My favourite albums of the year so far

Hey!

It's been a while...

I mentioned wayyy back in February that I would be taking a break from blogging in order to focus on my A-levels...which incidentally ended over 3 months ago now...oops. So yeah, I've been kinda shit at this and I apologise...

Anyway, now that I've archived that chapter of my life (how profound), I have decided to return to ~the blogosphere~ bigger and better than ever, promising weekly updates and new content, starting with my favourite albums of the year so far.

In my drafts I have a list of about 30 or so records that I wanted to talk about, but I've decided to keep it minimal and focus on the ones that have really blown me away this year. The first of these is Puberty 2 by Mitski, my album of the year so far, which combines crushing guitars, impassioned vocals and incredible lyrical prowess to create a truly special body of work. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know how much I adore Mitski (and her twitter account, which I also highly recommend). The latest album by Cate Le Bon (one of my favourite songwriters), Crab Day, has also been on heavy rotation lately and features some of the best instrumentation you'll hear this year, especially if you're a fan of horns. On that note, I highly recommend the self-titled record from folk super-group case/lang/veirs, especially if you're in the mood for grand and melodic songwriting, as inferred by the beautiful artwork that accompanies it.

In terms of the more ~major~ releases that have been released so far this year; Beyoncé's Lemonade is leaps and bounds above everything else I've heard; Lemonade is an immaculately-composed, dynamic and honest effort from the reigning queen of popular culture - virtually every track is a 10/10, with visuals to match. 

In regards to indie pop, Amber Arcade's debut Fading Lines is fun of shimmering and catchy indie-pop - my album of the summer, along with Jessy Lanza's Oh No, which had a lot to live up to since her debut is one of my favourite albums of all time. Special mention also goes to For All We Know, the debut album from BBC Sound Of... nominee NAO, which is easily the most interesting and innovative debut I've heard from a major label artist in 2016.  

Rather than just babble on endlessly, here's the full list:

1. Mitski - Puberty 2 

2. Cate Le Bon - Crab Day

3. case/lang/veirs - case/lang/veirs
4. Beyoncé - Lemonade
5. Jessy Lanza - Oh No
6. Amber Arcades - Fading Lines
7. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
8. Andrew Bird - Are You Serious 
9. Glass Animals - How to Be a Human Being
10. Nao - For All We Know
11. Chairlift - Moth
12. Charlie Hilton - Palana
13. Exploded View - Exploded View
14. Anderson .Paak - Malibu
15. Yeasayer - Amen & Goodbye
16. Quilt - Plaza
17. Basia Bulat - Good Advice
18. Shura - Nothing's Real
19. Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
20. Frankie Cosmos - Next Thing
21. Tegan and Sara - Love You to Death
22. Tim Hecker - Love Streams
23. Animal Collective - Painting With
24. Lone - Levitate
25. Bracken - High Passes

And here's a handy Spotify playlist (minus a track from Lemonade because of all that TIDAL bullshit):