stopreadingthisanddance

[stopreadingthisanddance]

2018 top albums

Okay, so hopefully you read (& enjoyed listening to) my top EPs list, this one is a little longer, and hopefully a little prettier. They’re ranked 10 -> 1, with my honourable mentions up front here. I hope you enjoy at least some of the music I loved this year, and don’t find my writing unbearable. Once again, I’ve included spotify links for each album if and youtube links for my favourite tracks of each album. 

honourable mentions:

alison wonderland - awake/remxies

standouts: good enough & no (umru & kid froopy remix)

This was really tough for me to place, it would have likely made it onto the top 10 list had it not been for how much I loved the remix album that accompanied this album, and including both felt like cheating. Despite her trap banger roots, Alison Wonderland manages to hit that dance/cry sweet spot over and over on this project, from the manic banger Good Enough, with her gorgeous cello backed by an anxiety inducing rising bassline, to the anxious "is it good enough!?" ringing out, to hip-hop influenced High, to the big room trap banger that is Happy Place. It's got all of that and more on the base album, and the collection of remixes that were done afterward by her contemporaries managed to even further diversify the track list, while still keeping enough of the original to be recognizable. Even if you don't like electronic music, listen to No (umru & Kid Froopy Remix) and tell me that xylophone lead isn't catchy as all hell.

ross from friends - family portrait

standout: pale blue dot

A mainstay in the lo-fi house scene, Ross From Friends released his first full length project this year, and it gave everything I had hoped. Lovely, danceable grooves, ace production, and the feeling of being transported, if momentarily, to another plane of existence. If you have even the slightest inclination towards electronic music, check out Pale Blue Dot.

joji - ballads 1

standout: rip

The transition George Miller aka Filthy Frank aka joji has made throughout his young career is pretty spectacular. From absurdist comedy to the angsty, low key R&B on this project is pretty amazing, and while he certainly exhibits a lot of similar traits to the S A D B O Y aesthetic that has taken over mainstream hip-hop the last few years, he does it with enough of his own flavour that it's hard to discount that it is his. RIP and Attention are two of the most overtly sad songs I've heard in a long time, both in lyrical content, as well as production and the slurring and gravely vocal delivery. While tracks like Can't Get Over You throw in some needed dancey beats, while still maintaining that raw emotional delivery and content that defines this project so much.

top 10: 

10

jizue - room

standout: grass

I can't explain this album, I've spent the last 30 minutes attempting it, and I just can't. It's an instrumental album from Japanese group jizue that blends elements of jazz, math-rock and hardcore into...whatever this project is. I love it, but it's just the right side of complex and listenable to serve as the perfect background music, and still manage to stand on it's own. Check it out, maybe someone can explain it to me.

9

anderson .paak - oxnard

standout: brother's keeper

It took a while for Anderson .Paak to hit it big, but even back when I first heard his stuff, it was pretty apparent that it was only a matter of time before he hit it. Not only are his producer chops on display in full effect here, from rattling kicks and afro-soul influenced melodic leads, to the heavy jazz influences, all layered with a touch of 90s hip-hop. Dr. Dre helped with production and executive produced, and the influences of that era shine through heavily. Speaking of, .Paak's vocal performance is entirely different from what I had come to expect, and covers a wide array of topics, from the politically charged 6 Summers, to the sensual The Chase, that feels a lot it needs to be halfway an action scene in an 80s movie, to the savage Pusha-T feature Brother's Keeper. While .Paak himself is more a singer than rapper, his voice and flow fits the aesthetic of this project, and the brilliance of the production variety while still maintaining the feel of a cohesive project. From the all star feature list, to the frequent use of beat change-ups midway through tracks, back to front this project demands your attention.

8

rl grime - nova

standout: ucla

My first listen of this album resulted in me thinking "eh, this is just a bunch of electronic tracks", they weren't bad, but I didn't really feel it until my 3rd or 4th listen. RL Grime's ability as a producer has never been in question, and his live shows the stuff of legends. Throw into that with his yearly, highly anticipated Halloween 7 mixtape, featuring a vocal open by Shaq, he didn't need to come through with a project as diverse as this, and yet here we are. He manages to flow easily from big room trap Feel Free and Pressure, to the more housey Shrine and the emotional Atoms and the manic instrumental Rainer. It was really hard for me to pick just one favourite because of how cohesive this album has ended up feeling for me, like being taken on someone else's emotional roller coaster ride. But I've settled on the trashy, trappy R&B UCLA, where the lyrics manage to come across a little insecure, while the beat makes up for it with astounding bravado, and massive trap drops.

7

chvrches - love is dead

standout: deliverance

I've written before how vital live music events are to my enjoyment of certain genres & music acts, and if I'm being honest,  this album wouldn't be on here if I hadn't had the chance to see CHVRCHES live this year at the Commodore. It's a good album, don't get me wrong, it's got all polish of their previous two albums, and even more varied song selection with the more typical synth-pop bops with Miracle and Heaven/Hell, there's a huge change up with the moodier God's Plan and the incredibly sad and moving instrumental ii. Even Get Out, one of the lead singles from this project is laced with a lot darker subject matter and musical elements. Seeing Lauren Mayberry dance under neon lights to the intro rift of Graffiti will stick in my mind for years to come, and that feeling is what this kind of music is all about.

