And that’s exactly what Billie Eilish has managed to do with Hit Me Hard and Soft, her stellar venture into more conventional pop music.
Instead, it’s better to look to another early 2000s rap classic when searching for a parallel: Jay-Z’s soul-drenched The Blueprint.
Production-wise, his longtime collaborator Sounwave holds court while Jack Antonoff (yes, that one) adds musicality and clarity when needed.
Even without all the political turmoil during Brat summer, it would still be one of the most defining projects of the year.
Drawing inspiration primarily from club culture and hyperpop, Charli pulled once-niche spaces in music into the mainstream.
The title track, “It Was Coming All Along,” “So Sick of Dreaming,” and “If Now Was Then” on Maggie Rogers’ third album, which features acoustic guitars highlighting the comfort of cherished memories, encapsulate her nostalgic freedom. However, some of these songs are more complex than others, such as “Drunk,” which builds momentum with stuttering guitars and barely restrained momentum, or “The Kill,” which has layered production and interwoven storytelling. Additionally, there are moments on this album, such as in “Never Going Home,” where Maggie simply relaxed and let her hair down, displaying her smooth vocals in a manner she hasn’t really done before. The album’s brief duration of just under 36 minutes may be the only criticism, but even that is welcome in a time when tracklists are getting bloated. That might not even be a complaint in the end. — D. R.
Feel sorry for the Nashville hitmakers who were passed over for Twisters: The Album. They lost out on being a part of one of the biggest country albums of the year, both in terms of scale and commercial success (the set debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and is still in the top 100 almost five months later). They also lost out on being a part of one of the decade’s most joyfully enjoyable listening experiences, where even the people performing heartbreak ballads or covering “Wall of Death” sound like they’re having a great time. By the time the ride concludes with Charly Crockett performing “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky,” you’re ready to buckle up with Luke Combs and take on that storm once more. Twisters is the incredibly rare 2024 project that stretches to double-album length without feeling long. A. U.
With references to the Kosovo War and disgraced art dealer Mary Boone, song titles like “Ice Cream Piano,” “Prep-School Gangsters,” and “Gen-X Cops,” and surf rock guitars, only Vampire Weekend could have created Only God Was Above Us. A band does not have to completely reinvent themselves to produce a late-career highlight, as Only God Was Above Us demonstrates after more than ten years of recording together. Lead singer and songwriter Ezra Koenig is at the top of his game throughout the album, particularly on “Classical,” which challenges the narratives we perpetuate as historical accounts, as it explores themes of isolationism, modernity, and war. “Untrue, unkind, and unnatural/ How the cruel with time becomes classical… It’s clear something’s going to change/ And when it does, which classical remains?” Despite these introspective reflections, Vampire Weekend demonstrates that their songs are perhaps even more relevant to the modern world than they were when they released them. Jennifer Robinson.
Hearing your favorite artist develop over time without losing what made them unique is one of the most fulfilling things a fan can experience. With Hit Me Hard and Soft, her brilliant foray into more mainstream pop music, Billie Eilish has succeeded in doing just that. Eilish’s distinctive ominous sound lingers in the background of album highlights “Chihiro,” “The Diner,” and “Bittersuite,” transforming every painful lyric into its own cinematic moment, even when singing about the most common experiences for young people, such as love, body image, heartbreak, and entering adulthood. However, with age comes the realization that vulnerability can be strength, and Eilish is unguarded on the simmering “Skinny,” the incredibly sentimental “Birds of a Feather,” and the thirsty-as-hell “Lunch.”. Eilish has already skillfully changed over the course of three albums at the young age of 22, and whatever comes next will undoubtedly hit us even more softly and forcefully. — Taylor Mims.
Many fans used social media to explain why they believe GNX is comparable to Nas’s own sixth album, God’s Son, following the release of Kendrick Lamar’s sixth studio album released. To put it mildly, the arguments are weak. Instead, when looking for a parallel, it’s better to turn to Jay-Z’s soul-infused The Blueprint, another early 2000s rap classic. Similar to Hov’s masterwork, GNX exhibits a rapper at the pinnacle of their abilities, asserting their dominance in front of an audience. In a spiritual rhyme with Jay’s line, “the whole industry can hate me, I’ll thug my way through,” Lamar asks, “I done been through it all, what you endure?”. “”.
