2019 in music.

Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour won a close one for 2018. Let's see who wins 2019.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 2019:
21 Savage - I Am > I Was (cont. from 2018)
A Boogie wit da Hoodie - Hoodie SZN (cont. from 2018)
Future - The Wizrd
Backstreet Boys - DNA
Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star is Born (cont. from 2018)
Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!
Juice Wrld - Death Race for Love
Nav - Bad Habits
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Khalid - Free Spirit
BTS - Map of the Soul: Persona
P!nk - Hurts 2B Human
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Logic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Tyler, the Creator - Igor
Thomas Rhett - Center Point Road
Jonas Brothers - Happiness Begins
Madonna - Madame X
The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
Chris Brown - Indigo
Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
Ed Sheeran - No. 6 Collaborations Project
NF - The Search
Drake - Care Package
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
Young Thug - So Much Fun
Taylor Swift - Lover
Tool - Fear Inoculum
Post Malone - Hollywood's Bleeding
Dababy - Kirk
SuperM - SuperM
YoungBoy Never Broke Again - AI YongBoy 2
Kanye West - Jesus is King
Luke Combs - What You See is What You Get
Celine Dion - Courage
Trippie Redd - A Love Letter to You 4
Soundtrack - Frozen II
Roddy Richh - Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial
Harry Styles - Fine Line

Billboard chart-topping singles of 2019:
Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next (cont. from 2018)
Halsey - Without Me (cont. from 2018)
Post Malone - Sunflower (cont. from 2018)
Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - Shallow (cont. from 2018)
Jonas Brothers - Sucker
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello - Senorita
Lizzo - Truth Hurts (cont. from 2017)
Travis Scott - Highest Room
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
Selena Gomez - Lose You to Love Me
Post Malone - Circles
The Weeknd - Heartless
Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas is You (cont. from 1994 lol)

What are your top three albums for 2019? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury
2. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
3. Greet Death - New Hell

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

remainder of the top 12:
4. Bon Iver - I, I
5. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
6. Danny Brown - U Know What I’m Sayin?
7. Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
8. Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
9. Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race
10. Jenny Lewis - On the Line
11. Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
12. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats’ Nest

honorable mentions:
2 Chains - Rap or Go to the League
American Football - LP3
Anderson Paak - Ventura
Baroness - Gold & Grey
Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
Big Thief - UFOF
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Brittany Howard - Jaime
Cave In - Final Transmission
Chris Shiflett - Hard Lessons
Clairo - Immunity
Clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood
Coldplay - Everyday Life
DIIV - Deceiver
Earth - Full Upon Her Burning Lips
Harry Styles - Fine Line
The Highwomen - The Highwomen
Hovvdy - Heavy Lifter
Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
Jimmy Montague - The Light of the Afternoon
Kevin Morby - Oh My God
Khruangbin - Hasta El Cielo
Liam Gallagher - Why Me? Why Not.
Maggie Rogers - Heard it in a Past Life
Maren Morris - Girl
Mdou Moctar - Ilana: The Creator
Nick Cave - Ghosteen
Numenorean - Adore
Oso Oso - Basking in the Glow
Pedro the Lion - Phoenix
Pile - Green and Gray
PUP - Morbid Stuff
The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
Ride - This is Not a Safe Place
Russian Circles - Blood Year
Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles
Sebadoh - Act Surprised
Schoolboy Q - Crash Talk
Skepta - Ignorance is Bliss
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
Solange - When I Get Home
Steve Gunn - The Unseen in Between
Strand of Oaks - Eraserland
Swervedriver - Future Ruins
Thom Yorke - Anima
Titus Andronicus - An Obelisk
Tool - Fear Incolum (fuck this band but the album regrettably is good)
Torche - Admission
Tyler Childers - Country Squire
Tyler, the Creator - Igor
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
White Reaper - You Deserve Love
Wilco - Ode to Joy
William Tyler - Goes West
Yola - Walk Through Fire

stuff to check out:
Aldous Harding - Designer
Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
Cate Le Bon - Reward
Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence
Darkthrone - Old Star
Defeater - Defeater
Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club
Laura Stevenson - The Big Freeze
Marika Hackman - Any Human Friend
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
The Tallest Man on Earth - I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream.
Tegan and Sara - Hey, I’m Just Like You
Toro Y Moi - Outer Peace

