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Cassidy

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Posts posted by Cassidy

    So far from your list I am loving the Angel Olsen and especially Blood Orange LPs, definitely amongst my faves of the year. Sadly I didn't really enjoy Jenny Hval's album that much sadly, despite loving “Conceptual Romance” - that said, additional point for using the word bitch in the title.

     

    Kanye West was just disappointing to me... it seemed to be somewhat unfinished. Obviously massively hyped but it did not justify it IMO.

     

    Hoping for something left-field to come, maybe Kero Kero Bonito?

     

    I always found Kero Kero Bonito an interesting idea from what I heard (but sadly didn't hear enough for inclusion this yr!)

    #06 Jenny Hval Blood Bitch

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    On her sixth studio album, Jenny Hval took the risk of toying with a conceptual record. Strip it down to surface level and you find an eerie yet provocative record. A droning yet strategically alluring record. Hval talked about how the themes of beauty and horror ran subconsciously into each other throughout and it’s obvious to see she made no distinction between the two.

    Blood Bitch is full of mood and atmosphere, unfolding layer by layer with each song. Largely by its very nature it’s made as an uncomfortable record and achieves this quite easily. On ‘The Great Undressing’ Jenny vociferously and rather jokingly dismisses the idea that the sole substance of the record is her own menstrual blood, stating “[the album is] about vampires”. Just seconds earlier she’d delved into the unparalleled soliloquy ‘Untamed Religion’, expressing in meaty detail how she’d awoken to find blood on her bedsheets oblivious to the fact that it was ‘time yet’. It’s one of the few times we see her humour on what is a largely vaporous piece of work. Not only does it paint quite a vivid image for the listener, it shows what an entirely multi-faceted piece of work this is. I mean, what other record this year would you find period blood juxtaposed with vampires?

    Hval has always been very much about overstepping the actual musical foundation of her work, throwing lashings of conceptualisation and initial unacceptability in to the mixing pot. However if we claw away the vast oceans of mist surrounding this record we notice one simple, yet abstract, fact. Jenny, quite effortlessly, created the most symbolically female record of the year. And not in the Beyoncé way either. In the Virginia Woolf-inspired, emotionally-transcendent way. Admirable.

     

    I WISH I could love A Seat At The Table as much as I have done with her previous work but it doesn't hit me.

     

    The Life of Pablo I liked, then forgot about, but have since returned to and enjoy more now. It doesn't hold a candle to his previous efforts but with such a strong back catalogue it's hard to keep bettering previous work. I worry about his future musically though now he's descending further and further into personal and social turmoil. Who knows, perhaps it will lead into a renewed style of artistry for him? What a man though.

     

    Yeah I get what you mean. Kanye earned a lot of plaudits for how dysfunctional TLoP was and I always just assumed it was part of a greater expression of art but maybe not. The next album will be telling.

     

    PS still disappointed with u over Solange ;_;

    0 Hull vs Everton 1

    1 Burnley vs Sunderland 1

    3 Chelsea vs Stoke 1

    1 Leicester vs West Ham 1

    3 Manchester United vs Middlesbrough 0

    0 Southampton vs West Brom 0

    0 Swansea vs Bournemouth 2

    1 Liverpool vs Manchester City 2

    1 Watford vs Tottenham 1

    2 Arsenal vs Crystal Palace 1

     

    2 Middlesbrough vs Leicester City 1

    1 Everton vs Southampton 2

    1 Manchester City vs Burnley 0

    0 Sunderland vs Liverpool 2

    0 West Bromwich Albion vs Hull City 0

    1 West Ham United vs Manchester United 2

    1 Bournemouth vs Arsenal 1

    2 Crystal Palace vs Swansea City 2

    1 Stoke City vs Watford 0

    1 Tottenham vs Chelsea 1

     

    OMG

    #07 Whitney Light Upon the Lake

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    Light Upon the Lake is made and constructed for one undeniable reason that becomes clear as much as three songs in to your first listen. You’re enjoying a balmy summer’s afternoon and need music to compliment the good food, drink and company you are indulging in. The simplicity of the record is essentially what makes it so beautiful and makes it even easier to overlook its incredibly rigorous approach to following the rubric on how to make an album that stands up to the Pitchfork musical Tropicana of the past 10 years.

    ‘No Woman’, the album opener, sums up the record blissfully from the offset. The fusion of the simplest of guitar strumming patterns and Julian Elrich’s proportionately damaged vocals submerge effortlessly into one of the most beautiful retelling-of-times-past stories of the year. “Come up and I wish I could stay / I’ve been sleeping alone”. It shows the two-piece in their ground down, most vulnerable state. Whilst still looking back on this period of life with fondness. This same nostalgic glee is shared on ‘No Matter Where We Go’, this time fit to the sound of pick-me-up hooks and sing-along choruses.

    It doesn’t really matter which perspective you look at Light Upon the Lake from, it’s all comes to the same conclusion. We sail along short entries with no more than a handful of lines examining heartbreak, heartache and loss. We gloss over beautiful memories and safe places. Whichever emotion you tap into and get hung up on doesn’t really matter, we’ll still continue to drift along Whitney’s empathetic plumb line and have a thoroughly enjoyable time doing so.

