Albums of the Year 2019: Me

Ah, the year end list.  So fun.  So time consuming.  So incomplete, because no less than three billion new albums came out this year and I have only heard the slightest small margin of them all.  When I'm done with this, I plan to go review some year end lists from Rolling Stone and NPR and Spin and whatnot, and I can guarantee they will have albums I've never even heard of before.  Such is life, right?

Let's take a look at the ones that I know I heard (which doesn't include a million that I listened to because of ACL, but I can't recall their release dates).  Most of these I got from the Wikipedia listing of new albums for 2019, but that list is strangely missing a bunch of other ones I reviewed:

Future - The Wizrd; James Blake - Assume Form; Maggie Rogers - Heard it in a Past Life; Weezer - Teal Album; Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center; Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next; Gary Clark, Jr. - This Land; Julia Jacklin - Crushing; 2 Chainz - Rap or Go to the League; Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!; The Japanese House - Good at Falling; Weezer - Black Album; Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1; Sigrid - Sucker Punch; Jenny Lewis - On The Line; Orville Peck - Pony; Wallows - Nothing Happens; Ben Platt - Sing to Me Instead; Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go (WHY are these album names so long?); George Strait - Honky Tonk Time Machine; Solange - When I Get Home; Khalid - Free Spirit; Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising; Anderson.Paak - Ventura; The Chemical Brothers - No Geography; Beyonce - Homecoming the Live Album; Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet; Cage the Elephant - Social Cues; Jade Bird - Jade Bird; Lizzo - Cuz I Love You; Kevin Abstract - Arizona Baby; Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance; The Mountain Goats - In League with Dragons; Schoolboy Q - Crash Talk; Judah & the Lion - Pep Talks; Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride; Charly Bliss - Young Enough; BTS - Map of the Soul: Persona; Logic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; Mac Demarco - Here Comes the Cowboy; Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere; DJ Khaled - Father of Asahd; Injury Reserve - Injury Reserve; Megan Thee Stallion - Fever; Reignwolf - Hear Me Out; The National - I Am Easy to Find; Tyler the Creator - Igor; Steve Earle - Guy; Wu Tang Clan - Of Mics and Men; Robert Ellis - Texas Piano Man; Strand of Oaks - Eraserland; Flying Lotus - Flamagra; Denzel Curry - Zuu; Miley Cyrus - She is Coming; Future - Save Me; Prince - Originals; Goldlink - Disapora; Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars; Madonna - Madame X; Gucci Mane - Delusions of Grandeur; Lil Nas X - 7; The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger; Two Door Cinema Club - False Alarm; Thom Yorke - Anima; The Black Keys - Let's Rock; Banks - III; Ed Sheeran - No. 6 Collaborations Project; K.Flay - Solutions; Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains; Sum 41 - Order in Decline; NF - The Search; Chance the Rapper - The Big Day; YG - 4 Real 4 Real; Amyl & the Sniffers - Amyl & the Sniffers; Bon Iver - i, i; Beast Coast - Escape from New York; Rick Ross - Port of Miami 2; Brockhampton - Ginger; Taylor Swift - Lover; Lana Del Rey - Normal Fucking Rockwell; Tool - Fear Inoculum; Post Malone - Hollywood's Bleeding; Pixies - Beneath the Eyrie; Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missles; Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury; Temples - Hot Motion; Avett Brothers - Closer than Together; Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2; Kanye West - Jesus is King; Highly Suspect - MCID; Beck - Hyperspace; Coldplay - Everyday Life; Freddy Gibbs - Bandana; The Highwomen - The Highwomen; Tyler Childers - Country Squire; Justin Townes Earle - The Saint of Lost Causes; Willie Nelson - Ride Me Back Home; A$AP Ferg - Floor Seats.

Of course a bunch of the albums I reviewed this year were from 2018, or even older ones that I had never tried before...

But is that really it?  Does that seem like a weak crop for the best things?  I went through and bolded the ones that I remembered really liking, but few of those strike me right now as a lifetime album.  I feel like prior years have had me feeling like the best album of the year was a no brainer.

Gonna also use this space to note that Papa Roach continues to release new albums.  Also, Bryan Adams and Avril Lavigne have new albums.  Also, there is a band called Galdalf's Fist.  What a time to be alive!

Things I missed (some are in my queue and just haven't gotten heard yet, others I never even knew a new disc was out!) - Maren Morris, David Gray, Methyl Ehtel, Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Glen Hansard, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Big Thief, Bad Religion, Carly Rae Jepsen, Morrisey, Middle Kids, Silversun Pickups, Of Monsters and Men, Sleater-Kinney, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Ghostface Killah, Iggy Pop, The Lumineers, Brittany Howard, Liam Gallagher, M83, DaBaby, The New Pornographers, Wilco, Blink 182, and Gang Starr.

