Honorable Mentions

Here are just a few albums that, regardless of my feelings on them, felt like they should get a shoutout in my end-of-the-year list. Some of them may be ones that ‘just missed the cut’, some may have cool ideas that didn’t pan out so well, some may be from some important artists that I want you to know that, yes, I did listen to the new Tyler, the Creator album please stop asking me about the new Tyler, the Creator album. So, here we go.

Tyler, the Creator – Igor

Yeah so I guess I spoiled this one, didn’t I? Listen I know a ton of people that are crazy for this thing, and I DO like it, but it’s just that – I like it. I think it’s okay. I think it’s neat. I think there are some great things about this album, namely the production, and I think there are some pretty lackluster things about this album. So, starting with the good, the production is pretty great. Sometimes a little derivative, sure, but all these obvious influences that Tyler has DO get blended pretty well so that it doesn’t feel like JUST a Kanye song or JUST a Pharrel song. The lo-fi production and mixing is both bold and sometimes pretty enveloping, honestly, I think it was a great decision. However, there are just so many songs on this album – nearly all, really – that feel so underwritten. They pop with some good melodies – some catchy verses and choruses – but then don’t really develop into anything. Take the first half of “Gone, Gone/Thank You” for example. The only real justification this moment has is that there’s a whole other song tacked onto it, there’s no real development or structure that leads to any sort of gratification. Every song shows you nearly all that it’s going to do within the first minute or so, save for an example like “What’s Good” and the closing track. And on top of this, the lyrics. God, the breakup album concept to this album is tiring. Not that I think a breakup album can’t be good or that it’s existence is cliche, but is Tyler really saying ‘you make my earthquake’ and rhyming it with ‘heartbreak’? Really? And then ‘don’t leave, it’s my fault.’? Simplicity can be a good thing, sure, but it happens on nearly every song. The story that this album is trying to tell is so vague and predictable that it really could be about, well, just about anybody. Again, there are exceptions, and I really do like the production and the melodies, but nearly every song has these two major pitfalls that I can’t seem to shake. I wished I liked this album more than I do, because Tyler clearly put a lot of ambition into it, but I just think it’s a bit under-done.

Denzel Curry – ZUU

That last one was much longer than I wanted it to be so I’ll make the rest of these quick. If any of you know me, you might know that I happen to love much of Denzel Curry’s output. His last album was one of my top favorites of last year and I have tons of hope and faith that he will continue to release music that is both ambitious as it is accessible and current. ZUU is a pretty good album. Again, I like this thing. I enjoy most of the songs on it. I think this has some of Denzel’s most off-the-wall, loudest, in your face albums. I just wish there was more to it. I love the Miami concept, I love the energy coming through, and some of these songs are Denzel’s funnest. I think this is an admirable album and a good one, at that. As a Denzel fan, I am happy this came out, but I guess I just can’t justify having it one this list as it really just is a collection of tracks that leaves off a bit unsatisfyingly. Again, most of these songs are great and show just how relevant and talented an artist Denzel Curry is, but i’m still mostly looking forward to the next album.

Lizzo – Cuz I Love You

This album doesn’t just get a mention for being pretty good – it is – but also for 2019 being Lizzo’s stinkin’ year. Really, she killed it. I’m not going to pretend like I was familiar with her music before 2018’s “Boys”, but she quickly excited me with great single upon great single leading up to this new album here. And, her incredible appeal seems to have struck a chord with many people, too. Lizzo’s attitude rocks. She has such a unique, vibrant personality with her music that we honestly need in modern day pop. Not to mention I am fairly impressed with how seamlessly she blends both the bounciest elements of rap and soul together into a pretty distinct blend. There are moments on this album, a good half of it, that are just show-stopping pop tracks. The title track, “Juice”, “Jerome”, “Lingerie”, “Tempo”, are all immediately captivating. Unfortunately, while I think Lizzo’s hook-game does stay pretty consistent throughout the whole album, I do feel like some of the songs dip a bit too much into trendier territories that don’t pan out so well, such as the very snappy snares on “Like a Girl”. But again, I do like this album, and above all i’m glad to have a figure like Lizzo making such well-received music.

Swans, Purple Mountains, and Caroline Polachek – these three artists I can group together as their exclusion is a fairly unique reason. Unfortunately, considering all the other aspects of my life, I don’t get to do full deep dives into every album that i’d like to. Caroline Polachek and Purple Mountains were both artists that I had high hopes for this year, and i’ll probably enjoy their projects thoroughly when I make the time for them, but for various reasons I had only made one or two visits to their albums. However, I want to stress that this is NOT on the cause of a lack of enjoyment, but more so time getting ahead of me. Swans’s exclusion may be surprising as many might know that I am a large fan of this band’s work, but unfortunately, their new album arrived just as I came down with a pretty bad case of pneumonia, and I didn’t want to be doing much of any listening around then. Hopefully I can get to, and appreciate, these albums very soon. Oh and same goes for Anamanguchi. And, as a last note, rest in peace to the great David Berman.

