My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks

Breaking away from the parade of old white dudes we saw at #30 and #31, here comes Arlo Parks with her sophomore record, My Soft Machine. “Soft” is the optimum word here – there’s no denying Parks’ songwriting prowess, but the end result often paints a rose-tinted, soft-focused soundscape of pop.

Parks (whose real name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) saw her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, land at #14 two years ago. Machine picks up where that stellar, Mercury-prize winning album left off, and Parks shows that she’s grown in the interim. A little more edge, a little more bite, and even closer to what I’ve liked from similar artists, like Japanese Breakfast.

If you liked Arlo Parks’ previous album, you’ll like this one, too. You can check it out on the playlists below.

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Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks

There’s a good chance you’ve heard the artist here at #14, even if you can’t name her. Arlo Parks and her fantastic debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, are seemingly everywhere and on everyone’s lips. The album is littered with sweet, approachable, soulful R&B, primed and ready to be the pleasant background for many a musical movie montage.

Arlo Parks is 21 years old, a number so low it proves she has no legitimate right to be as talented as she is. And yet. The London-born singer/songwriter, whose full name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, has accomplished a ton in her short career. She started releasing original music in 2018. In 2019 she released two EPs, and the right peoples’ ears started to perk up. She collaborated with Glass Animals and Phoebe Bridgers, both of whom appeared prominently on past Top 31s. Continuing unabated on her upward trajectory and outpouring of creativity, she wrote 12 more songs and unleashed Collapsed in Sunbeams on the world, and quickly won the 2021 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. I won’t be surprised when she walks away as Best New Artist at the upcoming 2022 Grammys.

It was difficult picking the right video to feature above, as she’s created quite a few for the album:

“Too Good,” above
“Hope”
“Caroline”
“Green Eyes”
“Hurt”
“Black Dog”

The album feels almost too perfect. The production is immaculate. The beats sublime. And the lyrics never offend. It’s sometimes hard to tell one song from the next, and it carries an air of temporariness to it – something that will burn bright and then flame out quickly. That may be a good thing, forcing Marinho to explore further depths, uncover more layers. In the meantime I’ll enjoy Collapse, and anxiously await what comes next.

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15. Loving In Stereo by Jungle
16. Flying Dream 1 by Elbow
17. Screen Violence by Chvrches
18. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
19. Mainly Gestalt Pornography by Pearly Gate Music
20. Peace Or Love by Kings of Convenience
21. These 13 by Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird
22. Mr. Corman: Season 1 by Nathan Johnson
23. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
24. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico by Various Artists
25. Siamese Dream by Fruit Bats
26. NINE by Sault
27. Observatory by Aeon Station
28. The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania by Damien Jurado
29. A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
30. Where the End Begins by Knathan Ryan
31. Private Space by Durand Jones & The Indications

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#29 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Arlo Parks

#14 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — Arlo Parks