___________________________
What was once an easy and objective thought - pinpointing what exactly defined the year in music - is now invariably difficult due to the throng of curiosities from every sphere of influence. Do not overlook or be ungrateful of the fact that, thanks to the Internet and its globalist, all-inclusive agenda, music has never been more diverse and distinctive. Every genre up until now, and more created seemingly on a bi-yearly basis, exists in 2019. All it takes is a dash of inquisition, a search bar, and valuable resources to live in musical nirvana.
That is all to say, who knows what 2019's main calling card will be. Previous influencers like Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, and Mac DeMarco fell off gracelessly, while others like Lana Del Rey, Angel Olsen, and Lightning Bolt experienced a much-needed resurgence. Social commentary came as aggressive, in instances like JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs, as it did humbling and sympathetic, as seen on Kate Tempest's Books Of Traps & Lessons. Transformations took shape, like the perennial about-facers Tyler, The Creator and King Gizzard, while others doubled down on their rigid aesthetic, like Horrorcore enthusiasts clipping. or demented prophet Lingua Ignota. Newcomers joined the fray, especially in the world of U.K. Rock with artists like black midi, FONTAINES D.C., Black Country New Road, and The Murder Capital all releasing transformative statements on the genre perpetually in a state of decay.
2019 had it all, and was consequently my biggest year yet in terms of listening habits. Nearly 200 albums - many of which reviewed in DoD's revamped Listening Log series - and 2,000 songs have been whittled down, competed against, and subsequently written upon to formulate these lists. Welcome to list week, please enjoy Dozens Of Donuts' Top 100 Tracks and Top 50 Albums of 2019.
Playlists For All 100 Songs: Apple Music | Spotify
And don't forget about the past. Take a look back at the Best Of:
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.
___________________________
'Magician's Success' is one of those songs where, by combining its respective elements, a surefire success is destined to happen. Effuse Space Age Pop like Bruno Pernadas, playful caroming in the vein of Stereolab, and dreamy vocals akin to Broadcast's Trish Keenan spell a recipe that'll never grow stale.
99 | Andy Stott - Collapse | It Should Be Us
The best Andy Stott works are those where menacing tonality and run-of-the-mill labor combine forces. 'Collapse' is an excellent example of such factorial power, submerging itself in the catacombs of mines to replicate onerous industry with long-term side effects.
98 | Tyler, The Creator - Are We Still Friends? | IGOR
The conclusion to IGOR, 'ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?,' captures Tyler, The Creator at his most soulful, summoning the great Al Green with his 'Dream' to plead with a love-lost friend. The mood is one familiar and drastic, made all the better by Tyler's knack for florid melodramatics.
97 | Lilien Rosarian - Marketplace | A Day In Bel Bruit
Lilien Rosarian's debut struck a particularly rich balance between mythical Ambient and naturalistic elements. None seen better than on 'The Marketplace,' where a hollow acoustic strum plays assuredly over alien synthesizers broadcasting towards worlds unknown.
96 | Courtney Barnett - Everybody Here Hates You | Single
She released one piece of music in 2019 and Courtney Barnett damn well made it memorable. From the title alone, 'Everybody Here Hates You' trods down Barnett's tongue-in-cheek, condescending allure with uninhibited privilege. The subtle change towards Blues Rock, with a rousing coda worthy of an album's climax. If only.
Moor Mother's vicious, tribal 'Black Flight' is the best summarization of her sound yet. Chaotic and brooding like Death Grips circa Ex-Military, with frantic Drum N' Bass, rancorous flows, demanding lyrics, and a look at racial relations without the veil of censorship.
94 | clipping. - Run For Your Life | There Existed An Addiction...
Unlike many of clipping.'s best, 'Run For Your Life's' calling card doesn't rely on Daveed Diggs. Rather an ingenuous exposé on Sound Design from Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson. The two convert nocturnal, inner-city Field Recordings for a shifting, minimalistic beat that flows with the vibrations of the street.
93 | M83 - Temple Of Sorrow | DSVII
A red-herring for the rest of DSVII? Absolutely. On its own, 'Temple Of Sorrow' ascends to being one of M83's best works, capable of bridging a gap between Ambient, New Age, and Post-Rock. It moves with pronounced progression, like the age of exploration following civilization's demise.
93 | MAVI - Self Love | Let The Sun Talk
Mood Rap (you know the style) stretched and flipped to resounding success. Inspired by Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, here - and only here - MAVI crafts his gem, melodically swooning over a looped Soul sample in ways the sub-genre hasn't seen before. 'Self Love' is the necessary evolution of a tired style.
