SOPHIE - SOPHIE
Genre: Electronic; electro-pop; ambient
Review
This is the second, and final album from the late SOPHIE. She passed away at the beginning of 2021 after an accidental fall, and it still remains one of the most shocking celebrity deaths for me. It still seems surreal that someone so otherworldly could be gone just like that. So no matter how good this album is, I’m just glad to hear official new music from SOPHIE. And you can probably tell from that previous sentence, the album isn’t up to the same quality as her other material. In a sick, twisted way, it’s almost the perfect posthumous album because it feels like a SOPHIE album, but without most of the little things that made her music special in the music. It sounds like an album worth of unfinished SOPHIE songs that someone else cleaned up. The thing I do appreciate about the project is how it shows all the different types of styles she was working on at the time. There is an ambient section, a techno section, and multiple pop sections that are each different from the other, one emotional and one full of party songs. Each of these sections have great songs and would make an enjoyable EP on its own, it’s just when you put it together as an entire album, it becomes a bit long and meandering. Still, it’s a welcome showcase of what SOPHIE’s next album could’ve been like if she was still with us, and it’s a shame that we’ll never hear any more official music from her.
Favorite Tracks: “Always And Forever” (Feat. Hannah Diamond), “My Forever” (Feat. Cecile Believe), “Gallop” (Feat. Evita Manji)
If You Like…: SOPHIE
Jean Dawson - Glimmer of God
Genre: ?
Review
Jean Dawson has long been one of the artists on the forefront of genreless music. His music is fairly accessible, but to even attempt to categorize it, you run into problems. It’s rock music, but also R&B, but there are plenty of electronic moments, but also choruses that would fit on the Billboard pop charts. It doesn’t belong in any genre besides great music, and Glimmer of God is his best album yet! “Black Sugar” is what a maximalist Prince 80s anthem would sound like if it was made in 2024. “Houston” is a perfect synthwave track for nighttime driving! It’s so straightforward, but it comes together perfectly! And of course, I can’t forget about the opener “Darlin’”, which has a wonderful guitar melody and a beautiful vocal performance from Jean. The more I listen to this album, the more the deeper cuts reveal themselves to be just as inventive and important as the singles. I probably need to stop saying this because he hasn’t become much more popular these past few years, but Glimmer of God really does feel like what the future of genreless music could be!
Favorite Tracks: “Houston”, “Black Sugar”, “You’re Bleeding Everywhere”
If You Like…: All types of genres; awesome music
BigXthaPlug - Take Care
Genre: Southern hip-hop
Review
There’s no denying that BigXthaPlug can rap. Just put on any of these fifteen songs and BigX will be effortlessly floating over these sample-heavy, soulful hip-hop bangers. He even digs a bit more into his personal life on here, which I’ve never heard from him before. “Leave Me Alone” shows him talking about all the new people showing up in his life asking him for things now that he’s become famous, while the song “Therapy Session” is exactly what it sounds like. He goes through the different aspects of his life and talks about what’s been going well and what’s been stressing him out. Also, he gives his Bonnaroo performance a shoutout in this song, and since I was there for that show, the song will probably have a special place in my heart. The main problem is just that it gets a bit repetitive by the end of the album, and the songs themselves tend to not be developed to their full potential. I mean, the project is fifteen songs, but only thirty one minutes. So many of these songs are just chorus, verse, chorus and that’s it. It’d be nice if we started getting three/four minute long songs in the future with him experimenting more, but for now, Take Care is another helping of fantastic rapping from one of rap’s best new rappers.
Favorite Tracks: “Therapy Session”, “Leave Me Alone”, “Mmhmm”
If You Like…: Southern hip-hop
Lady Gaga - Harlequin
Genre: Jazz; showtunes
Review
It’s been four and a half years since we got any solo music from Lady Gaga, and Harlequin isn’t the followup that fans have been waiting for, but it’s not supposed to be. As you can probably guess from the title, this project is directly tied to the new Joker movie, in which Lady Gaga stars as Harley Quin alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Most of the project consists of covers that include everything from “Oh, When The Saints,” to the iconic “That’s Life”, the latter of which closes off the project. My personal favorite cover she does here is of The Carpenters classic “Close To You”. Gaga’s voice just fits the laid back, early 70s style so well! There are a couple tracks on here that are originals, but they are supposed to be from the perspective of Harley Quin, so make of that what you will. If you like musical theater and think hearing Gaga cover some classic songs sounds entertaining, then check it out! But if you don’t like musicals or Gaga, you’re probably fine checking out until her next actual album. And you don’t even have to wait very long, the official lead single for the next Lady Gaga album is already out!
