I realized that I let most of the year go by without doing any music reviews! I realize that I will never be able to catch up; there was so much great music in 2019! So instead, I thought I would do a "mini-review" of my top 10 favorite albums of 2019! Tell me yours in the comments!
1. Alcest "Spiritual Instinct" - By far, my favorite album of the year, as well as my most anticipated. I was lucky enough to have someone suggest this French band to me about four years ago, and I have been hooked ever since. They are right up my proverbial alley. This band swirls together aspects of black metal with shoegaze to form a new genre (that they created) called "blackgaze". Eerie, melodic, ethereal - there is nothing like this type of music on the planet. (I will blog in more detail about it later.) Some of their six albums - like 2014's "Shelter" - veer more onto the shoegaze side of things. Principal vocalist/ guitarist/ songwriter Neige has said that he always has to resist the urge to create a Slowdive record. Other albums, like this one, lean heavily on the metal side. The riffs are heavier, the screams are more raw. But it still retains a healthy measure of dreaminess. There are only six songs, but, true to post-rock form, none of them less than fiver minutes. "Les Jardins de Minuit" has a savory mix of powerful shrieks and medeival-style chants. The results send chills down my spine. My favorite track is the haunting "Le Miroir". Not too long ago, I was sitting in my car, listening to music in the parking lot of a grocery store while my wife shopped. A man came up to my window and asked if it was Depeche Mode. And that's the kind of music this is - heavy metal being mistaken for darkwave...
2. DIIV "Deceiver" - For those who follow my blog, they know that I have reviewed this band before, and that they are one of my absolute favorites. This record ties with Alcest for my favorite of 2019. Those who know the band know that frontman, Zachary Cole Smith, has struggled with heroin addiction, and it showed in their soporific, hazy brand of shoegaze. A few things have changed on their new album. 1. The band moved from New York to Los Angeles. 2. Cole went clean. 3. The band all contributes to the music instead of it just being Cole's confessional project. And it shows. It shows in the interviews where Cole takes a backseat to the other band members. And it shows in the music. The lyrics are still Cole's. His dark lyrics explore addiction and rehabilitation. But the music is clear and purposeful. It seemed unlikely that they would stop their sophomore effort "Is the Is Are". It seemed unlikely that there would be another album. But there is. And guess what? It does not suck.
3. Whirr "Feels Like You" - This album was a great $5 investment, and I'll explain why. For most of the past decade, Whirr has been at the forefront of the shoegaze revival. Nick Bassett has played in other shoegaze bands like Nothing (a band I've covered for five years) and Deafheaven. They put out two very good releases that were generally loved by fans, and then they fell victims to cancel culture. Being young and dumb, they made comments on Twitter about a rival band that could be considered transphobic, and they lost their record contract. Now, I am not justifying their behavior, but it is unfortunate that we live in such an unforgiving society. Even after offering apologies, the band seemed over. But they have persisted and released a new album on Bandcamp for $5. This album is very typical shoegaze - swirly guitars and muted vocals. But it is very refreshing, especially on songs like "Younger Than You" and "Rose Cold". Hopefully, though, they will make an effort to stay off of Twitter...
4. Sturgil Simpson "SOUND & FURY" - What do you do when you are a Grammy-winning country artist who has already made three country albums that boldly stretch the limit of the genre? You make a decidedly-not-country album. I was really surprised when I first listened to this album. Sure, there's a little country Americana in there, but this album takes genres and warps and twists them into something purely original - Southern rock, synthpop new wave, boogie, and funk, all melted and fused together in something that resembles ZZ Top meets The Cars. This is a really psychedelic record. Apparently, Simpson wanted a visual accompaniment to the album, and there is a Japanese anime version of the album on Netflix, but I haven't watched it yet. I can't wait to see what Simpson does next. Check out "Sing Along", "Make Art Not Friends", and "All Said And Done" for good samples, but, really, this is a concept album and should be listened completely in one season.
