The goal of our Album of the Year showcase is to give people new music suggestions and to allow you to share your musical taste. If you have an album you would like to promote, send inAi??a 75-150Ai??word mini-review along with a link to the album’s best songAi??to be published in theAi??Mountaineer. EmailAi??your musical masterpieceAi??to [email protected].

Audrey Razak – Dopamine (BA?RNS)

Garrett Borns goes under the stage name BA?RNS. Heai??i??s only 23, and his debut album, Dopamine, came out only earlier this year, but itai??i??s already shaping up to be a classic. The album itself is like a retro psychedelic pop fusionai??i??think Beach Boys meets MGMT.

Gritty drums and bass define the sound of Dopamine. BA?RNSai??i?? voice possesses a beautiful range that can go from a falsetto (ai???Electric Loveai???) to a dark baritone (ai???American Moneyai???). Dark yet sensual, it pairs nicely in the fall months with a leather jacket and a fresh pair of laced up oxford shoes.

Lorenzo Conti – American Beauty, American Psycho (Fall Out Boy)

Packed with infectious beats and grand instrumentals, American Beauty, American Psycho had me dancing the whole way through. ai???Centuriesai???, ai???Uma Thurmanai???, and ai???Immortalsai??? are all great examples of what the album has to offer, with their excellent production and well-orchestrated, surprisingly thoughtful lyrics. The album makes for even more of the enjoyable pop-rock that Fall Out Boy is so well known for.

Kara Bendixen – Badlands (Halsey)

I never thought it would be possible to mix electropop, synthpop, and indie pop into one but in Halseyai??i??s Album ai???Badlandsai??? she proved me wrong. This album is dark and mysterious but upbeat and fun at the same time. The name refers to what state of mind she was in during the time she was writing her album, which makes it all the more relatable.

Itai??i??s pure and real and I really havenai??i??t had a day since Iai??i??ve started listening to it that I donai??i??t find myself humming one of her songs. The energy is very high in every song and she really pours emotion into her work, itai??i??s very obvious throughout this album.

Spencer Kash – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied (The Fratellis)

The Fratellis, a group of Scottish brothers best known for their upbeat folk infused pop-rock, decided to widen their horizons for their fourth album, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied,Ai??with an array of different styles ranging from the motown inspired sounds of ai???Thiefai??i?? and ai???Dogtownai??i?? to the slower, haunting rhythms of ai???Me and the Devilai??i??, ai???Moonshineai??i??, ai???Slowai??i??, and ai???Medusa In Chainsai??i??, and from the folk reminiscent ai???Imposters (Little by Little)ai??i?? and ai???Desperate Guyai??i?? to their signature tone found in ai???Baby Donai??i??t You Lie To Me!ai??i?? and ai???Too Much Wineai??i??. These, with the company of a few unmentioned tracks and an assortment of acoustic renditions, prove to be hugely ambitious, incredibly different, and wholly satisfying.