THE 2019 EXPERIENCE
Enough music to keep you going through 2020.
Unlike the last few years, my top three favourite albums this year were widely consensus picks for critics and non-critics alike. Back in 2011 it was easy to take the artist formerly known as Lizzy Grant for granted; there was a debate about her authenticity, and misogynistic bullshit about whether she “fucked her way to the top”; all compounded by a premature and infamously amateur SNL performance.
Admittedly, I absolutely underestimated Lana Del Rey’s talent up until this summer, when she released an end-of-times masterpiece. Future generations will marvel that one album contained “Venice Bitch” and “Mariners Apartment Complex” and “The greatest.” And they will wonder how Lana was once treated as anything but the poet laureate of a fucked-up world on fire – one of the greatest and most misunderstood songwriters of the decade.
As always, much jumping up and down on our beds singing into a hairbrush for all of the queers who released music this year, especially 100 gecs, Big Thief, Black Dresses, Blood Orange, BROCKHAMPTON, Clairo, ECCO2K, Elysia Crampton, Deerhunter, Default Genders, Devours, Eartheater, Girlpool, Jenny Hval, Jonsi, JPEGMafia, Kaytranada, Lil Peep, Kelsey Lu, Frank Ocean, Orville Peck, Perfume Genius, Kim Petras, Soccer Mommy, SOPHIE, Moses Sumney, TR/ST, Tyler, the Creator, Vegyn, etc. A shout out to all the queerness in music that’s often invisible and unspoken too.
Here’s to being present for and safe from whatever chaos comes our way this year :
30.
James Blake : Assume Form
RIYL : Moses Sumney, Bon Iver, Bruce Hornsby, Rosalia, Andre 3000, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott, alt r&b, art pop, ambient pop, UK bass, trap
Listen to : “Tell Them” (ft. Moses Sumney & Metro Boomin” / “Lullaby for My Insomniac” / “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow”
Companion LP : Bon Iver : i, i
Listen: Spotify
29.
Kedr Livanskiy : Your Need
RIYL : outsider house, breakbeat, synthpop, ambient dub, Russian language, Visions-era Grimes, early Aphex Twin
Listen to : “Ivan Kupala (New Day) (Иван купала)” / “Your Need (Deep Mix) (не должен)” / “Kiska (киска)”
Companion LP : Kornel Kovacs : Stockholm Marathon
Listen: Spotify
28.
Flying Lotus : Flamagra
RIYL : Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Thundercat, nu jazz, glitch hop, neo-soul, synth funk, experimental hip hop, IDM
Select gems : “Black Balloons Reprise” (ft. Denzel Curry) / “More” (ft. Anderson .Paak) / “The Climb” (ft. Thundercat)
Companion LP : : Teebs : Annica
Listen: Spotify
27.
Beth Gibbons / Henryk Górecki : Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
RIYL : modern classical, hauntings, humanity remembering The Holocaust as to not repeat it 75 years later
Companion LP : A Winged Victory for the Sullen : The Undivided Five
Listen: Spotify
26.
Deerhunter : Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
RIYL : neo-psych, psych pop, art rock, why is there nothing rather than something?, Brian Eno, Atlas Sound, Lotus Plaza, Animal Collective
Select gems : “Element” / “Plains” / “Détournement”
Companion LP : Cate Le Bon : Reward
Listen: Spotify
25.
Drab Majesty : Modern Mirror
RIYL : Orgy, Depeche Mode, HEALTH, gothic rock, darkwave, synthpop, dream pop, post punk
Select gems : “Oxytocin” / “The Other Side” / “Long Division”
Companion LP : Boy Harsher : L.A.
Listen: Spotify
24.
Bat For Lashes : Lost Girls
Select gems : synth pop, art pop, dream pop, synthwave, Lykke Li, Glasser, Tori Amos
Listen to : “So Good” / “Kids in the Dark” / “Feel For You”
Companion LP : Kelsey Lu : Blood
Listen: Spotify
23.
Panda Bear : Buoys
RIYL : Animal Collective, Avey Tare, Deakin, Atlas Sound, friendship, zen
Select gems : “Token” / “Inner Monologue” / “Home Free”
Companion LP : Avey Tare : Cows on Hourglass Pond
Listen: Spotify
22.
These New Puritans : Inside the Rose
RIYL : art pop, darkwave, chamber music, post-industrial, Portishead, Radiohead, late-period Talk Talk
Select gems : “Into the Fire” / “A-R-P” / “Where the Trees Are On Fire”
Companion LP : The Twilight Sad : It Won/t Be Like This All the Time
Listen: Spotify
21.
Solange : When I Get Home
RIYL : psych soul, art pop, synth funk, future r&b, Tyler, the Creator, chopped and screwed
Select gems : “Binz” / “Stay Flo” / “Sound of Rain”
Companion LP : Jamila Woods : Legacy! Legacy!
Listen: Spotify
20.
Daniel Lopatin : Uncut Gems OST
RIYL : Oneohtrix Point Never, Vangelis, Wendy Carlos, Angelo Badalamenti, Akira, 2001; A Space Odysssey, Good Time, romantic synth wizardry
Select gems : “The Ballad of Howie Bling” / “School Play” / “Pure Elation”
Companion LP : Fire Toolz : Field Whispers (Into The Crystal Palace)
Listen: Spotify
19.
Kim Gordon : No Home Record
RIYL : Sonic Youth, post-industrial, trap, electro-industrial, experimental rock, no-wave, synth punk
Select gems : “Earthquake” / “Paprika Pony” / “Sketch Artist”
Companion LP : Iggy Pop : Free
Listen: Spotify
18.
Charli XCX : Charli
RIYL : SOPHIE, PC Music, Chairlift, Ariana Grande, Haim, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Troye Sivan, Cupcakke, Clairo, Yaeji, electropop, bubblegum bass, dance-pop, synthpop, pop rap, the future
Select gems : “Gone” (ft. Christine and the Queens) / “Official” / “Cross You Out” (ft. Sky Ferreira)”
Companion LP : Caroline Polachek : Pang
Listen: Spotify
17.
Nivhek : After its own death / Walking in a Spiral Towards the House
RIYL : Grouper, Low, Julianna Barwick, ambient, noise, folk
Companion LP : Ana Roxanne : ~~~
Listen: Spotify
16.
Holly Herndon : PROTO
RIYL : Oneohtrix Point Never, Laurel Halo, Wendy Carlos, Jlin, AI computer babies, choral, experimental, glitch pop, art pop, deconstructed club
Select gems : “Eternal” / “Frontier” / “SWIM”
Companion LP : Katie Dey : Solipsisters
Listen: Spotify
15.
Thom Yorke : Amina
RIYL : Radiohead, Burial, glitch pop, IDM, ambient techno, piano ballads
Select gems : “Dawn Chorus” / “Not the News” / “Traffic”
Companion LP : Burial : Claustro
Listen: Spotify
14.
Danny Brown: uknowwhatimsayin
RIYL : hardcore hip hop, boom bap, experimental hip hop, conscious hip hop, Run the Jewels, Obongjayar, JPEGMafia, Blood Orange, Q-Tip, Flying Lotus, Thundercat
Select gems : “Best Life” / “Combat” / “Dirty Laundry”
Companion LP : Freddie Gibbs and Madlib : Bandana
Listen: Spotify
13.
(Sandy) Alex G : House of Sugar
RIYL : rock, housewarming, Oneohtrix Point Never, Elliott Smith, Neil Young, 90’s folk Beck, Frank Ocean,
Select gems : “Gretel” / “Southern Sky” / “Near”
Companion LP : Florist : Emily Alone
12.
Erika de Casier : Essentials
RIYL : Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Sade, Toni Braxton, Usher, pop in ‘98, feminism, sex jams, alt r&b, trip hop, downtempo, ambient pop,
Select gems : “Good Time” / “Space” / “Intimate (Club Mix”
Companion LP : Galcher Lustwerk : Information
Listen: Spotify
11.
Jessica Pratt : Quiet Signs
RIYL : Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs, folk, psych folk, singer/songwriter, chamber folk
Select gems : “Poly Blue” / “Fare Thee Well” / “This Time Around”
Companion LP : Mount Eerie With Julie Doiron : Lost Wisdom Pt. 2
Listen: Spotify
10.
Tyler, the Creator : IGOR
RIYL : neo-soul, experimental hip-hop, synth funk, Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, Solange, Kanye West, Al Green, Brockhampton
Select gems : “Puppet” / “EARFQUAKE” / “What’s Good”
Companion LP : Little Simz : Grey Area
Listen: Spotify
09.
Aldous Harding : Designer
RIYL : Kate Bush, contemporary folk, indie folk, chamber folk, eye contact, being present
Select gems : “The Barrel” / “Weight of the Planets” / “Zoo Eyes”
Companion LP : Julia Jacklin : Crushing
Listen: Spotify
08.
JPEGMAFIA : All My Heroes Are Cornballs
RIYL : experimental hip hop, glitch hop, cloud rap, surreal prog-rap, Earl Sweatshirt, Madlib, Death Grips
Select gems : “Beta Male Strategies” / “Free the Frail” (ft. Helena Deland)” / “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot”
Companion LP : Slauson Malone : A Quiet Farwell, 2016–2018
Listen: Spotify
07.
Chromatics : Closer To Grey
RIYL : Twin Peaks, The Jesus and Mary Chain, synthpop, dream pop, ambient, synthwave
Select gems : “Whispers in the Hall” / “Twist the Knife” / “You’re No Good”
Companion LP : Spellling : Mazy Fly
Listen: Spotify
06.
Angel Olsen : All Mirrors
RIYL : Amen Dunes, Lower Dens, Patsy Cline, Chelsea Wolfe, Julia Holter, Nick Cave, Neko Case,longing, sad love songs, lost anthems, art pop, chamber pop, baroque, neo-psych
Select gems : “Lark” / “All Mirrors” / “Chance”
Listen: Spotify
05.
Jenny Hval : The Practice of Love
RIYL : art pop, synth pop, spoken work, ambient trance,
Select gems : “High Alice” / “Ashes to Ashes” / “Six Red Cannas” (ft. Vivian Wang, Laura Jean Englert, Felicia Atkinson)
Listen: Spotify
04.
Big Thief : U.F.O.F.
RIYL : indie folk, dream pop, folk rock, slowcore, psych folk,
Select gems : “Cattails” / “Strange” / “Jenni”
Companion LP : Big Thief : Two Hands
Listen: Spotify
03.
FKA twigs : Magdalene
RIYL : art-pop, Nina Simone, Madonna, Beyoncé, Björk, Kelela
Select gems : “Sad Day” / “Cellophane” / “Day Bed”
Listen: Spotify
02.
Weyes Blood : Titanic Rising
RIYL : Ariel Pink, Karen Carpenter, Trish Keenan, Bob Seger, Enya, Carole King
Select gems : “Movies” / “A Lot’s Gonna Change” / “Andromeda”
Listen: Spotify
01.
Lana Del Rey : Norman Fucking Rockwell!
RIYL : summer goth, elegant doom, Joni Mitchell, enjoying The Eagles in theory, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen
Select gems : “The Next Best American Record” / “Cinnamon Girl” / “The greatest”
Listen: Spotify
