Lonerism – Tame Impala ★★★★

YearAlbumArtistStarsScoreGenre
2012LonerismTame Impala★★★★82RockPsychedelic RockIndie Rock

Tame Impala’s first two records do similar things, creating psychedelic rock that’s influenced by the bands of the 1960s and 70s, with modern edge and youthful energy added on top. 

Innerspeaker was captivating as a whole because of its vaporwave aesthetic and raw, classic rock sound. But while the songs could really rock, a lot of the music was hitting the same note over and over, and the songs felt a little aimless. Kevin Parker’s vocal performance also occasionally fell flat or sounded too much like he was trying to mimic legends of the past instead of paving his own path. 

The musical maturity of Lonerism provides some more clarity and direction to the mix without compromising the trippy, stoner garage rock production. Plus, while listening to Innerspeaker may have been a more memorable experience as a whole album, Lonerism has the more memorable songs and moments. 

Those hits really carry the record. The first and last tracks on the album have never been my favorites, but the record in between is stellar. The combination of the guitars and synths on “Endors Toi” and “Apocalypse Dreams” is exhilarating to listen to. “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is a grand, dreamy track with a great vibe. “Elephant” is a fun, blues rock track.  The keyboard on “Nothing That Has Happened…” is really hypnotic. I’ve always wished it was the last track on the album.

Innerspeaker – Tame Impala ★★★½

YearAlbumAristStarsScoreGenre
2010InnerspeakerTame Impala★★★½77RockPsychedelic RockIndie Rock

Tame Impala burst onto the scene as a rock band from a bygone era, and quickly became a go-to for music fans looking for a good trip. Calling back to the psychedelic ambience of the Beatles, early Pink Floyd and Doors, and playing early rock and roll guitar riffs, Kevin Parker as Tame Impala did more than just replicate the sounds of the 60s and 70s. He enhanced them with a modern, alt-rock twist and youthful energy. 

Innerspeaker is probably Tame Impala’s most straightforward rock album, as the band matured on their next two releases and incorporated more commercial elements and structure to the mix. The raw, gritty, garage rock sound of Innerspeaker easily draws you in, while the laid back drums, humming keyboard chords, echoing guitar riffs and groovy bass lines and fuzzy vocals form colorful and hazy landscapes when executed perfectly. 

The first half of the record is really strong, with “Desire Be Desire Go,” “Alter Ego” “Solitude is Bliss” and “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind” as standouts. On the back half of the record,  the blues-influenced guitar on “The Bold Arrow of Time” is so convincing it’s hard to believe it wasn’t clipped from a 60s song, and the instrumental track “Jeremy’s Storm” does give you some a jam-band at Woodstock vibes. 

Almost every song is quick in tempo and follows a similar, successful formula — hitting you right away with a nifty rhythm guitar part, adding in a quick but simple drum track, and building through the verse, with some enjoyable guitar soloing placed on top. Because of that, a lot of the music does hit the same notes and emotions over and over again, and while they all catch your attention early, the tracks seem a little aimless. Kevin Parker’s vocal performance also, while interesting and appropriate for the aesthetic, occasionally comes across as flat or emotionless.

SBTRKT – SBTRKT ★★★½

YearAlbumArtistStarsScoreGenre
2011SBTRKTSBTRKT★★★½75ElectronicR&BElectronic R&B

SBTRKT’s self-titled debut is an easy-to-listen-to electronic album, made up dance-pop tracks with a slight dubstep build to them and R&B-style feature vocals. “Sanctuary,” “Right Thing to Do” and “Pharaohs” are simple pop tracks that easily could have made their way to the dance floor, while slower, alternative tracks like “Hold On” and “Wildfire” are more suited for a chill college house party. 

With Sampha essentially acting as SBTRKT’s house vocalist on most tracks and other contributions from Jessie Ware, Little Dragon and Roses Gabor, the frequent vocals add a much needed layer to the house-influenced track that otherwise might feel repetitive or unmemorable.

A lot of the songs do carry the same energy, and their basic structure makes them well put together, but conventional, electronic songs that lack a bit of the umph, intrigue or trance-like properties the best house music can bring. The upside isn’t quite as high as maybe it could be,  every song start to finish can hold its own.

