98. TRAVIS SCOTT / ASTROWORLD - APPLE MUSIC TOP 100 ALBUMS

Travis Scott’s opus is a detached minimalist sounding concept album, heavy on atmospheric trap music that’s designed to put you into the world of an amusement park away from kids. This explains why the album is, at times, haunting, playful, fantastic, and even maddening. Obviously, pop culture knows this album best for the impact that “Sicko Mode” – with its THREE distinct vibes – had on the world back in 2018. At its best, however, this offering is more of a set of singles rather than a journey you want to take to a long gone amusement park. 

The album relies heavily upon the use of auto-tune – which makes it hard to distinguish the melodies by the second half of the album. In fact, part of me wonders if this is a record that is better suited through the listening of a vinyl tracklist – which spaces out the songs in more of an A-side/B-side format. 

While there is an appreciation for many of the choices made on this album, it is difficult to rally behind this overreliance on auto-tune when assembling a list of the Top 100. It feels rather like an acknowledgement of this style of music – almost like commending a “work in progress” for the genre. It should also be noted that the cameos are very well done by a handful of popular artists who basically appear uncredited. It adds an element of fun, even if you know they’re on the track. 

Would it fit into my Top 100: No.

Sleeper Track: “Coffee Bean,” a track that doesn’t rely on auto-tune and shows a peak at what the artist can do without the pitch correcting magic.