Jpegmafia – All My Heroes are Cornballs

While I still prefer the more physical and defined production of Veteran, Jpegmafia’s incredibly unique and absurd character still bleeds through to his music in a great way. This is very much an experiment in atmosphere, and for that, it’s pretty unlike many releases you’ll hear. However, I think the best enjoyment of this album comes from experiencing it as a whole rather than one track against another, and perhaps that is it’s weakness.

Angel Olsen – All Mirrors

Much like that album that precedes it on this list, All Mirrors is a journey into more atmospheric production. I think Angel Olsen’s voice and songwriting find ways to shine through most of the time, and most of these tracks hide great instrumentals within their shimmering obscurity. However, there are times I feel just a tiny bit lost in the obscurity of it all. I wish I could ‘feel’ a lot more of these instrumentals, considering how adventurous they sometimes are, and how emotionally powerful the base of these songs are.

Inter Arma – Sulfur English

An underground metal highlight – what Inter Arma lack in cutting edge ideas and experimentation (on this album, at least), they make up for with amazing riff-writing and an extremely primal sound. Don’t get me wrong, Inter Arma isn’t some unoriginal band – find earthy, subterranean blends of Sludge, Doom, and Death metal here – but anyone will mainly walk away from this album just in love with the skillful progressions of these sludge tests.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana

I’m not even the biggest Madlib fan, but I can see how this is a highlight of Hip-Hop this year. Maybe it’s just a tad bit too long, and maybe some of the beat transitions can be a little bland, but the majority of these tracks are captivating, cold-blooded adventures into everything that makes Gangsta Rap great.

Holly Herndon – Proto

Holly Herndon can still make some leaps in the songwriting department, but Proto is one of the most mind-bending things you’ll hear all year. This has a one-of-a-kind sound steeped in the insanity of the AI generation. When it comes to this whole new deconstructed club thing, Holly Herndon maybe makes some of the most ‘beautiful’ arrangements.

Karen O & Dangermouse – Lux Prima

An early highlight of the year, this album did drop off a bit for me. Don’t get me wrong – I still think this is a supremely catchy, lush and well-produced album. I guess I just wish some of the songs had atmospheres as gorgeous as the title track, but overall, I still think this is a super underrated pop album and has an overlooked artistic edge.

Little Simz – Grey Area

Each track off of this album has at least some great qualities. Some have greater qualities than others. For instance, the mellow soul choruses can grow a bit redundant when compared to each other, especially considering how beautifully they’re implemented in a song like “Flowers.” Continuing that, Simz reaches greatness on most of the songs here. Something about this record feels like a debut, even though Simz is three albums in. It’s the raw energy and expressive talent that draws me in. And, when you’re album’s biggest issue is that some songs are ‘just decent’ while using the same ideas that made some songs ‘really freaking great’, you’ve probably made a great album.

21.The Comet is Coming – Trust in the Life-force of the Deep Mystery

There are moments on this album that are genuinely the most exciting songs in Jazz music this decade. There are ideas on this album that are really genius. There are genre blends on this album that sound futuristic and completely fresh. Yet, the band does delve a bit too much in some aimless cyber-atmospheric ramblings of instrumentals that aren’t composed nearly as well as the more fuel-injected songs. However, when these ‘ambient’ tracks DO hit, they are utter bliss.

Kim Gordon – No Home Record

Noise and Indie Rock legend Kim Gordon is here with one of the more surprising debut albums this decade. Considering her work with Body/Head, which is more adventurous than it is structured, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the fuzzy, booming synths and freakish guitars of this album. This feels just like the kind of album a Sonic Youth member should make in the 2010’s – a fine melting pot of noise, electronic, subtly, power, and pure rock music. Her knack for writing enveloping and memorable songs is flashed on a strong set of versatile songs here. Sure, there’s a set of repetitive tracks in the middle of the album that aren’t so hot, but the fireworks of this album are just that – fireworks.

Jenny Hval – The Practice of Love

This album’s concept is so intriguing, even the spoken word interlude track is great. While I mean that, there’s also much MUCH more to this album that I love. The blend of Art Pop, Ambient music, and House music has such an alluring sound when Jenny puts her hands on it. Her voice may not be the strongest part of her music, nor is it the oddest thing I’ve ever heard, but the light and ethereal tones she sings help craft a fantastic and one-of-a-kind sound on this album. I just wish the songwriting on the last couple of tracks was just as good as this album’s amazing start.

Alex Cameron – Miami Memory

Considering how specific the sound of Alex Cameron’s last album was, I wasn’t sure what I’d want from him in the future. I absolutely loved Forced Witness, and hey, I really love Miami Memory, too. I will admit, it took a while to grow on me, but that was maybe mostly the fact that my high exceptions quickly developed to immense worry. But, worry not, If you liked this guy’s previous stuff, you’ll like this. Incredibly funny and poignant lyrics, interesting song concepts, fun and tasteful throwbacks to the 70’s and 80’s, and some of the catchiest songs of the year. While it may not be as consistent as Forced Witness, the peaks are surely just as high.

