Favorite Albums of 2019

Yes, they're still making albums in 2019: Bands, solo artists, collaborations, archival compilations...especially archival compilations, which might appear like endlessly rapackaging material as a cash grab, has actually been pretty wonderful for dedicated fans, with previously unheard rarities, behind-the-scenes early takes of classic songs allowing the listener to hear the evolution of a song or album, and even remixed albums like The Beatles Abbey Road, which brings up the bass and drums in the mix for a more balanced sound.

Here's my list from 2019, in no particular order per usual:

YYNOT
Resonance

From their beginnings as an top-notch Rush cover band, YYNOT (cheekily named after Rush's signature instrumental "YYZ"), released their second album of originals in two years, and it's great, progressive but also unabashedly commercial sounding. The musicianship and complexity of time signatures assures that these songs won't bore the listener:




THE WHO
Who

What, a new album from one of the greatest rock bands of all-time (don't argue with me, it's just true), and it's not only pretty okay, but it's really great? Yes! This was probably the biggest, happiest surprise for me musically all year. Lyrics, music and vocals still have a mighty wallop. Rage on, punks!



TREY ANASTASIO
Ghosts of the Forest

Guitar slinger extraordinaire from legendary jam band Phish, Trey really comes into his own as a solo artist on this new offering. This album has it all: Dreamy soundscapes, a groove you can drift off to, lyrics that make you think, but not too hard; tasteful soloing, and continually improved singing. Plus, there's a more spiritual side to his music now, which I love.



SLEAFORD MODS
Eton Alive

The only rappers I listen to, I've liked every album these guys have made so far. When this guy raps, I gotta listen. Serious but not self-serious. And that Talking Heads synth vibe, whoa!



RIDE
This Is Not A Safe Place

Possibly my favorite album of the year, this would've fit in nicely in the heady days of 1990-1994, when Ride was at the top of the shoegaze mountain. (Well, if they weren't on top, they were nearing the summit.) Ride was a band I loved the first second I heard them, because they had such a great sound, and then there were the hooks. A very welcome comeback for these guys who are really hitting their stride.



PIROSHKA
Brickbat

Speaking of great shoegaze bands, Miki Berenyi from 80s/90s amazing Lush, after 20-plus years out of the music business has reentered the fray with style. Her new band (named after a Hungarian comfort food that her family used to make), also features members of English bands Moose, Modern English, and Elastica. They carry on the spirit of shoegaze but with a style wholly present in the current age. Welcome back!



THE PARANOID STYLE
A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life

The most literate, and historically and politically informed songwriter I'm aware of today, Elizabeth Nelson sure has a way with words (and a catchy tune). Love this stuff. Please support this amazing indie rocker!




NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights

Actually, THIS is my favorite album of the last year. Consistently releasing great album after great album since 2000, this is another winner, with sumptuous tracks like this one:



MORTON VALENCE
Bob And Veronica's Great Escape

Formerly from London, now based in Barcelona, this little band that could captured my heart with the 2009 song "Chandelier." In spite of little to no label support (mostly by choice), they've soldiered on, releasing little gems over the last 10 years. But this newest release is my favorite so far. And this song is just...perfect.



MEAT PUPPETS
Dusty Notes

Speaking of comebacks, these guys don't really qualify, because they've released a few albums in the 2000's already, but this one really is a return to form. Every song on the album is just great. Quirky but always tuneful.



MARTHA
Love Keeps Kicking

This is so adorable and old school and so so indie, and I love it. I wish this kind of music were being made all the time and we were rushing out to record stores to buy it immediately on a weekly basis. We were there somewhere in the the 90s but alas no more. We must nurture these darling little bands and their good vibes!



JULIANA HATFIELD
Weird

Speaking of indie darlings, Ms. Hatfield is still doing it in style and sounds better than ever. (And if you want more, check out her recent covers albums, one of The Police and one of Olivia Newton-John. They are beautiful tributes played in Juliana's lovely indie-rock style.)



