The 2019 end of the year music lists thread

I'm not wild about the sequencing on the LDR album as I've mentioned elsewhere, but it still has like 9-10 of the best songs she's ever written, and her best lyrics and production by some distance.

ra having it as their top pick on an otherwise unranked list

cringe tbh

either rank that shit properly or full equality

regardless it does make it easier to pick it as something to listen to

it'd be better if it wasn't an album already getting so many props tho

love to grade on a curve

I mean I don't consider "contains an album's worth of her best material" faint praise!

I freely admit I'd consider lax sequencing a worse crime in the pre-streaming days but now? enh

"the best songs she's ever written" is not going to be super compelling to those of us who think almost all of her songs are dogshit

I mean, sure?

The Atlantic put out an unranked list:

FKA Twigs, Magdalene
Burna Boy, African Giant
Megan Thee Stallion, Fever
Torche, Admission
Maxo Kream, Brandon Banks
Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?
Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell
Chris Farren, Born Hot
Ari Lennox, Shea Butter Baby
Barker, Utility
Sleaford Mods, Eton Alive
Summer Walker, Over It
Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated
DaBaby, Kirk
100 Gecs, 1000 Gecs
Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride
The Highwomen, The Highwomen
Bad Bunny, 100XPre

Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated

haven't seen this too much--getting the Haim follow-up treatment?

Chris Farren, Born Hot

wacky to see the fake problems guy in this crowd

i like the LDR album a lot but it feels very strange the way she's suddenly gone from critically underrated to critically overrated. not just this record but born to die doing very well in end of decade lists despite still being pretty mediocre. NFR is certainly her best work but not really close to an AOTY contender for me.

everyone wants a hero

I'm certainly appreciating that Ari Lennox more now than I did over the summer.

i hope to see more publications putting out unranked lists

me too ^

also, i think an unranked list + one or two or three "this is the very best of the bunch" / ranked section is perfectly reasonable.

i often feel like my top 2, 3 or 4 are obvious and everything after that is splitting hairs.

it does feel like an unranked list sort of year

https://remezcla.com/lists/music/50-best-songs-by-latinos-in-2019/

A little of everything but mainly reggaeton

https://afropop.org/articles/afropop-runs-down-2019

Stocking Stuffer list in alphabetical order with Burna Boy, Mdou Moctar and more

Textura again doesn't have much overlap with anything else:

01. Christopher Tignor: A Light Below (Western Vinyl)
02. William Brittelle: Spiritual America (New Amsterdam Records / Nonesuch)
03. Stein Urheim: Simple Pieces & Paper Cut-Outs (Hubro)
04. Hevreh Ensemble: A Path of Light (Ansonica Records)
05. Kamancello: Kamancello II: Voyage (Kamancello)
06. Toby Hay: New Music for the 12 String Guitar (The state51 Conspiracy)
07. Leo Svirsky: River Without Banks (Unseen Worlds)
08. Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Smells Funny (Rune Grammofon)
09. Isnaj Dui: Sight Seeing (Fbox Records)
10. Frode Haltli: Border Woods (Hubro)
11. Sontag Shogun: It Billows Up (Youngbloods)
12. Michael Robinson: Tunis Phantom (Azure Miles Records)
13. Zachary Paul: Meditation on Discord (Touch)
14. Akira Kosemura: Diary 2016-19 (Schole Records)
15. Paniyolo & Akio Watanabe: Passage of Sky (Schole Records)
16. J. Pavone String Ensemble: Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records)
17. Lumen Drones: Umbra (Hubro)
18. Deadbeat & Camara: Trinity Thirty (Constellation)
19. David Ian Roberts: Traveling Bright (Cambrian Records)
20. Comit: Remote Viewing (ASIP)

Classical, jazz and ambient lists are separated.

FACT best tracks of 2019
https://www.factmag.com/2019/12/10/the-best-tracks-of-2019/

100 gecs - Money Machine
8ULENTINA - Deep Summer
Aïsha Devi - I'm Not Always Where My Body Is
Anz - No Harm
Call Super + Parris - Chiselers Rush
Claude Fontaine - Cry For Another
De Grandi - Paris Nord-Est
DJ Lag & Okzharp - Steam One
DJ Plead - Ruby
Ellll - Pepsi
False Witness - Red Curtain Daybreak
Felix Lee [Feat. Yayoyanoh] - Focused
FKA Twigs - sad day
Frank Ocean - In My Room
Guapdad 4000- Flossin
India Jordan - Warper
Jai Paul - Do You Love Her Now
Joy Orbison [Feat. Infinite & Mansur Brown] - Burn
Kelsey Lu - Due West
Karen Gwyer - Faces on Ankles
Kehlani - Too Deep
Kim Gordon - Air BnB
Lady Lykez [Feat. Lioness] - Muhammad Ali (remix)
Leonce - Penetration Testing
Lil Nas X [Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus] - Old Town Road (remix)
Medulasa - Forever
Murlo - End Of The Road (Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones’ Flashback)
Nkisi - Destruction Of Power
Noname- Song 32
Normani - Motivation
ose - is it love?
Peder Mannerfelt - Sissel & Bass (Cera Khin Mind Destruction remix)
Pop Smoke - Welcome To The Party
Powder - New Tribe
Precolumbian & Estoc - CCT1
Precolumbian & Estoc - CCT2
Quest?onmarc - Monolith
Rhyw - Biggest Bully
Riobamba - Muerte
Rui Mo - The Heat
Scarlxrd - GXING THE DISTANCE
Shygirl - BB
Special Request - Vortex 150
Taso & Siete Catorce - 2 for $20
Thoom - Wound as Pocket
tobi lou - I Was Sad Last Night I'm OK Now
Tom Blip & Swordman Kitala - Kitala Beat
Tzusing & Hodge - Electrolytes
Young Thug [Feat. Lil Uzi Vert] - What's the Move
Young Baby Tate - CAMP
Von Bikrav - Casse des Murs

