Best Of Music Lists – Page 2 – Not More Music Crap?

Best Music of 2021 – Songs

And here are my top 10 favorite songs of the year. There’s maybe not quite as much variety here as I’ve had in some years, but it still ranges from jazz, to country-western, to various forms of indie-pop. And for those who want to go further, I’ll leave a link to a much larger playlist of great music I found in 2021 at the bottom of this post.

As always, I hope this exercise helps you discover some new music that you’ll love.

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2021

1. “Reality Winner,” Andrew Bryant – This is a fairly personal pick, probably not something you’ll find on many other year-end reviews. But it’s top of my list because it’s a solid rock song with lyrics that felt written directly for me; “With everything I’ve been through, with everything I’ve done / I don’t play games and I don’t care who won.”

2. “Wet Dream” and “Chaise Lounge,” Wet Leg – This is a twofer bonus because I listened to these tracks back-to-back so many times through the year. Taking the ironic, too-cool-for-school attitude to it’s pop extreme this is wickedly infectious fun.

3. “Sanctuary,” Hiss Golden Messenger – I’m not sure that MC Taylor’s new album was his best work but he’s always made music that feels comforting, soaked in goodwill. That feeling could be in short supply lately and this track stuck with me – well timed and well appreciated. “You wanna move, You want sanctuary, That’s all that I can offer to you, From the bottom to the bone.”

4. “Both of My Hands,” Riddy Arman – Last year I highlighted a song from Arman that’s also my favorite on this album but this track ended up being a close second. It’s haunting. Vividly painting, through production and lyrics, the image of someone hiding from regrets in a drafty farm house on some lonely, high desert ranch land.

5. “Murder at the Bingo Hall,” Amigo the Devil – A gothic, folk-rock song dripping in dark humor – and it’s about bingo! How could I not love this song? In fact, I became somewhat obsessed with it this summer and was unable to get it out of head. Loudly singing it on repeat throughout a multi-day bikepacking trip, it never failed to make me smile.

6. “Figure No. 2,” Darius Jones – This is a song you need to prepare for. Listen with headphones or a good sound system to capture the enormous dynamic range. Sit down and prepare to dedicate nearly ten minutes. Actually longer, because you’ll need more than one listen – it is not a simple song. Which is what’s engaging and beguiling to me in many ways because it first comes across as so simple, potentially monotonous. It is not. It is a roller-coaster of emotion, full of complexity and nuance that will be missed by those who don’t pay attention.

7. “Take Off Ur Pants,” Indigo De Souza – A bouncy, garage pop song (or maybe “bubblegrunge,” which I just learned is a genre of some kind) with a catchy bass line and smart, sweet (almost coy) vocals that build to a shouting rejection of everyone’s annoying expectations. “Now that everyone’s gone, I can tell you the truth / I don’t love you, I like you.”

8. “Gold Chains,” Genesis Owusu – Owusu-Ansah is quoted as saying “I’m Prince, if he were a rapper in 2020’s Australia.” While that’s a pretty cocky thing to say, I can see something behind his brag when I listen to this track. There’s a smooth, Prince-like funk which sits as the perfect foundation for Owusu-Ansah’s flowing rap style. (And yes, Barack Obama also had this song on his 2021 list but I had it selected first.)

9. “I Know I’m Funny haha,” Faye Webster – Moody indie folk. Using almost seductive vocals hidden behind a tentative-sounding delivery, Webster builds additional layers of meaning on top of lyrics about complexity hidden in the simple moments of a relationship.

10. “In the Stone,” The Goon Sax – A swaggering groove contrasted against dry, dour vocals. “Do you think it’s better not feeling any of this at all?” And yes, I’m a sucker for hand claps and a great 90’s era bass riff.

Best Music of 2021 – Albums

I typically have a long list of potential favorite albums that I curate throughout the year and the largest challenge becomes figuring out which one will be first and how to narrow it down to just ten once year-end rolls around. In fact for 2020 I had so many favorites I gave up and made it a top twelve list.

I’m not sure why, but 2021 didn’t excite me with new music in the same way. There were good albums – I certainly recommend everything in my list – but I wasn’t finding a lot of stuff that kept my focus. Instead I spent much of this year going back in musical time, exploring corners of 70’s music, digging through my old iTunes catalog, or re-appreciating favorite albums from college.

But a year-end music list is tradition (or at least I’ve made it into one for myself) so as December hit I started reviewing my playlists. Quickly enough, the gems from the last 12 months began to surface and a growing appreciation for new sounds that have become part of my expanding music library.

Now that I’ve undersold the hell out of this year’s list, let’s start with my picks for best albums.

MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2021

1. Vulture Prince, Arooj Aftab – By far the most beautiful and soothing album of the year for me. The arrangements are subdued and the production is low-key, making for a subtle album that I almost overlooked after my first listen in the middle of some busy day. But take a moment to sit down, breath deep, and Aftab’s voice will carry you over and through the spaces of these seven tracks, delivering you into a magical land.

2. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz – To get this out of the way, I’ll say that I could do without the interludes on this album. They’re not as disruptive as some hip-hop albums but I rarely see how they bring listing value. That out of the way though, this is unquestionably a great album by an artist who’s already put out strong work and is really hitting her stride here. What stands out in Little Simz’s latest is her confidence to be nuanced and even vulnerable at times, knowing that her strength and power will ultimately show. She pulls off more orchestral instrumentation without it getting overproduced and keeps the cool soul and R&B vibe going. The lyrical theme of war/struggle between her introvert and extrovert sides plays out across the album and in shifts in tone and instrumentation. But all of that set aside, it’s just a great balance of hip-hop grooves and bangers.

