November Recap (Kali Uchis, Miley Cyrus, Lil Uzi Vert and MORE)
2020 has, without a shadow of a doubt, been my busiest year when it comes to music, pumping out reviews left right and centre as I made the transition to using Album of the Year to keep a track of the many, many albums I was hearing and rating. (You can check out that page whenever you wish, and you'll likely stumble across "bonus" mini-reviews and comments on albums that didn't warrant a full review over on my blog).
In the space of three months, I rated almost 500 albums and EPs on that website, a task that has enabled me to be far more prepared for Year-End List Season that ever before, although ironically I am also beginning my year end lists far later than before, so perhaps not so prepared. Nonetheless, I realised that I don't have the time to review the albums from November that I would like to, so in covering 10 albums in one recap I should have caught up, ready to hit you with my first Year End lists later this week. Enough waffle, let's get into the first review...
"In The Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing"
By Foster the People
11th December 2020
Independent
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5.5/10
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Foster the People hold a conflicted place in my heart, a remnant from my indie pop obsessive phase that should have crashed and burned by now, but have somehow remained as a band that I will defend. I suppose the primary difference is that this defence extends to only a few of their songs, the majority of their discography a thoroughly mediocre entry point into the genre, at best. Now, with this latest EP of theirs, the band are once again clearly aiming to achieve a degree of credibility, having gone independent for the first time in their career.
The variation of the band's discography certainly gives them an early advantage in this, allowing them to make whatever move they want without compromising a particular sound or style, although I can't help but feel that freedom hasn't been exploited in the right way. On the track "The Things We Do" for instance, the poppy hooks, nonsensical lyrics, catchy bassline, they're all here, but unlike previous releases the integration of each is incredibly sloppy, resulting in a cluttered mix that doesn't accentuate any one element. This may have the intention of creating what the band would consider an "experimental" song, but it has the adverse effect of coming across like each instrument is utterly independent from each other, playing parts to different songs that don't come together whatsoever.
That said, there are other places where the band's experimentation does succeed, such as on the grand crescendo of "Under the Moon", or the odd rhythm of the synths on "Lamb's Wool", but these moments aren't enough to save the project and it stands as yet another middling release from Foster the People.
I realise now this came out in December - whoops.
"Monument"
By Molchat Doma
13th November 2020
Sacred Bones
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7.5/10
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On the Belarusian band's third album, their characteristically dark atmosphere has found itself amplified into the kind of barren cold depicted on the cover art, but what it's lacking is the rage of the ocean.
In a year overshadowed by the pandemic, it's easy to group together the other misfortunes of 2020 under one banner, but in doing so you would be undermining their severity, particularly in the case of the Belarusian election scandal. Already branded as Europe's last dictatorship, the situation in the country only escalated as citizens found themselves devoid of free speech, with censorship, deportation and fabrications inescapable. For a working class band writing during this time, this should have been the fuel for their most invigorating album yet, but the lack of evolution from their last record leaves me wanting more. Yes, their atmosphere was expanded and yes, there are songs that do respond to the inner turmoil of their home country, but the instrumentals themselves differentiate only in the exemplified disco influence, something that is only sometimes successful at painting their frustration.
However, one element of the music that shows a level of promise comes in the form of minimalism, something particularly evident on the frosty "Otveta Net", a song that distinguishes itself from others due to its lack of structural or melodic differentiation throughout the song. Surprisingly, this pays off for the band, evoking a similar nocturnal spaciousness to artists like The xx. Elsewhere, the band's foray into more blatant disco on "Udalil Tvoy Nomer" is unfortunately their greatest misstep, its increased length and overused synths taking one too many steps away from their area of expertise, and resulting in a lacklustre attempt at a more danceable track that was perfected by American artist Riki's "Napoleon". Overall, another good entry into the Molchat Doma discography, although not their strongest.
"Pluto x Baby Pluto"
By Future x Lil Uzi Vert
13th November 2020
Atlantic / Epic
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4.6/10
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Somehow, Future and Lil Uzi Vert's collaboration mixtape has impressed me more than any of their independent releases this year, although this is far from a good project. As with both rappers' last album, this mixtape is too long for its own good, a 54 minute runtime resulting in more filler tracks than essential ones, causing such an abundance of inconsistency I can confidently call this a consistently mediocre album, the outliers being its few good songs.
