Album Of The Year - Apivich H

Hey, welcome. I’m glad you found this page. Here’s my Album of the Year (AOTY) for every year since 2016. This page started in 2020, so some AOTYs for years earlier than that were retroactively chosen and written about, which may explain the change in tones from earlier years (although the album choice is likely accurate since I look back at some older social/logs/etc. I have).

For an album to be in my AOTY, it just had to have some significance in that year to me. It doesn’t have to be an album that is released in that year (this most likely will not be the case), but it should somehow be a defining album for the state of my mind in that year. Main criteria is based on how much I listen to that album, how much I like it and how much the song means to me. I try my best to pick an album from different artists in each year.
Starting in 2023, I also name a Timely AOTY, reserved for an album released in that year (if the AOTY was not already released in said year), so that I also get to reflect on music that was released in that year itself also. The criteria is the same as the AOTY from above, with the additional constraint that the album must be either be released that year or be eligible for the Grammy awards in the following year (for example, for Timely AOTY 2024, the album should be released between 1/1/2024 to 31/12/2024, or between 16/9/2023 to 30/8/2024 to be eligible for Grammys 2025 – to simplify, it means an eligible album for me should be released between 16/9/2023 to 31/12/2024). This is so that the best album from that period is acknowledged by me and I don’t fall behind the current music scene too much.
Starting in 2021, I compile a Yearly Wrap-Up Playlist which features songs I discovered or enjoyed from that year. I have had these lists since 2021 but have mostly been kept on my private Spotify – I’m going to start (in 2024) to actually note them down here as well. I intentionally order them so that they have some coherent flow (I hav these playlists on my Spotify but I’m not gonna directly share them publically, lol). I purposefully try to have a mix of artists, but also will maybe have some artists feature a few more times if they are so defining for my music in that year. I aim to have 20 songs for each of those playlists.
Starting in 2015, I also name the Defining Album of the Half-Decade (the DAHD), where I pick out an album from (or generally blew up during) approximately the past five years that has been the most influential to my music taste. They can be albums that have been in my AOTY before, but it also doesn’t have to be. I picked one for 2015 and 2020 retroactively (I’m sure my past self wouldn’t disagree with the choices), but I will start to properly do one for 2025 (I have a pick in mind already for 2025 – we shall see if I change my pick by the end of 2025).

I’m also not a music critic/journalist (nor am I hoping to be one), so my writing regarding music is probably going to be a bit cliche (and quite a bit poorly written) probably.

2024

Another year, another Spotify Wrapped where I have Birdy as my top artist of the year. This was somewhat expected since I was listening to a lot of Birdy throughout the year regardless, but especially so around the time she was playing at a festival in Jakarta near where I am. So having listened to her heavily on repeat for the past two years or so, it was definitely an experience to hear those songs being played live. It wasn’t the best concert I went to this year production-wise (that might go to the Coldplay shows), but it was definitely my most memorable one from the year for how much Birdy have carried me in the past two years.

But as per the rules, I am not going to pick a Birdy album as my AOTY. Instead, this spot could only be between one of two artists for me. It was a bit of a toss-up for me – one of the artist being on heavy rotation at the beginning of the year, and the other being on heavier rotation towards the end. For me it was hard to pick one over the other, so the best way to do it was based on my playback stats. And so, for my AOTY this year…

AOTY: Typical of Me by Laufey

Song highlight: Someone New

I did pick an EP. Come fight me.

First of all, why Laufey? As someone who listens to quite a narrow range of music, Laufey brings a very fresh sound to pop. Sure, people debate about how to label the exact music she is doing, or what style of jazz (or not jazz) she is borrowing from, but I think that’s beside the point a bit. Within pop, she is quite unique, and she does it very well. And in my opinion, she has the best voice amongst the current pop artists.

Laufey herself has two albums. Her debut, Everything I Know About Love, was a softer vocal jazz album (some may say it’s mid-century pop but I really am not one who is good at putting labels on music so I try not to). It’s an album that is peaceful and a really good listen on a quiet day. Her latter album, Bewitched, featured twice on my monthly music recommendations list, and is a more pop effort on her where you can hear more dynamic and “grandness” in the tracks. Both are incredible albums in its own ways and yet also two unique works from her that gives off different vibes but similarly shows off Laufey’s incredible vocals.

