Circles (Deluxe)
Mac Miller
I listened to a lot of Mac Miller’s earlier music when I was a teenager (I listened to Blue Slide Park a lot), but moved on to different interests after GO:OD AM; it’s been rewarding to come back to his more mature music with fresh ears.
I chose this album after randomly hearing “Woods.” I bought a used 7th-generation iPod Nano, and that song started playing as soon as I turned it on. I was immediately interested and put Circles on my list.
This was a heavy listen. In context, it’s tragic to hear Mac sing and rap about substance use and mental health struggles. Nonetheless, this is a gorgeous album, clearly crafted and finished posthumously with immense care. The track ordering is spot-on, and it lends well to end-to-end listening.
What really amazes me is how incredibly developed this album is; Mac really came a long way since the early tracks I first listened to 10+ years ago. I appreciate Mac’s later work with incredible jazz players, especially Thundercat’s melodic and arpeggiated playing on “Right.” I also love how this album blends so many genres and can’t fit neatly into any box––it’s definitively Mac.
Almost all of these tracks are highly rated by me, but “Surf” has to be my favorite.