Not Strong Enough

Summary: How could anyone win a fight of will, when their opponent was Angela? Amanda sure as hell couldn’t, and she didn’t want to. Amanda enjoyed allowing herself to be enveloped in the solace of Angela, and reveled in the way her touches would burn her skin so beautifully. She wanted to be cared for and doted on, and Angela would never turn a blind eye to a friend in need, especially if that person is Amanda.

Sooo...I was looking for boygenius fanfics and found none?! Well I wrote a little something, but don't expect too much. It was one of those 3am ideas. Also I gave my character a name because it was weird to write that Y/N thing. Hope that's okay. Anyways, here you go.

PS: English is not my first language, but I'm trying. And the title... I'm not well with those either.

Notes in the Night

Lucy Dacus x Original Female Character

In a dimly lit karaoke bar, the stage was bathed in colorful lights as voices of varying talent filled the air. Louise Parker sat at a table with her friends, her heart pounding with both excitement and nervousness. She had always loved music, but the thought of singing in front of a crowd made her palms sweat.

As the night went on, Louise’s friends urged her to give it a shot. „Come on, Louise! You’ve got an amazing voice!" one of them, a girl they all called Leo, exclaimed, playfully nudging her. Leo then proceeded and grabbed her wrist gently to pull her to the stage. The others laughed at her, and Louise pouted.

„But I don’t even know what to sing! “ Louise nearly shouted, and her friends laughed even more.

"You’ll find something, no matter what, you’ll make it sound amazing." Leo assured her.

„I still don’t know what! “

„Just sing one of that indie songs you always listen to. “ Leo suggested with a smirk.

„I hate you all! “ she shouted in the direction of her friends.

„They probably don’t even have these songs… “ she muttered to herself.

„What do you want to sing? “ the man at the karaoke station asked.

„You have ‚Song in E ‘by Julien Baker? “ she wanted to know.

„Nah, sorry. “ Louise visibly deflated at these words. Leo noticed it and rushed back to her side quickly.

„You guys have a piano here? “ she asked the man. Louise immediately knew what Leo was up to and groaned loudly.

„Yeah, sure. Wanna use it? You’re free to go. “

„Go Louise! “ Leo tried to encourage her.

„But Leo! I’m not that good! “

„Yes, you are! Now go! “ The girl lightly pushed her in the direction of the stage, where they were already setting up the piano. Reluctantly, her heart racing, Louise took the stage. The spotlight was on her, and her hands trembled slightly as she franticly tried to remember how to play the song. Pretty embarrassing, considering it was one of her favorite ones. She closed her eyes and began to sing, her voice pouring out with a mix of vulnerability and passion. The chords and tones just seemed to come by themselves.

Unbeknownst to Louise, a certain someone in the crowd was captivated by her performance. Lucy Dacus had been quietly enjoying the evening with her friends, but the moment Louise’s voice filled the room, Lucy’s attention was drawn to the stage. She was intrigued by the raw emotion in Louise’s voice and the way she seemed to connect with the lyrics. ‚Song in E ‘being written by her friend Julien only made her love it more. She glanced over at Julien, who was here with her and Phoebe tonight. Julien didn’t look at her, rather at the stage, and seemed to be captivated by Louise as well. Phoebe on the other hand caught Lucy ‘s glance and smiled back at her.

After Louise finished her song, she stepped off the stage, a mix of relief and exhilaration washing over her. As she returned to her friends, she noticed a figure approaching her. It was Lucy, a warm smile on her face.

„Hi there, “ Lucy said, her voice carrying a hint of genuine interest. „Couldn’t help but overhear your conversation earlier. “ she admitted.

Louise blushed crimson at that. „Uhm, yeah… “She was slightly at a loss of words, it seemed.

Lucy was quick to comfort her: „You were incredible up there. “Louise blushed even more, her heart racing even faster. „Oh, thank you! That means a lot coming from you, “she stammered.

Lucy’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously. „Well, since we both have a thing for karaoke, how about we sing something together? “

Louise’s heart did a little somersault at the thought of singing with Lucy Dacus. She nodded, her excitement building. The two of them picked a duet they both knew well and took the stage together. Their two voices mingling together sounded new and exciting, the bar loved it.

As they sang, face to face a few feet away from each other, Louise felt herself drawn closer and closer to Lucy as the song went on. When it ended, the crowd erupted into applause, and Lucy leaned in closer to Louise, who was standing directly in front of her. „You’re amazing, you know that? “She whispered.

Louise felt a rush of emotions, her cheeks flushed again. „You’re pretty amazing too, “ she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucy’s lips curled into a soft smile, and before Louise knew it, their lips met in a gentle kiss. It was a kiss that felt like the beginning of something special, something she couldn’t wait to explore.

After the kiss, they pulled back slightly, their eyes locked once more. „Would you like to…come meet my friends?" Lucy asked, her expression hopeful.

Louise nodded, her heart soaring. „I’d love that. “At that, Lucy grabbed her hand and pulled her to the table her friends were sat at. Louise recognized the two of them immediately.

„Oh. My. God. “ she said to Lucy, suddenly rooted on the spot. Lucy stopped next to her and laughed at her expression, Phoebe and Julien followed suit.

„You’re, you…boygenius! One of my favorite bands! I…" Louise stammered.

Lucy guided her to the table and pulled Louise down to sit next to her. „Meet Julien and Phoebe. “

„H-Hi, nice to meet you. “ Louise was stuttering again, and she was having none of it. Lucy gently caressed her hand, and she calmed down a bit.

„Likewise." Julien and Phoebe replied, grinning slightly.

„You enamored Lucy in a blink, huh? “ Phoebe assessed.

„Well, that song came deep from the heart. Not that surprising, I guess. “ Julien added. „I really liked your interpretation by the way. “

Louise wanted to scream aloud at that compliment, but she forced herself to stay calm. „Thank you so much! I’ve always loved that song. How’d I sound? Voice-like, I mean. Uhm, you know, was it, very different from the original? “

„It sounded a bit like Lucy. “ Julien said quietly. Louise’s head whipped around to Lucy.

„Is that true? “

„Yeah, it’s kind of true. And I loved it. “ Lucy gave her another gentle kiss, attempting to pull back quickly, but Louise did not see that happening. She wrapped her arms around Lucy and pulled her closer, not wanting the moment to end. Lucy smiled into the kiss, but still managed to pull back after a while. Louise stared at her and was at a loss of words. Phoebe laughed at Louise and then said:

„Well, that escalated quickly. “

„I just couldn’t help it “ Lucy admitted sheepishly.

„Me neither. “ Louise agreed and kissed her again.

„Okay lovebirds, I’m all for love, really, and y’all are cute, but I think it’s enough for now. “ Phoebe said hastily.

„Well, we got to stop then, right Lucy? “

„Yeah, seems like it... “Then she suddenly remembered that she also wasn’t alone here tonight. „You want to meet my friends? “She asked Lucy.

„I’d love that. “

Best of 2023: My Top 10 Albums!

1. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan

Just a killer collection of songs, including two of my favorites of the year, period: Smaller Acts & Hey Driver (Feat. The War and Treaty). I Remember Everything (Feat. Kacey Musgraves) is an absolute beast, as well.

2. Dispatch - Live from the Boston Woods

I don't usually include live albums, but I was at this show and it was my first time seeing Dispatch in over nine years and they were every bit as amazing as they ever were. Their opening with Passerby was so, so good. And, naturally, hearing their newer songs live for the first time was special, even if the old favorites still stole the show.

3. The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds  

Damn... they still got it. What a rockin' album. Bite My Head Off is a blast!

4. The War and Treaty - Lover's Game 

I've been a fan since catching their set at the Newport Folk Festival some years back, but damn did they have an amazing 2023. Love this whole album, but mostly Dumb Luck, which is surely My Favorite Song of 2023... period.

5. boygenius - the record 

The talent on display here stops me in my tracks every time. Favorite tracks are Satanist and Cool About It, but they're all damn good.

6. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

I've always wanted more of Dave Grohl on the drums, but I never wanted it to happen this way. An emotionally devastating album that still rocks so f*cking hard. Taylor's out there somewhere with this on repeat.

7. Chris Stapleton - Higher

Can't wait to see more from this album live. Crosswind was fantastic, last summer, but White Horse and Think I'm In Love With You are going to tear the f*cking roof off the joint, and Mountains Of My Mind will most definitely be something truly special.

8. The Milk Carton Kids - I Only See the Moon 

The Milk Carton Kids out here destroying me with their harmonies, once again. Opening with All of the Time in the World to Kill just floored me.

