Summer 2018 Album Roundup

By Matt Bandel

It’s been a hell of a summer for music. In this modern age, it’s so easy to pump out music, so I decided to break down some of the releases that have caught my eye since the school year has ended.

Pusha T – Daytona

This was the first of the five Kanye produced albums that would be released this summer. Every album is barely even an album, with the longest clocking in at 26 minutes. This is the opposite of the current trend of releasing bloated albums to get more streams, thus making more money (like the Migos did with Culture II). Instead, with this approach you cut all of the fluff and filler, leaving an enjoyable project that’s quick and easy to listen to from front to back. Pusha T’s album does just this, and Push is cold and cutting on each track. To put it plainly, Daytona is great track for track and keeps listeners entertained the whole time (bonus points for the beef it caused and the reveal of Drake’s secret baby.) My only complaint with the album is that the subject matter gets a bit stale after a while and the dark moody beats make the listen a little monotonous.

Kanye West – Ye

Love him or hate him, Kanye is back. The lead up to this album couldn’t have been more hectic. Kanye returned to Twitter a month or so before the release of this project after having been quiet for a while. He immediately started turning heads and rousing mobs with support for Trump and insensitive comments about slavery and the state of Black people in America. He then released two singles, the infamous “Lift Yourself” (the “scoop de poop” song), and “Ye vs. the People” where Kanye has a back and forth with T.I. trying to defend his recent antics. After all of this, I was especially excited to see what kind of album we would get. What was going through Kanye’s head during all of this? Kanye did not disappoint, releasing an intimate look into his mind. This project juxtaposes most of Kanye’s recent material. As opposed to a grandiose, cocky and extravagant album, Ye is much quieter and personal. Kanye opens up about his mental health immediately on the cover (which I think is super corny), and then gets deep and dark on the opening track “I Thought About Killing You.” I really love this album for the personal look into the mind of one of the most influential artists of our generation. You can see Kanye really growing such as on the closer, “Violent Crimes,” where Kanye talks to his daughter and discusses how having a daughter changed his view of women. On “Wouldn’t Leave,” we see into the turmoil that was caused by Kanye’s comments, and how he and Kim patched things up. “Ghost Town” sees Kanye looking towards a brighter future, overcoming his mental illness and opioid addiction and becoming a better man. The lines about putting your hand on a stove to see if you still bleed really puts into perspective what Kanye is going through: becoming so numb to reality that you put yourself into negative situations to see if you can even feel anymore. Ye is my favorite of the recent Kanye produced albums. He exceeded my expectations and presented listeners with a look inside his psyche that nobody could have predicted.

Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts

Kids See Ghosts is the name for the collaboration between Kanye West and Kid Cudi. The two have had an interesting relationship in the past, sometimes fighting, other times working together on music. I wasn’t sure what to expect for this release, especially with how surprised I was by Ye. Immediately, the production on it proves crazy colorful, creating a landscape of music and an atmosphere that I hadn’t anticipated. On “4th Dimension,” Kanye even samples a Christmas song from the ‘30s. Each track is a different take on the same sound, but each one is different from the next, with Kanye and Cudi taking turns being the main feature on tracks. For example Kanye dominates the title track, while Cudi is more prominent on tracks like “Reborn.” The two also show chemistry in their lyrics. Both have publicly battled mental illness, and although not as personal as Ye, there are many lyrics referencing their respective bouts and how they’ve had to overcome their inner demons. I really enjoyed this project, and I don’t think anyone could have predicted what a fun and inventive album these two artists would come together to make.

Sophie – Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Side

This is a weird one. Sophie is a Scottish producer and pop singer, although this project isn’t exactly pop music. Sophie’s production really takes center stage with her vocals coming as another layer in an intricate web of sounds. In some tracks she uses abrasive, industrial sounds to craft a song. This is seen on “Ponyboy” (which I love) and “Faceshopping,” where there is not much color, but rather loud, synthetic noises dominate. Other times she uses softer sounds that are more true to modern pop music, like in “Immaterial.” The track starts off lighter and fun, but then lots of the production drops out and Sophie has a bit of a vocal solo (with help from a lot of autotune to keep the mechanical/robotic feel) and then the beat comes back in and the song ends how it started. Other times the music has an ambient quality in the way it goes on with no real verses or chorus, just the same melody repeated over and over. “Is it Cold in the Water?” and “Infatuation” are two perfect examples of this. I’m still trying to rap my head around this one, but I commend Sophie for her bold and innovative production. Her unique take on pop music (and music in general) is super creative and it’s impressive how one album can contain so many different styles of music.

