Everyone makes lists…I came up with this 4 item list from a simple stat: the pop albums I listened to most this year. Bonus acoustic-ish renditions of songs added!

Here they are:

Lorde: Melodrama

This didn’t get much radio attention (which, for pop, is still a marker) but the critics loved it, and I think it pieces together as a whole work so well. This is a great sophomore effort from Lorde, and it was co-produced by Jack Antonoff, which is always a good thing.

Bleachers: Gone Now

It’s Jack Antonoff again! This is his project, and it’s thrilling pop with perfectly messy production. He’s good at this. “Don’t Take The Money” is my life mantra.

MUNA: Around U

Um, oddly…the only non-Antonoff produced album in this list. I found this band through a Spotify algorithm (poetry in math I guess), and I fell in love immediately. I think 2018 will be a great year for them, so if you want to be cool and say “Oh yeah I know them” when someone brings them up in June, listen NOW. The album as artform is alive and well here.

Taylor Swift: reputation

Surprise! This one came swooping in when the year was winding down, and I was suspicious of this new Swift trying to replace my love of 1989, but dangit, she did it. Non-stop since November 10th. It works as a piece of art (and the singles, which I was not super in love with, make way more sense in context). There are certain tracks which beg for their own spotlight: check out “Delicate,” “Dancing With Our Hands Tied,” “Dress,” and “Getaway Car” for starters. But just listen to the whole thing.