My Top 20 Albums and EPs of 2019
Whether this year has been a good year for you or a terrible one, or maybe both at times, at least there’s been plenty of good music released to enjoy, if even to find some sort of comfort or escape in. Music has been a huge part of my journey this year, and narrowing down my list to just a small selection is difficult, but I think I managed to whittle my choices down to just 20 albums and EPs released over the course of this year. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my picks:
(PS: I wrote some of this list while feeling depressed about the state of the world right now, so some of my entries may come across as perhaps a little nihilistic. That said, I make no apologies whatsoever for expressing how I feel.)
#1: Prince – Originals
For many of us, 2016 was a year when the world took a huge nosedive that it never seems to have recovered from. Add to that the fact that we lost many great people that year: David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, and of course Prince. Thankfully he left a huge legacy of music behind, and much of it not heard until recently. I remember that someone described this album earlier in the year as being like an alternative universe Greatest Hits album, and I think that’s a fairly apt description. Originals is a collection of demos from Prince’s vault recorded in the 80s and early 90s but never previously released; instead he chose to pass these songs to other artists such as The Bangles, Kenny Rogers and Martika to create their own hit versions. Ever the perfectionist, these demos are generally as good quality as anything professionally released, and hearing original versions of songs like ‘Manic Monday’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ is a fascinating insight into the amazing talent this man had.
#2: Devin Townsend – Empath
Speaking of perfectionist musicians, I’m a huge fan of Devin Townsend’s work and pretty much think that everything this Canadian prog-metal virtuoso touches turns to gold. I don’t think there’s any other artist who can conjure up the most incredible vistas in your mind, then add a bit of goofiness to the mix without spoiling the mood. Empath is a great album, and probably the most Devin Townsendy of any of his releases; that is to say, it’s completely unpredictable, such as the track ‘Genesis’ which shifts from uplifting choir voices to extreme in-your-face metal to wacky animal noises on a beach setting, all in the same song. ‘Spirits Will Collide’ is another epic song, a bit more straightforward but still uniquely Devin, while ‘Hear Me’ switches between full blast thrash/death metal and almost operatic bliss courtesy of long-time collaborator Anneke van Giersbergen. Then of course there’s ‘Why?’, where Devin goes full-on orchestral, creating something quite unlike anything ever heard before. While I don’t feel it quite reaches the high mark set by the likes of Ocean Machine, Addicted or Epicloud, it’s still an awesome album full of crazy epicness (or epic craziness, take your pick) . There’s no one else out there quite like Devin, which is a shame but also means we should all celebrate having such a unique musical presence in these times.
#3: Tropical Fuck Storm – Braindrops
With a name like Tropical Fuck Storm, it’s fair to say this band aren’t aiming for mainstream airplay, but rather something more in-your-face and memorable. Having seen them live twice this year and been impressed by their performances, they’ve fast become one of my favourite Australian bands. This album took me a few listens to properly absorb, yet when I did I found it to be one of the most unique and interesting albums this year. Some might describe the tracks here as discordant or noisy, but for those tuned into their unique style there’s some damn catchy numbers like the title track, the funky ‘Planet of the Straw Men’ and ‘Who’s My Eugene?’, a reference to Brian Wilson’s infamous psychotherapist, Eugene Landy. Chaotic for sure, but that’s why I like it.
#4: Drab Majesty – Modern Mirror
I’ve been obsessing over Drab Majesty’s special brand of darkwave for a few years now, ever since I heard 2015’s Careless. 2017’s The Demonstration was my favourite album of that year, evoking an aesthetic of mid-90s X-Files-style alien paranoia. Modern Mirror, the latest from the duo of Deb Demure and Mona B, feels very much like a continuation of that unique style: it doesn’t alter the formula, but with music this good it doesn’t need to. That said you can notice them continuing to refine their style on songs like ‘Ellipsis’, ‘Oxytocin’ and ‘Out of Sequence’, which are certainly some of the most club-friendly songs on the album, while tracks like ‘Noise of the Void’ are full of atmosphere. Probably the best album to play in a darkened room, illuminated by a single coloured neon light of your choice, while waiting for the next UFO landing.