5. LSD "Labrinth, Sia, & Diplo Present... LSD" -
LSD is an acronym for the collaborative project with British singer Labrinth, Australian singer Sia, and American deejay and producer, Diplo. The result is an exquisite pop gem of an album, a veritable earworm. This record helped remind me that - along with punk and post-punk - my past is saturated with EDM, and I still love it. These songs are vibrant and colorful, laden with funky beats and the serene, angelic voices of Labrinth and Sia. Really - what's not to like? Some of the songs, like the elegant "Thunderclouds" have an almost 1950s vibe to them. Other delightful songs are "Genius", "Mountains", "Audio", and "No New Friend". I seriously hope that this album is not the end of their creative endeavor and that we see another release from them in the bear future.
6. Ride "This Is Not A Safe Place" - The 2010s saw a rebirth of the shoegaze movement, many new bands switching genres to start reviving the movement. This opened up the doors for many of the shoegaze bands from the '90s to have comebacks, including the Holy Trinity of Shoegaze, being My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride. In 2014, much to the pleasure of fans, Ride came together again, not just for touring, but to release a pair of albums. Their sixth album sees them back on form. It's not perfect. I don't like all of the songs. But the ones I do make up for the mediocrity of the others. Both "End Game" and "Shadows Behind the Sun" are strongly reminiscent of The Church. "Clouds of Saint Marie" is a sweet but meaningful pop song. The primary single, "Future Love", redeems the entire album by combining pop sensibility with the dreamlike layers of sound that shoegaze is known for. Ride have shown that they are just as relevant now as they ever were.
7. Drab Majesty "Modern Mirror" - Here is a band that I didn't discover until last year, thanks to my good friend, Linda. Andrew Clinco is the drummer for post-rock band, Marriages (featuring the wonderful Emma Ruth Rundle). He started recording solo music, but he said that it didn't sound at all like him - it sounded like it was music by someone else. So, he created an alter ego as the frontperson of his new band, Drab Majesty - the androgynous Deb Demure. The result is this third album of bone-chilling, danceable darkwave, a total throwback to the gothic music of the '80s. I'm not going to lie - I listen to this band - like on songs like "The Other Side" and "Noise of the Void" - and I hear Clan of Xymox, totally. But that's not necessarily a band thing. In fact, I quite like it. This entire album immediately pulls you into its groove like an indelible homecoming. I can almost see the goth clubs that I used to inhabit as a young man in the '80s. Thank you, Linda!
8. Billie Eilish "When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" - This one may come as a surprise to some people. Yes, I know that "bad guy" is overplayed on the radio. I know that she is so oversaturated in the media that many people have grown to dislike her and she is regarded as "mainstream". But there is a reason that a 17-year-old has achieved this kind of success. (She is exactly the same age as my daughter to the day.) This is a really good album. I have never been averse to pop music. But I love pop music that is subversive even more. And that fits this album. It is surprisingly simple - hard hitting drum beats bumping beneath Billie's airy vocals, singing about surprisingly sinister topics. "bury a friend" is so dark. "i love you" has such a good use of dream pop wall of sound. Hey, if this album is good enough for Dave Grohl, it's good enough for me.
9. Tool "Fear Incoculum" - Like millions of other people, I was one of those who waited almost fourteen years for this album. Truthfully, I was hoping that it would score a little higher on the list than this, but it is what it is. It's still a good album, filled with ten-minute opuses, laden with heavy guitar riffs, off-kilter rhythms, languorous, psychedelic ponderances, Maynard's perplexing lyrics sung is his crystal-clear voice, and trippy interludes. Some people have disliked it, complaining that it is not heavy enough, but too atmospheric. But hey, "atmospheric" is my bag. A typical Tool album. Although not quite as good as "AEnima" or "Lateralus". but about as good as "10,000 Days". The whole album is better, as with all Tool albums, better when listened in one sitting, but my favorites are "Descending" and "Culling Voices".
