Courtesy of Young Turks Records.
10. M3LLI5X – FKA twigs
“I wait all week for a moment’s break/Away from being told who I am,” FKA twigs sings on “Glass and Patron,” expressing her frustration with social conformity. Pronounced “Melissa” which twigs explains is her “personal female energy,” M3LLI5X conveys a complex feminist narrative, exploring the power of womanhood, desire, birth, and control. Collaborating with star producer Boots, twigs arranges her hypnotic, whispery vocals along layers upon layers of hazy, industrial synths to construct something magically skin-crawling. Twigs’ delicate falsetto, alluring and suggestive, dances across tracks “I’m Your Doll” and “Mothercreep,” captivating with every eerie breath. In each song, the one-of-a-kind singer blurs the lines between vocals and beats, using her own voice to create electronic samples that are as stimulating as they are gravitating. With this album, twigs continues to surprise me with her originality and devotion to the art. M3LLI5X is musical space travel and twigs is an alien empress laden with crystals and potent feminine energy.