Borns returns to the spotlight with his sophomore album, Blue Madonna.  His new album plays off of the falsetto themes that he introduced listeners to with Dopamine.  The new album starts with a catchy rhythmic song that features Lana Del Rey's vocals alongside Garrett's.  Luckily, Lana Del Rey does not overpower the awesomeness of Borns's voice on the first track.  After the first track, the album starts to take off with one of the lead singles that was released before the full LP.   "Faded Heart" quickly shoes off Borns's falsetto vocals with echoes and a lot of drum and string layerings to fill the background.

​The next song on the track brings some dreamy and shimmering instrumentals to pair with the vocals at the forefront.  The soundscape is large, but smooth without too much tenseness.  "Sweet Dreams" is loud, but relaxing to the ears.  This soothes us into the trippy track, "We Don't Care".  The fourth track has the most diverse instrumentals, often sounding like it has a Middle Eastern influence floating around in the background.  Everything builds up until the last second of the song, progressing us into the latter half of the album.

After a more generic indie pop track, Borns strips the instrumentals to start "Iceberg".  Instrumentals come and go throughout the song, creating an unpredictable soundscape.  After two minutes, the music opens up to bring in more melodies and guitar riffs.  The track floats us around as we wade through the unique rhythms.  "Second Night Of Summer" brings us back down to earth with some really nice high vocals from Borns.  Finally we get to my favorite track on the album, "I Don't Want You Back".  The track has a really catchy beat with a nice soundscape of resonating chords.  The lyrics are subtle, but heavy.  This is an oddball break-up song, that is far away from typical.  The beat pulls you in, and might make you snap along at times.

A short interlude leads us straight into the final portion of the album.  "Supernatural" brings us off of Earth again with distorted vocals and really odd high pitched noises towards the end.  These alien-esque vocals would be interesting to see live, and certainly explain the track's title.  Unfortunately, the titular track for the album is the blandest track.  "Blue Madonna" is draggy and does not really progress the mood of the album.  Fortunately, Borns leaves us with a fantastic final track.  The synth and piano opening on "Bye-bye Darling" eases us off of the album.  It's a nice send off that shows off all of Garrett Borns's talents as a singer.  The track is weightless, and almost sounds like something off of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  I'm not sure if there was any Beatles influence here, but it sure sounds like it! 

Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: "God Save Our Young Blood", "Faded Heart", "We Don't Care", "I Don't Want You Back", "Bye-bye Darling"

Least Favorite Tracks: "Man", "Iceberg"

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If you like Spielberg's (Jurassic Park​) filmography, than I am certain that you will enjoy The Post.  The Post is a superb retelling of the struggle between the government and the press during the Vietnam War.  As a period piece set in the 70s, the setting is well-crafted and the costumes are fitting.  While the film isn't set in a time period too long ago, it is still clear that Spielberg's attention to detail forced him to use certain props and dialogues.  Every time we get to see the newspapers being printed, we get lost in the maze of the publishing facilities.  As someone who has never seen a newspaper company up close, I was astonished by the vastness of the Washington Post's offices.

As always, Spielberg brings us an all-star cast including Meryl Streep (August: Osage County, The Devil Wears Prada, Into the Woods), Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan), Bob Odenkirk (Nebraska), Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave, Carol), and countless other names.  Streep and Hanks are perfect in every scene and the other actors also seem to fit in their respective roles at all times.  Nothing seemed to stand out overwhelmingly, but it is hard to get a real standout performance from a lot of these actors because they are always great.

Throughout the first half of the film, everything flows and the script is clever.  Unfortunately, the final portion of the film runs dry because of the built-in applaud pauses.  When I saw the film, there were certain points where the audience applauded.  Depending on the moment I am usually okay with some applauding during a film, but these moments felt too formulaic.  They were preachy and at times I felt as though I was being converted into the Church of Spielberg.  Clearly, the film wanted to connect the past events with present events.  However, it is easy to make this connection without Spielberg choosing to spell it out in the last quarter of the film.

The Bottom Line: Spielberg brings another impactful past event to the big screen and capably connects it to current politics through an all-star cast.

Score: 7.5/10

Call me a hipster if you want, but I finally decided that it was time for me to get a record player.  Get ready for more vinyl reviews headed your way since I now believe that it is a superior form of music.

We'll start reviewing vinyls with one of the best releases of 2017.  MASSEDUCTION is a tough album to review because of it's varying tracks, but the flow of songs throughout the album makes it an easy listen.  "Hang On Me" eases us into St. Vincent's newest release, soothing our ears before the onslaught of craziness that ensues.  Right after the first track, we dive into a spiral with "Pills".  The song is intense, up-tempo, and pushy.  This is how any song about pills should be.  There is a significant break halfway through the song that slows it down for the listener.