3. Home Video, Lucy Dacus – I’ve been a big fan of Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers and was excited when they came together for what I would consider a true “super group” with last year’s boy genius project. As much as I love all their music, I think with this album Dacus provides a strong argument for being the best and most consistent song writer of the three. With Home Video she expertly captures the awkward, tender and bittersweet emotions of young adulthood in a way that resonates strongly for anyone looking back at years long past.

4. Far In, Helado Negro – Sometimes timing is everything. While this year often left me feeling trapped inside a never ending COVID nightmare, Far In gave me an escape into a dreamy, ethereal dance party. It was an escape I came back to over and over. Sometimes focusing on the intricate rhythms and layered sounds. Other times using it as an ambient blanket. And now that I sit here on a cold, wet December evening I take extra pleasure in the warmth evoked by Roberto Carlos Lenge’s mix of Latin American influences.

5. CRAWLER, IDLES – Recently there’s been a collection of “progressive-male,” heavy post-punk UK(ish) based bands putting out music which I admit has the potential to blur together (IDLES, Fontaines D.C., shame, Viagra Boys). And IDLES alone has put out a flood of music with three studio albums in four years. But I feel this year’s CRAWLER could be the best album any of them have put out so far. They’ve taken the frantic intensity of their earlier work and turned it down slightly (from 11 to 10), making room to throw in a touch of dance floor rhythms and a bit of fun. But the lyrics in this album, often overlooked in the ferocity of Joe Talbot’s vocals, also contain an intelligent self-reflection that means there’s thought behind the sonic punch.

6. Long Time Coming, Sierra Ferrell – The challenge with many modern artists putting out music leaning heavily towards traditional sounds is that they can often end up monotonous, stale, and flat. Ferrell has avoided that trap by deftly moving through a wide range of influences – country-western, swing, bluegrass, even Flamenco – while tying it all together cohesively with her alluring southern drawl.

7. All Bets Are Off, Tamar Aphek – This album is all about the percussion and guitars – the rhythmic soundscape of the drums and the textures created with the guitars. Aphek’s somewhat dry, sultry voice is layered on top, but it’s just another layer – almost percussive itself – and not the focus. I can’t help but think of this album as more jazz than rock (and I generally hate jazz-rock fusion). As bits of avant-garde jazz, post-punk, and even psychedelia mixed together it may not be the easiest album to consume for many listeners but I found it a fascinating piece I kept going back to.

8. There Is No End, Tony Allen – There are plenty of talented hip-hop producers creating snippets of great beats but so often they fail to create flow – to build a continuous groove. But sublime flow comes naturally to the extraordinary drumming talent of Tony Allen. Through the 70’s he was the hidden force behind the ground breaking music of Fela Kuti but someone I (like many others) did not know by name, only by his work. Here he collaborates with a series of hip-hop artists and casual listeners might find him still hidden but his drumming is the key to this album – the heartbeat that gives it life.

9. Always Something, UV-TV – My first impression was something like a 90’s era pop-punk band fronted by a young Liz Phair, but there’s nothing dated or derivative here. With nine tightly constructed and efficient tracks that play out in sub 30 minutes, this is a great example of a band understanding their sound and not trying to do too much.

10. The Color Blu(e), Blu – There may be some critics out there who could call this album gimmicky with its heavy play on the “Blu(e)” theme but I felt it was executed with such wit and creativity that it worked to hook me in. It reminds me of some of the best Roots albums with the old-school beats and deft use of throwback sampling.

HONORABLE MENTION

Collapsed in Sunbeams, Arlo Park

Comfort To Me, Amyl and The Sniffers

Drunk Tank Pink, shame

Best Music of 2020 – Songs

It’s time for part two of my end-of-year music review – my favorite songs. Nothing too complex here. It can be hard to rank songs from one to ten because of how much mood and context affect our reception of an individual piece of music. But each year there is generally one song that stands out for me above all the rest, a particular song that for various different reasons fit my mood and context that year.

This year certainly had a unique mood and context – and wonderfully there was a wealth of great music that spoke very clearly to this time. Setting aside RTJ4, an album I’ve already highlighted and full of songs that carried me through this year at speaker-distorting volumes, there were three songs that spoke to me in startling clarity. Three tracks that hit home for me because they represented thoughts, imagery, and questions specific and extremely relatable to me, but at the same time they were very aware of the much greater world outside my sheltered bubble.

So, for my song list in 2020 I had three songs that could have easily been my #1 favorite song of the year and then threw in seventeen more to get to a nice round Top 20 overall. Enjoy, and as always, I hope that each of you is able to find something in these lists that speaks to you and maybe brings you out of your bubble.

Cheers.

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2020

1. “What’ve I Done to Help,” Jason Isbell – With the brutally frank refrain of this song it became a defining song for my 2020. No surprise that Isbell was able to put voice to a question so many of us (myself certainly included) should be asking ourselves.

2. “Long Violent History,” Tyler Childers – This was a surprise track tagged onto the end of what seemed to be a traditional bluegrass album. Rather than chastise or dismiss those in this country who fail to see a broader reality, Childers uses his voice to try and give new perspective and open minds to empathy. (Hear Childers explain in his own words.)