Process – Sampha ★★★½

YearAlbumArtistStarsScoreGenre
2017ProcessSampha★★★½77Hip-HopR&BElectronic R&B

Sampha has always brought soulful, genuine lyrics and a soft, pure voice to the R&B world. However, what makes Process — the debut album by an artist who had been featured on dozens of tracks over the decade prior to its release — stand out is how Sampha’s voice mixes with the high-quality, electronic-heavy arrangements on every track. Even with the electronic clicks and synths, it still feels like R&B, achieving a balance of the two you seldom find elsewhere in the genre.

While Sampha’s raw performance on “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” is likely considered the album’s standout moment, the ice production on “Reverse Faults” and “Under,” and the synthetic strings on “Plastic 100°C” and “Kora Sings” shouldn’t be overlooked. 

DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 102 albums of the 2010s

At the beginning of 2019 I set three New Year’s resolutions for myself—track my calories in my phone every day, eat at least one bagel a week, and select a different year from over the past decade each month and listen to albums that were released that year. 

I somehow managed to track my calories for the first 295 days of the year until a weekend on vacation got the best of me, and while I started the year off strong with bagels, that streak ended sometime in early May when my fiancée Melissa and I bought a home and moved away from the two neighborhood bagel shops I was frequenting. 

The one resolution I did keep was the music one, and what was originally just supposed to be a way to go back and relisten to some old albums I used to know turned into a way to listen to all of the significant music released over the past decade.

Each month, I selected a year (starting with 2010 in January, 2011 in February, and so on) and downloaded an about 75-album mix of the most acclaimed and most popular releases from that year.

I listened to all of them at least once. Some I liked, some I loved and have gone back to multiple times, and some I wouldn’t care to listen to again. In hundreds of instances I was listening to an album, or a genre, or an artist that I had never tried before. 

It was fun at times, tiring at other, but my New Year’s resolution was a success and a highly rewarding project. By the end of 2019, I had listened to and scored 684 albums that were released in the 2010s. 

This list is the culmination of hours of listening and organizing, and it highlights my 102 favorite albums of the decade. Why 102? Because that’s how many 4-star or better ratings I awarded, which signifies a great album in mind. 

In total, I awarded 7 albums a 5 stars rating (signifying an almost perfect album); 28 albums 4.5 stars, 67 albums 4 stars, 101 albums 3.5s, and 202 albums 3s. I consider every album that’s a 3 or higher at least a good album.

I awarded 173 albums 2.5 stars, which is reserved for average albums—nothing special, but nothing too bad about them either. And finally, I gave 106 albums a score of 2 or worse, representing albums that are below average or just flat out bad.

Listening to music, talking about it and sharing it with others is my favorite thing to do in the world. Whether you’re just scrolling through the list, skimming it for your favorite artists, or actually reading the reviews, I thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to look through, and I’m so happy to finally be sharing this with all of you

Here are my top 102 albums of the 2010s.

Continue reading “DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 102 albums of the 2010s”

I Am Easy To Find – The National ★★★

YearAlbumArtistStarsScoreGenre
2019I Am Easy To FindThe National★★★66RockArt RockChamber Pop

I Am Easy To Find represents the biggest swing The National have taken to date.  Not only is it the band’s longest record, clocking in at over an hour and 15 tracks, the album is ambitious, with grand musical swells, dynamic and tempo contrasts, interludes that piece the album together and a list of collaborators and co-musicians as talented and deep as an NFL playoff roster.  

The National here rely heavily on chamber music — like string orchestrations and choir pieces — as Aaron Dessner’s softer musical touches mix well with the album’s guest stars, who each bring new perspectives the band haven’t explored before. Matt Berninger even takes a backseat on a number of verses and entire tracks to make way for the new voices. 

I Am Easy To Find is maybe a little too artsy at times and definitely has a few too many tracks for anyone to really love the entire record. But the standout moments and overall songwriting are stellar, with songs that are highly emotional and range in energy and style. The massive undertaking required to stitch all the elements together is admirable. 

