![]() ![]() “If it feels good / Then it’s alright,” she sings, and for a second, you’re inclined to believe her. At times, she finds it: Take the album’s best song, “Shameless,” which boasts a sentimental melody that belies the lyrics’ aching heartbreak. PAINLESS’s songs can be intimate (“Try,” “Midnight Sun”) or pulverizing (“The Dealer,” “Stabilise”), but they always feel like they’re working toward catharsis. Over lush tracks that occasionally recall The Bends or OK Computer, Yanya sings like she’s sharing a late-night confessional, alternating between whispery cries and bellowing declarations. The question pervades PAINLESS, her stellar second album built on big drums, big riffs, and bigger emotions. “Why do other people have this idea that artists need to be suffering in order for their music to be good?” the rising 27-year-old British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya told NPR in March. The vibes are here, and Curren$y plans to keep it that way. This project also marks Curren$y’s 11th since the start of 2021, as he’s sidestepped the pandemic to put out content at a rate not seen since his famed mixtape run in the early 2010s. Continuance is a love letter to New Orleans, armed with the spirit of the speakeasies that line the streets of the French Quarter. Along the ride, there are features from Babyface Ray, Larry June, Havoc, and Boldy James, all rapping over slick loops. minutes after taking a nibble of the edible. The second collaboration from Spitta and Alchemist is a drive down Canal Street, toward the New Orleans riverwalk at 2 a.m. ![]() ![]() Versions of Modern Performance is such a realized debut that it may itself influence a later generation down the road. Listen as they alternate between infectious college-rock riffs and dance-punk on “Anti-glory,” or let the sea of fuzz on “Option 8” envelop you. The trio of teenaged Chicago musicians-Gigi Reece, Nora Cheng, and Penelope Lowenstein-have crafted an album as vital as any of the music it’s indebted to. But with Horsegirl, the sum is greater than the influences. It certainly tracks-while listening to Versions of Modern Performance, you’ll hear strains of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr., homages to My Bloody Valentine and Built to Spill. The easy tagline for Horsegirl’s first album is: For fans of ’80s and ’90s indie rock. Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl His cup floweth over, even when his glass is half-empty. “Is a peace of mind worth / Leavin’ everything you knew behind? / Move another town and / Hope the trauma don’t amount to what you do in life,” he thunders on a song called “Survivor’s Guilt” “I’m just scared to go back / Didn’t have shit to eat / Half my bread go to taxes / The actual thieves,” he grouses cheerfully on a song called “Fearmonger.” Best of all is “Soldier,” a woozy and hooky anthem grounded by a hard-earned wisdom worthy of Kendrick Lamar or, if you’re old enough, Goodie Mob. The deceptively serene rapper and producer (and occasional Chance collaborator) both revels in and struggles with outsized success on Few Good Things, a deft and melodically rich and beguilingly glum exploration of what it means to Make It (whatever that means) without Losing It (likewise). Remember that rad tweet that dismissed Chance the Rapper as “OL HAPPY ASS”? (Deleted, alas.) Rude, yes, but if you like your earthy Chicago hip-hop warm and buoyant but just a touch less naive, the tenderhearted but hard-nosed third album from Saba is the move. Check back on Friday to find out our favorite songs of the year so far. What’s causing this glut of great music? Is it a pandemic build-up finally releasing? The full-stop return of festivals and touring (fingers crossed)? New voices rising up in pop? It’s tough to say, but either way, we’ll take it.Īlbums released by June 30 were eligible for consideration. (Truthfully, we could’ve done 50, but we’re reasonable people.) To fully capture 2022 in music so far, it felt necessary to count down the best 25 albums, as opposed to 10. That’s a reflection of a strong start to the year that’s seen big-ticket rap releases (Pusha T and the long-awaited return of Kendrick Lamar among them), a handful of major indie rock albums (see: Beach House’s and Big Thief’s double-album comebacks), and a bunch of smaller releases we’re very excited about (take your pick from the list). ![]() You’ll notice this list is a little longer than it’s been in the past. ![]()
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