Albums That Have Absolutely NO Skips
photo courtesy of unsplash / fixelgraphy
We all have that one album - that one goddamned album - that we love and can listen to on repeat. It is considered an album that has “no skips.” Each and every song is worth sitting and listening to (aka no skips).
In a recent Instagram poll, we asked users to submit their “album with no skips.” While we got many different kinds of submissions, we are going to review the albums that showed up more than once.
1. The Divine Feminine -- Mac Miller
Let’s make this clear: anything and everything that Mac Miller had ever put out is simply incredible. While being classified as a rapper, Miller’s music incorporates several different genres of music to make his art that much better and intriguing.
“Congratulations” feat. Bilal is the first track and a great opener. The beginning starts with humming and hushed vocals from Ariana Grande, who was Miller’s love at the time. It shows the raw essence of adoration, giving a soothing and welcoming hug as a vibe. This track emphasizes the vulnerability of a relationship, and of love in general. Here, we get a glimpse at what Miller’s perspective of love truly was.
“God is Fair, Sexy Nasty” feat. Kendrick Lamar is the last track and a whopping 8 minutes long. But is anything within that 8 minutes bad? Absolutely not. The beat, the floating vibe, and the inclusion of Kendrick bring the piece together. There’s flair and soul in Lamar’s verses, really defining his versatility as an artist as it seems different than the collaborations he usually puts out. This track, going hand and hand with the first one, also expresses a vulnerability towards life in a relationship. It captures the swaying feeling of being content in love.
Every song between “Congratulations” and “God is Fair, Sexy Nasty” is just as great, and below we have a phrase capturing the essence of each song.
Congratulations (feat. Bilal) -- red, raw love.
Dang! (feat. Anderson Paak) -- drinking a cold slushy on a hot summer day.
Stay -- top-down sunset drive with your friends acting up in the back.
Skin -- don’t be afraid to add this to the sex playlist, ladies.
Cinderella (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) -- 2 am drives to McDonald’s type beat.
Planet God Damn (feat. Njomza) -- definitely going on the ‘grass’ playlist.
Soulmate -- if you’re sad, listen to this ASAP. you are guaranteed to automatically feel better.
We (feat. CeeLo Green) -- if you want to make a good first impression on AUX, queue this.
My Favorite Part -- a great walking song. you’ll never be late to class again.
God Is Fair, Sexy Nasty (feat. Kendrick Lamar) -- lay dead fish in the ocean and shut your eyes.
2. Fine Line -- Harry Styles
This album is a great leap from Styles’ first solo work, HS1, because while HS1 feels home-y with hot chocolate and a good book, Fine Line is that step in a new direction, like the feeling of leaving home for the first time with a backpack in hand and no destination.
“Golden” which is the very first song on the album, is a great start because while it has an upbeat track and lighthearted vocals, the lyrics behind the happiness are quite depressing. The song itself expresses the raw vulnerability of being in love and the doubts of being overly open and honest in a relationship. But if the person is the right one, that openness and honesty will lure them in rather than scare them away. By putting this song at the start, it’s almost as if Styles is opening himself up for the viewers in preparation for the rest of the album.
The last song, “Fine Line” which coincidentally is the name of the album, builds up, up, up until the very end, with trumpets and violins and wonderful vocals that make you feel as if you’re ascending into the heavens. The reiteration of Styles repeating “We’ll be a fine line” and “We’ll be alright” sounds as though it’s more for us rather than himself, telling us that despite the trepidations that life throws at us, despite the fine lines we experience, we’ll be alright.
Every song between “Golden” and “Fine Line” is just as amazing, and below we have one word or phrase to describe each song before we move onto the next album.
Golden -- bright sunny day, windows down, shouting at the top of your lungs.
Watermelon Sugar -- toes curled in the hot sand, a cold beverage latched in your palm.
Adore You -- it’s so sappy. so goddamned sappy. it'll make you fall in love with a stranger.
Lights Up -- you’re free of the spotlight, of letting go of whatever was eating you up. let it go.
Cherry -- curl up in a ball-type beat. take 3-5 business days to recover.
Falling -- go sit down for this one. take 3-5 business days to recover.
To Be So Lonely -- are you happy or are you sad? this song will make that choice for you.
She -- absolute girl boss moment. men are weak. they kiss the dirt we walk on.
Sunflower, Vol. 6 -- breezy summer day, picnic basket with fresh fruit and Pink Moscato.
Canyon Moon -- road tripping in the backroads or mountains with your friends, sore feet, and tired eyes, but the thrill keeps you awake.
Treat People With Kindness -- woke up on the right side of the bed? start your morning with this.
Fine Line -- this is what it feels like to die. lay down and shut your eyes, you’ll understand.
3. 2014 Forest Hills Drive -- J. Cole
Anything that J. Cole releases are bound to be fantastic, and this 2014 album is just that. It adds orchestral tones and vocals to some of the tracks and is overall an abstract and interesting piece. Not a lot of rappers can pull off what J. Cole did with this album, by adding different emotions from different genres of music he created art.
Cole’s first track is simply titled “Intro” which is pretty self-explanatory. This beautiful orchestral piece asks real questions, especially with the repeated line “Do you wanna be happy?” for the first minute or so. We all have things and ideas that ground us, chain us up, and never let us be truly free. In this piece, Cole speaks about freeing himself from the negatives and ascending from there. This sort of talk foreshadows the rest of the album and sets it up nicely.
“Note to Self” is the last track, and is a whopping 14 minutes. The beginning is absolutely enticing, with added vocals and harmonies that bring the piece together, and chords that fit beautifully with the voices. This song feels so raw and uncut. It’s almost as if J Cole was given the mic with no instruction and was just told to go off and ramble, which a lot of artists can’t pull off, but Cole absolutely bodied this piece. It’s hard to make a 14-minute song worth listening to, but this piece is interesting all the way through.
Every song between “Intro” and “Note to Self” is just as captivating, and below we’ve given a phrase review of each one.
Intro -- do you need to walk away from someone or something? listen to this.
January 28th -- low tide, with the sunset making the ocean orange juice
Wet Dreamz -- windows down, volume max., shades on.
03’ Adolescence -- curl up in bed, moments before falling asleep, content and warm.
A Tale of 2 Citiez -- need a song to add to your bad bitch playlist? add this.
Fire Squad -- memorizing this song automatically makes you the coldest person.
St. Tropez -- if you need to impress people on AUX, play this immediately.
G.O.M.D. -- if anyone looks in your direction you’ll turn them to stone.
No Role Modelz -- holy throwback. but still a classic to play at any function. still a vibe.
Hello -- incredibly beautiful. it’ll make you sad but it’ll also make you shake your ass.
Apparently -- it’s got that jazzy and groovy feel, so if you’re in that sort of mood, queue this.
Love Yourz -- yup. this is definitely going on the ‘grass’ playlist. or the crying one. you choose.
Note to Self -- genuinely one of the most beautiful songs on the planet. the different genres coming together make the piece so abstract and interesting.
Well, there you have it: our opinions on these three albums! Of course, everyone has a different taste in music and isn’t expected to love everything an artist puts out there. But these three albums have gotten a lot of love from fans, and from us as well!
Honorable album mentions:
Melodrama -- Lorde
CTRL -- SZA
American Teen -- Khalid
Anti -- Rihanna
Blonde -- Frank Ocean