But yet, my favourite work of hers as been her first EP, titled Typical of Me. The EP only has seven tracks, so it’s quite easy for me to go through each of them. They can basically be grouped into the following:

Songs of admiration – the songs that is about being in awe or appreciating someone in life. The two songs that fits here for me are Magnolia (about the perfection of this mysterious girl Magnolia), and Best Friend (which I can only presume is written by Laufey about her twin sister).
Songs of breakup – self-explanatory. Three songs fits here: Street by Street, Someone New, and her cover of I Wish You Love. This is my favourite category of songs out of the bunch. Her cover of I Wish You Love was incredible and she really made the song her own especially with the cello bit she does when she performs live. Someone New is probably (surprisingly) by favourite Laufey song despite how simple and slightly cheesy its lyrics are.
Songs of solitude – songs where it ends with realisation that it’s best to be alone. The two songs here are Like The Movies and James. The latter is kind of a diss track towards a guy she was going on a date with (which is incredible) but I guess it still sort of fits my pointless categorisation.

It’s a short EP, but it really does have a unique sound (even when compared to her two subsequent albums). It’s a bit more laid back work featuring simpler instrumentation, not as heavily-produced compared to her later works, but still showcases Laufey’s beautiful voice and her ability to write pop lyrics that somehow fits into an modernised version of “older” music styles, and overall it’s always a fun listen for me. It’s a good introduction into Laufey’s music, and is definitely my pick for my favourite thing she has done.

In the past I have not been picking currently trending artists as my AOTY, but even though Laufey has not released a new album this year, she definitely still had a big 2024. She did release the Goddess edition of Bewitched (controversially, I am quite neutral about the added bonus tracks – yes, even the song Goddess), released a handful of other tracks and covers, had a concert movie, and went touring for a good part of the year. Speaking of tours, can I also spend a bit of time to talk about her show? I was in a random tiny lakeside town in Austria the day the tickets went on sale, and woke up at 6am local time to secure them. It was incredibly worth it though. Her voice live is really just like how she is on the records, and in my opinion she does have the best voice in pop right now.

And now, for a close runner-up position, let me introduce you to…

Runner Up: Jump Rope Gazers by The Beths

Song highlight: Out of Sight

This one may be an obscure pick so maybe I should explain myself a bit.

The Beths are a New Zealand based indie rock group who aren’t super massive (yet), but definitely can create some absolute bangers. The way I discovered The Beths was a bit random. Towards the end of 2023, I was at a record store, and I saw a record on discount. It was The Beths’ debut, Future Me Hates Me. Having heard their song Expert In A Dying Field prior and thinking it was okay, I decided to just get the album anyway. When I got home, I listened to the record, and I was instantly hooked. They brought such intense pure alt/indie rock energy to their album that it was hard to not bop your head along to their tracks. I went down the rabbit hole right after that one.

Now, why Jump Rope Gazers in particular? It’s quite funny that initially I skipped over Jump Rope Gazers a bit mainly because the cover art didn’t inspire me to check it out at first (yeah, I know, I am that person) and from hearing the opening few tracks a few times I didn’t feel it was going to be as good as the others. Compared to their debut, it was definitely less of a head-bopper. But, oh man, was I absolutely wrong about it. The album absolutely grew on me. I think this work shows peak lyricism by Liz Stokes (the lead singer), abd the instrumentation throughout is incredibly tight. A few of the tracks are in the theme of hoping for some spark to happen between you and someone – songs like Jump Rope Gazers, Acrid, Do You Want Me Now, and Out of Sight to list ones off the top of my head – and they are just sang with a yearning emotion that I cannot quite describe. The latter track, Out of Sight, had my faourite lyrics of the bunch, along with great guitar and a neat little bridge part, and sits right at the top of my list of most listened to track this year.

Other tracks also featured great bubblegum pop energy which brilliantly complements the lyrics of the song. It had very good energy throughout, only dropping a bit at the track You Are A Beam Of Light which had some softer acoustic guitar to provide a change of gear. Overall, a very solid album throughout for me and one of those that I will definitely be back listening to again and again. I also cannot wait to eventually see them live. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.

Of course, neither The Beths nor Laufey really released a new album this year (I will not count the Goddess edition of Bewitched since honestly, the extra songs are not as hard-hitting as the ones on the original album anyway, it feels like too easy of a pick otherwise – although I did check to find out that the original release of Bewitched was about a week earlier than by arbitrary cutoff for timely AOTY). My Timely AOTY therefore have to be someone else. To pick one album out of the more recent releases, there can only be one.

Timely AOTY: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan

Song highlight: Femininomenon

Truly your favourite artist’s favourite artist.