10. Chelsea Wolfe "Birth of Violence" - In April, 2018, I made a trip to Philadelphia to visit an old friend, a music guru of sorts, and one of the many artists he introduced me to was Chelsea Wolfe. I came back from Philadelphia with the album "Abyss". Over the next couple of years, I was able to explore her back catalog which consisted of four other albums. It's hard to describe her music. She uses a plethora of influences and morphs them into her own creature. Each album is vastly different than the next. Metal, doom, drone, goth, folk - Wolfe is all of these and none of these. On this, her sixth album, she decided to return to her folk roots and go acoustic, and the live shows were also stripped down to their bare elements. But even for an acoustic record, this album is still dark and brooding, and she adds so many complex layers of orchestra, keyboards, and ambient noises that give this album the feel of a nightmare that you can't wake up from. But you don't really want to. Black lace blowing in a cold breeze.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
11. Ladytron "Ladytron" - Like other bands like Curve and M83, Ladytron mixes elements of shoegaze with what is essentially electropop. The result is something that is at once diaphanous and danceable. But I have to say - there can be no denying that this band takes a page (or two) from ABBA - not necessarily a bad thing, the springy harmonies and catchy beats. My favorite songs are "Far From Home", which melts in the end into a blaring cacaphony of pure noise, and the angular "Run". It's no wonder why Brian Eno loves this band so much.
12. Cigarettes After Sex "Cry" - This El Paso band is one that I have listened to before they had an album out yet and only an EP. And I have always loved them. I admit that a lot of their songs sound kind of the same - sweet dream pop melodies set to Greg Gonzalez's feminine voice, everything languid, soft, slow, and reverb-y akin to Cowboy Junkies, Mazzy Star or Julee Cruise. One discussion group I'm in had one individual referred to them as Shoegaze Maroon 5. But sometimes there is comfort found in familiarity and predictability. If all of these songs sound like the same song, then that song is romantic, a little sad, and a touch moving. Just listen to the song "Heaven", and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I don't know what the whole "Hentai" is about, though. B ut I guess in the end, though, all of these sugary and sensual songs are about sex.
13. Silversun Pickups "Widow's Weeds" - These guys have been one of my top bands for the last ten years, and their fifth album released last year was one of my most anticipated albums. Yet I was a little disappointed in this one. In fact, I have been disappointed in the last two albums. They haven't been bad. This one isn't really bad. But they don't move me in the way that "Carnavas", "Swoon", and "Neck of the Woods" did. Nevertheless, the songs are good, and the band is in good form, like on the principal single, "It Doesn't Matter Why". The other strong points are on "Freakazoid", "Simpatico", and "We Are Chameleons" Regardless of how I feel about the album, it is good to still have these guys around. They really are one of the coolest bands out there.
So you know my blog is getting old, because this is the third review I have done for Silversun Pickups, one of my favorite bands. "Better Nature" is the band's fourth studio album, and I have been anticipating its release for quite a while.
A couple of weeks before its release, they previewed the album by releasing a music video for the first single, "Nightlight". Instantly, I was in love. Not only was the band at the top of the game, but the video was beautiful and cinematic, filled with stark images and spoken word. I was in a frenzy of anticipation.
Then the album came out, and I was a little taken aback. The Pickups had changed their sound considerably. It was less guitar-driven and more electronic. Don't get me wrong - Joe Lester's keyboards, maybe under-appreciated, are a vital part of the band's sound, adding an ethereal texture that sets their music apart. I should have anticipated the change given 2014's single, "Cannibal", which was filled with electronic whistles. They seem to be burying their shoegaze roots, and, whereas 2012's "Neck of the Woods" is arguably one of their most shoegaze records, "Better Nature" is probably one of their least. What you have left is an undeniably pop album.
And that's not altogether a bad thing. If this is a pop album, it's a beautifully crafted, well-written pop album. If half of the pop music today was as interesting as this, the radio would not be the dismal wasteland it is today.
The strength of this album is the stream-of-consciousness way the songs flow into the next. The opening track, "Cradle (Better Nature)", scintillates and shimmers into the next track, "Connection", which softly ebbs into "Pins and Needles". It makes for a great concept album. I suppose it is a good sign that they are growing as a band and musicians, taking their sound to the next level. Brian Aubert's smooth vocals and outstanding guitar work are still there, just understated and diminished in favor of a more complete sound. "Nightlife" is without a doubt the most "Pickups" of songs, and my personal favorite is "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)". Nikki Monninger takes lead vocals on this track. Her voice is a contrast to Aubert's powerful voice, having an almost fragile quality that really completes the song. It is interesting to note that my favorite Pickups song of all time is also sung by Nikki - "Ribbons & Detours".