9. K.Flay - MONO 

This is only so low because I haven't listened to it nearly enough, yet. Yes I'm Serious is so f*cking fantastic, though.

10. Zach Bryan - Boys of Faith

Only so low because it's an EP. Damn these songs are good. Especially that title track. Seriously, damn.

Note: I hardly listened to music this year, unless it was live. These are in Loose Preferential Order and were chosen out of an absurdly low and unknown number of albums I actually listened to in their entirety throughout 2023. I do most of my listening while writing, editing photos or working out, and once again all that shit was a scarcity in ‘23. I’m also once again positive this is missing some albums I’d go wild about, but I either haven’t heard them yet or wasn’t in the right mindset when I initially gave them a go. Oh well. Where it stands, these are the ones I found myself going back to when I did spend time on Spotify. And I’ll stand by each and every one of them.

I'm probably not posting My Top Photos of 2023, seeing as I photographed so few shows. But if you go check out my coverage of Lindsey Stirling's show last month, you'll immediately see My Favorite Photos of 2023. As always, Thank You for reading!

Happy New Year!!

OK. commentary on my satg playlist. For reasons

lol it wont let me hyperlink but. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0w9pMZtOvP0plqdxT665q7?si=wEFnvdh3Rjaa0p2UX251mQ&dl_branch=1 Plug

1. PIEDMONT (DESTROY BOYS)

Looks like I'm late for the party Everyone knows the attire but me Glass walls separate us Catch a glimpse into different books On different shelves

i.e. teen crisis where u want desperately to live the same life as ppl on the street but also can’t imagine anything worse

2. SWEET ADELINE (ELLIOTT SMITH)

It's a picture-perfect evening and I'm staring down the sun Fully loaded, deaf and dumb and done Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head Or any situation where I'm better off than dead

i.e. she’s alive! is that worse or better. also jfc, you fucking hate hospitals

3. ALAMEDA (ELLIOTT SMITH)

You walk down Alameda  Shuffling your deck of trick cards over everyone Like some precious only son Face down, bow to the champion

also

Walk down Alameda  Brushing off the nightmares you wish Could plague me when I'm awake And now you see your first mistake  Was thinking that you could relate For one or two minutes she liked you But the fix is in

i.e. oops it’s two elliotts in a row, sorry. just. about the connection you can form with someone given just a short period of time, and how sometimes it gets ruined by, like, a werewolf. pretty similar to sweet adeline. mx weisglass gets two songs. plus “precious only son” 😬 “shuffling your deck of trick cards” 😬

4. CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS (IRON MAIDEN)

Give me the sense to wonder To wonder if I'm free Give me a sense of wonder To know I can be me Give me the strength to hold my head up Spit back in their face

i.e. for Me mostly because i think the whiplash from elliott to maiden is kinda funny. also the gerry VS twisty animosity, in over-the-top wizardy terms. sometimes you are full of hate and that’s OK 😬 

5. ICU (PHOEBE BRIDGERS)

If you're a work of art I'm standing too close I can see the brush strokes I hate your mom I hate it when she opens her mouth It's amazing to me How much you can say When you don't know  What you're talking about

and

I'll climb through the window again But right now it feels good not to stand Then I'll leave it wide open Let the dystopian morning light pour in

i.e. we’re back in london…and, well, yeah. also, song title! we’re still in sacramento, actually, spiritually, at this point in the story

6. CRY FOR JUDAS (THE MOUNTAIN GOATS)

Feel the storm every night Hope it passes by Hallucinate a shady grove where Judas went to die Unfurl the black velvet altar cloth Draw a white chalk Baphomet Mistreat your altar boys long enough and this is what you get

i.e. crew. i think about him

7. IRIS (THE GOO GOO DOLLS)

And all I can taste is this moment And all I can breathe is your life And sooner or later, it's over I just don't wanna miss you tonight

plus

And I don't want the world to see me 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am

i.e. OK. OK. OK. yeah, OK. damn right all you can taste is this moment…yeah OK. SONGS5

8. KILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE)

It's been 8 bitter years since I've been seeing your face And you're walking away And I will die in this place

to

It's been 10 fucking years since I've been seeing your face round here And you're walking away And I will drown in the fear

i.e. ah…the lyrical differences in the chorus…yes…also i love how raucous this song is despite what it’s about. it’s got satg energy!!! “seeing your face”, of course, is not literal 😬

9. ENCHANTING GHOST (SUFJAN STEVENS)

Don't carry on carrying efforts, oh no, oh oh oh oh Somewhere there's a room for each of us to grow And if it pleases you to leave me, just go, oh oh oh oh Stopping you would stifle your enchanting ghost

and

Did you cut your hands on me? Are my edges sharp? Am I a pest to feed?

i.e. 😬😬😬

10. PAUL (BIG THIEF)

In the blossom of the months I was sure that I'd get driven off with thought So I swallowed all of it As I realized there was no one  Who could kiss away my shit

and PARTICULARLY

Well Paul, I know you said That you'd take me any way I came or went But I'll push you from my brain See, you're gentle baby I couldn't stay, I'd only bring you pain

i.e. HARROWING TERRITORY!!!

11. PITSELEH (ELLIOTT SMITH)

I'll tell you why I Don't wanna know where you are I gotta joke I've been dying to tell you

i.e. sorry. a lot of elliott smith on this playlist. thems the breaks

12. OPHELIA (THE LUMINEERS)

Oh, Ophelia You've been on my mind girl like a drug Oh, Ophelia Heaven help a fool who falls in love

i.e. callbacks to SONGS5…! and more pain

13. CLOUDS (BORNS)

I forget all my dreams I forget everyones name I meet I forget about time and space But I can't stop thinking 'bout your face

i.e. tfw your memory’s shit and also you just threw yourself into the sky and you’re still not over it. yowch!

14. ARCADE (DUNCAN LAWRENCE)

Oh, oh-oh-oh oh Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh All I know, all I know Loving you is a losing game

i.e. sorry i heard this song first in a c#tradora edit and i have never recovered.

15. WARS (OF MONSTERS AND MEN)

Yeah, I love you on the weekends But I'm careless and I'm wicked Yeah, I love you on the weekends It's a cruel war I still have pieces of you stuck on me Pieces of you stuck on me Yeah, I love you on the weekends It's a cruel war

i.e. PIECES OF YOU STUCK ON ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the only song of the new omam i’ve heard. i never got around to listening to it. but this one slaps

16. MONTERO (LIL NAS X)

Lookin' at the table, all I see is weed and white Baby, you livin' the life, but baby, you ain't livin' right Cocaine and drinkin' with your friends You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend

AND

A sign of the times every time that I speak A dime and a nine, it was mine every week What a time, an incline, God was shinin' on me Now I can't leave And now I'm actin' hella elite

AND ESPECIALLY

I want that jet lag from fuckin' and flyin'

i.e. God i love this song. re: avatarhood. YOU CAN’T LEAVE!!! not saying it’s like being a celebrity, but it’s like being a celebrity. dual perspectives here with G + his morality regarding the person he loves being, uh, evil? (you live in the dark / i cannot pretend) and M + debt he owes to his god, erosion of his own morals. also, SHEER F*CKING VIBES

17. GEYSER (MITSKI)

You're my number one You're the one I want And you've turned down Every hand that has beckoned me to come

i.e. love songs that serve double as to your god and to your lover

18. THAT’S WHAT I LIKE (BRUNO MARS)

Jump in the Cadillac (Girl, let's put some miles on it) Anything you want (Just to put a smile on it) You deserve it baby, you deserve it all

i.e. this song is here because i say so. a real “sorry it’s been seven years let me make it up to you” vibe

19. RUN AWAY WITH ME (SUFJAN STEVENS)

And I say, love Come run away with me Sweet, falling remedy Come run away with me

i.e. more grand ridiculous propositions. more to come. but they’re born out of a real frustration with the situation at hand! it sucks! also, “falling remedy”,

20. LET’S GET MARRIED (BLEACHERS)

I'm gonna get right for you, honey I'll take all of my medicine, spend you all my money, yeah I know it's hard enough to love me But I woke up in a safe house singing, "Honey, let's get married"

i.e. bro.

21. I WILL (MITSKI)

And while you sleep I'll be scared So by the time you wake I'll be brave

i.e. a lot of these here are self explanatory..

