Angel Olsen – Unsung Sundays

Best of 2016

Nathan Snelgrove — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 18:43:38 +0000

As our tradition is starting to dictate, we couldn’t stop at ten or twenty records though. A round number like that feels arbitrary. We wanted to stop when it felt right. And we think we got the mix just right, more or less.

Parker Millsap

The Very Last Day

Parker Millsap’s sophomore album is filled with some of 2016’s rowdiest country-influenced folk tracks. Telling the story of the end of the world, it sees Parker wrestle with everything from his faith to our culture. Often funny, sometimes irreverent, and full of charm, The Very Last Day isn’t worth missing. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

School of Seven Bells

SVIIB

SVIIB is this year’s most authentic pop record. Born of tragedy, the record is vocalist Alejandra Deheza’s way of saying farewell to her best friend and former bandmate, Benjamin Curtis. Curtis passed away shortly after completing SVIIB in 2012, and Deheza spent time tinkering with it for years after the fact before finally releasing it as School of Seven Bells’ final parting letter.

SVIIB is one of the saddest records I’ve heard all year, but Deheza manages to find optimism in even the worst situations. While the album doesn’t break ground musically the way that some of the other albums on this list do, it’s filled with such emotional catharsis that it’s impossible to ignore. Sad, beautiful, and optimistic, SVIIB is a hidden treasure you need to hear. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kaytranada

99.9%

Kaytranada is the king of the electronica pack right now. With 99.9%, he’s put almost everybody else in the genre to shame. It’s a tremendous record for anybody who likes bits and bops in their music, but it’s also one of those albums that just indicates a total prodigy is at work behind the scenes. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

A Tribe Called Quest

We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

We Got It From Here isn’t a comeback for ATCQ. It’s a farewell. This is the group’s final album, largely because of the death of Phife earlier in 2016. But more importantly, it’s a reminder of the “service” of ATCQ throughout years. When Kanye guests on “The Killing Season”, it’s a reminder that ATCQ was one of his progenitors, one of the groups that birthed modern hip hop.

It’s not so much that We Got It Here is bringing anything new to the table; rather, it’s reminding us of what used to be. It’s like eating a meal with an old friend who just happens to be in town for a little while. It’s nice to reminisce.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Angel Olsen

My Woman

Angel Olsen’s latest record is her best yet. Olsen is an enigma, and My Woman doesn’t change that. But it does reveal that Olsen is getting better and better at her craft.

If Olsen is anything, she’s a woman who deserves to be celebrated for being a woman. At this point, it feels like she represents women everywhere. She’s the feminist in all of us. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kanye West

The Life of Pablo

The Life of Pablo is a good record, but it’s ranking on this list for reasons other than just its music. I believe Kanye has stumbled upon the future of music with The Life of Pablo. I love the way he changed the music after release, often changing the production or verses on certain tracks. (You can read our piece on that here.)

That being said, the album was originally noted for combining hip hop and gospel. But Chance the Rapper ended up doing that much better only a few weeks later with Coloring Book, dethroning The Life of Pablo in the process. What we’re left with is an excellent record that nonetheless proves Kanye isn’t the king of hip hop anymore.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Noname

Telefone

Telefone is one of the best hip hop debuts of recent years. Coming from the same crowd as Raury, Noname is quickly making a name for herself in the scene. She’s a clear example of the Chicago sound throughout her record, and not unlike Raury, wears all her influences clearly on her sleeve.

What makes Telefone work so well is its accessibility Telefone is one of the few albums this year that you could put on at a chill party without anybody raising an eye. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Esperanza Spalding

Emily's D+Evolution

Esperanza Spalding’s second record is a huge turnaround for her. No longer traditional jazz, Esperanza is making jazz-influenced rock. With Evolution, she’s at the forefront of the jazz fusion revival.