 

1. Charli XCX - Charli
2. Muna - Saves the World
3. Caroline Polachek - Pang

4. Grayscale - Nella Vita
5. Clipping - There Existed an Addiction to Blood
6. Babymetal - Metal Galaxy
7. 100 gecs - 1000 gecs
8. Copeland - Blushing
9. Little Simz - Grey Area
10. Busted - Half Way There
11. Hannah Diamond - Reflections
12. McFly - The Lost Songs
13. Passcode - Clarity
14. Say Anything - Oliver Appropriate
15. Glass Beach - The First Glass Beach Album
16. The Maine - You Are OK
17. Jai Paul - Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
18. Taylor Swift - Lover
19. The Early November - Lilac
20. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
21. Mannequin Pussy - Patience
22. Otoboke Beaver - Itekoma Hits
23. Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love
24. Noah Gundersen - Lover
25. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Really great year!

 

2019: a year that simultaneously feels like it just happened and like it was 300 million years ago.

 

1. Hovvdy - Heavy Lifter
2. Charly Bliss - Young Enough
3. Arrange - Blood Dust

Big Thief - Two Hands/UFOF
Bravely - Seeking
Caracara - Better
TR/ST - Destroyer 1+2
Tenci - My Heart Is an Open Field
Strange Ranger - Remembering the Rockets
oso oso - Basking in the Glow
Prince Daddy - Cosmic Thrill Seekers
German Error Message - Mend
Club Night - What Life

 

This year was incredible. I moved to Austin (which I have since left) and I'd just drive around listening to these albums over and over again. Definitely the last year so far in which I connected so deeply with music. Hoping to get some of that back once we've gained some distance between now and 2020. Leaving a lot of releases I liked or don't have strong opinions of off of this week so this post isn't a mile long.

1. The Dangerous Summer - Mother Nature

• This album hit at the right time. I remember Jason and Craig hyping it up and then it leaking like 3 days before I got to see the band live and meet AJ and tell him how much I liked the album. I think this is the perfect blend of their more aggressive and poppy sides with enough experimentation to push their sound in unexpected directions.

2. Charly Bliss - Young Enough

• A sonic pivot from their first album, but executed very well and containing some of the band's best songs. Once again, got to see them live in support of this album and it was such a fun show.

3. PUP - Morbid Stuff

• My favorite PUP album by a pretty significant margin at this point. I think it's their best sounding album, I think Scorpion Hill is their best song, and I think it's their only album where I like every song.

Honorable Mentions
Bad Religion - Age of Unreason

• Another solid entry into the Bad Religion catalog. About half full of bangers, half full of decent material.

FIDLAR - Almost Free

• Another half and half album. Some killer, some filler. Saw them play live in-store at Amoeba though and got my vinyl signed, so I think that probably affects how I feel about this album.

Charli XCX - Charli

• Solid album from the pop provocateur.

Vampire Weekend - The Father of the Bride

• Vampire Weekend both delights and surprises with this slightly-too-long-but-not-really album. We were all so worried about losing Rostam, but this album rules.

BROCKHAMPTON - GINGER

• Easily the band's most cohesive work, if not their most exciting album.

The Japanese House - Good At Falling

• Love love love this album. Can't wait for the follow-up.

The Menzingers - Hello Exile

• Took me a while to come around on this album, but I'm glad I did. Production quibbles aside, the songwriting is generally strong. I would really love the band to return to some Rented World-esque 90s worship for the next album though.

Bayside - Interrobang

• Bayside puts out their strongest album in years.

The Maine - You Are OK

• Love the front half of this album!

Others
Bad Suns - Mystic Truth

• A left turn from the band's trajectory, I neither love nor hate this album.

Blink-182 - Nine

• Some surprisingly good songs on here.

