As I’ve spent the last week trying not to drown in midterm papers, I’ve thrown together some album recommendations that I adore but don’t have the time to wax poetic about right now. Here’s a fairly current rotation of what I’ve been listening to:
Blue Rev, Alvvays (2022)
Canada’s pride and joy has done it again. Alvvays’ recent release is their best album yet, and it’s in the running for my favorite album of the year. Shawn Everett’s work as producer is phenomenal and the group’s songwriting reaches a new level on this record. Alvvays has proven to be a band indispensable.
Favorites: “After the Earthquake”, “Tile by Tile”, “Pomeranian Spinster”
Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend (2013)
I’m not proud of this, but I return to this album every fall like it’s my job. Something about this record pairs well with the changing seasons and the impending sense of doom I tend to feel at this time of year. Vampire Weekend is the zenith of trust fund music.
Favorites: “Hannah Hunt”, “Finger Back”, “Ya Hey”
Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), Kali Uchis (2020)
I remain constantly in awe of Kali Uchis’ artistry and what she achieves, and her first Spanish language album features some of her best work, both tonically and thematically.
Favorites: “quiero sentirme bien”, “telepatía”, “de nadie”
Hotel Paper, Michelle Branch (2003)
This album goes harder than I remembered, and it sounds extremely 2003 — a year I don’t remember, but it’s fun to pretend I do. Branch is one of the best vocalists of her time, and she displays her myriad capacities wonderfully on this album.
Favorites: “Are You Happy Now?”, “Empty Handed”, “‘Til I Get Over You”
JAGUAR, Victoria Monét (2020)
Monét makes an incredible solo debut here; she’s an artist with a generous capacity for great pop and R&B songwriting. As a music critic and a longtime fan, I’m eager to see how she tops her own work in the future. (Side note: the cymbal pattern on the titular track is one of my favorites to play on my own kit.)
Favorites: “We Might Even Be Falling In Love (Interlude)”, “Jaguar”, “Go There With You”
The New Abnormal, the Strokes (2020)
Hear me out on this one: I do really enjoy this album. The Strokes have a lot to live up to, so much so that every release of theirs will live in the shadow of their debut. But all things considered, this is a good album with a lot of fun, good songs. They stray out of their comfort zone in the best ways, and I do enjoy their pairing with producer Rick Rubin.
Favorites: “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus”, “Eternal Summer”, “Why Are Sundays So Depressing”
Marry Me, St. Vincent (2007)
I hadn’t written much about this album during my series on St. Vincent, but I do love her debut. It’s largely bare and beautiful and says much about what she would eventually become.
Favorites: “Now, Now”, “Jesus Saves, I Spend”, “The Apocalypse Song”
Maida Vale Sessions, Broadcast (2022)
I’m not one to hover around sessions albums, but this reissuing is a beautiful tribute to the late Trish Keenan. Maida Vale Sessions features many bright, fresh recordings of their most poignant songs. Also, I get too sad to listen to any Broadcast studio album all the way through, and I like the track ordering here.
Favorites: “The Note [Message from Home]”, “Come On Let’s Go”, “Echo’s Answer”
Thank Your Lucky Stars, Beach House (2015)
Full disclosure: at any given moment in time, I’m drowning myself in the waves of a Beach House record. Right now, it happens to be this one. Scally and Legrand are masters of manipulating space, and this is one of their smaller-sounding releases. I just love it. I’m on board with anything Beach House does.
Favorites: “All Your Yeahs”, “One Thing”, “Elegy to the Void”
Surrender, Maggie Rogers (2022)
I’ve been on the Maggie Rogers train since her debut, and I don’t plan on getting off anytime soon. This is a formidable record with a lot of great tracks; there’s an awareness of her past influences while structuring a new path for herself as an artist. If anything, I see this album as a precursor to decades more of Rogers’ artistry. Rogers is an artist who knows what she wants and goes for it — Surrender stands as a total achievement of her intentions.
Favorites: “Want Want”, “Shatter”, “Honey”
The Avalanche, Sufjan Stevens (2006)
We know how I feel about Sufjan Stevens and his work depicting my home state, so of course I seize the opportunity to revel in more of Stevens’ creations. Nothing holds a candle to the original, but this compilation of extras is always a delight to revisit.
Favorites: “Adlai Stevenson”, “Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair”, “Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version”
The Future and the Past, Natalie Prass (2018)
Natalie Prass holds onto her baroque roots on her sophomore release, but sprinkles in just the right amount of groove and bounce. The Future and the Past remains my favorite album of 2018.
Favorites: “Short Court Style”, “The Fire”, “Ship Go Down”
Countdown to Ecstasy, Steely Dan (1973)
I’m currently reading Brian Sweet’s massive biography of Steely Dan, and I’ve just encountered the Countdown to Ecstasy chapters, so I’m doing my due diligence. It’s good. Of course it’s good.
Favorites: “Bodhisattva”, “Show Biz Kids”, “King of the World”
Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy (2022)
As a member of Gen Z, I have a little chip in my brain that forces me to like Steve Lacy. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy Lacy’s solo work as much as the Internet’s Hive Mind or Ego Death, but I appreciate Lacy’s vision on Gemini Rights.
Favorites: “Helmet”, “Mercury”, “Amber”
II, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (2013)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra is one of my favorite artists of all time, and frontman Ruban Nielson can pull off many hats. This hat happens to be one of his more stripped-down when compared to UMO’s later works.
Favorites: “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)”, “No Need for a Leader”, “Faded in the Morning”
Blue Rev is the frontrunner in my AOTY list. Anything could happen, but as it stands, I'm hard pressed to see anything topping it. Honestly, "Belinda Say" alone could carry it. A solid record from stat to finish.
Thank Your Lucky Stars is such an underrated project. I think Depression Cherry took most of the attention because it dropped first that year, but TYLS has so many hidden gems. The New Abnormal made me so happy back in 2020 because it was a return to form by one of the best to ever do it in indie rock. Everytime I see the album art for MVOTC, "you take your time, young lion" just plays in my head on repeat😄. Nice list here.