Is it cheating that I have these albums on my list even though they’re just leaked and don’t technically come out until July? Probably. Shabazz Palaces – Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star/Quazarz vs. It’ll be interesting to see how his next album plays out.Ħ. With songs like the titular “This Old Dog” and “Moonlight on the River,” Demarco seems to be hinting towards some form of maturing.
MAC DEMARCO THIS OLD DOG LEAK REDITR FOR MAC
His 2014 hit Salad Days served as Demarco’s thesis statement, an album that had perfectly captured his themes of debauchery and heartbreak.While This Old Dog doesn’t reinvent the wheel for Mac Demarco, it’s one of the most pleasant and enjoyable listens from this year. Give it a listen.Īfter his 2015 mini-LP, Another One, Canadian slacker-rock mainstay Mac Demarco had some reinventing to do. It’s not for everyone and is probably impossible to listen to in one sitting, but each repeated listen unveils new, interesting and funny lines. Whether he’s talking about returning to his hometown (“God Bless Ohio”), making fun of music journalists (“Philadelphia Cop”) or trying to solve murder mysteries (“Window Sash Weights”) Kozelek has a deadpan and honest delivery that you can’t help but listen to. The 50-year-old folk-rock legend returned this year under the Sun Kil Moon name with the 130-minute-long (not a typo) Common as Light and Love are Red Valleys of Blood, and while none of this album should work, it somehow does for me. Speaking of polarizing albums, enter Mark Kozelek. Sun Kil Moon – Common as Light and Love are Red Valleys of Blood Hang is pure lavishness and bombast, from lead singer Sam France doing his best Mick Jagger impression on the opener “Follow the Leader,” to the drama and grandiose of “America.” Hang probably will be hit-or-miss for many people, but those who look fondly on albums like Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell will get a kick out of all the extremes this band is willing to go through to reach the same heights as their inspirations.Ĩ. In its brief 32-minute length, the album manages to set up a theatrical and dramatic world thanks in part to the 40-piece orchestra brought in to help the instrumentation. Deciding to sing on this album, Ghersi brings a new level of emotion we’ve never seen from any of his works, whether it be his shrill whispers on the sinister, Sigur Ros-esque opener “Piel” or the falsettos he lays on the intense “Reverie.” The disorienting and suffocating beats we’ve come to expect from Arca are all still there, but the added singing really puts this album over the top (now please just go all-in and release a singing album I beg of you, Arca).Ĭalifornia rock duo Foxygen struck gold with their fifth studio album Hang. With Arca, his third album, the Venezuelan artist gives his all and still shows room for improvement. Producer Alejandro Ghersi, aka Arca, has already cemented himself as a tour de force from his collaborations with artists like Kanye West and FKA Twigs, as well as his previous studio album Mutant. I have no clue how many albums and songs that are on this list would’ve made it on my best of 2016, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the year unfolds. By Grant Baker ( year of our Lord 2017 has been a fairly decent year for music so far.