My Favourite Albums and Tracks of the Decade

The following lists contain a bunch of albums and tracks that made a mark on me over the past decade and continue to resonate years later. Some are clever, some are dumb. Some have gone some way to innovate or influence but many don’t have that universal significance; they may simply be personal mementos or soundtracks to memories. Few would argue that ‘Complete Surrender’ by Slow Club is the artistic equivalent of Kendrick’s ambitious and groundbreaking ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ but guess which one I would rather take on a desert Island? These lists, with their neat orders, therefore, are personal snapshots and are not designed to be authoritative in any one, strict sense. They are, in a roundabout way, the albums I have loved and listened to the most over the past ten years. I’ve divided them loosely by genre (which in and of itself is a challenge – how do you categorise an artist like Grimes, whose very existence hinges on her ability to blur the lines between genres?) in an effort to bring some coherence to the task.

If it’s hard to select my favourite albums of the decade then it’s harder still to select tracks – not least because individual songs are perhaps even more dependent on their context. How could one compare a delicate piano ballad like Paul Buchanan’s ‘mid air’ to Daft Punk’s inescapable and irrepressibly catchy ‘Get Lucky’? Ask me what my favourite song is and it will depend very much on my mood, the time of day, what I’ve had to drink and the activity I’m partaking in. For example; Nothing shook me quite like ‘212’ by Azealia Banks, a song that followed me around the clubs the summer I graduated from University. Nothing moved me quite like Perfume Genius’ ‘Mr Peterson’, a song so fragile and spare that its very existence almost feels impossible. If I’m being clear headed then no song summarises the decade as perfectly as ‘Love It If We Made It’ by The 1975, which is somehow the funniest, smartest and scariest post-modern pop song of the century. It sounds like right now. And yet this song I have listened to more than any other is surely ‘DVP’ by PUP, a driving punk anthem that sounds as if it could have been released at any point over the past thirty years. It’s not that any one of these songs is better or the best. You wouldn’t mosh to ‘Mid Air’ and you wouldn’t shed a tear for ‘DVP’. No song alone is definitive or all encompassing. 

All that said, If I could choose just one album to represent this decade it would be Kanye’s ‘Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’, an album which staggered me at the time and, miraculously, still has that capacity ten years on. Kanye’s audacity and ambition, his technical mastery, and his singular vision made it a truly groundbreaking record in 2010. It made me look at Hip Hop in a new way and everything that’s happened to the genre since has grown in its shadow. It was fascinating to watch Kanye untangle and wrestle with his own notorious neuroses. He was then, and still is, the most extraordinarily unique star and ‘My Beautiful, Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is perhaps the only moment in which he’s ever tried to face up to his own reflection. It’s deep and dippy and like nothing I’ve heard before or since. I still hear new things every time I spin it (which is often).

So without any further ado…

Alternative Rock albums

1. Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs
2. AM by Arctic Monkeys
3. I Like It When You Sleep By The 1975
4. Complete Surrender by Slow Club
5. Avi Buffalo by Avi Buffalo
6. Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest 
7. Currents by Tame Impala
8. Congratulations by MGMT
9. Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys
10. The Drums by The Drums
11. At Best, Cuckold by Avi Buffalo 
12. Teens of Denial by Car seat Headrest 
13. Serotonin by Mystery Jets
14. Lonerism by Tame Impala
15. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend 
16. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
17. Sometimes I Sit and Think by Courtney Barnett
18. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
19. Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys
20. Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls
21. I’m all ears by Lets Eat Grandma
22. A brief enquiry Into online Relationships by The 1975
23. Do Hollywood by Lemon Twigs
24. Sunbathing Animal by Parquet Courts
25. Skeleton Tree by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Alternative Rock tracks

1. Love It If We Made It by The 1975
2. Beach Life in Death by Car Seat Headrest
3. It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by Tame Impala
4. Thinking of a Place by The War on Drugs
5. Sex by The 1975
6. Best of Friends by Palma Violets
7. Everything Now by Arcade Fire
8. Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys
9. Light Up Gold by Parquet Courts
10. Step by Vampire Weekend
11. Undercover of Darkness by The Strokes
12. Donnie Darko by Let’s Eat Grandma
13. Beautiful Blue Sky by Ought
14. Tell em by Sleigh Bells
15. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
16. Seasons by Future Islands
17. Book of Stories by The Drums
18. Avant Gardener by Courtney Barnett
19. No Destruction by Foxygen
20. Fizzy by Sleaford Mods
21. Wreckin’ Bar by The Vaccines
22. I Didn’t Think It Would Hurt to Think if You by The Heartbreaks
23. Superball by Magic Kids
24. Archie, Marry Me by Alvvays
25. Zombie by Jamie T