Most importantly, the record still features moments that really rock with the best of The National’s early catalog. “You Had Your Soul With You,” “The Pull of You,” “Where Is Her Head” and “Rylan” all have  some real power to them thanks to driving drums, guitar riffs and dynamic vocal performances. And they contrasted really well with piano-based ballads like “Quiet Light,” the title track and “Light Years,” which are three of the best tracks Matt Berninger’s ever written.

There’s a bit too much fat here for it to be a great record, and I don’t find myself going back to listen start to finish often, but there’s plenty to like and appreciate, and a handful of songs that will be in heavy rotation every time I’m in the mood to listen to The National.

MELISSA AND NICK’S WEDDING SONG BRACKET: ROUND 2

After a couple of weeks of voting, we’re back with round 2! There were some close calls—mainly Rick Ross versus Radiohead—but also some blowouts (Hamilton Leithauser didn’t stand a chance).

Vote now for your favorites! Check out the playlist and vote for your eight. We’re getting close!

VOTE HERE: https://nicholascicale.survey.fm/round-2-melissa-nick-s-wedding-song-bracket

Melissa and Nick’s wedding song bracket: Round 1

Melissa and I are getting married on Feb. 15, 2020, and we would like our friends to help us pick our wedding song!

We set up a March Madness-style bracket with 32 songs and will open up a different survey every week or so with the next round of match ups. The last song standing will be our wedding song!

You can find the survey for the first round of voting below, as well as a link to a playlist with the original 32 songs. Thank you for voting!

YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite songs of 2018

Here are my favorite songs that came out in 2018, separated into lists for the 50 best Alternative, Hip-hop, and Pop song. Full playlists can be found on Spotify, are updated frequently and include additional songs. As always, thanks for listening!

Alternative/rock songs

  1. Cute Thing – Car Seat Headrest
  2. Ullswater – Hookworms
  3. Your Dog – Soccer Mommy
  4. Last Ride – Beach House
  5. Bodys – Car Seat Headrest
  6. Art of Doubt – Metric
  7. We’re Not Done (End Title) – Mogwai
  8. Breadwinner – Everything Everything
  9. Nobody – Mitski
  10. Six Wave Hold-Down – Hot Snakes
  11. Nameless, Faceless – Courtney Barnett
  12. If You Really Love Nothing – Interpol
  13. Fly – Low
  14. Silhouettes – American Football
  15. Noid – Yves Tumor
  16. Suspirium – Thom Yorke
  17. Let Them Win – Jeff Rosenstock
  18. Fast Slow Disco – St. Vincent
  19. Lemon Glow – Beach House
  20. Dark Saturday – Metric
  21. When You Die – MGMT
  22. Sober to Death – Car Seat Headrest
  23. Leave It In My Dreams – The Voids
  24. Now or Never Now – Metric
  25. Dancing and Fire – Low
  26. Need a Little Time – Courtney Barnett
  27. Right Now – Dirty Projectors, Syd
  28. Drunk In LA – Beach House
  29. Tenderness – Parquet Courts
  30. Decompose – Preoccupations
  31. I Need a Doctor – Hot Snakes
  32. Burn – The Soft Moon
  33. Wide Awake – Parquet Courts
  34. Talking Straight – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
  35. Far Away Truths – Albert Hammond, Jr.
  36. Risk – Metric
  37. She Works Out Too Much – MGMT
  38. Pain Killer – Iceage, Sky Ferreira
  39. Mardi Gras Beads – Parquet Courts
  40. Never Fight A Man With A Perm – IDLES
  41. Two Slow Dancers – Mitski
  42. Loading Zones – Kurt Vile
  43. 60 & Punk – Death Cab of Cutie
  44. Danny Nedelko – IDLES
  45. Dissarray – Preoccupations
  46. Funeral Singers – Sylvan Esso, Collections Of Colonies Of Bees
  47. Honeycomb – Deafheaven
  48. Science Fiction – Arctic Monkeys
  49. Pontiac 87 – Preoccupations
  50. Never Ever – Lord Huron

Hip-hop/R&B songs

Continue reading “YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite songs of 2018”