Melody’s Echo Chamber – Bon Voyage

Melody’s Echo Chamber is the project of French musician Melody Prochet. Prochet has previously worked with the likes of Tame Impala touring with them, and she worked with Kevin Parker, the brains behind Tame Impala, on her debut album. Her second album has been long awaited and had been pushed back due to Prochet’s hospitalization. The result of this can be seen in the different songs across Bon Voyage. Prochet blends together art pop, psych rock, and folk music into her own unique experience. However, there are times when she is more adventurous than others. For example, there are elements of hip-hop on the opening track “Cross My Heart,” and the psychedelic “Desert Horse” goes through a complete transition and is almost a completely different song by the end. There are then lighter tracks like “Breathe in, Breath Out,” “Visions of Someone Special, On a Wall of Reflections” or “Var Har De Vart?”–which is completely acoustic. Although enjoyable, I prefer the more layered melodies (no pun intended) of the more complex tracks. Even the closing track, “Shirim,” (which has been on repeat) is less produced and experimental than others. The album as a whole is a really cool journey through different soundscapes explored by Prochet and it show off all of the different styles she can use. I look forward to a more stylistically unified album from her, but this project here is nothing to scoff at.

The Carters – Everything is Love 

This album runs exclusively on star power. Beyoncé and Jay-Z are both coming off of critically acclaimed albums in Lemonade and 4:44 respectively, but they felt the need to come together for what they probably thought would be a huge hit. The project sounds rushed and there is not much real substance or message to the songs, not that there has to be, but the flexing gets excessive and we’ve seen the two make much more meaningful music. Jay-Z often sounds awkward over the trap beats that litter the project, and Beyoncé doesn’t display her amazing vocal chops on this thing. There are a couple nice songs, like the intimate and sexy “SUMMER,” and the politically charged and fun “BLACK EFFECT.” And of course no one can deny the banger that is “APESHIT,” but Migos sound much more natural over the beat. Their adlibs do remain on the album version which adds a lot of character. Perhaps The Carters is the title under which the power couple can release their own less serious music, which is fine, and this album is definitely decent. It’s clear that there was not as much effort put into the project and we as listeners have come to expect more from two of the most well-known names in the music industry.

Death Grips – Year of the Snitch

NEW DEATH GRIPS! Death Grips, the experimental hip-hop group is back. This is one of my most anticipated albums of the year, and the gross cover art already had me excited. On this project, Death Grips tone down the hip-hop and go for a more experimental rock sound, similar to their sister group, The I.L.Y.’s, that features producer Flatlander and drummer Zach Hill with no MC Ride. This new sound is distinctly different than past albums, but I still find myself drawing similarities between songs on Year of the Snitch and previous projects. They have created a unique sound that progressed naturally from their previous music. The production is killer and much more dynamic, like on opening track “Death Grips is Online,” “Hahaha”, and “Dilemma.” There are more moving parts going on in the background, leading to more dynamic song composition and a more complex listen. The volume on each track varies, with quieter songs like “Linda’s in Custody,” and “Little Richard,” but the band cranks it back up to 11 on songs like “Black Paint” and “Shitshow.” These highs and lows add character and allow the album to flow when listening to it front to back. This flow is also aided by short transitional tracks like “The Horn Section” and “Outro.” These songs add build-up that makes the next song more epic (this reminds me of the transitional songs off of Tame Impala’s Currents). Lyrically, I have no idea what MC Ride is talking about most of the time, but there are some returning themes from past albums, such as references to the internet culture that has allowed them to become popular, and allusions to Charles Manson and his cult following. The album closes with “Disappointed,” and just like many of their other album closers, this song is fast-paced and hard-hitting with Zach Hill’s crazy drumming heightening the chaotic atmosphere. In Ride’s deliver he repeats himself, first saying a word, and then yelling it immediately after. His screams of “Why me?” accumulate in this intense experience that is hard to put into words, but is most definitely felt. This is easily one of my favorite albums of the summer and proves Death Grips continue to innovate and push the boundaries of their sound.

Gorillaz – The Now Now

Humanz was not a very good album. The lackluster return of the Gorillaz was harshly criticized. A feature on almost every single track weighed the album down and it barely felt like a Gorillaz album. Individually, each song was decent, but listening to Humanz front to back was a chore. Damon Albarn removes a lot of the fluff from the previous album, leaving us with The Now Now. The first single didn’t impress me, but listening to everything in the context of the album, I found the whole project to be super light, lush, and synthy. The songs all have a nice flow, and although stylistically similar, they show a range of emotion. Overall, the album soaks in a light layer of melancholy that permeates throughout. There is a real sense of sadness that very clearly comes through on tracks such as “Kansas” and “Fire Flies,” but is more subtly felt on tracks like the closer, “Souk Eye.” The funk is also very apparent, some highlights being “Hollywood,” which has a really great Snoop Dogg feature, and the entirely instrumental “Lake Zurich.” The entire project is super airy and bouncy, and although stylistically different, it feels like the Gorillaz we’ve come to know and love. The Now Now has made me much more optimistic about the future of Gorillaz from here on out.