man it's just wild sometimes to think about how much music there is. that Textura list is marked "General" and yet I have never heard of a single one of those artists.

Another good jazz list, from VinylMePlease:

http://magazine.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/best-jazz-albums-2019/

I've heard all but two of these albums, and the Jamael Dean one sounds particularly interesting.

I listened to some of the Dean the other day, definitely worth checking out. Maybe a touch too much exactly what you'd expect from "jazz album on Stones Throw" but well executed

It's a Canadian 'new music' site with ime a distinct aesthetic that is a little tricky to describe; contemporary classical and jazz releases that share qualities with ambient music but are more chopsy than post-rock? Kamancello are from here. I had stopped following. I should check this one out.xps re Textura

I like a lot of the Textura jazz picks, but yeah, those albums all have more in common than not, and "share qualities with ambient music but are more chopsy than post-rock" covers it pretty well. I would also describe it as the kind of jazz where everyone on the bandstand, including the drummer, needs a music stand.

Their ambient is all "everything is going to be ok" ambient, not so much "everything is fucked and we're all going to die" ambient. I have time for both tbh.

man it's just wild sometimes to think about how much music there is. that Textura list is marked "General" and yet I have never heard of a single one of those artists.

― Evans on Hammond (evol j)

i was going to say the same on first glance except i namechecked the stein urheim upthread!

that's kind of my goal in terms of music. to react to 90% of everything a given person will mention with blank stares and then they hit on that one thing that they're going to assume nobody else has heard of and i've heard it.

i listened to their #1 pick, the tignor, and i liked it. i hadn't heard of his tuning fork thing before - if it was ever a schtick, i don't think it is now. probably it makes him more marketable but we all need to get people's attention somehow.

i try to be attuned to terroir when it comes to music - my approach implicitly demands it - and it's a new york thing but i'm ok with that. i could easily spend all my time listening to music only from new york, it's a world unto itself with all sorts of interesting things happening, so i try to limit myself. having heard two records on the textura list and liked both of them, i'm consciously not going to listen to anything more because at some point i have to live my fucking life.

Frode Haltli's Border Woods is norsk avant-folk for the accordion-minded – always a delight.

Glad to see Kelsey Lu on the FACT list, surprised that isn't getting more EOY love.

Evol j otm

Electronic Sound

1. Anna Meredith - Fibs
2. Paranoid London - PL
3. William Doyle - Your Wilderness Revisited
4. Luke Vibert - Valvable
5. Fader - In Shadow
6. Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild
7. Chemical Brothers - No Geography
8. Amon Tobin - Fear in a Handful of Dust
9. Richard Fearless - Dummy
10. Jane Weaver - Loops in the Secret Society

Seperate lists for reissues, comps and soundtracks.

Respectively the number 1 for each was

Michael Rother -Solo
Various - Use Hearing Protection
Haiku Salut - The General

That Anna Meredith album was a bit too much for me tbh, but I was wondering if Imago had heard it cos it seemed v much like his sort of thing

Ubiquitous French magazine Les Inrocks:

