Rolling Favorite Tracks + Albums 2019

Laurel halo dj kicks*
Ariana grande thank u next*
N0v3l s/t*
Yves jarvis same but by different means*
Sneaks highway hypnosis
Solange when i get home
Kehlani while we wait
Billie eilish when we all fall asleep
Default genders main pop girl*
Alex hungtai August at akikos
Vampire weekend father of the bride*
Roza terenzi let’s ride
Institute readjusting the locks
Dam funk stfu ii
Hot chip bathtub full of ecstasy
Klein zage womanhood
LIFTED 2*
Bill Callahan shepherd in a sheepskin vest
Prince originals
Mind bath baby you can free your mind
Yu su roll with the punches

Terminal Cheesecake
Fat White Family
Teeth of the Sea
Pinkish Black
Dawn Richard
Royal Trux
Budos Band
The Comet is Coming
Spellling
Sunwatchers
Mdou Moctar
Jabru
Sisso

Massimo Colombo - Acoustic Weather (The Music of Weather Report)
André Carvalho - The Garden of Earthly Delights
Jamie Saft Quartet - Hidden Corners
Manja Ristić - The Black Isle
John Luther Adams/Ludovic Morlot/Seattle symphony - Become Desert
Ellen Arkbro - Chords
Johnathan Blake - Trion
Matt Mitchell - Phalanx Ambassador
Dalot - ΛΗΤΩ
Jeff Williams - Bloom
JD Allen - Barracoon

75 Dollar Bill's "I Was Real" - really hitting the spot right now

Crumb - Jinx
Las Nubes - SMVT

New Jenny Hval song “High Alice” is really addictive. Have played it at least 5 times today.

I've been compiling a spotify playlist of 2019 stuff, for anyone who needs a diversion:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7piThg4uzbC7JcWZhpvmBO?si=J5HCsL0AQ_uTMrLCWaOjwA&fbclid=IwAR2FkHk1DDzMV8PmK_be_D4la3A1uonbkzNgUbp6LdVCltRydg1mdHwEYMI

so have i (it's not sequenced so i'd reverse-chron sort if you want to see the newest stuff)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1elU6CCAzoqVZOTbUnvH2W?si=uNl0yQCKQXevotgUGYiDPQ

Favourite classical releases so far this year:

