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Well, would you look at that! Another weekly column? Cool, right? Not really? Okay. Basically, I am going to briefly recount the albums I listened to this week and offer some thoughts. These won't necessarily be albums from the past week only. It'll be fun!
I heard about this Nashville punk trio on the NPR Music 2017 End-of-Year podcast, which highlighted the song "I'm Not." The song recounts the experiences of being a sexual assault survivor. Somehow this album slipped through the cracks this year and I'm a little bit disappointed. I wish I had been able to spend time with this album throughout the year, because it's a fantastic mix of lo-fi grung-y aesthetics and bitingly witty lyrics. The all-female group crafted a debut that sticks with you, even after only one listen.
The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Always Foreign (2017)
In the brief period between when I started working on my portion of the Ear Coffee year-end round up, I attempted to re-listen to all of the albums I figured would probably place in my favorites. Well, I never got back to Always Foreign until this week. It hardly matters, since this is just another fantastic album from one of the best emo bands in the entire country and it's always a great listen.
Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)
I love Kanye West. That being said, I'm ashamedly unfamiliar with Late Registration, which is widely placed as being one of his best records (in a catalogue of almost all classics). I ended up listening to the album in two sittings, and that actually worked better. Fantastic as it may be, it's a bit long. The trifecta of "Heard 'Em Say," "Touch the Sky," and "Gold Digger" that kicks off the album is an excellent way to get started. It seems like the bangers are a bit front-loaded, though, given that most of the following songs are a bit heavier. "Hey Mama" and "Roses" touch the soul, "Crack Music" and "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" deal with huge issues, and "We Major" has Nas. It's a Kanye album, of course it's great.
Slowdive - Slowdive (2017)
I missed the boat on this one the first time around, and fell asleep during my first listen. That was because I had woken up at 4 am, not because it is a boring album. It's the opposite of that; it's the incredible comeback all the critics praised it as. The atmosphere on Slowdive is so thick, you could slice it like butter and put it on shoegaze toast. The lyrics and vocals meld together, which in turn blends with the instrumental soundscape and just cascades into your ears. We can only hope that Slowdive has another album like this in them.
Colleen - A flame my love, a frequency (2017)
This one is a bit strange, but in a good way. I heard about it while reading one of the ten million "top x albums of the year" lists that were published and the album art and title stuck out to me. On a whim, I listened to it and found a quirky, beautiful collection of electronic compositions. Intensely relaxing and pleasant, it settles into the back of your mind and creates a warm buzzing.
Special Explosion - To Infinity (2017)
Blame Pitchfork. If I see any album review by critic Ian Cohen on Pitchfork Dot Com, I check it out. This guy has championed too many excellent emo and indie rock bands for me not to. Lo and behold, it's a depressing, catchy emo/alt album (even on Topshelf Records!). Special Explosions carefully walks the tightrope between up-beat and down-beat(?) as any good emo band can and should, with songs about love, loss, and cats.
SZA - Ctrl (2017)
Another album I never really "got" on the first go, so here I am trying again! This album was in no way meant for me (a 20-year-old white child), but even I can see how well it captures the insecurities of the emotional roller-coaster we call early adulthood. SZA is a ridiculously good vocalist and she captures the spotlight on Ctrl, and rightfully so.
David Bowie - David Bowie (1967)
Bowie died two years ago this week, so I prepared for my now annual trek through his dense discography. Unfortunately, it has to start here. He was still a bit of a novelty act here, with songs about a Nazi sci-fi future and a sniveling gravedigger. Bowie's personality still shines throughout, but no one would ever guess what he would go on to create after hearing this album. "Love You Till Tuesday" is pretty nice, though.
Birthing Hips - Urge to Merge (2017)
Dear God, this is a weird one. If post-punk, grunge, spoken word poetry, math rock, and modern indie weirdness all came together in some weird sexy genre pile, Urge to Merge would be the extremely messed up child. It's a monstrosity that you can't help but look at. The lil' guy is even kind of funny. There's an entire song about making sure a hour is really clean, and another one titled "Shut Up And Leave Me Alone." Genre is just a hat worn by this band, and each band member is wearing a different hat for each song. It is fascinating.
Iron Chic - You Can't Stay Here (2017)
This would have been one of my favorite albums of 2017 if I wasn't stupid and had listened to it more than once like I wanted to. It's like if Japandroids and Sunny Day Real Estate collided. Poignant and heart-wrenching lyrics are presented alongside some of the catchiest and just best songwriting of the year. Iron Chic is a "woah-oh" band in the best possible sense - the whooping conveys more emotion than words ever could.
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