91 | Perfume Genius - Pop Song | Single
There's no album yet, just two excellent singles. On 'Pop Song,' Perfume Genius dabbles in off-kilter Art Pop in the same vein of FKA twigs, Arca, and Arthur Russell, creating a foreign landscape adorned with a graceful touch. The distinction between minimalism and maximalism is just icing on the cake.
Come In was a shaky hogwash of overblown Indie cliches that only marginally impressed. Nowhere did Weatherday excel more than on 'Agatka,' a bustling exposé of ardent release that pit influences such as Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Car Seat Headrest, and Big Thief together.
89 | Angel Olsen - All Mirrors | All Mirrors
The title track to Angel Olsen's masterpiece finds the languished romantic returning to an age of Gothic courtliness, a la the baleful Ethereal Wave of the 1980's. It powers through Pop like an unfettered Blondie cut, inserting veiny sin from Siouxsie & The Banshees or Chelsea Wolfe.
88 | Uboa - Angel Of Great & Terrible Light | Origin Of My...
Uboa's breakout LP travels so far beyond music that it's nearly the antithesis of enjoyable. Yet on 'An Angel Of Great & Terrible Light' there's a fleeting moment of solace, with bell chimes and an acoustic guitar clutching contentment before inevitably succumbing to darkness.
87 | Efrim Manuel Menuck - Do The Police Embrace? | are SING...
Questionable content aside (when has that not been the case with GY!BE's political inference?), Efrim Manuel Menuck grew a stifling, tangential Drone of overlapping psychedelics on 'Do The Police Embrace?' that anyone, regardless of his pleas, could welter in.
86 | Bon Iver - Salem | i, i
Attempts were made, but nothing on i,i compared to 22, A Million's best. Above all competitors, 'Salem' strove to achieve that mark, building and bridging that gap between Bon Iver's Folk origins and his Pop yearning, much in the same way of '8.'
Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats - Cold
Anger Management
Anger Management
Can one be more extreme at rapping then Rico Nasty? If 'Cold's' any indication, doubts are in order. The opening track of Anger Management finds Nasty riffling through a filthy Trap banger composed by Kenny Beats with unbridled aggression, confidence, and swagger.
84 | Ezra Furman - Calm Down | Twelve Nudes
Hasn't the shift in LGBT music's tone over the decade been fascinating to watch? Once quiet, introspective, and scared, artists like Ezra Furman have hit their breaking point with outward aggression and swagger. 'Calm Down' accomplishes that in spades, with its Rolling Stones homage and visceral Garage Punk riffs.
83 | Big Thief - Not | Two Hands
Despite Big Thief's entire discography concerning itself with the burden of familial hardship, 'Not' still feels like an imperative turning point. The six-minute Indie Rock opera doesn't merely find Adrianne Lenker at a crushing breaking point, the backing band is there too. A calamitous, Noise-ridden outro solidifies the emotional snap.
82 | FONTAINES D.C. - Boys In The Better Land | Dogrel
Sure it's rather standard Post-Punk Revival fanfare, but quality and intrigue trumps all and that's what Fontaines D.C. achieved on 'Boys In The Better Land.' A supremely catchy romp flaunting escapism with the pungency only rebellious Dublin youths could achieve.
81 | Tycho - Pink & Blue | Weather
After years of stagnation, Tycho accepts help with vocalist Saint Sinner. The rest of Weather wore dry like his previous efforts, but the multi-layered, well-composed 'Pink & Blue' prompted a reinvigorated interest in the dying Electropop.
In the early 80's African music was tapped for its superlatively-infectious rhythms by Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and the like. Flash forward four decades and KOKOKO! have inverted the roles, bridging Afro House with Synth Punk on mischievous and swank 'Azo Toke.'
79 | Squid - The Cleaner | Town Centre
They may be the least known of Speedy Wunderground's game-changing up-and-comers, but Squid's style of humor trumping desolation still earns a place amongst the black midi and Black Country, New Road's of the world. 'The Cleaner,' a seven-minute New Wave odyssey about a janitor, their first peculiar calling card.
78 | Matmos - Plastic Anniversary | Plastic Anniversary
Matmos' unstated commentary on first world addiction towards harmful materials took a momentary lapse of joyous hoopla on 'Plastic Anniversary,' the album's bonkers title track which mixed synthetic Glitch with tribal rhythm sections and horns from a retrofitted, medieval bacchanal.
77 | Little Simz - Offence | GREY Area
The first thing one notices on 'Offence,' GREY Area's intro, is that of live instrumentation. The drums, Funk-infused bass, and woodwinds feel as though they live in the studio, their sonic stains mucking the aura in the best way possible. It's an unforgettable introduction for this alone, but Little Simz's powerful braggadocio and knotty final verse - complete with roadrunner sound effects - completes the unique blend of Hip-Hop styles.
76 | Thom Yorke - I Am A Very Rude Person | ANIMA
Ignore the comical stoicism of 'I Am A Very Rude Person's' title, one of ANIMA's handful of standouts is rife with movement and emotion. Thom Yorke's slender vocals strike an Ambient Pop fancy, though the rhythmic disposition offset by the serene choir, anesthetic drums, and modish guitar strike quite the different chord.
Noname - Song 31
Single
Single
There’s few things more intoxicating in Hip-Hop than Noname tip-toeing across jubilant Soul evoking the long-abandoned past of Kanye West and the recently-abandoned past of The Social Experiment. The appeal of ‘Song 31,’ an outtake from Room 25, reaches far and wide, breaking borders by imparting pure happiness.
74 | YBN Cordae - Bad Idea | The Lost Boy
Yes, YBN Cordae's 'Bad Idea' owes much of its success to Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap era. Yes, Chance The Rapper's own 2019 failure The Big Day made 'Bad Idea's' nostalgic trip even more potent. But give Cordae credit, in trying times like these it's tough to motivate and encourage with Gospel that directly opposes the idea of familial commitment.
73 | The Claque - Hush | Single
You can never go wrong with highly-rhythmic, uptempo percussion, zonked out guitar drones, inexorable wall of sound, and gorgeous, crackling female vocals. Is that too specific? Perhaps, but there's no denying the irresistible charm of The Claque's 'Hush,' a track that invokes bands such as Exploded View, Women, and Metric.
72 | Lana Del Rey - How To Disappear | Norman Fucking Rockwell
The clandestine strings and measured percussion move with the ripe sway of married couple at their 50th anniversary, though Lana Del Rey's 'How To Disappear' takes a far more somber, bleak tone. Del Rey's ability to wed everlasting beauty with a desire to escape enclosure sends chills in its sheer shapeliness.
71 | Denzel Curry & slowthai - Psycho | Single
Without even pressing play one could deduce the sound of 'Psycho' based on the volatile pairing of Denzel Curry and slowthai. Combine that with Kwes Darko's off-kilter beat, one that highlights the violin screeches of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and you have a filthy, one-off single that might be Hardcore Hip-Hop's best of 2019.
100 gecs made sure to include "stupid" in the title so I didn't have to. It doesn't get more meme infested than 1000 gecs, a barrage of pseudo millennial strifes driven mad by the never-ending scroll of entertainment. The duo of Dylan and Laura reflected that well in 'stupid horse,' a rambunctious form of Uplifting Trance, Electropop, and Emo Rap because why not.
69 | Jamila Woods - BALDWIN | LEGACY! LEGACY!
Chicago's Social Experiment era may have passed, but those most connected to the movement and messages linger on. On 'BALDWIN,' Jamila Woods is joined by Nico Segal for an uplifting romp that enlivens spirits with celebratory horns and heartfelt Gospel, much akin to the unforgettable 'Sunday Candy.'
68 | Wilma Vritra - Targets & Digits | Burd
The kinky, distorted Soul sample, abstruse lyricism, irregular percussion. Wilma Vritra's 'Targets & Digits' instantly invokes the mid-2000's promised land of Abstract Hip-Hop, with names like MF DOOM, Edan, and Living Legends coming to mind. Carefree, confident, cool, calm, and collected, this form of slick Hip-Hop will never grow stale.
67 | Grimes - Violence | Single
It's safe to say Grimes' character is an enigma. The clarity in her aesthetic, surprisingly, comes out best in her music. Be it 'Oblivion,' 'We Appreciate Power,' or her best 2019 single 'Violence,' Grimes adores the femme fatale, a BDSM supporter with daddy issues quivering under dominating extremes.
66 | D.J. Shadow - Kings & Queens | Our Pathetic Age
Let's ignore the rest of D.J. Shadow's Our Pathetic Age, for that's exactly what 'Kings & Queens' does to warrant its success. Here, Shadow and (presumably) El-P unite with an uplifting, hi-hat-ridden Soul beat for Run The Jewels to tell tall tales of childhood struggles.
It moves with the slimy cadence and surreal panache of MGMT or of Montreal's forays into Neo-Psychedelia while dilating with orchestral extravagance much like Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor' or Mobu's 'Extreme Ways.' Fat White Family may not be an apt name for the repute cast on 'Feet.'
64 | Comet Is Coming - Blood Of The Past | Trust In The Lifeforce...
It took Books Of Traps & Lessons for Kate Tempest to sideswipe my perception of Poetry in modern art, though, in reality, ‘Blood Of The Past’ should’ve done the trick. Here, Tempest prophecies a future descended into chaos using history unlearned over a frantic, Shabaka Hutchings’ push for decimation.