So, let's figure out what the best ones were:

1. The Black Keys - Let's Rock.  Hits too close to my sweet spot to be ignored.  Classic rock jams and the killer single with "Lo/Hi."  Gotta go with it over the rest.
2. Lizzo - Cuz I Love You.  Not a perfect album - a little too much leaning into the R&B side, but the bangers make up for it.
3. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride.  I'm well aware that this entrenches me firmly into the Dad Rock world, but whatever.  I really like several of the songs on this one, and I can see keeping this album around a lot longer than others that could have been in this spot.
4. The Highwomen - The Highwomen.  I haven't even reviewed this one yet, but I've listened to it a ton.  Sign me up for whatever Brandi Carlisle touches, and this lady-centric country supergroup thing is dope.
5. Amyl & the Sniffers - Amyl & the Sniffers.  I know this shouldn't be this high, but screw that and screw you.  Go have some fun and blare this ridiculousness into your brain.
6. Coldplay - Everyday Life.  I'm also well aware that this sets me up for even more derision, but I really liked this album.  Dad rock for LYFE!
7. Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missles.  Many thanks to ACL for bringing this dude to my attention, just sad that he had to cancel his show.  Great album with a very good voice and excellent lyrics.
8. Temples - Hot Motion.  I'm such a sucker for these dudes - they're like Tame Impala-flavored catnip for my ears.  This one feels good in my brain.
9. Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury.  I haven't given this album the amount of attention it deserves, but I can already tell that I like it a lot based on a few of the songs.  I'll see him live in the new year and will need to fully immerse myself by then.;
10. Sigrid - Sucker Punch.  I love this girl.  Now, my youngest plays her music all the time, and we sing along and it's amazing.  This normally wouldn't be my first choice of music, but now that I've seen her live three times and she helps me connect to a kid, I'm down for life.

Barely missed the podium (not in order):

• Taylor Swift - Lover.  This one was as high as #8 on the list above, but the more I thought about it the more that I find it uneven.  Pieces are great.  Pieces are to be skipped forever.  So I don't think it can make top ten status.
• Beck - Hyperspace.  This one almost made the top ten, based solely upon the fact that I love Beck.  But if I'm honest with myself, this isn't his strongest album.  "Die Waiting" is a great feel, "Saw Lightning" is fun, but some of these songs are straight up R&B balladry.  Is "See Through" really a thing?  I still haven't reviewed the whole album, but after a handful of listens I can tell it ain't the one.  Less Pharrell next time, more quirky Beck.
• Maggie Rogers - Heard it in a Past Life.  I love the first single, and I like her because I've seen her live, but if I'm being honest about the album I haven't gone back to it in months.
• Gary Clark, Jr. - This Land.  Similar feeling here.  I really want to love this album, and I love the anger of the title track, but the overall recollection of the album is that I don't remember much about it and am not fired up to go back to it right now.
• Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1.  SOme of the songs on this (and Part 2) are awesome.  But some are clunkers.
• Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance.  This one is honestly based on the strength of two killer singles.  The rest of the album is good, but "2all" and "longshot" are golden.  I had it at #10 above, but then realized that Sigrid is more deserving.
• Wallows - Nothing Happens.  I know that I previously said that I liked this album, but if you asked me what was on it, I wouldn't have the first clue.  Not a good sign for longevity. 
• Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet.  This album is beautiful - I really liked it.  It just doesn't beat out those other ten above. 
• Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere.  Like Wallows above, I have a good memory of how awesome this album was, but I haven't thought about it since and can't recall anything except that it reminded me of the Dead.
• Reignwolf - Hear Me Out.  This guy rules.  "Black and Red" rules.  But the album overall isn't top shelf.
• Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars.  Almost made the list based solely on the power of his catalog, but when I really think about whether this one feels like something I'll still want to break out in a year to jam again, I have to say it fails that test. 
• The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger.  Same here.  Love this band, liked this album, but it didn't ever stick to me.
• Freddy Gibbs - Bandana.  The only true rap album that I apparently liked this year.  Which is weird.  I guess my personal rap preferences are being left behind as everyone gravitates to the thought-free trap stuff of Lil Uzi Vert or Migos.  Oh well, this one is cool.
• Tyler Childers - Country Squire.  Another that I originally had up in the top ten, but it just fell out as I thought more about the others.

So there you have it - the next thing I need to work up, that will likely be next to impossible to do with any semblance of completeness, is albums of the decade.  Woah!  The teens are over, baby!