For all the claims of famine for important releases in November, it hasn’t stopped this month’s vote from being a ferocious bottleneck of runners reaching out for the top spot. So much so that the end result was a tie between Origami Angel’s debut album Somewhere City, and FKA Twigs’ Magdalene. The second round of votes between the two was as equally balanced as the first bout, but FKA Twigs just in so scrapped the win for November 2019’s Album of the Month. The experimental R&B pop sensation that is Magdalene was actually an album that slipped under my radar until this very vote, but after listening to it, I can certainly understand the appeal for its idiosyncratic ideals and unique aesthetics. For all the unpleasant emissions Magdalene’s artwork emits, the content of the album is juxtaposed with its candid beauty. If, like me, you initially missed this one, it’s well worth checking out. So with that, I’ll leave Dedex’s thoughts on why this is their favourite album from November.

NOVEMBER 2019 AOTM: FKA Twigs – Magdalene

“Magdalene, or human sexuality in music, as displayed by a Cheltenham girl. Contrary to her previous releases, where she displayed an almost animal fierceness in love, Twigs agrees here to show her vulnerability. This sensibility was always present in her art, however much more in the form (the music per se) than in the content (what she is saying to us). While she has not totally lost her violent endeavours (“sad day” is full of sentences you wouldn’t want to hear), Magdalene reveals itself melancholic without ever losing FKA Twigs’ typical ethereal aspect. This melancholy is perhaps perfected in the second track, “home with you”, and the ‘I didn’t know you were lonely’ line. Sound-wise, and with the help of an armada of super-producers (Jaar, Lopatin, Arca, and (oh boy) Skrillex among others), she finally perfects what was hinted in M3LL155X and delivers a masterful glitchy ambient R&B record. A beautiful November record to listen to when all the leaves are brown and the sky is grey.” – Dedex

Thanks to all who have participated in these monthly events, they’ve been immensely fun to watch. As we are now in the depths of December now, this will be the last vote of the year – making room for the end-of-year lists that will soon be revealing themselves. I will pick this back up at the start of February, where we’ll vote for January’s best album. Until then, have a great time over the Christmas period.