Yello's Music Tastes

I might be a basic pop enjoyer, but I'm proud.

Table of contents

Lemonade - Beyoncé (2016)
Red (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (2021)
thank u, next - Ariana Grande (2019)
Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa (2020)
BRAT - Charli XCX (2024)
ANTI - Rihanna (2016)
GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo (2023)
Melodrama - Lorde (2017)

What does a no-skip album mean?

A no-skip album means that I can thoroughly enjoy an album, front to back, multiple times. I often go out of my way to listen to the complete tracklist as supposed to a select few songs. So here's a list of all my no-skip albums in no particular order. If there's a track I always skip, then that album does not qualify.

Lemonade - Beyoncé (2016)

Talk about a historic album. I remember the pop landscape back in 2016 was still in its EDM phase and didn't give time to cinematic albums which seem much more prevalent in the 2020s. Because of that, I was aware that Lemonade was landmark album, but I didn't feel compelled to explore why. It seemed a little too intense for 15 year old me at the time. It took me a few years later to understand why. This is when I fell in love with narrative albums because they have a distinct and concise storyline with every type of feeling. Yes, this album is about infidelity, but it explores multiple angles of it, including denial, anger, sadness, accountability, etc. I only ever knew this album as Beyoncé's rage album. But much like in real life, it's so much deeper and richer than that.

I began listening to the entire album around 2019 during my sophomore college semester. My favorite tracks include Hold Up, Sorry, Daddy Lessons, Love Drought, and All Night.

Red (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (2021)

Taylor Swift fans are always eating good with how much music they get. I never thought that a rerecording would further enhance my appreciation, but here we are. When I first dove into Taylor's music back in 2016, Red was one of the first albums I sunk my teeth in. Even back then, I was blown away by the varied and experimental sound, yet it all still felt like her own style. Yes, everyone knew the pop-driven singles but I was a little upset that I never knew about these high quality deep cuts.

Though to be fair, I didn't listen to the full album front to back until the 2021 rerecording, which is when I noticed how much fuller and stronger the instrumentals and vocals were. The new versions actually made me appreciate some tracks that I didn't care for in the original such as I Almost Do, Treacherous, and Girl At Home.

Out of all the vault tracks released so far, this album has my most favorites by far. Something about those early 2010's melodies never fail to captivate me. Now that all 30 tracks make Red the complete package, I understand perfectly why this color can represent a mosaic of passionate emotions. I can sense the intensity of young adult strife, regret, and defiant joy throughout the entire project. Enough to declare this as my current favorite album of all time, beating my previous favorite, Speak Now.

My favorite songs include State of Grace, Red, Treacherous, All Too Well, 22, The Last Time, Holy Ground, Begin Again, Better Man, and The Very First Night. Yeah...I love this album so much.

thank u, next - Ariana Grande (2019)

Why am I so fascinated with albums chronicling the aftermath of emotional turmoil? Because oftentimes it breeds deeper meaning than a "happy" album. Confident albums have their place, but I also appreciate when artists share parts of themselves that feel unprofessional or imperfect. And thank u, next humanizes Ariana so much...mostly because she is also a Cancer just like me. We feel so much and care about pleasing everyone, it's a curse. While a lot of the subject matter can feel heavy and dark, it's not completely depressing. Just like in periods of struggle, there are pockets of defiance, joy, and assurance, which will eventually help someone out of that grief. Even after intense turmoil, the album's message is never about sitting in sadness regret, but instead moving onto brighter days.

It's funny how I ignored this album when it came out because I really hated 7 rings when it constantly played on the radio in 2019 and I missed out on the stellar deep cuts. Nowadays, I've chilled out and tolerate that single. I never go out of my way to listen to it, but it deserves a place in the album as whole.

I began listening to the entire during COVID. My favorite tracks include imagine, needy, bad idea, in my head, and thank u, next.

Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa (2020)

There's no better COVID album than Future Nostalgia, right when everything began shutting down in March 2020. Coming in at the perfect time, this nostalgic club-filled soundtrack provided the escapism that everyone stuck at home needed. Somehow, each track has their own memorable moments, yet it all sounds cohesive. I would play most of these bangers on their own in playlists, but they fit so well in that specific track order. I honestly don't think this album would've exploded in popularity during normal times, so it's a blessing that we could cling onto these bangers during a terrifying time. It's also a rare short and sweet album so that it's infinitely replayable.

I only heard the singles throughout the first half of 2020 before giving the album a chance, which I regret now. Levitating being the next single was the catalyst for finally listening to the whole project. My favorite songs include Don't Start Now, Cool, Physical, Levitating, Pretty Please, and Hallucinate.

BRAT - Charli XCX (2024)

Sometimes, pop culture promotes the perfectly unexpected album of the year, which is undoubtedly BRAT of 2024. This hyperpop-club combination fit the bill, creating a phenomenon known as BRAT Summer, which is a carefree attitude to life, even if it looks messy and unprofessional. I never usually listen to hyperpop, but this hit the sweet spot of niche and mainstream, so that even a basic pop music listener like me can still fall in love with it. Most tracks are straight-up bangers, but that doesn't mean it's all euphoric. The brief introspective moments that stand out help humanize the album as someone who uses partying and defiance to cope with intense thoughts self-doubt and existential dread.

I watched the BRAT Summer unfold in real time from the very beginning, but I didn't listen to full album until late summer. My favorite tracks include Sympathy is a knife, Talk talk, Von dutch, Everything is romantic, Girl, so confusing, Apple, B2b, Mean girls, and 365.

ANTI - Rihanna (2016)

I've listened to lots of Rihanna's singles over the years. I mean, everyone did. Growing up, I wasn't aware of how prevalent her music was until looking back at her radio hits. That was until her music kinda disappeared in 2014-2015, when she finally took a break and released what is now considered her magnum opus ANTI in 2016. I was still blissfully unaware of music discourse and still weary of explicit music, so I kinda ignored this album until I was a young adult. And wow, I was missing out on such a bold statement from one of pop's biggest stars. Not one song is a clear-cut radio-friendly hit. Instead, they're intentionally antithetical to the formulaic hit songs she was known for. Even with all of the experimentation, each song sounds undoubtedly like Rihanna: unapologetic, compassionate, and fearless. It feels like a complete journey of breaking down the expectations of a pop album.

I knew about this album and its few hits back in the day, but I didn't listen to the full album until 2023. My favorite songs include Consideration, Kiss It Better, Needed Me, Never Ending, and Higher.

GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo (2023)

I instantly got Olivia Rodrigo when she came on the scene with drivers license and her debut album SOUR, which nearly made the list, but I do tend to skip happier more often than not. However, her follow up GUTS was more refined and hit harder for me, even if it wasn't as successful. Olivia's music oozes raw emotions of frustration, regret, longing, and wit that not even my favorite artist Taylor Swift can match. And that is especially true in this album. At first, I thought all the slow songs sounded same-y, but after many listens, I go to each of them to feel varying degrees of despair. But those sad songs don't bog down the energetic songs either. Just like the liminal space between leaving your teens and entering adulthood, this album captures the constant swing between anxiety-ridden adrenaline or existential confessions.

With much anticipation, I listened to this album right on release day. My favorite tracks include bad right, right?, ballad of a homeschooled girl, making the bed, logical, get him back!, and the grudge.

Melodrama - Lorde (2017)

I call this my one and only avant-garde album. Sometimes cryptic lyrics and instrumental-heavy songs don't click for me, but Melodrama is such a fever dream of euphoria. This is what an introspective and unorthodox teenager really feels during heartbreak. They become bitter, reckless, empty, and nihilistic. They know they'll be fine in the end, they just don't need to spell it out to people. I adore how unconventionally catchy and memorable each song is. Despite only being 11 tracks, the journey feels rich and lively. Whenever I listen to the production, I feel so high-brow. It's a shame it never became a hit album, but it has definitely earned the cult classic label.

I always knew the high-praise of this album every since it came out, but I didn't give it a chance until I went back on college campus in late 2021 post-lockdown. My favorite songs include Green Light, Sober, Homemade Dynamite, The Louvre, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Supercut and Perfect Places.