Big Thief – U.F.O.F.

While this breakout group’s basis may not be the most original in indie folk – pretty, gentle guitars, a mellow atmosphere, quickly arpeggiating guitars – they find a way to be memorable. Firstly, the super-tight playing of this band is near-hypnotic. Not to mention they have one hell of a songwriter and vocalist in Adrienne Lenker. Even the most low-key moments AT LEAST have her presence on them, which is enough to at least grab my attention. Still, this band is at their best when they’re either writing a catchy song with some strong lyrics, delivering their distinctly otherworldly atmosphere and production, or both. I wish the band would take the sonic risks that they do on some of the songs here, but this is still a very good album.

Jai Paul – Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

Legendary album-less artist technically releases what is his first album. And yeah, this thing was leaked years ago. But the sound quality of that leak is pretty garbage, and considering THIS is the release that Paul himself considers the ‘official release’, it’s a 2019 album, baby. I’ll say what everyone has said – it’s crazy how six years later this thing still sounds as cutting-edge as it was initially going to be. While the many short, mini-songs and beat experiments may have been supposed to be fleshed out into full tracks, they mostly carry the listener through this intimate, lo-fi experience, every so often crashing into the meatier, fully-fleshed out pop songs. And boy, are those pop songs fleshy. Artsy pop music that blends a multitude of diverse styles, sensual singing, and ear-popping hooks? It was worth the wait.

Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe

I didn’t really expect to like this album – hell I didn’t even know that it was coming out. In the latter half of this decade, Indie Rock has been pretty weak, an especially sad story considering how great its peak was in the 2000’s. Yet, while Ms.Yanya isn’t blowing my absolute mind with this debut album, she sure has my attention. Eschewing the washed out blandness of most indie poppers nowadays, Yanya brings forth some throwback fuzzy guitars, sparkling dance beats, and some bright jazz-pop embellishments to the table. It’s the great tunes that really make this album. Aside from the handful of interlude tracks, the 17 songs on this album have very, VERY few low points. While they don’t have the highest reaching high points, either, Miss Universe presents a fantastic amount of great pop song consistency, and that’s worth something, right? Apparently, it’s worth being my 15th favorite album of the year.

Top 14

These are the big boys. Sure, I really-liked-to-loved the albums on the list before this. But here is where you’ll find the real crown jewels of the year. This is where you get the love-to-really-love.

FKA Twigs – Magdalene

I feel like i’ve been saying the words “futuristic” a lot this year. I’m going to say it again, FKA Twigs makes futuristic, sensual, intoxicating pop music. Her approach to this whole glitchy R&B Art Pop thing is fairly different than her contemporaries, however. Ever since her debut record, Twigs has maintained a strong sense of the burgeoning Deconstructed Club wave, giving her music both a massive, deep resonance and alight, airy beauty. You could point to some obvious inspirations for Twigs (if you like Bjork, you’ll like Magdalene), but god, who else is making a song like this album’s title track in 2019? This isn’t just beat-in-your-face pop music, this is emotional-enveloping pop music. Even the most straight forward songs, such as “Home With You” or the trap crossover “Holy Terrain” have mystical lead melodies that play greatly to Twigs’s vocal strengths. Side note, but “Holy Terrain” is genuinely a very good song and I resent those that think otherwise…crappy Future feature aside. But anyway, even though this album is pretty short, there are loads of slowly building and overwhelming songs that are just undeniably powerful. Again, the title track is stunning, lead-single and closing track “Cellophane” is one of the most heart-wrenching and tear-jerking songs of the year, all with some fantastic glitchy atmospheres. “Sad Day” and “Fallen Alien” come as two of the other highlights, and if I had to describe every single unique sound and texture of this album, i’d be here for hours. Listen to it. It’s great.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

This decade, Nick Cave has seen to reinvent himself from his post-punk and gothic roots into something a lot more atmospheric and intangible. While Skeleton Tree may have been the bleakest, darkest depths that this new ambient, droning style can go, Ghosteen exists as the brighter, blissful follow up album. Obviously, Nick Cave is still grieving the loss of his son, a moment that had influenced a good amount of his previous album. However, now a few years later, we’re getting a different Cave. He’s still overcome with emotion, that’s no doubt, but now we have glimmers of hope. Now, we have learning. Just look at the first song, the incredibly stunning “The Spinning Song”, which ends with the refrains of ‘time will come…peace will come.’ “Sun Forest”, another impeccable song, sees Cave’s poetry reaching fairy-tale like heights amidst an ascending musical backdrop. The one thing that I think needs to be said about this album, over many Cave albums, is that it is certainly not a ‘rock’ album, not in any way. In fact, very few of these tracks have percussion. I think the use of drums and groove were a good way to give the incredibly despondent songs on Skeleton Tree a definitive pulse, but Ghosteen seems even more interested in creating spaces for the listener to sink within. It just so happens that these places are gorgeous and heart-broken. Cave uses similar ideas to what had made his previous album so great, such as the repeated ghostly backing vocals on “Bright Horses” and many other tracks here, along with the very alien synth textures meshing with organic string arrangements. Ghosteen is an album of healing. The title track itself ends with the mantra of “well there’s nothing wrong with loving something that can’t even stand.” Speaking of that track, Cave does an extremely good job on progressing many of the tracks here. The title track, along with “Hollywood” feature lengthy, multi-faceted segments that are each better than the next and flow seamlessly. There are a few moments here that are maybe a bit too stagnant, such as “Ghosteen Speaks” or “Night Raid”, but there are more moments that are sunny patches of coming-down from loss, and gosh darnit, “Waiting For You” shouldn’t be allowed to be as catchy as it is.

Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Yeah, this is the surprise for the year. There’s a part of me that doesn’t even want to talk about this album considering everything i’ll say is probably the same that every online music nerd will say. I didn’t like Lana’s music before this. Not really at all. I didn’t hate Lana, as I don’t really say what’s to hate about her. I feel many music fans get up in their bunches about a popular female artist making music that they view as “just bland.” Sure, it’s bland, but that doesn’t mean that her or her fanbase are despicable. I’m getting off track, I just want to say that – no, I didn’t like Lana Del Rey’s very mild form of atmospheric trip-hoppy pop music, and I didn’t really like her lyricism either. Now, on this album, I fairly like her lyricism, and I REALLY like her take on dreamy chambery throwback pop rock music. I’d go so far as to say I…love…it. Songs like “Mariners Apartment Complex” and “The Greatest” have such huge displays of pop expression that, songwriting alone, they amongst the best highlights this year. “Mariner’s Apartment Complex” and “Venice Bitch” show an instrumentally engaging Lana, one that is very different than her older self. The gentle guitars, hazy synths, and warm atmospheres make something that’s impossible to not get dragged into. “Fuck It I Love You”, “California”, and “How To Dissappear” feel like modern takes on America’s greatest traditional songwriting techniques, and dang does it work. I even find most of the very low-key, vocal-and-piano driven songs on the final moments of the album to so much more compelling than they needed to be. Sure, it’s fifteen tracks, so there are a few ‘eh’ moments here – the Sublime cover is incredibly goofy, with Lana’s personality not doing anything helpful to the tone of the song at all – but most of this is pretty stunning, especially considering how Lana is able to maintain the best aspects of her original appeal.

Injury Reserve – Injury Reserve

Injury Reserve is one of those musical acts that is just perfect for the internet age. Their sense of humor and style of conscious critique is deeply rooted in the mechanics of the modern day, perhaps even the modern day of ten years from now. For example, the amazing and off-the-wall “Jailbreak the Tesla” may very well be one of my favorite singles this year. It’s thumping beat, brittle melodies, and strikes of scratchy noise sounds like a hi-tech car crash, all with lyrics like making Grimes your GPS’s voice. “Jawbreaker” is equally left field in sound in topic, discussing the current trend of online ‘fit’ culture and living past your means. It’s handled with tons of wit, and with these odd, essentially spoken word passages from the group and featured Rico Nasty. “Rap Song Tutorial” is a jab at the mass consumption and redundancy of music in the internet age, and sure, some of it may be a little ‘sure, guy’, but the beat composition at the core of this song is good enough to get the song across. Yet, as odd and inaccessible as these moments can be, you also have the 2000’s throwback “Gravy & Biscuits”, the incredibly to-the-point “Koruna & Lime”, or the star Freddie Gibbs featuring “Wax-On.” The group lives on making dynamic, potent rap. The emotional low points can be powerfully despondent, with crushing drums on the track “What a Year it’s Been”, and also recklessly triumphant, with the peppy jazz rap of closer “Three Man Weave.” Overall, Injury Reserve’s debut self-titled album feels not like what you’d expect from the group, but what all these mixtapes and EPs were destined to do.

Xiu Xiu – Girl With Basket of Fruit

This was an early love for me this year, and I’d have to say that this record has actually grown on me since my initial review. By this point, Xiu Xiu have formed quite the sizable and formidable discography, one that could go toe-to-toe with any number of underground rock groups from the 2000s. However, what makes Girl With Basket of Fruit so distinct is that it is definitely NOT a rock album. Here, Xiu Xiu throw away the guitars and the grooves for something that’s much more abstract and hectic. While the band has been known to make music that’s pushed to the extremes, Girl With Basket of Fruit finds unique ways to make the group’s dark and disturbing corridors, well, darker and disturbing-er. For starters, a handful of the songs here, such as the opening track and “Scisssssssors” pound away with speedy, ritualistic drumming – percussion is less ‘propulsive’ and more ‘holy shit I need to get out of here.’ The band goes absolutely crushing with their synths on “It Comes out as a Joke” and “Mary Turner Mary Turner”, songs that have sounds so obliterating it feels like the band recorded a hydraulic press stomping down all over the studio. And I mean this in the best way possible. The layers of dense, unpredictable and harsh sounds are incredibly varied, leaving no track feel like it’s the same as the last even if the songs are so abstract and experimental. And then there’s “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy”, which somehow finds a way to make an utterly undeniable dance track in the midst of all this horror. As is with any Xiu Xiu album, you can expect the songs here to feature some pretty intense and haunting lyrics, which they do (sometimes to the greatest extent that Jamie Stewart has ever produced). The best decision this album makes, however, is to save it’s only genuinely ‘pretty’ and ‘pop’ moment for last, the intoxication “Normal Love”, so that your ears and soul can take a bit of a breather after the relentless tortured journey that is this album.

Slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain

When I first heard this Slowthai album, I wasn’t completely sure how to feel. While I appreciated this album’s base unique elements – Slowthai’s yelpy delivery and the beats’ jittery grooves – I didn’t know if they’d all add up for me. However, considering this album’s second track is easily one of my favorite singles of this year, I just had to keep coming back. And while I still hold that “Doorman”, with it’s mighty, cutting edge post-punk influence and powerful energy, is still the best song here, everything else surrounding it just started falling into place. With a few more listens to Slowthai’s voice, it started to make sense for me. Sure, it may take a while to wrap your head around the drums of the title track, but once you do, it feels like one of the most evocative statements this year. Slowthai’s political, conscious rapping works so well with these dysfunctional beats, and it’s all brought to another level thanks to the man’s uncompromising performance style. His speedy, hurried, and urgent flows on the verses of “Missing” lead to such a great catharsis when the chorus breaks through into melancholic multi-tracked vocals and drowning thumps of drums. The sparkling, weepy guitars on this track are also an enveloping touch. Energy aside, poignant lyricism aside, voice aside, I think what makes Slowthai’s music here so amazing is his great sense of progression. These songs are hardly ever static or repetitive. Most of the times, the beats grow and develop more and more ghostly layers of instrumentation, such as on highlights “Dead Leaves” or “Peace of Mind”. And, lyrically, Slowthai doesn’t let it all out on the get-go. The opening track’s complex message of both pride and shame from your homeland is only revealed at the very last moment, and the stunning closing track “Northampton’s Child” finds so many emotional peaks and valleys that it’s hard to not see the impressiveness of it all. Smaller more to-the-point moments can be kind of a mixed bag here, with “Grow Up”, “Gorgeous” (before the ending vocal snippet), and “Toaster” being some of the weaker songs here. However, “Crack” is easily the melodic highlight of the album, and it’s uniquely low-key atmosphere breaks up the album nicely. And then there’s “Inglorious.” God, is there “Inglorious.”

Lingua Ignota – Caligula

Kristin Hayter’s music has the power to make you cry and feel very, very afraid. On Caligula, this tear-terror happens in strides. I don’t want to make light of the real emotional pain that goes on and influenced this album – Kristin Hayter herself stated that large influence that a history of domestic abuse has essentially given this album it’s purpose, and that’s not something that I want to joke about for obvious reasons. In fact, the lyrical content of this album gives some of it’s strongest moments. Kristin takes the topic of abuse to hellish extents, literally, with the world of Caligula existing between a real human’s pain and the manifestation of evil itself. On one hand, the music of this album feels centuries old. Many of the chord progressions and lyrics, such as on the opening few tracks, feel like touchdowns to hundreds of years ago, when the fear of Satan was a much more present worry. With this album’s classical instrumental backdrop and down-right shocking bursts of noise, many of the moments here really do feel like they’re spewing right from the streets of Pandaemonium. However, if you’re able to look past the brutal darkness of this album, some really stunning details and instrumental flourishes come to light. Kristin backs these noisey, fuzzy soundscapes up with some beautiful string sections, melancholic horns, and gorgeous vocal harmonies. Nearly every track stuns in some way, whether it be from they’re intense ferocity, bleak sadness, or the rare blood-pumping catharsis, such as on “Day of Tears and Mourning” – a track that is my favorite on the album because I’m a peasant. Of course, no review of this album could go without saying how dynamic and one-of-a-kind Kristin’s performances are – she captures both the power of a devil and a god in one fell swoop, yet somehow retains her human vulnerability.

Clipping. – There Existed an Addiction to Blood

This album is about vampires. Kinda. It’s also clipping.’s (how the fuck do you make this plural? I’m rolling with this.) most immediate album yet. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some utterly insane beats and experiments here. “Run For Your Life” features the equally inventive and bonkers use of cars passing by to provide the beat. Fade-in, fade-out kind of shit. It’s wild. The closing few moments of “La Mala Ordina” exist solely to blow your face off and melt the remains (thank you, The Rita.) There’s a few droney, HUGE and more abstract pieces here, such as the oppressive “Club Down” and the kind of loose, mild “He Dead.” Most of them go over well. And yeah, the final track is eighteen minutes of a piano burning. That one specifically is a little indulgent. But as for the rest, clipping. Maintains a unique approach to blending Noise, Industrial, and Hip-Hop together with narrative wrapping paper. “Blood of the Fang”, “Nothing is Safe” and “Story 7” are immediately catchy in unexpected ways, with slowly layering beats and impressive flows from frontman Daveed Diggs. If you’re aware of him (and i’m looking at you, theater kids) you should know of his distinct voice and delivery – it’s lost none of it’s appeal while discussing dissecting humans and our most edible body parts. I think what places this album so high on this list is not just the impressiveness of the high points – and how genius some of them are – but just how consistent this track list is. As I said, the dark, ambient tracks find a way to be just as tense and fantastic as the more exciting and in-your-face ones. I guess I really shouldn’t doubt this group’s work at this point, though.

