2021 The Albums: League of Their Own

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time.

See List of 2021 Honorable Mentions

In the past winners have included:

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It?
2002 - NERD - In Search of...
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation
2008 - Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
2013 - Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar
2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded
2019 - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest 
2020 - Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
 

...and now to add to this ever growing list is an artist who is constantly reinventing herself as not just a persona or style of music but in an overall package that blurs the line between pop, alternative, rock, and even in some cases, experimental. This is a category for someone just like her. 

Ladies and gents, the 2021 League of Their Own winner is... 

St. Vincent - Daddy's Home

Annie Clarke is a shapeshifter and a certifiable icon. So when she combined her love of icons like Warhol, New York City in the 1970s, her father's classic rock collection and took on the persona of Warhol Factory alum trans legend Candy Darling, the possibilities were endless. Daddy's Home is a concept record that pays homage to all of these things. A record that recorded in order to connect with her father as he emerged from a prison sentence to the era of things he enjoyed and what surrounded them. She takes us in a musical time machine back to the seedy, gritty, dangerous New York City of the mid-70s and gives us a new spin on it as she sings through a modern eye. A record that after endless listens this year gets more and more interesting with every spin.

2020 The Albums: League of Their Own

 

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time.

2020 Honorable Album Mentions 

In the past winners have included:

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It?
2002 - NERD - In Search of...
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation
2008 - Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
2013 - Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar
2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded
2019 - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest

...and now to add to this ever growing list is an artist that never played by the rules and someone who rewrote them as they went along. Rules to this artist are about as important as the color of someone else's car. Rules to this artist are not only made to be broken and not followed but encourages others to do the same and follow their own path. 

Ladies and gents, the 2020 League of Their Own winner is....

 Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

In her first record in eight years and fifth as an artist, Fiona Apple knocked down every barrier, glass ceiling, stereotype, musical limit and crafted her greatest album since Tidal. Proving she is still one of the greatest songwriters of all time, what she did with such minimal instruments -- her voice, drums, piano, bass, and samples of her dog, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the force of a wrecking ball. Clocking in at just under an hour, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is a tour de force and testament to an artist who never backed down even went she was discounted by so many, only to prove everyone wrong.

2019 The Albums: League of Their Own

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time. 

See Our 2019 Honorable Album Mentions

In the past winners have included: 

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A 
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It? 
2002 - NERD - In Search of... 
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant 
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss 
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute 
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain 
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation 
2008 - Santogold / Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye 
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia 
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes 
2013 -  Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2  
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic 
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar 

2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded

...and now to add to the growing list is a band that is constantly putting forth various efforts that blow away both fans and critics. They break all the rules of what conventional rock and roll should be and what heavy metal should be and what psychedelic should be and as we enter an age where we move away from labels and genres, they are the perfect takers of this award. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2019 League of Their Own winner is...

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest

Since forming 9 years ago, this Australian seven-piece has released 15 albums including two this year and each record is like a star in the sky -- far different than the one next to it. Most bands do not even make 15 albums during their entire career. Earlier in 2019, the band gave us the psychedelic prog album, Fishing for Fishes, then months later they followed it up with the abrasive and diabolical Infest the Rats Nest. This album hands down might be the heavy metal album of the year for us and many others and it comes from a band who do not wish to identify with any one type of sound. While it might always be quantity of music for King Gizzard it also means quality and if they keep going at the pace they are, the sky is the limit.

2018 The Albums: League of Their Own

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time. 

See Our List of 2018's Honorable Album Mentions

In the past winners have included: 

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A 
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It? 
2002 - NERD - In Search of... 
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant 
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss 
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute 
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain 
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation 
2008 - Santogold / Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye 
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia 
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes 
2013 -  Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2  
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic 
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar 

2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

...and know to add to this growing list of talent is someone who stepped out from the business office and the decks to fully assemble himself as an artist on his own. The man behind the signings of one of the greatest and most influential indie labels in music history picked 2018 to flex his own muscle and prove that he not only has a great ear for talent but is also talented enough to craft one of the best albums of the year. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2018 League of Their Own winner is...

Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded

Russell, the head of Britain's XL Records, the label responsible for discovering Adele and releasing records from Thom Yorke, The xx, Frank Ocean, Sigur Ros, King Krule, The White Stripes, FKA Twigs, MIA, among others, turned heads with his solo debut. "Everything is Recorded" is a record that took many by surprise as the producer and label head has dabbled working with icons like Gil Scott-Heron and Bobby Womack along with others from XL but never put anything out on his own. "Everything is Recorded" is a statement record that takes a subtle jab at what music will look like in years to come. XL has always been a label full of taste makers so it shouldn't be that alarming that the label head would craft a delicacy of sound alone and with some friends. Calling in help from Sampha, Kamasi Washington, Ibeyi, Russell takes the subdue and relaxed sounds coming from younger artists today and injects them with the maturity and craftsmanship that an architect would when building a high rise.