Drake – Scorpion

Drake is without a doubt the biggest name in hip-hop right now. I fell in love with Drake after Take Care, but he has failed to live up to his potential over and over again. If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late is proof that he still can deliver. His last full length album, Views, was bloated. Coming off of beef with Meek Mill where Mill called out his ghostwriters, there was a clear change in lyrical quality (my personal favorite bad Drake line is off of “Pop Style” where he says “Got so many chains they call me Chaining Tatum”). Last year he released More Life, a glorified B-sides album that he refers to as a “playlist” to excuse why so many of the songs are pretty much unfinished. In Scorpion, Drake makes his long awaited return with a double disc album. The two discs split up the harder, more rap centered music (Side A) from the softer, more emotional pop and R&B side (Side B). This is really a clever way for Drake to not have to cut tracks and take advantage of streams by releasing a saturated, hour and a half album like the Migos did with Culture II. This album is bad. It is a chore to listen to the whole thing from front to back, and Side A is unbearable. There’s so many half-assed songs where he slapped some high hats and muttered over the barely finished beat, examples including “Nonstop” and “I’m Upset.” The rest of the tracks are slow-paced and feature a sloppy beat over a sample with Drake discussing the same themes he has in lots of his previous music: too much money, distrust in his friends, etc. The second half adds more color and diversity in sound, but there are still problems with this disc, although nothing overarching that affects every song. “Peak,” “Jaded,” and “Finesse” are all slow and moody R&B songs with very little substance. One of them would’ve been more than enough. And Drake could’ve gotten almost anyone to sing on “Don’t Matter To Me,” which is actually a nice song. But he had to have Michael Jackson. How much did he pay for that audio sample of Jackson singing? Why didn’t anyone produce the song to better fit Jackson’s vocals instead of noticeably warping his voice? Drake has fallen off artistically. “Nice for What” is still an amazing track, and “In My Feelings” has a great chorus. If he put that much effort into a full project, he could strike gold again, but in the end, we’re left with Scorpion. If my life goes the way I want it to, I will never listen to this album front to back ever again.

Jaden Smith – Syre the Electric Album

Jaden Smith released the best produced album money could buy. Other than Smith talking out of his ass throughout the album, Syre was decent. Then for some ungodly reason, he decided to release a shortened electric version. This is bad. There are no redeeming qualities about this project. Smith has always worn his influences on his sleeve, and this clearly pays homage to Kid Cudi and some of Kanye’s autotuned experiments too, but Christ, he didn’t have to do this. He covers his own songs, but strips them back instrumentally and poorly sings them with the autotune turned up to the max on every slow, boring track. Don’t listen to this project. Straight up, it’s not worth anyone’s time.

Denzel Curry – TA13OO

Florida artist Denzel Curry is back with more of his aggressive, trap-flavored rap. This album comes in three discs, each four to five songs long, with each progressively becoming darker than the last. And this here is my biggest criticism of the album. The whole thing is very dark and murky, and this theme of delving into darkness isn’t as well fleshed out as it could be, but I can see what Curry was going for here. Other than that, this album is really great. There are clearly different takes on rap music, with more light-hearted and pop-friendly tracks like “Black Balloons” (which has a solid GoldLink feature) and “Cash Maniac.” The song “Sumo” doesn’t fit on this first section of the album, but those 808s are so fat and loud that I don’t really care; “Sumo” is a certified banger. The album does get darker into the second part, which features the hit single “Clout Cobain,” where Curry gives his perspective on clout culture in the rap game. This part is my least favorite, as Curry isn’t going for a clear pop rap or dark rap sound, and the songs are the most forgettable. The last part of the album is absolutely cutthroat. Songs such as “Percs,” “Vengeance,” and “Black Metal Terrorist” are so hardcore and deserve to be blasted at full volume. Even through this heavy atmosphere, Curry manages to get convey interesting takes, such as on “Percs” in which he again addresses the rap culture of street cred and popping pills. Even though I have gripes with the light to dark theme, every track on this album has its merits. Curry’s delivery throughout is loud and on beat, displaying his talents as great rapper. This is a really solid rap project from Curry that does a great job at standing out from the monotony of most other trap music.

There are plenty of other albums that came out this summer that caught my attention, like ones by Juice Wrld, Parquet Courts, and Asap Rocky. The day I’m writing this, Travis Scott, Mac Miller and YG are all releasing highly anticipated albums. The ones above are just what elicited the largest emotional response from me, and I look forward to more music coming this summer and this year.