I didn’t really get into listening to a lot of music until my sophomore or junior year of high school. That would be…2014? Time is a blur sometimes. During my relatively short time as a music consumer and blogger, I think 2019 is the most forgettable year for music so far. Maybe all the artists wanted to make it easier for the professional critics to compile their end-of-the-decade lists.
2019 has left us with more questions than answers. We really don’t have much of an idea of what the 2020’s will look like. The end of other decades in the past have been glimpses of what’s to come. The late 60’s provided hints of hard rock and punk rock’s rise during the 70’s. The late 2000’s was sneak peak of the dance-inspired pop music of the 2010’s. Unfortunately, there doesn’t really seem to be anything revolutionary on the horizon right now.
Still, 2019 had its bright spots, and I hope to showcase them here. I probably haven’t branched out as much as prior years, but finishing college and starting a full-time job will do that to you. Instead, I’ve more meticulously sought out albums I expected to enjoy. Following are the ones I enjoyed the most.
#20
Sunn O)))
Life Metal / Pyroclasts
Okay, so I’m cheating a little bit by putting two albums in the last spot on the list, but even by looking at the covers you can tell that these two records are born from the same breath. Sunn O))) have already solidified themselves as the kings of drone metal, and they deliver a pair of quality records that focus on an excellent production of simplistic ideas. Never have long and sustained notes carried such weight and power. Life Metal is very bright in tone, while Pyroclasts is much darker. Released just a few months apart, these albums pair nicely together as a dichotomy of what drones can be.
#19
The Comet is Coming
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
Occasionally, it feels like a lot of 21st-century jazz is just concerned with being as abstract and as radical as possible, and unlike SpongeBob in that episode where he tried to prove he wasn’t a baby, I never acquired a taste for free-form jazz. The Comet is Coming found a different, more enjoyable way to be innovative. They combine smooth jazz ideas with electronic soundscapes in a way that sounds very cool. The saxophone work of bandleader Shabaka Hutchings is superb, and the 8-minute “Blood of the Past” is an amazing track that serves as the album’s centerpiece.
#18
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
It is, of course, impossible to discuss Purple Mountains without honoring the legacy of the man behind the project, David Berman. The Silver Jews lead singer and part-time poet had taken a long break from music, and just a few weeks after releasing this album, tragically took his own life. Berman touched a lot of people with his ability to turn a phrase, and his sense of humor deeply enriched his music. On Purple Mountains, you can hear Berman take a more somber approach to his poetry, and the album serves as an eerily prophetic reminder of what was to come.
#17
Danny Brown
uknowhatimsayin¿
Here comes a hot take: Danny Brown is the best rapper in the game right now. I adopted this take following the release of Danny’s last album, Atrocity Exhibition (which is the best rap album of the decade for me). While that album was an achievement in experimental hip-hop and cemented Danny as the king of cocaine-induced chaos, uknowhatimsayin¿ is a much shorter and more concise ode to classic hip-hop. While not quite as abrasive as Atrocity Exhibition, this new album contains no shortage of excellent production, great features, and amazing lyrics such as “I eat so many shrimp I got iodine poisonin’ / hoes on my dick ’cause I look like Roy Orbison.”
#16
Caroline Polachek
Pang
Just watch this:
#15
Vampire Weekend
Father of the Bride
After tackling the deep relationship between man and God on their seminal work Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend finally return six years later with a much simpler album about the relationship between a boy and a girl. Father of the Bride isn’t nearly as musically as cohesive as their previous work, but it has a carefree attitude that’s enjoyable to be a part of. We hear lead singer Ezra Koenig say “I think I took myself too serious, it’s not that serious” on the intro to “Sympathy,” and I think that pretty well encompasses was this album is all about. The best tracks on this record are the ones that have the most fun; “Harmony Hall” and “This Life” come to mind.
#14
Blood Incantation
Hidden History of the Human Race
One of the running jokes about metal is that there are seemingly infinite subgenres. I’m sure I’m not the first to come up with this idea, but I would submit that Blood Incantation are purveyors of what I will dub “Cosmic Death Metal.” This is not your typical death metal concerned with blood and guts, but rather transcended death metal concerned with the mysteries of the beyond. Regardless of the lyrical themes, one thing is for certain: Blood Incantation create inventive and powerful music on this record. The first three tracks on the album all lead up to the centerpiece, “Awakening From The Dream Of Existence To The Multidimensional Nature Of Our Reality (Mirror Of The Soul)”, a complex 18-minute composition that is one of the best bits of metal we’ll hear all year.