63 | Denzel Curry - RICKY | ZUU
There’s always something admirable about an artist sustaining a dying genre, and that’s exactly what Denzel Curry has done with Memphis Rap. Just listen to the filthy, Chopped N’ Screwed hook on ‘RICKY,’ made all the better by Curry’s progressive language that cherishes and scorns those around you, regardless of gender.
62 | Quelle Chris - You, Me & Nobody Else | Guns
Over a chopped Soul sample and multi-layered drums that seem to evolve from Boom Bap's simplicity, Quelle Chris (and wifey Jean Grae) pay homage to monogamous love. 'You, Me, & Nobody Else' stands in stark contrast to Guns' social commentary, but it's that sentimentality that proves essential when discussing strife and discordance.
61 | Swans - What Is This? | Leaving Meaning.
Most of Swans' Leaving Meaning concerns itself with demented psychosis, wrestling between over-idealized infatuation and manic hysteria. In a way, that makes the whimsical Christmas chants and chimes of 'What Is This?' all the more appealing, knowing how closely linked the two halves are through religion.
It has to be stated though, for some, the realization might ruin 'Who's My Eugene?' Erica Dunn, who takes over prime vocal duty from Gareth Liddiard, with her squeaks and squawks sounds exactly like Elizabeth Daily. Known to most as the voice of raspy toddler Tommy Pickles. It doesn't ruin the track, but rather takes it up to another notch of cockeyed absurdity.
59 | Ana Frango Elétrico - Promessas e Previsões | Little Electric...
Considering the language gap between myself and Ana Frango Elétrico's Portuguese, enjoyment stems from strong, charismatic execution. I know not what 'Promessas e Previsões' is about, yet with its giant air of glee and summertime carelessness, relatable it is. Not to mention, Elétrico's basically the Brazilian Julia Holter and that's awesome.
58 | sonder - Hate & Fear Bore Death | Plainsongs For Bunmak...
Can we even consider 'Hate & Fear Bore Death' a song when its duration - 38 minutes and 36 seconds - eclipses a majority of full-length albums? Of course we can. And we can consider it great and ingenuous in its portrayal of 'Little Drummer Boy,' taking the innocuous Christmas melody on a Progressive Electronic journey for the ages.
57 | Danny Brown - Best Life | uknowhatimsayin¿
'Best Life' owes its success to Q-Tip, the song's sole producer, and his self-evident interest in how The Avalanches treated Danny Brown's brand of spirited street life on Wildflower. Over a 1976 sample of Tommy McGee's 'To Make You Happy,' Brown tweaks tales of misguided adolescence much in the same way of his one-off hit 'Grown Up.'
56 | Lingua Ignota - Fragrant Is My Many Flower'd Crown | Caligula
There are few voices in modern music stronger than that of Lingua Ignota's. This, patently evident when success stems from Death Industrial as much as it does Neoclassical Darkwave. On 'Fragrant Is My Many Flower'd Crown,' the latter takes over through a nominal, bottomless piano and Ignota's tender, irreversible reckoning.
Unfortunately nothing on Nothing Great About Britain achieved the scaling panic and pandemonium of 'Doorman,' a riotous UK Hip-Hop banger filtered through the context of Synth Punk. Comparisons to Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition highlight 'Doorman's' psycho urgency and manic bawdiness.
54 | Sharon van Etten - Seventeen | Remind Me Tomorrow
Sure it's reminiscent of Future Islands' 'Seasons,' but perhaps that anthemic, coming-of-age consequentiality will never be considered out of fashion. On 'Seventeen,' Sharon Van Etten reflects on her adolescence through the eyes of a changed woman.
53 | Carl Stone - Sun Nong Dan | Baroo
Eleven minutes of ravenous, juiced Sound Collage is hard to digest. But when Carl Stone does it on 'Sun Nong Dan' you can't help but lose yourself in the insanity. Subjugated vocals pierce foreign instrumentation, merging World Music with futurism like never before.
52 | Jai Paul - Do You Love Her Now? | Single
He came, he gave, and he went. After officially releasing Leak 04-13, Jai Paul adorned the influential Alternative R&B release with more forward thinking Soul. 'Do You Love Her Now' characterizes a sexual experience with patience and affection, presenting it with the utmost sterility.
51 | Solange - Almeda | When I Get Home
Solange's When I Get Home intrigued me in its obtuse depiction of ad-libs, transforming them into a new type of instrument or style all-together. Nowhere was that handled better than 'Almeda,' thanks in part to Playboi Carti who joined Solange as they flexed in brief aplomb over quirky Trap-influenced Neo-Soul.
50-21 | 20-1 | Top 50 Albums
No comments:
Post a Comment