty gettin bigger even if it aint"), express personal dissatisfaction ("All alone still, not a thing in my name"), or plainly grieve ("Do you even know Im alive?"). The production crew here is almost completely different from the one involved on Z, with TDE regular Tyran Donaldson (aka Antydote and Scum) the lone holdover, present on seven tracks. For every overdone trap trick, theres a couple of sly wrinkles, like the thick, chiming groove in "Go Gina," where Rowe brilliantly illustrates a specific kind of fatigue ("Picking up a penny with a press-on is easier than holding you down") and the woozy, decayed synthesizer line in the Travis Scott-assisted single "Love Galore," ideal for a song about rekindling a dead-end affair. This is a marked improvement and an indication of more great work to come. | ||
 | Album: 54 of 75 Artist: Tinariwen Title: Elwan Released: 2017-02-10 Tracks: 13 Duration: 46:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Tiwàyyen (03:44) 2 Sastanàqqàm (03:24) 3 Nizzagh Ijbal (03:39) 4 Hayati (03:23) 5 Ittus (03:45) 6 Ténéré Tàqqàl (04:25) 7 Imidiwàn N‐Àkall‐In (03:33) 8 Talyat (04:14) 9 Assàwt (03:39) 10 Arhegh Ad Annàgh (02:47) 11 Nànnuflày (05:03) 12 Intro Flute Fog Edaghàn (01:27) 13 Fog Edaghàn (03:05) |
 | Album: 55 of 75 Artist: The Moonlandingz Title: Interplanetary Class Classics Released: 2017-03-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Vessels (03:31) 2 Sweet Saturn Mine (03:48) 3 Black Hanz (04:22) 4 I.D.S. (03:47) 5 The Strangle of Anna (03:41) 6 Theme From Valhalla Dale (01:13) 7 The Rabies Are Back (03:11) 8 Neuf du Pape (02:50) 9 Glory Hole (04:03) 10 Lufthansa Man (04:59) 11 This Cities Undone (06:11) |
 | Album: 56 of 75 Artist: House and Land Title: House and Land Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 10 Duration: 34:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Wandering Boy (02:49) 2 Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah (02:14) 3 False True Lover (03:48) 4 Listen to the Roll (02:59) 5 The Day Is Past and Gone (05:53) 6 Home Over Yonder (03:42) 7 Johnny (02:16) 8 Rich Old Jade (03:42) 9 Feather Dove (03:11) 10 Unquiet Grave (03:42) |
 | Album: 57 of 75 Artist: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Title: The French Press Released: 2017-03-10 Tracks: 6 Duration: 23:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 French Press (05:26) 2 Julies Place (03:18) 3 Sick Bug (02:52) 4 Colours Run (02:27) 5 Dig Up (04:07) 6 Fountain of Good Fortune (05:00) |
 | Album: 58 of 75 Artist: Wand Title: Plum Released: 2017-09-22 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:19:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Setting (01:00) 2 Plum (04:16) 3 Bee Karma (03:55) 4 Charles de Gaulle (04:17) 5 High Rise (02:43) 6 White Cat (04:14) 7 The Trap (04:44) 8 Ginger (02:10) 9 Blue Cloud (07:50) 10 Driving (07:06) 1 [untitled] (16:43) 2 Blue Cloud (live) (08:39) 3 [untitled] (02:31) 4 [untitled] (03:37) 5 [untitled] (05:29) |
 | Album: 59 of 75 Artist: John Maus Title: Screen Memories Released: 2017-10-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Combine (03:38) 2 Teenage Witch (02:18) 3 Touchdown (03:41) 4 Walls of Silence (02:23) 5 Find Out (02:24) 6 Decide Decide (03:05) 7 Edge of Forever (02:43) 8 The People Are Missing (02:59) 9 Pets (03:36) 10 Sensitive Recollections (02:46) 11 Over Phantom (04:27) 12 Bombs Away (03:57) |
 | Album: 60 of 75 Artist: Bitchin Bajas Title: Bajas Fresh Released: 2017-11-17 Tracks: 7 Duration: 1:20:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Jammu (11:03) 2 Circles On Circles (08:34) 3 Angels and Demons At Play (06:17) 4 Yonaguni (09:40) 5 2303 (23:03) 6 Chokayo (12:21) 7 Be Going (09:21) |
