The end of the year is upon us and so are end of the year lists. Although I’m not a fan of saying which were the best albums since taste in music is very subjective and dynamic, I am a fan of sharing the albums that I most enjoyed.
Therefore I’ll share my fav albums with you. Let the controversy begin.
#15 Mykki Blanco: Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep
First off I want to shout out fellow music club member Shary for sharing this album. Second, I don't have anything insightful or snobbish to say about this album. The reality is that I played it on Fridays at work and I had a blast listening to it. Its new sounds, funny lyrics ("YOU USED ALL MY SOY MILK") and great beats. Enjoy it and listen to new music.
Favourite Track: Free Ride
#14 Turnstile: GLOW ON
Even though I'm not the biggest punk rock fan out there I thoroughly enjoyed Turnstile's third studio album, GLOW ON. I must admit at first I thought it was an electronic band, or even instrumental R&B type, because of the artwork I was pleasantly surprised.
One of my issues with rock albums is that I sometimes find them repetitive and lazy since it’s sometimes limited to the physical world and its instruments. All of this isn't true with GLOW ON. There is an ample range of genres and music in the album that made me feel intrigued throughout the album.
Favourite Track: UNDERWATER BOI
#13 Hiatus Kaiyote: Mood Valiant
I first discovered Hiatus Kaiyote after a Mahershala Ali interview with GQ, I think. In the interview, he listed the songs he was fucking with. Being the artist he is, I had to get on it. The song he recommended was Nakamarra (feat. Q-Tip) from their debut album, Tawk Tomahawk.
Their new album, Mood Valiant, is their first in over six years, which is quite some time (hey frank c'mon man next year blonde will turn 6 years), and first, after Nai Palm, the singer, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Melbourne band keeps their trademark sound they developed before, indie rock with a jazz and blues influence. But something rather unique was unveiled in the project. While in previous albums it felt more like a mixture of sounds and personalities, this project is more cohesive but without losing its experimental touch. This makes it their best work so far.
Something interesting to note is that all of their previous works had an animal for its cover art, symbolizing in a way the gift of life in all its forms and structures, or lack of, and then there is Mood Valiant's artwork. The art is an abstract representation of Palm's mom and childhood, of how in all the chaos of life she was able to find a structure and make it work, something that can also be said of this album.
Favourite track: Red Room Favorite Track: Red Room
#12 Topaz Jones: Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
Topaz Jones' newest record escaped me for a while. Even though it was released in April I only discovered it until September, thanks to its P&P Award in Best Use of a Spiral Staircase on an Album Cover. Although I knew of Jones a while back I never really listened to any of his music consistently. It's like those artists that you know you'll like but for other reasons, you forget and don't listen to their work. While this was the case previously, this album made take Topaz Jones seriously.
While my first impressions were that it reminded me a lot of Nostalgia Ultra and Channel Orange after you pay more attention you know that it goes beyond that. The album is an in-depth dive into Jones' childhood and teenage years. The thing that caught my eye is that all of this is accompanied by funky and optimistic music that converts into a pleasant and joyful experience to listen to.
Jones also made a short film with the album that the short film jury award for non-fiction at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. In the doc Topaz develops his current version of the "Black ABCs". "inspired by a set of alphabet flashcards developed by Black educators in Chicago in 1970 as an alternative to the Eurocentric teaching tools typically available to them".
Favourite track: D.I.A.L. Favorite Track: D.I.A.L.
#11 Arooj Aftab: Vulture Prince
In this very up and down year, I turned to many purely instrumental records or ambience. The hectic life we're living needed anthesis or something we could turn to to find peace. Arooj Aftab's newest album is this.
The Pakistani artist combines jazz, folk and traditional classical music from the region she grew up in to create this album. Even though I don't understand the lyrics, throughout the album felt that this record is her way to accept tragedy and deal with trauma. This album is dedicated to his younger brother that recently passed away. It's a very beautiful and intimate album you should listen to.
Favorite Track: Diya Hai
#10 Mach-Hommy: Pray for Haiti
Mach-Hommy's album feels like a blender of genres of the past and the future. His collabs with Westside Gunn feels like the electronic-influenced hip hop we saw in the mid-2010s but also makes you feel that this subgenre evolved and it shows you where it's going.
In the record, the Haitian native is struggling with survivors guilt while also painting a picture of the situation he felt, which makes the listener empathize with him. All of this is accompanied by a top-notch production that makes you want to turn up to his life struggles, a rather conflictive feeling.
Favourite Track: The Stellar Ray Theory
#9 BADBADNOTGOOD: Talk Memory
The newest record from the Canadian band is a glimpse into the band's future. This album is the first since founding member Matthew Tavares left the band in 2019 (in turmoil and claiming a hostile environment according to a recent ig post) and shows that the band was never about a solo member but rather the group dynamic.
The difference between Talk Memory and previous albums is that rather than being a genre-expanding record, this showcases the band’s influences and desires of creating music. Combining classical jazz elements and hip hop production the band creates their purest album to date.
Favourite Track: Unfolding (Momentum 73)
#8 Vince Staples: Vince Staples
Who said that good records need to belong? Now that we're in the streaming era it is more common for artists to place 20 songs in the same album to rack up streams (I'm looking at you Drizzy & YE). This is why it's so refreshing to listen to Vince Staples' newest record. At only 10 songs and a 22 minute run time this album still delivers.
Vince Staples has always been known for pushing hip hop into new corners, such as his record Big Fish Theory with electronic sounds. The album isn't exactly that as it’s closer to that west coast vibes Staples is familiar with. The album was produced entirely by fan-favourite Kenny Beats and deserves you to put attention to it.
Favourite Track: TAKING TRIPS
#7 black midi: Cavalcade
To define is to limit. Therefore there is no point in telling you what type of music black midi plays. Just know that Cavalcade is a multidimensional record that encompasses many tastes and expands with each listens. The album is filled with twists and turns that keep you on your toes and very well entertained.
Favourite Track: Chondromalacia Patella
#6 Tyler The Creator: CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Remember at the beginning of the pandemic we were all forced to quarantine for months? That's when we all said we would finally do the things, read the books, watch the movies and cook the recipes we hadn't had the time for. The reality is that most of us didn't do shit because it fucking sucked and we weren't in the mental space to do anything. Well, this didn't apply to Tyler The Creator.
Coming off his success with IGOR, he kept at it and delivered a great album. At his maximum, CMWYGL finds Tyler using all of his powers with precision. What I love most about Tyler and his art is that you can hear, feel and see it come to life. He creates a whole aesthetic and vibe every time he makes an album and this is why he's one of the greatest to ever do it. As a fan of multidimensional art, I am always on the lookout for his new projects.
Favourite Track: HOT WIND BLOWS
#5 Jazmine Sullivan: Heaux Tales
I can't believe January was only 11 months ago, I swear 2021 felt like another 10 years in our lifetime. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to remember Heaux Tales was released this year. I didn't know anything about Jazmine Sullivan before this album, but when it dropped I saw all the music gurus praise it endlessly so I had to check it out.
The album excels in the practice of storytelling and can create a safe space for one of the most marginalized groups in history, black women. I'm thankful that Sullivan allows us to look inside of this community and make us appreciate them.
Favourite Track: Price Tags
#4 Helado Negro: Far In
In his last album, This Is How You Smile, Roberto Carlos Lange takes in a very intimate introspection that can sometimes feel like a heavy yet necessary task. In his new record, Far In, Lange sheds this weight away and focuses on a more optimistic perspective in life. This is why it comes at a perfect time and lets us escape for a second into the microcosm he created. It's good vibes only with this Latin dad.
Favourite Track: Gemini Leo
#3 Little Simz: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Littles SImz's new album is a cinematic masterpiece. I know it isn't a movie or it’s accompanied by any visual presentation, but the way the album is structured, sonically and lyrically, it feels like a movie.
In the album, she does a deep dive into the division between her public persona and her inner self and how she grapples with this stark division. All of this while also exploring what she thinks to be a woman means. When you combine this storytelling prose with the superb musical production she did, it's easy to crown this as one of my favourite albums of the year. P.S. Her fit in the coverart is gas.
Favourite Track: Woman
#2 Baby Keem: Melodic Blue
When your cousin is Kendrick Lamar, pressure is high for your debut album, but, when you're as smooth as Baby Keem you ain't got no worries. Every year there is this rap album I have on repeat non-stop. In 2019 it was Schoolboy Q's Crash Talk, in 2020 Amine's Limbo and this year it was Melodic Blue.
It's not even in the same universe as KDot's debut album, but who cares. This album has straight-up bangers and depressing songs. It has everything you want for a hip hop debut album. I can't wait to see what Baby Keem does next. Also, family ties are one of the best rap songs in the last 5 years. As Matthew Strauss from Pitchfork puts it so eloquently: “Family Ties is IMAX rap".
Favourite Track: “family ties” [ft. Kendrick Lamar]
#1 Floating Points: Promises
Why do we listen to music? So we can feel connected to something, either others or ourselves. Everybody has a different reason but it's always true that music makes you feel something, that's the ultimate goal of music and art. This is why Promises is my album of the year and one of my favourites of all time. This album is closer to a spiritual experience rather than a music record. The first time I heard it I entered a state of trance, calmly. Please do yourself a favour and listen to this with good headphones or a nice sound system setup.
Favourite Track: Movement 6