Every year, there are albums that are hyped up and just fall flat. This is certainly not a “worst albums” list – many of these albums are not that bad. Some of these albums will even be among the most highly-regarded during list season. Ultimately, I just have no intention of listening to them past this year.
Anderson .Paak – Oxnard
Malibu presented a future pop star that failed to show up just two years later.
A$AP Rocky – Testing
Rocky has buried his strength (flow) for flashy production and features.
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
A premier songwriter for her generation is less verbose and drowsy in this album that is just good enough to garner praise.
Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine
A useless collab album should not be surprising, but Justin Vernon usually has that magic touch.
The Breeders – All Nerve
The energy is just not there nearly 30 years after their start.
BROCKHAMPTON – iridescence
BROCKHAMPTON have yet to really make a great album as their spaghetti method just gets exhausting.
Cat Power – Wanderer
Somber and quiet have been strengths rather than criticisms for Cat Power up until now.
Frankie Cosmos – Vessel
Frankie is in desperate need of a songwriting reboot.
Empress Of – Us
The way these songs build and peak is predictable at every turn.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
The Cudi/Ye collab received good reviews but cannot come close to either’s best work.
Lykke Li – so sad so sexy
A good explanation for Li’s inclusion is that I almost forgot to include this blasé attempt at modern r&b.
Ella Mai – Ella Mai
There was hope that her breakthrough would be more than one song, but this album is rife with retreads and questionable decisions like a Chris Brown feature.
Migos – Culture II
Migos fatigue started last summer with all the lackluster features, so a new 24-track album had no chance of matching its predecessor.
Nicki Minaj – Queen
It’s very clear that Nicki Minaj can only disappoint with her album releases.
Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!
The songs are there, but Danger Mouse’s production leaves a purified stench over Parquet Courts’ classic post-punk.
Princess Nokia – A Girl Cried Red
She should be an inspiring figure of diverse talents and backgrounds rather than releasing this annoying drivel.
Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods
The controversy of JT appealing to conservative roots was ultimately overblown, but this album was terrible enough that dunking on him for any reason was okay.
Kurt Vile – Bottle It In
It’s hard to say anything negative about Kurt Vile; he may just be running out of steam.
Kanye West – ye
Kanye broke two very important rules this year: 1.) Don’t be a Republican, and 2.) Don’t be boring.
YG – Stay Dangerous
This album proves you can never make something great on a default mode, even when you’re YG.
Bitter Melodies 