IGGY POP
Free

Most fans thought that James Osterberg had given it up for good after his masterful last album, Post Pop Depression with Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme, but then he surprised us with this, a very different type of record for Iggy. It doesn't rock out, but it is intense, and beautiful, and very welcome. I would love to see him perform this with a small band in a club setting.



GUSTER
Look Alive

Boston darlings Guster just keep making one great album after another. On this track, they pretend they're from England, with charming results:



CLAYPOOL-LENNON DELIRIUM
South Of Reality

They're at it again, Primus bandleader and bass-player supreme, and Sean Lennon (perhaps the last name is familiar?), with this wonderfully weird and accomplished offering:



BOB MOULD
Sunshine Rock

Simultaneously funny, heavy and serious, Bob nails it on this somewhat ironically titled new album, one of his best in a long line of great, great works.



BLACK STAR RIDERS
Another State of Grace

Do you miss Thin Lizzy? Well, I do, a lot, still. Well, Scott Gorham, former guitar-slinger from the classic Lizzy lineup formed Black Star Riders, and they are fully channeling the spirit of Phil Lynott here, in the best way. Classic rock, very powerful, without feeling like a cheap re-tread. Well done boys!



Well, that's it for my favorites. Honorable mentions:

Ty Segall, rockin' onward with First Taste.

Thoughts Detecting Machines (ongoing solo project from Rick Valentin of the ever-awesome Poster Children) newest offering Sound, Noise & You.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela jam on with the excellent Mettavolution.

The Pixies, with better-than-expected Beneath The Eyrie.

The Pernice Brothers with a very welcome comeback album Spread The Feeling.

No-Man (one of Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson's many side projects) released the almost dancable and very good Love You To Bits.

Yes's vocalist Jon Anderson keeps the beautiful vibes coming with 1000 Hands, Chapter One. Beatiful, positive stuff.

Gruff Rhys, of the most wonderful and legendary Super Furry Animals, released another album, Pang! and it was good. What is about Gruff's voice that I love so much?

Gang of Four soldier on with the ironically titled Happy Now.

The Faint (who are fantastic live, by the way, go see the if you can) released the very strong Egowerk.

The Earth, from Wales and also including a member of the Super Furry Animals, released the soulful Lost Property to almost no fanfare (they even forgot to mention it on their Facebook page for about a week), but it's a winner.

Alan Parsons (no longer a Project, without original founder & chief songwriter Eric Woolfson who sadly passed away), carries the torch with the warm-hearted and beautiful-sounding The Secret. Better than I'd hoped for and best thing he's done since the heady APP days.

And finally, punk/rock stalwarts Bad Religion continue to preach with The Age Of Unreason. Go, BR, go!

When I started writing this year-end post, I thought it hadn't been a very memorable year in music, but that's the beauty of writing these things. As the evidence above shows, it was a very good year! And even more astounding is the fact that I've seen almost NONE of these albums on other music website lists. There's that much great music happening today. Enjoy!

Favorite Albums of 2018

Again, I found LOTS of great music to enjoy in 2018, and almost none of it showed up on most of the annual "Best Of" lists (I'm talking to you, Allmusic, NPR Music, etc). But these are great, especially in the rock genre. Give them a listen, they may not change your life, but there's a good chance they will improve it!

I'll start right off with one of the best, by a favorite band, Sloan, and their concisely titled album 12 (named after their 12th album). Every track is amazing, after 27 years they show NO signs of slowing down.




Then there's Gunship and their excellent, smooth, emotive album Dark All Day. I love this song as much for the fun video with lots of low-budget re-creations of 1980's iconic movies as the excellent music.




Gaz Coombes, formerly of Brit-pop masters Supergrass, continues his strong solo career with the moodily excellent World's Strongest Man. This track has a groove that doesn't let up:




You like Welsh power-trios led by a woman who can really sing, and play guitar with amazing power and feel? Well you came to the right place, as The Joy Formidable adds another excellent album to their growing discography, with Aaarth (the title being a play on the Welsh word "arth" for bear, adding two more a's for emphasis, like a roar. This is one of my favorite tracks, bolstered by arresting visuals:




Speaking of power trios, this four-piece band, YYNOT started as a Rush tribute band, but this year released their self-titled debut, which is packed with excellently tasteful rock with amazing musicianship. This track is a real powerhouse in every way:




For a change of pace, Liverpool's The Coral plays a melodic, cinematic and just amazingly tuneful brand of music. They've been around almost 20 years now, and just get better and better with their latest album, Move Through The Dawn.