22. ME & MY DOG (BOYGENIUS)

I had a fever Until I met you Now you make me cool

also

I never said I'd be all right Just thought I could hold myself together But I couldn't breathe, I went outside Don't know why I thought it'd be any better I'm fine now, it doesn't matter

i.e. title is significant. and yeah. just. recovery’s tricky

23. I FOUND (AMBER RUN)

And I've moved further than I thought I could But I missed you more than I thought I would

i.e. this is like a staple song for like. basically. any pairing. but i’m pathetic and it gets me every time. there’s something about it. not sure if i’m going to leave it on this playlist but. hm. yeah

OK that’s a wrap. highly likely i’ll put more songs on this as i go

such a fool for you 

my american even x shay playlist so far... details for why i picked each song below :) also if you have any recs please send them to me!

in a sort-of order but it’s not very strict

texas reznikoff by mitski

honestly self evident but like literally you’re the breeze in my austin nights

gray or blue by jaymay

the sweetest song about having a crush on someone and paying so much attention to them but being too nervous to make a move also “i’m winning you with words because i have no other way / i’d love to look into your face without your eyes turning away / last night i watched you sing because a person has to try / i walked home in the rain because a person cannot lie” like ok american even moods

come into the water by mitski

yes i put this on every gay skam playlist but im right every time!!!!!! also “maybe i’m the same as all those men writing songs of all their dreaming / but would you tell me if you want me cuz i can’t move until you show me” like ok layers... also “i didn’t know i had a dream / i didn’t know until i saw you” like evak mood

movement by hozier

i wrote a whole thing about shay and american even having their first kiss to this song :) like it won’t happen but if they make american even a dancer (and i hope they do) this will be so fitting!

me & my dog by boygenius

ok i honestly don’t know if this is meant to be a romantic song but i’m a boygenius stan so im keeping it. “we had a great day / even though we forgot to eat / and we got no sleep / cuz we were kissing” is very them, also i feel like it could span from end of episode 4 to like episode 6 so like from their first kiss to when shay will be moping about her..... rolling stone said about this song: “The emotion in that moment is too big for this earth. It’s cosmic, spiralling thousands of miles out into space” like hello........... very them

i’m not in love by kelsey lu

ok so this is a cover by a woman of the song they used in the hjernen er alene scene! i actually think this song would be so sweet for their hjernen er alene version like it would be a nod to the original that keeps the sweetness of the original scene without copying it just to copy it. it’s a beautiful cover and very suited for them :)

tender by TIN

“tenderness is who i am / touching your cheek with the back of my hand” like ok yes i saw the word tender and added it to this playlist without further thought. i’m valid

fool by frankie cosmos

honestly i added this bc it’s sweet and because of the title (my fool couple!!!) but also it’s very shay waiting around for american even

“You look to me / And I look away /Though I had been looking You make me feel like a fool waiting for you / You make me feel like a fool waiting for you“ :(

holy ground by taylor swift

am i unvalid for adding a taylor swift song? maybe so but we’re lying to ourselves if we think american even doesn’t listen to her also the lyrics are very them like. “i left a note on the door with a joke we made / and that was the first day” & “We had this big wide city all to ourselves / We blocked the noise with the sound of ‘I need you’ / And for the first time I had something to lose / And I guess we fell apart in the usual way / And the stories got dust on every page / But sometimes I wonder how you think about it now / And I see your face in every crowd” like the feeling of being with someone making you feel like you’re at the top of the world but with the twist of this all happening in your memory and making you wistful... episode 6/7 perhaps

linger by the cranberries

titular song! mostly i added it for the line “you know i’m such a fool for you” because i love the idea of them being a class clown couple but also it’s so sweet and the writer said about it: “Everything’s so dramatic when you’re 17, so I poured it into the song” like alrighty!

wake me by bleachers (cover by lucius)

“can’t believe i captured your heart” this song is so romantic but in a very like “i’ll take care of you” type of way like. it’s so sweet im thinking very episode 10 vibes.... “right from the start i knew / you’d set a fire in me / and i’d rather be sad with you / than anywhere away from you” like much to think about

heartache by lisa jaeggi

another episode 10 song :) like ok they’re in love.... 

“Fall into my arms and say you'll be mine I got your heartache and you got my love My love to stay You've got my love to stay I've got your worry on the floor of the sea Where a million fish tangle But only one will for me“

Top 25 Songs of 2018: Honorable Mentions

It’s year-end list season again! And with that comes my sixth annual top 25 list.

But before we countdown the best that 2018 gave us, here’s 15 songs that just missed the cut. Like in 2017, this year had more quantity than quality when it came to singles, meaning although there were only a couple legitimate contenders for the top spot, there were plenty of solid songs that I had to give a shout out to. So apologies to great acts like boygenius, Florence+The Machine and Childish Gambino (although he easily had the best music video this year) for just missing the cut.

Let’s get into it!

“Nobody” by Mitski

There are plenty of songs about loneliness, but Mitski turns that emotion into insanity on “Nobody.” 

Her emotions ramp up and become more desperate throughout the indie-pop track, as Mitski’s pleads for companionship intensify. She wants to find love, but frankly, she also just needs human connection. And as the one-word chorus repeats into oblivion — “Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody...” the situation becomes more and more helpless.

My main issue with Mitski’s 2018 album, Be The Cowboy, was that most of the short vignette-style songs weren’t memorable. That’s not the case for the manic, disco-tinged “Nobody,” which instantly became a standout in her impressive catalog.

“Heat Wave” by Snail Mail

I’m not sure what it says about indie rock that its most hyped newcomer is mostly copying the sounds of the ‘90s, but when the tunes are as good as “Heat Wave,” I’m not going to complain.

Nineteen-year-old prodigy Lindsey Jordan, aka Snail Mail, delivers with a simple love song perfect for lazy summer days. Jordan’s vocals are charmingly warbly and mesh well with the crunchy guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Pavement album. It’s catchy enough for soccer moms and with enough alt-rock nostalgia to grab any indie rocker’s ear. There’s a good reason Snail Mail’s star has shot to the top this year among the Pitchfork set.

“Me and Michael” by MGMT

IT’S THE COMEBACK OF THE CENTURY! 

That’s not even hyperbole: After they released three generation-defining classic singles, MGMT’s relevance disappeared after their 2010 album Congratulations intentionally alienated audiences (despite being pretty solid). Then, their 2013 self-titled album was straight-up bad.

But thankfully, MGMT decided to return to the synthpop jams that brought them success 11 years ago, while keeping their weirdo quirks intact. And it was a winning formula, as the bombastic single “Me and Michael” proves.

“Michael” is painfully ‘80s, from the glittery keyboards to the thundering drum machine beat. Yet, many of the instruments are off-key and frontman Andrew VanWyngarden’s hipstery vocals aren’t exactly Duran Duran-esque. And the clash of styles helps create a solid tune, the band’s best in eight years.

“Elastic” by Joey Purp

Remember how Azealia Banks used to pump out hip-house bangers like it wasn’t even hard? Then she lost her mind, and now “212″ is a relic of a better time.

Thankfully, Chicago native Joey Purp is picking up the slack, although he puts a much more minimalist spin on the sound. “Elastic” is a very simple, skeletal song, with Purp nearly mumbling over a steady, bouncing beat with couple vocal samples to liven things up. “Elastic” shows that when it comes to club bangers, you really don’t need to overthink things.

“Nameless, Faceless” by Courtney Barnett

Melbourne indie rocker Courtney Barnett’s second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, had a noticeably more frustrated outlook than her 2015 debut. A prime example is the album’s lead single, “Nameless, Faceless,” all about the difficulties of being a woman in a world that treats them horribly.

Barnett goes after internet trolls during the song’s verses with the droll, snarky tone that made her indie-famous, but the chorus is where things take a dark turn. Paraphrasing The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood, Barnett sings, “Men are scared that women will laugh at them ... Women are scared that men will kill them.” She then adds that she holds her keys between her fingers in-between her fingers to protect herself at night. 

It’s a fearful song for fearful times, and more proof that Barnett is one of indie rock’s best songwriters.

“Electricity” by Silk City and Dua Lipa

Producer giants Diplo and Mark Ronson teamed up to create a perfect homage to ‘90s house. It’s bouncy, effervescent, and features one of pop’s best voices: Dua Lipa. The fact that a dance jam this perfect was only barely a hit in the U.S. is a total shame.

“After The Storm” by Kali Uchis feat. Tyler, The Creator and Bootsy Collins

I’m not typically an R&B guy, but I couldn’t resist newcomer Kali Uchis’ debut Isolation this year, especially its smooth throwback single, “After The Storm.”

Uchis glides over the off-key synth backdrop, expressing post-breakup optimism with ease. The sticky melody and relaxed vibe are helped out by a blast of smooth (if off-kilter) loverman shtick from Tyler, The Creator and some fun adlibs from funk icon Bootsy Collins. But this is Uchis’ show, and she barely needs to lift a finger to hold listeners’ command.

