BLOG (comma) MUSIC: albums of the year

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There was no way that I could make this list and not have this album on it. In at number 28 is The Carters with EVERYTHING IS LOVE.

Let me just start off by saying... Beyoncé. Now with that said, this album arrived in true Carter fashion - with no fanfare nor warning, just a link. You can already guess how I started my day when this announcement was made. Sweeping in with the expansive and typical to a Beyoncé and Jay-Z collaboration "SUMMER", then giving the listener a millisecond to breathe just before the rumbling "APES**T". By track 3 I was already thoroughly invested. Aside from the fact that it gave us 9 new songs from Beyoncé and her husband, there are lots of other things that go into making EVERYTHING IS LOVE a good album.

The 90's R&B boyband harmonies on "BOSS" or the shout-out from Blue to her siblings Sir and Rumi are just a couple of the little touches that add so much to this album. As grand as portions of the record are and as grand as they have the ability to make their projects; it's the little bits of wordplay and catchy ad-libs that sit with you long after first listen. Beyoncé flexes her rapping muscles with many quotable lyrics on this record and Hov as always adds his witty and confident bars.

Now of course this was a good album. It was made by two of the greatest musicians/performers of the last few decades as well as a team of fantastic producers and collaborators. However, ultimately it's a lazy album for them for two key reasons (and a plethora of smaller reasons). Firstly, they speak over topics that they've both already covered substantially both together and separately. Secondly, they play heavily towards the favour of the mainstream, rather than looking into less conventional and accessible instrumentals. I would have expected a collaboration of this magnitude to produce something mind-blowing and memorable, but if I'm honest with myself I don't think that this album is better than either Beyoncé or Jay-Z's most recent solo projects.

Despite that, there are a few songs that really stood out for me on this album and will continue to make me smile whenever I think about the first time I'd listened to them. "BOSS", "NICE", "FRIENDS", and "HEARD ABOUT US", both lyrically and instrumentally caught and held my attention. I really hope this isn't the last collaborative piece that we see from The Carters and I also hope that it isn't the best.

Okay, so it's officially December, Winter is here, Christmas is coming, the night is dark and full of terrors. All of that aside, it's time to kick off 2018's Album of the Year countdown and bringing us in at number 30 is Maribou State with Kingdoms In Colour.

In the year of fantastic lo-fi beats and where to find them, Maribou State's dreamy, ebbing waves have been a welcomed addition to any late night study session or early morning commute. Before this year I didn't really have much of an idea about Maribou State, but after falling in love with Khruangbin and finding out about Maribou on their Spotify Radio, their album has made a permanent home in my music library. The radio transitioned into Maribou State's Kingdoms In Colour with such a subtle sway that I almost didn't realise the shift until I lifted my phone to check the name of the song I was enjoying.

My favourites right now are "Beginner's Luck", "Turnmills", "Feel Good (feat. Khruangbin)" and "Vale". These definitely change often depending on my mood and it tickles me slightly when the songs that resonate the most aren't necessarily the ones with lyrics. Maribou State have managed to capture the swell of the synths amongst the various samples they've played with on this album phenomenally. The influences from both their tour travels and their collaborators are clear throughout, with several East Asian touches and instruments alongside European deep-cuts and vocals. There were even a few instrumental portions of this album that reminded me of a more refined version of Delphic's "Baiya".

I was a little surprised to find out that this was their sophomore album. I've spoken often about the effects of a sophomore slump and so as great as this album is, it's exciting to think that they may have already released something even better. That said, aside from having one of my favourite album titles of the year, Maribou State have painted a beautiful soundscape for us with this record and it will be dancing around the softer moments of my 2019 I'm sure.

Have a look at what brought me into my Top 30 in 2017 here.

Every year I end up going through a bit of a nostalgic phase with my albums where I'll wheel up an old favourite and get really stuck in it, sometimes for weeks on end. That's happened a number of times this year and more and more it's made me think of the albums that should've made my Album Of The Year lists but didn't. Hindsight's 20-20 and a few of the albums on this list very clearly scream Top 10 to me now.

LIANNE LA HAVAS - Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012)

It's been six years since this release and looking back at my list then, it should've been Top 3 let alone Top 10. This is still one of my favourite debut albums of all time. Not only is the song selection and flow stellar but it's lyrically witty, exposing and altogether relatable. Everything about this album is just right, down to the last note. Since then, Lianne's released Blood and as stunning and musically impressive as that album is, I connect more with Is Your Love Big Enough? as a full body of work. Each year since it's release a can recall a vivid memory with one of it's songs attached to it. It's taken six years but I finally managed to see Lianne La Havas live this year and hearing this album played live only strengthens my belief that this should've been one of my first picks for AOTY in 2012.

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS - Changing Tune (2013)

Considering how much I overplayed this album in 2013/2014, I'm not at all sure how it didn't make my list. This was the soundtrack to almost every road-trip, every commute, every spring-cleaning session for months on end. Listening back to it now, I see what must clearly have evaded me when I was compiling my AOTY list. As always Mike Duce's clever lyricism shines through as an easy compliment, but what really takes it to the next level is the production. The mix is fantastic and not only that but the riffs are full of instant classics. I could pick anyone of these instrumentals out of a loud crowd - they're so unique but so true to LTA and their style. In a time when it was pretty rare to hear much truly original content in Rock/Pop Rock music, LTA put out an album that was as different as it was enjoyable.

JANELLE MONAÉ - The Electric Lady (2014)

I remember this actually being quite a tough choice for me at the time. This was on my shortlist for albums to make the Top 10 but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to choose it. Listening back to it now and thinking about how much of an impact this album has had on my life and listening habits since, it seems like a no-brainer. The album opener "Givin' 'Em What They Love (feat. Prince)" - as I've said many-a-time before - is one of my favourite album openers of all time. The quality does not let up once as the album proceeds. She touches on so many pockets of music, so many different concepts and influences. This was such a forward-thinking album and I was clearly not ready to appreciate it truly for what it was at the time. I'm ready now.

ARCHITECTS - Lost Forever//Lost Together (2014)

This was just a late bloomer for me. Coming just after Daybreaker - the album that really and truly cemented my love for Architects - I don't think I was ready to listen to and fully appreciate anything new just yet. It wasn't until 2015 that I really listened and understood just how stellar this album was, both in lyricism and execution. A friend of mine actually messaged me raving about "C.A.N.C.E.R." and I listened back to the album feeling like it was the first time I'd heard it. Sam vocals hit with such an intensity in this album but also drew back to a vulnerability we hadn't heard to much of before this. This album was truly the catalyst for the Architects that we know and love today.

NONAME - Telefone (2016)

My appreciation for this album increases every single year. I say appreciation because this album has gotten me through more bouts of freezing cold weather, rainy days inside, introspective mornings and melancholic evenings than I can count. Musically, I can see how it would have been pipped at the post for me in 2016 - it was an exceptional year for music. I still believe that if this would have made my Top 10, it would have been low down on the list. However, given how much the lyrics resonate and how listenable the instrumentals are, looking back now, I feel like this was worthy of words. An immediately nostalgic album that I know I will be listening to for many years to come. There's a lot to be said for a debut album that can bring the listener closer not only to the artist but also to themselves.

As we approach December, preparations for this year's Top 30 list are already underway. It's been another incredible year for music not only in quality but in sheer volume. After combing through the mounds of new discoveries and new albums I've listened to these last 12 months, I'm just hoping that I can make the right calls. But as I said earlier, hindsight's 20-20.