#13
FKA twigs
Magdalene
When an album gets as much critical hype as this one got, I tend to have my doubts, but nothing pleases me more than when an album lives up to that hype. FKA twigs’ first full-length album in 5 years is an achievement in R&B and art pop. Her vocal performances are incredibly intimate, and the instrumentals on songs like “sad day” really enrich them. After her split from Robert Pattinson in 2017 and hospitalization due to fibroid tumors later that year, Magdalene signifies a rebirth for FKA twigs. On this album, she meticulously traverses the difficult process of accepting one’s self, and by the end, we can hear that she’s once again able to spread her wings.
#12
JPEGMAFIA
All My Heroes Are Cornballs
Hip-hop is probably the most over-saturated genre of music. So many dudes can freestyle over stolen beats and throw it up on Soundcloud. Trap rappers can release multiple stale mixtapes in a year’s time, with nothing standing out. This is a big part of the reason we appreciate JPEGMAFIA. His follow-up to 2018’s Veteran, an album which really put him on the map, delivers another set of creative and experimental beats, unique deliveries, clever lyrics, and a style that is all his own. While the second half of this album is a little bit slower and more introspective, the first half is pure excellence that has made JPEGMAFIA stand out in the experimental hip-hop scene.
#11
LINGUA IGNOTA
Caligula
Perhaps one of the most terrifying albums of the year, Caligula is the second full-length release from LINGUA IGNOTA, the stage name of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Kristin Hayter. Hayter combines elements of dark ambient, industrial, neo-classical, and noise music into a body-shaking journey of pain and anger. Hayter’s own experiences as a victim of domestic abuse are the key driver of these songs, and the way she expresses her feelings on songs like “DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR” is incredibly striking. This is a tough album to get through, but it’s an achievement of personal storytelling through shocking composition.
#10
Bon Iver
i,i
Justin Vernon, the man behind Bon Iver, is no stranger to exploring the unknown. 2016’s 22, A Million saw the indie folk artist transform into something much more complicated, incorporating glitchy electronic instrumentals and a full band into his abstract poetry. i,i doesn’t reinvent Bon Iver like 22, A Million did, but rather finds a middle ground between that album and Bon Iver’s excellent self-titled album from 2011. Vernon gets a lot closer to his folk roots, and incorporates spiritual elements with great success. “Holyfield” and “Faith” are some of Bon Iver’s most beautiful tracks to date.
#9
Blarf
Cease & Desist
Nothing short of a plunderphonic nightmare, Cease & Desist is a brainchild of one Mr. Eric Andre, but dressed up like Ronald McDonald, I guess. Andre called his own album “unlistenable” and challenged his listeners to make it through the first 6 minutes without having to turn it off. Somehow, I was highly intrigued by this 28-minute mess of samples, and what Andre’s claims forget is that it’s a whole 10 minutes until the album devolves into the nearly 13-minute-long harsh noise piece dubbed “I Worship Satan.” What this album really is is an ingenious satire on the state of sample-based music today, and the musical equivalent of an internet shitposter accidentally creating beautiful poetry.
#8
Jai Paul
Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
The internet has changed the music industry, for better and for worse. On one hand, it’s easier for artists to get their music out there. Unfortunately, it also has made it easier for material to be leaked ahead of its initial release. Jai Paul’s influential 2013 album was one of the unfortunate victims, and after many years of recluse, Paul has finally returned and gifted us with an official release of these demos recorded so long ago. They certainly sound like demos, but the songs are innovative, containing a unique mesh of Indian and British dance music. Even though hindsight is 20/20, it’s easy to look back and realize how Jai Paul impressive left his mark on the dance music scene without ever having an official release.
