This is such a strong follow-up statement that it renders even the slightest hint of the proverbial “sophomore slump” null and void. Historian is one of the first truly great albums of 2018.
Bowie often works best through subtlety, and that strength is not particularly amplified on Safe in The Hands of Love.
Her metaphors blur the line between dancing to records and the act of love-making as great disco songs wont to do. Letissier sounds the freest and more importantly herself as she sings and struts to her favorite beat.
This is the rare project that’s truly unmoored from genre.
Teen Dream and Bloom will likely always remain the pair’s canonical entries, but by some margin, this is their most accomplished record to date and the latest proof that Beach House will go down as the finest, boldest and most singular dream pop act since the Cocteau Twins.
Elastic Days is an album of eloquent simplicity, full of quiet moments that leave a mark on the listener even at their most discreet and unobtrusive, moments that offer a great measure of solace even at their most restlessly self-doubting.
It’s impossible to say where Earl is mentally after Some Rap Songs. This was obviously a document of catharsis and exploration, diving into his own artistic and troubled genetics. But musically, he’s created the most captivating album of his career.
From the music to the singing, Hive Mind can get too comfortable for its own good.
After Puberty 2 saw her blossom into one of the indie scene’s brightest talents, the singer-songwriter pares back that album’s ambitious sweep with the compact Be the Cowboy, a half-hour record that condenses her firm grasp of youthful angst, longing and spite into bite-sized nuggets that could have soundtracked a bitter alternate universe of classic AM radio.
Musgraves has always sounded like someone who simply does her own thing. Golden Hour is the latest incarnation of that, a welcoming treat mostly driven by calm reflection with different packaging for her perceptivity.
Hynes is personal, searing and close to the bone on Negro Swan, easily making it the most exceptional record of his career thus far.
Throughout Daytona’s seven songs, there’s a refinement to his on-wax aura, presenting himself as an older, sager throwback in a world full of Lil Yachtys.
Considering the trying times we live in, it’s inspiring that Low have managed to cope by learning how to fully – and artfully – embrace their inner austerity and hopelessness.
The effusive sense of joy that pervades Knock Knock wouldn’t be possible without such a deft hand at the turntables and whoopee cushions.
Dirty Computer may be the natural climax that started with cyborgs and wolfmasters and robot-human love, and it certainly makes for a stunning moment within the context of Monáe’s previous work. It also stands as an important political-cultural document. Fortunately, it’s also a very good record.