     

    #08 Kanye West The Life of Pablo

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    2016 was quite a year for Kanye. Most of that relative to his Twitter splurges, financial documentation and a recent hospitalisation on the grounds of concern for his mental state. In the midst of all that he also released his most self-aware and nerdiest album to date. However, to say self-aware is not to say it’s not rich in famous brand Kanye egotism. Heck he even samples two of his own songs (yes, his *own* songs) to create ‘Famous’.

    The Life of Pablo, in all its intricacy, still sees a 2016 version of Kanye with a point to prove, a Kanye striving to set the record straight. In a blogosphere who loves to roll out the ‘self-parody’ line, he stood up and gave us all the middle finger. Kanye takes his most concise swipe on the ‘I Love Kanye’ snippet looping ‘I miss the old Kanye / I used to love Kanye / I hate the new Kanye’. Fully putting to bed the troglodytic mindset of ‘wanting old Kanye’ and claiming in no uncertain terms that no matter how good he was, it would be unsustainable for him to be making that music, and indeed be that person, in 2016. Call it ballsy, call it whatever you like, Kanye is simply keeping it real. Something he has very rarely been capable of throughout his career as an artist.

    Yet despite the petulance and rebellion of previous albums, we see a more complex issue unfolding here. We hear him talk of his family. We hear him talk about where he feels he belongs in the juggernaut Kardashian movement. We hear him talk about how he perceives himself. The whole of ‘Real Friends’ sees Kanye at his hyperbolic best, giving us an authentic ‘the struggle is real’ moment. ‘Wolves’ portrays him casting a nostalgic glance back at the ‘808s’ days. However, The Life of Pablo, for all its insecure excerpts is Kanye’s real coming of age moment. ‘Saint Pablo’ being the befitting eulogy at the end of a mammoth era, recalling the life of an international hip hop superstar and all that accompanies it. Anyone who believed Kanye had fallen into disrepair were made to sit up and listen. Once again. It’s distressing to see the Kanye West story elapse over time but one thing is for certain, his music is as encapsulating and striking as ever.

     

    #09 Solange A Seat at the Table

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    Solange Knowles, the world’s favourite cult artist, dropped A Seat at the Table in late September and would’ve been fully excused by everybody had it fallen flat on its face. When looking at tackling problematic issues and taking on hit-or-miss concepts Solange looked them all square in the eyes. It’s unfair to even begin to draw parallels between her and her slightly famous big sister, but off the back of yet another bold proclamation of black art the two were definitely singing from the same hymn sheet this year. We all know the story of the Kraftwerk concert and the half-eaten limes after all.

    A Seat at the Table is steeped in soul, dripping in succinct interludes throughout. The record hosts a bold list of collaborators and accreditors which reads almost as a who’s who of forgotten black musical representation. It even features her parents. But despite all the imagery and roll-calling it would be ultimately without worth if the record didn’t have legs to stand up to other albums of similar ilk. On ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ Solange confronts and reclaims her rights as a 30 year old black female and does it whilst drifting gorgeously over the backing. ‘Cranes in the Sky’ is a tale of survival and instinct, the idea of being supressed into emotional emptiness. It can almost be interpreted as a melodic list of diary entries passed down from generation to generation throughout the Knowles family tree.

    Yet despite the grandeur and the explicit messages hitting you left, right and centre it’s clear to note that Solange co-produced and co-wrote the entirety of A Seat at the Table. She came out with an introspective look not only into black culture but into black womanhood too. It was a huge statement of intent that goes way beyond her target audience. When looking back at times and places in an artist’s timeline this could well turn out to be Solange’s moment.

    Not too much I've heard here but Dangerous Woman is a massive highlight for me this year! Especially Into You, Greedy & the title track :wub:

     

    The only album I have heard is Dangerous Woman what an album! All killer, No filler is what I can say about it!

     

    Might check out Francis and The Lights album heard good things about it!

     

    Lots of love for OUR GRANDE. Thanks for posting guys but I can't confirm there'll be much more like 'Dangerous Woman' left to come!!

    Wet :heart: 'Deadwater' was one of the best bjsc tracks of last year (and was sent by me, naturally), that song and 'All The Ways' are absolutely everything <3

     

    Hinds are a cool prospect, glad i picked up their debut in early january as it's a total joy!

     

    Hinds are delightful, I spent the best part of this year having a huge crush on Carlotta. I do worry how far they can go after the first album though which is a shame :(

    #10 Angel Olsen My Woman

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    Angel Olsen was not the first or last female artist to shift the criterion of her musical capacity in 2016. However, what she did do was massively noticeable. She returned with an album pouring with grand moments, sing-song choruses and a masterclass in instrumental artistry. She glides effortlessly from rich vocal showpieces to huge festival anthem fodder. Her ideals are constantly fluctuating and the goalposts are translocated throughout. Warbling through the 10 track record with all the self-entitlement of an established and consistent artist, something I presume she is yearning for.

