[Falling Down]

I almost didn’t do this again this year, especially with limited time when I could be writing about the climate crisis, mental health or politics but I figured that perhaps music is a celebration of life, community and creativity, and during these crazy, scary times can perhaps bring some respite and perhaps even galvanise us into action of some sort.

Anyway, here are some of the new albums from artists that have delighted and excited me this year rather than any best-of ranking or worse, a wilful cooler-than-thou obscurity fest.  That said, it’s a been a vintage year for quality new music and I reckon several of these will be played regularly for years to come. 

I put the Bandcamp links in to encourage any purchasing and nearly of them are available on the usual streaming platforms.

Looking forward as always to everyone else's suggestions so get them posted.

Jake Xerxes Fussel - Out of sight.
https://jakexerxesfussell.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-sight
If I had to pick a favourite, this would be a contender.  Fussel’s respectful, contemporary take on old folk and country-blues tunes is really something.  I always relax when I put this on. 

Tunes of Negation - Reach the Endless Sea
https://samshackleton.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-of-negation-reach-the-endless-sea
ToN is Lancashire’s Sam Shackleton with a bunch of talented guests plowing a far-out universe of sound.  It’s impossible to describe really so I won’t even bother.  Joseph Burnett from The Qiuetus summed up his review with “This album sounds like little else out there right now. Strap in to fly towards the stars that sit in your mind’s eye”

Lankum - Live the Livelong Day
https://lankum.bandcamp.com/album/the-livelong-day
Dublin folk punks Lankum hit the (semi) big time with a Rough Trade signing and the resources to record an absolute belter of an album. It’s as if Godspeed you Black Emperor, the Dubliners and The Waterson’s collaborated.  Singer Radie Peat has a powerful, haunting voice and the songs themselves are dark, moody and moving.

Moodymann - Sinner
https://moodymann.bandcamp.com/album/sinner-kdj-48-2
An absolute banger from Kenny Dixon Jr.  Seductive, dirty and soulful Detroit house music.

Lana Del Ray - Norman Fucking Rockwell
She’s ace and this is a brilliant album.

Mega Bog - Dolphine
https://megabog.bandcamp.com/album/dolphine
I think of mid-70’s Joni Mitchell when I listen to this but it’s weirder and angrier despite being almost easy listening.  Erin Birgy was inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin when writing her songs for this and it shows. 

Sunn)))0 - Life Metal
https://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/life-metal
Subterranean drone metal - slabs of sound, riffs, epic, transcendental. Steve Albini at the desk.  Play LOUD.

Kim Gordon - No Home Record
Her first solo album and it’s brilliant.  Juddering electronics, Chicago trap and blistering rock all somehow coexist on this fabulous record.  She’s an artist in all senses of the word.

Bill Mackay - Fountain Fire
https://billmackay.bandcamp.com/album/fountain-fire
I’m a sucker for Americana guitarists and composers from the left field and this one ticks all the boxes.  Two lane blacktop driving or late-at-night-with-a-bottle-of-red-wine music.

Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
https://billcallahan.bandcamp.com/album/shepherd-in-a-sheepskin-vest
If I was forced to choose only one these records to keep it would be this.  ex-Smog frontman Callahan’s first solo album for a few years.  Childbirth, death and ageing all form the backdrop to a beautiful piece of work.  Loads of short songs spread across a double LP.  It’s absolutely brilliant.

Richard Dawson - 2020
https://richardmichaeldawson.bandcamp.com/album/2020
The bardic troubadour of Newcastle returns with another mind boggling state of the nation commentary on the madness that is 21st century Britain.

Sararthy Korwar - More Arriving
https://sarathykorwar.bandcamp.com/album/more-arriving
Hip-hop, Jazz, Indian classical music and radical politics from composer and tabla player Korwar.  “Bol” is a stunning piece of music.  This one has been played a lot in Tye towers.

Efdemin - New Atlantis
https://ostgut.bandcamp.com/album/new-atlantis
I love this.  Berlin techno and ambient with an unsettling twist.  The opener ‘Oh Lovely Appearance of Death’ is like a Shirley Collins recording from the 60’s and we then move into more familiar and yet still freshly innovative and supple Berghain style minimal techno and electro territory. 

Oren Ambarchi - Simian Angel
https://orenambarchiemego.bandcamp.com
Lush tropicalismo electronica from Ambarchi (on guitar) and Cyro Baptista (percussion).

Rozi Plain - What a Boost
https://roziplain.bandcamp.com/album/what-a-boost
She writes really well and sings beautifully.  Simple and elegant indie/blues/jazz/folk.  Like a warm bath.