3. “Thoughts and Prayers,” Drive-By Truckers – Patterson Hood moved to Portland a few years ago. We are honored to have such an amazing song writer in our community and while this track was written with the fight for gun control in mind, I felt it equally captured the frustration I know I felt watching protests and chaos throughout the year.

4. “Spirits, Angels, or Lies,” Riddy Arman – My favorite surprise find of the year. I’m sure I was slightly biased by Arman’s personal preface to the song in this video but this touching ode to her father, the Man in Black, and the power of music rarely failed to draw a tear.

5. “Fire,” Waxahatchee – While Katie Crutchfield’s unconventional vocals may seem to strain at times, I feel it fits the fight inside this song. Mixed in with a deceptively effective beat this song kept bringing me back.

6. “Boomer,” Bartees Strange – Like the rest of the album he released this year, this track is hard to categorize by genre or style but it’s filled with undeniable drive and throws hooks left and right. “Most people gonna say what they wanna say.”

7. “Grounds,” IDLES – These Brit-punks are back once again, calling us out on our shit with fierce candor.

8. “Behold, The Deceiver,” Shabaka and the Ancestors – Starting with a gentle interplay of saxophones, this track transforms as an insistent base line drops and begins propelling you along on a captivating ride.

9. “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me,” Logan Ledger – Just listen to the first 30 second of this country ballad and Ledger’s buttery smooth voice will carry you away to the watery waves of some beautiful, melancholy dream world.

10. “A Hero’s Death,” Fontaines D.C. – Have these boys from Ireland become motivational speakers? How much is tongue-in-cheek and how much is there attempt to help us all fight our way up? “When you speak, speak sincere / And believe my friend, everyone will hear / Life ain’t always empty…”

11. “Get the Devil Out,” Nadia Reid – I’ve been in love with Reid’s voice for a while. Her new album dropped into my lap the week the first shutdowns began and I found myself instinctively drawing comfort in the soulful grace of this song.

12. “Scram!” Jeff Rosenstock – “I’ve been told for most my life / “Wait until the perfect time” / By people who have been defined / by skipping spots in line.” Fuck yeah, Jeff!

13. “Local Radio,” Bad Moves – This is just catchy-as-hell power pop.

14. “2 Far Gone,” Moses Boyd – A cascading piano carries us into a deftly layered beat. We’re blissfully swept along. It’s not until we’re over 90 seconds in that we begin to wonder. Where are we? Is this a jazz song? Is this an Afrobeat dance party? Is this some kind of funky electronic drone re-mix? Yes!

15. “zombie girl,” Adrianna Lenker – With a fragile voice, this minimalist recording captures a “sweet and blue” feeling perfectly.

16. “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” Sabine McCalla – I’m not sure how much the writing of this song was inspired by the traditional blues standard of the same name, but I think any of the greats would be impressed by this achingly soulful country-blues track. Captivating and timeless.

17. “Roger Ebert,” Clem Snide – A heart-swelling track inspired by a beautifully lived life. The keys to life are found at the gates of death.

19. “Cowpoke,” Colter Wall – I’m unclear if this song resonated with me because of nostalgia, escapism, or simply the gift of Colter Wall’s voice but it carried me off into the best possible cowboy music.

18. “And It’s Still Alright,” Nathaniel Rateliff – “Your idle hands are all that stands / From your time in the dark / But it’s still alright.” A blessing for the lost, the weary, and the sinners.

20. “Texas Sun,” Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – An example of how magic can sometimes be found in the most unexpected pairings. Leon Bridges steps away from his neo-soul work, combining his velvety voice with the psych-rock groove machine of Khruangbin.

Best Music of 2020 – Albums

Let me start by acknowledging that this is my first post to the blog in 12 months. While I’d like to blame that entirely on COVID (it seems like an easy escape clause) the truth is more likely a mix of pandemic induced apathy and a previously existing slip in blogging related motivation. But here we are in December and it seems like I should at least get off my hands long enough to bang out my music picks for the year. With any luck, this will trigger at least a little momentum and I’ll see if I can do something to capture a few points of interest from the year that has been 2020.

Now on to the music –

Although this year has been far from standard, my process for putting together these lists is the same as what I’ve been doing and pretty straight forward. I did provide some additional picks this time just because I got worn out trying to keep the list capped at ten and thought a few more wouldn’t hurt anything.

One potential trend in terms of the content of my lists this year is a higher proportion of Alt-country/Americana music compared to the last few. I’m not sure if this is simply because there was a resurgence in those genres or if it actually had more to do with me finding refuge and comfort in music tinged with the sounds of my childhood.

With that out of the way, here are my personal picks for best albums of 2020. Favorite songs will be coming shortly.

MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2020

1. RTJ4, Run the Jewels – Yes, these gentlemen have been high on my list several times before, but damnit they just keep dropping standout music that can’t be overlooked. And on top of making the best produced (thanks to El-P) rap albums that surgically pivot between powerful social commentary and humor, they once again demonstrated their uncanny ability to drop these gifts just when the world needs it most. In the last week of 2016 they released their RTJ3 as the reality of Trump’s win was sinking in on all of us. Now in 2020, 9 days after George Floyd is killed and protests are growing widespread, they surprise us with an album putting voice to anger, frustration and a demand for change.