I’ll admit it, even though the album has been out since 2023, I only started listening to her around mid-2024, around the time when Good Luck Babe blew up. But I definitely have to admit that her debut album is one that really got me absolutely hooked to her. The album is very solid front to back, with all of the very energetic tracks (Femeninomenon, Hot To Go, and even Pink Pony Club) being very fun to listen and even sing along to and instant classics. Despite that, even her slower tracks (Casual, or Kaleidoscope) are pauses in her album that gives you a nice little break in the pace of the album. It’s one of those albums that are genuinely solid from front to back. This is even before mentioning how much of a stage presence she has. Definitely on my list for artists I really want to watch live at some point.

Now that we have all the awards out of the way, here are other albums I enjoyed that could have been my Timely AOTY this year:

Prelude to Ecstacy by The Last Dinner Party. This is probably my favourite album released in 2024, and I really did have a hard time to pick between them and Chappell Roan’s album for the Timely AOTY (in the end I went mostly by my listening stats). They have brought us some very unique sounds of rock music that I enjoy. Their aesthetic and vibes seems a really fun one also. Definitely one of my favourite newcomers in 2024 and a real snub at the Grammy’s in my opinion. Special highlights are Sinner, The Feminine Urge and Burn Alive. The hit single Nothing Matters is, of course, also another catchy track from them. Anyway, I am really looking forward to seeing how they’ll progress in the future.
Moon Music by Coldplay. It’s Coldplay – how can I not mention them somewhere? I do think it is somewhat of a throwback to their older sounds though, and it’s great. With MOTS being a bit of a neutral sounding album, I feel a lot of fans (including myself) apreciate the album with how it sounds. There were definitely tracks that were pure vibes, and they were a fun listen. Definitely had points I wished they went a bit more all out on it (a bit more Jonny guitar solos would have done it), but overall still a great listen. My personal highlights are Moon Music (the title track), feelslikeimfallinginlove, and Alien Hits / Alien Radio (aka the rainbow emoji song). I was at two Coldplay shows in January, and loved every minute of it. I am waiting to see them again whenever that is, hopefully with some Moon Music songs played.

2024 has been (in my opinion) an incredibly year for music. So just as an extra, here were other albums released in 2024 I really vibed with but wouldn’t have been in my AOTY since I didn’t quite feel the album on a personal level:

Charm by Clairo. I somehow went down the Clairo rabbit hole this year but her music has been a joy to listen to. I am quite tempted to add Sling to one of the albums I would shoutout, but honestly all her three albums have been incredibly solid and quite different in style as well. Charm was released this year and it’s quite an interesting flavour of pop. Personal highlights: Thank You and Juna.
Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay. I think if I came across the album earlier in the year it could have been a really big one for me. It is an album with incredible instrumentation and really do deserve all the praises it gets from the more mainstream crowd in my opinion. I really do enjoy their electro-pop vibes, and the entire album is some very groovy music. Personal highlights: Love is Everywhere, Image and That’s My Floor.
brat by Charli XCX. If Anthony Fantano gives it a 10, it surely must be good. But in honestly, I enjoyed the album quite a bit. It might be the hype that has been going around as well, but I can’t deny that it’s a very fun album and also themes that are deeper than it may seem. I don’t think any of us need that much convincing that it’s a good album. Personal highlight: 365, b2b, and girl, so confusing (particular the version she did with Lorde).
I’m Doing It Again Baby! by girl in red. I enjoyed the album more than I thought I would have, and her album was definitely one that I felt wasn’t talked about enough. Personal highlights: I’m Back and You Need Me Now?
Short and Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter. I really did not buy into her hype at the beginning, but I did give her a go when she was opening for Taylor Swift in Asia. I can definitely see why she got as big as she had – with her singing, showmanship and songwriting. I can see why people do think that this is one of the top albums this year, and I definitely do find it a lot more catchy than I thought it was going to be. Peronal highlight: Please Please Please.
Underdressed at the Symphony by Faye Webster. I discovered her music this year, and I really do enjoy her softer style of music. She has a solid discography, and her 2024 release is definitely an album I enjoyed. Personal highlights: Thinking About You and But Not Kiss.
Found Heaven by Conan Gray. I missed the chance to see him at a festival in Jakarta when he was there (to be fair, it was because Birdy was there and I got quite tired by the end of her set). But I have to admit, it is a very good album that I listened to afterwards. I do wonder why he didn’t become bigger than he currently is. Personal highlight: Alley Rose.

