Top 40 Albums of 2018 (20-1)

Click here to check out album’s 40-21!

20. Superorganism

Superorganism

[Domino; 2018]

We live in a world that is more connected than ever thanks to technological innovations over the past 20 years. Through this blog alone, I’ve been able to interact and connect with fellow music lovers from Britain, Canada, and even Iceland. It was only a matter of time before a group of musicians from around the globe decided to use the power of the internet and collaborative applications to create an album together, all while being on different continents.

Superorganism is a fitting name for a band composed of eight members from around the globe, ranging from New Zealand to Japan, from Britain to the United States. The result is a debut that is an amalgam of creative energies. Their powers congeal into one gleaming bolt of energy, the songs lighthearted, filled with joyful melodies and silly lyricism. Superorganism’s debut is what it would sound like if the Disneyland’s “Small World” children grew up and combined their positive energy for world pop domination.

 

The Top 40 Albums of 2018 (40-21)

This has not been the best year for content here at BDWPS.com, and I apologize for the lack of reviews. Despite this absence of material, my insatiable search for new and exciting music continued, as you will see in this year’s “Top Albums of 2018” list. I will hopefully return BDWPS to its former glory in 2019, but for now, take a look at the first half of the year-end list and hopefully you’ll find that the BDWPS stamp of approval still carries weight.

Honorable Mention:

Anna Calvi, Hunter

Grouper,  Grid of Points

Idles, Joy as an Act of Resistance

Kraus, Path

Meek Mill, Championships

Senyawa, Sujud

Sleep, The Sciences

Spiritualized, And Nothing Hurt

Sumac, Love in Shadow

Vundabar, Smell Smoke

Year of the Joni: Episode #3

In the third episode of “Year of the Joni”, we take a look at Joni Mitchell’s first attempts at making it in the music business. You can listen to the first episode HERE, or better yet, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher (search: Year of the Joni).

WORKS CITED
INTERVIEWS

Judy Collins on Leonard Cohen

CBC Music Interview

Bill Boggs Interviewing Judy Collins

MTV Influences: Joni Mitchell

“The Way It Is” Interview with Joni Mitchell

Malka Marom interview with Leonard Cohen

Joni Mitchell on Meeting Jimi Hendrix

Howard Stern Interview with David Crosby

A Woman of Heart and Mind (Documentary)

MUSIC
Joni Mitchell:

“The Cactus Tree”

“A Case of You”

“The Circle Game”

“The Dawntreader”

“I Think I Understand”

“Marcie”

“Song About the Midway”

Others:

Leonard Cohen “Suzanne”

Leonard Cohen “Bird On the Wire”

Judy Collins “Both Sides Now”

George Hamilton IV “Urge for Going”

Tom Rush “The Circle Game”

Buffy Saint Marie “The Circle Game”

 

RESEARCH:
Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words by Malka Marom

Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell by Katherine Monk

Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe

Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller

“Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: Just One of Those Things” by Cohencentric.com

Top 20 Albums of 2018 (So Far…)

I know I haven’t been posting much on here lately (heck, I haven’t posted one album review all year!). Despite my lack of content, I’m still checking out new music obsessively and was able to conjure up the energy to finally put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and create my mid-year list. Hopefully the rest of 2018 I’ll get back on track. Until then, here are some great albums to check out.

BDWPS Podcast: Episode #72 (Best of 2018 Hip-Hop)

In this episode, we take a look at some of my favorite hip-hop and R&B albums in 2018. You’ll hear new tracks from Chuck Strangers, Young Fathers, JPEGMAFIA, serpentwithfeet, Scallops Hotel, Roc Marciano, Saba, and Prof.

Check it out HERE or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or GooglePlay.

Year of the Joni: Episode #1

In the first episode of “Year of the Joni”, we take a look at Joni Mitchell’s upbringing on the Canadian prairie and the events that would shape the resilient, uncompromising artist we know today. You can listen to the first episode HERE, or better yet, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher (search: Year of the Joni).

WORKS CITED

INTERVIEWS

Charlie Rose – Green Room

CBC Music Interview

30 Years of Joni Mitchell’s Music – CBS This Morning

Interview with Pamela Wallin

A Woman of Heart and Mind (Documentary)

MUSIC

Joni Mitchell:

“The Last Time I Saw Richard”

“The Tea Leaf Prophecy”

“Urge for Going”

“River”

“Let the Wind Carry Me”

“Day After Day”

Harry James “Its Been A Long, Long Time”

Leopold Stokowski “Clair De Lune”

Rachmaninoff “The from The Story of Three”

Ray Charles “What’d I Say”

The Kingston Trio “Scotch and Soda”

Miles Davis “So What”

RESEARCH

Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words by Malka Marom

Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell by Katherine Monk

Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe

Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller

BDWPS Podcast: Episode #71

In the latest episode of BDWPS Podcast, we take a look at some of the most powerful female voices in music today, including Courtney Barnett, Johanna Warren, Soccer Mommy, Anna Von Hausswolff, Frigs, Kali Uchis, Beach House, Snail Mail, and Lindi Ortega.

Check it out HERE, or better yet, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, or Stitcher (search: BDWPS).