Fennesz - Agora
https://fenneszreleases.bandcamp.com/album/agora
Ambient organic guitar drone electronics. His best since Endless Summer from way back.

Messthetics - Anthropocosmic Nest
https://themessthetics.bandcamp.com
Brendan Canty (Drums) and Joe Lally (Bass) from Fugazi and Anthony Pirog (Guitar) team up for a blistering, instrumental power trio outing.  Hardcore and exciting from start to finish.

J Majik - Full Circle
Legendary drum ’n bass producer returns with a slab of rolling, retro 90’s badness.  There are dolphins on it and everything.   The music of Foundry NYE parties, Edgedale Rd and The School.

Somersaults - Numerology of Birdsong
https://westhill.bandcamp.com/album/somersaults-numerology-of-birdsong
Warbling, improvised free jazz from Olie Brice on double bass, Mark Sanders, drums and percussion and Tobia Delius on tenor sax and clarinet.  Breathy, melodic and rhythmic.

Joshua Abrams and the Natural Information Society - Mandatory Reality
https://eremiterecords.bandcamp.com/album/mandatory-reality
Deep listening music performed on all manner of exotic and traditional instruments.  Meditative and psychedelic.

Mdou Moctar - Ilana the Creator
https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/ilana-the-creator
Tuareg guitarist Moctar delivers a blazing psychedelic dose of desert rock. 

Re-Releases

Strain Crack and Break - Music From The Nurse With Wound List Volume One
https://finderskeepersrecords.bandcamp.com/album/strain-crack-break-music-from-the-nurse-with-wound-list-volume-one

In 1979, Nurse With Wound released ‘Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella’ which included a list of inspirations from very obscure musicians and albums drawn largely from the French underground and Krautrock of the 1960’s and 70’s.  The ‘Nurse List’ became a go-to for collectors and fans of subversive underground music.   This collection gathers together some of THE LIST and it’s absolutely brilliant.
 
Gene Clark - No Other
Byrds frontman Gene Clark recorded No Other in ’73. It went massively over budget was panned by the press upon release and subsequently deleted.  Re-released this year it’s a masterpiece of 1970’s rock, funk, folk and jazz.  Essential listening.

Gong - Love From the Planet Gong: The Virgin Years 1973-75
All four of Gong’s Virgin albums from Flying Teapot up to Shamal plus loads of live gigs given the remaster treatment.  They sound brilliant and rich and full.

Insides - Euphoria
https://insides1.bandcamp.com/releases
Dreamy electro pop from Brighton in 1993.  Shamefully overlooked at the time.  This is a brilliant LP.

[Duma]

Kate Tempest - The Book of Traps and Lessons

Even better than Let Them Eat Chaos imo, People's Faces gets me every time.

[jwi]

In the unlikely case that someone is interested in what francophone or swedish music I listened to this year (...oh well this is all very self indulgent anyway...)

Angèle's debut album was released last year but I didn't notice until this year when she released the single for the stomping feminist anthem "Balance ton quoi". Click on CC for English subs.

About the line "Tes parents et ton frère ça aide": In her native Belgium, her father is a fairly well known songwriter/artist and her brother Roméo Elvis is a popular hip-hop artist. Both of whom she blows out of water, imho.

I always had a soft touch for Opeth, and the more prog rock the better. "Svekets prins" reminds me a lot of Bo Hansson's Lord of the Rings album.


Hiromi, the best living jazz-pianist, and protégé of Oscar Petersen, the best jazz-pianist of all time (sorry Art) has released an album this year. Unfortunately it is a solo album, but this is wonderful:


Tom Jobim would have been proud if he'd written this. Enough said.

[JamieG]

Excellent thread and quite a lot of new things for me to check out. I really enjoyed Angèle's single. Very funny with a strong message.

I've not got a huge amount to add but my album of the year is Purple Mountains the last album by David Berman (of the Silver Jews). Fantastic folk rock with very dark, sad and humorous lyrics. Made even more poignant by his suicide not long after its realise. Brilliant and tragic.

[i.munro]

Excellent thread and quite a lot of new things for me to check out. I really enjoyed Angèle's single. Very funny with a strong message.

I think her next  single was stronger musically

[fatneck]

Thanks very much for starting this off and a great list of artists to have a look through as ever Ben! My less esoteric suggestions as follows...