The third track is a bit of a sleeper for me, but as the titular track there is still something to appreciate.  The heavier instrumentals make it sound like a Muse or AC/DC track at times.  Yet, it maintains the pop-edge with St. Vincent's vocals.  The oddities in her music might be attributed to her time working with Sufjan Stevens.  It certainly wouldn't surprise me if there was a large amount of influence from him.  After "Masseduction", "Sugarboy" hits us with the craziest vocals and instrumentals on the album.  It is extremely catchy and flies by in an instant.  I really like the sped-up instrumentals that we get to hear in the following track as well.

Finally, we come to the most catchy and attractive track on the album.  "Los Ageless" is a pop dance track, which would surely be fun to watch St. Vincent perform live.  Right off the bat, the beat makes you bob your head up and down.  Then, the beat drops into the chorus and you can't help but start to move your feet along to the effervescent vocals.  The lyrics are simple enough, yet never feel too repetitive.  The fade out leads us into a calmer track to follow up the lead hit.  "Happy Birthday, Johnny" brings us back down before the B-side of the album.  It's a softer, sadder, more nostalgic song than everything preceding it. 

It takes a few minutes for the B-side of the album to start rolling, but after a few minutes the tracks start to lift off again.  The second half of "Savior" is smooth and groovy, but it's hard to connect to the first half of the track.  We then get a ballad that builds up with "New York".  The song is a bit preachy, but full of heart and soul.  Then comes "Fear The Future", which is hard-hitting and well-placed to bring us back into the electronic/synth aspects of the album.  The beat in the background sounds like the backtrack for a rap hit, but works well with St. Vincent's vocal contributions.

As if it is a reflection on the first part of the album, "Young Lover" brings us back into the drug-infused lyrics of St. Vincent.  Drugs and pills seem to be a large theme on MASSEDUCTION.  The track opens up to a loud sound and St. Vincent's vocals soar higher than ever as she hits high notes that we hardly hear from big pop artists.  The album closes with two slower songs.  "Slow Disco" has some really nice string instrumentals, which are blissful in their accompaniment.  The deep cello addition later in the song creates a full soundscape of low and high-range instruments.  To close the album, we get to hear "Smoking Section".  This track is very Sufjan Stevens-esque.  It is poetic, calm, and builds up into something different than how it starts.  It's a fantastic close to an album that balances between chaos and smooth poetry.

Score: 8.5/10

Favorite Tracks: "Hang On Me", "Pills", "Sugarboy", "Los Ageless", "Young Lover", "Smoking Section"

Least Favorite Tracks: "Masseduction", "Savior", "Fear The Future"  

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From the visionary director that brought us Pan's Labyrinth comes another creepy and yet heartwarming film.  The Shape of Water is a lovely portrayal of a forbidden love between a creature and a human.  The plotline is spectacular, balancing the heavy-hitting politics of communist Russia and the United States in the 1960s and the science-fiction creature that drives the love story forward.  The tone is classy, with a jazz-inspired score that brings the audience back to the 60s.  The story is relatable to any time period, but the 60s backdrop makes it even more interesting.

Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim) never ceases to create beautiful effects for his visionary films.  The imagery throughout The Shape of Water is consistently fluid and spectacular.  There is one scene where we get to see two raindrops dance around on a bus window, acting as a metaphor for the story unfolding on screen.  There is blood and gore involved, but only the necessary amount for us to enter the world that the screenwriters have created.  This is not a film for children, but for a mature audience that can handle the darkness of a spy thriller and the nudity that comes with a full love story.  To gently push the audience through the film, Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, Argo, The Queen, Philomena) contributes a smooth score that juggles between intensity and charm.  The orchestral score fits with every single scene, settling and unsettling the audience at certain times.

I would go amiss without acknowledging the cast members that bring the story to life.  Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) easily gives the best performance of the year with her portrayal of a mute janitor.  While she cannot talk, there is emotion behind every sign that she gives.  Alongside Hawkins, Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) plays a fantastic sea monster.  Rounding out the cast, Michael Shannon (Midnight Special) is a scarily bigoted villain.  This is the big bad role that Shannon has perfected throughout his career.  Finally, the support for the main roles are brought to the screen by three well-seasoned actors.  Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station), Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers), and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name​) are all great additions to the film.  Overall, this is a top-notch cast brought together to create a top-notch film.

The Bottom Line: The Shape of Water certainly deserves all of the Oscar-buzz that it is receiving because of its tender and yet unsettling approach at a love story.