But more importantly, she’s making a statement about the validity of traditional jazz. Like when Bob Dylan went electric, she’s saying there isn’t a lot left for her to mine in that genre, and it’s time for her to go on to more exciting pastures. I think D+ Evolution is a brave step in a bold direction, and I’m excited to hear what’s next from Spalding. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels 3

I think most “Best Of” lists were written too late to include RTJ3, which was a late December surprise and one of the best hip hop records of the year. It’s a stronger record than RTJ2, with tracks that are more approachable despite the fact that the band isn’t losing their edge at all.

At this point, it feels like Run the Jewels might be one of the most important hip hop acts in our new political era. They speak their minds and don’t care what you think, and they’re willing to get involved on the ground floor (Killer Mike campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign). But most importantly, they’re completely fearless. RTJ3 was my favourite surprise album this year. Read our full review here.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Blood Orange

Freetown Sound

Freetown Sound is authentic black music. When I was in university, I took a course on modern music history. The course started with slave music, which was music that the slaves used to sing together while they worked. The rhythm helped them stay on track with their work, and the singing made them feel a sense of solidarity despite their awful working conditions.

Much of Freetown Sound reminds me of that record — not because it has a lot in common with the rhythms of slave music, but because it feels like it’s music that’s meant to create solidarity. It’s not a protest record, but it’s a record that is birthed out of protest. Freetown Sound is an important record, and one that sadly still feels necessary in 2016. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam

I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

In lieu of a new Vampire Weekend record, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine stood in nicely this year. Leithauser’s vocal performance, may be an acquired taste, but Rostam’s music is clearly coming from his work at Vampire Weekend. It’s a beautiful album that I hope begets more work from the duo. They work together so naturally you’d think they’d been playing in a band together for years. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

The Lemon Twigs

Do Hollywood

I think Do Hollywood might be the best debut of the year. The Lemon Twigs are clearly Beatles fans, but their music feels so modern — despite its retro leanings — that it’s impossible to draw the comparison too strongly.

If anything, Do Hollywood is an astonishing record because it proves that there’s still room for unique voices in indie rock. The perfect driving record, Do Hollywood is the sort of album that gives you hope for rock again. And it’s only The Lemon Twigs’ debut! Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Kendrick Lamar

Untitled Unmastered

I mean, seriously, how much does it say about Kendrick Lamar’s clear and obvious talent when his B-sides are better than all of his contemporaries’ real albums this year? The rap star is an unequivocal genius whose voice is only becoming more important.

Untitled Unmastered also succeeded in the difficult measure of following up To Pimp a Butterfly, largely thanks to its non-title and the clear attitude towards each track. Kendrick and Co. know that Untitled Unmastered isn’t going to become anybody’s favourite over TPAB, so they released it without fanfare and removed some of the weight from the difficulty of being a follow-up. The strategy worked. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool

There’s no way we could avoid putting the latest Radiohead release in the list. But A Moon Shaped Pool is seriously one of the best records of the year. There isn’t a single track that feels like filler, and the band hasn’t lost their edge even as they’ve aged.

The true pride and joy of A Moon Shaped Pool is the inclusion of fan favourite, “True Love Waits”. The song has been a live staple for over a decade, and Radiohead finally made an album they felt it was a good fit for. An impeccable song that truly captures the mood of the whole record. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Leonard Cohen

You Want It Darker

Another one of the greats lost. You Want It Darker will be, for obvious reasons, Cohen’s final record. Even at the end, he continued to wrestle with his spirituality and all his inner demons. Maybe because it was the end for him.

As it is, You Want It Darker is the best Cohen record in a long time. Impeccably produced with beautiful songwriting and an unbelievable performance from Cohen, it’s easily one of the year’s standouts in a year filled with great music.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Solange

A Seat at the Table

What is their left to say about this record that hasn’t already been said? A Seat at the Table is simply tremendous. There’s a reason Solange is on this list, but Beyonce is not: at this point, Solange has overtaken her sister’s music. A Seat at the Table is that good.

There’s nothing more to say. (Frankly, we said it all in our full review.)