•   Whitney - Forever Turned Around - lovely, happy sounding sad songs.
•   Ohtis - Curve of the Earth - definitely the best thing I've heard all year. Wry and humorous whilst covering addiction and religion
•   William Tyler - Goes West – realy sad to have been unable to attend his Todmorden gig earlier in the year!
•   Rayland Baxter – Good Mmornin – a serious of Mac Miller covers – really nicely worked
•   Gregory Alan Isakov – Evening Machines – not technically 2019, and also possibly not his finest ever album, BUT but I saw him live this year and he was as fabulous as ever, so in for that reason.

The band I’ve apparently listened to most on the last year according to Spotify is the Barr Brothers – not new music but some fantastic songs – would love to see them live at some point.

[SA Chris]

DJ Shadow - Our Pathetic Age (seems apt album title today). Not listened that much, but so far solid DJ Shadow stuff.

[andy popp]

•   William Tyler - Goes West – realy sad to have been unable to attend his Todmorden gig earlier in the year!

I've seen him live a couple of times, always fantastic.

[Johnny Brown]

Just discovered William Tyler via Spotify's recommendations - should have come here! Brilliant.

Some other stuff I've been rinsing out in 2019...

Ritual Cloak - to be honest, with song titles like Everybody was hungover so I walked the mountain alone these guys pretty much had me from the start. Guitar and piano led upbeat ambient/ post rock. On the Sea of Grass

Erland Cooper - been aware for a while but only got in deep this year. He's two albums in to a planned trilogy of lush ambient/ orchestral/ soundtrack homages to his native Orkney, written to ease his personal anxiety from living in London. Features field recordings of wildlife and locals - always a bonus. Haar

Adwaith - female welsh trio currently on the rise. Indie-rock I suppose, but with a much broader palette, harmonies and transcending whatever box their language might find them in. Fel i fod

Hot Chip - lots of critics saying 2019's album is up with their very best work. Like most of their stuff, I don't tend to listen to the whole album but the odd track hits me as hard as anything. Clear Blue Skies was undoubtedly my most played track of the year - just sublime.

A few other single tracks:

Self Esteem - The Best. Sheffield-based, great pop track.

Ride - Future Love. Amazing return from these guys, manages to sound more nineties than the nineties. I was never that in to them back then, this has sent me back to reassess.

Fat White Family - Feet. These guys had a lot of local hype due to being a majorish band who relocated in Sheffield for a while. I was never really got it, and I found them disappointing live, but this is a great rolling groove (and the promo artwork was all shot at peak grit crags).

Gene Clark - No Other
Byrds frontman Gene Clark recorded No Other in ’73. It went massively over budget was panned by the press upon release and subsequently deleted.  Re-released this year it’s a masterpiece of 1970’s rock, funk, folk and jazz.  Essential listening.

I got so heavily into this album about ten years back, absolutely obsessed for a couple of years. Everyone who has been on a climbing trip with me since ends up humming Strength of strings to themselves when they get back. In my all time top three, even if only 5 of the tracks are essential.

AFAIK it wasn't the critics that were the problem, it was that David Geffen wanted radio-friendly singles and refused to promote it. It was Gene's last chance, he knew it was great and he took it hard. Worth watching the doc on Gene (can lend you the DVD) although it was a bit short on No Other (the BBC4 edit was tighter and you still get to hear from Lee Sklar who played bass on NO).

Also, well worth checking out this video of the americana super group (Fleet foxes, Grizzly bear etc) who formed a few years back and toured the album in its entirety. Gutted I missed the Uk dates, unlikely to happen again.

[Durbs]

My only real discovery of 2019 was Gaffer Tape Sandy and their EP Family Mammal. Pretty much all killer, only one bit of filler (the last track).

Some youthful garage rock. Had I been 20 years younger I'd be up the front moshing like a loon, but the album really hit the spot with me for some quality pop-rock

[nai]

Not much to add as usual, been a very good year for albums having their 40th anniversary though

The Specials, Encore:
I think it's great but maybe you need to be of a certain age... one of those you were just praying it wasn't nostalgic rehash, bit of a reflief that it wasn't total shit.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2K7Z8kR4tsXDIkS0jWLkwZ?si=0qyFP4-qSJSsx8aeRkESNw

Brix and the Extricated, Super Blood Wolf Moon:
Grungy guitar pop from former Fall members 
https://open.spotify.com/album/5Nn36LEo6fgPPJqlyw1kGj?si=RqNMVev8QVmCC0B-qRMoUw

The Mysterines.  Don't know much about them, no album yet. Seem to make more noise than they should for a 3 piece.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/15QhuBSLfDNECfF8wvxj0M?si=u6p9aDAqQfCKsbXd0w9oag

[dontfollowme]

Top five from last year:

Beirut - Gallipoli


Angel Olsen - All Mirrors -


Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow -


Big Thief - U.F.O.F


The Cinematic Orchestra - To Believe -


Not a bad year for music. I'll be working my way through stuff people have recommended above.