 | Album: 61 of 75 Artist: Lana Del Rey Title: Lust for Life Released: 2017-07-21 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:12:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love (04:32) 2 Lust for Life (04:24) 3 13 Beaches (04:55) 4 Cherry (03:00) 5 White Mustang (02:44) 6 Summer Bummer (04:20) 7 Groupie Love (04:24) 8 In My Feelings (03:58) 9 Coachella — Woodstock in My Mind (04:18) 10 God Bless America — And All the Beautiful Women in It (04:36) 11 When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing (04:35) 12 Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (04:13) 13 Tomorrow Never Came (05:07) 14 Heroin (05:55) 15 Change (05:21) 16 Get Free (05:34) |
| Lust for Life : Allmusic album Review : Lana Del Rey knows perfectly well her Lust for Life sounds sleepy in comparison to Iggy Pops full-blooded roar, but that doesnt mean the title of her fourth album is ironic. Compared to her previous albums, especially its somnolent 2015 predecessor, Honeymoon, Lust for Life is positively ebullient in tone, if not in tempo. Lana Del Rey may sing about a "Summer Bummer" but the song isnt in sway to a narcotic undertow; it simmers, offering a cool bit of seduction for muggy August nights. LDR retains this delicate balance throughout the lengthy Lust for Life (at 71 minutes, this is an album as playlist, designed to be looped over and over as mood music), never quite succumbing to either despair or ecstasy but rather finding a place where theres no separation between the two emotions. That said, Lana Del Rey does lean toward pleasure on Lust for Life, luxuriating in her slow rhythms and shimmering surfaces. What once seemed icy -- the glassy gloss, the sighing melodies, her persistent murmur -- now exudes warmth, where even the Weeknds spectral falsetto on the title track feels alluring. LDR manages to sustain this mood over the course of 16 songs, every one of which is a gentle variation of her supple signature. Sometimes, the tracks are graced by a guest -- in addition to the Weeknd, A$AP Rocky shows up on two songs, Sean Ono Lennon on another, while Stevie Nicks stops by for "Beautiful People Beautiful Problems" -- but usually what sticks is an escalating chorus or a hook that echoes in the distance. If Lust for Life starts to slow down toward its conclusion -- "Tomorrow Never Came" seems like the logical conclusion, but theres a three-track coda afterward -- it nevertheless delivers upon its promise of a sunnier Lana Del Rey, and the very fact that she can find so many textures in a deliberately limited palette is impressive. | ||
 | Album: 62 of 75 Artist: Mark Eitzel Title: Hey Mr Ferryman Released: 2017-01-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Last Ten Years (04:17) 2 An Answer (04:36) 3 The Road (05:21) 4 Nothing and Everything (04:17) 5 An Angel’s Wing Brushed the Penny Slots (04:08) 6 In My Role as Professional Singer and Ham (05:27) 7 Mr Humphries (04:52) 8 La Llorona (04:27) 9 Just Because (04:51) 10 Let Me Go (03:44) 11 Sleep From My Eyes (03:59) |
 | Album: 63 of 75 Artist: Kevin Morby Title: City Music Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Come to Me Now (04:51) 2 Crybaby (03:56) 3 1234 (01:47) 4 Aboard My Train (03:15) 5 Dry Your Eyes (04:12) 6 Flannery (00:40) 7 City Music (06:44) 8 Tin Can (04:50) 9 Caught in My Eye (03:33) 10 Night Time (06:03) 11 Pearly Gates (03:52) 12 Downtowns Lights (04:19) |
 | Album: 64 of 75 Artist: Blanck Mass Title: World Eater Released: 2017-03-03 Tracks: 7 Duration: 48:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 John Doe’s Carnival of Error (02:35) 2 Rhesus Negative (09:09) 3 Please (07:28) 4 The Rat (06:09) 5 Silent Treatment (07:36) 6 Minnesota / Eas Fors / Naked (07:28) 7 Hive Mind (08:31) |
 | Album: 65 of 75 Artist: Real Estate Title: In Mind Released: 2017-03-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Darling (04:21) 2 Serve the Song (03:14) 3 Stained Glass (03:54) 4 After the Moon (04:51) 5 Two Arrows (06:51) 6 White Light (03:15) 7 Holding Pattern (03:46) 8 Time (03:50) 9 Diamond Eyes (02:34) 10 Same Sun (03:18) 11 Saturday (05:04) |