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Sturgill Simpson

A Sailor's Guide to Earth

You don’t have to like country to love Sturgill Simpson. I still can’t get over his cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom”. But beyond that single track, what makes A Sailor’s Guide to Earth so special is its dedication to Simpson’s son. From the opening track on, you know that Guide to Earth is going to be something special.

And what Simpson is doing is special: beyond the dedication, and beyond the “hip dad” Nirvana cover, he’s expanding the language of country. He’s proved that the genre still has lots of room to grow. And he’s done all that without going down the pop road that country went down in the ‘90s. This is an alternative country album that any diehard country fan will love, and any non-country listener will find approachable. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Frank Ocean

Blonde

Frank Ocean made us wait too long for this. And while it can be a little long on occasion, it’s hard to be irritated that Ocean gave us more music than we originally wanted. There are so many great tracks here that it’s hard to recommend just a few.

Blonde proves that, no matter how many imitators come along, there’s nobody else who can be like Frank Ocean. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Anderson .Paak

Malibu

Malibu is an album that doesn’t care about genre, position, or what’s hip. .Paak knows none of that matters, because he’s the future. It’s absolutely one of the most exciting records of the year (if not the most exciting), because of the classy ways it blends hip hop and R&B without missing a beat (pun not intended).

There are sixteen tracks on the record, but it doesn’t feel too long or like there’s a lot of filler. This is just Anderson .Paak, making it clear to the world that he’s here to stay and to show us the way. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

Chance the Rapper

Coloring Book

Coloring Book is Chance the Rapper coming into himself. It’s also a pure representation of what the future of hip hop looks like. Kendrick and Chance have come to take over the world, and Coloring Book is Chance’s stake in the ground.

Featuring an incredible roster of guests and a ton of great tracks, Coloring Book feels like the sort of album we all wish Kanye West was still making. With tracks like “How Great”, “Blessings”, and “Same Drugs”, Chance the Rapper is doing something unique with the way he’s blending his gospel roots with hip hop. He’s creating the future. Read our full review.

Listen: Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

David Bowie

Blackstar

Before Bowie passed away, it was clear that Blackstar was easily going to be among the year’s best. Jazzy and unapologetic, Blackstar was Bowie once again experimenting with the forefront of the future of rock music. (We wrote more about that here.)

And then, Bowie suddenly passed away. Unbeknownst to almost everybody in the industry, he had been preparing for his death for a long time. The metaphor of many of Bowie’s songs on the record became much clearer in the weeks after he passed. Blackstar was meant to be a parting gift to his fans. And it’s a beautiful one. Read our full review.

Listen: Amazon / Apple Music / iTunes / Spotify

The post Best of 2016 appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Angel Olsen: My Woman

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 12:05:29 +0000

I’ve been listening to My Woman for two weeks now, trying to put together cohesive thoughts on this difficult-to-define record. After all, what does one say about Angel Olsen?

I’ll start with the most obvious: she refused to be pigeon-holed. Every album Angel Olsen releases redefines her, placing her in a new spectrum of ideas and music that defy expectations. It makes it hard to write about her, because judging her by previous metrics is impossible.

Angel Olsen forces you to judge her present work in a vacuum.

Somehow, though, each record feels better than the last. Although comparing them is foolish, My Woman feels like the real Angel Olsen. But then again, so did Burn Your Fire for No Witness. (You see the problem here?) As always, My Woman is a statement. This time around, Angel’s got love on her mind.

“Shut Up Kiss Me” feels anthemic, while “Never Be Mine” offers a counterpoint to that song’s intense passion. The themes of the tracks are clear from the title, but the musical and vocal intensity that Angel delivers them with leaves no doubt about her intent with the track. Angel’s vocal prowess elevates the subject matter.

“Give It Up” feels like Nevermind-era Nirvana, and that feels fitting for Angel’s take on the despair of love. My Woman makes love sound constantly painful; even when it’s good, it hurts. It’s fleeting when you have it, infatuating when you don’t, and painful when it’s gone. Angel’s take on love is similar to the way Buddhist monks talk about pain: love, lovelessness, and unrequited love are all crazy moments in time that dissipate as soon as they materialize. And every change is a blessing and a curse.