Score: 9.7/10

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After 18 films, Pixar still continues to release it's greatest content yet!  When I first heard about Coco, I admittedly had extremely low expectations for the film.  None of Pixar's recent films had felt fresh, original, or great since Inside Out.  However with Lee Unkrich at the film's helm, Coco transcends the recent films to become a masterpiece from the studio that started it's animation dominance with Toy Story.  

Coco is beautiful and full of detailed animation that is hard to fully admire through the constantly progressing storyline.  Taking place during Dia de los Muertos, the animators are burdened with creating intricate costumes for many of the characters.  With all of the pressure, the animators do a great job of creating smooth transitions and glorious settings.  One of the highlights of the artwork was the spirit animals.  These neon and often glowing animals are vivid and full of imagination.  Aside from that, the movements of the characters are fluid and there never appears to be a slip up in the film that probably took many years to produce.

Similarly to Inside Out, the storyline for Coco is full of heart and empathy.  The film centers around a young boy struggling to find himself between his passions and his family's values.  Of course, there are multiple twists and turns along the way.  We meet sensitive characters and awesome creatures that help guide Miguel towards the correct path.  While the film is formulaic, it still feels fresh because of the revelations that occur.  A nice addition to this Latin film is the soundtrack which includes mariachi tracks and orchestral Latin compositions.  For a film that centers around music, the original and compilation soundtracks mesh together well.

The Bottom Line: Coco is the greatest Pixar film to be released since Inside Out, revolving around a young boy's journey in finding himself.

Score: 9.5/10

1. No Shape - Perfume Genius

Mike Hadreas makes himself relevant to the music scene once again under his stage name, Perfume Genius.  No Shape is unique, diverse, and pleasurable for everyone's ears.  The album starts off with an odd and amazingly well-structured hit that is sure to make the listener stay on board with the entire rest of the album.

2. Gone Now - Bleachers

Jack Antonoff had an extremely busy year producing three top-tier albums.  He shines brightest with the release of his own band's sophomore album.  The layers are intense and build one hit after another.  The songs captivate an audience when they are played live and work even better with Jack's two drum set production design.

3. Songs of Experience - U2

While on their 2017 Joshua Tree Tour, U2 teased audience members with snippets from the new album that they were getting ready to release.  Once the album dropped, I still don't think U2 fans were ready for the new music they were about to hear.  ​Songs of Experience is worth the hype and never strays far from the original form that Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. gained fame with.

4. QTY - QTY

Dan Lardner and Alex Niemetz are the perfect duo when it comes to indie rock.  Their voices are harsh at times and yet smooth when they play off of each other.  The sound that they create has been forgotten to pop aficionados, but they might single-handedly revive it.  Lardner and Niemetz clearly want to make sure that good-old garage band music never leaves our minds.
 
5. Keepers - Cataldo

From working in a local ice cream parlor to becoming an indie pop vocalist, Eric Anderson has pushed his band to the forefront of Seattle music.  Every track on Keepers is a heartfelt poem with hooking instrumentals backing them up.  While the album only clocks in at 34 minutes, it feels like the perfect length for the listener to reminisce on their inner-emotions.

6. Melodrama - Lorde

Recently I saw a video of Bruce Springsteen covering "Royals", which makes Lorde one of the biggest musicians of modern times.  After the release of Pure Heroin, I was not a big fan of Lorde's work.  Yet, she threw me into a full 360 with this new album.  Melodrama shows off the collaboration between a fantastic singer and an equally fantastic songwriter.  The emotions run deep and adults can connect to the tracks on the album just as easily as teens can.

7. Rainbow - Kesha

This album snuck up on us.  I don't think anyone expected Kesha to release one of the best albums of 2017, but here we are.  Battling her own demons, Kesha takes us into her worldly struggles.  She's been knocked down a few times, but her third album lifts her back up into fame.  She lets go of her past to create a new persona that is endearing to listeners.

8. Don't You Worry, Honey - Sir Sly

Sir Sly is a lesser-known indie pop trio that has now released a fantastic album.  The album is dark, with themes relevant to Landon Jacobs's real life.  The album was released shortly after Jacobs went through a divorce, lost his mother to brain cancer, and struggled to find himself.  Through all of the dark themes, we still get a fun album that is trippy and melodic. 

9. After Laughter - Paramore
​
Hayley Williams's newest release is well-explained through its title.  This is how we feel after we laugh and cry.  After Laughter brings us into an awkward space that is all too familiar to every human on this planet.  We love, we cry, we hate, and most of all we laugh.  Williams reminds us that we can be awkward and serious at the same time.  The album is fun and her vocals are reminiscent of Stevie Nicks's raw and emotional takes. 

