My Top 10 Albums of the Year (so far)

High Self Esteem by Nussy Andrews

High Self Esteem Cover Art

Nussy Andrews is such an incredible songwriter. Her lyrics are so beautiful and heartbreaking, and she's so masterful at telling stories. Her sound is fit for nothing less than a full orchestra. There’s beautifully swelling violin and piano played like a percussion instrument all over this album. On the song Terminal Damsel, her voice sounds gorgeous over cello. This album was my introduction to Nussy Andrews, and I have very quickly become a huge fan of hers. This album is perfect from head to toe.

U by Underscores

Cover artwork by Ochiai Shohei

This album is amazing. I was able to go to Underscores’ pop-up DJ set a couple of weeks ago, and that was easily one of the highlights of my year. U is a perfect pop album. It’s maximalist, it’s hyperpop, and you can tell how much she loves EDM from how it sounds. Beyond the production, Underscores is a really fantastic songwriter. The Peace, one of the standout tracks and fan favorite, follows the course of Underscores’ situationship, focusing specifically on times when she shared a cigarette with the other person. It’s a super well written song, and so catchy. So far, U is my absolute favorite album of the year.

new avatar by Kelela

new avatar Cover Art

This album, lyrically, is a breakup album. Everything else about the album is a journey through rock and dance music. The first half of the album is mostly guitar-heavy alt-rock. Then, as it keeps progressing, the album segues into a place that’s more in line with how Kelela’s recent music has sounded: calm and intimate dance music and R&B. The shift in sound is really shown on the track linknb, a midpoint in the album and a very, very fun, electronic interlude. Kelela has such a clear vision for her work, and is so, so talented at what she does. This album is another brilliant, genre-bending piece of art from her.

NATURE IS HEALING by horsegiirL 

Nature Is Healing Cover Art

In a moment of scary climate catastrophe and threatened AI dominance, horsegiirL delivered a perfect dance album that not only made me want to get up and move but also gave me hope. While horsegiirL provides no solution for the problems in our world, she shows just how much she loves nature and the earth. On the song organic intelligence (oi), she sings about how beautiful, mysterious, and magical the natural world is, and how that’s something that we can’t- and shouldn’t- try to replicate. It’s really amazing to hear someone so beautifully articulate how necessary and immortal nature is.

Oh yeah? by Steve Lacy

Oh Yeah? Cover Art

I was shocked to see people not enjoying this album. Maybe people were expecting Gemini Rights part two...? I’m not sure, but this album is near perfect to me. It keeps all of Steve’s usual grooviness, expert guitar playing, and funky rhythm, but adds a sadness and spaciness over the top of it. Every album of Steve’s has shown him more grown up and more skilled in his musicianship, and this one is no different. On this album, Steve sings beautifully about his habit of infidelity, and how much he wants to be in love. My favorite song is his trip-hop duet with Erykah Badu. It’s just as futuristic as it is melancholy.