Michael's Cut

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At one point, I thought this list couldn’t get done, let alone an article about it. Though I started the re-listening period last January, I was also an undergraduate preparing for spring commencement. A dilemma approached me, one that had beaten me multiple times. I tried to balance my academics, but what about my social life, the friends I’ll never see again after this year because I absolutely hate Washington? And what about rent? Who’s gonna dress in cashmere to serve a bunch of picky 5-year olds lunch? Simply put, I had no time to finish these rankings.

Around August, I resumed the journey, and what a patient six months I indulged in. Re-listening to around 130 albums was so fun! I love when opinions about an album change; it makes me refer back to my notes and question everything I initially wrote. Feelings were hurt, all were mine and internalized. Numbers shouldn’t matter, but it didn’t stop me from making this list.

I learned how to break down each section into smaller bits. I wonder if you’ll agree with my takes, but, regardless, I hope you find a song or work you like or will check out later. Enjoy.

30. “Kody Blu 31,” JID

From the Atlanta rapper’s finest record yet, “Kody Blu 31” spills out the blues from both external and internal pressures. Away from his usual trap schtick, JID leads the chorus with a tenor that sounds like it’s dealt with enough trauma to kick over the bucket. Group harmonies ascend to the battlefield, while strings delicately tightly wrap our wounds. The war never finishes, but we continue swanging on.

29. “midnight sun,” Nilüfer Yanya

“Midnight Sun” radiates with a Radiohead sheen, a refreshing change from Nilüfer Yanya’s subdued guitar-led atmosphere. Each guitar note wains with the longing voice of an English pessimist. The hasty arrangements harvest its buildup with accordance: the first bridge strips us into vulnerability, the second into a burning shoegaze upheaval. 

28. “Muerte,” Natalia Lafourcade

Natalia Lafourcade understands the power that harmonies wield. So, on “Muerte,” the Mexican songwriter focuses on the momentum. She feeds poetry to the salsa-jazz groove, that alone expands into euphonious turbulence. The trumpets on fervent display, and the pianos and percussions on upkeep. The matter repeats until the tension climaxes on that last break, and with that, there’s no need for another.

27. “Post Ryan,” Gilla Band

The start of “Post Ryan” awakes you amid sleep paralysis, a mind-numbing sound feedback filling you with the nonsense. And after numerous similar incidents, our hero realizes his life only amounts to empty gestures and pipe dreams. “I hid behind the surreal,” Dara Keily reluctantly admits with the guitars strumming into the dissonance. But as he makes a normal man out of himself, the reflections sit with apathy and buzz, a strange combination for the signature groove of the hermit man.

26. “VIRGO’S GROOVE,” Beyoncé

A seismic Daft Punk-like groove sends you spinning on the carousel. “VIRGO’S GROOVE” translates to pleasure, an exploration of the naughtiness-turned-indulgence. The first step to receiving said pleasure? Follow Beyonce’s lead. “I can be the one that takes you there,” she assures you in the ascent into what feels like a new parallel. For each pulse, a different texture occurs and sports a new ride: the call and responses, and the longing melodies, and the melodic contours, among others, amplify the sexual tension to varying degrees. However, the Texas mogul bestows the sensation like a vinyl playing on loop: let’s continue the voyage together.

25. “Nosedive,” Hatchie

Being fresh off an album release and on tour did not exhaust the Aussie singer one bit, it seems. The drop (and literally chorus drop) of “Nosedive” marks a new creative direction and revival of a lost era in grebo music. It’s something no one could’ve expected, yet Hatchie easily excels in this tumultuous Pretty Hate Machine-esque atmosphere. It’s a fissure I wouldn’t mind going through again and again, especially when the refrain crumbles in the abrasion.