Top 6

As much as I truly, truly, TRULY love the past handful of albums, I do want to make a little notation for the few that follow here. These albums are really something special, and ones that helped define my year. Again, the albums just prior deserve tons of recognition and love, which I shall give them, but the next few reach the tippest of top tier.

Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising

If there’s one way I can summarize Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising, it’s this: Pop Fireworks. Now, I really liked this album when I first reviewed it, and I like it even more than I did then. In fact, the two albums that I thought I had enjoyed more than this have fallen a bit down this list, while Weyes Blood remains firmly in the Top 6. The reason why, if you’ve listened to this album, should be obvious. For most of the runtime, this album presents glorious pop tune after glorious pop tune, wrapped in some vintage packaging and touched up with a little progressive flair. From the soaring opener “A Lot’s Gonna Change” to the swirling cool-down moment on “Movies”, there is not a single leak in the tight ocean of Natalie Merring’s music. The melodies are standout, the instrumentation is enrapturing, intricate, detailed, lushbeautifulcatharticohmygodWow! The wonderful beds of instrumentation that Natalie sings over might strike, on the first listen, as a little gentle, maybe not that specific or standout in the worlds of baroque and art pop. But, with careful listening, I found so much detail in the layered strings and harmonies of Titanic Rising. Each song strikes with an immaculately written verse, bridge, chorus, intro and outros, etc. Even the slower, dreamier numbers, such as “Something to Believe” find ways to stand out amongst the instantaneousness of songs like “Everyday”, which very well might be one of my favorite pop singles of the year. If anything, I do have to admit that my enjoyment of this album is cut a little short. At ten tracks, with two of them being very pleasant interlude and outro songs, there’s not SO much material here – and, sadly, the last few songs don’t match up against the awe-inducing impressiveness of the first five or six. That being said, there’s still not a ‘dull’ moment here, and even the weakest tracks are pretty decent. And, considering they’re stacked up against six of the best written and produced Baroque Pop songs I’ve heard in awhile, there’s not much to complain about.

Last thing I want to add is how funny it is that three of the most hyped up albums this year – Weyes Blood, Lana, Angel Olsen – turned out to be Baroque-inspired dreamy pop albums from female artists. And, still with that descriptor tying them together, each album ended up sounding so unique in its own right and defied expectations of the traditions that they pull from. Obviously, my favorite of the bunch would be Titanic Rising, but I just wanted to give one last shout out to some of the artists that killed it this year, crafting diverse niches in a fairly traditional field.

Richard Dawson – 2020

Man, 2017 feels so long ago. If anyone remembers, back then I was still reviewing albums on a strict, detailed track-by-track basis by giving each song it’s own score and adding them up. I’ve grown very out of favor with that style of reviewing, though the quantity of quality tracks (and the extent of their quality) still plays a major role in my rating system. But, again, in 2017 I was a very raw reviewer (still am) and at the end of that year, I gave Richard Dawson’s Peasant the number 2 spot in my top ten list. That album, to this day, is still one of my favorites. Dawson’s winding, avant-garde compositional style, distinct singing voice, and raw production remains one-of-a-kind on this new album, too. Of course, what made Peasant so immediately ear-grabbing was it’s concept – essentially being a “medieval” album, with the lyrical themes and melodies coming straight from the 800s – and that doesn’t carry over to 2020, and why should it? However, the base of Dawson’s talent (what I said earlier, plus an incredible skill at observation in his lyricism) carries over to 2020, just now with more of an Art Rock, Progressive Pop and Folk style. This album may not be as noisy and mildly scratchy or abrasive as Dawson’s last, but he makes up for that for captivating, multi-faceted song structures and a clear emphasis on hooks. Dawson’s melodic skill has been in play for a few albums now, but never has he written so many great, catchy choruses. “Two Halves”, “Jogging”, “Civil Servant”, and “The Queen’s Head” all have supreme hooks that are not at all at the sacrifice of any of Dawson’s musical eccentricities. The grooves are still wonderfully wonky, the guitars are still intricate, and the production is still enjoyably rough. He throws some new, experimental ideas in there – such as the very aggressive and repetitive guitars on the opening track or the very interplay-heavy groove of “Fulfillment Center”. Each song, still, has its own singular instrumental tone – the hustling groove on “Jogging”, the noodly, melodic guitars of “Two Halves”, the epic and eerie “Dead Dog in an Alleyway”, or the odd 70’s throwback on “Black Triangle.” Lyrically, too, Dawson produces fireworks. Each song features its own observation and critique on modern living, whether it be the monotony of work, the rising of ocean levels, affairs, depression, UFO Conspiracies, you name it. Each topic is pulled off with heart and a strong sense of purpose. So, yeah, I could talk about this album forever. It’s a great rock album and probably the best starting point for anyone interested in listening to Dawson’s music. Thank you Richard.