Folk/Country/Singer-songwriter albums

1. Carrie and Lowell by Sufjan Stevens
2. U.F.O.F by Big Thief
3. A Crow Looked at Me by Mount Eerie
4. Burn Your Fire For No Witness by Angel Olsen
5. Have One on Me by Joanna Newsom
6. Submarine by Alex Turner
7. Titanic Rising by Wyes Blood
8. Voyageur by Kathleen Edwards 
9. Without Why by Rose Elinor Dougall
10. On Your Own Love Again by Jessica Pratt
11. Benji by Sun Kil Moon
12. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner
13. Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
14. Are We There Yet by Sharon Van Etten
15. Something More Than Free by Jason Isbell
16. Flaws by Bombay Bicycle Club
17. Birthdays by Keaton Henson
18. Mid-Air by Paul Buchanan 
19. About Farewell by Aleala Diane
20. Prisoner by Ryan Adams
21. Beachcomber’s Windowsill by Stornoway 
22. I’m a Dancer by Sweet Baboo
23. Turn Out the Lights by Julien Baker
24. I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling 
25. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder Jones

Folk/country/singer-songwriter tracks

1. Now Only by Mount Eerie
2. The Only Thing by Sufjan Stevens 
3. Mid Air by Paul Buchanan 
4. Mr Peterson by Pefume Genius
5. House Full of Empty Rooms by Kathleen Edwards
6. Ben’s My Friend by Sun Kil Moon
7. Your Love Is Killing Me by Sharon Van Etten
8. Sister by Angel Olsen
9. Lying to You by Keaton Henson
10. Marked by EMA
11. Flaws by Bombay Bicycle Club 
12. Wrecking Ball by Ryan Adams 
13. Motion sickness by Phoebe Bridgers
14. Happy and Sad by Kacey Musgrives 
15. The Greatest Bastard by Damien Rice
16. Without You by Ryan Adams
17. Have One in Me by Joanna Newsom
18. Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens
19. Night Shift by Lucy Dacus 
20. Hey Ho by The Lumineers
21. Shark Smile by Big Thief
22. White Fire by Angel Olsen
23. Pretend You Love Me by Sonny and the Sunsets
24. Song for Zulu by Phosphorescent
25. I’m a dancer by Sweet Baboo

Pop albums

1. Melodrama by Lorde
2. Red by Taylor Swift
3. Progress by Take That
4. 1989 by Taylor Swift
5. 21 by Adele
6. The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake
7. Art Angels by Grimes
8. Caustic Love by Paolo Nutuni
9. Natalie Prass by Natalie Prass
10. In the Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
11. Pure Heroine by Lorde
12. Body Talk by Robyn
13. + by Ed Sheeran
14. Born to Die by Lana Del Rey
15. Lover by Taylor Swift
16. Nothing’s Real by Shura
17. Lupercalia by Patrick Wolf
18. Devotion by Jessie Ware
19. Night Driver by Busted
20. Emotion by Carly Rae Jepson
21. 5 Seconds of Summer by 5 Seconds of Summer
22. Family Jewels by Marina and the Diamonds
23. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
24. Harry Styles by Harry Styles
25. Immunity by Clairo

 Pop tracks

1. Flesh Without Blood by Grimes
2. Dancing on My Own by Robyn
3. Royals by Lorde
4. Video Games by Lana Del Rey
5. Someone Like You by Adele 
6. We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift
7. Love Never Felt So Good by Michael Jackson
8. Mirrors by Justin Timberlake
9. I Really like You by Carly Rae Jepson
10. Everything Is Embarrassing by Sky Ferrara 
11. Pink and Blue by Hannah Diamond
12. Iron Sky by Paulo Nutini
13. Pretty Girl by Clairo
14. I Love It by Icona Pop
15. Hotline Bling by Drake
16. Sadness Is a Blessing by Lykke Li
17. The City by Patrick Wolf
18. What’s It Gonna be by Shura
19. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
20. Hollywood by Marina and the Diamonds
21. Good Grief by Bastille
22. Sign of the Times by Harry Styles
23. Break Free by Ariana Grande
24. Goodness Gracious by Ellie Goulding
25. Heart Skipped a Beat by Olly Murrs

