I’m making no bones about it: we did not do a good job living as humans with other humans this year. Not. At. All. I really didn’t expect to turn 57 and come to the conclusion that, despite reading, enjoying, and occasionally subscribing to the viewpoint of many cynics and curmudgeons, I have been naive. A lot of us dig fascism as a possible salve on our fear. It’s hard to know how many, but even a big little is a lot.
I ain’t going into the nooks and crannies of that now, though. 2019’s music-makers responded with some very convincing aural evidence that we can actually do a very transcendent job working, playing, speaking, and listening to each other, and–especially–calling on us to be our best possible selves, rather than wallow in self-pity and misguided resentment. If the music that was produced this year is a real representation of who we are, how we feel, and what we want, then the hate-wave is operating on borrowed time.
Remember: naive at 57.
Anyway, I endorse all the albums below as interesting. Also, please note my somewhat half-hearted grading scale. And think about sending the artists the most money you can and just buying physical media to defy Marie Kondo. You know she’s marketing a bunch of worthless shit to fill your houses with, don’t you? Seriously: we’re not all grifters, especially the folks that made this stuff…
My Album-Lover’s Honor Roll for 2019 — THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
(bolded items are new additions to the ongoing list)
For those that need a harness on this burgeoning list:
1-10: Straight A (no A+ record this year)
11-66: A-
67-118: B+
119-170: B (and a B is still a good record)
- Little Simz: Grey Area
- Purple Mountains: Purple Mountains
- Jamila Woods: Legacy! Legacy!
- Junius Paul: Ism
- Rapsody: Eve
- Billie Eilish: WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
- Chance The Rapper: The Big Day
- Byron Asher: Byron Asher’s Skrontch Music
- Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Bandana
- Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Trapline
- Royal Trux: White Stuff
- EARTHGANG: Mirrorland
- Ezra Furman: Twelve Nudes
- Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, Jesse Paris Smith: Songs from The Bardo
- Peter Perrett: Humanworld
- Yugen Blakrok: Anima Mysterium
- Mexstep: Resistir
- Mdou Moctar: Ilana (The Creator)
- Danny Brown: uknowwhutimsayin
- Pere Ubu: The Long Goodbye
- J Balvin & Bad Bunny: OASIS
- DKV and Joe McPhee: The Fire Each Time
- Lightning Bolt: Sonic Citadel
- MARK LOMAX, II: Afrika United (one part of a box set—if it’s all this good, woah!)
- Sheer Mag: A Distant Call
- Dumb: Club Nites
- Billy Woods & Kenny Segal: Hiding Places
- Jeffrey Lewis: Bad Wiring
- Raphael Saadiq: Jimmy Lee
- Young Thug: So Much Fun
- Kel Assouf: Black Tenere
- James Brandon Lewis: An Unruly Manifesto
- Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity: To Whom Who Buys A Record
- Teodross Avery: After the Rain–A Night for Coltrane
- Various Artists: Total Solidarity
- Lana Del Rey: Norman F***ing Rockwell
- Zonal: Wrecked
- Control Top: Covert Contracts
- Lizzo: Cuz I Love You
- Tanya Tucker: While I’m Livin’
- Ifriqiyya Electrique: Laylet El Boore
- Elza Soares: Planeta Fome
- Abdullah Ibrahim: The Balance
- Damon Locks / Black Monument Ensemble: Where Future Unfolds
- Andres: Andres IV
- Denzel Curry: Zuu
- Rod Wave: Ghetto Gospel
- Eddy Current Suppression Ring: All in Good Time
- Dave: PSYCHODRAMA
- Moor Mother: Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes
- Various Artists: The Final Battle—Sly & Robbie vs. Roots Radics
- Rocket 808: Rocket 808
- 2 Chainz: Rap or Go to the League
- Joel Ross: Kingmaker
- JME: Grime MC
- I Jahbar: Inna Duppy SKRS Soundclash
- Lee Scratch Perry: Rainford
