It was flawed but striking, hard not to root for, and one of the most interesting pop experiments of the decade. Herring drooling all over “Ghost in a Kiss” or Lil B ludicrously claiming his “ money up to NASA.” Not all of it was so memorable, and not all that was memorable worked, but it deserves comparison with Charli XCX’s Pop 2 in terms of how fiercely it defines its alternate vision of the charts, where any weirdo could be the apple of the world’s eye. Clams Casino’s 32 Levels was a hell of an album.