Dance/Electronic/experimental albums

1. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
2. Our Love by Caribou 
3. James Blake by James Blake
4. Vulnicura by Bjork
5. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem 
6. Settle by Disclosure
7. It’s Album Time by Todd Terje
8. Hurry Up We’re Dreaming by M83
9. What is this Heart by How to Dress Well
10. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
11. In Colour by Jamie XX
12. SBTRKT by SBTRKT
13. Trouble by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
14. Funk Wav Bounces by Calvin Harris 
15. Within and Without by Washed Out
16. Glow by Tensnake
17. Swim by Caribou
18. Glass Swords by Rustie 
19. Sepalcure by Sepalcure
20. Surf Noir by Beat Connection
21. Personality by Scuba
22. Compassion by Forest Swords
23. Singularity by Jon Hopkins
24. Safe in the Hands of Love by Yves Turner
25. Compro by Skee Mask

Dance/electronic/experimental tracks

1. Get Lucky by Daft Punk
2. White Noise by Disclosure ft. Aluna George
3. Coma Cat by Tensnake
4. Dance Yrself Clean by Lcd Soundsystem
5. Wildfire by SBTRKT
6. Our Love by Caribou
7. CMYK James Blake
8. Ready for the World by How to Dress Well
9. Black Lake by Bjork
10. Gabriel by Joe Goddard
11. I Know There’s Gonna Be Good Times by Jamie XX
12. In the Water by Beat Connection
13. The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow by Joy Orbison
14. Delirium Dynamite by Todd Terje
15. Warmer Places by Delorean
16. Slide by Calvin Harris
17. Amor Fati by Washed Out
18. The Throw by Jagwar Ma
19. Cheerleader by OMI
20. Are You Leaving by Sassy 009
21. Your Love by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
22. Electricity by Silk City
23. I Need Air by Magnetic Man
24. In the Rain by Teengirl Fantasy
25. You Weren’t There Anymore by Negative Gemini

Hip Hop albums

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
2. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
3. RTJ2 by Run the Jewels 
4. Take Care by Drake
5. Good Kid Maad City by Kendrick Lamar
6. Colouring Book by Chance the Rapper
7. Goblin by Tyler the Creator
8. Konichiwa by Skepta
9. Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B
10. Yezus by Kanye West
11. Doris by Earl Sweatshirt
12. Damn by Kendrick Lamar
13. We Got It From Here by A Tribe Called Quest
14. Sir Lucius Left Foot by Big Boi 
15. Whack World by Tierra Whack
16. Daytona by Pusha T
17. Nothing Was the Same by Drake
18. Yesterday’s Gone by Loyle Carner
19. 1992 Deluxe by Princess Nokia
20. Igor by Tyler the Creator
21. Room 25 by Noname 
22. Forest Hills Drive by Jay Cole
23. Piñata by Freddie Gibb and Madlib
24. Surf by Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment
25. Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown

Hip Hop tracks

1. 212 by Azalea Banks
2. Monster by Kanye West
3. Yonkers by Tyler the Creator
4. Close Your Eyes by Run the Jewels
5. Blessings by Chance the Rapper
6. Backseat Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar
7. How Much a Doller Cost by Kendrick Lamar
8. i like it by Cardi B
9. Headlines by Drake
10. Man by Skepta
11. French by Odd Future
12. Super-bass by Nicki Minaj
13. Shutdown by Skepta 
14. Pretty Girl by Stefflon Don
15. We the People by A Tribe Called Quest
16. Niggas in Paris by Kanye West and Jay Z
17. Ain’t Nothing Changed by Louie Carner
18. Starships by Nicki Minaj
19. New Slaves by Kanye West
20. If You Know, You Know by Pusha T
21. Funky Friday by Dave
22. Earl by Earl Sweatshirt
23. Vossi Bop by Stormzy
24. All Night by Big Boi
25. Black Beatles by Rae Stremmurd

