Best of 2020

From Off Shelf (https://offshelf.net/2020/12/15/best-of-2020-travis/):

 

I’m Trav, and this is a top ten list where I talk about my ten favorite releases of the year, beginning with New Year’s Day in January 2020. I also sometimes play music in bands called Lawnmower, Natural Monuments, and Rapid Eye Movement, one of southeast Michigan’s finest R.E.M. tribute bands.

10. The 1975 (the1975.com) - Notes On A Conditional Form; Polydor (polydor.co.uk)
I always appreciate how extra The 1975 is, and they are at their most extra on NOACF. At twenty two songs and eighty minutes, I honestly don’t know that I was ever able to listen to this album all the way through in one sitting, and probably never will be able to. However, the band continued to contribute to the growing playlist of excellent 1975 singles, which is still the most ideal way to listen to them.
“Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied” (https://youtu.be/Uqyy9AvF6b4)

9. Jessy Lanza (jessylanza.com) - All the Time; Hyperdub (hyperdub.net)
This is the ideal electro-pop sound for me - incredible synth sounds played somewhat sparsely, with breathy, not quite ethereal vocals handling jazzy melodies. The album was produced by Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys, who have probably always been my favorite electronic artists. The single “Lick In Heaven” is one of the catchiest songs I heard this year.
“Lick In Heaven” (https://youtu.be/V3D7EEpdlY4)

8. Jay Electronica (rocnation.com/music/jay-electronica) - A Written Testimony; Roc Nation (rocnation.com)
I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about Jay Electronica as most of his fans, but I’ve enjoyed reading about his background and learning about the context of this release. It’s alternately disorienting and captivating: “Shiny Suit Theory” is particularly adventurous and difficult to grasp; “A.P.I.D.T.A.” is a heartbreaking reflection of gratitude for time spent with lost loved ones; album pinnacle “Ezekiel’s Wheel” is ambient and dreamy, an alluring climax to an album that serves as an artistic statement from a fascinating personality.

“Ezekiel’s Wheel” (https://youtu.be/OP4dfv6opfk)

7. beabadoobee (beabadoobee.com) - Fake It Flowers; Dirty Hit (dirtyhit.co.uk)
I understand that this young person became a famous musical artist on something called “TikTok” and that “beabadoobee” is her screen name/handle on her “socials.” Fake It Flowers is young people music that helps me remember what it was like to have human emotions. A significant part of the appeal of the album for me is that it’s basically tasteful emo without overreliance on the signifiers and fashion. It shares the charm of Michelle Branch’s best singles and Dashboard Confessional’s pre-Spiderman Soundtrack albums. The guitar work and production is excellent, evoking 90s Chicago indie rock bands. On top of that, these are just really well written songs with the best pop melodies of any album on this list.
“Care” (https://youtu.be/9FpkHjJTrZY)

6. R.A.P. Ferreira (soulfolks.org) - Purple Moonlight Pages; Ruby Yacht (ruby-yacht.myshopify.com)
Maybe the most impressive release I heard this year. Every song is densely packed with vivid psychedelic poetry. Opener “DECORUM” gives the listener a good idea of what they’re in for; the next seventeen tracks go on to mostly fulfill the promise laid out in the flowery language and jazzy arrangements of those first two minutes. The cover art credits state “rhythm and poetry by R.A.P. Ferreira” which is an apt and earned description.

“LEAVING HELL” (https://youtu.be/6YVv5pDspfA)

5. Yves Tumor (yves-tumor.warp.net) - Heaven To A Tortured Mind; Warp (warp.net)
A collage of sample-based psychedelic indie. It’s extremely well-produced, in addition to being simultaneously sinister and beautiful, like Tame Impala in Hell. Imagery and music videos are scary. This person has clearly done drugs.
“Folie Imposée” (https://youtu.be/RpsFZxX6ZJU)

4. Laura Groves (lauragroves.bandcamp.com) - A Private Road; Bella Union (bellaunion.com)
This sounds cliche, but it’s true: every second of recorded music from Laura Groves is a gift. This is her third EP, and first for her new label. Groves sometimes plays with Bat For Lashes, and on A Private Road, she combines that project’s textures and vibe with Joni Mitchell’s melodies and chord structures. Heavenly sounds from an ideal artist.
“Infinite Wisdom” (https://youtu.be/n-bUbSQqstY)

3. Fiona Apple (fiona-apple.com) - Fetch The Bolt Cutters; Epic (epicrecords.com) / Clean Slate
Like many people, I was immediately grabbed by the opening piano figure of “I Want You To Love Me,” and it only got more interesting from there. The experimental percussive elements from 2012’s The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver of the Screw…blossom in a more fully realized way on this album’s title track, amongst many other moments on FTBC. I found Apple to be irresistible throughout, and I can’t help but think that the fearless, free-flowing delivery reflects a purity of spirit. A lot of people have said a lot of things about this album, and I don’t have any unique experience or insight into it, I just like it. Objectively the best album to come out this year.

“Fetch The Bolt Cutters” (https://youtu.be/emXYPRlVBas)

2. King Krule (kingkrule.net) - Man Alive!; True Panther Sounds (truepanther.com) / XL Recordings (xlrecordings.com) / Matador Records (matadorrecords.com)
Making the follow up to 2017’s The Ooz (nineteen tracks, sixty six minutes) was always going to be a tall task, but King Krule made it work by creating an album that followed in a natural progression while simultaneously scaling back. The same elements are present on Man Alive!: sax, jazzy melting guitars, vaguely hip hop drum parts; but they’re applied in a different kind of meandering way that seems more personalized. I’m still not able to derive meaning from any of his songs, which feel as abstract as ever. King Krule was the only 21st century artist on my Spotify Wrapped this year.
“Alone, Omen 3” (https://youtu.be/bWnK2t_FxrY)

1. Haim (haimtheband.com) - Women In Music, Pt. III; Columbia Records (columbiarecords.com)
The Haim sisters have always struck me as masters of their craft; the kind of artists who have spent thousands of hours learning, experimenting, pushing forward. Women In Music, Pt. III is the product of their expertise in the last fifty years of pop history. From 70s Laurel Canyon (“Man from the Magazine”) to 80s reggae-pop (“Another Try”) to early 90s R&B (“3am”), the band continues to evolve and reveal new tricks. Every part of every arrangement seems to have a purpose. This is the first time that any artist has made my favorite album of the year for a second time (2013's Days Are Gone). I love Haim. I cried while mowing my lawn and listening to “Hallelujah” this fall.
“3am” (https://youtu.be/oEp2DkHMxJM)

 

 

A note about 2019 - 

As was the case last year, I found it much easier to catch up on/get into albums from the previous year this year. Two that stood out and woulda shoulda been top three last year were Reward by Cate LeBon and Desire by Mope Grooves.

 

A handful of other interesting releases to look back on from 2020 - 

draag me - I Am Gambling With My Life

Bartees Strange - Live Forever

2nd Grade - Hit to Hit

Sen Morimoto - Sen Morimoto

V/A - The Midnight Gospel Soundtrack

Dean Blunt - Roaches 2012 - 2019

Beauty Pill - Please Advise

Clams Casino - Instrumental Relics 

Men I Trust - Forever Live Sessions

 

Interesting songs not included on previously mentioned albums - 

Spirit of the Beehive - "The Door Is Open"

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - "The Only One"

Drake - "Laugh Now, Cry Later"

US Girls - "4 American Dollars"

Bullion - "We Had A Good Time"

Laura Groves - "M6 North"

Wilma Archer (ft. Laura Groves & Samuel T. Herring) - "Decades"

Men I Trust - "Lucky Sue"

Zoos of Berlin - "Lambeth Walk" and "Children Cycle"

Julie Byrne & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - "Love's Refrain"

Militarie Gun - "Dislocate Me"

Samia - "Big Wheel"

Porridge Radio - "Lilac"

Park Hye Jin - "Like This"

Cut Worms - "Veteran's Day"

Sufjan Stevens - "Video Game"

Nothing else interesting happened this year.

 

 

Best of 2019

It is April 2020. I am in quarantine and remembered that I have forgotten to document my favorite albums from last year, which has been the case for several weeks and months. I don't have much to say about them, just wanted to make sure I don't forget about them.

Favorite 2019 Albums
1. Solange - When I Get Home
2. Purple Mountains - S/T
3. Cate le Bon - Reward
4. Crumb - Jinx
5. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
6. Aldous Harding - Designer
7. Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz
8. Earl Sweatshirt - FEET OF CLAY
9. Jenny Lewis - On the Line
10. Juliana Hatfield - Weird
11. Flying Lotus - Flamagra
12. Robert Ellis - Texas Piano Man
13. Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs 
14. Lana Del Rey - NFR
15. Third Eye Blind - Screamer
16. Vivian Girls - Memory


List of other albums on my 2019 Spotify playlist that I ended up not really caring enough about, but found at least somewhat interesting at some point:
James Blake - Assume Form
Kelly Finnigan - The Tales People Tell
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Priests - The Seduction of Kansas
Squid - Town Centre
Supercrush - Never Let You Drift Away
Toro y Moi - Outer Peace

Tens Albums

Rules/Guidelines: Some combination of past/present/future feelings about the album, objective opinion of quality, and immediate instinctual feelings.  Several of my friends made albums that probably belong here, but no friends/locals allowed.