Marianas Trench - Phantoms

• Overall a very disappointing album with only 2-3 tracks I revisit. Something about the production irks me as well. It sounds pretty empty for a maximalist pop band.

Red Hearse - Red Hearse

• Fun little Antonoff side project.

The Regrettes - How Do You Love?

• Love a few tracks on here, like the rest.

Kevin Abstract - ARIZONA BABY

• Some unique stuff on here, though the things that sound like BROCKHAMPTON are my favorite (ie "Peach.")

Betty Who - Betty

• Solid pop bangers from the star down under.

Dinosaur Pile-Up - Celebrity Mansions

• The first three tracks of this absolutely rip.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated

• Underwhelming, but not bad!

 

On the other side of things, I'd say that album, regrettably, is dross. Turgid, retrograde versions of songs they'd done far better two decades earlier. I saw them live last month and half of it was a great show and half of it was Fear Inoculum material.

 

1. Lana Del Rey: Norman Fucking Rockwell! (Top 3 album of all time for me)
2. Harry Styles: Fine Line
3. Mannequin Pussy: Patience

4. Tove Lo: Sunshine Kitty
5. Turnover: Altogether
6. Pup: Morbid Stuff
7. The Menzingers: Hello Exile
8. The Maine: You Are OK
9. Taylor Swift: Lover
10. Ariana Grande: thank u, next

Others:
The Maine: You Are OK
Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go
Kevin Abstract: ARIZONA BABY
Anderson .Paak: Ventura
Miley Cyrus: She Is Coming - EP
Charli XCX: Charli
Flume: Hi This Is Flume
Party Favor: Layers
Bayside: Interrobang
Red Hearse: Red Hearse
Miranda Lambert: Wildcard
Oso Oso: basking in the glow
Post Malone: Hollywood's Bleeding
Vampire Weekend: Father of the Bride
Brittany Howard: Jamie
Lizzo: Cuz I Love You
Wallows: Nothing Happens
Jenny Lewis: On the Line
Tyler, the Creator: IGOR
Danny Brown: uknowhatimsayin
Whitney: Forever Turned Around
Kehlani: While We Wait
Doja Cat: Hot Pink
Caroline Polachek: Pang
Origami Angel: Somewhere City

And I also have to shout out the singles Tierra Whack put out that year

 

Interesting year, feels like I wasn’t keeping up with new releases as much.

1. Bon Iver - I, I
2. Denzel Curry - Zuu
3. The National - I Am Easy to Find

Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
Billie Eilish- When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Julia Jacklin - Crushing
Kevin Abstract - Arizona Baby
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
Microwave - Death is a Warm Blanket
Norma Jean - All Hail
Orville Peck - Pony
Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury
Turnover - Altogether
Tyler, the Creator - Igor

 

1. Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains
2. John Roberts – Can Thought Exist Without The Body?
3. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising

Super good year. The self-titled Purple Mountains album is probably a top five of the 21st century for me. John Roberts's CTEWTB is my favourite ambient record of the last few years. The Weyes Blood album is a lush, beautiful record, bordering on masterpiece. A ton of great stuff to put on my honourable mentions too.

Honourable Mentions:

• HTRK – Venus In Leo
• Her Name Is Calla – Animal Choir
• clipping. - There Existed An Addiction To Blood
• CFCF - Liquid Colours
• Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear
• Telefon Tel Aviv - Dreams Are Not Enough
• Microwave - Death Is A Warm Blanket
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
• Nils Frahm - All Encores

And while I haven't really listened to the album post-2019, this track is one of the best pop songs I've heard in the last few years.

 

1. Charli XCX - Charli
2. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
3. Jade Bird - Jade Bird
4. Sigrid - Sucker Punch
5. FIDLAR - Almost Free
6. Ariana Grande - thank u, next
7. Taylor Swift - Lover
8. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
9. blink-182 - Nine
10. Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
11. Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings
12. Camila Cabello - Romance
13. Shura - Forevher
14. The Early November - Lilac
15. Kim Petras - Clarity
16. Anna of the North - Dream Girl
17. Billie Eilish When - We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go
18. Caroline Polachek - Pang
19. The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
20. Red Hearse - Red Hearse

 

1. Oso oso - basking in the glow
2. The national - IAETF
3. Better oblivion community center - BOCC

 

1. Tycho - Weather
2. Ioanna Gika - Thalassa
3. Charli XCX - Charli

Silversun Pickups - Widows Weed
Ariana Grande - Thank You Next
Glass Beach - The First Glass Beach Album
Local Natives - Violet Street
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kinds
Baroness - Gold & Grey
Carly Rey Jepsen - Dedicated
Betty Who - Betty
Thank You Scientist - Terraformer

 

1. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
2. Jay Som - Anak Ko
3. The National - I Am Easy to Find

HM: Big Thief - UFOF/Two Hands, Taylor Swift - Lover, Clairo - Immunity, Lana - NFR

Father of the Bride is too long and it’s still one of my favorite albums of the decade. 2019 was a weird and in many ways bad year headlined by my mom dying but when I think about any good parts of that summer and fall and returning to feeling normal (major lol at the timing there), that album is the one.

Jay Som album feels like 1 or 2 songs short of a true classic to me, but I still think it was pretty incredible and she’d be without a doubt the album announcement that would get me most hyped in 2022.

 

1. Greet Death - New Hell
2. DIIV - Deciever
3. Slaughter Beach Dog - Safe & Also No Fear

• Jay Som - Anak Ko
• Wiki - OOFIE
• Julia Shapiro - Perfect Version
• Angel Du$t - Pretty Buff
• White Denim - Side Effects
• MIRSY - Permanent for Now
• Pup - Morbid Stuff
• JAWS - The Ceiling
• Teen Body - Dreamo
• Somos - Prison On A Hill
• Oso Oso - Basking In The Glow
• Twin Peaks - Lookout Low
• The Berries - Berryland
• Webbed Wing - Bike Ride Across The Moon
• Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin?
• From Indian Lakes - Dimly Lit
• White Reaper - You Deserve Love

 

1. The Dangerous Summer - Mother Nature
2. Maggie Rogers - Heard it in a Past Life
3. Charli XCX - Charli

4. Charly Bliss - Young Enough
5. Bon Iver - I, I
6. Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
7. Ariana Grande - thank u, next
8. The Early November - Lilac
9. Coldplay - Everyday Life
10. Doja Cat - Hot Pink

11. Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
12. Sara Bareilles - Amidst the Chaos
13. Sum 41 - Order in Decline
14. Blink 182 - Nine
15. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
16. New Found Glory - From the Screen to Your Stereo 3
17. Taylor Swift - Lover
18. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
19. The Maine - You Are Ok
20. Pronoun - I'll Show You Stronger

 

I put Charli in the top three in hopes she'd win this year. Don't think I could put it in the 1-2 slot tho.

 

#1 for me but Vampire Weekend is a super close second

 

Can't believe I accidentally left out Jimmy Eat World. I probably like Surviving the least of their albums since Clarity (maybe tied with Damage), but it's still a good listen!

 

1. The Dangerous Summer - Mother Nature
2. Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
3. Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars

Tough cuts:
Maggie Rogers - Heard It In a Past Life
Taylor Swift - Lover
The Menzingers - Hello Exile
Noah Gundersen - Lover

Also love:
Kalie Shorr - Open Book
Josh Ritter - Fever Breaks
Tyler Hilton - City on Fire
Coldplay - Everyday Life
Maren Morris - GIRL
Old Dominion - Old Dominion
The Maine - You Are OK

Honorables:
Cassadee Pope - Stages
Emily Scott Robinson - Traveling Mercies
Grace Potter - Daylight
The Highwomen - s/t
Ian Noe - Between the Country
Jade Bird - s/t
Jason Hawk Harris - Love and the Dark
John Paul Williams - The Hurting Kind
Joy Williams - Front Porch
Josh Kerr - How Do You Remember Me
Keane - Cause and Effect
Lauren Jenkins - No Saint
Miranda Lambert - Wildcard
Sam Fender - Supersonic Missiles
Sigrid - Sucker Punch
Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury
Thomas Rhett - Center Point Road
Tyler Childers - Country Squire
Wilco - Ode to Joy
Yola - Walk Through Fire