Rock/Metal/punk/Emo albums

1. Stage Four by Touché Amore
2. You’re Gonna Miss It All by Modern Baseball
3. Here and Nowhere Else by Cloud Nothings
4. Days are Gone by Haim
5. Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me
6. Sunbather by Deafheaven
7. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
8. Morbid Thoughts by Pup
9. Holy Ghost by Modern Baseball
10. Yuck by Yuck
11. Cody by Joyce Manor
12. The Dream is Over by Pup
13. Drenge by Drenge
14. Need to Feel Your Love by Sheer Mag
15. High by Royal Headache
16. Love In the Time of Email by Antarctica Vespucci
17. Worry by Jeff Rosenstock
18. Neighbourhoods by Blink 182
19. Wild Pink by Wild Pink
20. Kill the Lights by Tony Molina
21. After Laughter by Paramore
22. Late Nights In My Car by Real Friends
23. Talon of the Hawk by Front Bottoms
24. Spanish Love Songs by Schmaltz
25. Science Fiction by Brand New

Punk/metal/emo/Rock tracks

1. Dvp by Pup
2. Your Graduation by Modern Baseball
3. I’m Not Part of Me by Cloud Nothings
4. Younger Us by Japandroids
5. Just Can’t Get Enough by Sheer Mag
6. Hard Times by Paramore
7. If I Could Change Your Mind by Haim
8. Biblical by Biffy Clyro
9. Friendly Ghost by Harlem
10. Fuckmylife666 by Against Me! 
11. We Used to Wait by Arcade Fire
12. Young Pros by Bass Drum of Death
13. I Remember by Bully
14. Best Intentions by Hodera
15. Popular Music by Life
16. Late Nights in my Car by Real Friends
17. Madness by Muse
18. Arlandria by Foo Fighters
19. Wasted Days by Cloud Nothings
20. Queen of My School by The Lemon Twigs
21. 21st Century Breakdown by Greenday
22. Bloodsports by Drenge
23. Sixteen Saltines by Jack White 
24. I Love You All the Time by Eagles of Death Metal
25. Cutting Class by Cerebral Ballzy

R&B/Soul albums

1. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
2. House of Balloons by The Weeknd
3. Lemonade by Beyonce
4. Wild heart by Miguel
5. Blond by Frank Ocean
6. 4 by Beyonce
7. Woman by Rhye
8. Process by Sampha
9. LP1 by FKA Twigs
10. Drunk by Thundercat
11. Lost and Found by Jorja Smith
12. Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange
13. The Electric Lady by Janelle Monae
14. Nostalgia Ultra by Frank Ocean 
15. Unbreakable by Janet Jackson
16. Mirrorwriting by Jamie Woon
17. Black Messiah by D’Angelo
18. CTRL by SZA
19. Beauty Beneath the Madness by The Weeknd
20. Hive Mind by The Internet
21. Take Me Apart by Kelela
22. Isolation by Kali Uchis
23. Devotion by Tirzah
24. Apollo XXI by Steve Lacy
25. A Seat at the Table by Solange

R&B/Soul tracks

1. Pyramids by Frank Ocean
2. BTSU by Jai Paul
3. What You Need by The Weeknd 
4. My Baby Don’t Understand Me by Natalie Prass
5. Take Care by Drake
6. Losing You by Solange 
7. Bad Religion by Frank Ocean
8. Can’t Feel my Face by The Weeknd
9. Just Hold On We’re Going Home by Drake
10. Love on Top by Beyonce
11. Fuck You by Car-Lo Green
12. Blinded by your Grace by Stormzy 
13. Don’t Matter to Me by Drake
14. Open by Rhys
15. Leaves by Miguel
16. Climax by Usher
17. Gee Up by Kindness
18. Best Thing I Never Had by Beyonce 
19. Man Down by Rihanna 
20. On My Mind by Jorja Smith
21. Young Dumb and Broke by Khalid
22. No Sleep by Janet Jackson
23. Want to Want me by Jason Durelo
24. Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke
25. Jealous by Labyrinth 

Kendrick Lamar ‘Damn’ – Review

Kendrick’s Lamar’s new mantra is ‘What happens on Earth stays on Earth.’ We hear it again and again on his impressive new album ‘Damn’ and it signals the clear intent behind the record. This is a knotted, spiritual album that acts like a clearing out of the junk of the soul prior to entry to a higher realm. The God frequently referenced on the album is the Old Testament God and Kendrick’s beliefs are not fashionable, evangelical or simplistic. He references curses, punishments and exile, and makes his sins (and their consequences) abundantly clear. Even more so than on ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, he’s talking from the depths of despair to a stained society. But ‘Damn’ was released on Good Friday for a reason, and thus Kendrick also gives glimpses of redemption.

