Close your eyes. You’ve just entered a venue, you’ve been stamped and got your first pint from the bar in the front and now you begin to wander towards the back. You know the music is back there because as you get closer the bass becomes so loud you can feel inside your head, like your brain is fist pumping. You push yourself through a gang of people to make it to the front of the stage. By the time you get their half your pint has been spilt on your shoes and someone else’s runs down your back but you don’t care! You start grooving your body to the music and soon the person standing next to you is moving with you. You don’t know who they are or where they’ve come from but in that moment, with that band, listening to that song, you’re best friends.
We’ve all missed a gig or concert this last year but that doesn’t mean we have been deprived of music. While we have been locked up so have most of our favourite musicians and they put this time to good use, producing excellent albums. Let’s first talk about the album that shook the world when it came out… Folklore by Taylor Swift.
Folklore is Taylor Swift 8th studio album and when it was released in July 2020, it was met only with praise and excitement. The album told the story of a love triangle, each song giving the perspective of another person, their feelings and what was happening from their view point. It wasn’t just an album for the ears but one for the imagination as the listener got to know these characters and modeled them in their mind.
Up next is Tame Impala’s Slow Rush. After a five year wait, Tame Impala fans were delighted to see the release of his brand new album Slow Rush. The album is a mixture of many genres; soul, prog, trance and R&B, all coming together to create a masterpiece of an album. The use of old sounds like yacht rock keyboards and rock drums, bring a sense of nostalgia to the album. Making it appeal to a greater number of people and enticing more fans into the Impala movement.
Lastly is an album that honestly, I didn’t expect I would love so much. Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR. Here was me thinking The High School Musical tv show actress would be releasing just another pop album filled with pining ballads and dancey singles about being newly single. Boy was I wrong. SOUR brings me back to my Paramore days. It is a high energy album throughout, not what was expected from the teen at all but it is being very well received.
“SOUR” gives us a taste of what is to come from this incredibly talented young woman. Her vocal range and tone is exceptional, with a gift like this, Olivia Rodrigo can do anything.
What have been some of your favourite albums of 2020/2021? Let me know in the comments below!