 | Album: 66 of 75 Artist: Crescent Title: Resin Pockets Released: 2017-05-26 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Get Yourself Tidy (03:11) 2 Impressions (02:21) 3 Im Not Awake (06:57) 4 Charlstone (05:48) 5 Willow Patterns (04:28) 6 AC30 (04:43) 7 Light Bulbs in the Trees (03:15) 8 Starlings (05:42) 9 Roman Roads (03:18) |
 | Album: 67 of 75 Artist: The Magnetic Fields Title: 50 Song Memoir Released: 2017-03-10 Tracks: 30 Duration: 1:30:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 ’66 Wonder Where I’m From (02:44) 2 ’67 Come Back as a Cockroach (02:34) 3 ’68 A Cat Called Dionysus (02:46) 4 ’69 Judy Garland (03:17) 5 ’70 They’re Killing Children Over There (02:36) 6 ’71 I Think I’ll Make Another World (02:57) 7 ’72 Eye Contact (02:55) 8 ’73 It Could Have Been Paradise (03:07) 9 ’74 No (02:57) 10 ’75 My Mama Ain’t (03:01) 1 ’76 Hustle 76 (03:16) 2 ’77 Life Ain’t All Bad (04:16) 3 ’78 The Blizzard of ’78 (03:15) 4 ’79 Rock’n’Roll Will Ruin Your Life (02:58) 5 ’80 London by Jetpack (02:58) 6 ’81 How to Play the Synthesizer (03:06) 7 ’82 Happy Beeping (03:10) 8 ’83 Foxx and I (02:43) 9 ’84 Danceteria! (03:09) 10 ’85 Why I Am Not a Teenager (03:07) 1 ’86 How I Failed Ethics (02:58) 2 ’87 At the Pyramid (03:10) 3 ’88 Ethan Frome (02:24) 4 ’89 The 1989 Musical Marching Zoo (03:06) 5 ’90 Dreaming in Tetris (03:21) 6 ’91 The Day I Finally… (02:20) 7 ’92 Weird Diseases (03:10) 8 ’93 Me and Fred and Dave and Ted (03:08) 9 ’94 Haven’t Got a Penny (02:53) 10 ’95 A Serious Mistake (03:13) |
| 50 Song Memoir : Allmusic album Review : Stephin Merritt has never been afraid to think big, at least as far as his music is concerned, and his ad-hoc group the Magnetic Fields enjoyed their breakthrough with the wildly ambitious 1999 set 69 Love Songs, a three-disc collection featuring, yes, 69 songs about love. While that album bests 2017s 50 Song Memoir by 19 tracks, in nearly all other respects, 50 Song Memoir is a project of even greater scale and scope. Begun as Merritt was celebrating his 50th birthday, 50 Song Memoir finds him embracing pop songs as the medium for an autobiography, with each of the 50 tracks representing a different year in his life. The result is not an operatic narrative that ticks off various major events in Merritts first half-century, but 50 Song Memoir does deliver a fascinating portrait of Merritts life and times. Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, Merritt shares tales of his truly strange childhood, his interactions with his mothers many eccentric boyfriends, the joys and annoyances of life in New York City, his love of the citys bars and nightclubs, his dreams of being John Foxx of Ultravox, his hatred of surfing, relationships with numerous romantic partners, and the role music has played in nearly all of these episodes. As is his habit with the Magnetic Fields, Merritt handled the sizable majority of the instrumental chores on this album himself, making use of his large collection of electronic and acoustic instruments, and the results have a clanky, homespun charm that meshes nicely with the alternately buoyant and snarky tone of his frequently lovely melodies. But the real star of 50 Song Memoir is Stephin Merritt the songwriter -- these missives are full of wit, intelligence, and engaging wordplay that bring a playful touch to even the most dire subject matter (and a very human sense of gravity to the funnier numbers). And the closer, "Somebodys Fetish," is a hilarious but encouraging statement of how love eventually comes to us all, showing even Merritt knows the value of a happy ending. There are very few working songwriters who could have pulled off this sort of a project this well, and even fewer who could make this giant-sized song cycle feel so intimate and accessible. 50 Song Memoir is a rare example of Stephin Merritt offering a look into his offstage life, but just as importantly its a reminder of why hes a truly great songwriter, and this ranks with his finest work. | ||