Other potential candidates for AOTY (i.e., albums released before 2024 I still really enjoyed in 2024) were:

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers. The album was my runner-up in 2021, but unlike the album that won that year (Funeral by Arcade Fire), it is still an album that I still regularly go back to even as of now. Looking back, it is an album that really signifies a shift in my music taste, and I still have the album playing quite a lot (and to be completely honest, the frontrunner for the next DAHD). The lyricism and the sadness that Phoebe conveys really still does hold up for me. Just scroll down a bit to read what I thought of the album. Personal highlights: the run of songs from Moon Song all the way until the closer I kNow The End (though at this point you should just check out the whole album). I also want to give a shoutout to Phoebe’s other side projects as well such as boygenius or BOCC, which I also definitely had on repeat this year.
Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen. This album came directly from r/popheads, and I finally understood the hype behind the album. It really is an album with bops after bops, and really is a strong contender for what I’d consider the best pop album I’ve heard. If there is ever an album that I absolutely have been sleeping on in the past, it is definitely this one. Personal highlights: Emotion (the title track), Your Type, and I Really Like You (but honestly the whole album is incredibly solid front to back, so you should just check all of them out anyway).
High Violet by The National. Completely honest that I started listening to them because of Birdy’s cover of their track, but I have definitely grown into their music since. High Violet is definitely a highlight in their discography for me. Personal highlights: Terrible Love and England.
Melodrama by Lorde. I got on the Lorde hype pretty late, but hey, better late than never. It’s Lorde growing into a different sound compared to her earlier works, and it sometimes really is the mood. Personal highlights: Supercut, The Louvre and Liability.
Autobahn by Kraftwerk. Seemingly quite a random pick, but Kraftwerk are such vibes to me. Somehow despite being a band from the 80s, they make music that even in this day sounds futuristic. The whole album is such a good soundtrack to cruise along in a car, and it’s such a weird thing for an album to make you feel. Personal highlight: Autobahn (the title track).
For The First Time by Black Country, New Road. An album that I really had on repeat at the beginning of the year. I saw people frawing comparison between them and Arcade Fire, and I can somewhat see that. Their music is leaning more towards experimental stuff, and at times will seem a bit chaotic, but they really do make everything fit together well. Personal highlight: Athens, France.
In The End It Always Does by The Japanese House. This is an album that was dropped in 2023 but I didn’t properly had a listen to until this year. Can’t say much else except that I missed out on something here. Personal highlights: Sad to Breathe and Sunshine Baby.
GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo. I’m so obsessed with this album (reference intended). It was another one that was released in 2023, but I only started to feel the hype in 2024. It’s much improved from her debut with more diverse songwriting and more mature sounds, and it’s a great pop rock album to come out to make the pop landscape a bit more diverse. I am so glad I was able to catch her on tour when she was in my area – she is an incredible performer and she has got to be one of the best pop rock artists around at the moment. Personal highlights: bad idea right?, ballad of a homeschool girl and pretty isn’t pretty.

2024 Wrap-Up Playlist

Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Black Country, New Road - Athens, France
The National - Terrible Love
Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me
Chappell Roan - Femininomenon
The Last Dinner Party - Sinner
Olivia Rodrigo - bad idea right?
The Beths - Knees Deep
girl in red - You Need Me Now? (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)
Clairo - Amoeba
Alvvays - Adult Diversion
The Beths - Out of Sight
Faye Webster - Thinking About You
The Japanese House - Sad to Breathe
Lorde - Liability
Laufey - Promise
Laufey - Someone New
Birdy - Winter
Bon Iver - Perth
Coldplay - feelslikeimfallinginlove

This one might be one of the more varied and unique wrap-ups I have done. My music choice isn’t super varied, but I still feel I have listened to a lot more stuff this year than I have done in the past. A good chunk of the songs on this list are either released in the past few years or are songs that I have only discovered in 2024.

2023

Let me preface this by saying I was very tempted to list a Birdy album as my AOTY again. Especially that Birdy has released Portraits in 2023 (special shoutout to Paradise Calling the energetic opener and Your Arms which spoke to me this past year), and she has firmly put herself on my most streamed artist this year (with almost 4k streams and around 10 days worth of streaming time). And I think that Young Heart is still the best album I have heard in the past two years, and firmly believe that it is an overlooked masterpiece by the general public. I even went more Birdy exploring this year, revisiting some of her older works.

But alas, I did already have Birdy as my AOTY last year, so for this year…

AOTY: The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles

Song highlight: 1000 Times

The day where I streamed the most music was on deadline day of ICML 2023, where I stayed up until 3am to rush my paper. The whole time, I was rotating between songs by Birdy and Sara Bareilles. Both of these artists has become a part of my “comfortable music” over the past year – essentially artists who I just kept going back to the entire year round.

I think while most people might be familiar with Sara Bareilles through some of her big singles (Love Song being one of her biggest singles), but I really enjoyed going through her discography a lot this year. Sara Bareilles has many good albums, and I was tempted to pick something like Kaleidoscope Heart over The Blessed Unrest. The former album has a few very good pop hits that I felt didn’t get nearly as big as it should. Songs like Gonna Get Over You or Uncharted are some very nice tracks to bop your head along to, and I really do enjoy. Even her latest album Amidst The Chaos had some heartfelt lyrics in there. Not to mention her writing for multiple broadway shows and etc.

However, I was a big fan of The Blessed Unrest since the first listen. I few of the songs are well-known Sara tracks with uplifting mood and lyrics, like Brave or I Choose You. But there are also some deeper tracks that I really like as well. Songs like 1000 Times and December were ones whose lyrics I really enjoy and resonated with (for different reasons), and I came back to a lot this year.

Timely AOTY: the record by boygenius

Song highlight: Not Strong Enough

I listened to way too much boygenius this year. It was to the point where my friends might have started to look at me a bit weird. It was to the point that Spotify said my Sound Town was Burlington, VT (which iykyk). I went to watch not one but two Phoebe Bridgers concert when she played here.

boygenius did release an album this year too, titled the record. The first time I heard a song on the album was at the Phoebe Bridgers show, and based on the song I heard (I’m really sorry, Emily) I didn’t expect the album to be a big hit. However, the album grew on me a lot. The other tracks that were released were bops. Songs such as Not Strong Enough is incredibly catchy and is probably my favourite song from 2023. Cool About It is a softer sad song from the album but with relatable lyrics. We’re In Love is also a very Lucy song that paints a story of her friendship. The tracks are incredible and it really blends the sound of the three of them together (albeit – in my honest opinion – not as much as their first EP did).

I wasn’t completely sure at first how the album was going to come out, and what kind of stuff the the boys were going to produce when together. But from the album and beyond, I’d say I’m quite glad to see boygenius back. They’re all such a delight. However, there’s one member in boygenius in particular whose music I’ve really grown to really enjoy…

Runner Up: Historian by Lucy Dacus

Song highlight: Night Shift

So of course, it is no surprise that Lucy is probably my favourite member of boygenius. Each members of boygenius have their own song-writing style, and somehow Lucy’s lyricism just resonates with me. Her album Home Video is another album with good lyrics, where each of the tracks on that album is like a peek into someone else’s diary (which to be honest it kind of is).

But in particular, Historian is a great album, front to back. The lyrics throughout is great, and the music that goes with it is some very good rock music. The album opens with an incredible song Night Shift, which I will easily say is the best break-up song ever written with how it conveys someone’s emotion through a breakup, to a great buildup towards the song’s end. Other tracks like Nonbeliever or Timefighter was also some of my favourite bit of guitar work, music buildup/climax and lyricism I heard this year.

Other albums that I want to mention for the year are:

In A Perfect World by Kodaline. It’s the second time I get to see Kodaline live, and it was honestly incredible. I felt fortunate to get to see two very good artists live this year (the sad part, I suppose, is that I only got to see two artists live this year). But for Kodaline in particular, I was quite glad to see them again and rediscover how much I like their music, especially for someone whose music I have listened to since high school. Highlights of songs that made some marks on me this year are After The Fall, Talk and Way Back When – the last song being one that I unexpectedly got to hear live.
This Is Why by Paramore. I’m just so glad they released a new album this year, thought we were never going to get another one of those. It’s a different sound from After Laughter, but a great new direction nonetheless. It’s nice to see that they still can pull out these sort of tracks even after all this time (and I’m so totally still into them).
English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin. The album turned 10 in 2023, but it was only this year that I really dug into it. Some highlights I like from the album are Panic Cord and November.

2023 Wrap-Up Playlist

Palmy - ซ่อนกลิ่น
Tattoo Colour - ขาหมู
Kodaline - Ready
boygenius - Not Strong Enough
Birdy - Paradise Calling
Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
The Beths - Little Death
Lucy Dacus - First Time
Lizzy McAlpine - Pancakes For Dinner
Keane - Hamburg Song
Sara Bareilles - 1000 Times
Phoebe Bridgers - Moon Song
Radiohead - How To Disappear Completely
Lucy Dacus - Night Shift
Birdy - Nobody Knows Me Like You Do
Phoebe Bridgers - Smoke Signals
Kodaline - After The Fall
Gabrielle Aplin - November
Taylor Swift - Back To December
Sara Bareilles - No Such Thing

Yeah, not the most diverse of music in 2023 (maybe with the notable of the two random Thai songs that I came across earlier in the year), which might reflect something about me but I’m not sure what. Oh well, let’s see if that will change next year.

2022

AOTY: Young Heart by Birdy

Song highlight: Surrender

Birdy was definitely not an artist I have listened to a great deal of in the past. I do have her cover of Skinny Love in some of my playlists and have heard some of her bigger hits like Wings before. However I think recently (maybe last few months or so) I stumbled upon her 2021 release and I instantly fell in love with it.

The album just flows extremely well. Musically it has a very soothing acoustic sound (compared to her previous album which feels more pop and “artificial”), and Birdy’s voice is definitely very therapeutic. The lyrics revolve around the theme of relationships and being in one, leaving one, and longing to be with the one. I tend to not be a lyrics person when I listen to music, but even here I can feel the emotions very well. The instrumental and the lyrics definitely makes the album feel very genuine and personal, and that’s definitely my favourite part about it. My highlights from the album include the following.

The opening track Voyager (technically not the true opening but really behaves like one in the context of the album). It is a song that opens so gently with birds chirping, lying on some grass listening to nature with another person. But it conveys a heavier feeling, one that knows that you feel something is off, that the moment isn’t going to last. It sets the tone up for the album, giving the feeling that
Surrender (which is definitely my song of this year). It’s a gentle song, kind of like you are sitting in a train, alone with your thoughts, but knowing that there is only one place (or one person’s arms) that you really want to be in at the moment.
Evergreen. An acoustic track that is for one of those days where you want to look back at a fond memory. Or at least that’s how it makes me feel when I listen to it. A warm feeling.

Honestly though, I have listened to the album so many times and I can’t point at a bad song from the album.

I know this is the Album of the Year and maybe there is a recency bias going on with how most of the listens of this album came after September. However,

Stats don’t lie, and I did listen to this album enough times compared to other albums this year (Surrender even ended up in my Top 5 most listened tracks this year, and the only artists who I had on heavy repeat some time this year are her and maybe Keane), and
The lyrics and feels of the song does really hit me hard, more than any other albums that I came across this year.

So for these reasons Young Heart is definitely a justified pick for me.

Runner up: A Rush of Blood To The Head by Coldplay

Song highlight: In My Place

For those who know me it’s not a secret that I really like Coldplay. Sure, they have their downs (cough Music of the Spheres cough) but when their in their game, they really are one of the best.

This year, I do find myself listening back to their 2002 album quite a bit. Fittingly, the album turns 20 this year, and it still really holds up. It is probably the most rock that Coldplay has gone into, and you can feel the rawness of the sounds here. Their first two albums both seem to a simpler, rock-four-piece-band feel (not proper terminology), but unlike Parachutes, I think AROBTTH is definitely when they have refined their sounds a bit more, and starting to have their own unique touch.

Highlights from AROBTTH for me are the following.

In My Place. Such a simple song with a catchy drum track and guitar riff. Even more powerful when played live. It holds other importance to me as it is one of the first songs I tried to really learn on the drums, and I also occasionally use as my alarm sound.
Warning Sign. It is one of the more downbeat songs from the album (maybe only second to Amsterdam which itself is also a great track). The lyrics is quite of nice though, and I think it’s why I keep coming back to it, especially on worse days.
A Rush of Blood to the Head (the title track). I don’t know why the song hits me so much. It’s so simple, there is just some haunting guitar sliders work by Johnny, but it still feels powerful.

But honestly, I love all the songs on this track (maybe bar A Whisper, but even then it’s because it feels too “unpolished” for me rather than it being a bad song). Truly an iconic Coldplay album.

2022 Wrap-Up Playlist

Birdy - Voyager
Wolf Alice - Don’t Delete The Kisses
Coldplay - Warning Sign
Birdy - Surrender
Coldplay - See You Soon
Arcade Fire - half Light II
Paramore - In The Mourning
Birdy - All About You
OneRepublic - Waking Up
Keane - The Frog Prince
Radiohead - Wolf At The Door
The Cranberries - Dreams
Wings - Mull of Kintyre
Radiohead - True Love Waits
Keane - I Need Your Love
Sara Bareilles - Manhattan
Kodaline - Talk
Coldplay - Swallowed in the Sea
Taylor Swift - Begin Again
Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End

2021

AOTY: Funeral by Arcade Fire

Song highlight: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

I have took way too long to discover Arcade Fire. These guys have been putting out bangers since 2004 or so, and I only found them after they released their fifth album. I mean, one doesn’t simply win a Grammy by chance.

A lot may call Funeral as one of the best debut albums of all time, and I may be inclined to agree with them. They really went big with the instrumentals. For example, the song that really got me hooked in the beginning is Tunnels (I like to joke that after their first track they went downhill because of how good Tunnels was). It is definitely a song that starts of slow, like a calm winter morning, and it just builds, and builds, and builds, until it climaxes.

Tunnels is definitely my favourite Arcade Fire track. However I also really like the groove in other tracks too such as Laika or Rebellion. Oh, of course, Wake Up is the live anthem too isn’t it.

Runner up: Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers

Song highlight: Chinese Satellite

Phoebe was definitely one of the most popular artists amongst teenagers (and, let’s be honest, adults as well) in 2021. It did take me a while until I discovered Punisher almost by accident by having Spotify sneaking Kyoto onto one of my playlists earlier in the year.

Punisher is such a good album. I can’t point to exactly what it is about the album I like so much. I don’t think the instrumentation is flashy, but rather seems to compliment the moods of the song well - Kyoto is a more upbeat song about being in a somewhat upbeat city, Chinese Satellite sounds like you are just looking at the skies in space, the sounds Moon Song sets a hopelessness mood, and so on. Phoebe also seems to write the lyrics in a way that it seems kind of personal, and at points relatable. If I had to pinpoint something I enjoy about the album, it may be that.

Highlights for me are Kyoto (as mentioned before, also the biggest hit from the album so not a surprise), Chinese Satellite (a very good track for lying in the grass and just hoping something takes you away), and I Know The End (which is such a good closer with the disorienting ending like the end was truly coming, made better live when Phoebe smashes her guitar to pieces).

2021 Wrap-Up Playlist

Arcade Fire - Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)
Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto
Paul Williams - Surf Music
The Shins - Simple Song
Paramore - Where The Lines Overlap
Phoebe Bridgers - Chinese Satellite
Radiohead - Let Down
Coldplay - Arabesque
Vampire Weekend - Step
Keane - Atlantic
Keane - Nothing In My Way
Arcade Fire - Sprawil II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Coldplay - Us Against The World
The Verve - Sonnet
Coldplay - Lovers In Japan / Reign of Love
Keane - Fly To Me
Seafret - To The Sea (ft. Rosie Carney)
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Kodaline - Love Will Set You Free

2020

AOTY: Under The Iron Sea by Keane

Song highlight: Atlantic

I have listened to Keane since high school, but Under The Iron Sea is a work that I have picked up again in 2020. The album is over a decade old at this point, but somehow it’s still holds up even after all these years. It amazes me how creative Keane can be mostly with just drums, synths and a piano. It takes you through the emotions like riding on a wave into a storm, and you come out the other side like you escaped a dark, gloomy place.

Some personal highlights include Hamburg Song, The Frog Prince (which is probably the favourite song amongst the Keane fandom according to multiple polls I’ve seen), and of course, the opening track and probably the greatest song ever written, Atlantic (a song so good it has an entire cult behind it).

Runner up: In A Perfect World by Kodaline

Song highlight: Talk

Similar to Keane, Kodaline is another band that I have listened to since high school. Also similar to Keane, they have been another band that I have re-listened to quite a lot back in 2020. In particular, during the lockdown period, they are one of the most active bands on social media, playing quite a number of livestream acoustic sessions, and even playing some of their seldomly played songs or some deep cuts. It has gotten my to pick up their albums again, and realise how good In A Perfect World was as an album.

The DAHD: After Laughter by Paramore

[Disclaimer: I’m retroactively writing this part]

There can only be one band that I grew to absolutely enjoy in the past five years. From the way I discovered them (literally just an off-hand recommendation by a friend), to being absolutely obsessed over the band and their album, to just having them on repeat for a good year, and being absolutely devastated to see that they have somewhat decided to not release new music together. Paramore have really shaped my music taste in the past few years.

After Laughter in particular is a very solid album that deviates a bit from what people would associate as the Paramore sound. It’s not as angst as their earlier days and definitely more electronic, bubblegum, colourful sounding music, which is even better when it’s put together with some of the most depressing sounding lyrics they have put out. It’s such a good piece of music that makes you dance, then just makes you feel. I love the album.

2019

AOTY: Kid A by Radiohead

It’s beep boop time, boys.

Often called the greatest left turn in music history (or at least by the folks on r/radioheadcirclejerk), it’s definitely a departure from their more rock sounds. OK Computer was another album I obsessed over in 2018, but Kid A is the one that really gets me hooked. It’s pure vibes. You listen to the album for the instrumentals, and then going, “how can someone even think about doing that with instruments”. No worry about the lyrics (maybe except for How To Disappear Completely), it’s all about the tunes here. And it really does get me going.

Personal highlight definitely is The National Anthem, which does sound quite messy to some people, but for me it’s the beauty in the chaos that gets me. I don’t even know what free-form jazz is but Radiohead really made it work. I also really like Morning Bell and Optimistic too, and maybe How To Disappear Completely on some of those days.

Runner up: After Laughter by Paramore (yes, just like in 2018)

Just check the 2018 section for my thoughts on the album. However, I think in 2019 Paramore really cemented themselves into my favourite artists, that I’m prepared to list the same album in two consecutive years (albeit in second place in both of those years).

2018

AOTY: Paramore by Paramore

I somehow only discovered about Paramore in 2018 from one of my friends. Going through their discography is literally just like seeing someone go from an angsty teen all the way to growing and being more understanding of their emotions or something.

For older Paramore fans (i.e. people whose teenage years was pre-2010 or so), the self-titled album was probably a big surprise due to the change in sound from their first three albums, not to mention the change in band members over that time. Although for me, it was just another album.

Highlights from the album are probably Still Into You (which probably remains my favourite Paramore track), Now, and Proof.

Runner up: After Laughter by Paramore

Yeah, Paramore really defined my 2018.

After Laughter was the other Paramore album that I listened to a lot of in 2018. For older Paramore fans it’s definitely very different from their early stuff, as they venture into more pop and electronic. It’s an album with happy music but depressing lyrics. You can dance to (most of) the songs on here as long as you don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics. I have always been someone who enjoys their music played using more “real” instruments, but somehow Paramore has sneaked in just enough electronic to make some very enjoyable grooves. My favourites from the album are probably Fake Happy and Pool.

2017

AOTY: Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park

2017 was a tragic year for Linkin Park fans due to Chester leaving us all behind for a gig in the sky. But regardless, their work still remains in all our playlists. Or definitely still on mine. Minutes To Midnight is the point where they start to move into more alternative rock sounds, and I think it’s definitely their finest album. At moments it hits you with a heavier, exciting rock sound that makes you jump on your feet, and in another it makes you want to float in space and away from everything. It really showcases the band who have moved on from their old angst sound and establish their own style of music.

Personal highlights are Leave Out All The Rest, What I’ve Done (which I once performed live with some friends), and the closing track The Little Things Give You Away.

Runner up: Tell Me It’s Real by Seafret

I don’t recall how Seafret came about in 2017, but I do remember listening to them a good amount that year. There was a period where Atlantis was played daily for me. Other than that, To The Sea is another track that I still listen to, even years on from 2017.

2016

AOTY: How To Save A Life by The Fray

I remembered telling a friend that The Fray somehow always releases a song that conveys a sad feeling to some degree. I don’t know how accurate that is, but a large chunk of their catalogue definitely seems to follow this. The album (and the band too in fact) came at a time when I was just obsessed with piano rock bands, since they seem to provide an interesting dynamic compared to just strings. My favourite tracks from it are Over My Head and Look After You.

2015

It is a bit long way away, but I do want to go back here so I can award the DAHD to an album.

The DAHD: Ghost Stories by Coldplay

[Disclaimer: I’m retroactively writing this part]

I think there is no doubt that since 2010 up to this point, Coldplay has been the band for me.

Ghost Stories, however, will always hold a special place for me for being the first Coldplay album that I went through the proper album release cycle of. From listening to Midnight when it was first released (at midnight as well, mind you), and not really knowing what you were really listening to. Then for them to drop a single like Magic and absolutely make you question what direction Coldplay is taking with their work.

I disliked the album when it came out. Compared to their earlier works, where were the acoustic drums? Where’s the fun guitar riffs and the upbeat music? What is this music I am listening to?

But it has been an album that grew on me ever since it was released. The lyrics were clearly from a different place in the band’s (or Chris’) life, and it was put into music so well. It wasn’t made to be radio-friendly or made to be an easy listen because it wasn’t aimed to be one of those. Even years later, it is probably still the most personal sounding album that Coldplay has released. This is an album that I will put on when I am down, and when I want a change of pace. It is a slower mellow album, but it conveys an emotion of sadness, of regret, of wanting to let go. And it’s put down onto music very beautifully.

I think Ghost Stories have made me understand the band better and realise that the band knows what they’re doing – even if their music doesn’t always sound the best at first listen (or sometimes even after a while), they have a reason for it, and somehow, we just have to trust their creative process. Ghost Stories really was the turning point that made me enjoy Coldplay a lot more.