Honorable Mention:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away (2013)
Field Music - Plumb (2012)
Foster The People - Torches (2011)
Glocca Morra - Just Married (2012)
G.L.O.S.S. - Demo 2015 (2015)
Juliana Hatfield Three - Whatever, My Love (2015)
Jens Lekman - An Argument with Myself (2011)
Luther - Let's Get You Somewhere Else (2012)
Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold (2012)
Priests - Nothing Feels Natural (2017)
Real Estate - Days (2011)
The Sidekicks - Awkward Breeds (2012)
Spoon - Transference (2010)
Sundials - When I Couldn't Breathe (2012)
Swervedriver - I Wasn't Born To Lose You (2015)
Title Fight - Floral Green (2012)
Vivian Girls - Share the Joy (2011)
Wild Nothing - Nocturne (2012)

40). The Weather Station - The Weather Station (2017)
Strange pick to start with. I have some very fond memories of listening to this album while walking through snow covered trails on lunch breaks at work. I've probably listened to this more than any other album on the list while making the list. I don't feel like any kind of authority on anything about this album, but I'm very attracted to it and I wouldn't be surprised if it was an all time favorite in five years.

39). Bob Mould - The Silver Age (2012) 
I missed! Things were different in 2012. I was thrilled by any kind of upbeat open chord melodic indie rock. Bob Mould started writing songs like he did in Husker Du again and it was amazing. Then he did it three more times by the end of the decade and I feel like it kind of watered down this album. But still, this is pretty good.

38). Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness (2015)
This delightful album reminds me of walking around on the streets of London, Ontario, Canada. Wow!

37). The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream (2014)
Lost in the Dream is very special album for me that evokes a specific kind of earnest midwest rock with songwriting and performance that is hard to replicate.

36). Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down... (2015)
b'lieve i'm goin down...is a very special album for me that evokes a specific kind of earnest midwest rock with songwriting and performance that is hard to replicate.

35). Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains (2019)
It is my understanding that people often feel upset or depressed when they hear this album, but I don't feel that way at all. To me this sounds like one last defiant laugh in the face of the inevitable. I've never been comfortable with death, but this is one of the most reassuring pieces of art I've experienced that makes me feel like maybe death is NBD.

34). Tune-Yards - I can feel you creep into my private life (2018)
The only other time I missed! Still special, but there were several albums that came out in 2018 that I will continue to like more for the rest of my days. Still, so much to like about this album.

33). Tame Impala - Currents (2015)
*siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh* This is some Coachella shit, but yeah, it rules.

32). Twerps - Range Anxiety (2015)
V: G - D - C; Ch.: Em - C - G - D??? But like, from New Zealand???

31). Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (2015) 
Father John Shitty.

30). The Feelies - Here Before (2011)
V: G - D - C; Ch.: Em - C - G - D??? But like, from New Jersey???

29). My Bloody Valentine - mbv (2013)
Do you remember where you were when mbv came out? I was sitting at home in my bed on a snowy winter night, and it was just fucking cool. Seeing them in Chicago in 2018 was one of the great live experiences of the decade.

28). Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (2010)
This GD genius pervert...man, remember when "Round & Round" came out and I listened to it five times in a row the first time I'd heard it and it was the greatest song I'd ever heard at the time and the artwork for the single was the dude frenching a dog? Long live Ariel Pink.

27). Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (2015)
Courtney B was one of the most consistently great artists of the decade.

26). Beauty Pill - Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are (2015) 
Super dense, thoughtful stuff. Listening to/reading CC talk about these songs, it feels like there are all kinds of little secrets and surprises to discover within this album. I wish more people put this much consideration into their work.

25). David Bowie - Blackstar (2016)
If Purple Mountains is an end of life album that isn't hard to listen to, this is one that's super hard to listen to. Specifically, "I Can't Give Everything Away"...what a perfect, amazing ending.

24). Solange - When I Get Home (2019)
I get the impression that everybody else liked A Seat At The Table more, but this was my shit. I spend most of the time listening to this wondering how something like this gets created.

23). The Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks (2018)
Some days this is the best album of the decade. This is the best kind of art - something that reaches into your subconscious and hits on something you didn't know was there, and you feel like you come away with a richer understanding of the universe. Some real Jimes Tooper shit.

22). Tancred - Nightstand (2018) 
I love Tancred. Jess Abbott is responsible for consistently making the best melodies of the decade.

