"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

02/ariana grande/sweetener

the raindrops fell, and an angel cried. she felt her blood runnin', and swore the sky was fallin'. life dealt her the wrong cards and made everything taste like salt, but then came the light. a light that shined so bright, it could no longer hide. so she kept on breathin' as the light slowly trickled in, bringing back everything the darkness stole. she's in a state of mind she intends to stay in from here on out now, and at peace, and you hear it in the music and feel it in your bones with every word of reassurance and soulful vocal melody. she's lovin' and livin' and turnin' it up with some mighty fine aid from pharrell and max martin. she's better off, stronger, with no tears left to cry. and that, in turn, gave us this, sweetener:  one of the year's best pop + R&B albums, bringing the bitter tastes to a halt.

KEY TRACKS:

r.e.m.



god is a woman



sweetener



03/mgmt/little dark age

04/teyana taylor/k.t.s.e.

05/tierra whack/whack world

06/sophie/oil of every pearls' un-insides

07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

02/kanye west, kid cudi, 070 shake, & partynextdoor/ghost town

"they did that."

so there was that listening party at the ranch in wyoming. lots of high hopes and expectations. for some of us, the party and the art itself were kind of a slog. but then -BUT THEN(!)- this happened. literal fireworks at the very end. second to last track. pure euphoria bursting through like a ray of sunshine. cudi's wails. kanye's vocals. the lasers and the ultra light beams. the "take me for a little while" sample. the psychedelic soul bubbling underneath, and the overall uplift via song. and then, of course, there's 070 shake. the last two and half minutes of this song are a revelation in which both she and the song reach for the stars and get there, everytime (and always will). a truly transcendent experience via song man, yeah... they did that. 




03/nine inch nails/ahead of ourselves

04/teyana taylor feat. mykki blanco/wtp

05/ariana grande/get well soon

06/meek mill, rick ross, and jay-z/what's free

07/the carters/nice

08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

03/mgmt/little dark age

they grieve in stereo and create in technicolor. and on album number four from andrew vanwyngarden and ben goldwasser, their fancifully crafted collage of sound is once again expansive and bountiful. with little dark age, mgmt craft ten songs across 45 minutes, sequenced beautifully, producing their tightest and most accessible set yet. the creative, whimsical flourishes are still there on this sytnh-pop heavy set, each song its own little fun house mirror, steeped in their slightly off and fancy free take on folk and psychedelic rock. they grieve in stereo, and create in technicolor, and on little dark age, this blending of the light and the dark results in another solid collection for the masses from the distinctive duo.

KEY TRACKS:

when you die



me and michael



hand it over



04/teyana taylor/k.t.s.e.

05/tierra whack/whack world

06/sophie/oil of every pearls' un-insides

07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

03/nine inch nails/ahead of ourselves

YOU/US/SHE/AND HIM: rock? in 2018? IT'S DEADER THAN DEAD. MAN. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED.

TRENT REZNOR AND THEM:



nope.

not today.

not on their watch.

04/teyana taylor feat. mykki blanco/wtp

05/ariana grande/get well soon

06/meek mill, rick ross, and jay-z/what's free

07/the carters/nice

08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

04/teyana taylor/k.t.s.e.

the name on everybody's lips?

teyana.

ten years in the game, no album out, gotta em searching and salivating:

where's teyana?

"you ain't hot yet? you ain't pop yet? what's up wit' you and ye?..."

she good. she real good. they real good.

"what do she do?"

everything. and this. k.t.s.e. : eight songs, no fade outs, and all business from she and mr. west with what just very well may be the best and most cohesive project of his production wise this year. but don't get it twisted, the true star of the show is mrs. taylor, the international sensation with that take no prisoners or bullshit presence, and those wonderfully versatile and soulful vocals. k.t.s.e. keeps that same energy, focus, and love for the soul music that came before it like many a mary j. album from the 90s running through every hook, note, and vocal, and is hot and poppin' from start to finish.

what's up with her and ye?

they good.

real good.

put that on everything.

KEY TRACKS:

gonna love me



issues/hold on



rose in harlem





05/tierra whack/whack world

06/sophie/oil of every pearls' un-insides

07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

04/teyana taylor feat. mykki blanco/wtp

she's not your average showgirl. she exudes confidence with every step and breath she takes. she, like the voice and spirit of octavia saint laurent heard at the tail end of this glam 90s house evoking extravaganza, has grand plans, and has no problem demanding that her needs are met. "i want so much more..." so she seeks it out, from you, in the sheets, in the studio, and on the dance floor, by singing these blues and striking a pose. serious as a heart attack ("SAVE YOUR TEARS HONEY!"), stunting like the queen mother she is and her hype man, mykki blanco, and this thumpin' kanye provided beat asks for and encourages. she's a motherfucking international sensation in heat and in need of some love, sweat, and affection. and for these two and a half house shaking minutes where life's a cabaret, you can't help but enjoy the ballroom like reverie and, like her, work on nothing more than getting your life.



05/ariana grande/get well soon

06/meek mill, rick ross, and jay-z/what's free

07/the carters/nice

08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

05/tierra whack/whack world

for 15 minutes, philly artist and rapper tierra whack invites you into her whack world. an audiovisual album comprised of 15 tracks, each one minute long, each a little world onto itself. whack world is an elastic hip-hop and R&B album that runs the gamut from humorous bangers to 80s slow jams to spoken word moments of poetry to whimsical yet biting diss tracks and contemporary rhythm and blues. rockin' an out of this world level of confidence and creativity last seen with missy misdemeanor elliot at the time of her debut, tierra whack shows and proves that she is not your average girl: "you can't define me. you can't deny me". and she is absolutely correct. we needed swag, and with whack world, she provided.

KEY TRACKS:

bugs life



hungry hippo



fruit salad



06/sophie/oil of every pearls' un-insides

07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

05/ariana grande/get well soon

every song on ariana's sweetener warrants a repeat listen. and when i wasn't busy just straight up playing sweetener from start to finish, I would find myself returning to the album just to hear or sing along to this track right here, the final track on the LP. "get well soon" could be for mac. or it could be for an estranged family member or friend; or someone teetering on the edge. or it could be a conversation between ariana and herself. it could even be a much needed dose of that real between yourself and the voices in your head, or that angel and devil lurking on your shoulders. and therein lies the beauty of "get well soon". she didn't have to write this record. she didn't have to speak on these topics, or attempt to connect with us on a human level in order to let us know that she too looks to the rainbow no matter how far off it may be, cause the clouds are merely temporary, but i am thankful that she did. i needed to hear these words. as did she, as did us. 2018 was a helluva year for ms. grande and the world at large, so we, as is common, sought solace where we could in order to remind us that humanity still thrives. for ariana it was here, with sweetener and these words, shining a light in the dark, and keeping hope alive.



06/meek mill, rick ross, and jay-z/what's free

07/the carters/nice

08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

06/sophie/oil of every pearls' un-insides

late in this album's run, during the bridge for album highlight "immaterial", guest vocalist cecile believe sings: "i was just a lonely girl in the eyes of my inner child, i could be anything i want... i don't even have to explain... i can't be held down...anyhow, any place, anywhere, anyone...any form, any shape, anyway...anything, anything i want". and as these words hit, you soon realize that they pretty much serve as the album's mission statement. on her debut album, the veil is lifted and sophie presents sophie the bombastic pop star on her own terms. oil of every pearls' un-insides is a cosmic like journey to a whole new world of experimental electronic dance pop that is deconstructed or expanded upon in dizzying and often abrasive beat thumping ways. she is any form, any shape, anything she wants, making the music underneath it all some of the most exciting and intriguing pop to hit the universe this year.

KEY TRACKS:

ponyboy



infatuation



immaterial



07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

06/meek mill, rick ross, and jay-z/what's free

"oh say can you see, can you tell me what's free?..." 

free is when nobody else can tell you what to be. free is when the TV ain't controllin' what we see.
free is letting them know that, yeah you made a few mistakes, but they don't define you, you are simply human, and you are and deserve better. free is moving from a slave to a king in the land of the "free" where the blacks are enslaved ("three fifths of a man i believe's the phrase"). free is letting them know that when they bring up your name, they speak FACTS - no slave, no house nigga, FREE. they try to keep us out of sight, police our way of being, separate us when you got mike and prince's dna, all while expecting you to not feel some type of way. so they came through with that heat, running it down cause sometimes you gotta let em know; off the head, this improv, but it's no comedy. this that sucka free shit. six minutes of cinematic film noir excellence in the form of a song with three street disciples, battle scarred and now kings. that's free.



07/the carters/nice

08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

07/kids see ghosts/kids see ghosts

kanye west and scott mescudi are sick of running. and as is seen and is made clear repeatedly on this triumphant collaborative effort from the two, scars have been left behind, and they now see the angels coming. they've died and come back twice, and now they are free. "peace is something that starts with me", so these the theme songs;  twenty five minutes of spiritual uplift via song and reaching out for something true as the beautiful madness that is this world keeps spinning. a boundary pushing hip-hop record formed from the melding of two of the game's most creative minds pulling us and each other up, kids see ghosts is kanye and kid cudi reborn and moving forward, both in life and in song. no stress, so blessed, and stronger than before.

KEY TRACKS:

freeee (ghost town pt. 2)



reborn



kids see ghosts



08/smerz/have fun
 
09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

07/the carters/nice

when you duck all the subpoenas and misdemeanors. when your success can't be quantified. when you ain't seen a ceiling in your entire life. when you stocked up like the doomsday preppers, gotten over those humps, and have no fear of life. when they patiently waiting for your demise, but it never comes. when B keeps the singing to a minimum, and instead chooses to stunt on you hoes with BARS like she's 1/2 of one of hip-hop's greatest duos. when pharrell comes thru with that beautiful music, giving you a breezy trap hop & R&B joint to bounce, rock, and flex to and you glide over that shit effortlessly, bouncing off each other with ease, like it's nothing and you could do this in your sleep. when life just feels like blessings on top of blessings, etc., making it feel like the best year ever.

and can't nobody see you or stop your shine.
and you luxuriate in your black excellence, proving you're better than the hype, all while giving us life?

Jesus Christ(!), THAT IS NICE!



08/mgmt/little dark age

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

08/smerz/have fun

that album cover. another fine example of giving so much with just one image. stare at it long enough and the images (or memories) come to you. the slow motion walks thru the crowded party spaces. the shouts of "WOO!" or "I FUCKING LOVE YOU SO MUCH!". the chaotic bathroom vignettes. the lines. oh the lines. and, of course, the reminder to always try to do what it appears the ladies on this photo are doing here: have fun. over the course of these hypnotizing and austere lo-fi, electroclashing, bass heavy pieces, the norwegian duo that is smerz invite you into this here knotty head space and private affair, after hours and after dark, to move your body, and have fun. and with this ep they do just that, providing an open space where the dizzying highs and lows of connecting, both emotionally and rhythmically, and the urgency of fulfilling one's desires, whatever they may be, both emotionally and rhythmically, collide beautifully, presenting a wave that, like the photo and images it brings to mind, is chill.  

KEY TRACKS:

no harm



oh my my



half life



09/janelle monae/dirty computer

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

08/mgmt/little dark age

according to my year end round up with spotify, i spent a lot of time this year with of montreal and kanye west. four of my five most listened to songs were either from one of the two. rounding out the top five was this one. they have had me since hello with their slightly off, idiosyncratic take on popular music, and "little dark age" continues on in this tradition like "time to pretend" or "electric feel" before it. it's gloomy, yet approachable; dark, with just enough light peering through the cracks; and, of course, gloriously whimsical in places when it wants to be. a weird goth-pop like dance excursion, "little dark age" is, in other words,  mgmt at their best: marching to the beats of their own drums while making sure you're caught up in a fever you can sweat out.



09/sophie/it's okay to cry

10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

09/janelle monae/dirty computer

The Dirty Computer:

is SUNNY,
FUNKY,
YOUNG BLACK WILD AND FREE.

it's PYNK & TOO BLACK FOR YA.
a BLACK now POPPING LIKE A BRA STRAP ON YA!

it's tired of hoteps trying to tell you how to feel.
naw, THIS IS HER PALACE.
WONDERLAND,
so her alias is Alice.

KOOL-AID WITH THE KALE.

JANE BOND NEVER JANE DOE.
DJANGO NEVER SAMBO.

A LITTLE CRAZY, LITTLE SEXY, LITTLE COOL.

THE TRUTH.

THE PLUG WHEN YOU NEED IT.

AN EMOTIONAL SEXUAL BENDER.

A LITTLE LEFT OF CENTER.

THE VENOM,
AND THE ANTIDOTE.

yeah... something like that.

vibing on a fearless artistic plain like many a great prince or stevie wonder album before it, dirty computer is janelle monae fully formed and wonderfully comfortable in her shell.

so go on, take a byte.

help yourself.

get screwed.

KEY TRACKS:

django jane



pynk



i like that




10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

09/sophie/it's okay to cry

prior to this single's release, sophie found refuge in the studio behind the beats and the production and the sweat inducing rhythms. but this time, for this song and her debut album's opener, she wanted to be sure that the message was conveyed in person. that the words come across clearly, and that she is seen and heard; and, most importantly, that you know that she is here. here with a minimalist power ballad sent from the heavens, filled with the warmth and intimacy of a much needed hug or message of encouragement from someone you hold dear. it does not shout, nor is it or she here to judge. and as the conversation builds and the song reaches its triumphant conclusion, professing its love and loyalty to you, the listener on the other end, a little bit louder now, you feel it and feel seen, just as sophie intended.



10/blood orange/jewelry

11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

10/dirty projectors/lamp lit prose

midway through track four -the "don't stop til you get enough" adjacent album highlight "i feel energy"- beneath the triumphant bells and whistles and ecstatic horn arrangements, comes band frontman david longstreth with the lines "sometimes i get so depressed/and i just can't move/...but then something unexplained/....something opening a new consciousness beginning...."

he finally, once again, feels energy.

this time last year i was singing the praises of an album that began with a downbeat number titled "keep your name". on lamp lit prose, all that is water under the bridge, and david wants you to sound the trumpets and revel in this newfound light burning inside of him, producing one of the most sonically buoyant albums of the year. it shouts its joy from the rooftops, and bursts expressively throughout like a sky filled with fireworks. like swing lo magellan before it, lamp lit prose is a warm and inviting record filled with david's crisp blending of art rock and r&b to compliment the blue bird singing his tune. go let it out david. we feel your energy, and it's infectious.

KEY TRACKS:  

i feel energy



blue bird



what is the time




11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

10/blood orange/jewelry

for these five shimmering, contemplative minutes, devonte hynes would like you, the other, to remember that your black is beautiful. this space and this world you inhabit is yours. they want you to stay indoors, not speak up, or luxuriate in your melanin glow; "try to put you down by saying, 'she's doing the most' or 'he's way too much'" to throw you off track and keep you from unlocking your true potential and standing tall in your black excellence. but nigga, we off that. feel yourself. be like he over the course of this track: acknowledge the struggle, but don't let it stop your forward momentum. shine and show all the way up daily.

and wear that shit like jewelry.



11/mariah carey/gtfo

12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

11/of montreal/white is relic/irrealis mood

he fell in love and he got woke. he got "very inspired by the extended dance mixes that people used to make for pop singles back in the ‘80s". the "really intricate and interesting longer versions that wouldn't get played on the radio and could only be heard in the clubs". he was "inspired by James Baldwin’s writings regarding the creation and propagation of a toxic American White identity"; became fascinated with irrealis moods, "the linguistic indicator that something isn't yet reality but does have the potential to become so". and then he returned to the lab. and he cooked. and then he delivered. he came thru with them grooves; sparked a personality flair. he let his newfound wokeness and lust for life, as well as his beating heart, stretch out his slick indie disco and inform his melodies, "breeding a style nobody would wear". he let the songs exceed five and a half plus minutes, with three of them exceeding seven, each pulsating with life throughout, begging you to get up off that thang. he maintained his charm and kept his wit while letting himself become a slave to the rhythms. he spun this dj set and got the party started cause a release is often needed in such trying times, and what better place than the dancefloor to escape and get away? so he came thru with them grooves, woke and in love. no anger, not as fragile as before, with a newfound lust for life, white is relic/irrelais mood is kevin barnes at his finest, with a spring in his step and so many grooves in his heart.


KEY TRACKS:

paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia



writing the circles/orgone tropics




sophie calle private game/every person is a pussy, every pussy is a star!



12/drinks/hippo lite

13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil

"...got me in my feelings." : the songs, 2018.

11/mariah carey/gtfo



12/childish gambino/this is america

13/kanye west, ty dolla sign, & ant clemons/all mine

14/lizzo/boys

15/dirty projectors/break-thru

16/of montreal/paranoiac intervals/body dysmorphia

17/st. vincent/savior (piano version)

18/nicki minaj/barbie tingz

19/robyn/honey

20/jack white/corporation

21/mountain man/rang tang ring toon

22/drake/nice for what

23/the voidz/pyramid of bones

24/azealia banks/anna wintour

25/pusha t/if you know you know

"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

12/drinks/hippo lite

on their second album together, cate lebon and tim presley take us away to an intimate art rock wonderland. a place where jaunty, and often times chaotic and ramshackle ditties bump up against sparse and gorgeous bare bones instrumental compositions that play like mood pieces. with hippo lite, the post punk duo create a beautiful wall of sounds, treating each song like a collage whose separate parts come together to form a finished product that plays like it was created to soundtrack some far off fantastical land in the great beyond. for little more than a half hour, cate and tim take us to the inner depths of their creative and whimsical abilities, leaving us in a state of wonder and atmospheric bliss at this trip's end. an all around fantastic voyage.

KEY TRACKS: 

real outside



greasing up



you could be better



13/kanye west/ye

14/blood orange/negro swan

15/rosalía/el mal querer

16/mountain man/magic ship

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar

23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil