Best Albums of 2019

[CooterBrown 18014]

My Top 10 in no particular order...

Sleaford Mods - Eton Alive
Black Pumas - S/T
Le Butcherettes - bi/MENTAL
Tool - Fear Inoculum
Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost...in particular the first volume with its surprisingly heavy Duran Duran influence
In the Valley Below - The Pink Chateau
Jenny Lewis - On the Line
Night Beats - Myth of a Man
Bridge City Sinners - Here's to the Devil
Stonefield - Bent

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

My list and write up (from another board).

10. Whiskey Myers S/T. A huge step forward for these guys. Previously I had thought of them as a fun, but fairly shallow Southern rock revivalist group. The songwriting hits greater depths here, especially the stellar "Rolling Stone". They still rock hard as hell, too. Especially "Bury My Bones" which features a guitar solo straight of Jason Isbell-era Drive-By Truckers.

9. Flatland Cavalry Homeland Insecurity. The heir apparent to the Turnpike Troubadours, Flatland Cavalry's second full album showed a huge leap forward. Cleto Cordero is rounding into a hell of a songwriter in his own right, and the band is tight as hell. They tread lighter ground than their obvious aforementioned influence, and occupy a more sensitive vein, which ultimately render it something slightly less to my ears. "My heart was beatin' like a bully on the smallest in our class" is one of my favorite lyrics of the year.

8. The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru the Passion. Terrible title, great album. Not much to say here, other than THS is back. Clearly influenced and inspired by Craig Finn's solo work, the band is having more fun than they have in years. Twin guitars, Franz Nicolai's stellar keys, Finn being Finn. The coda to "Blackout Sam" is something else.

7. Chris Knight Almost Daylight. Chris Knight is back after the better part of the decade, and it's worth the weight. Nothing really new here, just his update on the state of the world as he sees it in 2019. "Send It on Down" with Leann Womack and "Go On" are highlights here.

6. Jenny Lewis On The Line. Merging Rumours-era Mac and classic 80's Petty, Lewis makes the best record of her career. The subject matter dives straight into some of her more well known personal struggles as a former child star. "Wasted Youth" is probably my favorite here, but the entire album is a home run exercise in resurrecting the aforementioned sounds, and making it seem completely fresh.

5. Mike & The Moonpies Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold. This is probably the coolest sounding record I heard all year. They take their cosmic honky tonk to Abbey Road, drench it in wild string arrangements, and the results are incredible. The only reason this doesn't rate higher is a handful of forgettable songs on a short (8 songs) record that features a cover (Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues"). But where this lands, holy **** it lands. "Danger" is my song of the year, and the coda here is absolutely sublime. These guys are onto something big.

4. Tyler Childers. Country Squire. A smaller affair than his 2017 debut, this one pushes the raw, lean bluegrass/country of his first record into funkier, more cosmic territory. Split between intense character studies (Creeker; Matthew) and ruminations on love (All Your'n; House Fire), his ascendance through the country/Americana/whatever world seems academic at this point.

3. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury. Strip away all the ********, and hype, and what you have is a staggering, bad ass, rock and roll record. In an era where that is becoming an increasingly rare thing, it deserves to be celebrated. Fastest Horse in Town is the pinnacle of this guitar and synth driven shredfest. "Make Art, Not Friends" is the danceable centerpiece manifesto.

2. The Yawpers Human Question. One of the most exciting rock bands going continues to push the envelope. From snarling punk (Child of Mercy), blistering funk rock (Earn Your Heaven), soul (Carry Me), and Westerberg-ian anthems (Can't Wait), Nate Cook and Jesse Parmet continue to prove that rock and roll still rocks.

1. Todd Snider Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3. Possibly the best songwriter going today. This is typically brilliant Snider fare, veering between his biting, sarcastic tear downs of modern day America (The Blues on Banjo; Talking Reality Television Blues) and gut wrenchingly personal introspection in the fallout of his divorce (Like A Force of Nature; Watering Flowers in the Rain). "Watering Flowers in the Rain" is the most moving song I've heard from anyone in a long time.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

Tool was just outside my Top 10.

[BurdineBandit 815]

54 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

My Top 10 in no particular order...

Black Pumas - S/T

Tool - Fear Inoculum
Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost...in particular the first volume with its surprisingly heavy Duran Duran influence
 

Check, check, check. I agree Pt. 1 of Foals' album was better. I like the run they've been on since I first gave them a shot around 2012. I really wanted to like that album but most of it was skip-worthy. They've improved tons since.

I'm not sure I "loved" 10 albums this year, but if I had to make a Top list, these 3 would be on it. Add:

YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy

 

 

Other albums I enjoyed but not sure I'd put on a Top list for the year:

Schoolboy Q - Crash Talk

Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

Durand Jones & The Indications - American Love Call

[jimmyjazz 45963]

My wife wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas, which in my mind translates "what shit can I get her to buy me that I'd already be buying so we waste as little money as possible".

I asked for Black Pumas, Kacey Musgraves, and The Highwomen.  Still looking for a few more to round that out . . . might try Todd Snider.

[NOMAAA 1696]

digging some of the tracks off this yawpers record.  had forgotten that hold steady had a full length out.  liked the singles.  star 18 is a great tune.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

My list and write up (from another board).

5. Mike & The Moonpies Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold. This is probably the coolest sounding record I heard all year. They take their cosmic honky tonk to Abbey Road, drench it in wild string arrangements, and the results are incredible. The only reason this doesn't rate higher is a handful of forgettable songs on a short (8 songs) record that features a cover (Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues"). But where this lands, holy **** it lands. "Danger" is my song of the year, and the coda here is absolutely sublime. These guys are onto something big.

4. Tyler Childers. Country Squire. A smaller affair than his 2017 debut, this one pushes the raw, lean bluegrass/country of his first record into funkier, more cosmic territory. Split between intense character studies (Creeker; Matthew) and ruminations on love (All Your'n; House Fire), his ascendance through the country/Americana/whatever world seems academic at this point.

3. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury. Strip away all the ********, and hype, and what you have is a staggering, bad ass, rock and roll record. In an era where that is becoming an increasingly rare thing, it deserves to be celebrated. Fastest Horse in Town is the pinnacle of this guitar and synth driven shredfest. "Make Art, Not Friends" is the danceable centerpiece manifesto.

1. Todd Snider Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3. Possibly the best songwriter going today. This is typically brilliant Snider fare, veering between his biting, sarcastic tear downs of modern day America (The Blues on Banjo; Talking Reality Television Blues) and gut wrenchingly personal introspection in the fallout of his divorce (Like A Force of Nature; Watering Flowers in the Rain). "Watering Flowers in the Rain" is the most moving song I've heard from anyone in a long time.

 

Couldn't agree more on these. That Mike and the Moonpies album is my favorite from an artist I was previously unfamiliar with. 

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

35 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

might try Todd Snider.

Man, if you aren't familiar with Todd, just buy his whole damn catalog. 

Near Truths, Storyteller, and East Nashville Skyline are great albums to start with in addition to his latest.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Seasick Sailor

[4th&Five 41558]

Tyler Ramsey and the instrumental soundtrack to the Apollo 11 documentary were the ones I listened to the most by far. Also really liked...

Josh Ritter

Ian Noe

Todd Snider

Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster

Sturgill

Felice Brothers

Patrick Park

Damien Jurado

Purple Mountains

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

19 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Man, if you aren't familiar with Todd, just buy his whole damn catalog. 

Near Truths, Storyteller, and East Nashville Skyline are great albums to start with in addition to his latest.

Co-signed.  Todd is a living legend.  He's completely fucking brilliant, has an uncanny gift for melody, etc.

Even his more over-produced early albums are loaded with really good songs.

[jimmyjazz 45963]

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Man, if you aren't familiar with Todd, just buy his whole damn catalog. 

I'm quite familiar with Todd Snider.  I just don't have his new record.

[Don Johnson 4754]

I read these lists and realize just how out of touch I've become.

[OkieLite Fan 8]

In no particular order except for the 1st being my #1:

Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

Mannequin Pussy - Patience

Julia Jacklin - Crushing

Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel

Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising

Big Thief - Two Hands

Lana Del Ray - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Kevin Morby - Oh My God

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors

Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

[Reynolds Woodcock 4753]

Weird year for me (which I feel like I say every year now that I'm not in my 20s).

1. Big Thief  - UFOF

2. Lana Del Ray - Norman fucking Rockwell (what?! yes, I loved this album, and I've never really been an LDR fan. I put this on repeat more than any other album this year)

3. Big Thief - Two Hands (that's right, these mother fuckers dropped two of the top three albums this year)

4. Angel Olson - All Mirrors

5. Sturgill Simpson - SOUND & FURY

6. Charly Bliss - Young Enough

7. FKA twigs - MAGDALENE

8. Bon Iver - i, i

9. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride (a good amount of filler, with a couple classics sprinkled in)

10. Thom Yorke - ANIMA

 

[Paul Wesley 3278]

I listened to the NPR end-of-year “all songs considered “ and big thief was the band that I wanted to hear more from.  Several of y’all confirming that notion. 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Paul Wesley

[jimmyjazz 45963]

Anybody have Madison Cunningham's debut?  I'm hearing a lot of buzz.  Some references to Joni Mitchell, which I sorta hear in the vocals and melodic structure, but I haven't heard the whole album.  Here's a preview:

 

[DougO 5250]

On 12/20/2019 at 2:45 PM, Don Johnson said:

I read these lists and realize just how out of touch I've become.

Yep. I don't recognize most of the stuff posted thus far, and I have been a huge music consumer of various genres in past decades.

All that comes to mind so far is Rival Sons - Feral Roots.

Edited December 22, 2019 by DougO

[Dbeasy 15052]

Same here. Don’t even know the genres. How do people become aware of all these groups/singers.

[DougO 5250]

I just check into Austin City Limits each week and wonder, "what the fuck is this?"

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

14 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Same here. Don’t even know the genres. How do people become aware of all these groups/singers.

It's a combination of message boards, Facebook groups, and Spotify for me.

[CooterBrown 18014]

Spotify is the best way to learn about new music. Always click on an artist name and then check out the "Fans Also Like" section. You can go down a rabbit hole for days discovering new bands.

[4th&Five 41558]

I find out about bands I don’t know about usually from bands I like. 

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

15 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Same here. Don’t even know the genres. How do people become aware of all these groups/singers.

KUTX can be pretty good. 

[stc 1462]

Frankie and the Witch Fingers- Zam. High energy psychedelic garage rock. If you like The Oh Sees you should love this band. Favorite Track- Dracula Drug https://youtu.be/cSKXH24xQ5A

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Infest the Rats' Nest. They made a thrash metal album and it's fucking great. Very technical and prog metal at times. Favorite track: Self Immolate https://youtu.be/aHGI749-OLA

The Well- Death and Consolation. Stoner metal, Sabbath riffs, great album. Favorite Track: Eyes of a God https://youtu.be/rsJoRbPoSow

Steve Gunn- The Unseen In Between. Mellow modern folk, similar to Kurt Vile. Excellent guitar playing and great melodies. Album has the open atmospheric feel of a road trip. Favorite Track: Vagabond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6-dwxvTQd0

The Growlers- Natural Affair. Continuing to progress their sound, this album is a mix of pop/funk often with a disco or reggae beat. Some solid songs and excellent lyrical themes. Favorite Track: Social Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlF7LOqp6xY

Night Beats- Myth of a Man. Mellow R&B psych record recorded in Nashville with session musicians. A significant change from their last album but it grew on me a lot. Favorite Track: Her Cold Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYXBo2pdpUw&list=RDMYXBo2pdpUw&start_radio=1

Desert Sessions- Vol 11 + 12. Interesting collaborations and sounds. I like this more than the last QOTSA record. Favorite Track: Something You Can't See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XIOz5E5ug&feature=emb_logo

Sturgill Simpson- Sound and Fury. I don't mind the synths at all, feel like these songs are way stronger than anything on the last album. Favorite Track: Make Art Not Friends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0-mjAB_Mig

Mikal Cronin- Seeker. Same power pop as his previous albums but the lyrics and songs are darker with some nice string arrangements. Favorite Track: Show Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAC9bZjGv-U

DIIV- Deceiver. Dark grunge/shoegaze with some good hooks. Favorite Track: Skin Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAC9bZjGv-U

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2019 by stc

[qwertyu1234 496]

1. Jenny Lewis-On the line

I saw her live and she was great, haven't gotten into any other 2019 albums but i'll check out some stuff you guys recommended in this thread. 

[TornACL 7698]

On 12/20/2019 at 2:45 PM, Don Johnson said:

I read these lists and realize just how out of touch I've become.

It must be some kind of federal mandate that someone throws this comment into every end of year music thread. 

[Dbeasy 15052]

Spotify is the best way to learn about new music. Always click on an artist name and then check out the "Fans Also Like" section. You can go down a rabbit hole for days discovering new bands.

Fantastic advice. I’ve just spent hours flipping thru groups.

[DougO 5250]

You know what used to be a great thing for discovering new bands? Myspace. Seriously. Bands linked bands they liked on their pages and you could go to their myspace page and listen to some tunes right there. I spent many nights exploring music that way. Finding new bands to follow became much harder after myspace became unusable and fecebook took over social media.

[D_Goose 489]

On 12/23/2019 at 11:14 AM, stc said:

Steve Gunn- The Unseen In Between. Mellow modern folk, similar to Kurt Vile. Excellent guitar playing and great melodies. Album has the open atmospheric feel of a road trip. Favorite Track: Vagabond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6-dwxvTQd0

Really enjoy what I've heard of Steve Gunn. 

[Bottlecap 1523]

10 FKA Twigs | Magdalene

9 T. Swizzle | Lover

8 Cuco | Para Mi 

7 Orville Peck | Pony

6 21 Savage | I Am > I Was (technically dropped Dec 21 of last yr)

5 Rex Orange County | Pony (but who pony'd first?)

4 The National | I am Easy to Find

3 Big Thief | Two Hands

2 Cigarettes After Sex | Cry

1 Ages & Ages | Me You They We

worst: Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend.

 

 

 

[CooterBrown 18014]

I don’t know how I left Orville Peck off my list. It may have been my number one.

[TornACL 7698]

So late to return to this thread but I didn't see a lot or any Helado Negro "This Is How You Smile" on the lists, but that one is up there on mine. 

Enjoyed the Big Thief and Moonpies recs

[NoRagrets 1125]

Totally agree with the Lana love. Rockwell was a masterpiece.

More obscure but I though Lucky Daye’s debut album was incredible as well.

[Red Five 40859]

14 hours ago, NoRagrets said:

Lucky Daye’s debut album 

Have you heard Ned Nederlander's? It's not bad.