#7
100 gecs
1000 gecs
I think this might be the best terrible album I’ve ever heard. The brainchild of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, 1000 gecs is a send-up of all of the pop and dance music trends from the past several years, with a few extra memes sprinkled on top. It combines bubblegum bass with a healthy dose of musical satire, and the result is really goddamn funny. There’s a song that randomly breaks into dubstep, a song that randomly breaks into doom metal. Hell, there’s even a ska song! Sometimes, people forget that there really are no rules when it comes to making music, and 1000 recs is the reminder we need right now.
#6
The Caretaker
Everywhere at the End of Time – Stage 6
James Kirby, the man behind The Caretaker moniker, began the Everywhere at the End of Time project in late 2016. Now, he takes his final bow with the sixth installment in the series. The saga of ambient noise works has, throughout its history, conveyed an incredible feeling of dread and isolation. The structure of this music is highly minimalist, but somehow manages to penetrate deep inside the soul. Most of the album is deep drones supported by a static hum. However, the last movement is much brighter, and though mostly full of hope, ends without any of it left.
#5
Kanye West
Jesus Is King
I know I gave this album a full review upon its initial release, but I can say that, since then, my appreciation of it has grown quite a bit. I understand that it’s so much fun to hate Kanye, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. No, his albums aren’t the most cleanly produced or fully developed, but would the world really make since if Kanye as we know him today were doing that? Part of Kanye’s appeal, at least for me, is that he is so unapologetic about his endeavors. I disagree with him on many of his hot takes from the past few years, but I think he is one of the most genuine people in music, and Jesus Is King feels like truly sincere expression from a man who is currently in the midst of transforming himself and his career.
#4
Tomb Mold
Planetary Clairvoyance
Man, I listened to so much mediocre metal this year. Imagine my excitement when I came across this Tomb Mold record here. A sub-50 minute death metal album is getting rarer and rarer, and in just 38 minutes these guys took a science-fiction-y theme, fleshed it out, and kicked an extremely satisfactory amount of ass. Max Klebanoff is both the drummer and the vocalist on this record, and gives extraordinary performances in both departments. His vocals enrich the album with an extra layer of darkness, and the excellent, ominous interludes act like portals between the dimensions in which each song dominates and overwhelms.
#3
Lightning Bolt
Sonic Citadel
Of all of the album I listened to this year, Sonic Citadel was probably the one that hooked me the most immediately. With the opener “Blow To The Head,” the album plunges you into a cacophony of math rock and noise rock and does not let up until it’s over. I was super impressed by the production on this album and the way that the vocals meshed so fittingly into the chaos underneath them. When a lot of bands from this genre really on quirky song construction and odd time signatures to try to stand out, Lightning Bold makes their presence known with sheer force, and it was a pleasure to be a part of the madness.
#2
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Infest the Rats’ Nest
Perhaps no one during the 2010’s was successful in as many different styles as King Gizzard. The guys from Australia have released soft rock albums, prog rock albums, a microtonal album, an infinitely looping album, and now they’ve closed the decade with an impressive thrash metal album. Infest the Rats’ Nest is loud, heavy, political, and just a lot of fun. King Gizzard aggressively warn us that our little planet is dying, and, as they say in the opening track, “There is no Planet B.” And even though a metal album is a bit of a straying from their previous work, King Gizzard still manage to incorporate some of their trademark elements of noise rock and blues rock. Infest the Rats’ Nest is an awesome foray into a new genre from one of rock music’s most innovative groups.
#1
Carly Rae Jepsen
Dedicated
Why would you expect anything else from me? You know my blind, automaton-like worship of CRJ is deeply ingrained into my being. Yeah, I know this album isn’t as good as Emotion, but it was unrealistic for us to expect her to top it. Instead, she reinvented her music, dropping the club elements and replacing them with disco. Her mastery of the nostalgia-pop subgenre has put her in a musical class of her own, and nearly every song on this new album, as the kids say, “fucking slaps.”
When I saw Carly Rae Jepsen in Minneapolis this summer, I was impressed at how well she performs her songs and sincerely loves the music that she’s making. While Carly has been treated unfairly by record executives during her career and probably missed out on the popularity she could have garnered, it was a blessing in disguise. She has been able to make the music she wants to make and put her heart into it, and Dedicated is yet another demonstration of her unique artistry.
Ryan Reviews Music 