#5: Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
I often wonder if Billie Eilish’s rise to being one of the biggest pop stars today is a reflection of the dark world we now live in. That’s not a slight against the young singer, only I can’t imagine a time where her brand of dark pop could have infiltrated the mainstream to sit comfortably alongside the likes of Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande. Other pop stars have flirted with dark and provocative imagery before, but it never really felt a part of their musical styles quite like it does with Billie’s. Fortunately there’s more to Billie than just a nightmarish aesthetic that wouldn’t be out of place in a Nine Inch Nails or TOOL video, as When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is a damn fine album. From the sinister sounding ‘bury a friend’ to the meloncholic ‘when the party’s over’, to the just plain fun hit ‘bad guy’, to the haunting one-two punch of ‘listen before i go’ and ‘i love you’, Billie shows off a range of styles here that shows why she’s one of the most interesting artists out there today.
#6: TOOL – Fear Inoculum
With their last release being 2006’s 10,000 Days, there was a lot of anticipation for TOOL’s return after a 13 year absence, and uncertainty over whether their music would make an impact in a cultural landscape that has changed considerably over a decade. Thankfully, TOOL’s newest release has been a huge success, and is an incredible return that features the same atmospheric sonic journeys that made their previous work so compelling. The title track in particular moves between the almost tribal dance feel of its soft drumming to the soaring vocals of Maynard James Keenan, while ‘7empest’ has some incredible guitar riffs. Even some of the more experimental moments like ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ flow well with the rest of the album. Well worth the wait.
#7: Samsaruh – Elysian
Maybe it’s just me but I think Samsaruh has probably one of the most powerful voices on the Australian musical landscape right now. previous singles like ‘Beautiful Killer’ and ‘Speaking Fire’ have shown what a commanding presence she has, and her EP this year further demonstrates why she’s one of Australia’s best emerging talents. There’s plenty of energy on display here, particularly on songs like ‘Crash Boom Pow!’ and the anthem-like ‘Glory Days”, while tracks like ‘I Guess That Makes Two’ and ‘Million Years’ show a more soulful, but no less powerful side to her sound. If you missed this one this year, give it a listen and I’m sure you’ll see why Samsaruh is an artist who demands to be heard.
#8: Uniform / The Body – Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back
The latest collaboration between noise rock band Uniform and extreme metal act The Body is an intense mish-mash of both hi and lo-fi aesthetics that create an intense, disorientating and exciting record. The synths and beats on tracks like ‘Penance’ and ‘Day of Atonement’ contrast heavily with the distorted shouts and screams of Uniform singer Michael Berden, while heavy, droning guitars on other tracks like ‘Contempt’ conjure an atmosphere of doom and dread. It’s angry, bleak, and potentially the stuff of nightmares, and makes a perfect soundtrack to the unlivable dystopia we find ourselves plunging ever further into as a society.
#9: yergurl – Love Bite
In complete contrast to the bleakness of the previous entry, Fae Scott aka ‘yergurl’ makes music that feels dreamy and magical. I’ve been impressed with her work since I heard her on Triple J Unearthed a while back, and her EP this year further showcased her talent for ethereal pop with the likes of the haunting ‘skateboard’ and the catchy singalong of ‘Girls Like Me’, as well as a beautiful cover of Outkast’s classic “Hey Ya’. An amazing feat for someone who’s recorded and produced everything on a single laptop in her bedroom. Here’s hoping we’ll be hearing more from her in the next year.
#10: MXMS – Funeral Pop 1
‘Funeral pop’ is the way Ariel Levitan and Jeremy Dawson have described their music produced under the moniker MXMS (a stylised acronym for ‘me and my shadow’). It’s a genre name that seems contradictory: funerals are hardly ever considered fun or poppy. But there is definitely something darkly pleasurable about this year’s EP from the duo. The opening track ‘Salvation Hurts’ is a soaring synth-pop number about painful redemption, which contrasts with the sinister hip-hop seduction of ‘Gravedigger’, while perhaps the most beautiful song on the EP, ‘Paris’, is all about a yearning nostalgia that forms when a moment becomes a memory. MXMS have created an awesome selection of tunes here, and I can’t wait for Funeral Pop 2.