Favorite Tracks: “That’s Life”, “Close To You”, “World on a String”
If You Like…: Musicals; Sinatra
Frost Children & Haru Nemuri - Soul Kiss
Genre: Electro-pop; Alt-rock
Review
This has been labeled the year of collaborations by Frost Children, so they are only putting out music with other artists. Most of the music from them this year have been singles with Danny Brown, Dorian Electra, and a little three song EP with SEBii, but this project with Haru Nemuri is a bit more substantial. It’s still not a full length project, but 20-minutes over five songs isn’t anything to disregard. Soul Kiss is a throwback to their more electronic roots, but they still bring in some of the emo and rock elements from Hearth Room, and the combination of the two make for a fascinating listen. The song “Supernatural” starts to show the rock elements coming in, but “Bad Thing” is a full out emo-rock track complete with screams from Lulu. Now, I want to be clear, I have no idea who Haru Nemuri is. I’m not trying to disregard anything that she does on here, because she definitely adds to the project, I just don’t have a frame of reference for what she makes by herself. After Soul Kiss though, I definitely plan on listening to her music to see if it’s as good as this! Soul Kiss isn’t something to be missed for fans of Frost Children, or anyone who liked the hyperpop-adjacent scene!
Favorite Tracks: “Supernatural”, “Bad Thing”
If You Like…: Frost Children; wild electro-pop and emo bangers
Charli XCX - Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat
Genre: Electro-pop
Review
If you haven’t heard Brat by Charli XCX yet, you’re missing out. Not only is it one of the most talked about releases of 2024, but it’s without a doubt one of the best pop albums of the decade! This is a remix album with at least one new feature on every single track, but it’s way more than a traditional remix album. Most of these songs are completely different from the originals. Heck, there’s even a few where the only thing that’s similar is a few lines, or a couple of the same melodies. It makes this album feel more like a companion piece to Brat instead of a remix album. It’s supposed to show the different ways the songs could’ve taken, and unsurprisingly, it’s wonderful! “I Might Say Something Stupid” went from a downtrodden keyboard instrumental to a dark, ambient piece that is twice the length of the original. “So I” went from being about Charli lamenting on not spending enough time with SOPHIE before her passing, to celebrating the good times that they shared together! One of the most unexpected collabs ended up being arguably the best, which is Bon Iver on “I Think About It All The Time”. It’s arguably more heartbreaking than the original, and Charli’s updated lyrics cut to the core. Brat continues to be the dominating force in music in 2024!
Favorite Tracks: “I think about it all the time featuring bon iver”, “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde”, “Club classics featuring bb trickz”
If You Like…: Brat; clubs; self-improvement
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - “No Title As of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead”
Genre: Post-rock
Review
If it’s not clear from the album title, this project was inspired by the ongoing war happening in Gaza. The number of Palestenians killed is now estimated to be over 40,000, and that’s only the people killed directly by Israeli weapons. That number doesn’t include starvation and other various illnesses and issues that come from having their hospitals destroyed, supply chain cut off, and almost 2 million people being displaced. With all the heavy themes the album is referencing, it feels weird to talk about the music, but I will say that these instrumentals are haunting and gorgeous. Especially with the visual of what the album is inspired by, it adds on the layer of how the world’s reaction to this event is. In a way, I would put this in a category with the Moor Mother album from this year as albums that are perfect history time capsules, but are sometimes hard to listen to given the context. Still though, as weird as it is to say, I did enjoy listening to this album.
Favorite Tracks: “Grey Rubble – Green Shoots”, “Babys in a Thundercloud”, “Raindrops Cast in Lead”
If You Like…: Emotional instrumental rock
Leon Bridges - Leon
Genre: Soul; R&B
Review
This ended up being Leon’s worst performing album, and I don’t see why because it’s a perfectly enjoyable listen! Sure, it’s not the 60s and 70s soul that he became popular with, but I don’t understand how fans of his could dislike this. The whole album feels like a laid back family get-together during golden hour. Leon’s voice is just as sultry smooth as ever, and the instrumentation is perfect for an accessible soul album in 2024. I haven’t even gone into the lyrics yet because the whole project is such a warming experience. Just the way he says things is what has stayed with me so far, such as the chorus of “Can’t Have It All”. While it’s another stereotypical love song, his enunciation and melody of the title phrase stands out among the rest. I really think a lot of people might undervalue this album, but hopefully it spreads by word of mouth because I could see people of all ages and backgrounds really loving this!
Favorite Tracks: “Can’t Have It All”, “Laredo”, “Panther City”
If You Like…: Soul music; voices that are as smooth as honey
Tucker Zimmerman - Dance of Love
Genre: Indie-folk; singer-songwriter
Review
I know they’re not in the title, but this is kind of a Big Thief album as well. Tucker Zimmerman is one of Adrianne Lenker’s favorite songwriters, and last year, Big Thief got to be the backing band for Tucker’s upcoming album. And not only is Big Thief the one playing the instruments, Adrianne is on almost every track in the background, and sometimes foreground. Now, do I enjoy it as much as a Big Thief or Adrianne Lenker album, no. But, I love how delicate and lovely the entire project is. You can feel the love that the group has for Tucker and are careful in making sure he is still at the forefront of the project. To be clear, I didn’t know anything about Tucker before this album, but he seems to have been making music since the 1960s! Even at 83 years old, his voice is still enjoyable, and the songwriting is full of wisdom and humor that only someone of that age could have. Now, it does fall off a little bit in quality towards the end, but Dance of Love is a project for these beautiful autumn nights nonetheless!
