Jordaan Mason - earth to ursa major (2018)
Wow, this album blew me away. I don't even remember how I found it (reddit, probably), but I am glad that I did. On the surface, it might seem like a fairly straightforward lo-fi Bandcamp album, sort of in the vein of early Car Seat Headrest. It amalgamates so many more elements beyond that to create an emotional ordeal rendered sonically. earth to ursa major takes the raw-hearted emotion of Have A Nice Life and mixes it with Sufjan-like instrumentation (there's a bassoon for God's sake). The lyrics provide an eloquent and crushing painting of living and loving under the umbrella of depression and suicide. I have rarely ever heard these emotions spelled out in such great detail and clarity. Mason's work here comes wrapped up in a package of vulnerability that demands to be opened. 10/10
The Carters - EVERYTHING IS LOVE (2018)
Was the Jay/Nas feud ever over? We may never know. Right after Nas' new Kanye-produced album comes out, Jay (rival and mentor, respectively) and Bey decide to snatch all the press attention right from under their noses. The presumed end to the "trilogy" of infidelity records is a testament to success, love, and blackness. While it's not the best work of either artist, it's a great summer record with bangers ("APESHIT," which feature some of the Migos' best ad-lib work) and blissful chill outs ("SUMMER," "BLACK EFFECT"). It's a good time, just give it a listen. 7/10
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
It's a MASTERPIECE! It's not, but it's still Coldplay's best (and weirdest) album. Many have noted in the past that this was Chris Martin and co.'s attempt at a Kid A or Achtung Baby. I mean, they got Brian Eno to produce the whole thing. The varied instrumentation and overall ambition actually gets Coldplay's music to spark. Everything from tribal drums to sandoor is crammed in here. There's a damn shoegaze song hidden in a seven minute track. Lyrically, it's still Chris Martin, so let's not talk about that. It has aged very well and still maintains its status at the top of Coldplay's discography. 7/10
MØL - Jord (2018)
This just in - I will pretty much love anything that is blackgaze. This is a very good blackgaze album. Listen to it. 8/10
Against All Logic - 2012-2017 (2018)
This is hypnotization as music. Your brain is transfixed by the thrum of the beats and samples. Kanye's scream from "I Am A God" is on here, which I had definitely forgotten about. Best techno album of the year. 9/10
Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (2018)
What even is this? It's post-hardcore, Arcade Fire-style rock, death metal, ambient, and everything in between. Rolo Tomassi take your preconceptions of what a heavy album can sound like and smash like it a watermelon. The Spence siblings shred the notion of vocals with their razor edge. It's just so good. 9/10
How to Disappear Completely - Mer De Revs II (2017)
This just in - I will love pretty much anything ambient. This is very good ambient. It's haunting and beautiful. Yay. 8/10
SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES (2018)
This album had no right to be this good. The singles were overwhelming bangers. Could it just be an album of that? No, it's better. The songs can be almost divided into two styles best represented by two songs - "It's Okay to Cry" vs. "Faceshopping." As filthy and bizarre as the harder songs are, I'm a sucker for the vocally-driven stuff ("Is It Cold In The Water?" and "Immaterial" especially). 8/10
Yam Haus - Stargazer (2018)
Darling Joe, the Ear Coffee guy who isn't me, saw these guys live and pointed out that their vocalist looks like Logan Paul. He is correct. My current roommate really likes them. Cool. They're still exceptionally generic. It's well-produced and clean, it's catchy in the moment, but there is nothing of substance to it. It's just bare bones millennial indie pop. 4/10
Saba - CARE FOR ME (2018)
To be honest, I didn't appreciate this album when I first listened to it. Second time was the charm, I guess. Saba's voice fits so well with the straightforward (yet uniformly good) Chicago jazz production. His flows are totally off-the-wall ("LOGOUT" slaps!). CARE FOR ME also gives us a portrait of the artist as a young man, growing up surrounded by violence, suicide, and the crushing weight of living. The fact that Saba persists with the infectious joy he spreads so abundantly is a miracle that is well worth your time.
Rico Nasty - Nasty (2018)
WALL. TO. WALL. BANGERS. RICO HAD NO RIGHT. DIS HARD.
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