Belated Best Albums of 2019
I’m a little late to the party, but seeing as I have to write a blog every day again now, doing a handful of late “best ofs” seems like an easy way to churn a few out. In my opinion 2019 was a fairly middling year for music, in large part because there was a bountiful crop of 2018 records that I instantly adored, as well as numerous artists who have announced releases in early 2020 that I am exceptionally excited for. With that being said, there were still some great new music last year, so here are my favourite LPs of 2019.
#3 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats' Nest
After managing to squeeze in 5 full length records in 2017 and ably covering an eclectic variety of styles, KGATLW took 2018 off (at least from making new music, not from touring) before returning in 2019 to further expand their genre list on Wikipedia, adding both boogie-woogie blues with “Fishing for Fishies” and thrash metal with “Infest the Rats' Nest”. The latter did an excellent job of paying homage to 80s thrash trailblazers while still updating their sound for the modern era and still retaining enough distinctive elements of their own music that it was obviously a King Gizz record. The album’s lyrical themes of income inequality and climate crisis are in the forefront of many people’s minds, and thrash seems like a fitting genre to explore them in. Overall the album was fun and well put together, but didn’t explore much new ground, hence it’s place at #3.
#2 Hobo Johnson - The Fall of Hobo Johnson
Hobo Johnson has already established himself as a controversial figure in many circles, emerging from obscurity into virality after a handful of videos of his raw, intense live songs accrued millions of views. He stands accused of having various problematic lyrics and themes in his music, and I can understand why this is so, however I think he is self-aware about these things - they are an unfiltered expression of his own emotions, not an endorsement of them or any actions thereupon. I adored his second full length album, “The Fall of Hobo Johnson” for it’s unashamedness and vulnerability, with Johnson hiding none of the mania he feels, and instead rapping, singing and shouting about it. His lyrics remind me a little of Daniel Johnston’s, perahps if the latter was having an intense panic attack while writing them. Overall the album was huge refreshing in comparison to the current wave of Soundcloud emo rappers, with Johnson coming across as far more authentic and relatable.
#1 black midi - Schlagenheim
When I first heard this album, I couldn’t imagine how another record could come out later in the year that would surpass it as my favourite, and it turns out I was right. black midi’s sound is infectious and barbaric, simultaneously precisely honed and wildly out of control, the LP is reminiscient of Cap’n Jazz - except with the latter it sounds like a group of exceptionally talented musicians all playing under the influence of an obscene quantity of alcohol, while the former is more like a group of exceptionally talented musicians all playing while collectively undergoing a psychotic break. An inextricable mix of math, noise and avant garde rock, Schlagenheim is a soundtrack for anxiety, and I adored every second of it. In its brazen experimentation it manages to walk an incredibly thin line between powerful art and worthless sounds, leaving the listener in a position where it is impossible to be apathetic about what they are hearing. Given its nature as the band’s debut, and they are a young band at that, this album made me very excited to see what the future holds from them, especially as they try to progress their sound and find more uncovered sonic ground to claim as their own.