21). Speedy Ortiz - Foil Deer (2015)
I actually don't think I like Speedy Ortiz. Their stuff always seems kind of ramshackle, like throwing together lines of poetry, shredding guitar parts, and complex progressions and whatever comes out is what it is. I've never enjoyed it before or since Foil Deer, but somehow everything miraculously clicks into place here and makes perfect sense to me. "Mister Difficult" and "My Dead Girl" were two of the decade's most influential songs on me.

It's much harder to talk about albums #20 through #1because of how familiar they've become. Also, based on all the stops and starts I've had trying to write here I'm apparently a lot more earnest than I was ten years ago when I was writing just to crack myself up. Everything I want to say about these albums is just how I feel about them, and that sounds terrible. So I would prefer to look at this list and hope that in ten years I can remember how it felt to realize that these simple albums that I enjoyed listening to and spending time with had truly become some of my favorite albums of all time.

20). Lydia Loveless - Real (2016)
19). Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs (2018)
18). Haim - Days Are Gone (2013)
17). Radiohead - The King of Limbs (2011)
16). Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor (2011)
15). Beach Fossils - Somersault (2017)
14). St. Vincent - St. Vincent (2014)
13). Ought - More Than Any Other Day (2014)
12). Tancred - Out of the Garden (2016)
11). Father John Misty - Pure Comedy (2017)
10). David Bowie - The Next Day (2013)
09). R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now (2011)
08). Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel... (2012)
07). Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
06). Women - Public Strain (2010)
05). Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016)
04). Laura Groves - Committed Language (2015)
03). Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again (2015)
02). King Krule - The Ooz (2017)
01). Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again (2014)

Best of 2018

Favorite Albums of 2018:
01. Tune-Yards - I can feel you creep into my private life 
02. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
03. Tancred - Nightstand
04. Ought - Room Inside The World
05. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
06. Flasher - Constant Image
07. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
08. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
09. Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks
10. Young Guv - 2 Sad 2 Funk

Off the top of my head this is the first time I can remember my favorite album coming out in January. I listened to Icfycimpl a lot last winter and thought it was really interesting, despite previously being allergic to Tune-Yards. The more I listened to it, the longer the streak of great songs grew. I got back to hitting this album hard around September, and the streak is still growing to the point that almost every song on the album is an A. It's not apparent at first, but to me there are a few surprising melodic similarities to Beauty Pill. On the surface, it's a sample-heavy electronic pop album, but there are elements of a specific style of clean, discordant indie rock that I love. By the middle of this year I thought that there were not going to be any 2018 albums that I loved, but I'm happy to say I was wrong.

Favorite Songs of 2018:
01. Tancred - "Apple Tree Girl"
02. Ought - "Desire"
03. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Hunnybee"
04. MGMT - "When You Die"
05. Drake - "In My Feelings"
06. The 1975 - "I Couldn't Be More In Love"
07. Field Music - "Count It Up"
08. Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa - "One Kiss"
09. Flasher - "Business Unusual"
10. Sitcom - "Still Life"



Favorite older/non-2018 albums:
PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
King Krule - The Ooz
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom
Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony
Blur - 13
Ben Kweller - Sha Sha
Frank Ocean - Blonde
(*I just checked and two of these were on last year's post...apparently it's getting harder to tell the years apart)

2018 Albums I liked:
St. Vincent - MassEducation
Field Music - Open Here
Joyce Manor - A Million Dollars To Kill Me
Sitcom - Be The One You Love
Hurry - Every Little Thought
Wild Nothing - Indigo
Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try to Relax
Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
Bonny Doon - Longwave
MGMT - Little Dark Age
The 1975 - ABIIOR
 
Albums by artists I like that I didn't really listen to more than once or twice:
Drake - Scorpion
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Sparkle Hard
Fucked Up - Dose Your Dreams
Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
Stove - Stove's Favorite Friend
Ovlov - Tru
Tony Molina - Kill The Lights
Speedy Ortiz - Twerp Verse

Three best events of 2018:
1. All In @ The Sears Centre, Chicago 09/01/18
2. My Bloody Valentine @ The Rivera, Chicago 07/27/18
3. King Krule/Standing On The Corner @ St. Andrew's Hall 04.28.18

Other stuff:
Health - quit pop this summer; ran a ton, including 13 miles one Saturday in October which still shocks me
Work - super challenging; got better at my job, learned a lot, but it was a difficult year
Fam - Grease, XBox, Minecraft, The Good Place
Fun - played music for Something Rad/improv, put out an album and did a music video, 2 Rapid Eye Movement shows, curling, Cranbrook, Radiohead @ LCA, Renaissance Festival, Niagara Falls, Legoland

Solid year of existence, somewhat derivative. 6.8.

