Tag: The 2010’s
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CAAMP ‘CAAMP’ (2016)
I have a lot of soft spots in music. One of those soft spots is undoubtedly dark folk music that describes broken characters in search of better days who, despite their best efforts, either unwittingly fall back into bad habits or self sabotage on their path to redemption. In other words, CAAMP’s 2016 self-titled debut…
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Foals ‘Total Life Forever’ (2010)
Total Life Forever hits the perfect blend of spacey math-rock guitar lines, catchy vocal melodies, and drum/bass grooves that sound like they’re pulled straight out of a trendy London nightclub at 2am. It’s as good as it was when it dropped in 2010. Keyboardist Edwin Congreve, bassist Walter Gervers and drummer Jack Bevan are incredibly…
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Janelle Monáe ‘Dirty Computer’ (2018)
Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer is a cyberpunk dream trip through R&B and pop influences, bouncing around like a pinball amidst the synths, spacey guitars, and percussive elements. There’s an air of hope underpinning each track on the record, a sense of self exploration which drives everything forward thematically. When combined with all of the hooks…
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Sam Smith ‘In The Lonely Hour’ (2014)
When I first heard Sam Smith’s debut album In The Lonely Hour, I was immediately reminded of the same things that struck me when I first heard 21 by Adele. Undeniable and generational vocal talent, timeless musical arrangements, piano-driven ballads, and an innate ability to draw the listener in and make them feel like they’re…
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Paul Cauthen ‘Room 41’ (2019)
Here’s the headline– Paul Cauthen’s Room 41 is one of the best country records ever made, should be on every critic’s Top 100 list, and will be a mainstay in my rotation forever. The backstory of “Room 41” is stuff legends are made of. Following an abrupt breakup with his long-time fiancee, Cauthen rented a…
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Volcano Choir ‘Repave’ (2013)
If there’s one thing Bon Iver has mastered throughout his career, it is his innate ability to take a basic human emotion and somehow translate that into an auditory experience that feels tangible. There’s simply no one better at conveying emotion, in all of its assorted colors, over a 3-5 minute timespan. He is our…
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Thomas & Friends ‘Big World! Big Adventures!’ (2018)
As far as kids albums go, Big World! Big Adventures! displays a wide array of musical depth. It covers the standard fare— ensemble casts, comedic breaks, medley arrangements, and an impressive array of wordly instruments befitting its name. But really I’m here to talk about the vocal performance on “Free and Easy”. Peter Andre, who…
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Gang of Youths ‘Go Farther In Lightness’ (2017)
Heartfelt and sincere, big and epic, soft and intimate. This 2017 sophomore release from Australian rockers Gang of Youths captures the vast complexities of the human experience in a way not many albums have. A crooning baritone and introspective lyrics from vocalist David Le’aupepe place themselves perfectly in between an exemplary musical performance from the…
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