6

soccer mommy - clean

standout: cool

My musical tastes have been diverse for as long as I can remember, but this style of grungy, lo-fi bedroom pop-rock has never really been on my radar before. That being said, Nashville native Soccer Mommy has a lot of what I look for in music, catchy hooks, lyrics brimming with emotion and someone willing to take risks. While it's undeniable that this is far from a production masterpiece, which I don't understand in 2018 honestly, the great song writing and Sophie Allison's distinctive voice and nonchalant delivery gives me that summer feeling no matter what time of the year it is. Cool is one of my most listened to songs of the year by a long shot, with it's upbeat music and sad lyrics, it sounds like what teenage regret felt like. Scorpio Rising on the other hand, covers a lot of the same topics, but it manages to do to it in a very different way, sort of in a Slow Dance On The Inside by Taking Back Sunday kinda feel.

5

rezz - certain kind of magic

standout: teleportal

Even with my list this year being highly varied, I think this might be the least approachable album on either this or my EP list. Rezz has managed to create a cult of personality around herself in a way very few electronic musicians ever manage through her phenomenal set construction, heavy emphasis on showmanship with lights and video during her live sets, and brilliant production. Add on top of that very few artists are making this style of music anywhere close to this caliber, and you end up with a dominant force of heavy basslines and dark aesthetics. If you have ever had any interest in dubstep, be it the traditional UK variant or the trashy late 2000s-era bedroom-produced bangers, you will likely love this album. It's no surprise that deadmau5 signed her in 2016 given that her style of building up layers and layers of effects and sonic elements, only to cut them all out to isolate a heavy drop or gorgeous orchestral melody is very reminiscent of the house legend himself.

4

hinds - i dont run

standout: tester

Spanish all girl quartet came out of no where for me, but once I was into their vibe, I didn't look back. They sing in English (mostly), but their accents taint all their lyrics with just a little touch exotic flavour, giving their cacophonous musical style one more element to throw into the mix. They sort of sound like a mix of The Velvet Underground, and the Strokes, with a modern pop twist, and the fact they're women making, or more accurately, fighting the transition from care free 20s, to the reality of their 30s comes through in spades. The variety of their voices, and their writing styles gives this album a distinctly personal touch, but not so much it's impossible to relate to. This album is perfect for sitting in the sun on a lazy afternoon and letting the entire project wash over you, if I had to pick just one track though I'd go with Tester, a track about navigating complex, undefined personal relationships, and coping with it however possible.

3

let's eat grandma - im all ears

standout: it's not just me

I knew that PC Music wouldn't stay off my list entirely this year, the entire label seem to be steering pop music on the whole, and the production influences from SOPHIE fly in pretty fast on the glitchy-noisey delicious mess that is Hot Pink, the opening track. They follow that up with my favourite track of the year in It's Not Just Me, with the angsty lyrics, the way they seem to just float over the top of the beat that manages to be both groovy (dig the dance moves in the music video) and still challenge the listener with complexity and a touch of cacophony. While these two 17 year old girls from some random town in the UK might only be releasing their second project, and the lyrical content is for sure written by 17 year old girls, they show a capacity for having a vision for a track and getting it across in a truly astonishing way. They manage to blend genres, topics and feelings seemingly effortlessly, and I can't get enough of it!

2

the midnight - kids

standout: america 2

The nostalgic, synth-pop, retro-wave duo The Midnight came through with an ode to the 80s and 90s, laced with modern sensibilities. Stick these tracks over some 90s action movies, and they won't feel out of place, nor will they as your cruise into the sunset of 2018. With lyrics that are wistful for the past, and aware of the fact it will never come back, they manage to make you want to groove along, while slightly pricking that part of your brain that says "hey, is there where you thought you'd be when you were 12?". The whole project is laced with news clips from the 80s and 90s, talking about how exciting, and how terrifying the future looked. It's easy to forget even in those less connected times, sometimes all you could do was blast the stereo, drive into the night, and hold onto the best parts of your past, and try and be optimistic about the future.

1

brockhampton - iridescence

standout: tonya

Brockhampton is one of those music groups that is such a cultural phenomenon, it'll inspire kids making music in their bedrooms for a long time. No hip-hop group has made such a massive impact since Wu-Tang, and we all know they ain't nuthin' to fuck with. Both the group and each member manages to display astonishing range as they move from emotional ballads like the brilliant Tonya to bangers like New Orleans, they manage to make you want to dance to the driving basslines and clever lyrics, only to snap change to the slow and deeply emotional tracks like San Marcos. From Kevin Abstract's masterminding, to Dom's undeniably amazing bars, to the dreamy Matt Champion and the angst filled bearface, it's easy to see why this album is so diverse. What's harder to understand is how cohesive they manage to blend it all together, trappy vocal effects on top of acoustic guitar, the gospel influences, it's all mashed together into perfection. Tonya was on heavy rotation this year, with it's haunting vocals, brilliant piano melodies, and the change up it's so hard not to feel the heart that went into this project.

annnnnnnnd we’re done! I hope you listened to a shit load of good music this year, and I hope some of this resonates with you. Happy Holidays, have a good New Year, roll on 2019.