2. SOURCE, Nubya Garcia – I can safely say that Nubya Garcia has been the most fruitful personal music discovery I’ve had in a long time. Added up, I spent more time this year in her musical neighborhood than anywhere else. Not only did I binge on her amazing album of afro-beat infused jazz but exploring her catalog of music opened up a wonderful universe of collaborators and adjacent artists filling a new world of UK jazz that I didn’t know before. (See also Shabaka and the Ancestors, Moses Boyd, both featured later on in my year end review.) All of it jazz that’s been richly mixed with African, Caribbean, hip-hop and electronic influences.

3. Neon Cross, Jaime Wyatt – While Sturgill Simpson may be considered by many as the face of Outlaw Country’s current wave, I’d argue Jaime Wyatt is about as “Outlaw” or Alt-Country as you can get. I heard her say once in an interview that she takes country music and ruins it. Don’t be fooled though, there’s nothing ruined in this album. I was hooked as soon as I heard the opening track, with her smokey voice and the underlying pedal steel guitar. Those who aren’t paying attention may take her for a cynical country misfit but there’s a battle-scarred honesty in her writing that’s not commonly found.

4. Every Bad, Porridge Radio – Dana Margolin’s dusky voice plays perfectly across eleven heaving tracks of emotional release. With an underlayer of DIY post-punk sounds, a splash of Britpop attitude, and just the right amount of avant-garde thinking, this became my favorite “indie-rock” album of the year. In the final track, Margolin may chant “There’s nothing inside / There’s nothing inside,” but this release is full of brash conviction.

5. Cha Cha Palace, Angelica Garcia – I first heard of Garcia when her early single for this album made Barak Obama’s list of favorite songs in 2019. (Yes, another reminder of how amazing things used to be when we had an openminded, cultured, and tasteful president.) However, despite infectious pop tunes like “Karma The Knife,” I didn’t immediately connect with her album as a whole. Maybe because I’m a privileged, middle aged, sorta-hipster white guy and Cha Cha Palace is a syncopated look into what it’s like in America as someone with Latinx roots from East LA. But that’s what’s so impressive about this album – once I took a moment to listen again, I realized (as I like to think Barak did) that Garcia was capturing a side of the diverse reality in America that all of us should (need) to access. “I been trying to tell ya but you just don’t see / Like you, I was born in this country.” Best of all though, she does it with buoyant charm.

6. Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1, Sturgill Simpson – Yes, I’m a Sturgill fanboy. Yes, this is actually two albums which contain no new tracks but is instead a collection of songs he’s previously released now reworked in a bluegrass setting. And quite frankly, I’m generally ambivalent about bluegrass music. But similar to Jeff Tweedy’s 2017 album Together at Last, having the courage to re-imagine your own songs in an entirely new format highlights the quality of the material and demonstrates the layers of pleasure we can get from truly great music. (BONUS: When I started writing up this list Vol. 2 was not yet out, but with it’s release last week the combined work – 32 total songs! – demonstrate an amazing depth of material he’s already created in a relatively short professional career.)

7. Good Souls Better Angels, Lucinda Williams – Williams is a highly underrated American song writing legend. For decades she’s been a song-writer’s song writer but for me personally I think this is her best album. There’s a darker, grittier production to the arrangements that seems tailor made for her voice. Then there’s the imagery of her lyrics, the way she creates stories with deceptively simple lines, that she employs in what feels like an album destined to help guide us through the turmoil of 2020.

8. Snapshot of a Beginner, Nap Eyes – Nigel Chapman may have a love-it-or-hate-it vocal style. Think Phil Elverum (Microphones, Mount Eerie), Mark Oliver Everett (Eels), Charlie Fink (Noah and the Whale), or maybe John Roderick (The Long Winters). For me, the sound Chapman and the rest of his Canadian bandmates created with this album was a delightful mix of Stephen Malkmus (a well documented influence) and maybe the pop of an early 90’s era band like James. Then within that sound, Chapman generally creates a vibe of positive but laid back sentiment while guitarist Brad Loughead splashes in tastefully proportioned doses of melodic chaos.

9. Coriky, Coriky – Like many people this year, I went though a period where I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the ugliness of the outside world. At its peak, I found myself turning to the sounds I loved from the late 80’s and 90’s when (it seemed) life was simpler. Part of this involved a lot of Fugazi – a band that was more than I could appreciate as a 17 year old (and maybe still today). In June, when I heard Ian MacKaye’s new project Coriky was releasing an album I felt a newly re-sparked urge to check it out. While the genealogy of Fugazi is evident from the first track, this is not just an attempt to cash in on the nostalgia for yesteryear. This is sharp, intelligent music leveraging the well honed song writing skills of both MacKaye and bandmate Amy Farina to skewer the inequalities and abuses of our society.

10. Flower of Devotion, Dehd – At times this is garage rock laced with the reverberating echo of surf rock guitars. At other times it’s 80’s pop covered by a stripped down post-punk band. (Maybe even a splash of Blondie meets Tom Petty!) All combined, this Chicago band made a record that hit a sweet spot for me this year – music with attitude that’s still chill enough to let you groove along with it.

11. color theory, Soccer Mommy – Two years after releasing Clean, Sophie Allison’s sophomore album shows that despite being young and presenting what may seem like a carefree sound, she is a musician to be taken seriously. Not only has the attitude of her writing progressed with more confidence, she’s deftly threaded the line of adding richer sound production while still keeping the sincerity that made her immediately standout.

