Sophie - OIL OF EVERY PEARLS UN-INSIDES
Well this is a weird one. Surely one of the strangest and most cutting-edge albums of 2018, the new Sophie album, is an exercise in pushing the boundaries of pop music into a disturbing, abrasive and less accessable direction, which it does brilliantly complete with an impenetrable album title. 'Ponyboy', 'Faceshopping' and the extended closing track are filled with Death Grips styled fuzzy morphed samples sharply cut with bullet-fire percussion. While these are largely the most memorable tracks here, the less abrasive material is also very good, like building opener 'It's Okay to Cry' and the early 2010s EDM stomp of 'Immaterial'. A great companion piece to 'Year Of the Snitch' and a great album in it's own right. 8.3/10
Ariana Grande - sweetness
I quite enjoyed 'No Tears Left To Cry', the lead single from super-star Ariana Grande's fourth album in five year, so I decided to try out the full length 'sweetness', but unfortunately Grande hasn't followed in the footsteps of Rihanna and Beyonce and has instead released an archetypal pop album - a few stand-out singles surrounded by blandness. 5.0/10
Iglooghost - Steel Mogu / Clear Tamei EPs
Electronic music perhaps more than any other genre is something I should listen to more, but one of the producers who I keep on my E-radar is 'Iglooghost', who creates intricately orchestrated, ADHD soundscapes that are always fun to listen to. While I did find the sheer speed and energy of his music a little exhausting on last year's full length 'Neo Wax Bloom' (Which I still liked a fair bit), I think that these EPs showcase both a progression and a more manageable way to listen to his music. The EPs have the same general sound of sped up nintendo music colliding with trap and club influences, but with several differences between the two. 'Clear Tamei' is more upbeat, with standout closing track 'Shrine Hacker' being one of his best creations so far, while 'Steel Mogu' uses slightly harsher and darker sounds, creating a nightscape of siren-like synths and erratic beats. 7.5/10 (combined score)
Death Grips - Year Of The Snitch
This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year, and yet I had no idea what to expect going into it - lead single 'Streaky' had been merely OK and I didn't really get 'Black paint' or 'Dilemma' at first. However, I had loved 'Hahaha', 'Shitshow' and 'Flies' right out of the gate. I needn't have worried. 'Death Grips Is Online' is up there with 'Get Got' and 'You might think he loves you for his money...' as one of the group's best opening tracks and this momentum carries throughout the whole tracklist, helped by the fact that many of the tracks flow seamlessly together. The fantastically ugly album cover is a clue to the sound of the album which has all of the usual appeals of the Death Grips - MC Ride's howled delivery of disturbing lyrics, distorted and experimental beats and a frantic pace. The main differences this time around come in the form of cleaner production and a lower-key feel on tracks like 'Linda's In Custody' and 'Streaky' and in various weird instrumental diversions. This includes record scratching over nearly every song and a spooky piano and horn section on 'The Fear', which sounds like a horror-themed cartoon theme as done by Death Grips. It sounds like nothing else (except other Death Grips albums), and though it may not be the best place to enter their discography (See 'The Money Store' or 'Bottomless Pit') it is another Death Grips classic. 8.8/10
Snail Mail - Lush
Ehhhhh. 'Lush' is the kind of dream pop/ indie rock album that I feel like I've already heard a dozen times. That's not even to say it's a bad album - it's perfectly serviceable and it seems to have it's fair share of fans. As for my personal gripes, I'm generally not a big fan of dreamy music, with only a few of the most unique dreamy albums - 'Loveless' for example - and 'Lush' has my usual problems of monotone vocals, bland lyrics and guitar effects that take away any kind of bite from the instrument. 'Lush' is a decent dream pop album, but not much more. 5.7/10
Mitski - Be The Cowboy
I didn't care much for Mitski's last project, 'Puberty 2', I found it frankly a bit boring. Luckily I much preferred 'Be The Cowboy' - although it's a frustrating listen. There is near 50/50 split between songs I like and songs I don't care much for, and while I really like the beauty and emotional power of opener 'Geyser' and closer 'Two Slow Dancers', along with the more upbeat 'Washing Machine Heart' and 'Me and My Husband', I can't get myself excited for the dreary 'Come into the Water' or 'A Horse Named Cold Air', which sound vaguely like Angel Olsen covering Amnesiac-era Radiohead. Lots of cuts fall between these, but overall I still think this is one of the better indie albums of the year, with a few tracks being some of my favourites of the year. 7.2/10
Denzel Curry - TA13OO
I don't know much about Denzel Curry's rap career up to this point besides the 'ultimate' memes and his appearance on the 2016 XXl Freshamn cover, including his group freestyle which included other current day superstars Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage and Kodak Black. With my lack of experience 'TA13OO' suprised me - it's one of my favourite hip-hop albums of the year (And there hasn't been as many as i would have hoped so far in 2018). The album may be pure eye cancer to look at on spotify thanks to the song names being written both in regular english and some kind of ALL CAPS Denzel Curry syntax using numbers instead of letters whenever possible, and the album is needlessly split into three 'discs' (although the overall runtime is a pleasingly restrained 43 minutes), but the actual songs themselves are largely great. The opening trio of tracks are soulful and heartfelt, with some thought-provoking lyrics - a vibe that reminded me of Andre 3000 at several points. these three tracks are likely my favourites, but the rest of the tracklist, mainly formed of bangers, is still great. 'CLOUT COBAIN' is the biggest standout with it's sticky hook and suicidal lyrics. 7.8/10
Beach House - 7
As exemplified in my Snail Mail review I'm not the biggest fan of dreamy rock music, but there's usually one or two albums every year that do it so well I can't ignore them, and '7' is one of those. It's darker, more mysterious and less predictable than most dream-pop albums I've heard, the hypnotic strums and beats covered with submerged piano on opener 'Dark Spring' and with a crackling synth bass on 'Pay No Mind', a song which I really like but also feel is derivative of something I can't put my finger on. 'Black Cab' and 'Lemon Glow' both use unusual synths to create a slightly psychadelic sound, while closer 'Last Wave' uses a piano motif and harmonies to see the listener out on a high. Overall it's one of the better dream pop albums I've heard in the past few years, even if my general distate for the genre means that it isn't a personal favourite. 8.1/10
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: haru nemei - harutosyura
Does liking this make me a weeb? If so I have been thoroughly converted. From the incorrect grammar and Scott Pilgrim-esque punk of opener 'MAKE MORE NOISE OF YOU' I was prepared for a kero kero Bonito-esque pop album with some Japanese influences but an ultimately cutesy sound. What the rest of 'harutosyura' ended up being was probably my favourite emo-rock album of the year, if it can be classified as such. The guitars on 'lostplanet' and the title track have the typical dreary quality that could be found on a Brand New or Linkin Park album, but Haru Nemei's apocolyptic rather than self-pitying lyrics and voice are much easier for me to listen to than either of those bands. When God being dead is a lyrical topic that appears on multiple songs you realise that this is not simply a J-pop album. The songs are also incredibly catchy and sonically diverse - centrepiece 'sekaiwotorikashiteokure' has raging guitars, glimmering synths, a robotic choir, pop punk 'Ooh-oohs' and rap verses - because Haru Nemei is also an extremely talented rapper. I admit that I would love this album even more if i could understand what Nemei is singing/rapping/shouting as she does it instead of having to look it up seperately, but even with the language barrier this is one of my favourite albums of the year so far. 8.9/10