#11: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
Nick Cave is probably one of this country’s finest songwriters, and Ghosteen, the latest from his band The Bad Seeds, shows why he’s so celebrated. Ghosteen is definitely one of Cave’s more melancholic albums, dealing with issues of death and grief, in particular that of Cave’s own son in 2015. Yet it is not a bleak record, but rather very beautiful, and at times a comforting one. Songs like ‘Bright Horses’ acknowledge how painful it is to have a heart in a world so determined to be cruel, and that sometimes the illusion of something better is all we can hold on to, while another particular favourite of mine is the track ‘Galleon Ship’, an eerie yet hauntingly pretty song about the very need to have a heart, even though it will be broken over and over. It’s probably the album on this list that will most likely bring on the tears, but that’s OK, because empathy is what makes us human, after all.
#12: Malibu Ken – Self Titled
The somewhat disgusting album cover depicting a bright, cartoony image of a deteriorating Ken doll should be enough warning that what you’re about to listen to might lie somewhere beyond the realms of normality and decency, but for those familiar with the work of rapper Aesop Rock and producer Tobacco will find a lot to enjoy in this collaboration. Aesop’s rapid-fire lyrics are tinged with self-deprecating humour and irony, combining well with Tobacco’s brand of off-kilter electronic psychedelic funk. Somehow, it all works, particularly on tracks like ‘Tuesday’, which almost feels like the unpleasant life story of the Ken figure, and ‘Dog Years’ which is a particular favourite of mine. Other favourites include ‘Acid King’ which details the disturbing real life story of devil-worshipping killer Richard Kasso (not the first song to do so, but perhaps never before with such historical detail), while ‘Churro’ brings us the horrific story of people witnessing rare bald eagles devouring a cat on a park webcam, which as a cat lover is a tale I find particularly disturbing, yet Aesop’s lyrics are so dripping with dark irony that I can’t help but admire it. Who knows if we see more of this collaboration in the future, but for now this is an incredible piece of work from these two artists.
#13: Charli XCX – Charli
Ever since I saw Charli XCX on a small stage at Parklife in 2012 I’ve been impressed with how she’s grown as an artist. Both 2013’s True Romance and 2015’s SUCKER are some of my favourite albums from her, and I’d have to say her latest album Charli easily surpasses even those albums, and along with several collaborators this album sees Charli trying out a number of different musical styles. At times the album feels industrial-influenced: songs like ‘Cross You Out’, her collaboration with Sky Ferreira, and the slow-burning ‘Thoughts’ feel very reminiscent of ohGr’s early output. Other tracks such as on the Christine and the Queens collaboration ‘Gone’ and the hit single ‘White Mercedes’ are very much in the vein of catchy synth pop, while even the power ballad ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, sounds like it could easily have been unreleased Prince song from the Purple Rain era. Cool, fun, and charged with energy: Charli is everything a great pop album should be.
#14: Telefon Tel Aviv – Dreams Are Not Enough
The first album released since the tragic death of band-mate Charlie Cooper in 2009, surviving member Josh Eustis has returned to the world of Telefon Tel Aviv with this dark, brooding and atmospheric release. The whole album is like a journey through a dreamscape, where haunting ambient soundscapes and dark industrial pop intermingle and are interrupted by glitches in the system that threaten to tear everything down, particularly on tracks such as ‘standing at the bottom of the ocean;’, possibly my favourite song of the year. Almost a soundtrack to the most haunting of dreams, even the track list itself takes the form of a brooding poem depicting a nightmare that anyone with a fear of dark, deep water could relate to. It’s not a happy album, but a rewarding one all the same. I would highly recommend embarking on this journey, though perhaps not right before sleep.
#15: BLACKPINK – Kill This Love
I’ll be perfectly honest: I don’t know much about K-pop and probably couldn’t tell a J-pop song from a K-pop song. However, being in the presence of this South Korean act’s incredible performance at Coachella this year (apparently the first all-female K-pop act to do so), I had to include this one. BLACKPINK have had a huge year, with the title track itself being hugely popular on Youtube and the like, and with it’s marching-band like swagger it certainly deserves it’s success. Fortunately the other tracks on this EP are worth checking out too, and showcase a range of styles, from the catchy rock/EDM hybrid of ‘Don’t Know What To Do’ to ‘Hope Not’ which has the feel of a country ballad. While their music might not be to everyone’s tastes, I think this is a damn fine collection of songs and I hope they have lots of success in the future.