In contrast to the opulent ‘TPAB’, on ‘Damn’ Kendrick goes direct – as if extravagant jazz arrangements and expansive funk samples are an indulgence we can’t afford in the Trump era. The truths delivered are sharper, clearer and pointed – the backdrops hit just as hard. Lamar is talking to a mainstream audience in language they will understand. The beats are thicker, harder and heavier. The samples draw more from soul and r&b. There are DJ scratches and drops that hark back to the late 80s, courtesy of the legendary Kid Capri. Nothing is unprecedented but that feels inclusive rather than disappointing; it may lack the musical flair of ‘Untitled Unmastered’ and ‘TPAB’, or the dark, distinctive atmosphere of ‘Good Kid, Maad City’, but it turns out Kendrick does old skool hip hop just as well as anybody.

To Pimp a Butterfly’ was structured around a poem that was revealed line by line in between the tracks. There is no such framing device here, although repetition is once again used to tie thoughts together. Samples of a Fox News debate about the social influence of Hip Hop are deployed throughout the record. One inflammatory extract comes courtesy of political commentator Geraldo Rivera who says ‘hip-hop has done more damage to young African-Americans than racism in recent years’. Kendrick Lamar imagined this album as the most appropriate response. It froths with an anger and vulgarity that already has Rivera doubling down on his position. But equally there is unparalleled intelligence, imagination and integrity that you’d like to think would surprise the Fox News talking heads. The songs are sequenced to create a dialogue; they sing to each other. So ‘Humble’ follows ‘Pride’, ‘Love’ follows ‘Lust’ and ‘Duckworth’ follows ‘God’. All roads lead to ‘Fear’, the longest, most ambitious song on the record and the culmination of all the questioning and internal wrestling.

When Kendrick Lamar is at his best (and he’s at his absolute, fiery best on at least half these cuts) there is nobody in Hip Hop, Pop, Poetry or culture at large who can currently match him. Everyone else in the game should be exhausted just trying to keep up. Unfortunately, at times, Kendrick is slowing down and mimicking their moves – perhaps trying to let the crowds get a better look. On the (thankfully not included) stand alone single ‘The Heart IV’, Kendrick sounded out a siren call to the opposition. He’s clearly keeping tabs. And If he doesn’t call them out directly on ‘DAMN’ they he certainly tips them his hat. ‘Love’ is the worst offender; a diminished ode to such a grand topic that almost seems to say ‘anything Drake can do I can do better’. ‘Loyalty’ is another frustratingly slight and insubstantial song that features a guest appearance from Rihanna, who can’t muster a hook worth savouring. On ‘God’ (another title deserving of more than it receives) his casual drawl falls at the exact halfway point between Future’s and Young Thug’s. And I’m not the only person who hasn’t been sold on ‘Humble’ (alhough it is currently number one in the States). The song’s demanding, patronising tone has upset some feminists while his repeated use of the word ‘bitch’ in the refrain feels below someone of his intelligence.

If these concessions to mainstream tastes and lesser rappers are disappointing then they shouldn’t distract from what is largely a singular release from a true individual. Part of Kendrick’s talent is his vocal versatility – he’s always enjoyed trying on masks and subtly shifting tones, moods and his cadence. But he’s always best when he plays himself. On a physical level, nobody else could come close to matching the ferocity of Kendrick’s delivery on ‘DNA’, his sheer verbal dexterity on ‘XXX’ or the way constant rhymes and half rhymes trip of his tongue with such apparent ease (often flaunting natural onomatopoeia, assonance and alliteration in the process).