2017 The Albums: League of Their Own

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time. 

See Our Picks for 2017's Honorable Album Mentions

In the past winners have included: 

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A 
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It? 
2002 - NERD - In Search of... 
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant 
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss 
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute 
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain 
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation 
2008 - Santogold / Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye 
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia 
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes 
2013 -  Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2  
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic 
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar 

...and now to add to this growing list is someone who has taken the music world by storm for the last five years and proves to be the most important living musician today and the voice of a generation. His music is more than just hip-hop, it is a verbal documentary about life in hard times, life as a black man, life as a young person under 30, and someone searching for more than just a higher power but understanding. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2017 League of Their Own winner is...

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

"I'm willin' to die for this shit
I done cried for this shit, might take a life for this shit
Put the Bible down and go eye for an eye for this shit," Lamar sings as he opens the single "ELEMENT." and four songs into DAMN., he makes the declaration that this isn't a job, this isn't for fame, this isn't for money, this is his life and these are the themes that made this record so spellbinding.  

St. Vincent is 2017's Officially A Icon 

DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar solidifying himself as the best rapper alive and a top five emcee. As he uses the words thrown against him, the headlines that are flashed around the news, DAMN. is a record that is just as much in the ethos of punk rock as it is in hip-hop. If Johnny Rotten fronted The Clash it would have that attitude and political / social rawness and awareness. Yet, Lamar, who is a fan of jazz, Afropunk, rock, and clearly 90s rap and R&B, he mixes his influences together with a record that is not just the best to come out in 2017 but an album that has the Compton rapper touching the arch of music history. 

Listen to Our Essential Kendrick Lamar Playlist on Spotify

With appearances by Rihanna, Kid Capri, U2, and Zacari, Lamar left his comfort zone but oddly remained in it while telling his story and observations. If anything, the closing track, "DUCKWORTH." is the proof in the pudding that whatever this young artist was born to do was destiny.  

Stay Tuned Next Week For Our Top 10 Albums of the Year! 

Watching Flying Lotus' Short Film 'Skinflick'

Flying Lotus, who made his directorial debut earlier this year with the film Kuso, has now released a short film under the alias steve called Skinflick. Take a look.

Live Review: Thundercat at Irving Plaza

In the Oscar nominated film, La La Land, white Canadian actor Ryan Gosling plays a character that tries to "save jazz" in Los Angeles. The thing is, if anyone were to believe that jazz in L.A. needed to be saved, they never listen to anyone from the city's Brainfeeder label which is propelled by the nephew of icons John and Alice Coltrain -- Steve Ellison known as Flying Lotus. Brainfeeder has become a label that we have loved at Officially A Yuppie and have covered their artists for years including Flying Lotus himself, Shabazz Palaces, Gaslamp Killer, Kamasi Washington, Daedelus, The Underachievers, among others. Now, as one of the label's most sought after musicians celebrates the release of his third album, Drunk, bassist Thundercat brought the jazz, funk, psychedelic sounds that Gosling's character was searching for to a sold-out Irving Plaza in New York City.

Taking the stage just after 9 p.m., Thundercat's six-string bass rattled the room and the people in the front as the vibrations of his axe could be felt in their core as he hit the opening bars of "Rabbit Ho." Backed by a drummer and keyboardist, the trio brought the ghosts of Prince and Miles Davis back to life as the sexy funk meets acid jazz sound was celebrated in the intimate room. As Thundercat broke out into various jam sessions for each song, extending and bleeding one track into another, the audience was simply stunned by what was happening. As many danced, others stood in shock at what they were witnessing. It wasn't just a concert, it was more than a performance, it was an experience.

Listen to Our Essential Flying Lotus Playlist on Spotify

Wearing a wool blazer over a sweater and sweatpants tucked into vibrantly colored socks that were placed inside white Burkenstocks, the funky style of Thundercat wasn't just in the music but the whole package. As he and the band focused on songs mainly from Drunk, they did bust out a few from the EP, The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, and his sophomore record, Apocalypse. The tour-de-force performance also had a number of surprises. During the opening set, comedian Hannibal Buress came out to do a quick standup routine, and as Thundercat played, he would signal for award winning jazz musician Robert Glasper to come out and join him, which he did -- on both the keys and drums -- at various times.

As the main set ended just after 11, with Flying Lotus standing on stage looking at the crowd and his friend own the room, iconic comedian Dave Chappelle, joined Thundercat on stage to say a few nice words before the encore. “Ladies and gentlemen: on stage tonight is the musical virtuosos. They spent hours and hours of their life practicing their craft, and tonight we get to enjoy the sum total of their work. Make some noise for your band," he said in awe. “Thundercat, take this bass solo wherever you wanna go, 'cause we with you all the way, my brother, for real.” As the comedian stood on stage and watched the rest of the show, Thundercat played as if it was his final performance.