[andy popp]

I love Angel Olsen. I still don't really understand how but my daughter scored a ticket for the album launch party in NYC ... which was nice.

[JamieG]

More great suggestions. Sharon Van Etten is fantastic. I'm going to have to dive back into 'Are We There' again. 'Everytime Time the Sun Comes up' is such a brilliant song!

[Andy F]

Devin Townsend's album Empath is without doubt my album of the year for me

[Wood FT]

Pointed towards Aldous Harding by a friend and she's brilliant;





Album: Designer

Also rinsed in 2019 - Cigarettes After Sex;



Album: Cry

[andy popp]

I'm going to have to dive back into 'Are We There' again.

It's a great album.

[Falling Down]

Glad this is still going.  Thanks for the all the suggestions. They're all great.  I'm loving the Angel Olson, Ritual Cloak and the Purple Mountains.  Thanks for the Gene Clark video link JB, that would have been ace and your earworm story made me chuckle,.

A couple of others have cropped up that I really love.

The Chanctonbury Rings : Justin Hopper and Sharon Kraus.

https://soundcloud.com/ghost-box/sets/chanctonburyrings

Vic Mars : Inner Roads and Outer Paths

Inspired by Alfred Watkins words and photographs of Herefordshire (Mr Popp!).



Not 2019, but I've got really into Terry Allen in the last few months.  I can't stop listening to Lubbock on Everything and me and W watched the brilliant documentary Everything for all Seasons over Christmas. He's really something.

[AJM]

This thread has been good, some things for the list and I’ve enjoyed Jake Xerces Fussell and Hiromi so far.

A few to throw out there:

Radament - due - https://radament.bandcamp.com/album/due
Barcelona based, piano and drum jazz duo

Theon cross - Fyah - https://theoncross.bandcamp.com/album/fyah
Tuba jazz

Kokoroko - https://kokoroko.bandcamp.com/album/kokoroko
Afrobeat/jazz

Desolate - Exceptionalism - https://fauxpasmusik.bandcamp.com/album/exceptionalism
Soundscapey samply ambienty sort of stuff. I very much enjoyed Lunar Glyphs and enjoyed this one too.

Sam Barker - Utility - https://sambarker.bandcamp.com/album/utility
Another ostgut ton release (I enjoyed New Atlantis as recommended in the start post as well), techno

[jwi]

Kokoroko - https://kokoroko.bandcamp.com/album/kokoroko
Afrobeat/jazz

I kind of forgot about them when I was thinking about the year, mostly because I didn't check my youtube history and I've only listened to them on there.

[Fiend]

Predictable niche genre for me, but here's some favourites:


Love the first track, great sound overall, supporting Cattle Decap in Manc in March.


ETS with a cracker, maybe their best yet with intensity and a lot of fun. Also playing Manc in March \m/


The first 5 seconds are the best start to a metal album since the last best start to a metal album.


Black metal perfection, female vocals fit the genre perfectly for me.


More excellent female-fronted raging punkcore from Holy Roar records.

And a couple of electronic ones for fun:

https://specialrequest187.bandcamp.com/album/zero-fucks
Very nice old skool nu skool proper jungle with some weighty production, classy.

https://specialrequest187.bandcamp.com/album/zero-fucks
Very nice varied proper dnb / jungle album from the ever-reliable Digital.

  b2b 

[Durbs]

Just realised no one's mentioned TOOL's new album.
I liked it - though I haven't binged it as much as I thought I would - no stand out tracks for me but still epic.


Oh - and also Heilung had a new album out. Only discovered them recently, and so far away from what I listen to that I'm surprised it's on my radar (who listens to druidic proto-germanic / viking metal?), but you can see what they're called "Healing".

[teestub]

(who listens to druidic proto-germanic / viking metal?),

 

[JamieG]

I was actually quite disappointed by Tool's new album. I thought it sounded quite dated and I really couldn't understand why it had taken over a decade to release. Obviously the stellar musicianship and craft where still there is spades, but it didn't feel like there was a single new musical idea or direction that I hadn't heard from them previously. Felt too safe, which isn't what I expected from Tool.

[crzylgs]

@Fiend you've linked to 'Zero Fucks' Twice rather than that once and 'Digital' the second time.

FWIW I'm partial to a variety of 'dirty electronica' (DnB hasn't ever been a fave but can liten to a bit here and there) but Zero Fucks was a little bit too much filth for me to handle