12. Love is the King, Jeff Tweedy – I’d guess some folks argue Tweedy’s songwriting has become less biting and more muted over the years. And throughout many patches of this record, the sound is very simple and even muted, reflecting the washed-out, gray, and sparse environment captured in the album’s cover photo. But with Love is the King I felt this stemmed from the well of maturity, confidence, and resolve Tweedy instills in his music now. It is simple, almost workman like. For me, this album could be the equivalent of watching a truly gifted carpenter at their work, marveling at the simple elegance of a master in their element.

HONORABLE MENTION

Saint Cloud, Waxahatchee

Untitled (Black Is), SAULT

Reunions, Jason Isbell

Daughter, Lydia Loveless

Dinner Party: Dessert, Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, and 9th Wonder

Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers

Best Music of 2019 – Songs

Guidelines for my list: First, I can’t use songs from any of the top albums I’ve listed. Second, song selection is more about my personal favorites and less about what I think are the “best” individual songs of the year – it’s a list reflecting what I listened to most during the year and what I found myself turning to for comfort or celebration.

Some years there’s more looking for comfort, some years more celebration. After sorting through my songs this time and looking at what percolated to the top I did notice a couple unintentional trends.

Genre wise, there’s less variety in my top 10 songs then I’ve had in previous years. With a few exceptions the list is dominated by what I’d describe as fairly straight-up “alt rock” tracks with alternating dynamic structure (i.e. a quiet-loud-quiet type thing). Then lyrically, I noticed common themes around the passing of youth (“Seventeen”, “Run Wild” ) and what it means to get older (“Nullarbor”, “Foreve Cul-De-Sac”, “Big Softy”). And strangely, there’s also a disproportionate number of Australian artists (Floodlights, Angie McMahon, Middle Kids).

Not sure what all this might say about my year but whatever the case I think the music kicks ass.

Happy New Year!

FAVORITE SONGS OF 2019

1. “Seventeen,” Sharon Van Etten – Building up slowly, climaxing almost in a scream, this is future you looking back at past you, this is life-weary adult pleading with naive youth.

2. “Red Shoulder,” Squirrel Flower – Probably my favorite surprise of the year: I stumbled onto this track randomly browsing through some Spotify rabbit hole. Forty-four seconds in the guitar riff comes rolling out and I was hooked.

3. “Nullarbor“, Floodlights – The jangling guitars, muddy bass, and slight reverb on the vocals create a sound perfectly matched to the imagery of contemplating life in the isolated flats of South Australia. “I’m hoping for a grand epiphany, That comes to me, I’m struggling, but if I trek a little further, Into the dust, into the bush.”

4. “Forever Cul-De-Sac,” Ages and Ages – An easily overlooked Portland band put out this combination anthem and funeral dirge for those of us wondering what comes next.

5. “All Kindsa Don’t“, Pan Amsterdam – Utilizing a jazz groove that oozes cool, Leron Thomas skillfully puts down a rap laced with dry humor that always leaves me looking for another verse.

6. “Run Wild“, Twain & The Deslondes – To the casual listener, a hillbilly rocker on the ragged edge, but the song carries a slightly haunting undertone as the narrator knows the struggle to hold onto youth is futile.

7. “Pasta“, Angie McMahon – The first two and half minutes of this song staggers along in a charming shambles of guitar before building into a bedroom dance party release. (Canine dancing companions recommended.)

8. “Big Softy“, Middle Kids – A wonderful slide guitar riff in another rocker from Down Under. “It is sometimes hard to go on, I used to kill it, but now those days are gone.”

9. “Faithless“, Operators – Dan Boeckner is part journeyman rocker, part troubadour. During their show this year at the Doug Fir the driving beat of this synth-lead track was the standout moment and the recorded version does a pretty damn good job as well.

10. “Dylan Thomas“, Better Oblivion Community Center – The best track from an album by two great song writers (Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers) but it’s the unexpected mixing of their voices that captured me.

Best Music of 2019 – Albums

I clearly haven’t spent much time on the blog this year – but I keep meaning to at least post a few highlights. The trip to Japan, projects done on the house, Thanksgiving with the family… There’s still time, right? For now though, I’ll at least try to keep the tradition (habit? compulsion?) of documenting my year-end music recommendations.

As I finished writing this up, I quickly read through some critics’ top 10 lists, curious to see how my list compared. It looked like my choices might fall more outside the norm than in past years but this wasn’t an intentional attempt to highlight lesser known artists. I think it’s more a reflection of my list leaning towards sounds I felt a natural connection with inside a vast sea of rapidly evolving and diverging musical content. Like most years before, there’s a fair bit of diversity in the final rundown so I hope all of you are able to come away with something new and exciting.

More to come soon with a list of my favorite songs.

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2019

1. When I Have Fears, The Murder Capital – What pulled me in was dark, brooding music that swirls together early 90’s post-punk (think Fugazi) and 80’s English new wave (maybe Joy Division). While the album’s tempo ebbs and flows, the emotional intensity rages fearlessly from beginning to end. This is the kind of album I wish I could play for the 16 year old me and watch as my face lights up in amazement.

2. Hiding Places, Billy Woods, Kenny Segal – billy woods actually put out two impressive albums this year. Both are filled with his deceptively tense lyrics on personal and societal conflict, mixing comedy and tragedy in a way that keeps you off balance but leaning in. For me though, the production that Kenny Segal brings to Hiding Places makes this the standout album with groves that balance woods’ jarring imagery of a dystopia that seems increasingly hard to hide from.

3. Crushing, Julia Jacklin – Simple but poignant songwriting, a vulnerable voice delivering a confident message, and layers of crunchy guitar sounds. There isn’t anything flashy or overtly cutting edge about Crushing. It’s just a great rock and roll album about the reality of relationships.