In the same way that Blueprint used a modernized version of the sound that made New York rap famous, Kendrick draws inspiration from his local scene and enlists the help of some of the most talented up-and-coming artists. He’s rapping more skillfully than ever before, choosing simple, memorable metaphors and bars over the careful double entendres we’ve grown accustomed to. His longtime partner Sounwave is in charge of production, with Jack Antonoff (yes, that one) contributing musicality and clarity as needed. But Mustard, the producer of the year’s top song, really shines with “TV Off,” a true “Not Like Us” sequel that sneaked in one of the year’s greatest memes at the last second. With its macrocultural themes and painful declarations, GNX might not feel like Kendrick albums of the past, but in that sense, it becomes something unique and welcomed: A Kendrick album unlike any other. — DAMIEN SCOTT What could be more classic than that?
Short N’ Sweet may be Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth album, but she really made an impact with it. It contains 12 songs that are all stand-alone pop radio hits while never repeating the same theme. Before that, there was the cheeky “Please Please Please” (Carpenter’s first Hot 100 No. 1) and the breakthrough hit “Espresso.”. Listeners were right to anticipate more bubbly and innovative songwriting from the project, such as the tongue-in-cheek baby fever of “Juno” (“One of me is cute, but two though?”) or the spicy synth-pop of “Bed Chem” (“Where art thou/ Why not uponeth me?”). The album’s more bittersweet moments, such as the poignant last line of the gauzy song “Dumb and Poetic” (“Just because you leave like one doesn’t make you a man”) or the blunt truth of the strummy song “Lie to Girls” (“You don’t have to lie to girls/ If they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves”), may have been more of a pleasant surprise. Carpenter has been producing intelligent pop for years, and it’s very fortunate that she released her best album to date at a time when everyone is listening. “KATIE ATKINSON.”.
When you are an artist with a “perfection” brand, the stakes are extremely high for every project you release. Even though Beyoncé is at the top of her game, she recontextualizes herself as an outcast when she speaks directly to the audience on “Ameriican Requiem”: “Used to say I spoke too country/ And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ‘nough,” she sings, with a simmering anger hidden just behind her words.
Do not be misled: Cowboy Carter is a repudiation, reclamation, and rebuilding of all forms of Americana in the name of Black excellence, not a result of Beyoncé “proving” herself to the gatekeepers of the country genre who once rejected her. In this new epic, Beyoncé elevates her own sound and style to suit the subject matter while retelling her own history within the framework of the great American mythology. An album like Cowboy Carter is far from perfect, which makes it all the more intriguing to listen to repeatedly. — S. A.
Imagine informing someone in 2023 that, just a few months before the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris would emerge victorious in the race after President Joe Biden’s dismal performance in a debate against Donald Trump. Imagine now that, in the middle of all of this, there is a phenomenon known as Brat Summer, which is dominated by Charli XCX’s wildly successful album of the same name. Additionally, when VP Harris decided to run, XCX herself would declare Harris a “brat,” a significant endorsement to appeal to young voters.
All of that, however, is precisely what took place. Us. The K. With Brat in 2024, -born pop artist Charli XCX achieved one of the most thrilling and culturally significant album releases in recent memory, propelling the seasoned musician into a new level of fame. Even if there had been none of the political unrest during the summer, it would still rank among the year’s most significant projects. The best part was that Charli set the terms for everything. Charli popularized previously niche musical genres by bringing them into the mainstream, mainly through club culture and hyperpop.
The neon green cover of Brat sparked a thousand memes. Its lyrics evolved into iconic catchphrases. Because of its marketing, LinkedIn guys were amazed by her. Most significantly, all of this excitement was supported by exceptionally talented pop and dance music, which included production partners like A. G. El Guincho, Cook, and Cirkut, as well as lyrics that speak directly to the messiness of growing up, being a woman, and being famous.
At the time of Charli XCX’s October release of her remix album Brat, which is entirely different but still awesome, the singer/songwriter could have easily taken a victory lap by removing the second verses, adding a few featured artists, and calling it quits. But this raised the standard for remix albums: Charli was able to capture that manic energy in an engaging, narrative-forwarding collection of recorded music that felt more like a legitimate sequel project than a simple continuation of the original, much like DJs recycle, remix, and mash up tracks in the club. By incorporating clever yet unexpected features from Yung Lean, Lorde, and Bon Iver, the songs were completely changed to showcase Charli’s and her features’ greatest qualities as performers.
When the history books are written about this surreal, gloomy year in America, you might also find the singer from Essex mentioned. K. R.