24. “Broken Steel Soul Clap Remix,” Rochelle Jordan

The Boston DJ duo transformed the“Broken Steel”’s permafrost terrain into a mellowed deep-house excellence. We’ve seen this in current-day dance music, which has fallen into the trap of a short song for maximum profit. But on here, that’s not the case. Imagine that first taste of tiramisu lingering on your tongue for seven minutes. And as opposed to a world of decadence, the remix justifies its longevity: dance breaks, slow world-building, and great use of vocals. They’re not trying to catch your attention with Swarovski and Louis Vuitton monograms. Quiet luxury rules on the sidelines, and “Broken Steel” took notice of the bigger picture.

23. “SPACE MULAN,” BÉBE YANA

The former EVOL member drowns in the depths of space amidst a do-or-die mission. Vocals glisten over an enveloping bass, a black hole awaiting new prey. Contrast them with the liquid drum-and-bass rhythms, and you’re now racing for survival. In spite of these natural forces, YANA leaps from the void, relying on her wits to save momentum for one more burst of energy. A great improvement from 2021’s “Strawberry Kisses.” Pair any science-fiction fight scene with “SPACE MULAN” for a dramatic backdrop.

22. “Unconditional,” Magdalena Bay

“Unconditional” evokes the feeling of aerodynamic love, the kind of romance that flies you to the moon from a lost balloon – or wherever it lands after inflating. Though the Floridian duo aren’t exactly discreet in their infatuation; it’s nearly killing Mica Tenenbaum. Cutesy synth funk bass lines and key pads maintain the facade, a successful movement as the song pulsates in verse-chorus fashion. Don’t eat your heart out anymore, Magdalena Bay. You still have a lot to give.

21. “MUKAZI,” Backxwash

The Zambian-Canadian rapper’s fierce storytelling ignites fear into the wind, a hurricane trapping you in the storm shelter. But for all its disasters, “MUKAZI” subsides with triumphant brass sweeping the dust, the choir purifying the air. Amidst the clear sky, Backxwash makes sense of her trauma to find her redemption tale. Perhaps the greatest takeaway isn’t from its gladsome writing but from its coda, an expansive chipmunk soul arrangement rendering you into bliss. She’s not just telling you she’s made it out alive; she’s prospering as we speak.

20. “Chloë, Father John Misty

Father John Misty strolls along the aerial cables like a bird in a Pixar short. Deceptively featherweight, his vocals follow little guidance other than a walking bass, a single melody, and an infatuation tale following a certain murderer (hint: the song’s named after her). But the red flags crackle in the fire. Our lover boy can’t resist her flair, the way she slickly deals her cards. So he keeps walking along as the daredevil he becomes, feeding into the glorious facade and a beating jazz throb that lets you watch the fireworks pierce into red and white. 

19. “Once a Man,” Twice a Child, Nas

Over the years, Nas struggled to reposition himself as a veteran in a cutthroat rap scene. Yet the King’s Disease series gave grace to the Illmatic rapper, working closely with producer Hit-Boy to adapt his gritty Brooklyn tone. “Once a Man, Twice a Child” follows suit, smoothening a G-funk line under differences between the then and now. He strolls through his flow like a walk through downtown. His choruses catch the grooves, and his bars comfortably express his wisdom. References to the past take you through your parents’ polaroids, yet they still coincide with today’s culture, a parallel Nas takes since he knows he’s not a sign of the times. He’s only preparing for act two.

18. “Life is nothing,” YAYA KIM

YAYA KIM proves she could do it all. On her debut, she managed every crevice possible. On “Life is Nothing,” she fills the same role, accompanying her womanly presence with ornate acoustic pianos and a saxophone that could fill a studio with smoke. The vocalizations in the background tell just enough about her aptitude: she studied the greats of Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone, but she’s not looking to be the next understudy. And soon she’ll be claiming a name for herself in history of western music.

17. “The Loneliest Time,” Carly Rae Jepsen

A duet that brings out the best of a classical composer, as well as a resurgence of the Canadian sweetheart. “The Loneliest Time” concludes its album with a cliffhanger in the cosmos. Jepsen’s voice glistens the night with a full moon, awaiting Wainwright to accompany her through a bad dream. And while the chorus gets you jumping over strings and enchanting harmonies, the bridge onward leaves you propelled to their rocket ship. Nothing like a campy cry out to the earth and its people: “I’m coming back for you,” she sings while searching for nirvana amidst Jupiter. But she might not come back. You might just have to meet her in this new undefined utopia.

