Hold tight, say you won't let go

     

Continuing my trip down The Guardian's top 50 albums of 2022. 

#11 : Nymph - Shygirl 

The London producer’s long-awaited debut brought a blast of fresh air to the filthy, dripping club tunes that she broke out with, putting Blane Muise front and centre of brighter productions (collaborations with Danny L Harle, Sega Bodega and Arca among others) that touched on UK garage, bloghouse and, on Little Bit, apparently the detritus of Y2K-era Timbaland. While Shygirl is never backwards in coming forward, her vulnerabilities also shone through here as she addressed a lover’s treachery and admitted to her own. An impressively cohesive debut, though try telling her that: “I can have it all but I’m never satisfied,” she flexes on Woe.

Never heard of her - I'm expecting something R&B-ish, I guess.

And yeah, from my limited knowledge, it's R&B-ish but it feels like it covers a load of genres - my suspicion is that Shygirl probably has a slightly greater musical knowledge than me (and The Guardian because I certainly didn't recognise the bloghouse elements.  Either that or they just made that genre up).  It all feels very professionally put together to me - I'm not sure quite what more I can say about it.  I liked the sounds involved without particularly engaging with the album, which feels like a strange reaction.

She did manage to chart - one week at #34 and I'm pleased she got some recognition.  Wikipedia tells me it's not an R&B album - it's a pop album, OK?  Although, it does then say "critics have noted that the album resists strict genre classification" - which I think might be part of my trouble with the album because I spent a lot of time thinking "What is this exactly?".  Whatever it is, the critics liked it - "universal acclaim" apparently.

"Customers also listened to" Lola Zouai, Sam Gellaitry and Caroline Polachak - oh yeah, them.  If I listened to this a few more times, I might hit its groove - but I'm afraid that ain't gonna happen.

#10 : Painless - Nilüfer Yanya

What Painless lacks in immediacy it more than makes up for in directness, and the after effects linger long past its lean running time. This is a more muscular version of Yanya’s sound, with more space and fewer adornments. She steps up to the challenge of having nowhere to hide, and there is a resolve here that gives the impression of an artist firmly and confidently finding her feet. It can be a painful listen at times, but its refusal to back down from the ugliness and complexity of raw emotions, particularly when it comes to love, is bracing and compulsive.

I've yet to hear of anyone called Nilüfer so I'm coming to this blank - I only know she's a she because of the review above and it's interesting how it talks about the music but gives absolutely no clue as to what it's going to sound like.  So, here goes...

Hmmm - it's indie-ish, I guess.  I quite like the tracks and they feel well put together, but I don't really like her vocal style.  It's all a bit "not there" for me and makes working out what she's saying far harder than I could be bothered with.  It's not an unpleasant sound, but just kinda slid past me.  It's a freaky album cover though.

She did chart, managing one week at #86 which I believe makes this the least successful successful album we've seen - which is a nice title to hand out, but I'm sure she'd have swapped it for a few more weeks on the chart.  Wikipedia basically just says the critics liked it - apparently it's "crunchy, ethereal, and odd in its harsh beauty".  Looking at her entry, apparently Nilüfer is a Turkish name, which comes from her father's side whilst her mother is of Irish and Barbadian heritage - all of which is quite some mix.

"Customers also listened to" Alvvays, Cate Le Bon and Julia Jacklin - I wonder how much that's due to this list?  This is another odd one - I'm not really sure what I made of it.

#9 : Skinty Fia - Fontaines DC

This year’s Skinty Fia signalled the Irish band’s most radical metamorphosis yet. There aren’t too many signs left of the rabble-rousing punk of their debut; instead, the five-piece has become more reflective while also throwing in curveballs from Irish folk accordion to hints of drum’n’bass. Chiefly driven by considerable shifts in geography after the band left Dublin to set up home in London, the songs mostly address Ireland and Irishness from the viewpoint of the Irish diaspora abroad, acknowledging the band’s desire to broaden their horizons while holding on to strong, if occasionally bittersweet, affection for their homeland. Digging into the disconnect between ordinary humans and societal structures, Fontaines DC make unusual subjects seem universal, and like the Smiths or the Pogues, they know that you can address all manner of uncomfortable topics – from the Tuam care home abuses to toxic relationships – if the tunes are strong enough

Our SIXTH one we've previously met - I'm well down with the kids this year!  And I didn't mind it at all, even if I've never been back to it.  And if we ignore Harry (which has been a tricky thing to do this year) this has been the most commercially successful album we've met this year - debuting at #1 and managing a whole THREE weeks on the chart (and I guessed "3 or 4 weeks" at the time - it's almost like I know what I'm talking about).  Wikipedia also tells me it did pretty well in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany - well done, lads!

All in all, three albums that I fail to describe quite spectacularly.

#14-11 - Three very different albums
#8-6 - Three pretty strong albums