“Please Don’t Die” by Father John Misty

After releasing an overstuffed and underwhelming album last year, Father John Misty, AKA singer-songwriter Josh Tillman, decided to keep it simple this year, and I’m back on his bandwagon.

One reason for that is how blunt and personal his songwriting is again, particularly on “Please Don’t Die.” Tillman’s concept album God’s Favorite Customer focuses on the real-life story of how his depression caused him to hide out in a hotel for two straight months, and the heartbreaking “Please Don’t Die” tackles this scenario from the singer’s wife’s point of view. 

She constantly reminds Tillman that his potential suicide won’t be a victimless crime during the soaring chorus, and he laments how his spiraling has affected her in the somber verses. There’s no snarky winks to the audience here — just Tillman nakedly depicting how his emotional chaos effected those around him.

“My My My!” by Troye Sivan

I never paid too much attention to Australian former YouTuber Troye Sivan. Now I’m regretting that choice, thanks to “My My My!”

Pure bubblegum pop doesn’t play much of a role in today’s music landscape, so it’s hard to call any version of that subgenre “modern,” but that’s honestly how I would describe this jam. It’s a slice of stuttering tropical pop with some indie and ‘80s flavor to it, and Sivan himself sells the tune like he’d been singing these types of songs for years in a boy band. I’ll be keeping tabs on Sivan from here on out.

“Light On” by Maggie Rogers

Last year, I was floored by Maggie Rogers’ unique blend of rootsy nature sounds with blue-eyed soul, particularly in her stellar single “Dog Years.” It seems like she isn’t fixing what ain’t broken, as “Light On” is a continuation of that sound.

Although it isn’t quite as transcendent as her early singles, “Light On” is still a quality power ballad, with a nice mix of acoustic guitar and organic synths, complete with a showstopping, melancholy chorus. Rogers still knows her way around a gorgeous melody, and I’m sure she’ll continue to fill her niche as the best music you’ll probably hear at REI.

“The Opener” by Camp Cope

Camp Cope have had it up to here with shitty men, and “The Opener” is a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy the trio constantly face.

Lead singer Georgia McDonald wails over a ‘90s alt-rock groove about sexism both in the dating world as well as the music industry. The latter is where she reserves her sharpest lines, going after men who’ve said her success isn’t her own doing, and being told to book smaller venues by the same guys who will “preach equality” in public. And of course, how do these men in power maintain their faux-feminist image? “‘Just get a female opener, that’ll fill the quota.’” Scathing.

“We Appreciate Power” by Grimes feat. HANA

If “We Appreciate Power,” the (as of writing this) brand-new Grimes single, was trimmed by a minute or so, it might have made the actual list. It’s a smidge on the repetitive side at its current 5:30-length.

But dear lord: This is a BANGER. As just about every critic has said, the production here is an aggro mix of Nine Inch Nails and Korn, complete with squealing guitars, a pounding, synthetic beat and some random screams thrown in the mix for fun. And yes — it works. Put it on during the next workout and see how fast you start going.

Throw in some legitimately creepy lyrics about artificial intelligence and totalitarianism and you’ve got a classic Grimes single. If only it was a bit shorter...

“Lake Erie” by Wild Pink

For a band from Brooklyn, Wild Pink are shockingly good at creating music that sounds like the sun setting on a Midwestern corn field. 

“Lake Erie” is so close to The War On Drugs’ signature sound — heartland rock mixed with whispered vocals and shoegaze-y atmospherics — that I’d call it a ripoff, if it wasn’t arguably better than anything The War On Drugs has put out in a few years. It’s emotive, gorgeous and not too pretentious, like something Bruce Springsteen could’ve released 35 years ago.

“Noid” by Yves Tumor

No, unfortunately, “Noid” isn’t about retro Domino’s ads. It’s much darker than a claymation pizza mascot.

Yves Tumor’s art-rock track is fairly normal for its first half. It even has shades of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” in the lyrics wondering about the sad state of the world. Then, things get weird: the bass starts playing in a different key, the background fills with static and screams, and Yves Tumor keeps singing along, and his lyrics about being “scared for my life” start to seem less like a protest anthem and more like a horror soundtrack. It’s a chilling experience.

“Party For One” by Carly Rae Jepsen

Queen Carly releases another pop banger and you think it’s not going on my list? Come on, now.

I’m not going to pretend like “Party For One,” Jepsen’s triumphant breakup anthem, is on the same level as her all-time classic singles. It’s the kind of bubblegum that she could write in her sleep.

But why penalize a perfectly great song just because the artist has done better in the past? “Party For One” might not be “Run Away With Me,” but it’s still a solid piece of synth cheese that no doubt makes Canada proud.

BEST ALBUMS 2018

Ok here we go again for 2018, shall we?

Hon. Mentions: Negro Swan - Blood Orange; Singularity - Jon Hopkins; Elsewhere - Ryan Hemsworth; Scorpion - Drake; Diplomatic Ties - The Diplomats; Some Rap Songs - Earl Sweatshirt; FM! - Vince Staples; Rally Cry - Arkells; I’m All Ears - Let’s Eat Grandma; Be The Cowboy - Mitski; Kamikaze - Eminem; Ye - Kanye West; KIDS SEE GHOSTS - Kanye West and Kid Cudi; Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - Arctic Monkeys; Black Panther: The Album - Kendrick Lamar, et al; KOD - J. Cole; Culture II - Migos; Hive Mind - The Internet; God’s Favorite Customer - Father John Misty; Blood - Rhye; Both Ways - Donovan Woods; Songs of the Plains - Colter Wall

10) Swimming - Mac Miller

This one was tough. Malcolm James McCormick’s fifth studio album was barely out three months before he left us. It’s hard to evaluate Swimming in isolation of Miller’s untimely death at age 26. Especially since, in my mind, the album represents something of a turning point for the former frat rapper. Recorded in the wake of Miller’s high profile breakup with Ariana Grande and in the midst of public struggles with addiction, Swimming is full of heartache and soul bearing self-reflection. Sonically, Mac’s airy raps and crooning vocals float over jazzy beats and orchestral accompaniments, with help from Thundercat and Dev Hynes. There’s room for fun as well amid the melancholy - the more upbeat Ladders and What’s the Use? are sure enough to keep a dance floor moving. The worst thing about Swimming is really how good it is, and how it felt like Mac Miller was on the cusp on something great we’ll now never see. 

Highlights: Self Care, What’s The Use?, 2009, Ladders

9) QUARTERTHING - Joey Purp

Chance the Rapper’s Savemoney compatriot Joey Purp is like a breath of fresh air. QUARTERTHING’s 14 tracks, most clocking in at under 3 minutes, come fast and furious like Purp’s (mostly) un-autotuned flow. Joey’s full throated, almost Meek-Mill-esque, delivery gives the album a mixtape-like authenticity - notwithstanding the varied and expert production from the likes of RZA, Knox Fortune and frequent Chance collaborator Nate Fox. The opening 24k Gold/Sanctified, and Hallelujah just two tracks later, feel downright celebratory pairing Purp’s flow behind a blaring big band sound. Others, like Look At My Wrist and Paint Thinner, are Chicago Drill and house inspired, feeling like they’d be right at home in a sweaty club basement. Lyrically, Purp is a classic hip-hop storyteller and street documentarian, drawing from experiences in a former life selling drugs and the violence of his home city. This impressive studio album debut is more than enough to solidify Joey Purp’s place among an exciting new generation of Chicago rappers.

Highlights: 24k Gold/Sanctified (ft. Ravyn Lenae & Jack Red), Godbody (ft. RZA) [Pt. 2], Hallelujah, Look At My Wrist (ft. Cdot Honcho), Karl Malone

8) Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves is clearly in the pantheon of artists that can’t release an album without it making this list (I rated Pageant Material #8 in 2015 and Same Trailer, Different Park #9 in 2013... both criminally underrated in retrospect). Musgraves continued to be a revelation with her third album. There was a great Ezra Koenig quote last year, where he talked about seeing Musgraves’ concert and being inspired by the clarity of her music: “from the first verse, you knew who was singing, who they were singing to, what kind of situation they were in”. On Golden Hour, she maintains that clarity, stretching a little more outside the traditional country sound into pop and disco-inspired melodies. I do miss the dry humour and rebellious spirit of the previous two Musgraves outings, I’ll admit. You won’t find any overt weed references here, but Kacey finds plenty of ways to remind us how few fucks she gives about the Nashville country establishment. Golden Hour also shows off some of Musgraves’ strongest songwriting to date - the sprawling Space Cowboy stands out as one of the best singles of the year in any genre. I’m probably in the minority in thinking Golden Hour is not my favourite Kacey Musgraves album, but it’s still one of my favourite albums of 2018.