16. “Eat Men Eat,” black midi

“Eat Men Eat” chronicles a tale of hunger, gluttony, and escape. The South London outfit meets the flare with wide eyes for the feast, but it was all good to be true. Amidst a captain’s murderous intent against two lost gay voyagers, flamenco rhythms boil the cauldron, coughing over the fire. Camera Picture channels these different characters in all their anguishes: the Captain teething to pierce a knife in their hearts, and the couple seeking food and asylum. Steady pacing between these emotions ease you until the final blow, where our captain peaks insanity, but by that point, our couple already found the meaning of a second chance at life.

15. “Thunder,” Maruja

New competition secures a place in the British post-punk pool. Maruja provides a need for anger in the form of sound. Saxophonist Joe Carroll proves just as important as a foreman as the lead vocalist Harry Wilkinson. Together with drummer Jacob Hayes, the band clears the chess board with flying choppers firing in guerrilla warfare. Wilkinson yells with veins seething: “the sky is alive with thunder,” like a sign that the British are coming. The setting resets, and Carroll croons until the final stage of the war commences. Drums intensify and crash like air turbulence, but the saxophone leads us through to victory, a sign that jazz-rock still sounds as fresh as ever, and the band knows more than we anticipate.

14. “no fun/party,” Kara Jackson

Reading through Kara Jackson feels like you’re tying your ankle to a weight, and it drags you closer to the mantle. “It’s hard to have patience when you’re waiting on luck,” she opens with a specific poignance that gives this sadness identity. Comparing herself to a “steam engine” or her lover’s date to a “knife” makes this sort of pain remarkable, not as an experiential standpoint but as an observational one. The kind when you can empathize with someone’s remorse because the lyrics are well-constructed, the pain when the strings sweep you in the hums, and the confusion of what it means to both feel and be loved spring once again.

13. “Preachers,” Petrol Girls

Anarchy arises when society perpetuates its sins, the same way anger reveals in the face of something wrong. “Preachers” opens Baby with blue-collared exhaustion. What’s the point of advocating human rights when the whole world views the collapse through the blue light? Done with the virtue signaling and the political bullshit. Petrol Girls protest without a damn to give because they can’t. Guitars rev like a pulley on a lawn mower. Drums beat with the intention to rip their skin. Spit flies out Ren Alridge’s mouth. What’s it gonna take for you to see what it really is, that you’re the problem as well?

12. “Love’s Train,” Silk Sonic

A reinterpretation of Con Funk Shun’s archives transforms “Love Train” into the quality of calfskin leather. The duo of Silk Sonic remains faithful to the funk group’s smoky soul luxe, yet the twists leave you in sensual liberation. Anderson .Paak milks out the grooves, the way he’s seducing the mic and then holding eye contact with you next. Bruno Mars behaves with show-stopping appeal with vocal runs and a commanding tone: when he cries, “I love you, baby,” the room pauses and anticipates his next move. In the end, you’d probably never realize this was a cover; Silk Sonic make this track their own, if not, their sexiest output.

11. “girlfriend,” hemlocke springs

Propositions of a potential relationship coming underway. However, Hemlocke Springs sets her standards to the Kuiper Belt: she’s not that secretive about her needs. All you gotta do is support her larger-than-life personality. And with “Girlfriend,” so much character bounces off the ground that maybe she’s just a very self-aware queen. Ad-libs aside, Springs’ melodies warp into both bliss and rhythm, the bridge doubling her vocals for a quick but wonderful rollercoaster effect. Sparks flicker as the synths heat up, and you’re left enamored by her charm, wondering how a newcomer can evoke such a youthful, fierce feeling for more. It’s insatiable.

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