Perfume Genius - No Shape (2017)
It feels like at least once a week, I revisit an album that I listened to at some point in the last couple years. More often than not, these albums were hyped up and celebrated upon release. I see the album pop up somewhere and think to myself, "Hey, I never really got into this when it came out. Let's listen to it now!" And it's always oddly rewarding. No Shape was the first Perfume Genius album I heard, because I had somehow managed to inadvertently avoid all of his previous work up to that point. I enjoyed is passively on the first time through; the second time was incredible. The production on this record is impossibly gorgeous. It's like a downpour of beautiful synths and drums. "Slip Away" is just a fantastic song on every front (yeah, I know it's the single, what of it?). Tracks like "Otherside" and "Wreath" blast the listener with beauty. "Alan" is an extremely touching love song. Overall, No Shape is awesome.
Logic - Bobby Tarantino II (2018)
This is the best Logic project that I've listened to. I've been extraordinarily underwhelmed by his last two studio efforts and the previous Bobby Tarantino tape. However, Bobby Tarantino II collects some of Logic's best elements and actually puts them on display, without any huge (stupid) weighty concept to drag it down. It elevates everything from the last tape, and it's all the better for it. Logic's rapping is great on a decent number of tracks, like "Contra," the Joyner Lucas diss "Yuck," and the obvious highlight "44 More." Even the features are enjoyable - 2 Chainz is consistent as always and Big Sean turns in one of his better performances. Despite all the highs, the lows are still quite present. The Rick and Morty intro worked as a promo for the tape, but putting it in audio-only form for the intro was an incredibly dumb idea. The Wiz Kahlifa-featuring "Indica Badu" is a boring song about weed, "Wizard of Oz" is a second rate Travis Scott rip-off, and "Everyday" is plain bad (thanks, Marshmello!). It's still a fun tape, but Logic has yet to release a front-to-back great project.
Shamir - Resolution (2018)
Shamir's sudden turn to lo-fi indie rock from the glammy dance pop sound of his debut caught almost everyone off guard. His next couple of releases (Hope and Revelations) were both very okay. The new choice of medium didn't initially fit as well as fans may have hoped, but the songs were still good at their core. Resolution grips the listener with much better production and instrumentation. The guitars and drums are still lo-fi, but sound has improved overall by leaps and bounds. It still doesn't quite reach the highs of Ratchet, and that's okay. Resolution is a good album, regardless of any previous or future releases.
Brian Eno - Ambient 4/On Land (1982)
Yet another Eno classic! The number of "classic" albums that Eno has either released, performed on, or produced is mind-boggling. On Land is the most acclaimed in his Ambient series. Compared to 1978's Music for Airports, On Land is vastly different. While the former relies on improvisatorily deliberate piano notes, the latter is all about atmosphere. Literally. Each track aims to conjure the image and feeling of a specific location. I am not familiar with any of the places that Eno had in mind, but the record still succeeds. The sounds form rolling hills, nameless bays, "A Clearing." While the music is inspired by places, the music itself is the more important "place."
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)
Possibly the most front-loaded album I've heard in recent memory. The first six tracks are all great, mostly undisputed hits. Some of the Chili Peppers' most enduring songs. I don't remember a single note of the remaining nine. That is probably due to my familiarity with those six songs more than the lack of quality of the rest, but still. "Scar Tissue," "Otherside," and even the title track are some of the best rock songs of the late 90s. "Around the World" and "Parallel Universe" are underrated greats. The rest...are just there.
Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (2005)
Plans is tied for my favorite Death Cab release with Transatlanticism. Nearly every song is great to fantastic, regardless of whether you think "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" is annoying or not. Chris Walla's production isn't as adventurous, but it still serves the mood of the album very well. This minor complaint is completely overcome by how great the songs are. Soul-crushing lyrics about death and love and everything in between mesh formlessly with some of the catchiest and best instrumentation in the band's entire discography. This is a great first start for any new Death Cab fan, and a blissfully wonderful album for anyone else.
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