    ‘Intern’ opens up the album with dignity and grace. Olsen presents her ghosts for all to see, wailing about how she’ll one day find a contented state and unwavering in her faith as a human being. Vocally she lays herself down across the track and allows you to almost extract the meaning yourself. ‘Never Be Mine’ follows much of the same pattern as the album progresses into the dying embers of a relationship. On ‘Sister’, she condenses 7+ minutes into what seems like a fleeting few seconds of harrowing reflection. ‘I want to go where nobody knows fear / I want to follow my heart down that wild road’. At her most inviting moments Angel Olsen paints a picture of self-discovery and longing like nobody else out there. Compare that to the confident and assured lyrics of ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ and the biting, ‘this is me’ moments of ‘Woman’ and you have an almost entirely different record altogether.

    Olsen takes you through the stages of her femininity, the layers to her artistic direction and all the gristly bits in between. It’s raw and it’s energetic, without coming across in the slightest bit pretentious. The latest stepping stone in what has thus been a cloudy back catalogue to date. As far as breakthrough records go, this stands alone at the top of the pile for 2016.

    #12 Mitski Puberty 2

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    Upon first coming to grips with what Mitski Miyawaki did on Puberty 2 it’s quite easy to find yourself lost in the gloom and brusque. From assumption she’s trying to get her head above water once again. Through all the perturbation that comes with our teenage years she obviously felt the approach into adulthood would be a much smoother course. However this is a real ‘when will it all end’ record. Essentially the message explores a ‘second puberty’ where the outlets of sexual release and intoxication are much more readily available. It takes a while but Mitski explores many avenues and still doesn’t come out entirely satisfied, or even close.

    Allowing no reservations for people grossed out by bodily fluids Mitski sets the tone on Puberty 2’s opener. ‘So he laid me down, and I felt happy come inside of me’. An unmitigated disaster waiting to happen. She continues as the record unfolds, to throw down an incredible succession of bad decisions, one after the other. On ‘Your Best American Girl’ Mitski boasts what is arguably the most triumphant chorus of the year. The highlight clearly being her finding peace with the way she was raised in the face of other people’s distain. She goes through the motions of nearly every negative feeling you can feel as a young adult and still makes you feel amazing throughout. It’s incredible. It’s a journey. It’s an album where the words ‘fuck yeah’ have never more fitting upon completion.

     

    #11 Hinds Leave Me Alone

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    After my Hinds Nuggets entry flopped I have nothing more to say about this band.

    #14 Francis and the Lights Farewell, Starlite!

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    For a debut record, Farewell, Starlite! has an incredible list of collaborators and contributors (namely Justin Vernon and the notably anonymous Kanye West). This has been largely down to Francis scurrying around in the shadows for the best part of 5 years, accumulating a list of contacts and admirers that most could only dream of. Aside from all the fancy namedropping and guest slots however, Francis and the Lights managed to create a categorically hipster record that is neither contrived nor conceited. Yes the lyrics could arguably belong to a certain type of person and the rhythmic patterns are colluded with the year 2016 in mind, but the content at no point crosses the line.

    The introductory tracks on the album allow us to keep an open focus on what Francis and the Lights are and where they are heading. ‘See Her Out (That’s Just Life)’ is diluted and technically efficient. Whereas ‘I Want You To Shake’, taking a hand from numerous 80s influences, could well be placed on entirely different body of work to that of Farewell, Starlite! Eight tracks in and Francis is levelling with us, instructing that it is indeed ‘alright to cry’ when we feel low. This is very much the theme of the record throughout. It bounces about all over the place. We have beautiful moments of honesty and clarity synched with authentic foot-shuffling anthems on the corresponding axis. To be able to do that over the length of a full album and not come across as lacking any real direction is what makes this such a special and unique record. Something that certainly justifies the wait for a complete record.

     

    #13 Teenage Fanclub Here

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    Here has all the qualities of a long-distant acquaintance realigning with the dynamics of a friendship circle after being absent for way too long. ‘I’m In Love’, the first track on their first album in 6 years, is a tepid affair. Blake’s vision and yearning for connection is as warm and gooey as anything they have previously released, but it comfortably affirms their stronghold on our interest. The whole record continues to tinker along with the same geniality. A place where we are invited to have a look inside the heads of Teenage Fanclub and realise, once again, what they’re all about. There’s no middle ground with them. Once you’re in, you’re never leaving.

    Something interesting about this record is the distinct lack of parallels to be drawn with their previous work. It’s almost as if the pain and sorrow in their lives have been dissolved through six years of listening to Belle and Sebastian songs. They sing about ‘The Darkest Part of the Night’ to the backing of air-guitar scenarios and folk-rock jingles. They look back on life following death with nothing but admiration and acceptance. Nothing can seemingly deter them or their cheery spirits. Teenage Fanclub took a huge step with this record and certainly crossed over into the pop-sensibility playground. A bold yet experimentally on-point move.