 | Album: 68 of 75 Artist: Floating Points Title: Reflections - Mojave Desert Released: 2017-06-30 Tracks: 5 Duration: 29:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Mojave Desert (02:22) 2 Silurian Blue (07:01) 3 Kites (03:15) 4 Kelso Dunes (12:47) 5 Lucerne Valley (03:38) |
 | Album: 69 of 75 Artist: Sparks Title: Hippopotamus Released: 2017-09-08 Tracks: 15 Duration: 55:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Probably Nothing (01:21) 2 Missionary Position (04:18) 3 Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) (04:32) 4 Scandinavian Design (04:10) 5 Giddy Giddy (03:10) 6 What the Hell Is It This Time? (04:03) 7 Unaware (03:54) 8 Hippopotamus (03:47) 9 Bummer (03:58) 10 I Wish You Were Fun (04:04) 11 So Tell Me Mrs. Lincoln Aside from That How Was the Play? (04:00) 12 When Youre a French Director (02:45) 13 The Amazing Mr. Repeat (02:59) 14 A Little Bit Like Fun (03:57) 15 Life with the Macbeths (04:12) |
 | Album: 70 of 75 Artist: Perfume Genius Title: No Shape Released: 2017-05-05 Tracks: 13 Duration: 43:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Otherside (02:40) 2 Slip Away (02:45) 3 Just Like Love (03:14) 4 Go Ahead (02:53) 5 Valley (03:09) 6 Wreath (04:26) 7 Every Night (02:47) 8 Choir (02:28) 9 Die 4 You (03:32) 10 Sides (04:52) 11 Braid (02:58) 12 Run Me Through (04:44) 13 Alan (02:46) |
 | Album: 71 of 75 Artist: David Rawlings Title: Poor Davids Almanack Released: 2017-08-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Midnight Train (03:18) 2 Money Is the Meat in the Coconut (02:23) 3 Cumberland Gap (02:55) 4 Airplane (04:44) 5 Lindsey Button (05:03) 6 Come on Over My House (03:42) 7 Guitar Man (03:30) 8 Yup (04:33) 9 Good God a Woman (03:31) 10 Put em Up Solid (04:33) |
 | Album: 72 of 75 Artist: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Title: The Nashville Sound Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Last of My Kind (04:22) 2 Cumberland Gap (03:24) 3 Tupelo (04:01) 4 White Man’s World (03:56) 5 If We Were Vampires (03:35) 6 Anxiety (06:57) 7 Molotov (03:46) 8 Chaos and Clothes (03:34) 9 Hope the High Road (03:03) 10 Something to Love (03:39) |
 | Album: 73 of 75 Artist: Aldous Harding Title: Party Released: 2017-05-19 Tracks: 9 Duration: 38:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Blend (02:29) 2 Imagining My Man (05:51) 3 Living the Classics (02:44) 4 Party (05:43) 5 I’m So Sorry (03:48) 6 Horizon (04:09) 7 What If Birds Aren’t Singing They’re Screaming (03:04) 8 The World Is Looking for You (05:08) 9 Swell Does the Skull (05:48) |
 | Album: 74 of 75 Artist: Feist Title: Pleasure Released: 2017-04-28 Tracks: 11 Duration: 53:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pleasure (04:45) 2 I Wish I Didn’t Miss You (04:18) 3 Get Not High, Get Not Low (04:57) 4 Lost Dreams (05:18) 5 Any Party (05:22) 6 A Man Is Not His Song (04:41) 7 The Wind (04:35) 8 Century (05:53) 9 Baby Be Simple (06:21) 10 I’m Not Running Away (03:24) 11 Young Up (03:54) |
| Pleasure : Allmusic album Review : For Feist to begin her first record in six years with a pregnant pause is a pretty bold move. The teasing, introductory silence is answered with lead single "Pleasure," which refuses to play to expectation. Much like her last record, Metals, eschewed her reputation as a creator of indie pop smashes like "1234" and "Mushaboom" through a series of moodily atmospheric pieces, Pleasure is yet another progression. The title track is a lusty take on raw, bluesy rock that echoes PJ Harvey at her most mischievous and playful. Similarly, the follow-up single, "Century," is full of staccato punkish swagger that leads into a rousing and earnest chorus: "Someone who will lead you to someone/Who will lead you to someone/Who will lead you to the one/At the end of the century." Theres barely time to digest this shift before Jarvis Cockers dulcet tones appear, the effect simultaneously humorous and dramatic. But nothing is quite as alarming as the way the song ends: like someone cut the power, lights out. The unceremonious conclusion tells you a lot about the record as a whole and Leslie Feists rejection