100. Roméo Elvis - Chocolat
99. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Colorado
98. Swans - Leaving Meaning.
97. Lysistrata - Breath In/Out
96. Fabio Viscogliosi - Rococo
95. MNNQNS - Body Negative
94. Kokoko! - Fongola
93. Unloved - Heartbreak
92. Alex Beaupain - Pas plus le jour que la nuit
91. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Tracing Back the Radiance
90. Rubin Steiner - Say Hello to the Dawn of Paradox
89. GoldLink - Diaspora
88. Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (Part 1)
87. Pritchard & Lo - Rendez-vous Streets
86. Sampa The Great - The Return
85. Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿
84. The Psychotic Monks - Private Meaning First
83. Big Thief - Two Hands
82. Chris Cohen - Chris Cohen
81. Velvet Negroni - NEON BROWN
80. DJ Shadow - Our Pathetic Age
79. Le Villejuif Underground - When Will the Flies in Deauville Drop?
78. Thom Yorke - ANIMA
77. Keren Ann - Bleue
76. Cigarettes After Sex - Cry
75. DIIV - Deceiver
74. Whitney - Forever Turned Around
73. Corridor - Junior
72. Mike Patton & Jean-Claude Vannier - Corpse Flower
71. Sean O'Hagan - Radum Calls, Radum Calls
70. Nérija - Blume
69. Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy
68. H-BURNS - Midlife
67. Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI
66. The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears
65. Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
64. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
63. Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
62. Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
61. Muzi - Zeno
60. Tindersticks - No Treasure But Hope
59. Adam Green - Engine of Paradise
58. Kobo - Période d'essai
57. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - The Brian Jonestown Massacre
56. Malik Djoudi - Tempéraments
55. The Black Keys - "Let's Rock"
54. The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
53. Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs
52. L'Épée - Diabolique
51. Zed Yun Pavarotti - French Cash
50. Drugdealer - Raw Honey
49. Clairo - Immunity
48. Hamza - Paradise
47. Mac DeMarco - Here Comes the Cowboy
46. Peter Doherty - Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres
45. Kindness - Something Like a War
44. O – Olivier Marguerit - À TERRE !
43. HTRK - Venus in Leo
42. (Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar
41. Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
40. Aldous Harding - Designer
39. Lambchop - This (is what I wanted to tell you)
38. Blood Orange - Angel's Pulse
37. Cate Le Bon - Reward
36. Mattiel - Satis Factory
35. Biche - La nuit des Perséides
34. Ty Segall - First Taste
33. black midi - schlagenheim
32. Chromatics - Closer To Grey
31. Girl Band - The Talkies
30. SebastiAn - Thirst
29. Metronomy - Metronomy Forever
28. Solange - When I Get Home
27. Allah-Las - LAHS
26. slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain
25. Deerhunter - Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?
24. Kim Gordon - No Home Record
23. PNL - Deux frères
22. Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning
21. Kompromat - Traum und Existenz
20. Kanye West - JESUS IS KING
19. Holly Herndon - PROTO
18. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
17. Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes
16. Iggy Pop - Free
15. Cassius - Dreems
14. Battles - Juice B Crypts
13. Bon Iver - i,i
12. FKA twigs - MAGDALENE
11. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
10. Hubert Lenoir - Darlène
9. Alex Cameron - Miami Memory
8. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
7. Denzel Curry - ZUU
6. Philippe Katerine - Confessions
5. Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel
4. James Blake - Assume Form
3. Fat White Family - Serfs Up!
2. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
1. Tyler, the Creator - IGOR

61. Muzi - Zeno

Happy to see this. Just one example of the incredible amount of great and varied music coming out of South Africa.

posted to bobbins but reposting here:
Resident Advisor Singles list features ten separate playlists
https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3542

Dazed Digital (Albums): https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/47070/1/the-20-best-albums-of-2019

20. FELIX LEE, INNA DAZE
19. LAFAWNDAH, ANCESTOR BOY
18. JERKCURB, AIR CON EDEN
17. THESE NEW PURITANS, INSIDE THE ROSE
16. BURNA BOY, AFRICAN GIANT
15. OFB, FRONTSTREET
14. DORIAN ELECTRA, FLAMBOYANT
13. KELSEY LU, BLOOD
12. THE RHYTHM METHOD, HOW WOULD YOU KNOW I WAS LONELY
11. NILÜFER YANYA, MISS UNIVERSE
10. JPEGMAFIA, ALL MY HEROES ARE CORNBALLS
09. SOLANGE, WHEN I GET HOME
08. RICO NASTY & KENNY BEATS, ANGER MANAGEMENT
07. BILLIE EILISH, WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
06. FKA TWIGS, MAGDALENE
05. TYLER, THE CREATOR, IGOR
04. WEYES BLOOD, TITANIC RISING
03. SLOWTHAI, NOTHING GREAT ABOUT BRITAIN
02. LANA DEL REY, NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL!
01. CAROLINE POLACHEK, PANG

the Kali Malone album The Sacrifical Code that is on the Wire list is somber but is beautiful I think

Rolling Stone's 10 best metal albums of 2019:

10. Korn, ‘The Nothing’
9. Opeth, ‘In Cauda Venenum’
8. Rammstein, ‘Rammstein’
7. Tomb Mold, ‘Planetary Clairvoyance’
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, ‘Infest the Rats’ Nest’
5. Darkthrone, ‘Old Star’
4. Alcest, ‘Spiritual Instinct’
3. Gaahls Wyrd, ‘Gastir — Ghosts Invited’
2. Moon Tooth, ‘Crux’
1. Slipknot, ‘We Are Not Your Kind’

hell yeah

MOON TOOTH!! but also what on earth is #3

It's pretty good! I'll listen to anything that Gaahl's involved in.

thats actually a good list of commercial metal, not sure the King Gizzard should be in there though

The King Gizzard album is pretty good! They aren't a metal band, but it is definitely a metal album.

it's not top 10 material but it's good fun

The King Gizzard is TOTALLY a metal album. And one of the year's best metal albums too.

Surprised jpegmafia not on more lists. Cornballs record is great.

Have heard & liked Anna Meredith!

The Quietus's top 20 metal albums of 2019:

https://thequietus.com/articles/27593-dawn-rayd-blood-incantation-inter-arma-best-metal-2019

NPR

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/778225628/the-25-best-albums-of-2019

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/778226410/the-25-best-songs-of-2019