#16: Broods – Don’t Feed the Pop Monster
Another act who’s live performance impressed me this year was New Zealand pop duo Georgia and Caleb Nott, aka Broods, at Splendour In the Grass. After seeing their amazing show i had to check the rest of their latest album out. While there are hints of CHVRCHES-style synth-pop in there on tracks like ‘Sucker’ and ‘Hospitalized’, Broods don’t fully go down a purely electronic route, rather mixing things up a bit more with more organic instrumentation. The hit song ‘Peach’ is an infectious fiesta that is irresistible not to dance to, yet there are also more introspective, quieter moments such as the soulful ‘Too Proud’, in which Caleb performs vocal duties. Whether feeding the pop monster or not, this is a great album all the same, and a great live act too.
#17: Boy Harsher – Careful
Listening to this year’s offering from darkwave musicians Jae Matthews and Gus Miller, aka ‘Boy Harsher’, made me feel very much like I was listening to the soundtrack of a gritty 80s action flick or neo-noir thriller. There’s the feel of dirty streets, broken payphones, filthy puddles illuminated by eerie neon lights, while knife-wielding gangs hunt the alleys, either pursuing or being pursued by a protagonist on mission. At least that’s the picture I get, anyway. Either way, the combination of Matthews’ quiet, hypnotic vocals with Muller’s evocative synth compositions makes this more than just another retrowave album, and instead creates something that feels both ominous yet captivating. Songs like ‘LA’ and ‘Come Closer’ have that action-movie intensity that will get the blood pumping, while others like ‘Face the Fire’ and ‘The Look You Gave (Jerry)’ have a much more atmospheric, tragic yet beautiful quality to them. A great album to drive to, particularly in a neon-soaked metropolis at night.
#18: Odonis Odonis – Reaction
In a much more heavy, industrial vein, this EP by the trio of Constantin Tzenos, Jarod Gibson and Denholm Whale aka ‘Odonis Odonis’ brought some much needed power and harshness to my Spotify playlist this year. While only four songs long, all tracks on this release are incredible. The opening track ‘Collector’ introduces things with a pounding drum beat and grinding, menacing synths that feel like the coming of some sort of reckoning, while ‘Promise’ has the slow-crawling dread of something sinister approaching just out of view, leading into the nightmare disco of ‘Insect’ and the slow-building intensity of ‘The Rip’. It’s very short, and maybe not sweat, but for fans of harsh electronic music, particularly of the 90s industrial kind, this is well worth checking out. Bleak and dystopian, perhaps, but considering the times we are living in perhaps it’s most fitting.
#19: Hatchie – Keepsake
I’ve managed to catch Hatchie live a couple of times this year, and I instantly fell in love with her cool brand of dream pop. With elements of jangly guitars that hearken back to the era of shoegaze combined with some new-wave synths, Keepsake is a very pretty album that, in contrast to some other releases on this list, lacks any harshness or darkness, and altogether paints an enticing dream: the kind you just want to get lost in. Songs like ‘Her Own Heart’ and ‘Secret’ feel like their tempting me to close my eyes and slow-dance while dreaming of another world, while songs like ‘Without a Blush’, ‘Unwanted Guest’ and ‘Stay With Me’ up the tempo more and are probably some of my favourite songs on the album. Keepsake oozes a certain coolness that make for a great escape from reality, if only for a brief but pleasant moment.
#20: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rats’ Nest
While being one of Australia’s most prolific bands, famously releasing five albums in 2017 alone, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are perhaps one of the most subversive Australian acts since Regurgitator. While their previous album released this year, Fishing For Fishies, showed off their more bluesy, psychedelic side, Infest the Rats’ Nest is much more akin to pure thrash metal. Both fine albums, but personally I find this to be the better listen. Listening to tracks like ‘Planet B’, ‘Venusian 2’ or ‘Self-Immolate’ you could almost hear Motörhead belting out something like this. God only knows what genre this band will try next, but for now this is a bloody good rock album.
If you’d like to hear more I’ve created a Spotify playlist below of the albums and EPs listed here. Of course, I’d be interested to hear what you favourite albums have been this year, so feel free to let me know in the comments what ones I may have missed.