What makes this an improvement over Eternal Atake and High Of Life you ask? Well, both projects had very separate faults for me, and thankfully this mixtape has neither. In the case of Eternal Atake, Lil Uzi Vert was attempting a comeback that paradoxically attempted to centre around both his personality and the sci-fi "story" concept, although on the songs in which his personality took the centre it was unlikeable and misogynistic, whilst the tracks that contributed more to the sci-fi aesthetics were too often weighed down by outdated production that failed to be forward thinking and interesting. By contrast, Pluto x Baby Pluto never has time to get too personal due to its collaborative nature, and the sci-fi aesthetics have been toned down whilst the production quality has somehow been raised, not breaking any boundaries but complimenting beats that often feature some great synths, contributing to an atmosphere that is far more enjoyable than expected.
On the Future side of things, his last album High Off Life was dour and unambitious, swamped in the same generic trap beats, a thoroughly unambitious and thematically absent album that had bored me by the first track, and driven me to madness when it concluded 70 minutes later. I've spoken already of Pluto x Baby Pluto's length, and whilst it's a problem it is significantly shorter than that, and in the case of the instrumentals the improvements are night and day. In short, these two rappers may be as undesirable and unimpressive as ever, but the lows of previous projects are avoided due to a lack of intimacy, and the beats and production are assets that neither have had to this extent before. Also, "Plastic" just straight up slaps.
"Lamentations"
By William Basinski
13th November 2020
Musex International
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8.6/10
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William Basinski makes every note, every sound you hear, count. In this review, I shall try to do the same. For almost half a century, William Basinski has created an archive of his own ambient recordings and samples, an archive he utilised to create this, his 28th studio album. Across twelve intricately unsettling songs, he evokes feelings of grief, loss, memory, nostalgia, and isolation, expertly sharing his mental state to provide one of the most moving and intimate instrumental albums I have ever heard.
"Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)"
By Kali Uchis
18th November 2020
Interscope
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8.4/10
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Kali Uchis is back in action with her second studio album, and first Spanish language album, the songs here spanning jazz to reggaetón in a complete evolution from her last album that manages to retain the diversity whilst simultaneously adding a newfound cohesion in the atmosphere that sets it apart from its predecessor. For as much as I loved Kali's last album, its earnest emotion and genre-flexing expertise making for a pop album that was unmatched that year, here on Sin Miedo we're treated to more stripped back instrumentation that accentuates the essentials - primarily her vocals, the most angelic and commanding they've ever been as Kali is afforded the opportunity to express to a greater extent than ever before. Moreover, the bass and drums are given the chance to shine, more simplistic soundscapes granting her space to shine without retracting the depth we're used to.
The main difference between her debut Isolation and Sin Miedo is, to me, an obvious one; on the one hand you have an album centred on light-hearted, fun pop, and on the other hand you have an album that's far more sincere and emotive, the very definition of maturing. To me, it doesn't matter so much which is better, so long as Sin Miedo is an evolution from what Kali was doing (which it is). Nowhere is this better executed than on the bulldozing jazz ballad "que te pedí", a track that shows off just how impressive her vocals are, and on the sensuous trip hop of "vaya con dios", my personal favourite track on the album.
"5EPs"
By Dirty Projectors
20th November 2020
Domino
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3.7/10
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Dirty Projectors' plan for 5 EPs across 2020 culminates in a painfully inconsistent hour of songs that have absolutely no cohesion or connection whatsoever, a compilation that seems to lack musical understanding despite the band having proved multiple times before that they are more than capable of crafting thoughtful and genuinely quirky art pop. Throughout this, the band becomes a parody of lesser acts, striving for abnormality but losing what makes them special in the process, each new guitar tone leaving me more anxious to stop listening to such a poor imitation of a Dirty Projectors album.
That all said, I called this album "inconsistent" for a reason. This isn't all bad, and a track like "Self Design" succeeds in breaking conventions with some creative vocal manipulation that is reinforced by strong, introspective songwriting that is so rarely achieved on this album. In fact, for the most part the lyrics come across as filler, and the male vocals of David Longstreth are severely inferior to those of Maia and Kristin, just another way in which this release is fraught with inconsistency.
"Good News"
By Megan Thee Stallion
20th November 2020
1501 Certified / 300
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6.1/10
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Megan has certainly stepped it up from her lacklustre SUGA EP, but once again she fails to live up to her early potential, lacking the edge of certain songs and beginning to sound incredibly one-note before you even reach halfway. What works? Well, Megan Thee Stallion remains one of the biggest, most entertaining personalities in mainstream rap music, and although her flows aren't the most creative thing they provide something that's distinct enough in the pop landscape, one of only a few rappers making such maximalistic music, party-centric in a year somewhat lacking in parties (no, I don't hold that against it).