Highlights: Slow Burn, Space Cowboy, High Horse, Love is a Wild Thing

7) Lush - Snail Mail

It’s about to become clear that there is a “women in indie rock” movement happening on this year’s list. The debut album from 18 year old singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan is one of the most aptly titled records of 2018. Lush’s indie rock soundscapes are just that. Loud, full and richly textured. Jordan’s crystal clear vocals soar and float above her ringing guitar chords and riffs. The songwriting is perhaps what you’d expect from an 18 year old, full of heartbreak, confusion and teen angst. She does it well though. As the first chorus builds on Heat Wave, Jordan’s voice builds: “And I hope whoever it is Holds their breath around you, 'Cause I know I did”. The album’s standout track for me is Full Control which crescendos to a refrain of: “I'm in full control, I'm not lost, Even when it's love, Even when it's not.” At the same time, Lush exudes a maturity and a nostalgia that hearkens back to Snail Mail’s spiritual predecessors like Cat Power or Fiona Apple. Snail Mail was one of many reasons that 2018 gave me hope that there’s a future for indie rock and “guitar music” generally. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Highlights: Pristine, Full Control, Deep Sea, Heat Wave

6) boygenius EP - boygenius

The only thing that ever held me back from including boygenius on this list was my long held view that “an EP is not an album”. Well, since Kanye decided that 7 songs can be an “album” why not 6? Any album that has 6 songs as good as the 6 on boygenius EP would make this list! boygenius is the indie “supergroup” made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and the holder of last year’s #3 album on this list, Julien Baker - all accomplished solo acts in their own right. Predictably, the whole is something greater than the sum of its parts. boygenius EP’s six songs are a tour de force amalgam of indie, country and folk (owing to the band’s cross-genre Nashville and Viriginia roots) full of raw emotion and grit. Dacus, Bridgers and Baker seem made to perform, and sing, together. The harmonies on this record make boygenius sound like an indie rock iteration of Destiny’s Child or an edgier, less twangy version of the Dixie Chicks. The songs do not hold back, with high highs and low lows. On Me & My Dog, the soaring chorus evokes an escapist dream: “I wish I was on a spaceship, Just me and my dog and an impossible view”. The emotional highpoint of the record might be Baker and Bridgers’ chorus on Salt in the Wound apexing with: “I’m gnashing my teeth, Like a child of Cain, If this is a prison I’m willing to buy my own chain”. I can’t stop watching live videos of these three - they seem so at home onstage together. As excited as I’d be to see boygenius become more than a side project, I’m equally excited to see what’s next for Bridgers, Dacus and Baker on their own.

Highlights: Me & My Dog, Stay Down, Salt In the Wound, Ketchum ID

5) DAYTONA - Pusha T

YUGH! Amid Kanye’s unhinged tweets, messy, disorganized projects, and Oval Office visits, DAYTONA, the 7 track album he entirely produced for G.O.O.D. Music veteran Pusha T, was one thing that gave us hope that Kanye hadn’t completely lost his touch (or his mind) in 2018. DAYTONA showcases both producer Kanye and King Push at the absolute peak of their talents. It’s amazing, in this era of Xanax-fuelled mumblerap, to think how long we’ve been listening to Kanye and Push do their thing. Lord Willin’ introduced the world to Pusha T in 2002 (alongside his brother Malice, as he then was, as the iconic rap duo Clipse). The College Dropout came out two years later. I still remember buying the CDs and wearing out my discman with both of them. It’s easy to forget that Kanye and Terrence “King Push” Thornton are both 41 years old! There’s something refreshing about two guys in their forties still being able to make a banging rap record about selling drugs and buying expensive shit. Push said DAYTONA was made “for my family...high taste level, luxury, drug raps fans.”  Those fans are well served by DAYTONA. After the beat comes in on album opener If You Know You Know, Push sounds like he’s speaking directly to his day one fans, raising a styrofoam cup to: “This thing of ours, oh, this thing of ours”. The album exudes the bravado of an MC on top of his game confident in the knowledge that he’s spitting bars on a classic. And we can’t forget the incendiary Infrared, the song that touched off a vicious beef between Pusha T and rap’s biggest star, Drake, ending after Push revealed in a diss track that Drake was hiding his son from the world. Almost 20 years on, Pusha T is still ready to go war, still “clickin’ like Golden State” and still wearing the crown as King Push. Long may he reign.

Highlights: If You Know You Know, The Games We Play, Hard Piano (ft. Rick Ross), Infrared

4) Honey - Robyn

I found myself slightly disappointed in Honey at first, largely because my expectations for Robyn’s first album in eight years were based on the high energy electro-pop brilliance of 2010′s Body Talk. What I should have realized is that, if Robyn were going to make another Body Talk, she wouldn’t have kept us waiting this long. Honey is not Body Talk - you won’t find another Call Your Girlfriend or Dancing on My Own among its nine silky smooth tracks. But it is no less brilliant. If I can forget that Beach2k20 exists for a second, it feels pretty darn close to a perfect album. Honey betrays a lighter touch for Robyn, perhaps more in tune with the sound of the moment. A little more euro house and disco tinged, Honey furthers the Swedish songstress’s long evolution away from the pop idol of her late 90′s past. Honey still embodies Robyn’s signature juxtaposition of electronic dance rhythms alongside themes of sadness, loneliness and heartbreak. And songs like Honey and Missing U can still light up any dancefloor. The highlight for me is the slow-building Send to Robin Immediately, which just swells over its Lil Louis sample as Robyn urges the listener into action: “If you got something to say, say it right away. If you got something to do, do what's right for you. If you got somebody to love, give that love today. Know you got nothing to lose, there's no time to waste”. In between albums, and while writing Honey, Robyn lived through the death of a longtime collaborator and a breakup and reunion with a romantic partner. The emotional toll of these experiences seem to shine through. Robyn told the BBC’s Annie Mac earlier this year: “When I wrote this album I think I was quite tired of myself writing sad love songs, but I did anyway and looking back on that now, I think it's OK for things to be sad. Combining it with something that's bright and strong and powerful is a way of finding your way out of the sadness.” 

Highlights: Missing U, Human Being (ft. Zhala), Send to Robin Immediately, Honey

3) Clean - Soccer Mommy

Clean, the impressive debut album from 20 year old Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, was the first album I heard this year that I 100% knew would be on this list. By the time Your Dog hits at the third track, I was completely enthralled. That song is so goddamn rock and roll with Allison sparing no mercy for the subject shitty boyfriend of the opening verse: “I don't wanna be your fucking dog, That you drag around, A collar on my neck tied to a pole, Leave me in the freezing cold”. Elsewhere, on Still Clean, Allison plays with gruesome animalistic imagery singing of an ex-lover picking her “out your bloody teeth”. There is a warmer side to Clean as well. Scorpio Rising, with it’s “bubbly and sweet like Coca-Cola” softness and lyrics about meeting up after dark and missed calls from your mother definitely remind you that Allison is a self-professed devotee of Taylor Swift’s early work (which should give you another idea of why I love this album). Speaking of T-Swift, the rollicking Last Girl almost mirrors You Belong With Me in describing the crushing insecurity of comparing oneself to a new partner’s ex, somehow pulling off lyrics like “I want to be like your last girl, She's the sun in your cold world and, I am just a dying flower, I don't hold the summer in my eyes” as if that were a totally normal thing to say. Beneath the upbeat riff of Cool, where Allison idolizes the cool girl “with a heart of coal, She’ll break you down and eat you whole” is the understanding that being that person won’t bring her the happiness she seeks. Acceptance of one’s emotions and insecurities is the core theme of Clean - that “You gon’ be like that” (as Allison put it to the Fader) and you’ll be happier once you accept you for you. In many ways, Clean evokes a similar vibe to the Snail Mail and boygenius entries further up this year’s list, as a scrappy “girl with a guitar” indie record and a tongue-in-cheek stage name. That sense of charming honesty is what, I think, makes Clean stand above the other entries on this list.

