Many great albums unfortunately didn't make the cut on my year-end list. Here are 15 albums that I enjoyed this year that I think are definitely worth listening to.
2019 has been a great year for music. Music to cry to, music that's been captivating, music that's a fantastic digest from all the turmoil and damage that the world has been in this year. All in all, there's been so many bold and powerful statements in music. I'm here to discuss all of my favorite musical moments of 2019 now that the year has finally come to close and 2020 has finally begun. Unfortunately, there are several albums that I loved this year that didn't make the final cut of the top 25 list. Here are my thoughts on these records that I still think are definitely worth your attention. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Anna Meredith
FIBS
This latest record from the Scottish composer is by far her most grand, collaborative, and diverse. FIBS continues to be just, if not more colorful and chaotic than her previous record Varmints did. The horns, percussion, guitars, and synths sound gargantuan and bright, like a neon laser show. Songs like "Paramour" and "Sawbones" are so huge and performed so tightly, so tight that its as if its machine like (in a good way). They are exuberant, out of this world, and prove that Anna Meredith is surely something to behold on this record. There are surprising lead vocals on this record too compared to her mostly instrumental catalog, like "Killjoy," "Divining," and "Inhale Exhale." There are also guitar driven cuts unlike her usual synth driven songs like the abrasive post rock of "Limpet." Honestly, FIBS is her boldest and best achievement yet. Varmints is a great record too, but FIBS certainly takes more risks that have definitely paid off. I think FIBS would've been included in my best albums of the year list if I gave it more listens, but this record is nonetheless a bold blend of electronica, synth pop, indie rock, and more. The performances and compositions are better than ever and I cannot wait to hear more of Anna Meredith and her band in the future.
Cate le Bon
Reward
Reward, the newest record from singer songwriter Cate le Bon, is in fact quite rewarding. I would honestly say that this is only an honorable mention due to the fact that I did not listen to this record enough this year. There was just too much new music! I love the melodic, dreamy direction Cate has set across this record. I love her outright and confident personality. She reminds me of someone from the 60's/70's with poignant lyricism and wistfulness, like Joni Mitchell in her prime. "Magnificent Gestures" has an urgent prowl that's both dark and light at once, reflecting into something colorful. "Home to You" and "Daylight Matters" are both amazing lead singles that has stuck with me faithfully over the year. Honestly, Reward is such a great record and don't sleep on Cate le Bon. Don't pass up on this one. I wish I gave it the repeated listens it so deserves, but I'm still glad I gave it a listen. It's a clear, dreamy take on classic songwriting that is quite underrated in fact.
Danny Brown
uknowwhatimsayin¿
It certainly was a mystery as to where Detroit-based rapper Danny Brown would go next. Atrocity Exhibition was one of the most polarizing, dark, and chaotic hip hop projects ever to be released in the decade, so I wasn't so sure what he would release next. uknowwhatimsayin¿, Danny's next album, is much brighter, fun, and positive than its predecessor. He sounds so mature and happy with his life. There's even a song about positivity, living your best life on "Best Life." It's colorfully produced by none other than Q-Tip and features a great and virtuous cast of features, like JPEGMAFIA, Run the Jewels, and even Blood Orange. It's arguably his funniest record too with some very memorable bars across the track listing, "Dirty Laundry" being one of them. It is a colorful, tasteful, and quirky album that I highly recommend for any fan of Danny's or experimental hip hop as a genre. It's not extremely experimental compared to his previous record, but it still has plenty of weird and off the wall moments though. I love Danny Brown's maturity, outlook on life, and sense of happiness and proudness across this record. That's what makes it a special listen.
Frankie Cosmos
Close It Quietly
Greta Kline, aka Frankie Cosmos, has been such a talent in the indie/slacker scene over the years. A lot of her qualities I like: her very genuine personality, voice, her introspection on life and romance, her observational wit. Close It Quietly, her second album through Sub Pop, was a pleasant listen for me. Sure, there's a lot of shortened moments and it slightly overstays its welcome a little (topping at 21 tracks here), but it still has great performances from Kline. I do prefer her more completed songs and ideas that sound wholly realized and thought out. Examples of this being some of my all time favorites of hers, like "Moonsea" or "Windows." Some short-winded breezy ideas don't make a huge long-lasting impression on me but I still enjoyed, like "Self-destruct" or "Trunk of a Tree." Though this record doesn't have the highlights from Vessel or Next Thing, Close It Quietly still has some great highlights that I would totally recommend for any fan of modern day indie rock. Greta Kline still sounds like she has plenty to say and I hope in the future she can create a collection of fully fleshed out material, full length songs across the board.
The Highwomen
The Highwomen
A surprising listen for me, this country and folk supergroup is the answer to the Highwaymen. Consisting of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires, The Highwomen sound new, fresh, and exciting, something country desperately needs at the moment. Their performances is sharp, tightly knit and provide introspection that we need in 2019, songs like "Redesigning Women" and "Crowded Table." I love the intense, almost cinematic opener "Highwomen" and the humorous "Don't Call Me," punching jabs at ex partners. All of the members of The Highwomen are already talented and sharp songwriters. Coming together as a quartet makes them even more powerful, even stronger. By far one of the best new acts to come out this year, The Highwomen is arguably one of the best country/Americana records to be released in recent years.
Holly Herndon
PROTO
The ever changing producer, musician, visionary, (and now doctor) Holly Herndon is back with her third album. PROTO is not like other records or hers. Sure, it's still the mind bending experimental electronic "pop" music that I expect from her. But this time, Holly has created her own AI baby, named "Spawn," (yeah, you heard me right) and it's all over this record. She also recorded with this very mesmerizing traditional vocal choir, adding even more versatility to her portfolio. PROTO has some of her best highlights in her career so far, including the gargantuan pop opus known as "Eternal," being one of my favorite songs of the year (hands down). I love the traditional hymnal vocals and chants on "Frontier," the robotic glitchy interlude in the opening "Birth," the layered blasting synths on "Alienation," the creepy spine-tingling melodies and grooves on "Crawler," and even the disturbing sci-fi spoken word on "Extreme Love." It doesn't have the best flow, and it still has its flaws in the track listing ("Bridge" and Godmother"). Nonetheless, PROTO is still an exciting listen and celebrates how much of a great visionary Holly Herndon is. It's definitely not for everyone and still was a challenging listen for me, but I highly recommend it if you're interested in what the future of pop music may sound like in the year 2080.
Jay Som
Anak Ko
Anak Ko is great, tightly knit and focus driven indie rock. Jay Som sounds better than ever and it's shortened record length (9 songs at 34 minutes) makes it a perfect car ride experience to be repeated over and over again. Songs like "Superbike" and "Nighttime Drive" are some of her best yet, her most polished songwriting and instrumentally sound phenomenal and engaging. It does sound like a quickly recorded session with her friends, but a fun one at that. She sounds like she wants to really let loose on this record and make great music for the heck of it. It's sunny, it's joyfully pristine. Not to say that it's too pristine. Anak Ko is a colorful, engaging record for all the indie fans out there and is a great introductory listen for those who are unfamiliar with Jay Som's music.
Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This
It came as a surprise to me that actor Jeff Goldblum is actually a talented pianist and jazz musician last year with his debut record, The Capitol Studio Sessions. It was a playful live collection of covers and originals that span across the fun vocal and instrumental big band jazz that he and his bandmates love, along with great vocal guests. I Shouldn't Be Telling You This is arguably even better than his last record. The guest vocalists are excellent, ranging from Sharon Van Etten to Miley Cyrus to Fiona Apple (all of whom are fantastic). The performances are recorded in the studio instead of them being live and the songs themselves are better as well. I love the fun big band styled instrumentals "The Kicker" and "The Cat." They remind me of how much I enjoyed "Cantaloupe Island" last year. The guitar on "Four On Six / Broken English" is great and Anna Calvi's vocals are fantastic. I love Jeff Goldblum sweetly singing an ode to his kid on "Little Man You've Had a Busy Day." Overall, this is a very entertaining and fun jazz record, regardless of what you think of Jeff Goldblum. Personally, I think of Jeff Goldblum as a national treasure, his jazz band is purely fun, and the guest vocalists' input are something to behold.
Jenny Hval
The Practice of Love
The avant-garde Norwegian singer songwriter keeps becoming more and more excellent with each new release. I do love her previous records, but I was curious as to what it would sound like if Jenny Hval would release a more pop-centric record. Sure, she does incorporate pop elements and melodies into her experimental music from time to time, but The Practice of Love takes synth pop into account ten fold. Her new record is solid and is well made. It combines elements of dream and synth pop in a mesmerizing way. Some of her best and most accessible material to date wind up being created on this record, such as "Ashes to Ashes" and "High Alice." There is a great sense of collaboration across the record as well, from the grand and lush saxophones to the added layered percussion. The more challenging moments are here, like the quirky poetry and spoken word across the record as expected like the title track. Jenny Hval displays these themes of sex, identity, gender, and life in a personal and unique way and continues to grow as songwriter. The Practice of Love is an exciting release that you cannot ignore or pass up on.
Karen O & Danger Mouse
Lux Prima
An unexpected collaboration, Lux Prima pushes Karen O and Danger Mouse out of their respective comfort zones. It allows them to take risks that pay off, like the nine-minute title track or the lush country-tinged pop of "Turn the Light." I think of this project as being one that plays both of their strengths really nicely. It's a quick listen that faded away with me over the year, but some of the stronger tracks stuck with me. Lux Prima is a mostly solid release, but it definitely left me wanting more with its 9 songs. Don't pass up on this if you're a fan of Karen O and Brian Burton's other projects.
Lambchop
This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You)
Transitioning from folk to full-on autotune electronica is nearly awkward for just about every artist, but not Lambchop. They transition gracefully as if they've done this style through their whole career. It's one of the very few autotune crooning folk records that is tastefully balanced (Justin Vernon, take notes). Songs like "Everything for You" and "Crosswords, or What This Says About You" are solidifying and gorgeously immaculate at times, reminding me of the great jazz-like performances from bands like Tortoise. I do recommend this album if you like experimental bands that mix electronica, rock, and jazz the way Tortoise does. The songs themselves are lengthy, averaging at around six or seven minutes with almost every track, so they can be hard to digest if you're looking for a quick or easy listen. Overall I found This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) an enjoyable experience and it was a solid introduction to Lambchop.
Penguin Cafe
Handfuls of Night
Arthur Jeffe's continuation of his father's musical legacy, Penguin Cafe, has been very captivating this past decade with multiple records under his band's belt. His combinations of classical music with ambient and minimalist electronica is exquisite and well executed. Handfuls of Night, the next chapter in the Penguin Cafe discography, is boldly cinematic and is arguably Arthur's most well refined and thematic record to date. About the declining species of penguins, Handfuls of Night is often dark and isolated, similar to that of a night in the arctic icecaps. "At the Top of the Hill, They Stood..." is one of the best compositional pieces he's ever put on record. Some take a more experimental route, like the repetitive beeping sounds on "Pythagoras on the Line Again" or the icy darkness of "Midnight Sun." Highlights like "Chapter" are incredible and moments like "Chinstrap" and "Adelie" continue to be moving with its more traditional Irish-influenced instrumentation. Overall, Handfuls of Night pushes to be one of the best records of the year within the classical ambient genre.
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Mettavolution
The acoustic guitar duo known for their back and forth strumming make some of their most compelling work yet. Mettavolution tries new effects, tempos, and even a stunning 19-minute Pink Floyd cover. The chemistry between Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are still ever wound and engaging, playing off of each other like a back and forth tennis match. The excellent guitar dueling sounds much more polished and is obviously the selling point of the record. "Cumbé" and "Krotona Days" sound much more lighthearted and playful, while the title track sounds more urgent and dark. The duo has been around for a long time at this point, but they still are able to provide not only an entertaining record, but try new things out. I would love to see more risks and changes next time around, but Mettavolution is a great record to check out until then.
Sarah Louise
Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars
Sarah Louise is a versatile artist that really surrounds herself with the beauty of nature. Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars features her magically detailed and atmospheric guitar playing, her heavenly vocals at points, and ambient music that really takes the listener to a whole new world. Louise is quite overlooked and underrated when it comes to combining folk music with worldly ambient and often psychedelic music. The album from start to finish felt like more of an emotional experience than anything else. It can be tough to digest and listen to at times, but the overall experience is quite rewarding when it comes down to the gorgeous music Sarah Louise has created. The intricate, layered material is very lush, spacey, and exciting. I'm very glad I found out about her music this year. I can't wait to hear what she does next.
William Tyler
Goes West
One of guitar music's hidden treasures, William Tyler still dazzles and continues to show his craftsmanship on Goes West. It was an eye opening experience listening to these sharply crafted gems from William Tyler. It's a dazzling collection of instrumentals that combine Americana with folk, soft rock, and acoustic music. It contains some songs that'll put a pep in your step ("Fail Safe," "Rebecca") and some gorgeously lush ballads that are like watching a beautiful sunset ("Not in Our Stars," "Call Me When I'm Breathing Again"). The performances are excellent from Tyler and his friendly musicians (like Dawes' Griffin Goldsmith) and the full listen goes down as smooth and calming as a comforting sleep-inducing tea. A great introduction to his catalog, Goes West is just as great as Modern Country or even Behold the Spirit. As far as Americana goes, you really can't do any better.
Comments