11 bands reveal which albums they’re most thankful for this year

To celebrate Thanksgiving 2018, we reached out to a bunch of our favorite artists and asked them which album they’re most thankful for. So, which band loves country singer Kacey Musgraves? And which former AP cover star is thankful for Eminem’s surprise full-length? Read on to find out.

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FACE 2 FACE

Trever Keith – 7 by Beach House
I really am digging the new
Beach House record, a lot. They’re a recent discovery of mine, and their new record is actually really, really cool. They remind me of the bands I liked in the ’80s, y’know, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine. They have that kind of vibe. They have their own spin on it that’s unique and their own style. I just think they’re good songwriters, and I especially really like the trippy production, the great sounds. Like I said, I’ve always been a bit of a music snob, but now that I’m like, almost 50, I hit a weird spot where it was like, “Do I wanna like bands that are younger than me?” It’s a weird thing to come to grips with. But I do, actually, so Beach House are one of those bands and one of those records.

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER

Matt Kennedy – Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves’ new album for sure.

AJ Perdomo – Yours Truly by Posey Pike
Posey Pike in Nashville. He’s an unsigned dude, [and] he just did an EP called Yours Truly. So that’s mine.

Ben Cato – Musings by Little Image
That shit’s sick. It’s a front-to-back banger. Sounds like if From Indian Lakes and Starting Line had a love child, and there’s like a brother [and] sister that go back and forth with the vocals.

THE BOMBPOPS

Jen Razavi – Is This Thing Cursed? by Alkaline Trio
That is my favorite band. I waited a long time for that record to come out, and it’s everything I could have hoped for. Might go down as one of my favorites of their discography. [My favorite song is] “Sweet Vampires.” I love it. I listen to [the album] 10 times a day. That’s all I listened to on the plane ride here like, four times.

MANNEQUIN PUSSY

Marisa Dabice – Whack World by Tierra Whack
I thought [it] was a brief masterpiece. World made sense in our universe because it was these really brief but powerful feelings, like, these very short songs that were very effective. I just think she’s an artist that does that incredibly well. I’m really thankful that people are out there making interesting art that’s also interesting to see, and it’s beautiful.

Kaleen Reading – Rumors by Fleetwood Mac
Right now I’m thankful for Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. I love that album, and I just recently been listening to it, and it just reminds me about making good music and expressing feelings.

Bear – Appetite For Destruction by Guns N’ Roses
Maybe not the first album to blow my mind as a kid, but definitely a very important one that still shapes my life as I continue to age. I guess production stuff I’ll notice, especially if I learn new audio shit like, “Aw yeah they put a gate on the drum on this song,” like I really didn’t know what that was, but other than that, I know the album pretty well.

Thanasi Paul – Whack World by Tierra Whack
I’m just gonna have to double up and say Tierra Whack. Whack World was definitely an awesome release that came out. Visually, it’s just amazing. It sounds great, [and] it delves into so many different variations of pop and hip-hop and even some really thug shit. She’s amazing. She’s the kind of artist that Philly really needs, not that Philly deserves.

BULLY

Alicia Bognanno – Pod by the Breeders
Pod by the Breeders. All of it. It’s just really heavy. There’s a lot of space in the recordings, and the lyrics are fantastic, and the guitars are very emotional. It just feels very good to listen to.

KEVIN DEVINETell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett

I love that Courtney Barnett record. I’m thankful for that record. That first song on the record kills me every time. That record kills me every time. Really good.

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SUPER WHATEVR

Skyler McKee – Freudian by Daniel Caesar
I’ve been listening to a lot of Daniel Caesar lately. His latest record and all the collab work he’s been doing. I remember just getting into R&B just like, a lot. And so I’d say he’s one of my biggest influences. I really like his vocal work. I really like how he chooses his melody. [It’s] really interesting to me. The topics that he sings about I don’t really relate to as much, but you can feel his emotion through his vocals.

UNDEROATH

Aaron Gillespie – Dying Star by Ruston Kelly
Ruston Kelly’s Dying Star. He is that country singer, Kacey Musgraves’ husband, and he has a singer/songwriter record. Kind of spacey and I found him by accident, and I haven’t stopped listening to it in week.

Spencer Chamberlain – Kamikaze by Eminem
This year, [I’m] kind of stoked on that new Eminem. I’m thankful he came back. I don’t hate all genres. There are some radio/hip-hop stuff that’s just like kind of garbage in my mind. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I’m glad that he said something. It’s kind of tight.

CALPURNIA

Finn Wolfhard – Wide Awake! by Parquet Courts.

Ayla Tesler-Mabe – Art Of Love by Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles
Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles put out their first record, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I love it. It’s so funky. It’s so soulful. It’s great.

Jack Anderson – Virtue by the Voidz
Finn took the album I was going to say which is Wide Awake! by Parquet Courts, so instead I will say Virtue by the Voidz because it’s deliciously weird, and I love it.

Malcolm Craig – Grapetooth by Grapetooth
I really like the new Grapetooth singles that came out this year. I’m very thankful that they’ve come out as a band. They’re so freaking good.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY 

Shaun Cooper – Is This Thing Cursed? by Alkaline Trio
I’ve really been enjoying the new Alkaline Trio record, Is This Thing Cursed? I love them to death, and I feel like it’s a real cool return to form. They took a little while away, and I think it benefited them greatly. All the songs seem to be great. I’m listening to it with the kids. I’m cooking breakfast, [and] I’m doing this and that while I’m listening. But, I keep putting it on so I’ve been enjoying that lately.

THE FEVER 333

Jason Aalon Butler Nasir by Nas
I really like that Nasir Nas album. I just thought it was a cool return for Nas. His bars were on point, the subject matter was on point [and] the beats were on point. That’s kind of the first one that comes to mind for me.

Aric Improta – Scorpion by Drake, Die Lit by Playboi Carti
Scorpion is great. It’s a double album. Die Lit is what I am most thankful for in general. Carti is from Atlanta. He’s just the best.

Stevis Harrison – On Dark Horses by Emma Ruth Rundle
There’s a record that came out today from Emma Ruth Rundle called On Dark Horses and that’s phenomenal. It’s super sick.