Back to that central masterpiece, ‘Fear’; what exactly is Kendrick scared of? Well, what have you got. He lists his fears in all caps on the track listing – ‘LOVE’, ‘PRIDE’, ‘LUST’, ‘DNA’, ‘DUCKWORTH’ (himself), and ‘GOD’. Mainly God. ‘Damn’, used as a verb, is something that God does. Damned, is how Kendrick feels. But closer to home, we live in a world where we damn each other as well. Constantly. Maybe one explains the other and vice versa. Kendrick is trapped in one such cycle. It’s a complex idea that Kendrick spends an hour unpacking. He contemplates salvation whilst staring down the gun of temptation; speaks of his sins in crude terms over explosive beats; preaches forgiveness whilst chastising enemies; Acknowledges his flaws even while flaunting them. He states it most clearly on ‘DNA’; ‘I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA.’ As I say, this album is Kendrick’s decluttering of the soul and an acknowledgement of his inherent (human) contradictions. It’s his attempt to come to terms with the ballers, Fox News, critics, gangs, God – but perhaps most importantly, himself.

8.5/10

Kendrick Lamar ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ – Review

On 2012’s breakthrough album ‘Good Kid, Maad City’, Kendrick Lamar introduced himself as a Hip Hop artist with a director’s eye for image and detail. His songs formed an autobiographical ‘slums to stardom’ narrative about the young rapper’s early life, that was cinematic in scope and style. ‘To Pimp a Butterfly doubles up on the breadth and ambition of ‘Good Kid’ by starting a thought-provoking discussion about fame, desire, faith, race and doubt. ‘Good Kid, Maad City’ was presented as a ‘short film’ and ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ is undoubtedly a blockbuster in its own right.

This album is about the education of Kendrick Lamar. It’s a tangled web of complexities, anxieties and contradictions that is unknotted with honesty and conviction. This is a man who entered the Rap business to escape the Ghetto, but is ultimately still trapped there – ‘institutionalised, for both better and worse. Rap gave him an escape but also condemned him to a life of sin and temptation. Rap is also the very thing that saves him, and brings him home. He spends all of ‘Momma’ telling us that he knows ‘everything’, a typical Hip Hop boast that is taken to the poetic extreme through hyperbole and repetition, but ends with Kendrick accepting that that he actually knows ‘nothing’. Lamar asks to be saved, asks to be redeemed, looks to God and believes that everything will be alright in the end. ‘My rights, my wrongs – I write ’til I’m right with God’.

It’s difficult to remember an album as carefully developed as this one. Interspersed between the songs are extracts from a poem, that is revealed to the listener, line by line, with each extract carefully relating to the song that follows it. And so while the album lacks an excplicit concept, there is this central artistic device that smartly allows Kendrick to dive in to different subjects and themes.

On ‘u’ he speaks to himself in third person, filled with self-hatred, trying to better himself but struggling. ‘Loving you is complicated.’ near the album’s finale he realises that love comes from within, and so ‘u’ gets flipped to ‘i’, a declaration of self-belief. That’s one way in which the album can be read, as a story of slow realisation and redemption. Along the way Lamar dissects questions of Race and faith in such astonishing detail that I can’t even begin an analysis here. Characters arise and disappear, each with their own baggage, adding to the story; the Spanish-speaking maid who witnesses Lamar’s mental breakdown in a hotel room, the South African beggar who turns out to be God, the small child who resembles a young Kendrick Lamar and reminds him of his roots, Snoop Dog, 2Pac, Nelson Mandela, various family members with their differing beliefs and wants. Lamar mixes the profound and the profane, the big ideas with small details and he interacts with both the rich and the poor, the superstars and the homeless.

Musically this is the most adventurous and open-minded record I’ve heard in a long time. It weaves together free Jazz, Prince Pop, 90’s girl-group r&b, Sly Stone funk, psychedelia and even a Sufjan Stevens sample. It comes over like a more twisted take on Andre 3000’s ‘The Love Below’ without any of the killer pop moments. Which isn’t to say that ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ is difficult or hook free, it’s just that the hooks are more subtle, the grooves more subversive and the melodies less repetitive. If lead single ‘i’ suggested a turn to a more radio friendly, retro soul-sample sound then it was a brilliant red herring. Likewise the trap influenced ‘Blacker the Berry’ is equally unrepresentative of  a record that makes no other concessions to the hip hop styles and sounds of 2015. But it’s all the better for it. The album submerges the listener in a sound that is warm, rich and, crucially, alive. A backing band of super talented musicians support Kendrick on most of the songs, which means that ‘To pimp a butterfly’ would be a rewarding album even without Kendrick’s rapping.