of neat, contented endings. Structurally, Pleasure is consistently surprising, as compositions lead you to expect a certain progression, only to veer wildly in another direction. By comparison, the unabashedly romantic "Any Party" is all the more beguiling for its simplicity. Led by an acoustic guitar played loosely and passionately, she croons "You know Id leave any party for you/Sugar I got no question it was the right thing to do." The production is raw, but not in a crude sense; rather, the rounded echo and persistent hiss make it sound like shes performing these songs in your living room. The lack of polish lends the record intimacy, warmth, and immediacy that make tracks like the heart-sore "I Wish I Didnt Miss You" all the more affecting. Vocally, Feist has never been in more dexterous form. She delivers the desperate lines "I felt some certainty that you must have died/Because how could I live if youre still alive" with a disarming intensity; on the beautifully bruised "Baby Be Simple" she sounds exposed like never before via whispered tones. Time and desire weigh heavily on the record. But ruminations on past, present, and future are left bereft of narrative closure, as she sings "A man is not his song/And Im not a story." Thats not to say she doesnt understand longing for tidy summations. The most stirring moment on the record is the call and response between Feist and choir: "The man is not his song/Though we all want to sing along/We all heard those old melodies/Like theyre singing right to me" -- within which she reflects the powerful need to make connections, and our attempts to cheat mortality through the permanence of art. Feist has made her sex-and-death record, and in turn she has created her boldest statement yet. Its messy, confusing, thrilling, and of course, filled with pleasure. | ||
 | Album: 75 of 75 Artist: Ryan Adams Title: Prisoner Released: 2017-02-17 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do You Still Love Me? (03:59) 2 Prisoner (03:11) 3 Doomsday (03:01) 4 Haunted House (02:42) 5 Shiver and Shake (03:05) 6 To Be Without You (03:21) 7 Anything I Say to You Now (04:50) 8 Breakdown (04:00) 9 Outbound Train (04:21) 10 Broken Anyway (02:57) 11 Tightrope (03:56) 12 We Disappear (03:29) |
| Prisoner : Allmusic album Review : Picking up the thread left hanging from 2014s eponymous album -- in retrospect, his 2015 cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 seems even more of a detour -- Ryan Adams winds up diving ever deeper into early-80s sounds and sensibilities on Prisoner. Such supple sounds are carefully constructed with producer Don Was, a professional who helps Adams articulate the AOR ideals he initially essayed in 2014. Prisoner sounds warm, open, and inviting, its welcoming vibes contradicting how its an album born out of pain, a record written in the aftermath of Adams divorce from Mandy Moore. Sadness haunts the corners of Prisoner -- its there in the very song titles, beginning with the opener "Do You Still Love Me" and running through its aching closer, "We Disappear" -- but its not a sorrowful record, not with its smooth edges and warm center. All of this is an outgrowth of the aesthetic Adams pioneered in 2014, one that he lent to Jenny Lewis The Voyager, and the reconstituted soft rock suits him well: it’s a salute to the past and Adams always respected tradition. If the songs on Prisoner follow a conventional path of heartbreak -- a man sorting through the remnants of a broken romance -- the sound helps give the album an identity. Adams largely relies on cinematic classic rock tricks, a move underscored by how "Outbound Train" seems like an answer to Bruce Springsteens "Downbound Train" -- toward the end of the record he starts to thread in a few spare acoustic confessionals, songs that play like subdued nods to his Americana past -- and thats the charm of Prisoner: its not a record that wallows in hurt, its an album that functions as balm for bad times. | ||