Real Estate are pretty much as white as indie rock bands get. Their songs cover topics such as the suburbs, travelling, and fatherhood, yet they manage to not make these topics seem as lame as one would think. Through their use of dreamlike sounds, Atlas shows Real Estate sounding more well-defined than ever, as they find the best way to express their nostalgic sound. This is a much more serious album than 2011's Days, but there is a certain familiar light which shines through the album's moodiness. Key Tracks: "Talking Backwards" "April's Song" "Past Lives" "Crime"
9. Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks- Enter the Slasher House
Enter the Slasher House is Animal Collective lead singer Avey Tare (Dave Portner)'s new horror-themed band's debut album. Rather than focusing on "scary" horror, the album instead shifts towards "fun" horror from the 60's aimed at children (such as The Monster Mash and Scooby Doo). Portner takes this theme and wraps his signature warped indie rock in it, resulting in what is an all around fun album. His classic weird songwriting style is still very present, but the music is a lot more raw, and less electronic than his previous work with Animal Collective. While horror films have always been cited as an influence on Animal Collective, here Portner brings his homage to the genre to new heights. Key Tracks: "Little Fang" "A Sender" "Strange Colores"
8. Ariel Pink- Pom Pom
From the outside, Ariel Pink seems like some random artist from the 80's that time has forgotten about. But in reality, this indie-rock freak is one of the most unique artists in the genre out there. Pom Pom takes Pink out in the spotlight without his band Haunted Graffiti, and his 70's/80's themed vision has never been stronger. Each song on here takes a different variation of pop, with some genius songwriting and production. Pom Pom brings out sounds similar to legends such as Bowie and Zappa, while still maintaining a sound that couldn't have been made by anyone but the man himself. Key Tracks: "Not Enough Violence", "Picture Me Gone", "Put Your Number in My Phone" "Black Ballerina"
7. Lone- Reality Testing
The R&B legend himself returns after 15 years with a soulful collection of some of his strongest statements, backed by his band The Vanguard, which includes drummer ?uestlove of The Roots. In an era where R&B has been taken over by electronic-leaning acts like The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, D'Angelo brings the genre back to its funky soul roots. Black Messiah is an album which feels like it was released at exactly the right time, with the black community in America facing trouble surrounding law enforcement. D'Angelo rises up as a powerful voice of the people, rightfully gaining his place as The Black Messiah. Black Messiah almost feels as if it is a modern version of Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' on. Key Tracks: "Sugah Daddy", "Ain't That Easy", "Prayer" "Another Life"
5. Arca- Xen
Venezuelan producer/Kanye collaborator Arca's debut is about as personal of an album as one will find. The title comes from Arca's female alter ego named Xen. Within the album, Arca tells the emotional story of Xen without containing a single spoken word. The music itself is so powerful that Xen is characterized perfectly through strange orchestral-sounding synths and glitchy beats. This form of electronic music is purely original, nobody else really sounds anything at all like Arca. The sound of this album is so unique that it goes right over the heads of some listeners upon first listen, but if one can give it the time, the true beauty of Xen will reveal itself. Key Tracks: "Thievery" "Sad Bitch" "Sisters" "Xen"
4. St. Vincent- St. Vincent
Know who's one of the most badass women in modern rock music? Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. She rips at the guitar, has a rebellious sense of lyricism, and a persona which is close to being the female David Bowie. St. Vincent is Clark's strongest statement yet, as her music takes on a bigger sound, while sticking to the same formula which made past albums such as Strange Mercy. Clark basically the closest there is to being a modern rock legend, yet she is severely overlooked by the mainstream music world. As far as modern female rock stars go, she is #1, and St. Vincent is a perfect example as to why that statement is true. Key Tracks: "Digital Witness" "Birth in Reverse" "Huey Newton" "I Prefer Your Love"
3. Caribou- Our Love
In Our Love, Caribou aka Dan Snaith pulls off something that is rare in electronic music, here he has managed to create an album of detailed, well-produced, house-influenced music with such strong emotion that you can feel it deep down. Usually, deep, melancholy-emotion electronic music takes shape in ambient or IDM form, but Caribou manages to display these feelings through fairly accessible dance music.Both 60's psychedelia and 90's rave music are very present here, which makes perfect sense since both scenes were based around love, which is the main theme of the album. So while this album can make one want to get up and dance, it can also be a highly nostalgic and emotional at the same time. Key Tracks: "Can't Do Without You" "Our Love" "All I Ever Need" "Your Love Will Set You Free"
With You're Dead!, L.A. producer phenom Flying Lotus aka. Stephen Ellison dips more into the jazz sound than he ever has before. Along with guests such as Thundercat, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg, Ellison paints his vision of death as an electro-jazz/hip-hop trip which fails to slow down once during its entirety. His vision of death is not exactly dark, it is more so a celebration, with a few moments of grim realization. From the first explosive moments of "Theme" to the iconic last words of "The Protest", FlyLo keeps the listener engaged, as each song seamlessly transitions to the next, resulting in one crazy psychedelic journey into the afterlife. Key Tracks: "Never Catch Me (ft. Kendrick Lamar)", "Turtles" "Moment of Hesitation" "Coronus, the Terminator"
1. Aphex Twin- Syro
For anyone who is unfamiliar with Aphex Twin (Richard D. James)'s music; this stuff is basically created in a different language. Nobody knows exactly why he chooses the sounds he does, but it just works. Syro, the electronic music wizard's first official release in 13 years is possibly his most dense album, but also one of his best. There are no genres which can even come close to describing this album; it has hints of ambient, electro-funk, glitch, and drum and bass, but none of those genres actually come close to describing it. This music is the one-of-a-kind sound of Richard D. James, and there is nothing else like it. Syro is also one of the most complex, and dense albums released this year. It is impossible to retain everything about this album in one listen, but after multiple listens you will start to pick out new sounds, grooves, and patterns which you didn't hear before. The one track which makes this album worth your money alone is "Xmas_evet10", a sprawling ambient trip-hop influenced track, which lasts for over 10 minutes yet never feels dull for a single second. So while this album may be too complex for everyone, for those who actually can give it the time, it is one of the most well-produced electronic music albums ever. Certainly a great addition to an already legendary artists catalog. Key Tracks: "Xmas_evet10" "Minipops 67" "Circlont14" "Produk29"
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