Aviary (Julia Holter)

Aviary
Julia Holter (2018)

Top Tracks: “Words I Heard”, “Voce Simul”, “Les Jeux to You”

One of the more recent additions to my list, Julia Holter is truly an art pop genius who approaches composition and music production so uniquely that I can’t help but notice her standing out from the crowd. The music is not always easy to digest, but has a transcendent beauty that reminds me of nature and philosophical exploration. A great album to have on while cruising through the surreality of the Mojave Desert, I should note (May 2020).

Be the Cowboy (Mitski)

Be the Cowboy
Mitski (2018)

Top Tracks: “Geyser”, “Me and My Husband”, “Two Slow Dancers”

I adored this album from the moment it was released in 2018. I first became aware of Mitski in a weird way. When my band They Stole My Crayon’s album was released in summer 2016, it did surprisingly well, at least for a little while. One of the albums it was competing against on the Bandcamp charts was Mitski’s Puberty 2, and I checked it out at the time and was super impressed. Be the Cowboy is a huge step up in artistry and overall production, and it’s still in my regular rotation (May 2020).

Cosmic Thing (The B-52’s)

Cosmic Thing
The B-52’s (1989)

Top Tracks: “Love Shack”, “Roam”, "Channel Z”

Again, because of the time frame, I think of early B-52’s of the late ‘70s (like “Rock Lobster” and “52 Girls”) as being this weird kind of subversive Devo-like band, and the B-52’s of this era as being a major pop machine, because… well, they were. This was their breakthrough from a popularity standpoint, but I’d been listening for years. I’d even venture to say that Whammy! was more of my favorite album by the band (makes me think of dancing around my living room in my freshman year), but in terms of long-term importance, Cosmic Thing takes the spot (June 2020).