- Bill Orcutt: Odds Against Tomorrow
- Joe McPhee / John Butcher: At the Hill of James Magee
- Tyler Childers: Country Squire
- Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, and Tony Orrell: Bleyschool
- Beyoncé: Homecoming
- Sote: Parallel Persia
- Jaimie Branch: Fly or Die II—Bird of Paradise
- SEED ENSEMBLE: Driftglass
- Arto Lindsay, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, Phil Sudderberg: Largest Afternoon
- The Comet is Coming: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
- Blacks’ Myths: Blacks’ Myths II
- Sudan Archives: Athena
- The Coathangers: The Devil You Know
- GRLwood: I Sold My Soul to the Devil When I Was 12
- Yazz Ahmed: Polyhymnia
- FKA Twigs: MAGDALENE
- Miranda Lambert: Wild Card
- Aquarian Blood: A Love That Leads to War
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Tuba in Cuba
- Quelle Chris: Guns
- Heroes Are Gang Leaders: The Amiri Baraka Sessions
- DaBaby: KIRK
- Ben Lamar Gay: Confetti in the Sky Like Fireworks
- Tanya Tagaq: Toothsayer EP
- Ghostface Killah: Ghostface Killahs
- Various Artists: Weaponize Your Sound
- Earl Sweatshirt: FEET OF CLAY
- Maxo Kream: Brandon Banks
- BaianaSystem: O Furturo Nao Demora
- Aesop Rock & TOBACCO: Malibu Ken
- DaBaby: Baby on Baby
- Megan Thee Stallion: Fever
- Sleater-Kinney: The Center Won’t Hold
- Dan Weiss Trio + 1: Utica Box
- Davido: A Good Time
- Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka
- Saul Williams: Encrypted & Vulnerable
- Young M.A.: Herstory in the Making
- Ken Vandermark: Momentum 4—Consequent Duos 2015-2019
- Poncho Sanchez: Trane’s Delight
- The New Orleans Dance Hall Quartet: Tricentennial Hall Dance 17. October
- Mario Pavone: Philosophy
- Alcorn/McPhee/Vandermark: Invitation to a Dream
- Joachim Kuhn: Melodic Ornette Coleman—Piano Works XIII
- Chuck Cleaver: Send Aid
- Rachid Taha: Je Suis Africain
- Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra: Songs from The Sun Ra Cosmos
- The Sensational Barnes Brothers: Nobody’s Fault But Mine
- GoldLink: Diaspora
- Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty
- Usted Saami: God is Not a Terrorist
- Mantana Roberts: COIN COIN Chapter Four—Memphis
- Various Artists: Travailler, C’est Trop Dur–The Lyrical Legacy of Caesar Vincent
- black midi: Schlagenheim
- Nots: 3
- Guitar Wolf: Love & Jett
- Robert Forster: Inferno
- Aziza Brahim: Sahari
- Jacob Wick & Phil Sudderberg: Combinatory Pleasures
- The Paranoid Style: A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life
- Ingrid Laubrock & Aki Takase: Kasumi
- LPX: Junk of the Heart (EP)
- Helado Negro: This is How You Smile
- Joe McPhee and Paal Nilssen-Love: Song for the Big Chief
- G & D: Black Love & War
- Boris: Love & Evol
- Girl Band: The Talkies
- Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys: 30 Years Live
- Gilberto Gil: OK OK OK
- JPEGMAFIA: All My Heroes Are Cornballs
- Ras Kass: Soul on Ice 2
- Flying Lotus: Flamagra
- Angel-Ho: Death Becomes Her
- JD Allen: Barracoon
- Big Thief: Two Hands
- Various Artists: Queen & Slim—The Soundtrack
- Tinariwen: Amadjar
- Various Artists: Typical Girls Three
- Leyla McCalla: Capitalist Blues
- Tyshawn Sorey and Marilyn Crispell: The Adornment of Time
- Tropical Fuck Storm: Braindrops
- Santana: Africa Speaks
- Judy and The Jerks: Music for Donuts
- Tyler, The Creator: IGOR
- Sault: 5
- Whit Dickey Tao Quartets: Peace Planet / Box of Light
- The Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are On the Edge
- Ibibio Sound Machine: Doko Mien
- Solange: When I Get Home
- Freddie Douggie: Live on Juneteenth
- Ranky Tanky: Good Time
- Ahmad Jamal: Ballades
- Dump Him: Dykes to Watch Out For
- Branford Marsalis Quartet: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul
- Little Brother: May the Lord Watch
- Blood Orange: Angel’s Pulse