#2018 #music #aoty

[stopreadingthisanddance]

2018 top eps

Let’s just skip over what happened to the 2017 list okay? First up is EPs, in no particular order, with some honourable mentions because i’m in decisive. I hope you at least listen to the standout track of each project, almost all of these EPs are approachable, so don’t be scared. 

top 5:

eli & fur - night blooming jasmine  

stand out - night blooming jasmine 

UK hailing electronic music duo Eli & Fur specialize in soul felt, dreamy deep house music with low key vocals often layered perfectly on top. While I'm not sure they will ever top their 2013 EP Illusions for me, this comes very close. The title track kicks this 5 track EP off with some brilliant synth leads, mixed with perfection into a sultry, dance-y bass line, and lyrics that paint a scene you can feel. While both Something Was Real and Honest keep a similar low key feel, all with groove-able kicks, that get you moving, but not quite up off your feet, Parfume kicks it up with some nice building bass lines,  and some heavier kicks towards the later half of the track. This whole project is great at 7pm, and even better at 2am.  

dj koze - pick up

stand out - pick up (extended mix)

While he doesn't have much of a prestige world wide, DJ Koze is an steadfast contributor to the German music scene for a few decades now. This 3 track EP is by far his most recognizable work, and it's easy to see why. While it definitely has hints of lo-fi house, a pet obsession of mine, it's so undeniably groovy that it's much more approachable. Brilliantly produced, with delicious little peaks and valleys built into the layered synths and vocals, the extended mix of Pick Up doesn't wear out it's welcome even at 10 minutes. No bangers here, but those willing to settle in for a longer house track will not be disappointed with this EP.

good kid - good kid

stand out - tell me you know

This is probably the most easily digested project I'll be writing about this year, it also contains one of my most listened to, and definitely one of my most sung songs of the year. From the moment this album starts til it ends, it feels like a little time hole into the hyper-energetic-but-still-sad pop-punk that dominated music charts in the early 2000s. The self-titled project from this Toronto based band features all of what you'd expect, catchy rifts, brilliant change ups, structured tracks, and lyrics you can't help but sing along to. While I can accept that some of this might have to do with the hit of nostalgia that a record like this elicits for me, the vocal range, lyrical content and danceability of this entire project is so hard to deny. It's like your favorite bag of chips, exactly what you expect, and still desirable at all hours of the day. 

soleima - bulldog

stand out - low life

Danish pop goddess Soleima delivers yet again, with her distinctive voice, lyrics that resonate, and deliciously adventurous poppy production. I have to stress this pretty heavily, her voice is really odd, it's a mix of her accent and vocal range, but it takes a while to get used to, that along with her taste for more experimental song structure and production choices, despite being 100% pop music, this might be a bit harder to get into than you'd expect. If this was the kind of music that played on the radio, I might be able to stomach them only having a playlist of about 15 songs on all day. 

j'von & lido - spacesuit

stand out - highly overdue

Let's get this out of the way before we get into it, conscious hip-hop always comes across at least a little pretentious. That being said, J'von has some connectable bars, and while he doesn't entirely avoid the slightly-off-flow feeling that I often get from this kind of music, there are some really solid bars on this project, both from a flow and "when he said that i FELT it" perspective. Lido delivers, as he always does, with stunning production. While lots of these beats are what you would expect from tracks like this, there are touches of jersey club, jazz, house, and lots of other genres all over. The intro rift in Sneakerhead sounds straight out of an early 2000s alt-rock song, and of course, his piano work is as gorgeous as ever. On top of that he provides vocals on some of the tracks, from hooks, to the soulful Time & Space. An overabundance of feelings and brilliant execution carry this album, even if each track can sometimes lack identity. 

honourable mentions:

mija - how to measure the distance between lovers

stand out - notice me

I love Mija, from her message, to her style, to the amazingly varied mixes she makes. She manages to walk the fine line between crippling-depression-inducing tracks, and still I-wanna-dance-to-this for this entire EP. Probably her most experimental project yet, it feels emotionally raw, and the perfect soundtrack to sleepless nights. Notice Me features some moving lyrics and brilliant production decisions I just had to include it. 

childish gambino - summer pack

stand out - feels like summer

Childish Gambino has a habit of reinventing himself musically every project. While I loved Because The Internet and Kauai, I respected but never really got Awaken, My Love! the same way a lot of people did. This project however, I love, from the steady beats, to the busy leads, and the gorgeous singing Childish provides, if his next full length looks like this expect it in my top of 2019 list. 

