In at number 18 is Travis Scott with ASTROWORLD. Outside of the hype that Travis received in the build up to ASTROWORLD's release, heavy hitters from his previous few records like "Apple Pie", "Antidote", "goosebumps (feat. Kendrick Lamar)", etc, had me buzzing for this release more than any of the murmurs of the internet.
I still remember when I first listened to this album on my way into work - it's a long commute. By the time I got to work I wanted to talk to everyone about this album. There were a few tracks that fell away from my mind fairly quickly but given the sheer length of this album that's no surprise at all. After a few more listens even the least memorable tracks had pockets that caught my attention, like the piano portion of "NC-17" around the 1:10 mark or the smooth guitar running throughout "WAKE UP".
I love an album with lots of collaborators because often this is where you build the most well-rounded and diverse material. When I found out that Tame Impala handled the instrumental on "SKELETONS", and Stevie Wonder lent his hand with the harmonica section on "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD" followed by James Blake's brilliant and moody close - I couldn't help but smile. This album definitely isn't short of very talented cooks in the kitchen. My favourite tracks at the moment are "STARGAZING" "NO BYSTANDERS" "YOSEMITE" and "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD" but these have changed quite a few times since first listen. From top to bottom the mix on this album is quality and the transitions on songs like "STARGAZING" and "SICKO MODE" are so, so clean.
After Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight in 2016 this latest offering shows off a lot more of Travis' creativity and innovation. Not merely because of the heaps of new influences and samples on it but also because of the ease of his flow and creative wordplay. I'm actually not sure whether Travis will be able to top this with his next record but if that comes around and it's just as good as this, you won't be hearing any complaints from me.
Check out what filled up the number 18 spot last year here.
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