Alinde Quartett - Lichtwechsel: Mendelssohn & Purcell
Ana Sokolović - Sirènes (ECM+, Véronique Lacroix, Ensemble vocal Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, Dáirine Ní Mheadhra)
Anna Gourari - Elusive Affinity
Edmund Finnis - The Air, Turning (M. Simpson, E.-Fl. Thom, B. Beilmn, V. Ólafsson, BMCG, R. Baker, Britten Sinfonia, A. Gourlay, London Contemporary Orchestra, R. Ames, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, I. Volkov)
Emmanuel Nunes - Minnesang; Musivus (SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Emilio Pomàrico)
Ernest Chausson - Poème de l’amour et de la mer; Symphonie (Véronique Gens, Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch)
Franz Liszt - Années de pèlerinage, troisième année & other late piano works (Cédric Tiberghien)
Franz Schubert - Winterreise (Peter Mattei & Lars David Nilsson)
Gabriel Fauré - Nocturnes (Eric Le Sage)
György Kurtag - The Edge of Silence (Susan Narucki, Curtis Macomber, Kathryn Schulmeister, Nicholas Tolle, Donald Berman)
György Kurtág - Scenes (Viktoriia Vitrenko, David Grimal, Luigi Gaggero, Niek de Groot)
Hannah Lash - Filigree (JACK Quartet & Hannah Lash)
Ioana Cristina Goicea & Andrey Gugnin - Recital
Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 1; En saga (Gothenburg Symphony, Santtu-Matias Rouvali)
Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concertos (Isabelle Faust, et al.)
Johannes Brahms - The Five Sonatas for Violin & Piano, Vol. 1 (Ulf Wallin & Roland Pöntinen)
John Casken - The Dream of the Rood (The Hilliard Ensemble, Asko | Schönberg Ensemble, Clark Rundell)
John Luther Adams - Become Desert (Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot)
Luigi Nono - Prometeo (L. Rado, A. Caiello. K. Otczyk, S. Regazzo, M. Rencinai, Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, Ensemble Prometeo, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, M. Angius)
Maja S. K. Ratkje - Sult
Marie Ythier - Une rencontre. Schumann, Murail
Mark Andre - hij (WDR Sinfonieorchester, M. Chiacchiarini, SWR Vokalensemble, Marcus Creed, SWR Experimentalstudio)
Mieczysław Weinberg - String Quartets Nos. 11, 12 & 13 (Silesian String Quartet)
Morton Feldman - For Bunita Marcus (Aki Takahashi)
Per Nørgård - Whirl’s World (Ensemble MidtVest)
Reto Bieri & meta4 - Quasi moriendo: Brahms, Pesson, Sciarrino
Riot Ensemble - Speak, Be Silent
Robert Schumann - Faschingsschwank aus Wien; Grande Sonate (No. 3); Drei Fantasiestücke; Gesänge der Frühe (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet)
Robert Schumann - Liederkreis; Kernerlieder (Matthias Goerne & Leif Ove Andsnes)
Ryan Carter - Chamber Works (Fr. Dillon, E. Torquati, K. Kirchoff, Calder Quartet, JACK Quartet, Yarn/Wire)
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Trios (Trio Wanderer)
Søren Nils Eichberg - Scherben (Emil Gryesten, Ensemble Hærværk, Søren Nils Eichberg)
Stefan Prins - Augmented (Y. Deutsch, S. Ginsburgh, Nadar Ensemble, Klangforum Wien, B. Wiegers, S. Prins)
Stenhammar Quartet - Debussy, Tailleferre & Ravel
Tamara Stefanovich - Influences
Toshio Hosokawa - gardens (Mario Caroli, Ukho Ensemble Kiyv, Luigi Gaggero)
Tristan Murail - Portulan (Ensemble Cairn, Guillaume Bourgogne)

one of my favorite new bands, sault, already has a second record out

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/

How are SAULT so good? They’re like Stereolab for me in that their sound is a collection of influences that win me over as soon as I hit play.

And both their albums from this year are amongst my favorite things I’ve listened in 2019. I can’t even remember when was the last time that this happened.

Uh oh, sounds like I gotta check em out

Hahaha the comparison to Stereolab is not really about how they sound. It’s more about how they synthesize and compile music genres I love into their own style.

I guess both Sault and Stereolab have a krautrock and funk influence but that’s as far as it goes. Where Stereolab is more post-punk and lounge, Sault is more northern soul and afrobeat.

i get an ESG/Konk vibe too

The people behind this are still largely a mystery afaik but the drummer and bass player are definitely experienced. Both records are filled with some great grooves.

And yeah, I also think ESG is definitely an influence! on another ilm thread I wrote on 5:

“Ticks too many boxes of things I love: ESG-styled basslines + Jaki Liebezeit-styled drums + Northern Soul-styled vocal + afrobeat-styled guitars”

I find 7 has a more “pop” sound that 5. There’s a couple of songs in there that remind me of Mark Ronson of all people, particularly to his “Version” album. I suppose that sounds terribly off-putting to several people here on ILM so I’d recommend to try 5 first.

Both these albums are great, thanks for the tip.

https://www.wandelweiser.de/_e-w-records/_ewr-catalogue/ewr1904-05.html

eva-maria houben - ensemble works ... there are some lengthy samples on the release page (link)

https://www.wandelweiser.de/_e-w-records/bilder/ewr1904-05.jpg

Thanks, maura and moka. I am now squarely in the Sault Rules!! camp.

Good stuff, definitely strong ESG vibes

I've been compiling a spotify playlist of 2019 stuff, for anyone who needs a diversion:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7piThg4uzbC7JcWZhpvmBO?si=J5HCsL0AQ_uTMrLCWaOjwA&fbclid=IwAR2FkHk1DDzMV8PmK_be_D4la3A1uonbkzNgUbp6LdVCltRydg1mdHwEYMI🕸

Idk how to feel about Velvet Negroni. I like the name and the album artwork but the actual music is so-so.

