I think you'll find a lot more to appreciate about FJM's latest. A lot more direct, less preachy, more heartfelt, stronger melodies.
Pitchfork song list is out and it is... not great. Appreciate their efforts for diversity but there are some odd choices, particularly given what has been written on the site this year. No song from Daytona for instance. But I think their number 1 might create some interest around these parts..... Edit: also no This Is America. Wow.
no Saba, Father John Misty, or Pusha T (from Daytona) on the P4K song list. Actually not a single song from the Wyoming Sessions. Kanye has a bad year publicly no doubt, but no “If You Know You Know”, “Infrared”, “A Rose In Harlem”, “Reborn” or “Ghost Town” is quite a bit of an oversight imo. I do like their inclusion of Post Malone’s “Rich & Sad” and Pistol Annies “Best Years of My Life”.
I think the Pitchfork list is pretty great. They pretty much stopped giving BNT in the second half of the year, so its a lot less predictable than other years. Some stuff I'm glad to see included, especially Future's Hate The Real Me, which I think is one of his best songs and has generally gone unnoticed.
I feel very out of touch with all of these End of the Year lists. The Noisey one has so many things that I find mediocre on it (I don't really care about most pop or most of the new trap from this year) and most of my favourite songs from the year weren't on the P4K Top 100. My opinions are irrelevant to the cultural conversation!
Psh, if you disagree with everything that's been posted so far then I am VERY interested in your opinions haha. Give me more things.
It's weird because I enjoy a lot of the things that are acclaimed. Honestly, my takes are pretty mild, but I feel strongly about them. For instance, I enjoy that Soccer Mommy album well enough. It just wasn't "special". It wasn't nearly as good as the new Hop Along record imo.That Lil Baby tape wasn't half the project that the new Saba album was. That P4K 100 songs list could use some Natalie Prass and Kali Uchis. I have no energy for Ariana Grande. Tierra Whack was incredible but not AOTY incredible. I have very reasonable but strongly felt takes!
Agreed on Soccer Mommy - I really like it but Top 10? Idk about that. Saba and Natalie Prass are both in my top ten, maybe top five. Both absolutely incredible albums.
The actual year doesn’t seem to matter as much to these publications as when it made an impact thought. P sure Boo’d Up has been out since like February 2017 and it’s on most lists I’ve seen.
mewithoutYou and twenty one pilots completely bypassed by these lists (not counting TOP on Rock Sound, lol). Dang though. Checking out Kacey Musgraves and Mitski stat.
With you on Ariana. That album keeps getting ranked high and I cannot make it through the whole thing.
The 10 Best Electronic Albums Of 2018 Stereogum electronic list. 2 I haven’t heard but the rest are pretty amazing. Nice to see some Amnesia Scanner love.
Some of those Pitchfork blurbs are weird as hell but the list is solid. I disagree that Love It If We Made It is the song of the year, esp after hearing Matty speak to some of the lyrics on there in that Fader interview, but I also think that album is shaky at best which seems to be an unpopular opinion. Happy to see boygenius so high.
My favourite song from boygenius was "Ketchum, ID". Hahaha, these publications always pick the wrong songs! I'm always right every single time!
https://music.avclub.com/the-best-electronic-albums-of-2018-1830736570 Lots of overlap with the Stereogum choices, both lists being surprisingly great