Ah, let's go back to Wales for a moment, with a Super Furry Animals spin-off band, Gulp, which makes lush electronic sounds with etherial female vocals on their latest album, All Good Wishes. This is feel-good music at its finest.




One of my favorite indie bands going today, The Magic Numbers, creates memorable hooks, with wonderful vocal harmonies and crunchy but not overbearing guitar tones. Slight shades of mid-70's Neil Young on their newest album, Outsiders:




Then there's Wooden Shjips (yes there's a "j" in there). They formed in San Francisco but recorded this years "V." in Portland, Oregon, and I believe they may be living in my fair city now. Prove me wrong, or prove me right, please! These guys create a low-key hippie style groove, and I LOVE it. If you like this, there's plenty of back catalog to explore.




Another indie band (started indie, went major labor, then went back to indie, and now released on their own label) and one of my favorite American bands of all-time, period, is the Poster Children, with their new album Grand Bargain! More political than ever, songwriter/singer Rick Valentin tells it like it is in the title track:




Longtime indie favorite Juliana Hatfield weighed in this year with an interesting effort, which was WAY more enjoyable than I thought it would be: An all-covers album of Olivia Newton-John songs, as sung through Hatfield's lens and done with much love and respect. Wonderful stuff:




The band Field Music just release one excellent album after another, with this year's Open Here. They somehow create music that sounds mathematical in rhythm and structure, and yet is extremely melodic and tuneful. This is "comfort music" at its finest. If Field Music were a beverage, they would be a fine wine, just getting better with age.




UK's Django Django strike melodic gold again with Marble Skies. Somehow simultaneously anthemic and intimate, and always with a great beat, this is another band I come back to frequently.




And how about David Byrne, 30 years into his solo career, with the amazing album American Utopia (and even more amazing live tour which I was lucky enough to see this year). This song is right up there with his best:




I really liked Awolnation's newest Here Come The Runts. It's a little uneven, but the highs are REALLY high, and this song truly embodies Passion:




Finally, Angelique Kidjo released a song-for-song cover of Talking Head's album Remain In Light, but re-imagined with stronger African roots. And it's amazing:




So, another great year! Again I ask, WHY AREN'T THESE ALBUMS on popular best-of lists? Makes no sense to me. I understand that there are a lot of high-profile and yes, excellent albums to choose from, but these are the ones I was really drawn to this year, and are getting the repeated listenings.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Albums of 2017!

Well, 2017 draws to a close. Personally and politically, not one of my best, but things are looking up for 2018. But musically, it was a VERY good year. In spite of continued upheaval in how music is made and distributed (and how artists get paid), there is a LOT of great art being made these days. I did a quick scan of all albums released this year and the list was in the thousands. Keep it coming folks! Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites, with selected Youtube vids to give you a flavor of the album:

BARENAKED LADIES & THE PERSUASIONS
Ladies and Gentlemen: Barenaked Ladies and The Persuasions

Two great groups that go great together! So glad these guys met the Persuasions, and decided to do a project together. The Persuasions are a singing group that dates back to the 60's and they're still going strong. They've had a revival by occasionally singing with, and covering, unexpected artists such as Frank Zappa. This is a pure delight.




WIRE
Silver/Lead

Wire just keeps on giving, year after year, since the late 70's. They started out sort of punk, then quickly moved into "post punk" (helping to create the genre) and now they just do what they do. And it sounds so great to my ears.




RANDY NEWMAN
Dark Matter

I heart Randy. Into his 70s and writing some of his best songs ever. This one about Putin is funny. People asked if he'd write one about Trump and he said, "No, that'd be too easy, and I don't think anyone wants to hear more about him anyway."