Add me to the growing Sault Army

xxpost thanks wtev! I need to update it - I've heard so much good stuff already since then.

xpost - I'm kind of the opposite with velvet negroni: the entire presentation seems like something i wouldn't go for but the music really works for me.

The new David Grubbs album is quite pleasing to listen to.
https://www.discogs.com/David-Grubbs-Creep-Mission/master/1242738

Xpost: Ok I’ll give it another try.

https://elsewheremusic.bandcamp.com/

'Barricades' + 'Lettres et Replis' are both quite good. elsewhere (label) is curated/produced by Yuko Zama

Gave Velvet Negroni another chance but it’s not connecting with me. There’s plenty of sounds in there which I like but as a whole package it’s not working for me, it’s just not my aesthetic at all, for every moment inside the song that fascinates me there’s two that I find boring... the length of the songs is fairly standard but it feels like they’re much longer.. speaking of, I’m also in the minority that doesn’t connect with Frank Ocean’s Blond and that’s the record it reminds me the most.

That said, I like “Feel Let”, imho it’s the one with the most interesting sounds.

"Feel Let" is my favourite.

Two great albums from South Africa that deserve a wider audience on ILM:

Singer Samthing Soweto just released his first solo album (titled Isphithiphithi) since making his name two years ago with his feature on Sun-El Musician’s gorgeous “Akanamali” (a/k/a The Singles Jukebox’s highest rated song of 2017 and the #6 in ILM’s 2017 EOY Top Tracks).
It features a beautiful mix of South African soul tracks and smooth amapiano house jams.

For the former, try “Umuhle Uyasabeka” or “Omama Bomthandazo”, for the later “Akulaleki”.

Speaking of amapiano, the jazzy-or-is-it house sound ruling the clubs and charts of SA that owes a surprising lot to Larry Heard:
For an album of back-to-back smooth jams and bangers in that vein, may I recommend Scorpion Kings (nominally an EP) by DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small, who were also involved in the Samthing album. Try “Amantombazane” (with Samthing), “Vula Vala” or “We’Mama”.

(And if you’re feeling this stuff, there’s plenty more goodness to be found on this thread: THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists)

Q3 roundup. Tracks.

Far too many again (sorry, not sorry).

Jesca Hoop - Death Row
Floating Points - Coorabell
Sunray - Music for the Dreamachine Phase II (Sonic Boom Mix)
Tokyo Elvis - Pixels of Sound
Mahalia feat. Burna Boy - Simmer
cupcakKe - Whoregasm
Anna Wise - Nerve
Anna Wise feat. Little Simz - Abracadabra
Anna Wise - What’s Up With You?
Marcos Valle - Aviso aos navigantes
Toddla T & Chip - Yard
the bird and the bee - Jump
Busy Signal - Balloon
Dempagumi.inc - 生でんぱ
Daphne & Celeste - Sunny Day (Japanese)
PVRIS - Death of Me
Shura - The Stage
Ariana Grande with Social House - boyfriend
Four Tet - Dreamer
BROCKHAMPTON - If You Pray Right
Apparat - OUTLIER
Michael Donnelly - Mole Man (Pye Corner Audio remix)
Joanna Wang - 我只在乎你 (I Only Care About You)
Rosalía feat. Ozuna - Yo x Ti, Yu x Mi
Miranda Lambert - Bluebird
Mura Masa with Clairo - I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again
Alice Hubble - Ruby Falls
Bernard Grancher feat. Laetitia Sadier - L’immodéré bien-être de l’imbécile (Gabe Knox remix)
The Emperor Machine - Function (Extended version / Version 54)
Taylor Swift - Lover
Lana Del Rey - Looking For America
Octo Octa - Imminent Spirit Arrival
Sean O’Hagan with Cathal Coughlan - Candy Clock
Karen Gwyer - Cherries on Shoulders
Sound of Ceres - Fire Lily
Rubin Steiner - Fete
MUNA - It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby
Zoë Blade - Dead Moth / Moth Celebration
Will Burns & Hannah Peel - Moth Book
Kim Gordon - Sketch Artist
slowthai feat. Mura Masa - Doorman
((( O ))) - Je Suis Infini
Tove Lo feat. Kylie Minogue - Really don’t like u
Carla dal Forno - No Trace
Lena Raine - Fear of the Unknown
Brandy - Freedom Rings
Battles feat. Xenia Rubinos - A Loop So Nice…/They Played It Twice
La Féline - Visions de dieu