10. Reputation - Taylor Swift

Some might argue about this pick.  Its different and definitely not as good as Swift's last album.  However, I believe that the second half of the album makes the whole thing worth multiple listen-throughs.  The old Taylor might be dead, but the new one is still capable of making some big hits with the same themes that "Swifties" have familiarized themselves with.

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1. "BOOGIE" – BROCKHAMPTON

Easily the best beat of the year, BROCKHAMPTON’s opener to SATURATION III has unparalleled energy with every member coming in strong. While it’s not the groups strongest hook, the blaring horns are infectious, and you can’t help but get excited every time it’s on.

2. "Walk Like a Panther" – Algiers

Algier’s opener to their album, The Underside of Power, is one of the craziest musical concoctions in years. The song is a mix of soul, industrial, and hip-hop. The grainy drums and guitars hit hard, while Franklin Fisher’s vocals are shouted with incredible intensity. On top of the emotional and catchy music are strong social lyrics.

3. "Give Me a Reason" – Ibibio Sound Machine

The funkiest song of the year, Ibibio Sound Machine brought together 80’s era electronics and classic West African funk for the best dance song of the year. The live horns, guitars, and percussion match perfectly with the synths. Eno Williams’ vocals are soulful and high energy.

4. "Bravado" – Kirin J Callinan

"Bravado" is the title track and closer to Kirin J Callinan’s sophomore album, and it’s a fantastic pop ballad about male ego. The synth-pop production on this track gives a catchy backdrop and allows Kirin to let loose with his unique vocals. One of the finest album closers of the year.

5. "Mother" – IDLES

One of the angriest songs of the year, frontman Joe Talbot rips into the English Conservative party with his grizzly vocals. Despite the pure rage emitting from this track, the repeated refrains are incredibly catchy. The lyrics, guitars, and drums are all highlights. The closing minute of the track is incredibly powerful with its lyrics directed towards issues of sexual violence.

6. "Rain in Soho" – The Mountain Goats

Acting as the opener from the album, Goths, "Rain in Soho" captures your attention instantly with a piano melody and heavy drums. John Darnielle’s vocal performance is fiery, while the choral backing throughout the song is excellent.

7. "Take Me as I Am" – Rina Sawayama

Had Rina Sawayama’s debut project been an album rather than an EP it likely would have landed in my top-three for the year. Rina’s sound harkens back to the pop and R&B sound of the 90’s that was popularized by the likes of early Brittney Spears. Rina’s catchy hooks and vocals are paired with production by songwriter Clarence Clarity. Clarity is one of the more interesting producers working right now and takes this sound to another level.

8. "Beggar" – Richard Dawson

Coming in over hallway through Dawson’s album Peasant, "Beggar" has a gorgeous acoustic melody that pairs beautifully with his raw vocals and percussion. It has a lengthy run-time of seven minutes and doesn’t provide instant gratification, but leaves you with a serene feeling that is hard to capture.

9. "DNA" – Kendrick Lamar

Off Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed album DAMN., "DNA" acts as the record’s most aggressive track, and hip-hop banger of the year. Lyrically, Kendrick is as strong as ever spouting about his heritage. But, the song reaches further heights in the final third with one of the best beat-switches in recent memory. The beat is dark, the bass rumbles, and Kendrick absolutely snaps.

10. "MILK" – BROCKHAMPTON

Coming in at the bottom of the top-10 is BROCKHAMPTON’s poetic and introspective track, "MILK", from their first iteration of SATURATION. The song allowed many of its members to open-up about important parts of their lives. Ultimately, it leaves you with a feel-good message of self-acceptance, improvement, and honesty. The beat features interesting guitars with the usual synths and drums. The hook is incredibly catchy and positive, and Dom McClennan delivers a Verse of the Year candidate with his spoken-word passage to conclude the track.

Link to Spotify Playlist: Top Songs of 2017

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1. SATURATION – BROCKHAMPTON

BROCKHAMPTON took the hip-hop and musical world by storm this year with their SATURATION trilogy. The group saturated the market with a wholly unique sound and identity. The boy band is one of music’s best stories and their first installment of SATURATION broke ground as a simultaneously catchy, creative, and layered project. The group focused on lyrical messages of self-improvement, loneliness, and friendship. The chemistry between the myriad of members is unmatched in the industry.

