1. Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
The collaboration of Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst is the highlight of my year in music. Bridgers soft lyrical abilities that portray darkness and honesty coupled with Oberst's signature melancholy create a prolific soundscape that leads us into existential despair.
It is no secret of my abject love of all things Andrew Bird. This aptly titled new release from the master whistler and fiddler has been on constant play throughout the year.
Found this punk band from LA through a fantastic cover of Queen's, Don't Stop Me Now. On their Sophomore album, members;
Lydia Night, Genessa Gariano, Brooke Dickson and Drew Thomsen, craft a story of the process of a relationship.
4. Black Belt Eagle Scout - At The Party With My Brown Friends
This is Katherine Paul's sophomore album. She grew up on a reservation in Washington state and currently resides in Portland. This life has contributed greatly to her sound, and the multi-instrumentalist puts out a laid back, fuzzed out album.
Vampire Weekend have been my favorite for their uniqueness, but then, sometimes their shiny gleam sort of wears on you. They evolved in 2013 and put out Modern Vampires. On Father of the Bride, their fourth album, the band returns with a new sensibility. The true talent of this band shines through and with Ezra as the defining character, you see a band stretching its wings. Danielle Haim from Haim is featured on the opening track.
Zach Condon is back with his fifth album. The Santa Fe native had an old Farfisa organ and tracked it down and bought it back and created this album from the reunion. Wide open airy pop, I'm always down with whatever Condon does.
This album brings Will Oldham back with Bryce Dessner, of The National, as the producer. It's a collection of reworked Oldham songs, Bryce Dessner murder ballads and some reworked Appalachian tunes. Eighth Blackbird provides the instrumentation and is a six piece ensemble based out of Chicago.
8. The New Pornographers - In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights
It seems A.C. Newman has taken up most of the writing for the Pornographers and it shows. With the band getting older and attending to familial duties, it's a mantel he wears well. After listening to one of his older solo albums, the similarities are definitely there, punchier and vibrant. Neko Case always lends her stark vocals which is what makes this band the band that it is. They will be playing Tower Theatre, February 11th.
The Highwomen are comprised of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. The all female super group was formed this year and pays homage to the Highwaymen who consisted of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Much good has come out of this collaborative effort and deserves a solid listen.
Big Thief actually produced two albums this year. This apparently a thing, as this is the third band in this list to do so. While both albums are amazing, this particular album definitely has more oomph. Big Thief hit number one in last year's list and rightfully so, you can check that out here. Adrianne Lenker has been very busy, also releasing a solo album in the midst of all this.
Definitely one of my favorite bands. Cleo Tucker recently started taking testosterone pills after coming out trans and the dynamic between their voices is incredible. Switching off lead vocals, he and Harmony have crafted some beautiful songs this go around.
This is Bradford Cox's eighth album. Deerhunter has definitely moved from experimental to more pop sounds and, while all eight have been beautiful, I find this album to not only be approachable and listenable, I find it to have immense depth and originality. Co-produced by Cate Le Bon, this album deals with the demise of capitalism.
Danger Mouse is back polishing up another favorite artist of mine, Karen O. This blog has been a huge fanboy of Danger Mouse's work from Broken Bells to The Black Keys to Daniele Luppi. His magic touch and collaboration skills not only showcase the talent he's working with, but his own as well.
Shy Girls is Dan Vidmar and this is his sophomore album. He is an R&B singer from Portland, Oregon. While there is definitely some amazing R&B vibes throughout, I find similarities with Vampire Weekend and Django Django in his music. This is such a great album to just set on repeat and relax all day. This album is self-produced and features the bass of Jaco Pastorius on some tracks.
Boy Harsher is a Dark Wave band comprised of the duo, Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews. The minimal synth sounds from this album are straight out of the eighties but have this immediacy that pulls you in. The thumping bass and catchy synths make you want to get out on the dance floor. I love to crank this album with the headphones on. They just released another album later in 2019.
This Sturgill album was not lauded by the critics, or at least by some of his fans. I, however, love this left turn. Perhaps it's the rebel in me, but, angry with Nashville, he completely put himself outside of his pigeon-holed box. His creativity and song-writing abilities seem to know no bounds. There are disco tracks, funk tracks, heavy guitar tracks, and electronic tracks, something for everyone. What you won't find is his Haggard-esque mournful ballads. There is a 41 minute animated movie that accompanies the album on Netflix.
Melina Duterte has continued her genius work on her Sophomore album. She made the Top 50 two years ago with her debut, here. While her first album was an entirely solo effot, on this, she has invited friends to work on some instrumentation, such as Laetita Tamko from Vagabon and Taylor Vick from Boy Scouts. It has resulted in a more complex and inviting sound.
Henry Jamison is a Vermont native. On this album, which translates from Latin into 'seeing both sides', he writes about the misdirection of masculinity within our culture. It's been one of my favorite discoveries of the year, joining both acoustic and electronic elements.
A new project by Dan Berman, who you may remember from Silver Jews. The lyrics in this are whole-heartedly dark and depressing, but I love his voice and the musical backdrop. It's an inspired album and very much worth being in the top 20 albums of 2019.
This is the first album David Bazan has created under Pedro The Lion since 2004. The band has been broken up since 2006 and he has performed solo or with a couple other bands. Bazan has always presented in his music, the struggle and difficulty from the transition of being a Christian to a non-Christian. The album title is a double entendre focusing on the band's rebirth and the actual city, which he spent time in while writing the album and was where he grew up.
21. The Tallest Man On Earth - I Love You, It's A Fever Dream
Another great show of the year, The Tallest Man on Earth is Kristian Mattson from Sweden. On his fifth album, he explores separation after divorce and being on tour all the time as a distraction. One of the most powerful songwriters in the biz.
Getting to see Fruit Bats live finally this year was certainly a highlight of 2019. The group has been around since the early 2000's and has definitely been a favorite of mine. Eric D. Johnson is the frontman and his poetic lyrics do not hold back on this particular album.
OK Sweetheart did, in fact, get their name from a fan mentioning that, Erin Austin, the group's founding member, was Oklahoma's Sweetheart. Starting in Denton, Texas, the band is now a four piece residing in Seattle. This is their second album in eight years and it is incredible. The band played Norman Music Festival and is involved in the non-profits' Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and 'This Machine', the Woody Guthrie themed campaign for social equality and justice.
Wilco hasn't made the blog since 2011, but this particular album deserves more attention than that. Paring everything down, Tweedy and gang have produced a quiet, soulful album with room-filling sonics. Since first listen I have been impacted by this album.
What else can I say about this awesome song maker that I haven't already said? The former member of Rilo Kiley has always had my heart. When she puts out an album, it is always great.
Thanks for stopping by. I listen to entirely too much music and love sharing music almost as much as I love listening to it. The purpose of this blog is to do just that and bring you along the journey with me.
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