ROBYN HITCHCOCK
Robyn Hitchcock (s/t)

Here's another guy who shows no sign of slowing down, now into his 60s. Existential & humorous lyrics to catchy tunes, his raison d'etre.




AIMEE MANN
Mental Illness

Okay I'm noticing a pattern here: Musicians who have weathered quite a lot in life and are persevering with their art. I love it! This is one of my favorite Aimee Mann albums so far. Quiet but powerful. And just lovely.




SLEAFORD MODS
English Tapas

The closest I get to rap music, but this is great stuff. Not good if you don't like your lyrics "colorful" to say the least, but man these guys sure nail the modern English life for people with not much to look forward to.




GARY NUMAN
Savage (Songs from a Broken World)

I followed Gary on Pledgemusic for almost two years while he tried, in fits and starts, to get this album made. It was the most interesting musical journey I've ever been on, getting to see and hear about what really goes into making a (hopefully) large-scale, commercial album. At one point he even spoke into the camera about having a nervous breakdown, where he couldn't move his hands for about 10 minutes, and just sat there frozen. This is what can happen when you put too much pressure on yourself to deliver. The result? Very, very good. I saw him in concert this fall and he looked happy and triumphant. His 11-year-old daughter Persia came out and sang with him on this song. He grinned and gave her a big hug afterwards. It was a great night.




MIKE GORDON
Ogogo

Better known as a member of ultra-jam band Phish, Mr. Gordon has also released five solo albums. This one is excellent.




THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
Whiteout Conditions

Lovely band, silly name. It's too bad, because this band led by A.C. Newman has been putting out great, catchy music for almost 20 years. This song is somehow soothing and uplifting, in spite of it apparently being about depression:




STEVEN WILSON
To The Bone

Former leader of epic prog band Porcupine Tree, this is one of my favorite solo albums of his so far (tied on my mental list with Hand Cannot Erase). The title song, with lyrics by one of my favorite songwriters of all-time, Andy Patridge of XTC, explores the idea of "subjective truth" to a catchy rhythm and some classically epic guitar playing.





COLIN HAY
Fierce Mercy

The continuing answer to "Whatever happened to that guy from Men At Work?" He's been cranking out solo albums since the 80's, each one consistently good, with a decidedly spiritual grounding. This latest is up there with the best of them. This track in particular is quiet and beautiful.




ST. VINCENT
Masseduction

This is the closest album on my list to a "major mainstream" release, and it's a great one. St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) does some amazing work here, and makes some good social statements along the way.




NEIL FINN
Out Of Silence

This was easily the coolest thing that happened in music this year, and I'm not sure how many people even heard about it. Neil rehearsed the band and singers for about a month, and then recorded the whole album in one magical night, with only a few takes, and broadcast the whole thing live to watch. I stayed up and saw much of it. What an achievement. Icing on the cake that the songs are SO good. Check it all out!




RIDE
Weather Diaries

A great comeback story! I loved this original shoegaze band's stuff in the late 80's/early 90's, then they broke up, but finally rejoined with renewed friendships and good feelings in the last couple of years. This song off the new album is by far my favorite.




MAXIMO PARK
Risk To Exist

Love this band from northern England and they Britpoppy ways. They've got good (IMHO) socialist leanings and sing about that, as well as songs about not getting high. I can dig that!




SPARKS
Hippopotamus

The greatest, and funniest, band that few people have heard of. Formed in 1972 and still doing great stuff! This new album is no exception:




BLACK GRAPE
Pop Voodoo

Yet another "comeback" band. Shaun Ryder led (wrote and sang) for the Madchester scene Happy Mondays in the 80s, then formed Black Grape in the 90's and then went quiet for about 20 years. Here he, and they, are in all their sleazy glory. Welcome back!




CINDY WILSON
Change

Appopriately titled first solo album from original member of the beloved B-52's. I followed Cindy's new project on Pledgemusic and kept my expectations low, but the result was wonderful. Every track's a winner. Synthy beguiling.




That's it for 2017. Looking forward to another year of great music and that Next Big Favorite Thing.

David