2. Uyai – Ibibio Sound Machine

Ibibio Sound Machine was one of the year’s biggest surprises, delivering upon a sound of electronics mixed with live instrumentation for an infectiously funky, soulful, and danceable experience. The group crosses multiple West African genres and features only limited English, but the music itself is so good lyrical understanding hardly matters.

3. Bravado – Kirin J Callinan

The Australian pop artist is currently one of the most interesting, creative, and passionate songwriters working in pop. He boasts an experimental sound with some incredibly catchy hooks and a great sense of humor. If you’re looking for something new and different out of the pop sound, Bravado is a can’t miss album.

4. Peasant – Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson created the year’s best singer-songwriter album with a completely primal and raw approach to folk music. His vocals aren’t clean or trained, but are more endearing for the passion he exhibits. The music in Peasant is best described as a well-traveled man in the medieval age singing his stories to anyone that will listen. The gorgeous melodies and the unhinged drums and vocals transport you to a completely different era and state of mind.

5. Flower Boy – Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator emerged in 2017 as a much more mature song-writer. His album deals largely with his own sexuality and life. He matched the album’s themes with his best production, sweetest hooks, and most ambitious set list to date. The album’s featured artists are used excellently, and Tyler does not shy away from letting his musical influences create one of the more dynamic sounding hip-hop albums in the last few years.
 
6. 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time – Big K.R.I.T.

Big K.R.I.T. returned to form after leaving Def Jam, by dropping a double-album of perfectly crafted southern hip-hop tunes. The album thrives with its consistency and diversity of feelings. The first half, named after his stage name, is a fun and upbeat experience. The second half, named after his real name, is introspective and soulful.

7. SATURATION III – BROCKHAMPTON

The finale to the Saturation trilogy was everything it lived up to be. While the album did not stray too far from its predecessor’s formula, it showed the group going further into experimental territory. The production strayed more and more from hip-hop norms, and the band’s hooks and chemistry remain top-notch.

8. Forget – Xiu Xiu

Easily the strangest album on this list, Xiu Xiu delivered a project that had no right be so catchy and infectious. The front man’s vocals sound like a demented and miserable David Bowie, while the instrumentals are foreboding yet funky. The lyrics are esoteric, and the music can be unhinged, but it somehow all works together beautifully.

9. No Shape – Perfume Genius

Under the Perfume Genius name, Mike Hadreas produced an incredibly beautiful and sincere album with No Shape. The melodies are fantastic, the instrumentation has its own identity, and the content is all deeply personal. Despite a slow pace for most of its songs, the album remains catchy with only a couple duds.

10. ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ – Joey Bada$$

New York rapper Joey Bada$$ returned after a two-year hiatus with a new, pop-focused sound and his most well-crafted album. At only 22 years old Joey’s writing is far more mature than many of his contemporaries, spreading messages of peace and social understanding throughout the music. Hopefully his success breaks boundaries for similar messages in hip-hop. While he strayed from some his strengths as an East Coast emcee, he created some of the catchiest songs in hip-hop this year. Aside from his lyrical and technical rapping prowess, Joey also displayed impressive singing chops on many of the hooks.

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Call Me by Your Name is a slow-burning coming-of-age story with bold direction and stunning performances.  Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) brings out the best of Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar, Lady Bird), with this realistic and yet unique love story.  The first half of the film flies by with a clever script that plays Oliver and Elio off of each other perfectly.  These two intelligent characters are fun to watch when they are alone and together.  As they often try to outsmart each other, they notice their similarities.  There is a purity in their relationship that is hard to describe on paper, but Hammer and Chalamet create the relationship with gravitas.

Focusing on passion, the film also uses an interesting soundtrack to progress the storyline.  A blend of classical music and modern indie tunes composed by Sufjan Stevens tie character thoughts to the audience perspectives. The characters are deeply intellectual and the music brings us into their world at certain instances.  The soundtrack also gives us sweet and haunting melodies to portray the romance that unravels over time.

While I enjoyed this movie, I think that there is a drop-off point between the first and second half.  The first half has a fun script that kept me engaged with the characters during my first viewing of the film.  However, the second half slows down to focus more on the intimate relationship between Oliver and Elio.  We no longer get a good amount of the crisp and engaging commentary from Elio and Oliver, which is what really built their relationship.  There is one scene towards the end between Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man​) that is powerfully written, but aside from that there is a dramatic change in tone for the second half.  Yet, there is plenty to enjoy with these characters and I look forward to the Oscar nominations that the film will clinch.

The Bottom Line: Call Me by Your Name is a pure film filled with intimate detail and engaging characters.

Score: 9.3/10

Image credit: ​By Franz Richter (User:FRZ) - Own work (taken with Nikon D60 SLR), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56267295