But consider the rapping for just a second – and not what he’s saying, but how he’s saying it. On a technical level, Kendrick Lamar has to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. His rhyming on ‘For Free’ is unprecedented in its ingenuity, ferocity and breathless delivery. His pauses are perfectly timed, his flow is diverse and adaptable, his tone is rich and emotive and he has excellent control of pace. Even when the subject matter is trite or crude (trite, rarely, crude, often) you have to admire his sheer skill and versatility as a rapper. If there were a Hip Hop olympics, Kendrick would be winning gold for both the 100 meters and the marathon.

‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ ends with ‘Mortal man’, a typically strange and surreal track in which it is eventually revealed that the poem that has been read throughout the album is actually being addressed to Tupac Shakur’. After reciting the poem again, Lamar asks Tupac a series of questions, including one about how he managed to keep his sanity. There is no real answer because, of course, Tupac is dead. The silence at the end of the conversation feels ominous, with Lamar asking ‘Pac, Pac, Pac?’ If penultimate track ‘i’ seemed to offer a solution and uplift, then ‘Mortal Man’ piles on more doubt and more questioning. There is no happy ending, just a lot to meditate on.

9.5/10

Review Roundup December

Grizzly Bear – ‘Shields’

I’ve always felt that a great band is struggling to get out of Grizzly Bear, they’ve just never quite managed to find a way through the darkness. We’ve glimpsed greatness of course, much of ‘Veckatimest’ was classic, but I’ve never  been wholly convinced by one of their albums. ‘Shields’ may well be their finest full length statement to date, but it still doesn’t wholly convert me. On the plus side it’s more tuneful and hits the mark more often than previous albums. I particularly like the atmospheric ‘Sleeping Ute’ and the arena rock stylings of ‘Yet Again.

Like the other Grizzly Bears albums, this is a stodgy record that feels frustratingly restrained and well behaved. Also, like the other Grizzly Bear albums, it’s  more impressive on a superficial level than an emotional one. The singing is pretty but not really moving. The lyrics sound interesting but they’re empty statements. The instrumentation is fragile and ornate but there’s nothing that hooks you. I’ve always wondered what one of their gigs would be like because it’s not music that elicits any type of visceral reaction in me. I can’t imagine being moved to dance or jump or sing along, nor could I imagine being sucked in and absorbed by what i was watching. Maybe it would be a nice experience, like this album is. Nothing more, nothing less.

6/10

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Rihanna – ‘Unapologetic’

Rihanna is only ever as good as her singles. Last year she had a couple of classics as well as a couple of dire (and I mean dire) ones. This time around she released ‘Diamonds’ as the lead single from her 7th record, ‘Unapologetic’, and it’s neither. It’s just the most inoffensive, bland slice of pop you’ll hear all year. And I think that’s more disappointing than if it were simply dire. The rest of the album is much the same; none of these songs would make a greatest hits and they would clog up a set list. The world has been saturated by Rihanna recently and by the sound of ‘Unapologetic’ she needs a year off as much as we need her to have one off.

3/10

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Kendrick Lamar – ‘Good Kid, MAAd City’

Kendirck Lamar has been hyped to the heavens in the USA. Think of him as their Arctic Monkeys – the saviour of hip hop to our saviours of indie. And just as it’s a little hard for some Americans to understand what makes the Monkeys so great, it’s a little hard for me to understand what makes Kendrick stand out from the crowd. Don’t get me wrong, ‘Good Kid, Maaad City’ is a better than average hip hop album; the rapping is more than serviceable, the rags to riches story is cliched but engaging and the beats are exciting – but it’s hardly groundbreaking stuff. It strikes me that Lamar is popular for much the same reason Arctic Monkeys are popular – he reminds people of their favourite artists whilst still sounding fresh, young and interesting.

This is a good record, elevated to near greatness by a couple of outstanding songs. ‘Backseat Freestyle’ is just out of this world; it caries more mean hooks than any other record released this year. Just… wow. Then, once you get past the sheer ludicrousness of ‘Swimming Pools’  and allow yourself to indulge in the lush beats and swirling synths, you’ll enjoy the most thrilling few minutes of music you’ve probably heard in a while. ‘Good Kid Maaad City’ is a fun album – It’s almost impossible for me to relate to it in any way but I guess that’s why it’s been given the subtitle ‘A Short Film’. This is pure escapism and it’s written from the perspective of somebody with a fairly ‘out there’ perspective. The hype may be a little hard to swallow but Kendrick has just released the best out and out hip hop album of the year.

8/10