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Nicole Oppenheim: Ear Candy writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2018: Nicole Oppenheim
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2018. Our next list is from DJ Nicole Oppenheim, host of Ear Candy. This is a very Ear Candy Top 10 list. Like dream pop? Like shoegaze? How about hip hop? Post punk? Female singers with huge voices? Yep. Got 'em all right here. (And a bunch of Honorable Mentions because I can never narrow it down to just 10). |
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#1 Unreality by SRSQ (DAIS) |
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#2 All at Once by Screaming Females (Don Giovanni) |
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#3 Room 25 by Noname (Self-Released) |
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#4 7 by Beach House (Sub Pop) |
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#5 Grapetooth by Grapetooth (Polyvinyl) |
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#6 Qualm by Helena Hauff (Ninja Tune) |
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#7 Shannon in Nashville by Shannon Shaw (Easy Eye Sound) |
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#8 Quarterthing by Joey Purp (Self-Released) |
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#9 Bright to Death by Film School (Beggars Banquet) |
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#10 Criminal by Soft Moon (Sacred Bones) |
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Honorable Mentions In No Particular Order:
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If you love Cocteau Twins and have been jonesing for a new record for the last quarter century, here's your methadone. Enjoy!
Marissa Paternoster, will you be my best friend? This is a solid rock record from a band that puts on one of the best live shows I've seen. Power, humor, crowd engagement, it's all there. Plus, they're fronted by a kick-ass Jersey girl with a forceful, energetic voice and a roaring guitar. What more could you ask for? #jerseypride
If you don't know why this album is great, are you even a music fan? Seriously, though, Chicago's own Fatimah Warner (aka Noname) is a force. Her grooves tend toward hip swaying smooth jazz, but all could move a crowd. Her lyrics are understated poetry. She is an artist growing into herself and who is comfortable with that growth. This record is unassuming yet it will move you in unexpected ways. Just give it a listen.
What can I say about this band that you don't already know? The music is gorgeous and Beach House has perfected it on their seventh record.
OMG, do I love this record. The songs have hooks for days and the lyrics are fun. It's a great record to listen to while engaging in some brainless activity, like driving around in a convertible while waving plastic katana swords (as in Grapetooth's video for "Red Wine"). Ignore the news, put this record on, and get goofy. Oh, and did I mention they're from Chicago?
Fun, yet challenging dance music. It's hard to describe this record, but I know I like it. It's danceable, opulent coldwave that's chock full o' 808s. Subwoofers, beware!
Remember how I said I like female vocalists with BIG voices? Enter Shannon Shaw, frontperson of Shannon and The Clams. The sound of this debut solo record is not much different from that of the full band. If you like S&TC, which I do, you'll enjoy this record. It's beautifully executed Popabilly (as I like to call it). Pitchfork described this record as 'Roy Orbison trapped in the Brill Building' and, honestly, that's exactly right.
Another Chicago artist. Lyrically, you can hear how Joey Purp has matured as a person. He's no longer about that street life (although he knows where he's from); now he's a professional making money doing what he does best. As he moves forward with his life, his sound is changing. He's now collaborating (with RZA, Knox Fortune, Nez & Rio, to name a few). The songs are finely-tuned--gone are the jarring sounds used on previous records to command attention. He can do that all on his own now. As usual, the beats are banging and the flow is smooth.
This record is pretty, shimmery shoegaze that leans a little lo-fi. Is Film School still together? Have they broken up for good? The breakup seemed to be final back in 2011, but they've played a handful of shows here and there since then and even released a reunion EP back in 2016. I was so happy to get another full length album from this band that there was no way I was leaving them off my Top 10.
Oh, hi post punk! Thought I'd forgotten you, huh? Nope! This is classic post punk, by the way. Happy-ish melodies with heavy, sometimes painful lyrics. Thundering bass lines, a wall of sound, a deep voice intoning raw words. Gah! Where are my cloves? Somewhere in the universe, Ian Curtis beams with pride.
Next entry: CHIRP Radio Best of 2018: Al Gabor
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