 

1. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
2. Ian Noe - Between The Country
3. Yazz Ahmed - Polyhymnia
4. Wiki - Oofie
5. Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
6. Erika de Casier - Essentials
7. Rapsody - Eve
8. Kevin Morby - Oh My God
9. Jamila Woods - Legacy! Legacy!
10. Modern Nature - How to Live
11. Brittany Howard - Jamie
12. Hiss Golden Messenger - Terms of Surrender
13. Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die II
14. Grace Cummings Refuge Cove
15. Big Thief - Two Hands

 

Really deep year, so much great stuff

1. Big Thief - UFOF
2. Big Thief - Two Hands
3. Lana del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
4. Taylor Swift - Lover
5. FKA Twigs - Magdalene

6. Charli XCX - Charli
7. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
8. Charly Bliss - Young Enough
9. The National - I Am Easy to Find
10. Bon Iver - i,i

11. Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
12. Caroline Polachek - Pang
13. Orville Peck - Pony
14. Alex G - House of Sugar
15. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

16. The Hold Steady - Thrashing Thru the Passion
17. Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury
18. The Menzingers - Hello Exile
19. Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
20. The Mountain Goats - In League With Dragons

 

1. pronoun - i’ll show you stronger

2. Great Grandpa - Four of Arrows

3. Origami Angel - Somewhere City

Lowland Hum - Glyphonic
Mannequin Pussy - Patience
My Epic - Violence
Tony Clark - Dyed in the Wool
Pedro The Lion - Phoenix
Microwave - Death is a Warm Blanket
Copeland - Blushing
La Dispute - Panorama
Ceres - We Are a Team
PUP - Morbid Stuff
Watsky - Complaint
I Love Your Lifestyle - The Movie
Fox Wound - It Could Happen To You
Oso Oso - Basking in the Glow
The National - I am Easy to Find
Bad Books - III
American Football - LP3
Big Thief - UFOF & Two Hands
Lakes - Constance
Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
100 gecs - 1000 gecs
Sunsleeper - You Can Miss Something & Not Want it Back
Trade Wind - Certain Freedoms
As Cities Burn - Scream Through the Walls
Somos - Prison on a Hill
glass beach - the first glass beach album
Short Fictions - Fates Worse than Death

EPs
Caracara - Better
Weatherbox - Halfway Home Sessions
Lucy Dacus - 2019
Thrice - Deeper Wells
All Get Out - Northport Sessions
Death Cab For Cutie - The Blue EP

 

01. The Menzingers - Helo Exile
02. Dave - Psychodrama
03. Paul Wall & Statik Selektah - Give Thanks

Common - Let Love
Little Brother - May The Lord Watch
Tua - Tua (German Rap)
Romeo Santos – Utopia
Juju – Bling Bling (German Rap)
Bad Religion – Age of Unreason
Blu & Damu The Fudgemunk - Ground & Water (Rap)
Bun B & Statik Selektah – TrillStatik
Mael – Pr1ns (Dutch R&B)
Busted – Half Way There
Gang Starr - One Of The Best Yet
Mahalia - Love And Compromise
Latifah – Van Een Meisje Naar Een Vrouw (Dutch Rap/R&B)
Kehlani - While We Wait
Action Bronson & Alchemist - Lamb Over Rice
Anoyd & Statik Selektah - Yuck!
Nura – Habibi (German Rap)
Jim Jones & The Heatmakerz - El Capo
Chance The Rapper - The Big Day
Austin Jenckes – If You Grew Up Like I Did
Ann Mari – Tripolar 2
Vandoliers – Forever
Cam’ron – Purple Haze 2
Sunday Service Choir – Jesus is Born

 

I listened to that Purple Mountain album once and now it pops up everywhere in my Spotify. It’s annoying.