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30. Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar
The Scottish hip-hop trio’s third full-length album is the first that matches the catchy and intense ferocity of their early EPs. Hooks like “You can be my only guest dressed in Sunday’s best,” “Tremelo my soul,” and “In my view, nothing’s ever given away” are their best since they belted “Inside I’m feeling dirty” in 2013. Meanwhile, the music—from the galloping beat of “Wire” to the video game synth on “Holy Ghost”—is simultaneously their most accessible and their weirdest. – Matt Rice
29. Vince Staples – FM
In a year where the rap genre was flooded with bloated records, Vince Staples’ FM inhabited a refreshing quality with its tight premise, and 22-minute run-time. The “Nawf Nawf Soldier” toys with irony on his third studio album, contrasting warm and buoyant production with dark and street-related lyricism. Narrated by LA radio host Big Boy, the record seamlessly weaves its way through its concepts as if one were actually listening to an FM station in the car. Whether it was unintentionally done or not, the album subtly represents the current state of our society, serving as a reminder to those who live in comfortable suburban homes that people are indeed out there struggling to find their own American Dream. By kicking off the record with the lines, “Summertime in the LB wild/We gon’ party ‘till the sun or the guns come out,” Staples wants listeners to know that the West Coast isn’t always fun and games. – Ryan Feyre
28. Yves Tumor – Safe in the Hands of Love
Safe in the Hands of Love sees Yves Tumor dipping into his seemingly never-ending experimental wheelhouse in hopes of creating an album that blends several different genres. Needless to say, he does so, and very well. The record features a huge stylistic shift from the distinct experimental noise and ambient soundscapes that been a staple in his earlier releases. This shift that is embarked upon pays off masterfully, despite the sheer cross-section of genres on the record. There is an innate sense of intricate craftsmanship that Tumor brings and it is present on every single track’s production. From the jaw-dropping instrumentation of “Lifetime” to the heart-breaking and socially conscious “Noid”, every single moment on the album is immersive and drenches you in the murky framework that Tumor paints. Yet, despite all of the arduous genre experimentation, Safe in the Hands of Love is still a gargantuan entry within the Yves Tumor catalog and well worth the price of admission. – Mark Wesley
27. Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
Carlile’s most sweeping foray into grandiose musical arrangements to date, By the Way, I Forgive You is as touchingly beautiful as it is burning with passion. Her fiery, ascending vocal performances and waxing on her dearest life reflections are met just as well by swirling symphonic arrangements that she manages to navigate way too well. Even for a singer-songwriter as accomplished in her lane as Carlile, this tear-jerker of an album feels like an achievement that breaks new ground. – Jonathan Frahm
26. The Carters – Everything is Love
A labor of love, Beyoncé and Jay-Z surprised fans with a joint album that continues the narratives that each started with Lemonade and 4:44 respectively. As their first full-length collaboration and released during the beginning of their On the Run II world tour, Everything Is Love is full of joy, emotion and absolution; an affirmation that after some difficult times and forgiveness, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are still a family and stronger than ever. The music itself is a balancing act between the artists, with Beyoncé dominating some of the best songs, like “APESHIT” by rapping. We’ve heard Beyoncé rap before, but leans much more heavily into on this album and gives her husband a run for his money on many of the album’s tracks. Overall, this collaboration is still a match made in heaven. Listen to “NICE,” “BOSS,” or get lost in the album’s opener “SUMMER” to see exactly why Beyoncé and Jay-Z are considered a couple of the best hip-hop artists ever. – Gabrielle Bondi
25. Troye Sivan – Bloom
Troye Sivan has an inherent sweetness that masks some of the sobriety of his lyrics, a duality that works wonders in his sophomore album, Bloom. An album that can include a club bop such as “Dance to This” along with sultury and sensual “Bloom” about first sexual encounters and “My My My!” about the thrill of enchanting first love is worthy of discussion. Nothing is frivolous about Bloom and Sivan’s smooth vocals perfectly encapsulate a message about youth and wanting while brazenly addressing LGBTQ subjects. – Allyson Johnson
24. Cupcakke – Ephorize
Cupcakke’s always been a rapper willing to go further down the rabbit hole of raunchy than just about anyone else—just one listen to her viral hit “Deepthroat” proves that. But though her third album Ephorize continues her reign as the absolutely hilarious queen of the female sex positivity movement (rapping “Coochie guaranteed to put you to sleep so damn soon/Riding on that dick I’m reading Goodnight Moon” on “Duck Duck Goose,” for example), the fact that her enormously catchy bars have only become more introspective and her beats only more global (her native Chicago drill easily chilling next to tropical house and partying alongside New Orleans bounce on Ephorize’s tracklist) since 2017’s Queen Elizabitch shows that her creativity, fearlessness, and unbridled honesty certainly aren’t just restrained to innuendo. Cupcakke is a talent with something to say, and Ephorize perfectly captures her unique and wholly necessary voice. – Drew Norman
23. Robyn – Honey
It’s been eight years since Swedish pop star Robyn has released a full-length album, but with Honey she gives us another masterpiece, although of a different nature. Instead of trying to overcome or recreate the magic of Body Talk, she decides to take a more direct, more immediate approach, in which emotions flow in a larger space. What we see now is an artist in another moment of her life, in which she still recognizes her iconic past but celebrates the mental place where she is now, with its chiaroscuros and its particularities. And if that were not enough, she shows us how to take huge steps forward in terms of production. With Honey, Robyn teaches us that there is more than one way to make perfect pop. – Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa
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22. Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
For their sixth album, Arctic Monkeys could have continued their riff rock trajectory by making an album of stadium glam or another dusty, desert punk collaboration with Josh Homme, and it would have been received just fine. Instead, however, the British quartet took a complete stylistic 180 on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, a psychedelic lounge-jazz album that is in part a concept record about a tacky hotel on the Moon. While those looking for another “R U Mine?” or a return to the spunky sounds of “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” may walk away disappointed, Tranquility Base is an artistic triumph that rewards close and repeat listenings. On song like “American Sports” and “Four Out of Five”, they channel fellow Sheffield band Pulp and art-longue stars like Serge Gainsbourg and Scott Walker, all while still keeping the songs their own as opposed to tributes to those artists. Tranquility Base succeeds where a lot of other mid-career stylistic changes have failed: Not only have the Arctic Monkeys recorded an album that sounds completely unexpected, but they’ve made it just as compelling as all their records before it. – Ryan Gibbs
21. Soccer Mommy – Clean
It’s been a damn good year for indie rock written by hopeless romantics, chief among them was 21-year-old Sophie Allison. Her lyrics of lusting from afar and grimy guitar strumming made for the best young romance story than anything that ran in theaters this year. On her band’s quick but cutting debut album, Allison and co. chug out scrappy guitar rock for fans of Sonic Youth’s heyday and, as she said in a recent interview, “the emo bitches.” There’s bits of Wilco-esque twang on “Your Dog” and “Last Girl” with the band’s own style of youthful droll. But like most great singer/songwriters, Allison shines when she has the spotlight to herself on the aching slow songs “Blossom (Wasting All My Time)” and “Scorpio Rising.” Clean is a very rough draft of what Soccer Mommy could do in the future, but everyone likes a scrappy underdog. – Jon Winkler
Up next: 20-11
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
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