Waste of Space Orchestra – Syntheosis

For a LONG time this was my favorite album of the year. Up until the summer, not much seemed to challenge it. And why is that? Well, Waste of Space Orchestra just up and delivered one of the most-cutting edge metal albums of the decade with their very first album. Now, this isn’t like a bunch of twenty year olds making an indie debut – the band is technically a supergroup formed by some very good underground metal bands – but Syntheosis is a mark above anything the bands related to Waste of Space Orchestra have put out. It’s far more diverse, well-produced, and downright fun than Oranssi Pazuzu’s best work, as good as that band is. On this album, you’ll get shades of Black Metal, Doom Metal, Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Progressive Metal, all dancing together in a horror-movie esque vibe with PLENTY of odd psychedelic effects. On one hand, it feels like a very evil and chaotic future. On another hand, it feels like a distortion, a twisted throwback to psych-rock and classic horror-movie soundtracks. Either way, the band blends these genre and culture influences in such a way that it’s really impossible to see where one begins and another ends, especially considering the swirling ear-candy of experimental sounds that the band weaves into these songs. The vocals are dynamic, monstrous, and have a very unique nasally tone that stands them out from the goofier growlers in metal. The band can make a long, patient, meditative epic of a song such as “Journey to the Center of Mass” – perfectly balancing the herky-jerky first half with the obliterating second half – just as amazingly as they craft absolute bangers, such as “Seeker’s Reflection”, another candidate for my single of the year. And these two songs contain one of the best elements of the band’s sound, one of the things that sets them apart from their contemporaries in underground metal – a sharp focus on a killer groove. The jumpy and throttling groove of the aforementioned song is so much more physical and visceral than any number of bland blast-beats. Even at their most ferocious, such as on “Waking the Possessor” or “Vacuum Head”, the band is still able to keep up with their compelling vocal performances, sticky riffs, and blood-pumping drums, all the while inducing trance-like states. While the very atmospheric, more abstract cool-down songs could have cut much shorter, preferably as interludes, and I still think that the intro track is a bit TOO noodly and aimless, the bulk of material on Syntheosis is adventurous, exciting fun. And that closing track is an absolute face-melter.

Black Midi – Schlagenheim

SPEAKING of cutting edge bands that have me excited for underground music, we have Black Midi. Now, Black Midi is a band that I was kind of expecting to either stop me in my tracks or leave me EXTREMELY disappointed. The amount of hype that the internet was building for this band seemed to be impossible to live up to. Like many buzz-bands, they were being hailed as something so completely new and fresh, incomparable to any guitar band in existence! Now, that was just some dumb publication trash – while Black Midi’s sound is very distinct, unique, experimental, and freakish – could a band titling a song “Talking Heads” really have NO obvious influences? Especially considering how strong the Slint love is on songs like “Ducter”. But, the band found that their tight, nimble, and expressive performances were far better than any hype-train crash could be. On Schlagenheim, the rookie band delivers nine unpredictable, fiery, and dense tracks that make for some of the best rock this decade has seen. Amidst all the bland reverb-lovers and fake ‘meaningful groups’ (looking at you, 1975), it really makes me happy to see a band as complicated as Black Midi get all this much media and fan backing. But, even with how layered and cryptic their songs are, there’s not much that stops them from being visceral and entertaining. The blistering “935” and “Years Ago” have some downright insane moments, but the energy, riffs, drumming, and intense vocals are just so easy to get lost in. “Bmbmbm”, the absolutely AMAZING song, is, sure, extremely repetitive, noisy, etc. But the bass is still so bouncy, even if it’s just playing a singular note the entire song. And the band finds amazing ways to layer and progress their songs, evident on this track (with the sampled vocals, screaming guitar finish, intensifying performances) and others, such as “Of Schlagenheim”, perhaps one of the most dynamic songs here, and the western-influences, umm “Western.” And, though their focus on the avant-garde is obvious, can anyone deny the emotional power of “Near DT,MI”? In some ways, the band is still a rough rookie band. Sometimes, their influences do come through a bit too much, and I would love to see them focus on the BEST aspects of their music and push those forward to even more adventurous territories. But as is, few bands are able to pull together a collection of songs so bold, daring, and freaky.

Liturgy – H.A.Q.Q.