diplo - california

stand out - suicidal

It's really hard to deny how fucking talented Diplo is at spotting trends and developing talent, layer on top of that his really impressive producer chops, it's easy to see how this is one of the most diverse, and yet digestible project this year. Suicidal proves that Desiigner has a place in music in 2018, he just needs some direction.The brilliant layering of sonic elements comes to a head on this track and yet it doesn't require the listener to work for it. Full of big name features, Diplo once again proves that the future of pop music might be a guess for the rest of us, but he knows exactly where it's headed. 

lane 8 - bluebird/duchess

stand out - bluebird

California native Lane 8 proves once again that he is the master of making you feel a sound. The piano lead, the build up, the bass line, he knows exactly how to structure a track to make you shiver. I'm in awe of his ability to make a beautiful, ear worm track. And remember, this never happened.

iglooghost - clear tamei

stand out - clear tamei

UK based producer iglooghost came through with two great projects, clear tamei and black mogu, but the former came out on top for me. Filled with some brilliant experimentation, riddled with orchestral influences, cut with the acid trip of trap and UK hardcore, this is probably the least approachable project on this list, but if you get it, it's hard to deny it's brilliance.

you made it to the end ♥, don’t forget to dance.

#music #aoty #2018

[stopreadingthisanddance]

2016 top albums

Here we are, last list of 2016. Top albums of the year with a few honourable mentions. Most of the albums on this list are fairly accessable, if not full on mainstream, so if you haven't listened to them and you're worried they'll be weird, I'll give warning in my short reviews of them. As with my to EPs list, i'll include a link to the full album stream (if i can find one) and one stand out track.

Honourable Mentions:

Do What Thou Wilt. by Ab-Soul was an album I really did not expect to like nearly as much as I did. It's a pretty weird and paranoid album that gives me the impression of Ab-Soul being nearly constantly strung out and panicked about everything, and yet he's got great beat selection and (mostly) strong lyrical prowess. There are a few songs that get a bit preachy, or a bit lost in the rambling mind of a paranoid man, but the hits are high. If you're looking for an interesting hip-hop album check it out. Standout track: Raw (Backwards)

RTJ3 by Run The Jewels would have been higher on this list had it not come out on Christmas. I simply did not have enough time to fully process it as a full piece of music, and thus have nothing truly insightful to say about it. RTJ are gods though so I mean listen to it if you haven't, and if you know about them and haven't listened to it yet WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?! If you haven't heard of Run The Jewels than check this one out, and go back to RTJ 1 & 2 and loop around, because you'll see some real lyrical and production growth. This album gets political, but it's delivered in a way that is awe-inspiring so I can't even get mad at it. Standout Track: 2100.

IV by BadBadNotGood is ostensibly a jazz album, but with heavy features and even heavier draw from hip-hop. If you're not usually into jazz, check out the band's albums (I) & (II) as you'll find interesting jazzy renditions of modern hip-hop that might suit you more. But, if you can appreciate a good jazz track then you'll find some real gems here, and most impressively a really good use of features that really push some tracks to the surface. This spot was almost used for Anderson .Paak's latest slot but I connected more with this album than his, although both are good. My one critisism is that parts of this album sort of fade away into background music, but tracks like Lavender and Confessions Pt. II really grab the ear. Standout Track: Up

Top Ten:

10. Simple Forms by The Naked & Famous is a high energy synth-pop album that really shows what a band can do with emotion and nostalgia. This album reminds me a lot of CHVRCHES debut album, and I love it, full of fantastic instrumentation and emotionally charged lyrics the New Zealand hailing band is the perfect soundtrack for punch dancing and summer nights alike. Standout Track: Higher.

9. Freeform Jazz by Uyama Hiroto is a gorgeous blend of Jazz and hip-hop production that brings back heartbreaking memories of Nujabes. Very few producers can come close to the talent and emotion the late-great did, but Uyama Hiroto manages to almost touch him with this album, full of gorgeous keys and brilliant lyrical features is big cities personified. If you're into jazzy hip-hop and want a good, mostly instrumental, album, you'll be doing yourself a favour by checking this out. A brillant usage of drums, keys and wind instruments manages to balance attitude and class beautifully, and is perfect for late night tales and mid day woes alike. Standout Track: Waltz For Real World.

8. Rojus: Designed To Dance by Leon Vynehall is a beautifully produced deep house album with heavy influences from UK house, offering the same style in a more danceable tone that his previous offerings. Certainty a thematic album with a dedicated begininning, middle and end, Vynehall offers a large selection of tracks that stand alone, together or work brilliantly in a mix. I hadn't heard this album in full before I'd heard all the tracks in various mixes, and as an entire single sitting music I fell even more in love with it. It starts out slow and builds steadily towards a full on funky dance album in the middle before curtailing itself off towards a slow walk home in the middle of the night. Standout Track: Blush.