Highlights: Cool, Your Dog, Last Girl, Scorpio Rising

2) Lamp Lit Prose - Dirty Projectors

The first of our top two is another repeat offender on this list (a previous incarnation of the Projectors’ Swing Lo Magellan had #7 back in 2012 and last year’s eponymous Dirty Projectors was my 2017 #8). I loved every minute of Lamp Lit Prose - it’s almost a 1B for me on this list and was pencilled in at 1 for a time in the drafting process. This album has everything that was good about last year’s DPs record but is, ultimately, tighter, more fun, less weird and less sad. Dave Longstreth appears to have moved on (at least musically) from the emotions he was working through on Dirty Projectors, which was essentially an extended meditation on the breakup of his relationship with Amber Coffman and the band’s upheaval. With Lamp Lit Prose, his “new look” Dirty Projectors (with help from friends like Syd, Rostam and HAIM) have put together something a little more traditional (by Dirty Projectors standards) and a lot more listenable. Longstreth told Exclaim that this album, compared its morose predecessor, “is really about feeling hope again, finding the things that give us hope, that make us feel optimistic and joyful.” Lamp Lit Prose falls somewhere between the twangly, jam band atmosphere of the Projector’s Swing Lo Magellan and Bitte Orca heyday and the more experimental, electronic-infused vibe of the Dirty Projectors released 18 months prior. Longstreth’s guitar riffs are again front and centre, but the voice modulation and distorted electronic sounds are still there, albeit in a more subtle way. Four part harmonies bounce over the jazzy melodies and hopeful lyrics. Where he was mourning a lost love on the last record, here we see Longstreth “in love for the first time ever” on I Found It In U (a salvaged beat from his work on Solange’s last album). On Break Thru, the un-named romantic subject is held up as “an epiphany” with comparisons in quick succession to Archimedes, Fellini and Julian Casablancas. The horn-backed chorus on What Is The Time is the high point of the record for me - the kind of song that makes you want to raise your voice and join in on the hook. All in all, it’s just great to hear this band making fun music again. Lamp Lit Prose is upbeat, creative and simply a joy to listen to. I absolutely loved this album... but just not quite enough to edge out our number 1.

Highlights: Break-Thru, That’s a Lifestyle, I Found It In U, What Is The Time

1) ASTROWORLD - Travis Scott

IT’S LIT!!! I would have never predicted that a Travis Scott album would land here at number 1, but here we are. And I feel good about it. ASTROWORLD dominated my listening from its mid-summer release onward and, with each spin, I became increasingly convinced of its greatness. Travis is an artist that I’ve long found perplexing. Insanely popular among his legions of young fans, he embodies so much of the “new rap” ethos, the first genre of music where I’ve started to feel like I might be ‘too old’ to enjoy it. It was clear on his prior outings, Rodeo and Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, that the talent and creativity was there, but the overall product always seemed messy, disorganized, unpolished. With ASTROWORLD, Scott finally has made his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album is named for a former Six Flags theme park in Scott’s hometown of Houston that was torn down a decade ago and still sits vacant. Previewing the title of the album, Scott told GQ last year: "They tore down AstroWorld to build more apartment space. That's what it's going to sound like, like taking an amusement park away from kids. We want it back. We want the building back. That's why I'm doing it. It took the fun out of the city." True to his word, the album’s 17 tracks are tied together by an overarching creepy, grimy sound. Listening to ASTROWORLD feels like walking through an abandoned theme park. Even more impressive is how Travis, as curator of the album’s varied guest list, bends the star studded guest appearances to his will, fitting them in perfectly to his dank sonic menagerie. The likes of Frank Ocean, the Weeknd, Swae Lee, Tame Impala and James Blake don’t overpower Scott’s vision but blend into the scenery, their talents employed perfectly by Travis in the role of ringmaster. Newcomers get some shine too, like Scott’s Cactus Jack labelmate Sheck Wes who gets a guest verse on NO BYSTANDERS and a shoutout to his ubiquitous single from Travis on 5% TINT: “We did some things out on the ways that we can't speak, All I know it was "Mo Bamba" on repeat”. And then, there’s SICKO MODE. Why is it that the best Drake song each year invariably comes from someone else’s album, even in a year where Drizzy himself releases a double album? The ASTROWORLD track list, at least initially, left out the featured artists, so hearing Drake’s voice over the opening notes of the album’s third track was the first time most listeners had any indication that the 6ixgod himself would be making an appearance. What a wonderful surprise it turns out to be. SICKO MODE, the album’s best track, feels like three or four different songs as the beat changes form and Travis and Drake pass the mic back and forth. The song’s Tay Keith produced final act (the “out like a light” part) is for my money the best two minutes of hip hop music made in 2018. ASTROWORLD succeeds on its grandeur, vision and consistency. Travis Scott set out to build something big and from the moment the bass kicks in on STARGAZING through to the mellow, string backed denouement of COFFEE BEAN, he succeeds at every turn. ASTROWORLD was 2018′s biggest, most creative, most sonically consistent and most fun album in hip-hop. In my estimation, it’s the best album of the year.

Highlights: STARGAZING, CAROUSEL (ft. Frank Ocean), SICKO MODE (ft. Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk), WAKE UP (ft. The Weeknd), CAN’T SAY (ft. Don Toliver)

That’s all folks. Thanks for reading and see ya in 2019.

The MotionXI Guide to New Albums, Fall 2018: Thom Yorke, Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Cat Power, More

