Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
PHOEBE BRIDGERS | Stranger In The Alps
Dead Oceans (2017)
Selected by Jeremy Levine
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While your emotional singer-songwriter records can get you up close to the psyche of the performer, the performer rarely seems like a person. On Stranger In The Alps, Bridgers presets herself as intensely human. On “Funeral,” she refers to herself as a “kid.” On “Scott Street,” the camera is so close to her physical experience that you can’t help but be part of things. On “Smoke Signals,” she references things she loves, either verbally (Lemmy, Bowie) or musically (Twin Peaks) just like anyone would in casual conversation. All the while, Stranger In The Alps takes us on a musical tour of Bridgers’ musical talents, with a nearly-groovy single in “Motion Sickness,” a piano confessional in “Killer,” and a massive emotional and musical crescendo in “Georgia.” It’s all the best things you want your beloved folkie to do: seem like someone you know, who you associate with, all while pulling off majestic musical feats.
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