7. Social Housing by Marquis Hawkes is a ride through the legendary birth of US house music, Chicago. Heavy infuences from disco, funk, soul and classic Chi-house are peppered all over this album that it's hard to beleive it was made in 2016. It's full of classic samples and drum loops for the house aficionado, but more importantly it's danceable and fun for anyone that listens to it. A brilliant use of samples and even smarter synth-usage lets each track feel unique and still part of the pack. The intro is placed a bit awkwardly, but it's a good enough track I can't really hate on it. Standout track: Feel The Music.

6. Coloring Book by Chance, The Rapper is a gorgeous example of a brillant merging of soul, gospel and modern hip-hop. This is the album that a young Kanye would make if he was just starting out now, and it's covered in the same eccentricities and brillance that one of his albums is covered in. Chance and his features deliver some brillant lyrics, full of meaningful content and well produced bangers, and are only let down by some experimental and occasionally flawed production. I loved Acid Rap a lot, and while Coloring Book isn't as catchy as his last project, it is no less impactful, and it really shows off the lyrical prowess of Chicago's latest prodigy. From the banger singles like Mixtape and Angels to the more soul and gospel influenced tracks like No Problem and How Great shows off the range that Chance has gained since his last project. He's even got a few hip-house influenced jams on here, although a shallow homage he clearly is trying to get in touch with the musical roots of his city and it shows. While nothing will quite connect with me like Lost did off his last project, it's still a better album than most artists will ever put out. Standout Track: All Night(Ft. Knox Fortune).

5. Atlas by FM-84 is a trip into the synth-powered-drug-fueled goodness of the 80s. If you haven't heard of synthwave, it's pretty much the music that soundtracked the 1980s and is full of huge synths, a fantastic use of reverb and uses more modern production techniques. Remember that Ryan Gosling movie Drive or the ultraviolent drug trip that was Hotline Miami? It's the music from those icons, but with more depth and better production, at least on this album, and also speicific to this album is the much more upbeat tone of it all. It's easy for a lot of this genre to get lost in the depression of drug addiction that is such a baseline for this aesthetic, but FM-84 manages a hopeful and innocent summery tone throughout. Standout Track: Running In The Night(Ft. Ollie Wride).

4. A New Start by Pete Hurt Jazz Orchestra is a true contemporary jazz masterpiece. I can't find a stream for this album so if you are into jazz music I'm sure you know where to find it. Not an album for everyone, but dear god does it have both brilliant song naming, as well as fantastic performances and even better composition. Born out of a currently thriving UK Jazz scene, this big band recording is full of chemistry and solo performances alike, and manages to bring the very best of modern jazz while adding his own touches. Pete Hurt only takes on personal solo, but his ability to convey his feeling and appreciation of all that has come before him is no small task. Standout Track: Barefoot Samba.

3. Holy Ghost by Modern Baseball is a contemporary offering emo-rock band that wears their influences on their sleve. From the first rift this album bleeds late 90s and early 2000's pop-punk from blink-182 and their kin. I loved their last album, but felt like a lot of the tracks sort of lacked the strength of others, and while they keep a similar angsty and emotionally fueled tone, they've matured musically and possibly thematically depending on how you want to look at the songs. Full of cheery guitar rifts and lyrics about fading love, depression and loss the Maryland based band doesn't live out their welcome in this 27 minute album, and yet gets across their points in short, (mostly)radio friendly tracks. Great choruses that you can sing-a-long to and brilliant rifts that you'll be humming along to for weeks, with great & relevant lyrics like "Days like this I miss listening to records//Making coffee together//Snow globes and Jersey sheets//I tried sleeping in our bed without you last night//That didn't work at all, cause I couldn't sleep" and "Locked your love in a screenshot//They all work that way" show that even if it is just suburban depression that fuels the band's music, it's personal and that matters. Standout Track: Wedding Singer, that god damn opening rift.

2. Nothern Lights by Zeds Dead showcases the impressive range this Canadian duo has cultivated since the early days in 2010s with their huge dubstep and trap bangers with Omar LinX like Rudeboy and You & I. With pop-influenced hits like Blame and the savage throw back to their early hip-hop & dubstep sounds in DNA with Jadakiss & Styles P, they manage to maintain a consistent theme throughout an album packed with wide reaching genres. To me, Zeds Dead will always be great to listen to alone, and even better in a packed venue, and the attitude they bring with massive drums, a fantastic use of varied synths and a nice touch of samples will be forever. They've progressed from just slamming up the volume on their tracks to persuading the listener to do it themselves, and have managed to create a distincitve sound while distancing themselves from the sloppy production of their younger years. Standout track: Slow Down (Ft. Jenna Pemkowski).