At least, that’s what Angel says on the first half of the record. On the album’s second half — particularly “Sister”, “Woman”, and “Pops” — Angel makes the case for her womanhood. Similarly defined by pain and wreckage, this is Angel at her heaviest and most aware.

The two halves of this record are stylistically at odds. The latter half is so much slower and more subtle than the first, but it never lags — even while it sprawls into eight-minute opuses. On “Pops”, Angel’s distorted voice carries the weight of a two-ton hammer. “I’ll be the thing that lives in a dream when it’s gone,” she sings.

With that, Angel writes her thesis about love: it’s a thing of fancy, and the dream is better than the reality.

It’s fitting to me that there’s no modern comparison for Angel Olsen’s music. We often compare her to Dolly Parton — perhaps her clearest idol — but there’s obviously room to add Nancy Sinatra and Joni Mitchell to the list. Angel Olsen isn’t a throwback, but she captures the dreamy female-led pop prowess that many of us love and miss. My Woman captures that spirit better than any of Angel’s previous records. It’s Angel’s best and most powerful record yet.

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Various Artists: Day of the Dead

Nathan Snelgrove — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 12:04:29 +0000

Wow. Day of the Dead is one of the few records that could justifiably be called “epic.” Running at five hours and twenty-six minutes, the album is fifty-six tracks long and a complete deep dive into The Grateful Dead discography. Every track is a cover of a Dead song, performed by a different artist, and offering a different take on the band’s original output.

The album was put together by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National for charity. Each sale of the record goes towards funding HIV and AIDs awareness and research. It’s a good cause, but as far as I’m concerned, any reason is a good reason to re-visit the Dead’s catalogue.

Some of the tracks deviate from the originals in significant ways. Vijay Iver’s version of King Solomon’s Marbles, for example, renders the song completely on piano instead of the band’s traditional guitar work. The result feels like a hybrid of old-time jazz with some of Rey’s theme from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was surprising and wonderful.

Other tracks stick closer to the script. And We Bid You Goodnight feels as powerful as ever (save its final live performance, which is thankfully available on Youtube). It’s a tremendous track, and I’m glad that Sam Amidon knew he had a good thing.

Other tracks surprise, in both good and bad ways: Mumford & Sons strip Friend of the Devil of its usual controversy and make it mass-audience friendly (which is a typical Mumford move). Each track from The National feels like a taste of heaven. The War on Drugs turn in a performance on Touch of Grey that could be described as “expected,” but I’d rather call it “effective.”

The whole album reads like a “who’s who” of indie, and some of the genre’s less well-known artists put out the best tracks. In particular, I love Courtney Barnett’s take on New Speedway Boogie and Perfume Genius & Sharon Van Etten & Friends’ work on To Lay Me Down.

Not all of the album is perfect: there’s five and a half hours of music here, so your mileage may vary. A few tracks had me hovering over the skip button. But at least an hour of the album is impeccable, and at least three hours of it is very good. Those sound like bad batting odds, but the variety of genre work here is so huge that it would be impossible to satisfy with any other track.

That wide variety could be a turn off for some Grateful Dead fans, though. After all, the band was always a guitar group. Hearing other takes on these tracks can sometimes feel like sacrilege. Other times, the self-seriousness of the record drags it down like a weight.

But yet the album feels more powerful than not. How many rock artists could stand up to this level of scrutiny and re-interpretation? The only other artist I think you could pull this off with is Bob Dylan. Day of the Dead is this rare treat that’s a reminder of the past, like a thank-you letter for it. It’s also a look towards the future.

All that being said, I think Day of the Dead’s power lies entirely in the Dead’s work. Hearing these artists re-interpret these tracks and re-contextualize them for their own purposes is fascinating, and often rewarding, but its emotional power lies entirely in the reminder that music can bring us together so clearly. It’s a celebration of The Grateful Dead, but it feels like a celebration of the power of rock music. And it’s a complete and utter joy.

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