Q3 contd.

LPs
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Vic Mars - Inner Roads and Outer Paths
Little Simz - GREY Area
The Home Current - The Ardennes
Shura - forevher
Wojciech Golczewski - The Priests of Hiroshima
Tokyo Elvis - W.I.N.S.
Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 - Joia!
Justin Hopper & Sharron Kraus with Belbury Poly - Chanctonbury Rings
Various Artists - The Moon and Back: One small step for global pop

EPs/Mini LPs
Adderall Canyonly - The Unburdened Present
Carolina Eyck - Elephant in Green
Tomorrow Syndicate - Citizen Input
Lena Raine - Chicory: An Afternoon in Luncheon
Red Velvet - ‘The ReVe Festival’ Day 2
Red Velvet - ‘The ReVe Festival’ Day 1
Daphni - Sizzling
Cidergirl - Clover
Miley Cyrus - She Is Coming
Tomaga - Extended Play 1

Ooh, didn't know about that new Belbury Poly

updated top 10:

Terminal Cheesecake
Fly Pan Am
Thurston Moore
Fat White Family
Cosmic Dead
Sunwatchers
Sault (7)
De Lorians
Lastryko
Teeth of the Sea

Slauson Malone

(just to make it 11)

I heard this track last night on a New Orleans radio station that I listen to a lot and it prompted an immediate Shazam. GREAT tune, like a funkier Crowded House channelling F. Scott Fitzgerald. (But in a good way.) Can't find much about the guy, I guess he's from Bolton and is legally deaf. Not sure he even has an album out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBa6_PQ4_U&fbclid=IwAR2eLb0Cj-3iLj3C2NAvjiT2pTw_wdc3kFUlveAjeWA9isDxG0KLUkkVr6I

Oops messed up the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBa6_PQ4_U&list=RDftBa6_PQ4_U&start_radio=1

Sheesh, one more time.

https://youtu.be/ftBa6_PQ4_U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBa6_PQ4_U

men i trust - oncle jazz

A pox on all of you who did not alert me to the band French Vanilla. I had to find out about them from...gasp!...college radio.

Anyway, 'How Am I Not Myself?' is dope af. (And so is the s/t from two years ago.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjkf-P0i7VI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU4eNnEsDDk

Catching up on 2019 Music - A Pre-List Making Thread to push favorites, discuss critical consensus and prognosticate on eventual best-ofs for the year

current 10:

Imprecation - Damnatio Ad Bestias
Sports Team - Keep Walking!
R.M.F.C. - Hive Volumes 1 & 2
The Roves - All Those Freaks
Charly Bliss - Young Enough
Nightwatchers - La Paix Ou Le Sable
Judiciary - Surface Noise
White Ward - Love Exchange Failure
Vircolac - Masque
The Stroppies - Whoosh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i73Z8MUkiQk

great year for music imho

pumped for the eoy poll

you've all been jamming this one all month right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyS6o02u0OQ

CZ Wang & Neo Image - Just Off Wave

great find; that's dope

faye webster's 'room temperature' is excellent, basically an unofficial sequel to the mats' 'swingin party'

been loving this: https://mikroton.bandcamp.com/album/sink

Louise Landes Levi / Timo Van Luijk / Bart De Paepe - kami

https://soundcloud.com/sloowtapes/louise-landes-levitimo-van-luijkbart-de-paepe

Q4 Round-up. Don't ask me how I'm gonna narrow down all these songs (and the rest upthread) for the EOY noms.