The new Liturgy album has been more than just a new album for me, and for many fans of the band. See, considering how controversial, polarizing, and under-appreciated the band has been, it’s such an experience to see them finally live up to all the crazy ideas they’ve been trying to pull off for a decade now. If Aesthetica played too much with the traditions of Black Metal, by infusing some noise rock, math rock, and experimental rock tendencies, then I don’t even know what The Ark Work was. And yeah, these previous Liturgy albums have had their flaws, some more obvious than others, and i’m not trying to come here and say I or any Liturgy fan just saw something in the band that everyone didn’t, or somehow understood something that anyone couldn’t. I don’t want this review to seem this way. I just, like a few, really fucking appreciated the compositional style that frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix brings to the table, along with how uncompromisngly the band thrown in outside sounds and influences to Black Metal. I could talk for awhile about Hunter’s infamous philosophies on music and his internet personality, but honestly, that was never so important to my enjoyment of the music, even if it is important to his creation of it. Anyway, even to fans like me, the very experimental direction that Hunter has taken Liturgy has led to some misfires, especially on the mixing and production level. However, H.A.Q.Q. not only includes so many of the intriguing ideas of Liturgy’s past few records, but it also expands the sounds and compositions of the band to even higher levels. I have no problem saying that this is easily the band’s best album, even with how much I love Aesthethica. It honestly feels obvious for H.A.Q.Q. to take that crown. Not only does Hunter compose some of his most powerful, emotive, and dynamic songs here, but he layers them with unpredictable instrumentation. Take the first song on the album, “H.A.J.J. ”, for example. Where the fuck did Hunter get this squealing, dying wind ensemble from? It’s incredibly abrasive but also, somehow, beautiful. It’s the kind of thing that just a few albums ago may have been mixed poorly, but now with experience, Hunter can seem to take his music just about anywhere and see it be great. Again on this intro song, the complex, winding progression, filled with swooping group vocals, sees the band’s harmonious riffs and syncopated drumming being pushed to their extremes. “Virginity”, one of the shortest metal songs that the band has ever written, breaks through with dream-like harp and reaches a climactic chorus vocal that seems to be going up and up and up and screaming to heaven. The next track after this, “Pasaqalia”, is hypnotic, chugging, and elevating. The bells and strings woven into this song create an extremely ghostly, haunting experience to match the visceral, powerful guitar riffs. And, it’s on songs like this that the band seems to be adding ANOTHER genre to the mix, Mathcore, with the very odd-time signatures and rock-solid heaviness of the guitars. “God of Love”…another potential favorite single of the year, is downright one of the most gorgeous, transcendental pieces of music Hunter has ever made.

(Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar

Yep, here it is. Big boy number one. And, aside from the credit that I’ll give this album, this project represents a big moment for me. I consider this to be a ‘converting’ album. While I’ve enjoyed Mr.Alex G’s music before, notably on his previous album Rocket, i’ve never fully appreciated what he’s been doing. In the realm of Indie Folk balladeers, his early work does stand out amongst the mire of faceless acoustic guitar men and women. Yet, House of Sugar features an artist not just with lyrically might and a keen sense of melody, but also an impassioned heart and tons of ambition. House of Sugar may be genuinely the first and most ‘cutting edge’ Indie Folk album that I’ve heard in quite a long time. It does this by mashing together various folk styles that have crafted G’s previous work with the electronic and psychedelic experimentation that the man’s only hinted at before. But, the album’s not just a one-note adventure. Not only is this mind-bending sound applied from different angles, different lenses, but it also fluctuates in who gets the spotlight. The first couple of tracks are a perfect or near-perfect blend of these styles while the middle few are much more experimentally electronic. The closing moments of the album are rightfully the calmest and most traditional, but this is where (Sandy) Alex G saves some of his most heart-wrenching songs and performances. There’s something that reeks of a childish innocence lost on this album. Maybe it’s the squeaky vocals sampled on a few tracks here, maybe it’s the surreal descriptions and places that Alex takes you too. “Walk Away” is the best introduction this album could’ve had with it’s repetitive, entrancing structure and swirling production. “Gretel”, lead single of the album, is probably the most structurally straight-forward, but also one of the most that finds beauty in sour sounds. “Hope” and “In My Arms” are some of the songs that appeal to Alex’s Indie side the most, but there still feels like something’s unsettled, something’s not right. “Southern Sky” and “Cow” feature some of the best vocal performances of the album, along with infectious melodies and emotional range that can feel at one second blissful, and at another doomed. “Near” and “Sugar” take Alex’s oddball side through some synthetic pathways, and whether its through the relentless shouting of “YOU YOU YOU YOU” or grand, Celtic influenced instrumentation, these tracks on this album feel less like a story and more like a ‘world.’ I think that’s what I appreciate most about this man’s music, especially on this album. It’s a detailed, one-of-a-kind world that pulls directly from Alex G’s expression and mind. I mean, which other album could end with a jazzy, live performance of a song like “Sugar-House” and have it make sense? Each song has levels and levels of layers, equally introspective and cryptic lyricism, and shining pop melodies that put many artists to shame. I’m going to stop myself here, because I really could go forever on this album. So, here’s where I advise you to check this (and the others that i’ve mentioned) out. You won’t regret it.