From BROCKHAMPTON and Childish Gambino to Aphex Twin and Empress Of, here’s a big list of records to look forward to in the coming months Welcome back to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers fall 2018, starting with Friday, September 7. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums and EPs by Thom Yorke, Aphex Twin, Cat Power, Spiritualized, Low, Mount Eerie, boygenius, Prince, BROCKHAMPTON, Octavian, Noname, and others. Joey Purp: QUARTERTHING (September 7, self-released) Chicago rapper Joey Purp is following his self-released 2016 mixtape iiiDrops with a new project called QUARTERTHING. Executive produced by Nate Fox, Nico Segal and Peter Cottontale, the project includes contributions from GZA, RZA, Ravyn Lenae, and Knox Fortune, among others. Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt (September 7, Fat Possum/Bella Union) Six years after the release of Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Jason Pierce is back with a new Spiritualized album. “I’m a lot older now and in a weird way I think it’s my last record,” he said in autumn 2016. He added in a recent press release, “It was such hard work. I found myself going crazy for so long.” Read Pitchfork’s review of And Nothing Hurt’s “I’m Your Man” and “A Perfect Miracle.” Octavian: SPACEMAN (September 10, Black Butter) Octavian’s SPACEMAN mixtape is the London rapper’s first new project since 2017’s Essie World. The 14-track tape does not include his 2018 singles (“100 Degrees,” “Hands,” “Little,” and “Move Me”) or his breakout track “Party Here.” The mixtape cover was created by Armin Druzanovic, Michael Phan, and Virgil Abloh. Read Pitchfork’s track review of SPACEMAN’s “Revenge,” as well as the Rising profile “Octavian Is Shaping the Sound of Rap in 2018—Just Ask Drake.” Aphex Twin: Collapse EP (September 14, Warp) When the Aphex Twin logo appeared in cities across the world earlier this year—on buildings in New York City and underground stations in London—Richard D. James’ return appeared imminent. Soon after, he made it official, announcing the Collapse EP and dropping the song “T69 Collapse.” Collapse follows 2016’s CheetahEP. Low: Double Negative (September 14, Sub Pop) Low decamped to Justin Vernon’s April Base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to record their latest album, Double Negative. The follow-up to 2015’s Ones and Sixes was produced by B.J. Burton. Check out Pitchfork’s review of “Disarray” (named Best New Track). Christine and the Queens: Chris (September 21, Because) Chris is the second record from Héloïse Letissier, better known as Christine and the Queens. “ gets to be a bit more exhilarating, because I get to say, okay, I’ve been introduced now,” Letissier said in a statement. “I get to be more confident, and it matches what happened in my life as a woman.” Read the track review of “Doesn’t Matter.” Mount Eerie: (after) (September 21, P.W. Elverum & Sun) Recorded at a church in the Netherlands in November 2017, Phil Elverum’s latest release as Mount Eerie is a live album featuring songs from last year’s A Crow Looked at Me and this year’s Now Only. “Does it bring anything new to the songs to hear them in this way? My hope is: yes,” he wrote in a statement. “This is a recording of these ultra-intimate songs living in the real world among people, and of peoples’ wide eyed accepting silence, and clapping.” Read Pitchfork’s profile “Death Is Real: Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum Copes With Unspeakable Tragedy,” as well as “Love Is Real: On Phil Elverum Marrying Michelle Williams” on the Pitch. Prince: Piano & A Microphone: 1983 (September 21, Warner Bros.) Piano & A Microphone: 1983 is an unearthed collection from Prince’s vaults recorded during a rehearsal at his home studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The nine-song LP includes solo piano renditions of “Purple Rain,” Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” and “Mary Don’t You Weep.” The latter recording featured prominentlyin Spike Lee’s latest film, BlacKkKlansman. Spike Lee also directed an extended trailer for the film soundtracked by the song. Read “The Pro-Black Bond Between Spike Lee and Prince” on the Pitch. Kode9 / Burial: FABRICLIVE 100 (September 28, Fabric) Burial and Kode9 have come together for the final installment of London nightclub Fabric’s mix series. FABRICLIVE 100 is 74-minutes long. The mix’s announcement also arrived with a rare Burial selfie. Tim Hecker: Konoyo (September 28, Kranky) Konoyo is experimental composer Tim Hecker’s first record since 2016’s Love Streams. He recorded the LP during several trips to Japan where he worked with members of the gagaku ensemble Tokyo Gakuso. Check out Pitchfork’s review of Konoyo’s opener “This Life.” BROCKHAMPTON: Iridescence (September, Question Everything/RCA) It’s been a real journey toward BROCKHAMPTON’s fourth studio album, now titled Iridescence. Their follow-up to the 2017SATURATION trilogy was initially teased as a project called PUPPY before allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against former member Ameer Vann surfaced earlier this year. BROCKHAMPTON kicked Vann out of the group in May, and then appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to perform a new song (“Tonya”) and reveal the working album title the best years of our lives. They subsequently released “1999 WILDFIRE,” “1998 TRUMAN,” and “1997 DIANA.” In August, they revealed the new album title Iridescence. Noname: Room 25 (September, self-released) Chicago rapper and singer Noname is gearing up to release the follow-up to her 2016 debut Telefone. She has said that the 11-track Room 25 will feature “the homies.” Cat Power: Wanderer (October 5, Domino) Wanderer is Chan Marshall’s first Cat Power album since 2012’s Sun. In a statement, Marshall said the album was inspired by “the course life has taken in this journey—going from town to town, with guitar, telling tale; with reverence to the people who did this generations before .” Lana Del Rey guests on the track “Woman.” Phosphorescent: C’est La Vie (October 5, Dead Oceans) Matthew Houck’s first Phosphorescent album in five years is the self-produced C’est La Vie. The follow-up to 2013’s Muchacho is led by the single “New Birth in New England.” Regarding the album title, Houck told Pitchfork, “It’s life. It’s weird. It’s so grand and huge, it can reduce you into an idiot. What else can you say?” Read the full interview, “Phosphorescent on Parenthood and His First Album in Five Years, C’est La Vie,” on the Pitch. Empress Of: Us (October 19, Terrible) Us is the second album from Lorely Rodriguez aka Empress Of. “It’s been a long two and a half years making this project,” she said of the Me follow-up. Read Pitchfork’s review of the single “When I’m With Him,” named Best New Track. Neneh Cherry: Broken Politics (October 19, Smalltown Supersound/Awal) Broken Politics is Neneh Cherry’s fifth solo album. The LP, produced entirely by Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) was recorded in Woodstock, New York with Hebden, Cherry, and her songwriting partner Cameron McVey. “Maybe politics starts in your bedroom, or your house—a form of activism, and a responsibility,” Cherry said in a statement. “The album is about all of those things: feeling broken, disappointed, and sad, but having perseverance. It’s a fight against the extinction of free thought and spirit.” Thom Yorke: Suspiria OST (October 26, XL) Luca Guadagnino, director of Call Me by Your Name, is behind the new reboot of the horror classic Suspiria. Thom Yorke, the frontman of Radiohead and periodic solo artist, has provided that film’s score. The 25-song soundtrack features “Suspirium,” which is as a full-on song with vocals (as opposed to instrumentals like the music of the film’s trailer and clips). Prior to announcing the soundtrack, Yorke discussed how Vangelis’ Blade Runner score inspired him and likened creating the score to “making spells.” boygenius: boygenius EP (November 9, Matador) Boygenius is the supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Their first release is a six-song, self-titled EP. In November, Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus will embark on a North American tour together, with each artist performing a solo set. Check out Pitchfork’s Best New Track review of “Me & My Dog.” The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (TBA, Dirty Hit/Interscope) The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has said that A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, the Manchester band’s third album, will arrive this fall. So far, they have shared the singles “Give Yourself a Try,” “Love It If We Made It,” and “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME.” A Brief Inquiry follows 2016’s I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. Childish Gambino: TBA (TBA, Wolf+Rothstein/RCA) In spring 2017, Donald Glover announced that he would be releasing one final album under the Childish Gambino moniker. “I think endings are good because they force things to get better,” he later said in an interview. So far this year, Glover has released three new songs: “This Is America,” “Feels Like Summer,” and “Summertime Magic,” which is the first official single from his next record—the follow-up to 2016’s Grammy-nominated “Awaken, My Love!” He recently fanned the flames of new music rumblings by sending fans two unfinished tracks (“Algorhythm” and “All Night”) ahead of his North American tour. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V (TBA, Universal) After settling two longstanding lawsuits against Birdman and Cash Money in June, Lil Wayne has teased the possibility of finally releasing his long-delayed album, Tha Carter V. It’s allegedly Wayne’s final installment in the Carter series, following 2011’s Tha Carter IV. Read “Lil Wayne’s Long Road to Tha Carter V” on the Pitch. SOB x RBE: GANGIN II (TBA, SOB X RBE/Empire) SOB X RBE—the Bay Area rap quartet of Yhung T.O., Slimmy B, Lul G, and DaBoii—released their album Gangin this past February. They recently revealed that its sequel, GANGIN II, is “coming soon.” Check out the track review for their single “Vibes.” September 09-07 ADULT.: THIS BEHAVIOR  Alice Coltrane: Spiritual Eternal—The Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings  Amnesia Scanner: Another Life  Ava Luna: Moon 2  The Blaze: DANCEHALL  Bob Seger & The Last Heard: Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967  Chilly Gonzales: Solo Piano III  CLUTCH: Book of Bad Decisions  Eric Bachmann: No Recover  G Perico: GUESS WHAT? EP Ipek Gorgun: Ecce Homo  JEFF the Brotherhood: Magick Songs  Jesse Harris: Aquarelle  Joey Purp: QUARTERTHING  Kilo Kish: MOTHE EP Lenny Kravitz: Raise Vibration  MAGIC!: Expectations  Masego: Lady Lady  Mirah: Understanding  mmph: Serenade EP MNEK: Language  Mothers: Render Another Ugly Method  Oliver Coates: Shelley’s on Zenn-La  The O’My’s: Tomorrow  Paul McCartney: Egypt Station  Paul Simon: In the Blue Light  Seinabo Sey: I’m a Dream  Slowthai: Runt EP Soft Cell: Keychains & Snowstorms: The Soft Cell Story  Spiral Deluxe: Voodoo Magic  Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt  Steven A. Clark: Where Neon Goes to Die  $uicideboy$: I Want to Die in New Orleans  Swamp Dogg: Love, Loss and Auto-Tune  Teleman: Family of Aliens  Waxahatchee: Great Thunder EP ZHU: Ringos Desert  09-10 Octavian: SPACEMAN  09-14 6LACK: East Atlanta Love Letter  Alejandro Escovedo: The Crossing  Aphex Twin: Collapse EP Asleep at the Wheel: New Routes  The Beta Band: The Three EPs  Black Belt Eagle Scout: Mother of My Children  Blitzen Trapper: Furr: Deluxe Edition  Brandon Coleman: Resistance  Capital Punishment: Roadkill  Carrie Underwood: Cry Pretty  The Chills: Snow Bound  Daniel T.: Heliotrope  David Guetta: 7  Dilly Dally: Heaven  The Dirty Nil: Master Volume  Dizzee Rascal: Don’t Gas Me EP Emma Louise: Lilac Everything  Fred Thomas: Aftering  Future Generations: Landscape  Good Charlotte: Generation Rx  The Goon Sax: We’re Not Talking  Guerilla Toss: Twisted Crystal  Hawkwind: Road to Utopia  Jóhann Jóhannsson: Mandy OST Jungle: For Ever  Knife Knights: 1 Time Mirage  Low: Double Negative  Lyrics Born: Quite a Life  Marc Ribot: Songs of Resistance 1948-2018  Night Shop: In the Break  Orbital: Monsters Exist  Paul Weller: True Meanings  Richard Thompson: 13 Rivers  Sandro Perri: In Another Life  Sarah Davachi: Gave in Rest  Thrice: Palms  Tony Bennett / Diana Krall: Love Is Here to Stay We Were Promised Jetpacks: The More I Sleep the Less I Dream Willie Nelson: My Way  09-19 MHD: 19  09-21 Ash Koosha: Return 0  Beak>: >>>  Brocker Way: Wild Wild Country OST Carl Broemel: Wished Out  Christine and the Queens: Chris  Constant Mongrel: Living in Excellence  Drew McDowall: The Third Helix  The Field: Infinite Moment  Hawkwind: Road to Utopia  Jevon: Judas EP Josh Groban: Bridges  Joyce Manor: Million Dollars to Kill Me  Liars: Titles With the Word Fountain  Lonnie Holley: MITH  Macy Gray: RUBY  Metric: Art of Doubt  Mount Eerie: (after)  Mountain Man: Magic Ship  Mutual Benefit: Thunder Follows the Light  Prince: Piano & A Microphone: 1983  Richard Reed Parry: Quiet River of Dust Vol. 1  Ryan Hemsworth: Elsewhere  Sha La Das: Love in the Wind  Suede: The Blue Hour  SUMAC: Love in Shadow  Supersuckers: Suck It  Villagers: The Art of Pretending to Swim  Voivod: The Wake  09-25 Bikini Kill: The Singles  09-28 Alt-J: REDUXER  Bitchin Bajas: Rebajas  Bliss Signal: Bliss Signal  Cher: Dancing Queen  Cypress Hill: Elephants on Acid  Dillon Francis: Wut Wut  Exploded View: Obey  GØGGS: Pre Strike Sweep  Jay Som / Justus Proffit: Nothing’s Changed  Jlin: Autobiography  Joe Strummer: Joe Strummer 001  John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City  The Joy Formidable: AARTH  Keith Ape: Born Again EP Lala Lala: The Lamb  Logic: YSIV  Loretta Lynn: Wouldn’t It Be Great?  Marissa Nadler: For My Crimes  Marsha Ambrosius: NYLA  Maxwell: Embrya  Mike Simonetti: Solipsism (Collected Works 2006-2013)  Mount Kimbie: DJ-Kicks  Mudhoney: Digital Garbage  Nick Cave & the Bad Seed: Distant Sky – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen EP Nile Rodgers & CHIC: It’s About Time  Peter Bibby: Grand Champion  Pixies: Come on Pilgrim...It’s Surfer Rosa  Rod Stewart: Blood Red Roses  Roosevelt: Young Romance  Sam Phillips: World on Sticks  Soft Cell: The Singles - Keychains & Snowstorms  Stereolab: Aluminum Tunes   Stereolab: Refried Ectoplasm   Stereolab: Switched On  Tim Cohen: The Modern World  Tim Hecker: Konoyo  Tom Petty: An American Treasure  Various Artists: Rick and Morty OST Viagra Boys: Street Worms  October 10-05 Adrianne Lenker: abysskiss  Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local  Behemoth: I Loved You at Your Darkest  Cat Power: Wanderer  Cursive: Vitriola  David Nance Group: Peaced and Slightly Pulverized  Death Valley Girls: Darkness Rains  Echo & the Bunnymen: The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon  Electric Six: Bride of the Devil  Fucked Up: Dose Your Dreams  Ghostface Killah: The Lost Tapes  Haerts: New Compassion  High on Fire: Electric Messiah  Jerusalem in My Heart: Daqa'iq Tudaiq  John Lennon: Imagine—The Ultimate Collection  Kristin Hersh: Possible Dust Clouds  KT Tunstall: WAX  Lindsey Buckingham: Solo Anthology - The Best of Lindsey Buckingham  Madeline Kenney: Perfect Shapes  Marie Davidson: Working Class Woman  Matt Nathanson: Sings His Sad Heart  mewithoutYou:   Molly Burch: First Flower  Mueller_Roedelius: IMAGORI II  Nathan Bowles: Plainly Mistaken  Petite Noir: La Maison Noir / The Black House  Pilar Zeta: Moments of Reality  Phosphorescent: C’est La Vie  Ron Gallo: Stardust Birthday Party  Sam Wilkes: WILKES  Steve Perry: Traces  Swearin’: Fall Into the Sun  Timmy’s Organism: Survival of the Fiendish  Tokyo Police Club: TPC  Various Artists: A Star Is Born OST Windhand: Eternal Return  10-12 Anna St. Louis: If Only There Was a River  Basement: Beside Myself  Calvin Johnson: A Wonderful Beast  Charalambides: Tom and Christina Carter  Colter Wall: Songs of the Plains  Connan Mockasin: Jassbusters  Daniel Brandt: Channels  Dave Davies: Decade  David Bowie: David Bowie Loving the Alien (1983-1988) The Dodos: Certainty Waves  Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Look Now  Eric Clapton: Happy Xmas  The Helio Sequence: Keep Your Eyes Ahead: Deluxe Edition  Jaako Eino Kalevi: Out of Touch  Jerry Paper: Like a Baby  John Grant: Love Is Magic  Kim Kashkashian: J.S. Bach Six Suites for Viola Solo BWV 1007-1012  Laraaji / Arji OceAnanda / Dallas Acid: Arrive Without Leaving Los Campesinos!: Hold On Now, Youngster…  Los Campesinos!: We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed  Matthew Dear: Bunny  Primal Scream: Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Sessions  Sick Thoughts: Sick Thoughts  The Skiffle Players: Skiff  Tom Morello: The Altas Underground  The Watson Twins: DUO  William Basinski / Lawrence English: Selva Oscura  Young Jesus: The Whole Thing Is Just There  Yowler: Black Dog in My Path  10-19 CAVE: Allways  Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning  The Cranberries: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? Disturbed: Evolution  Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa – Complete Edition  Empress Of: Us  Farao: Pure-O  Frank Sinatra: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (60th Anniversary Edition)  Geotic: Traversa  Jimmy Urine: EURINGER  John Carpenter: Halloween OST Minus the Bear: Fair Enough EP MØ: Forever Neverland  Neneh Cherry: Broken Politics  Papercuts: Parallel Universe Blues  Peter Bjorn and John: Darker Days  R.E.M.: R.E.M. at the BBC  Richard Ashcroft: Natural Rebel  Various Artists: Bohemian Rhapsody OST Will Oldham: Songs of Love and Horror  Yoko Ono: Warzone  10-26 Antarctigo Vespucci: Love in the Time of E-Mail  Apollo Brown / Joell Ortiz: Mona Lisa  Blondie: Heart of Glass EP Boy George & Culture Club: Life  Carbonas: Your Moral Superiors: Singles and Rarities  Daughters: You Won’t Get What You Want  Dean Wareham / Cheval Sombre: Dean Wareham Vs. Cheval Sombre  Julia Holter: Aviary  The Kinks: The Kings Are the Village Green Preservation Society Saves the Day: 9  Shad: A Short Story About a War  SRSQ: Unreality  This Mortal Coil: Blood  This Mortal Coil: Filigree & Shadow  This Mortal Coil: It’ll End in Tears  Thom Yorke: Suspiria OST Ty Segall: Fudge Sandwich  November 11-01 Sun Kil Moon: This Is My Dinner  11-02 Bill Ryder-Jones: Yawn  Charles Mingus: Jazz in Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Seldon  David Allred: The Transition  Dead Can Dance: Dionysus ] Gabby’s World: Beast on Beast  Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet  King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: 12 Bar Bruise  King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Eyes Like the Sky King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Float Along—Fill Your Lungs  King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Oddments  King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Willoughby’s Beach EP Metallica: …And Justice for All  The Prodigy: No Tourists  Tenacious D: Post-Apocalypto  11-09 BEAST: Ens  boygenius: boygenius EP Charles Bradley: Black Velvet  J Mascis: Elastic Days  Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra: The Capitol Studios Sessions  Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers: Bought to Rot Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore: Ghost Forests  Maisha: There Is a Place  Muse: Simulation Theory  11-13 Method Man: The Meth Lab II: The Lithium’  11-16 Joseph Shabason: Anne  11-23 Laibach: The Sound of Music  January 01-18 Lost Under Heaven: Love Hates What You Become  The Twilight Sad: IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME March 03-01 Mark Kozelek / Donny McCaslin / Jim White: Mark Kozelek With Donny McCaslin and Jim White  TBA The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships  2 Chainz: Rap or Go to the League  BROCKHAMPTON: Iridescence  Childish Gambino: TBA Chromatics: Dear Tommy  DJ Khaled: Father of Asahd  EARTHGANG: Mirrorland  Everything Is Recorded: 8AM EP Georgia Anne Muldrow: TBA Jeremih / Ty Dolla Sign: MihTy  Kamaiyah: Don’t Ever Get It Twisted  Kamaiyah: Woke  Kodie Shane: TBA Lil Pump: Harverd Dropout  Noname: Room 25  Quavo: Quavo Huncho  Sheck Wes: MUDBOY  SOB X RBE: GANGIN II  Swizz Beatz: Poison  Read the full article