Sep 29, 2015 One thing I've noticed since joining S80 is the lack of non-hip hop discussed. I get it, this is a hip-hop forum after all and still relatively small, but even then I do find it extremely rare to find active non hip-hop discussion. So, this thread is going pick the five best non hip-hop albums of each year that I think you guys might like or really want y'all to listen to. First up, 2010: 1. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening This is the third and final album from LCD Soundsystem, the electronic dancepunk outfit of James Murphy. While not the best LCD Soundsystem album, this album is a beautiful goodbye to a great and short-lived band. The production is fantastically put-together, the songs are catchy, and Murphy's lyrics are more poignant and emotional than ever. This is a definitely must-listen. 2. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz If you went through the album credits of To p---- a Butterfly, you might've seen the name Sufjan Stevens somewhere after his track "All for Myself" (which I've posted above) was sampled in Hood Politics. This song comes off of Stevens' fantastic album Age of Adz, a stylistic departure compared to his previous work, adding a large electronic edge to his folk/indie rock/baroque pop fusion on Illinois (another great album you should also check out). Essentially, this album is the indie equivalent to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, both being artistic risks that paid off greatly. 3. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky If you're a fan of Anthony Fantano, you might have saw last year that he gave Swans' 2014 album To Be Kind a rare 10/10. Of course that record was the third from the revitalized Swans, a band formed by Michael Gira in the early 80s which saw many lineup and sonic changes, going from no-wave to noise rock to gothic rock to post punk to drone to experimental music. My Father was the first Swans album since 1997 and it's a d--- good comeback album, featuring some beautifully arranged instrumentation and great vocals from Gira. Not for everyone though, so let's pick something that's easier to get into. 4. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma Recently, FlyLo has been popping up everywhere, from having his own station in GTA V to working with Kendrick Lamar to being the house DJ for "Why? with Hannibal Buress." His recent run of success can date back to this album, which featured some beautiful electronic music that had elements of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and IDM. It's bonkers as h---, but also somewhat accessible. I think most people here have heard of FlyLo, but not many have really dipped into the man's amazing discography, which you can easily start from here and go on a magical journey. 5. Beach House - Teen Dream Before I go on, I promise this is the last time I mention Kendrick (maybe...). On "Money Trees," Kendrick sampled a song off this album called "Silver Soul." Kendrick has some pretty great taste as this album is fantastic. The vocals, by Victoria Legrand, on this album are fantastic, adding a lot to the lyrics to bring some emotional depth, along with the great production that expands the sound seen on their first two albums, bringing the group to new heights with mixtures of indie and synth/electronic pop. Sadly summer is over, otherwise this album would be a perfect fit. So there's a lot of 2010 albums I missed due to a number of reasons, but I can't lose sleep on it. I'm going to be posting my favorite 2011 albums either tomorrow or later tonight, so be on the lookout then. Enjoy listening and if you ever want any music recommendations, just @ me.
Sep 29, 2015 She didn't release anything in 2010, but she'll be in my 2015 list whenever I put that up.
Sep 29, 2015 need my patrician bros @Peter Parker, @AdageAndalusia, and @Charlie Strangelove in here edit: @BigCountry too
Sep 29, 2015 Joanna Newsom & The Tallest Man On Earth would be on mine. Only heard Lotus and Beach House off of this.
Sep 29, 2015 You took, Soundsystem, Sufjan And FlyLo from me I need to go remember what else dropped in 2010. Radiohead did right?
Sep 29, 2015 Okay, now for 2011: 1. James Blake - James Blake This is the debut album from one of my favorite artists ever, James Blake. When Kanye says that you're his favorite artist right now, that's some pretty d--- high praise that Blake lives up to. This album is filled with insane tracks, mixing R&B with electronic to hauntingly beautiful results. I actually did a full review of this so go check out that here for some more expanded thoughts on the album. Blake is one of the best guys making music today and if you're still sleeping on him, it's time to wake up. 2. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l tUnE-yArDs has been one of my favorite artist for a minute. Her debut is one of the best pieces of lo-fi pop this decade and this album expands on that by actually having a budget. The production is great, mixing African music influences with the pounding drums on "My Country" with lo-fi sounds (especially her prevalent use of looping pedals). A great album that doesn't get talked about enough. 3. Radiohead - The King of Limbs Radiohead are talked about a lot as one of the greatest bands ever for a reason. They've rarely played it safe, constantly changing things up from album to album and breaking ground, with this album being no exception. While definitely not their best release, TKOL has some breathtaking songs thanks to Thom Yorke's amazing vocals and a unique mix of electronic and analog. Their new album should be coming out later this year/early next year so now is probably the time to go through their whole discography (excluding Pablo Honey) and fall in love. 4. St Vincent - Strange Mercy Ah yes, this is one I really wanted to talk about. You might have seen my avatar change to this woman a few times, and for good reason, she's (being St. Vincent aka Annie Clark) g.d. amazing. Her voice is angelic and the production on this thing (handled by John Congleton, who I interviewed on my podcast!) is incredible. She's also a kickass guitar player as you can see by the solo on this track. This album was made after some depressing times in Clark's life with a lot of deaths, and this album was her way to cope. The songwriting's great, the vocals are great, the production/instrumentation is great, pretty much everything about the album is great, check it out. 5. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - We're New Here Does that beat sound familiar to you? If you're a Drake fan it should, as this is where the original "Take Care" came from. While the original version of this album came out in 2010, I kind of prefer the remix album by Jamie xx which came out in 2011. It takes the magic of Gil Scott (an early influencer in hip-hop) and modernizes it, mixing in elements of IDM, house music, and jungle to create one of the great remix albums ever. Not only does it retain the magic of the original album, it enhances it. While I wasn't big on Jamie xx's debut this year, this album just blows me away every time. Also Jamie xx did a song earlier this year with some guy that people like on here a lot so there's that too.
Sep 29, 2015 2011 list out now! @AdageAndalusia @Ordinary Joel @Charlie Strangelove @Peter Parker @BigCountry @Nori @Narsh @Mimi
Sep 30, 2015 Thanks MTY. Tbh. I need some new music to listen to and you seem to have good taste based on my own taste. I have to catch up with the better albums of the last few years in genres I normally like but have been setting aside. I've been caught up with some other music but I'd like to change it up again.
Sep 30, 2015 Thanks for checking the thread and it'll probably be a long process catching up but it'll definitely be worth it.
Oct 2, 2015 Im a bit late. But good s---. 2011 was def a bit stronger on the rap side of things though.
Oct 2, 2015 definitely a lot of great rap in 2011 also should i keep this going? i tried doing a 2012 top 5 and lost inspiration since no one seems to give a s---