1. We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service by A Tribe Called Quest. The supposed last work of hip-hop legends manages to hold onto it's past while being current in ways that seem impossible to predict. Always political, the collective manages to celebrate Phife Dawg, feature legends like Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes and Elton John, mixed in with contemporaries like Anderson .Paak and Kendrick Lamar into a seemless composition of jazz influenced 90's hip-hop. If you can't feel it from the opening rift, then I can't explain it, an album that will last for ages. Standout Track: Dis Generation, not a full song but at this link will last. Besides, listen to the whole album c'mon do it.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done. Hope you got something from this, cause I did. Music is almost always better together, don't forget to dance

[stopreadingthisanddance]

2016 top eps

This list will be shorter than the last, and probably more accessable. I hope someone finds some music they love out of this, that'll make it worth it. At the end of each of my top 5 I've included the track I loved the most from the EP if you're too lazy to listen to the whole thing, which I've linked in each title. If you thought my soundcloud picks were far too weird, this list is probably going to be more enjoyable for you.

Honourable Mentions:

Low Kii Savage by kiiara was something I'd been anticipating since I first hear the sultry and emotionally charged Feels when it first popped up on music blogs a few years back. Great vocals, good and simple production, and while 6 songs is probably as long as I'd want to listen to this sort of song, it doesn't wear out it's welcome.

Escapism II by Sam Gellaitry is a 5 track EP that touches on the more atmospheric and experimental side of trap music. Make no mistake, these tracks hammer home huge basslines and high hats, but still manage to not slip into the trap (heh) of allowing them to override the melody. The transitions between tracks are hella smooth too, would reccomend listening to in a single sitting as it flows nicely throughout.

In Summer by Jefre Cantu-Ledsema is probably the strangest EP on this whole list. An experimental electronic album, for those unused to the genre this is going to be a difficult listen, as it's full of cacophony and stripped down sounds that blend together is intricate ways. Layers upon layers of weird sounds that tend to destruct and rebuilt partway through songs, it's a strange wordless journey through the depths of emotion and anexity that is beautiful in it's destruction. Standout track: Love's Refrain.

Top 5:

5. Vroom Vroom by Charli XCX managed to be a real surprise to me. Once I saw that it was produced by PC Music's Sophie (who put out the great Product last year), it made a lot more sense. Usually a mainstream pop act, Charlie XCX dives head first into the far more experimental side of pop music with glitchy production, sudden shifts in tone, and the more extreme sonic range with compressed vocals making an appearance in most tracks. I hope to see more mainstream acts do things like this, pushing the range of most people and themselves to find even better music. I had no idea I wanted this album until it showed up. Trophy has a hella ear worm "I wanna win, I want that Trophy" hook backed up by chaotic drums which got stuck in my head over & over, followed up by the sexy vocals and dark production on Secret. Stand out track: Paradise with Hannah Diamond.

4. Moog for Love by Disclosure was a return to greatness for the UK-Garage duo after the mediocore Caracal. They managed to retain the distinctive sound they cultivated on Settle and take it in a new and interesting direction. Funky, dancable and very true to their UK House roots, with a mixture of older chi-house sensabilites thrown in, all three tracks are short tunes with great vocal samples. I'm really excited to see what they end up doing on their next full length now that they've (seemingly) broken out of the sound they felt trapped in after the success of Settle. Stand out track: BOSS.

3. Molino by Mark Johns is a catchy pop EP on (surprisingly) Skrillex's label. 23 year old Naomi, yes Mark Johns is a girl, started writing songs 2 years ago, and now we're here with a moody, sad and well produced EP that leaves me wanting for more. I'm absolutely infatuated with her vocal performances, and the variations in beats and producers allows for some really unique takes on her sentiments. Full of songs about heartbreak and lonliness with choruses that beg to be sung along to, this is very easy to connect with, and even easier to listen to. Stand out track: Love Letter

2. Midnight by Lane 8 proves that being prolific doesn't mean that you have to lack in quality. For a producer that specializes in long(er) form music, American house producer Lane 8 puts out a lot of it, and it's almost entirely good. Fantastic instrumentation and chord progression, a very stripped down production style and truly amazing melodies, Lane 8 has proved time and time again that he can make a hit. All of these tracks are auditory representations of different kinds of late nights. The title track is slow, spacey and lonely, with strong roots in early 2000's trance. Under My Skin is very bouncey with a heavy focus on beat progresion, a standout example of what progressive house has to offer from the deeper side of things. This track soundstracks a late night dancing and is full of ups and downs to prove it. The closing track is late night driving at it's peak, a steady bassline and great synth usage make it easily my favorite on the EP, and one of my most listened to tracks all years. Stand out track: Frau

1. Crush Me by K.Flay is a 4 track EP from one of my favorite artists taking their sound in a different direction, but keep the best traits. Her last album, My Life as a Dog, was ostensibly a cross between indie-rock and hip-hop, and it is something I go back to often for it's spacey beats and clever lines. Crush Me on the other hand is raw and emotional and mixes a lot of rock sensibilites into it's hip-hop influenced production. Not a marriage I thought would work (dear god rap-rock hurts), but the mix manages to get across the clever lyrics she's known for, and on this EP, the incredible emotional damage she's outpouring. Starting off angry and raw with Blood in the Cut, the EP curtails towards and slower and more calmed down song style as it moves towards the soft and spacey You Felt Right. All the way mixing it up with different production and vocal styles, never losing the sharp lyrics and theme that dominate the subject matter. I'm constantly finding new reasons to love this EP and I'm so amped to hear her next LP. Standout track: Blood in the Cut

[stopreadingthisanddance]

2016 soundcloud obsessions

As usual, I listened to a lot of music this year, and I have a mostly uncontrollable urge to share it. This is going to be three different posts that willshould culminate on December 30th with my top albums of the year. But the odds of me putting it off forever and a day are pretty likely so maybe it'll be in 2017 I really don't know.whatever day I get to it. Really nailed it there past me, good job.