On some songs, Megan is able to channel her personality into a tight, engaging tracks with fun wordplay and equally engaging production, the one-two punch never coming across stronger than on "What's New", but the achievement of this track is something of an exception, with many songs seeming just to fill space. This same hyper-sensual lyrics and generic beat combination is to me a bigger drawback on the album than those actually bad songs, as it's these tracks that lack the distinction, scope or memorability that Megan desperately needs if she wants any kind of staying power, an aspect of this album that holds more weight than you might think considering this is her official debut.
"Kill Me"
By Sundara Karma
24th November 2020
Chess Club
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9.1/10
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Sundara Karma is stalking me.
What on Earth do I mean? Well, ever since I discovered this band they've shifted and reinvented themselves with each new release, and each time matching the exact style of music I'm most enjoying at that time, whether it be the indie rock of their debut, the art rock of their sophomore, or the explosive, off-the-wall hyperpop of this new EP.
This is not exactly a sound I expected the band to transition into, and in fact the "hyperpop" label isn't exactly a snug fit when describing the EP, but this is far and away their boldest and most experimental release to date, and one that comes with a very significant problem. Is it the autotune you ask? No. The lack of REAL ROCK INSTRUMENTS then? Ha, no. What could it possibly be then? Well, the biggest problem I have with this EP is in the sequencing. Jumping between plunderphonic noise rock and Far East inspired hyperpop, and then into some kind of futurist glam rock before submerging once again in hyperpop, then concluding with a shimmering 90s pop rock entry, this release is all over the place, and I can't help thinking there was a better way to order these tracks.
The issue of sequencing is, I suppose, a concern more than anything, as I am not too picky when it comes to that detail on an EP. If, however, this translated to a future album I would have some more to say. No, it doesn't detract too much from the experience of this EP, and what an experience that is, immediately sweeping me off my feet and not letting me down for the entirety of its bafflingly thrilling, boundary-mocking runtime, the central core of Sundara Karma still present in this evolution due to the typically introspective writing. In fact, I am so enamoured with this EP, I'm going to crown it as my favourite project of theirs to date.
"Plastic Hearts"
By Miley Cyrus
27th November 2020
RCA
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4.2/10
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It doesn't take long for Miley Cyrus' rock folly to descend into disillusionment rife with emo antics, and even besides this is not a unique or particularly interesting album, outside of some inconsistently good writing. Instead of carving out a new identity for herself, she ends up splintering even further into segments that vary greatly on their own, and certainly don't come together.
How many more times can Miley Cyrus reinvent herself? It may seem like something of an inconsequential question at first, but it's getting to the point where each new album of hers tackles an entirely new sound palette, usually to the same degree of faceplant inducing quality. This time though, I'm worried. Critics, fans and music fanatics alike all seem taken to this album, impressed with it even, leaving me afraid as to what it is Miley will do with this newfound positive reinforcement. If you hadn't guessed yet, I wouldn't class myself as a fan of this album, but even I'd be lying if I said there wasn't anything of quality here.
The album's opener is the best song by a mile, the self deprecating "WTD Do I Know", an enthralling dive into rock music that sets the tone for an album with a punk edge, riffs borrowed straight from The Strokes' heavier material and the powerful voice and introspective lyrics of Miley Cyrus to boot. This is not, unfortunately, the album we get, and the second track is far more indicative of what it is we get, showcasing a more synth-laden sound complete with a cheesy guitar solo and lyrics that repeat the exact same themes with less grit and originality, a fault taken to a whole new degree of flaccid critic pandering on lead single "Midnight Sky", a track that explains my distaste for in the context of the album.
When I say the rest of the album is more of the same, I want to make it clear I'm talking about the issues of the lyrics, themes, and lacking instrumentals, not that each song sounds the same, particularly with the diversity gifted to us by the decent Janelle Monáe imitation "Gimme What I Want", the unfathomably dull Dua Lipa collaboration "Prisoner", and the dour ballad "High" that arguably has the least place on this peculiar, mismatched album. The thing I can't get over? The public response treating it as if it's any different from any other contemporary indie pop record. For goodness sake people, just listen to Rina Sawayama instead!
"POWER UP"
By AC/DC
13th November 2020
Leidseplein Presse
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1.2/10
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NOW THIS IS ROCK MUSIC.
I could review this album, but one meme would say more than I ever could, so...
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this recap, I hope you enjoyed, and perhaps more importantly I'd be incredibly grateful if you read my Year End lists, all of which are incoming over the next few weeks, beginning with the Worst Hit Songs. See you then!
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