4. Kiwanuka, Michael Kiwanuka – Kicking off the first track with a joyous groove, it’s easy to get swept up in an album that’s richly textured in soul, funk and R&B creating a magically timeless sound. But as we learned from his stellar album three years ago (Love & Hate), Kiwanuka isn’t here simply to make us snap our fingers and sing along. It’s a album layered with heartache and anguish about the state of society today. Whether he leaves us with a final sign of hope is hard to say. (“The young and dumb will always need one of their own to lead.”) Like any really great story, the resolution is left for the audience to complete.

5. Dogrel, FONTAINES D.C. – The first track on Dogrel comes barreling out of the gate with a swagger and intensity that skirts the edge of obnoxious but crash lands in charming. Like IDLES with a bit less frenzy and a little more James Joyce, these are post-punk anthems from Ireland with the power to lift up the downtrodden – or at least make you feel not so alone in your ire. (Note: Yes, for those that are counting, this is the second “post-punk” band from Ireland on my list, but that is purely coincidence… or is it?)

6. Vagabon, Vagabon – Every track on this album is a silky, smooth slow groove that invites you in like warm, sunlit waters. But there’s something powerful lurking under the surface. “All the women I meet are fired up. They get ready to kill with their love.”

7. Ilana (The Creator), Mdou Moctar – Mdou Moctar adds to an amazing string of albums released by Tuareg guitarists over the last decade. This summer, as I spent hours driving around the deserts of SE Oregon, I would play Ilana and imagine myself being serenaded across lonely stretches of the Sahara by some re-imagined 70’s guitar god.

8. PSYCHODRAMA, Dave – An extremely mature and personal album from a young British rapper, it works well as a cohesive piece while containing some powerful, standalone tracks. There are uniquely English aspects to his lyrics but overall he captures a story that is universally engaging.

9. Let Love Run the Game, Daniel Norgren – I’ve never been a Grateful Dead fan. (One of my favorite bumper stickers: “Jerry’s dead. Phish sucks. Get a job.”) But after falling for this album I’m starting to wonder if I was closer to a Dead fan than I realized. The differentiator here in Daniel’s work is the simplicity that Garcia and his crew so often lacked – simplicity in song structure and production. The album has a slow build, settling into an intelligent, relaxed, back-porch-gathering vibe without any of the pretentious jamboree distractions. (Note: In reading that back to myself I do realize how pretentious I sound and the irony is not lost on me.)

10. Between the Country, Ian Noe – I imagine this album could have been played across AM airwaves in the year I was born. Channeling Nick Drake through the filter of Eastern Kentucky, this is folk music done as authentically and as intensely as I’ve seen from any singer-songwriter in some time.

Honorable Mention: We’ve Sobered Up, Say Sue Me – This album was actually released a year or two ago but I discovered it as a US reissue this year so I’m going to tag it on the end of my 2019 list. And for good reason: it’s shoe-gazer surf rock from South Korea and it’s cool as fuck.

Best Music of 2018 – Part 2

As Part 2 for this year, here’s my distilled list of favorite songs from 2018. There’s one track I left off the list that absolutely deserves recognition. Childish Cambino’s “This Is America” should probably be on top of everyone’s list but I wasn’t sure what I could say about it that hadn’t already been written much more eloquently and its certainly had plenty of media attention already. So, with that notable exception, I tried to capture the individual tracks I played the most and the songs that kept getting stuck in my head on repeat.

Favorite Songs of 2018

1. “Danny Nedelko,” IDLES – Sounding as if it were a lost track from the late 70’s second wave of punk, this is a quintessential masterpiece of the genre. But just like the best punk, this song punches directly through to the frustrations of the moment – populism gone awry, Brexit and Trump inspired hate.

2. “Bad Bad News,” Leon Bridges – In a year that’s been filled with dark, depressing news, things have often seemed overwhelming, like there’s no point in looking forward. Then comes a badass groove and Bridges’ smooth as silk vocals like a miracle cure.

3. “What a Time to Be Alive,” Superchunk – The title may be tongue-in-cheek but Superchunk has made a track (and corresponding album) that’s energizing at the same time it’s calling out all the B.S.

4. “Suburbia,” Press Club – A straightforward garage rock anthem from Down Under that I kept singing in my head all year.

5. “Nina Cried Power,” Hozier feat. Mavis Staples – Anthemic rock gospel that sounds like a modern remake of a 60’s protest song.

6. “Over Rainbows and Rainier,” Damien Jurado – Jurado’s gentle, quiet wish for salvation and a better future. Something to soothe the heart.

7. “Everybody Wants to Be Famous,” Superorganism – Like a quirky nursery rhyme turned into EDM. This is infectious alt-pop poking fun at society (and itself).

8. “Peach Scone,” Hobo Johnson – Frank Lopes Jr. oozes goofy charisma like the slightly spassy art geek kid in class who may not have been popular but you couldn’t help rooting for.

9. “Happy Man,” Jungle – Have you lost your swagger? Need to add a little strut to your walk? Here you go.

10. “Love It If We Made It,” The 1975 – Filled with 80’s influences (am I the only one reminded of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and even a bit of R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It”?) it’s the driving rhythm and a simple urgency in the chorus that make this track undeniably catchy.

