Not my kinda list. Too many computer fabrications. Glam and glitter, glossy images,
and expensive videos come in first, and music second. On the other hand, if the whole
wide world would listen to the same music, it would be pretty boring and, of course,
I can do my thing on my own list (coming next week).
1. ‘Renaissance’ by BEYONCE (NYC)
Rolling Stone: “The album finds her unabashedly celebrating Black pleasure
in all its multitudes and illustrates that theme with dozens of sampled voices and
sounds, esteemed guests (Grace Jones), and echoes to global club styles past and
present.”
Single: Break My Soul
Stream RENAISSANCE on SPOTIFY
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2. ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ by BAD BUNNY (Puerto Rico)
Rolling Stone: “Bad Bunny’s sunlit ode to Puerto Rican summers is the superstar’s
most carefree project yet, but there’s a weightiness to the way it’s broken record after
record: The LP became the most-streamed album on Spotify when it first came out. It
spent more time at Number One on the Billboard 200 than any other album this year.”
Single: Moscow Mule
Stream Un Verano Sin Ti on SPOTIFY
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3. ‘Midnights’ by TAYLOR SWIFT (West Reading, Pennsylvania)
Rolling Stone: “It’s a record that sounds best from start to finish. But if you’re short on time, just focus on the three-song run of “Vigilante Shit,” “Bejeweled,” and “Labyrinth” that makes for a euphoric streak higher than nearly anything released this year. Checkmate, you couldn’t lose.”
Single: Anti-Hero
Stream MIDNIGHTS on SPOTIFY
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4. MOTOMAMI by ROSALIA (Spain)
Rolling Stone: “The Catalonian shapeshifter has been triggering arguments about genre, race, and culture in Spanish-language music for years now. But with the polyglot Motomami, she went all-in as a proud pop globalist, flaunting her devotion to Kate Bush, M.I.A., and Camarón de la Isla in equal parts.”
Single: Saoko
Stream MOTOMAMI on SPOTIFY
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5. ‘Harry’s House’ by HARRY STYLES (Redditch, England)
Rolling Stone: “With Harry’s House, he decides to rip it up and start again. It’s a vibrant, playful, vividly emotional song cycle about finding different kinds of home on the run.
Single: As It Was
Stream HARRY’S HOUSE on SPOTIFY
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6.’It’s Almost Dry’ by PUSHA T (NYC)
Rolling Stone: “For more than a decade, he’s been navigating his post-Clipse career with projects steeped in his winning formula: dope talk over dope beats. It’s Almost Dry may be
his finest offering yet.”
Single: Diet Coke
Stream IT’S ALMOST DRY on SPOTIFY
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7. ‘Hold On Baby’ by KING PRINCESS (NYC)
Rolling Stone: “Hold on Baby, a 40-minute odyssey of emotional breakdowns, introspective lyrics, and anthemic choruses that sound like a magical combination of Savage Garden and Audioslave.”
Single: For My Friends
Stream HOLD ON BABY on SPOTIFY
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8. ‘Caprisongs’ by FKA TWIGS (Cheltenham, England)
Rolling Stone: “Caprisongs is revelatory simply because
it sees FKA Twigs, known perfectionist, finally letting loose.”
Single: Oh My Love
Stream CAPRISONGS on SPOTIFY
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9. ‘Jack In The Box’ by J-HOPE (South-Korea)
Rolling Stone: “The first BTS member to release a solo album, J-Hope set the bar
high with Jack in the Box, a 10-track concept album. After a debut like this, J-Hope’s
fans (new and old) can be pretty sure they won’t be disappointed with his future
offerings.”
Stream JACK IN THE BOX on SPOTIFY
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10. ‘Wet Leg’ by WET LEG (Ilse Of Wight, UK)
Rolling Stone: “One of the best new rock bands to come around in the past five years, this duo from the Isle of Wight garnered buckets of well-deserved hype. Wet Leg bristles with sharp tunes and even sharper jokes, offering a 2020s update on deadpan Nineties legends like Pavement and Elastica.”
Stream WET LEG on SPOTIFY
Single: Chaise Longue
TURN UP THE VOLUME 