There are memorable New York City gigs and then there are those that live in infamy, what everyone saw Friday night inside Irving Plaza may be one that goes down in legend. 

If there was anyone that ever questioned if jazz was dead, you can also point them to this gig to showcase how out of touch with music they really are.

QUICK SPINS

Thundercat- Drunk

If Key and Peele wrote songs for Prince it would sound like Thundercat's Drunk. The jazz, funk, psych bassist's third album is a concept record about getting drunk and figuring out life. While the record takes the listener on a musical journey and trip through some very strange places, it is an experience. The music gives the listener a visual idea of what they can play in their head when listening to it. Thundercat and the rest of the Brainfeeder label are the only artists pushing music in new directions and with the help of the label's master Flying Lotus as well as Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell, and others, Drunk is a trip and one you want to go back to.
FINAL GRADE: A

Ryan Adams – Prisoner

Ryan Adams has always been an artist who wears his heart on his sleeve and on his latest record, his lets it beat in full force. Taking inspiration from his recent divorce, his struggle to find himself and the solace of being alone, Adams creates his best record in years. Touching on almost all of the different sub genres of rock and roll he has written and recorded in, Prisoner is him coming undone and back together again.

FINAL GRADE: A

Japandroids – Near to the Wild Heart of Life

The Canadian garage duo are back and fire on all cylinders as they bring a joy back to rock and roll that has not been seen or heard in what feels like ages.

FINAL GRADE: A

Power Trip – Nightmare Logic

Take the early thrash sound and production of Slayer, mix it with the technical metal of Megadeath and give it a storyline like early Protest the Hero and you have Power Trip’s fantastic new album. Nightmare Logic is a whiplash of force, power, and brutality rolled into one.

FINAL GRADE: A

Los Campesinos! – Sick Scenes

For years the British collective Los Campesinos! have been creating a joy and energy in their music while being tender and open about their feelings. Now, on Sick Scenes, they come full circle and mature and create their best record to date with a refreshing blend of new ideas but still sticking to who they are as a band.

FINAL GRADE: B+

The Menzingers – After the Party

The Philly punks know how to have a good time and be very enthusiastic about it on their latest, they deliver what fans love but further their ability to do it.

FINAL GRADE : B+

Tinariwen – Elwan

The African guitar collective still manage to make interesting music after all these years and find a way to tap into the world while sticking to their roots.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Elbow – Little Fictions

On their best record since The Seldom Seen Kid, Elbow bring their orchestral symphonic rock back to the mainstream with an introspective album about love, loss, desperation and hope.

FINAL GRADE: B+

The Dig – Bloodshot Tokyo

The New York band brings a new level of atmospheric and synth rock to their sound and on one of their tamest albums, they still show they are not only a very interesting band but one that can be played during any occasion.

FINAL GRADE: B

Steel Panther – Lower the Bar

You can’t take Steel Panther seriously and that is the whole point, yet, we highly doubt there is anyone having more fun making 80s power pop metal-inspired tunes than them.

FINAL GRADE: B

Lupe Fiasco – Dragos Light

The Chicago emcee returns on what could be his final record and delivers his statement on the state of the union. Fiasco has always been a lyrical mastermind and on Dragos Light, he gives society the tongue-lashing it needs.

FINAL GRADE: B

Big Sean – I Decided

Big Sean has been making records for almost a decade but his latest finally hears him at his most confident and comfortable with his mic. I Decided features Eminem, The-Dream, Jeremih, Migos as the biggest heavy hitters and he can keep up with the best of them.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Thievery Corporation  - The Temple of I and I

The D.C.-based world music innovators don’t have to look very far to see the country is going to shit, so as they channel the nation’s fury into song, they give us all a lesson in global politics and it his us like a smack in the face. The Temple of I and I is easily their best record since 2004’s The Cosmic Game and as they continue to make music, they show us why they are very much needed in 2017.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Surfer Blood – Snowdonia

There was so much promise with Surfer Blood when they arrived and as the years went on, they have gone through the death of a band member, players leaving and a handful of new recruits which as all made them push to make new music but not a new sound. Snowdonia doesn’t live up to the potential that the Florida band could have pushed to achieve with this record.

FINAL GRADE: C+

Dirty Projectors

On their new record, which is said to be a breakup LP, the band get so mellow you might fall asleep before the album even ends.

FINAL GRADE: C-

Sepultura – Machine Messiah

Sepultura seem to have given up and are making records for the sake of making records which is what a band should never do. Machine Messiah is a lost, uninspired record that just throws a bunch of heavy riffs together where they hope to see what sticks and unfortunately, none of it really does.

FINAL GRADE: D