Best Music of 2018 – Part 1

I’ll keep the preamble to a minimum and get quickly to this year’s list of my favorite albums. There were some albums I really loved this year but I will say that when I pulled together my list of candidates for the Top 10 it was a shorter list than most years. In the end though I’m happy with these choices. I hope you enjoy.

As usual, in Part 2 I’ll share some of my favorite songs.

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2018

1. boygenius, boygenius – When I first heard Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus were collaborating on a joint project I knew it had a good chance at ending up on the top of my annual list. I would consider Baker, Bridgers and Dacus the front runners in the new wave of American singer-songwriters. They have each put out intensely emotional and listenable solo projects. (Dacus’ best work coming out this year – see Album #4.) They each possess a uniquely beautiful vocal style and a captivating writing style. But in the musical world, putting three great voices together often equals far less than the sum of the parts. Thankfully, boygenius avoids the usual traps and comes across as three performers getting the best out of each other.

2. How to Socialize and Make Friends, Camp Cope – When I first put this album high on my list I wondered if I might be subconsciously jumping on the #MeToo bandwagon but the truth is I keep going back to this album just for the simple rock hooks. This is rock with just enough 90’s retro style, plenty of rage, raw jangle and emotional range – the kind of music that speaks to me no matter the political climate. The fact that Georgia Maq rips a new-one in the misogyny of the indie rock scene is frankly just icing on the cake.

3. Whack World, Tierra Whack – Enjoyed as a video montage, an album, or individual sound-bite-like songs, Tierra Whack’s release is creative, catchy and hard to deny as just plain fun. I’m most impressed by the way she’s able to be a serious artist without taking herself or rap too seriously.

4. Historian, Lucy Dacus – With her first album in 2016 Lucy Dacus initially caught my attention as someone who had lyrical chops and a subtly mesmerizing voice. For some reason I wasn’t immediately taken in by her 2018 release. I think I might have been jaded by the plethora of quiet, melancholy, female singer-songwriter releases in the last couple years. But whenever I returned to Historian it took more shape and added more depth, making clear to me it deserved attention.

5. CARE FOR ME, Saba – There were a lot of critically acclaimed rap albums this year. Like several others, CARE FOR ME possessed unique artistic style and expertly crafted hooks. But what set it apart for me was the tone, the attitude. Whether it’s purely a product of the tragic story behind the album’s theme or something that Saba would have channeled anyway, the vulnerability, introspection and uncertainty expressed is rarely seen in rap music and adds significant power.

6. POST-, Jeff Rosenstock – Rosenstock has no shortage of energy or charisma. He’s one of those “hardest working man” types whose mostly flown under the radar. The album hinges on two epic tracks (“USA” and “Let Them Win”) but it screams out with so many anthemic hooks it can not be denied.

7. El Mal Querer, Rosalia – I have no idea what Rosalia is singing about and it frankly doesn’t matter. She could be singing about her grocery list, her plantar fasciitis, or her favorite table cloth. Whatever the case, if this intriguing blend of flamenco rhythms and R&B doesn’t put you in the mood (for any number of things) than you may be dead inside.

8. Future Me Hates Me, The Beths – This is catchy pop-rock with a bright energy. The band and the compositions are tight, the songwriting is smart. There’s a little 90’s feel to it but I could see this album rocking college radio across several decades.

9. Years, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – I couldn’t tell you exactly how she does it, but Sarah Shook has managed to make something that sounds completely new while also being “classic country.” Mixing traditional country sounds with tough-as-nails attitude, she and her band made an album that feels more genuine than anything you’ll hear on country radio today.

10. Clean, Soccer Mommy – Simple, clear and intimate. Sophie Allison reminds me of a more laid-back Liz Phair, possessing a little less bite but plenty of natural charm. Clean is an easily accessible album (and I mean that in the best possible way) with a streak of melancholy, a sprinkling of snarkiness, and just enough guitar to keep it from getting bland.

Best Music of 2017 – Part 2

I’ll finish this year up with my favorite songs from 2017 and a link to my overall 2017 playlist.

Here’s to a great 2018. My New Year’s wish for everyone is to find new music that excites you – whether it’s something in these lists or better yet something you find doing your own exploring. There’s so much great music out there, the worst thing you can do is get complacent and stop looking.

FAVORITE SONGS OF 2017

#1) “If We Were Vampires,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Although Isbell’s album, The Nashville Sound, wasn’t as strong overall as his previous work, this track stood out to me at the first listen. It’s a bittersweet song with heartbreaking imagery about love, commitment and the futility of relationships when up against time. This is the kind of sadness that we can only hope to feel and Isbell delivers it gently.

#2) “God in Chicago,” Craig Finn – Dylan’s Nobel prize rekindled the debate about whether music lyrics constitute poetry. In my mind, they aren’t necessarily the same, but in some cases – and maybe in the best cases – they are. In this track, Craig Finn’s lyrics create an amazingly layered and powerful story using a combination of very specific, yet simple images. In the process he’s able to convey far more then the words themselves can say.

#3) “Pa’lante,” Hurray For the Riff Raff – A track that inspires me, and humbles me. Structured in three movements, Alynda Segarra carries me through a rollercoaster of emotion with this song. Belting out a call to arms, she creates an anthem for love, life, and revolution that every person should find inspiration from.

#4) “Seashore,” The Regrettes – My niece Lucia is only four, so I’m holding off introducing her to The Regrettes, but it’s independent, self-empowered, riot grrrl rock like this that I hope I can someday share with her.