Favorite Tracks: “Lorelei”, “Burial At Sea”, “They Don’t Say (But It’s True)”
If You Like…: Big Thief; personal folk music
Virtual Riot - Stealing Fire
Genre: EDM; electronic
Review
Virtual Riot is someone I only just found out about. He has been making EDM music for over a decade and was even signed to Skrillex’s label, OWSLA. I first started paying attention to Virtual Riot when he announced a show in Madison with someone who I am a big fan of, Moore Kismet, opening. It just so happened to luck out that the show was on the same day Virtual Riot’s new album came out! So it felt like fate that I had to check it out, and I’m glad I did! Now, did I enjoy everything here, not really. Some of it is a bit too brostep or riddim heavy for my personal taste, but there is no denying that Virtual Riot’s sound design is fantastic! Every sound on here feels intentional and like it was mixed and mastered to perfection. It feels larger than life in that way, which is something I always like in electronic music. A song like “Dino Killer” is a perfect example, especially with the deep vocals hyping up each drop. Now, that song is also an example of what type of EDM I don’t fully love, but there’s no denying that a song like that goes hard live! So while I won’t deny that this album is a bit too long and overwrought with ideas, I still enjoyed my time with it and would recommend it to other EDM fans.
Favorite Tracks: “Stealing Fire”, “Ridiculous”, “Believe What You Want”
If You Like…: Raves
Geordie Greep - The New Sound
Genre: Progressive rock; jazz-rock
Review
Geordie Greep is more well-known as the lead singer for Black Midi. Unfortunately, 2024 claimed another victim, as it came out that the group had broken up and might not ever be coming back. It only took a couple months from that announcement to get the first solo album from the lead singer, and while I enjoy it, it’s definitely something I appreciate more than I actively enjoy. His voice is uniquely theatrical. While there are other examples I can think of that sound similar to him, there is something unique and soulful about his voice. Instrumentally, these songs are a bit more intriguing. It’s not quite as chaotic as Black Midi tracks usually were, but the progression most of these tracks go through is wonderful! It’s just not usually the thing that I would listen to in my freetime, but I wanted to talk about the album because it seems like most people really love it. So maybe someone reading this who has never heard of it would love it more than me!
Favorite Tracks: “The Magician”, “Holy, Holy”, “The New Sound”
If You Like…: Musicals, but also the weirdest rock music you can imagine
Tommy Richman - Coyote
Genre: R&B; hip-hop; pop
Review
You probably know Tommy from his hit “Million Dollar Baby”, which has become one of the biggest songs of 2024, in a large part due to TikTok. When it came to releasing this album though, he intentionally left it off because it didn’t fit his vision for the album. Now, I really respect the artistic decision to do that, but the album has also only sold 3,400 copies in the first week and didn’t even chart. It’s definitely looking like Tommy will be a one hit wonder, which would be disappointing because I thought the album was actually pretty solid. It’s clearly not reinventing the wheel and is far from the best thing I’ve heard all year, but the album is full of Richman succeeding at different styles. “Temptations” is a retro electro-pop banger that is unlike any of the singles he’s put out, whereas “Tennessee” will give fans of those singles another hip-hop centric track with an irresistible bassline. I won’t argue with anyone that dislikes Richman because the album isn’t that great, but I really enjoyed listening to it, which is not what I expected.
Favorite Tracks: “Temptations”, “Thought You Were The One”, “Seems Like Time Moves Forever” (Feat. Mynameisntjmack)
If You Like…: “Million Dollar Baby”, accessible combination of R&B and hip-hop
ISOxo - KGM(irl)*
Genre: Electronic; edm
Review
Almost a year after his fantastic debut album, ISOxo is back with a deluxe to that album that is pure fan service. These are the versions of the songs that he has been playing live throughout the past couple years, which is why the project is titled with the “irl” instead of a normal deluxe title. After being fortunate enough to see ISOxo multiple times this year, I’m glad to finally be able to hear these versions in high quality. Even people that aren’t ISOxo have been playing these songs, such as when I saw Moore Kismet and they played the “dontstopme! (demo)” instead of the original track. There’s only one new track on here, which was the closer, “i promise”. It’s honestly the most boring thing that ISOxo has touched in the past couple years, but it’s just a deluxe project, so I’m not stressing about it. So if you’re a fan of ISOxo, this is a welcome helping of new versions of his already classic songs, but definitely don’t start here if you don’t know him.
Favorite Tracks: “dontstopme! (demo)”, “STARsound (pt2)”, “KGM(irl)*”
If You Like…: ISOxo; hearing demos of an album you already love
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