This first part is going to be focused on what has become one of the largest parts of my music listening habit, and that's soundcloud. In the last year I've liked over 500 tracks and listened to something probably in the thousands. I've limited this list to single tracks (as in no mixes, which is a large portion of my listening on the site), and to 50 tracks. While most of these tracks are from 2016, some are not. The only requirements were that I heard them for the first time this year, and that I had to have heard it first on Soundcloud. Nothing linked from twitter or facebook or someone being like "hey this track is good", just something found in the depths of soundcloud. 've complied a playlist that you can check out here, and I'm going to list them in order from good to best imho. The bottom 25 will get a short blurb about the kind of music they are and the top 25 will get that plus a short thought about WHY it's there and shit.

As a fair warning, due to how soundcloud works some of my tracks have overlapping artists, and more importantly, the genres of these tracks are lumped into several broad groups. For the most part, as with all of my music, this list is focused on electronic and hip-hop, and in this list in particualr, both with a distinct experimental edge. Some of this music will be weird and not particularily accessable, but if you're willing to give it a chance you just might end up liking it.

NOTE: the list here and the playlist are not in the same order, sorry ♥

50-26

Hollywood Squares upbeat house w/ funny sample

Old Acquaintances: A Call for Help trap influneced slow jam hiphop

fellow feeling (octbr flip) noisey electronic flip

witner rush experimental melbourne bounce track thing

Guru bassline house with cute eastern melody

Winona classic deep house track with great sample

Haunted poppy dance track with great production

We Do This Shit fun party rap

Prism cheerful electro-house

alone in brooklyn acid house influenced bounce

jazz hip-hop instrumental hint's in the title

BROKE trap banger w/ biggie sample

Need You Tonight (Le Youth Remix) future house

Rehab (Mark Johns Cover) reimagined pop/indie dance

Cocaine (Phantoms Cover) moody cover for a clapton song

I Won't Lie future trap banger

wander chilled out future base

lonely nights sad late night rnb

cali moody rnb

FACTS WINRAR FLIP distorted trap yeezy flip

Disco danceable tech house

Buried Alive future hip-hop(?)

treasure experimental rnb

mrkv experimental trap

i wana listen 2 frank ocean with u 5 million times sad experimental rnb

Top 25

25. PRETTI YUNG TH0T

with funk making a revival, it was only a matter of time before someone mixed it with jersey club to fun results. vantage (see later track) does a similar idea but with vastly different results.

24. gahn.

you will notice a trend of me calling things "future" ~ something, which is just short hand for (typically) more instruments and a more liberal use of effects. this track is hella happy and has some interesting progression in the middle bit.

23. SADBOY

it makes me really happy that this could qualify for pop music in the current landscape. not only does it have trap high hats it's also got gorgeous floating vocal samples underneath in the chorus, and cute pop-sensible lyrics.

22. Feedback (EZRA Remix)

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Kanye West any more, but this remix I think imbodies the aesthetic he was going for with his YEEZUS album. It is loud and emotional and unrestrained, it's just too bad it's a TLOB track or maybe I'd believe in Kanye again.

21. Pornografie II

a masterpeice of sample based production, it manages to be raunchy with the bed squeaks, and tasteful with the soft crackling fire sound overtop the entire track. fantastic beat progression, and great mastering, one of the most accessible tracks on this list

20. Dive

this one of a couple of tracks on this list that is aiming for a particular feeling/space in time and nails it. this is the soundtrack to some sort of deep sea/space adventure, full of excitement and high energy, balanced out by soft introspection halfway through the track. all of it covered in a joyous 8-bit tinge to add that hint of nostalgia

19. EE

i can't really put into words why i love 170bpm music so much, it's trashy and over the top and throws any sense of subtly to the wind and replaces it all with a driving bassline and high frequency melodies. you'll either love it or hate it, there isn't much more i can say.

18. Renai Circulation

i was tempted to move this track to another place because it's equally as difficult for me to explain. jersey house hasn't jumped out nearly as much into the mainstream as i thought it would in 2016, but it's just so god damn happy i can't help but smile when it comes on. with the standard (for jersey club) samples and fantastic hip-hop style risers it's cotton candy in audio, pointlessly happy. shoutouts to the lido chord at around 2:20, nice homage

17. 4never

there isn't anything complex or difficult to explain about this track, it's just a great example of where EDM-style trap is headed, great chord progression, no overuse of effects. while still danceable, it doesn't have the bigroom/festival feel of a lot of mainstream producers (see: flosstradamus/rl grime/some diplo).

16. 10:00am

mixing in elements of tech and future house with a very minimalistic production style, the result is a very jazzy sounding groove that would feel right at home in the middle of a 90s chi-town house set, and equally so on an Oliver Heldens radio show. really nice build of instruments throughout the track, and the occasional shifts off pattern from the synth chord is great

15. Ghostboy

this is my argument for why live music changes things. this would have been in the bottom half of this list had i not seen robotaki open for porter robinson/madeon during the Shelter tour. great vocals, and i really love robotaki's habit of layering sounds that adds an extra layer of complexity in an otherwise straight-forward 4 on the floor beat.

14. if you're reading this you are literate

xvii managed to turn a mediocire drake song into one of the few tracks of his i like. mixing a great original beat but amping up the aggression by slamming thru these massive kicks and rattling high hats over top. flips like this really only exist on soundcloud, and really need to not go away

13. deserveit

more flips of mainstream hip-hop here, but this time it's turning a big sean track from a trashy deep south track to something much better. the xylophonesque melody and covered vocals take this track in a totally different direction, keeping the drums and kicks in the foreground lets big sean's lyrics feel like more of an afterthought, rather than the focus. too bad it ends so awkwardly :(

12. Need You (HtPkt Remix)

for once the soundcloud tag is accurate, this is for sure future bass, and a great example of how you can still convey emotion with a danceable bassline and bigroom edm wood block sound. haunting vocals that only occasionally get over run by drops and claps, HtPkt did his own thing without losing the enitre intial image of the song

11. do u remember?

remixing a classic is scary because everyone has some image of what the song SHOULD be, airwav destroys everything but the vocals and comes through with what can only be described as a huge drop. short, to the point, and bookended by really lovely wind sounds for some reason.

10. catwalk

this feels like an incredibly experimental version of a partynextdoor track, and i'm digging it. the chaotic drums overtop of the hyper-compressed vocals and really unexpected shifts in tone throughout i was kept guessing and loved the angst that oozes out of this track

9. imperfect

was expecting something entirely different from two future-trap producers, but they came through with a slow jam with some great atmospheric production and a simple and emotional guitar rift. as a side note, check out Josh Pan's twitter if you want to be incredibly confused, the fact he started as a collab project and ended up being...this blows my mind.

8. falling

everything i said about dive pretty much applies here, except with a different tone in mind. this for me feels like it needs to soundtrack a training montage in black lagoon or something. this track has attitude in spades and the steadily building synth in the background gives anticipation for what is coming next beautifully.

7. kingdom♥

it's a kingdom hearts flip, how can you not love that. over the top use of effects, messy mastering and this sense of unending wells of happiness give the impression of a hopeful, yet emotionally distressed, adventurer. i guess that fits right?

6. I Wanna Thank U

low-fi acid house from a teenage producer? weird, but this track throws back to the heydey of acid house and layers it with these beach-like melodies, dreamy synths and a vocal sample i just can't seem to unroot from my mind. why did 909s get replaced with 808s :(

5. work (laxcity remix)

this track manages to be both a banger and hauntingly emotional, that seems impossible but the amazing stripped down intro that flows into the future-trap breakdown, followed by a gentle comedown after manages to come across as a coherent peice of music. i really love all the nice little sound touches in the background that give a ton of "depth" for want of a better word

4. Worst Mood

a remix of a track that dominated airwaves this year, brave. the female vocals replacing some of the weeknd's and a chopped&screwed bassline with over the top vocal compression and great dissonance between the soft clicks and keys in the background with the snares/highhats/distortion in the foreground give this track a totally different feeling from the amazing original. really big fan of the knife sharping sound throughout for some unknown reason.

3. Preach (echos x kehlani flip)

more drake? yeah i know, but at this is the kehlani cover, which is superior to begin with. follow that up with some great trap production and even better transitions, echoes manages to keep the original bassline floating around in the background and yet cover it with a flurry of double kicks and high hats and what sounds like synthezid flutes to accent. the soft and understated ending ties it all of quite nicely.

2. undrcut (weird inside remix)

cool stuff like this being a great track and the stems being free to download is really cool. i was lukewarm on this track for most of the year, but in september i really started to continually come back to it. hard hitting claps layered of a mostly relaxed and chill melody give the impression of sitting stressed on a summer night, and i love it. the guitar rift over top accents so beautifully, and even though there is a liberal use of effects, nothing gets lost as it so easily does.

1. polishin' up

yeah, my top track on a list full of electronic remixes is an original hip-hop track. the beat is classic hip-hop with a simple bassline and piano keys over the top and not much else. the star here is the lyrical prowess and total hunger that is conveyed is inspiring, sit back and listen.