#5) “Believe,” Benjamin Booker – I was a big fan of the gritty, blues-rock troubadour sound in Booker’s debut album. This year he came back with something far more serious – using that sound to create a modern interpretation of a Marvin Gaye like protest album.

#6) “Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me,” Ron Gallo – Coming on strong like 60’s psychedelia that’s run smack dab into 70’s glam and 90’s garage rock, Ron Gallo takes us on a trippy ride that I’m sure even Jim Morrison could get into.

#7) “Still Summer,” Matt Pond PA – My summer “pop” song for driving with the windows down and enjoying the moment.

#8) “Hunker Down,” Corbin – The perfect prescription for those frustrating nights on the singles scene: get in the car, start driving out of town, put this track on the stereo, turn the volume up until the speakers are just about to distort, repeat as necessary.

#9) “Sunsetz,” Cigarettes After Sex – The band’s name pretty much says it all. This is mood music for those nights that don’t end with playing the previous Corbin track.

#10) “Everybody Knows,” Partner – I may be turning 44 this year, but it seems I still have a soft spot for simple guitar shredding stoner rock.

Best Music of 2017 – Part 1

Before putting my list together this year, I spent some time looking back over the previous ten years in “Best of” posts. I was curious to see whether I’d still agree with my picks, how they’d hold up with time. There were a few oddballs in there (some intentional, some not). My early lists (which was pre-Spotify and the onset of unlimited access to new music) lacked some diversity. But for the vast majority of it I’d still endorse my picks.

As with other years, my favorite albums of 2017 have a bit of variety. Some rap, some indie-pop, electronic pop, folky stuff, singer-songwriter tunes. One area lacking this year was in the alt-country/Americana front. Most of my picks will probably be found on other “Best of” lists you see, but as usual I threw in a couple dark horse selections which may not resonate with others but they’re still my favorites and what I’d like to help make sure folks know about.

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2017

1. Run the Jewels 3, Run the Jewels – These guys are easy to take for granted or underestimate, but this album is the obvious, no-doubt-about-it, standout album of the year for me. This is the album I’ve turned to far more then anything else in the last 12 months. It’s the album that’s been my sounding board. It’s been my antidote to waves of Trumpism, kept me buoyed during darker times, helped me celebrate when I was looking for an instant party. This isn’t just great rap; it’s smart, powerful music with a social conscience.

2. Jacob the Horse, Jacob the Horse – This album could be the soundtrack to the best John Hughes movie we all somehow missed. From start to finish this album is my favorite kind of rock n roll. Whether by intent or simple dumb luck, these guys perfected the deceptively difficult balancing act of creating catchy, straight forward rock with undertones of sarcasm, self-depreciation, humor and irony. What might start off sounding like melodramatic 80’s era overkill is undercut by tongue-in-cheek wit, tipping us off to the contradictions that make music/life interesting.

3. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar – Another smart, powerful, rap album. There’s no denying the originality and creativity, but while other recent trend-setting rap artists ended up with music that lacked flow, I think Lamar’s album maintains a musical soul that keeps me engaged along with the complex content.

4. Process, Sampha – A meditative set of songs that sound like the 70’s soul music of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye channeled through the lens of today’s electronic R&B. The stand out track is Sampha’s heartbreakingly beautiful “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” but there’s plenty here to enjoy.

5. Turn Out the Lights, Julien Baker – Julien Baker is small, quiet, awkward, and unassuming but if you’re not careful, if you let yourself listen, she will break your heart. She did it with her debut album in 2015 and she’s come back even stronger here. It’s her specialty. I’ve warned you. (And if you see her perform live, you’re really in for it.)

6. Everybody Works, Jay Som – I hadn’t realized how much I enjoyed this album until I looked at my end-of-year track summary from Spotify and saw that I listened to it almost as much as anything else. That may demonstrate the subtle but beguiling nature of Duterte’s song writing. A mix of jangly pop and shoe gaze, the album sounds intimate but is full of masterfully catchy tracks which quickly build a sense of familiarity like the best pop music should.

7. Aromanticism, Moses Sumney – I came to this album late in the year and feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s there but I knew it was special. In some ways, it makes me think of a classical rhapsody composition done with R&B styling. Beautiful, complex and genre defying music.

8. Preservation, Nadia Reid – I don’t think I can explain exactly why, but there are certain female voices that have an extra resonance for me. Folks like Neko Case and Jenny Lewis have been my prime examples but recently Nadia Reid has also joined that club. I don’t know much about the New Zealand artist but I stumbled onto her 2015 debut album and kept going back to it. Probably falling somewhere in the category of “indie-folk,” her new album Preservation added a bit more song writing complexity, a little more to the production value, while maintaining the succulent voice and rich layers of sound.

9. What Now, Sylvan Esso – A bit of an electro-pop chameleon, What Now can feel like a dance album, or dark and brooding, or sultry, or light-hearted and fun. I think all those layers are there and it just depends on what mood you project when you listen – which makes it a versatile album and I expect something that will hold up well over time.

Honorable Mention: Together at Last, Jeff Tweedy – If this album was a collection of new music, it would have made the top of my list. To be honest though, it’s really just a “best of Jeff Tweedy” collection done with new solo acoustic arrangements. But what a collection. Along with many others, I’ve argued for years that Jeff Tweedy is the best modern (and maybe beyond) song writer. These stripped down acoustic tracks highlight his lyrical craft and allow for a reflection on an amazing career that we’re all just lucky to benefit from.