Our Top 10 Lists have been named in honor of late Blog Director and DJ Clarence Ewing, who pioneered and published this annual feature for nearly a decade.
Our next list is from Noah Haynes.
This was a year of much less music listening for me, so I missed a lot of the buzzed-about albums. But there were still many that I really enjoyed.
10. Forklift Rodeo by 96 Cougar (Already Dead Tapes & Records)
Local Chicago rock band, interviewed for CHIRP Radio's artist interview series. The song "King Shit of Fuck Mountain" has a killer guitar instrumental on the bridge.
Listen: Bandcamp
9. Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd (The Weeknd XO Music)
A behemoth of an album, and not anything too crazy in the development of The Weeknd's sound, but some great tracks on here. "Take Me Back to LA," "Timeless," "Wake Me Up," and "Sao Paulo" are all highlights.
Listen: XO webstore
8. Eusexua by FKA Twigs (Young Recordings)
Described as what it feels like to be at the club, this album has some bittersweet bangers. "Sticky" is one of my favorites.
Listen: FKA Twigs webstore
7. More Gums Than Teeth by Uniflora (self-released)
Another Chicago rock band, teen group Uniflora, put out their first album this year. Some great psychedelic rock tracks and experimental elements on this one. "Neighborhood Gourmet" is a favorite.
Listen: Bandcamp
6. No Hard Feelings by The Beaches (self-released)
Chock-full of great indie rock tracks that worm their way into your head: "Touch Myself," "Did I Say Too Much," "Jocelyn," "Lesbian of the Year" ...you can't go wrong with any of them
Listen: The Beaches webstore
5. Moisturizer by Wet Leg (Domino)
A solid sophomore album that shows Wet Leg's got the sauce. "catch these fists," "mangetout," "davina mccall"... all great and I need more.
Listen: Bandcamp
4. LUX by Rosalía (Columbia)
It may be a bit of recency bias, but this album is a technical, instrumental, and sonic achievement. Obsessed with "Berghain," "La Perla," and "Sauvignon Blanc."
Listen: Rosalía webstore
3. Nostalgia by Mother Mother (self-released)
I got individually obsessed with every song on this album. The writing and instrumentation are both on point, some great lines. "Make Believe," "Station Wagon," and "Nostalgia" are personal highlights
Listen: Mother Mother webstore
2. All-American Fuckboy by Duckwrth (Them Hellas/The Blind Youth)
As far as I'm concerned, the best concept album of the year. Great songs, great sequencing, love to see LaKeith Stanfield on an album. The track run of ""Patrick" > "LA Traffic" > "Pitbull" is top-tier.
Listen: Duckwrth webstore
1. Virgin by Lorde (Universal)
For an album that didn't quite click with me at first, this one has slowly but surely become my favorite of the year. It's a great representation of where Lorde is an artist right now—a return to form as well as a development of her sound. It also acts as a recognition and celebration of a new stage of life, which I really connect with at this point in time. Plus, I got to see her perform it live, which is cheating, but really solidified this as a great piece of art for me. Truly one of the greatest songwriters of our generation.
Listen: Lorde webstore
Honorable Mentions
Man's Best Friend - Sabrina Carpenter (Island)
Deadbeat - Tame Impala (Columbia)
And The Adjacent Possible - OK Go (PARACADUTE)
oyster - chloe moriondo (Atlantic)
The Crux -Djo (Djo Music)