- Lost Bayou Ramblers: Rodents of Unusual Size (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture)
- Doja Cat: Hot Pink
- Kelsey Lu: Blood
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Miri
- Hama: Houmeissa
- Ill Considered: 5
- Girls on Grass: Dirty Power
- Stella Donnelly: Beware of the Dogs
- Matthew Shipp Trio: Signature
- Shovels & Rope: By Blood
- Angel Bat Dawid: The Oracle
- Spiral Stairs: We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized
- Our Native Daughters: Songs of Our Native Daughters
- Rosie Flores: A Simple Case of The Blues
- Aki Takase Japanic: Thema Prima
- Mekons : Deserted
- Serengeti: Quail
New Releases of Older Material
1-12: Straight A (no A+ record this year)
11-27: A-
27-45: B+
46-55: B (and a B is still a good record)
- Peter Laughner: Peter Laughner
- Eric Dolphy: Musical Prophet
- Burnt Sugar: 20th Anniversary Mixtapes—Groiddest Schizznits, Vols. 1-3
- Creedence Clearwater Revival: Live at Woodstock
- The Royals: Gish Abbai
- Various Artists: Bulawayo Blue Yodel
- Merle Haggard & The Strangers: Live in Austin, ‘78
- Various Artists: Put The Whole Armour On—Female Black Gospel 1940s and 1950s
- Various Artist: WXAXNXD Sessions
- Screaming Females: Singles Too
- Sonny Sharrock: Ask the Ages (Bill Laswell Remix)
- Jessie Mae Hemphill: Run Get My Shotgun
- Chic: The Chic Organization: 1977-1979
- Griot Galaxy: Kins
- Various Artists: Mogadisco—Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972-1991)
- Various Artists: No Other Love—Midwest Gospel (1965-1978)
- Horace Tapscott and the Pan Afrikan Orchestra: Why Don’t You Listen–Live at Lacma, 1998
- The Jewell Gospel Trio: Many Little Angels In The Band
- Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis: Ow! Live at the Penthouse
- Various Artists: Outro Tempo II–Electronic and Contemporary Music from Brazil 1984-1996
- Various Artists: All the Young Droogs–60 Juvenile Delinquent Wrecks
- Various Artists: Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby Records—The Definitive Collection
- Gregory Isaacs / Ossie All-Stars: Mr. Isaacs
- Various Artists: Jambu
- Erroll Garner: Closeup in Swing
- James Booker: Live at Onkel PO’s, Carnegie Hall, Hamburg 1976
- Cornell Campbell: I Man a the Stall-A-Watt
- Various Artists: World Spirituality Classics 2—The Time for Peace is Now
- Various Artists: J-Jazz–Deep Modern Jazz from Japan 1969-1983 (Volume 2)
- John Coltrane: Blue World
- Moondog: The Stockholm 1981 Reccordings
- Tubby Hayes: Grits, Beans and Greens—The Lost Fontana Studio Sessions 1969
- Star Band de Dakar: Psicodelia Afro-Cubana de Senegal
- Big Stick: Some of the Best of Big Stick
- Various Artists: Blues Images Calendar Companion, Volume 17
- Primal Scream: Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll—The Singles
- Masayuki Takayanagi New Directions Unit: April is the Cruellest Month
- Various Artists: Rhapsody in Bronze
- Various Artists: Fania Goes Psychedelic
- Stan Getz: Getz at the Gate
- Sir Shina Peters and His Internation Stars: Sewele
- Sounds of Liberation: Sounds of Liberation
- Prince: Originals
- Various Artists: Nigeria 70–No Wahala, Highlife, Afro-Funk & Juju 1973-1987
- Lee Moses: How Much Longer Must I Wait? Singles & Rarities 1965-1972
- John Carter & Bobby Bradford Quartet: No U-Turn
- James Wayne: Junco Partner–The Very Best Of James Wayne 1950-1955
- Various Artists: Siya Hamba! 1950’s South African Country and Small Town Sounds
- Johnny Shines: The Blues Came Falling Down–Live 1973
- Terry Allen & The Panhandle Mystery Band: Pedal Steal + Four Corners
- Neil Young & The Stray Gators: Tuscaloosa
- The Replacements: Dead Man’s Pop
- Scientists: Not for Sale (Live, 1978-1979)
- Abdallah Oumbadougou: Anou Malane
- George Jones: United Artists Rarities