Oh, just come the hell on, man. I like some of the Ringer's writers, and actually dig Rob Harvilla as well (the guy who wrote this), but making Jay-Z's new album anything other than #277 for the year is hot garbage.
10. Feist, Pleasure.
I hadn't listened to this one yet, but its actually pretty good after a few streams. Super chill. A little light, I wish she dug in a little harder with the music itself. Lyrically it is interesting though. I'll keep listening to this one for a bit.
9. Charly Bliss, Guppy.
Hey, cool. The tunes are classic 90's alt-rock fuzz, but then the vocals are a super sweet, kind of cutesy, saccharine blast over the top. Never heard of this, but I like it so far. Gimme some more.
8. Margo Price, All American Made.
I liked last year's Midwest Farmer's Daughter but hadn't noticed a new album out this year. I think the earlier album was better, although I like the Willie duet and some of the good lyrics like "Pay Gap," talking about pay inequality for women over a Tejano-tinged tune. I'll keep this one for more listening as well.
7. Vince Staples, Big Fish Theory.
Previously reviewed this one, not on board other than a track or two.
6. Kendrick Lamar, Damn.
Yessir. Very good album. Not as good as Good Kid Mad City or To Pimp a Butterfly, but this is very enjoyable and important.
5. Jason Isbell, The Nashville Sound.
DUDE. If you didn't already read my review of this one, go read it and then go listen to the tunes. it is a very good album, but if you are feeling down or have access to a cliff or a pistol, then please do not listen to these tunes or you will be dead. Extremely impactful lyrics, and I enjoyed the music too, but I just can't keep listening to it.
4. Spoon, Hot Thoughts.
Word. Great album. Sad that I missed them at ACL this year, but they were in the wrong time slot for me.
3. Alvvays, Antisocialites
This one was uneven for me. Here is my prior review. Liked it well enough, but it is kind of forgettable.
2. Lorde, Melodrama
I did not enjoy this album. Here are my more fleshed-out thoughts. Disappointing too, because I was excited to hear it.
1. Jay-Z, 4:44.
This album is actively terrible. I seriously can't believe that this would make anyone's top ten, much less their top one, for the year. You'll have to scroll through a lot of other Jay-Z nonsense to see my review of this album, but here it is if you want to find it. The album feels like a complete throw away, especially at only 36 minutes long, and without a single or hit of any sort. Harvilla somehow calls it "bizarrely engrossing," while also calling it "a volatile mixture of wounded therapy talk, brash investment advice, heartwarming family business, and reasonably entertaining get-off-my-lawn grousing." This is such warm and brown dogshit. Who gives a crap if he's being vulnerable, if the beats and the lyrics blow. I'm sure listening to a real apology speech by Harvey Weinstein would be extremely confessional, but would I want to buy the piece of garbage and listen to it repeatedly? Hell no.
So I liked some of these, but the top two were seriously bad for me, so while I plan to stick with some of these and try them out more, this list gets a thumbs down from me.
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