Best of 2017

Liked/Listen to:
Sean Nicholas Savage - Yummycoma
Satoshi & Makoto - CZ-5000 Sounds & Sequences
Omni - Multi-Task
Major Murphy - On & Off Again
Toro y Moi - Boo Boo
Charly Bliss - Guppy
The Courtneys - The Courtneys II
The Feelies - In Between
Twin Peaks: Music From The Limited Event Series
Brandon Can't Dance - Graveyard of Good Times
Hoops - Routines
TOPS - Sugar At The Gate
Syd - Fin
Ryan Adams - Prisoner
MUNA - About U
Tim Darcy - Saturday Night
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
Lorde - Melodrama
Girlpool - Powerplant

Like/Didn't listen to:
St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
The Clientele - Music For The Age of Miracle
Bully - Losing
A. Savage - Thawing Dawn
Cornelius - Mellow Waves

Discoveries/Older Favorites:
Digible Planets - Blowout Comb
Blur - 13
PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
ODB - Return To The 36 Chambers
X - More Fun In The New World
Yoko Ono - Approximately Infinite Universe

Other: Twin Peaks, S-Town, Paddleboarding

Favorite Songs:  
10. The Courtneys - "Minnesota"
9. Beach Fossils - "Social Jetlag"
8. Jen Cloher - "Regional Echo"
7. Jens Lekman - "To Know Your Mission"/"Wedding In Finistere"
6. Lorde - "Green Light"
5. Protomartyr - "A Private Understanding"
4. Exit Someone - "Fade To Black"
3. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - "Over Everything"
2. The XX - "On Hold"
1. Drake - "Passionfruit"

Favorite Albums:
20. Wazonek - Whichever Way The Winds Are Blowing
19. Jen Cloher - Jen Cloher
18. Jesus & Mary Chain - Damage & Joy
17. Haim - Something To Tell You
16. Bonny Doon - Bonny Doon
15. Exit Someone - Dry Your Eyes EP
14. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
13. Copneconic - Generation Parasite
12. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent
11. King Krule - The Ooz
10. Priests - Nothing Feels Natural
09. Stef Chura - Messes
08. Aimee Mann - Mental Illness
07. Yumi Zouma - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
06. The Bats - The Deep Set
05. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice
04. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now

03. Beach Fossils - Somersault
02. Dream Version - Fight Fair
01. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

Best of 2016

Some of my favorite bands including Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Bob Mould, Field Music, Junior Boys put out albums this year. I didn't listen to any of their albums more than once. I didn't dislike any of them, I just wasn't really interested in spending time with them. My favorite older albums were Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest, Avalon by Roxy Music, and Kick by INXS.

Favorite releases of 2016

20. Lloyd Braun - New Age Hooey
19. Preoccupations - S/T
18. Hurry - Guided Meditation
17. Congress - Ugly Eye
16. Angel Olsen - My Woman
15. Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms - Basement Punk
14. Drake - Views
13. Zoos of Berlin - Instant Evening
12. Greys - Outer Heaven / Warm Shadow
11. Solange - A Seat At The Table
10. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
9. Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch
8. Parquet Courts - Human Performance
7. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
6. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
5. Stove - Is A Toad In The Rain / Is The Meat That Fell Out
4. Joyce Manor - Cody
3. Pup - The Dream Is Over
2. David Bowie - Blackstar
1. Tancred - Out of the Garden

 

Best of 2015

20. Young Guv - Ripe 4 Luv
19. Swervedriver - I Wasn't Born To Lose You
18. G.L.O.S.S. - Demo
17. Stove - Is Stupider 
16. Kurt Vile - B'lieve I'm Goin Down

15. Twerps - Range Anxiety
14. The Sidekicks - Runners In The Nerved World
13. Destroyer - Poison Season
12. Bully - Feels Like
11. Mountain Club - Time Waits For No One
10. Juliana Hatfield Three - Whatever, My Love
9. Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again
8. Dream Version - Beginners
7. Grimes - Art Angels
6. Ought - Sun Coming Down
5. Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear
4. Beauty Pill - Describes Things As They Are
3. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit
2. Ryan Adams - 1989/Blue Light/Burn In The Night/I Do Not Feel Like Being Good/Willow Lane
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

I moved Father John Misty higher up the list than the original one that was posted on SYGrecs. I've been embarrassed about liking him for so long that I wanted to pretend I didn't like the album as much as I do. But I do. It's great.
I also wanted to add these, but I didn't get into them until mid-December:
Tame Impala - Currents
Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
Braidedveins - BVLP

Major Head Injury came out this year. I thought it was pretty good.