Tracks
SAULT - We Are The Sun; Smile and Go
Lil’ Kim feat, O.T. Genesis & City Girls - Found You
DAWN feat. Maliibu Miitch & Quay Dash - spaces (remix)
Jimi Tenor & Freestyle Man - Lake of Lagomar
Zedd feat. Kehlani - Good Thing
kordz feat. Natalie Beridze - Celebrity Clouds
Allie X - Fresh Laundry; Rings A Bell
Sean O’Hagan - Takes My Steps (Nora Bramms)
La Féline - Voyage à cythère
Superbravo - Il n'y a plus foule
Pulselovers - In The Marsh (Remixed by Panamint Manse)
Call Super and Parris - Chiseler’s Rush
Cher Lloyd - M.I.A.
Wojciech Golczewski - Black Sun P-01
VÉRITÉ - think of me
Camilla Cabello - Cry For Me; Easy
Charli XCX - Official
Vanishing Twin - Who Wants To Live Forever?
Sabine Happard - Ne m’approche pas
Megan Thee Stallion feat. VickeeLo - Ride Or Die
DAWN feat. Brooke Candy - Ay Papi
Lizzo feat. Ariana Grande - Good As Hell (remix)
HAIM - Now I’m In It
Selena Gomez - Lose You To Love Me
Midwich Youth Club - Nanobot City
The Home Current - Red Ice; River Keeper
Juniore - Ah bah d’accord; En solitaire
Alexandre Bazin - Red Ochre
Ellen Allien - Mdma (Alien Rain remix); Bounce Your Body; La Música Es Dios
Alan Oldham - We Need Our Weave (remix)
Sudan Archives - Glorious
The Japanese House - Something Has To Change; Chewing Cotton Wool
YMCK - Wild Wild Caravan
Katie Gately - Bracer
Mura Masa feat. slowthai - Deal Wiv It
Róisín Murphy - Narcissus
Ronika - Solitaire
Daphne & Celeste - A.L.T.O. (David Shrigley & Lee Baker remix)
Waveshaper - Data Source
Billie Eilish - everything i wanted
Lake Ruth - Strange Interiors
Pulselovers - Woodford Hales to Fenny Compton in Five Minutes
Neil Scrivin - Tape Control Center
The Emperor Machine - House des Lowe
Jesca Hoop - Waking Andreas
Clairo - Flaming Hot Cheetos (Tokyo Elvis remix)
Disasterpeace - We Defeated Brian Posehn & Saved The World
Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens - Luminous Spaces
Gabe Knox - Square Wave Symphony
Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now; Future Nostalgia
Stormzy feat. Aitch - Pop Boy
Plan B - First Past The Post
Saint Etienne - Thank You Very Much

LPs
Pulselovers - Cotswold Stone
Article 54 - The Hustle
Phono Ghosts - Warm Pad, Sharp Stab
Szczepan Buczkowski - Smile Eyes and the Children Folk
Various Artists - Scarred For Life: The Album
The Home Current - An Evening With The Home Current
Adderall Canyonly - Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Anna Wise - As If It Were Forever
Tinashe - Songs For You
Sean O’Hagan - Radum Calls, Radum Calls

EPs, 12"s and mini albums
DMX Krew - Don’t You Wanna Play
The Home Current - Palermo Traxx Vol 2
Pye Corner Audio - Dark Phase
Carolina Eyck & Eversines - Waves
Molly Linen - Outside
Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation I
Oval - Eksploio
Hayley Kiyoko - I’m Too Sensitive For This Shit
Emily Burns - My Town
Let’s Eat Grandma - Soundtrack to ‘Dark Continents: Semiramis’

i don't do lists but right now "desire" by mope grooves has my favorite music/album cover/band name combo of 2019
https://mopegrooves.bandcamp.com/album/desire

RIYL tinny ramshackle indie-pop tunes with interesting rhythmic approaches

Time is running out to vote for your Favorite Tracks + Albums 2019 in the EOY poll! If you liked some music last year, vote for it! ILM's 2019 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD