Category: Music

Five Recent Pop Albums to Listen to

Posted November 26, 2024 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Music / 0 Comments

Before I became a book blogger, I previously had  a music blog and honestly, I am disappointed in myself for deleting it. I am unsure if any of the content was any good, but it might have been a great way to look back at my past opinions and see how much has changed over time. What I love about having a blog is the documented history of my thoughts and opinions and I do think I need to get back into the habit of documenting books, music and all types of media I consume.  

When I listen to music, I tend to enjoy experiencing a complete album. There is something about this that really resonates with me. I know it is probably the norm to just listen to the songs you like, or just heart/like song on Spotify and mainly listen to those songs and listen to them more.  While I do like to just use Spotify DJ in my car and see what random songs come up, I love sitting down and listening to a full album, for me, this is a favourite way to experience music. I think that the artist spends a lot of time working on the concept of an album and to see that play out and hear it in its entirety is my way of listening to music.  

I am trying to pick up more of an explorer of music genres, trying different styles and even going into genres that I don’t particularly like. For example, I’ve been trying to listen to some more country albums, and I know that I am not a big listener of pop music but I have been focusing more on that this year. I think there has been some amazing pop albums coming out recently and while they all like the different in their style, I really want to talk about five of my favourite pop albums that I’ve been really enjoying in 2024. 

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan 

While this album came out in 2023, I think 2024 has been a standout year for Chappell, her music has really blown up and she as really become a pop/gay icon. Between this album and the next one I talk about; these two albums are closely battling it out to by my most played album (according to my last.fm tracking). What I love about The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the biographical nature of the album as we hear Chappell Roan explore her sexuality while trying to make it as an artist in a major city before returning to the Midwest. In 2020 Altantic Records signed and eventually dropped Chappel Roan as an artist after rejected Pink Pony Club as a single, but her producer Dan Nigro stayed with her and the two of them worked on this album which got picked up by Island Records. This is an amazing album of self-discovery, sexual identity and one of the horniest synth-pop albums I have ever heard.  

Standouts: Femininomenon, Red Wine Supernova, After Midnight, Casual, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, HOT TO GO!, My Kink Is Karma, Pink Pony Club, Naked In Manhattan 

Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party 

I find it amusing that there are people out there calling The Last Dinner Party an industry plant. Like they think this Baroque pop album full of romantic drama is what would guarantee a hit album. This album is meant to be a concept album, in the words of the band “[ecstasy is a] pendulum which swings between the extremes of human emotion, from the ecstasy of passion to the sublimity of pain”. I believe this album perfectly captures the wide range of emotions and truly is a spectacular piece of music.  

Standouts: Burn Alive, Caesar on a TV Screen, The Feminine Urge, On Your Side, Sinner, Nothing Matters 

All Born Screaming by St. Vincent 

Of all the albums mentioned here, this would have to be the least pop, because it has elements of progressive rock and even industrial, but I think at its heart this is an art rock/pop album. This is St. Vincent’s seventh album, and while I am not as versed in her other albums, there is something about All Born Screaming that is so personal and self-reflective. Maybe it was all that microdosing on psychedelic drugs she did while writing this album. This is one of those albums that is bursting with beauty and brutality, as St. Vincent explores her depression and anxiety through the writing of these songs.  

Standouts: Hell Is Near, Broken Man, Flea, Big Time Nothing, Violent Times 

BRAT by Charli xcx 

It is more than a BRAT summer; besides it was winter here in Australia. There is no denying that when an artist or album to be associated with a word and a colour, they have really made in impact in the music world. There is no escaping BRAT, it is one of the biggest dance albums of the year, but also there is something so deep and personal about this record. Charli talks about the loss of her friend Sophie in So I, a strained relationship with Lorde in Girl, So Confusing, and if she should take a break from music to have a child in Apple and I think about it all the time. Charli xcx went on to release a remix album which featured Lorde’s response to Girl, So Confusing and so much more. I think Charli xcx must have a good head for marketing and the music industry because every step of this album cycle has been working so well, if she did step away from making music to have children, I think there is still a place for her in the music industry, nurturing new artists or in the marketing side of it all.  

Standouts: 360, Sympathy is a knife, Von dutch, Girl, so confusing, B2b 

Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay 

I am not sure how to talk about this synth-pop album as this really is a kaleidoscope of the unexpected. I think there are elements in these songs that feel like they do not belong, and yet they fit so perfectly. It is a wild concept album full of reoccurring themes, metaphors and motifs. It is based in science fiction so trying to explain the narrative feels almost impossible. Basically, there is a girl named True Blue who becomes her true self when an alien doctor inserts a disk into her forehead.  It is such a weird concept, but this truly is a spectacular journey through a musical mirror maze. It is one of those albums that really grow on me; at first I was ready to dismiss it as something too weird for my taste, but these songs stuck with me and has become one of my favourite albums of the year. 

Standouts: She Looked Like Me!, Image, Death & Romance, Fear, Sex, Tunnel Vision, That’s My Floor, Cry for Me 

There are some other standout albums for me, including HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish, Charm by Clairo and The Great Impersonator by Halsey, I think there were too albums from some of the biggest names in pop that I personally didn’t like, including Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter, eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT by Taylor Swift. That is not to say that these were bad albums, just not albums I enjoyed. I am still exploring more in the pop genre, and I know we could argue if these all are classed as pop albums, I just want to share some great albums I have been enjoying.  

Best Albums of 2023

Posted February 1, 2024 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Music / 0 Comments

Many people might not know this, but when I first started blogging, I was talking about music and trying to document my musical journey. I wish I kept copies of what I wrote, I would like to see if I have improved in anyway. I did stop listening to a lot of new music almost twenty years ago. There may have been albums from artists I love or the odd new discovery but actively, I was enjoying the music I knew and loved.

However, this year, with the discovery of AOTY (kind of like a Goodreads for music), I decided to track my musical journey. I found myself trying new albums, discovering new bands, and realising I like to listen to the full album. Sure, I actively like songs on Spotify or Apple Music and track everything on Last.FM, but AOTY was just a fun way for me to keep a record of what albums I was listening to. Part of my wanted to try and work through the 1001 albums list (like I want to do with the 1001 books list), but I was really drawn to checking out music from this year. I discovered some new favourite artists (like Sleep Token and Aviations), found some newly debuting artists (Blondshell and Kara Jackson), but also went back to some old favourites with some disappointing experiences (The Smashing Pumpkins, Avenged Sevenfold and Taproot).

As you can tell, my musical taste leans more towards the rock/metal but I do try to explore different genres. I think albums like Wallsocket by underscores, 93696 by Liturgy, SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz​!​? by McKinley Dixon or STRUGGLER by Genesis Owusu are all albums outside my comfort zone that I really enjoyed and will continue coming back to. I ended up listening to over 150 albums from 2023 and enjoyed so many of them. So many albums were great but just missed out on my top 10. I contemplated doing a top twenty, so I could include Emarosa, Slowdive, 파란노을, Sampha, Jessie Ware, Metric, Mitski and Olivia Rodrigo on my list. Who knows, I might spend more time blogging about music in the future, but I really hope that I continue my journey of trying new music in the future. Here are my favourite albums from 2023.

10. Why Would I Watch by Hot Mulligan
I was not familiar with Hot Mulligan previously, but I saw some positive reviews coming out about this album, so one day, I randomly decided to give it a go. This is a Midwest emo band and I do love music full of angst, but what I liked about this album was that they do not try to sound like every emo band from the early 2000’s, they found what worked for them and just put their heart and soul into it. Plus, I do enjoy some interesting song titles, like It’s a Family Movie She Hates Her Dad, This Song is Called it’s Called What’s it Called, No Shoes in the Coffee Shop (Or Socks) and Shhhh! Golf is On

9. My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross by ANOHNI and the Johnsons
I hadn’t heard a new album from this band for over 20 years, ANOHNI has been singing about gender and identity issues. This is a moving soul/art rock album, that is hard to define, this band is unlike anything else. I remember the harrowing song For Today I Am a Boy from 2005, and ANOHNI still delivers those same emotions with this album. So much is happening in this album, and it really is an emotional journey. The songs are about loss, friendships, existential dread and has a heavy focus towards social issues.

8. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson
This was a late entry onto my list. I had this on my list of albums to try for most of the year, but I keep seeing mentions on other’s best of lists. Obviously, I have far too many albums still to try from 2023, but something in the back of my head kept reminding me to listen and I am glad it finally checked out Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? Hard to believe this is a debut album, because Kara Jackson delivers such maturity in her lyric writing, she is a poet and I struggle to find the words to describe the beauty here. This is a poetry, set to a chamber folk style and it is exquisite.

7. Sanguivore by Creeper
How do you describe Creeper (at least for this album); it’s like a blend of HIM, The Damned or The Misfits, but this album is more like a theatrical rock opera in the vein of Meatloaf. This is over the top, and I mean that in a good way. It’s a vampiric rock opera that really leans into the fantastical and is such a fun listening experience.

6. the record by boygenius
It’s weird to imagine that boygenius went from a side project to a supergroup so quickly. Since their first EP, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus have all put out some amazing albums. In fact, I think it was only Phoebe Bridgers that hadn’t released anything prior to that 2018 EP and she has gone on to dominate the music industry. What works as an amazing collaboration, also feels like a good introduction to these three artists too, where most songs normally have one lead vocalist. I love this because I often find it hard to pick my favourite vocalist and, on this album, I don’t need to.

5. Luminaria by Aviations
They call themselves cozy metal, Aviations is a group that formed at Berklee College of Music and their love for progressive rock and metal is what makes this band great. I am a big fan of progressive music, and as I listen to this album, I am constantly in awe of their technical ability and they way they construct their music. This is an album that really brings out my music nerdiness.

4. This Is Why by Paramore
I just love Paramore, and what I think I like the most about their last few albums, is the fact that are willing to try something new. After Laughter was a dive into a new wave/electro pop style and I had a lot of fun listening to it, but This is Why might be their best album so far. Hayley Williams and the band take on a more indie style and it works. I love when a band is not afraid to take some risks and Paramore delivered here.

3. Blondshell by Blondshell
Name a song after my favourite TV show and you have my attention. I am reminded of indie rock from the late 90’s when listening to this album and it still surprises me that this is a debut. For fans of bands like Soccer Mommy, Hole or Veruca Salt, this is well worth checking out. I love this album greatly, I love the garage rock sound, but I grow up on 90’s music, so this felt like my style.

2. Javelin by Sufjan Stevens
It feels like everyone has Javelin on their best of list, mainly because it is such a good album. This album is beautiful but very depressing. Dedicated to his late partner, Javelin is such a stunning piece of art, and it is sad to think of all the pain and sorrow Sufjan Stevens went through. This album on the surface feels like a breakup album (with songs like Will Anybody Ever Love Me?) but known about his loss just make these songs hit so much harder. Also, I think Shit Talk might be one of the best songs on the year.

1. Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token
This is a new band to me, but I did go back to listen to their other albums as well. This really was the year of Sleep Token; they are a polarising but as you can see, I love them. Take Me Back to Eden saw a major increase in production value for the band and what I love about this record is that they are not afraid to blend genres. Even some of their songs like The Summoning shift genre styles multiple times and for me it really works.