Of of the other songs, my notable favorites are additionally "Connection" and "Latchkey Kids".
After several listens, I have to say that this is a good album, as long as I don't compare it to other releases. It is, after all, Silversun Pickups, and that makes it just about better than anything else on the planet.
Is it really time for a greatest hits album?? It seems just like yesterday that I was reviewing Silversun Pickup's third album, "Neck of the Woods". Do I really need to buy a greatest hits album when I own every album, every EP that this band has released. Yes. Yes, I do. And why?
Because this band is the best band to come out in the last ten years. No lie. They are that good.
The pounding basslines of Nikki Monninger, the unrelenting drum beats of Chris Guanloa, all given texture by the eerie keyboards of Joe Lester, all cemented together by the flawless guitar-work of Brian Aubert, who sometimes sings softly in a strangely calming and lilting voice, and then sometimes reverts to screaming with rage. The darlings of the shoegaze set, this music switches from ethereal and dreamlike in one instant to explosive and raw the next. These are musician's musicians. I have spent countless hours on YouTube, watching their live performances, amazed at how technically precise they are, whether in an arena before throngs of fans, or small intimate acoustic sets. These are musicians who cherish their craft, and they are oh, so good at what they do.
"The Singles Collection" starts aptly with "Kissing Families", one of my favorite songs off of their first EP. Driven by the rhythm guitar, this song has a haunting cello solo contrasted with the final verse being screamed in a way that would make Pixies' Black Francis proud. This song was my ringback tone for a long time, at least a year. The collection then switches to their hits from the first album - the ubiquitous "Lazy Eye", which was my first exposure to this group from California, and the catchy "Well Thought Out Twinkles".
With their second album, they started to find their ground, and the songs represented have the otherwordly, layered sound that they are known from - starting with the angry, plaintive "Panic Switch" to the jubilant "Substitution" to "The Royal We", which I think is one of the greatest pieces ever written.
The collection then bridges to the third album, which contains two of my favorite songs by this group. "The Pit" with its groovy EDM beat. The way Aubert combines his spooky guitar strumming in conjunction with Lester's keyboards is delicious. The song ends on an emotional high with Aubert's expansive falsetto crashing above the other instruments. "Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)" is probably, hands down, my favorite song by Silversun Pickups. The lyrics are stark and relevant to my life. I love how the bass drives us mercilessly though the verses, and how the chorus is pounding. Then the song dissolves into a wash of shoegaze noise that would make the Cocteau Twins proud.
The only new song on this collection is "Cannibal". The band continues with their heavy usage of electronica, like they did on their last album. The beat hits us with one crash after another in accompaniment to distorted guitars, all falling into place and rising in crescendo to a fever pitch, creating a master pop song.
For those who have not been exposed to Silversun Pickups' music, this collection is a good place to start. My only disappointment is that they included none of the songs from the "Seasick" EP, which in my opinion is some of their strongest work. Still, this is a good place to start.
I am always on the quest for the album that grabs me. Yes, most of the time I buy an album, I will really like three songs off of it, but not the rest. If the it is really good, I might like five songs off of an album. But the experience of liking every single song off of an album is a rare thing for me. So rare, that it is like a religious experience for me. What I do is listen to such an album over and over again, until it finally starts to wear off of me. But while it is in my mind - and on my phone - it is a faithful relationship from which I do not stray.
Every time I buy an album, I am hoping for this experience. But it rarely occurs. The albums that are like this are precious jewels that come along every so often. Pixies' "Doolittle", Heather Nova's "Oyster", Coldplay's "X&Y", Muse's "Absolution", Modest Mouse's "Good News For People Who Love Bad News", Blue October's "Foiled", My Chemical Romance's "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge", and Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled album. These are a few of those special albums for me. Every now and then, a band will do it a second time for me - like Modest Mouse's "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" and Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare". But that doesn't happen so often. I always hope a band will capture the muse again for their next attempt, but they seldom do.
At the end of 2009, I was remodeling a hotel in Columbia, South Carolina. I woke up at 3AM with insomnia and turned on the TV. At this ungodly hour, MTV will actually play musical videos. There was a band from L.A. that I had never heard of - Silversun Pickups. The video was for their song "Lazy Eye". It was noisy like a Sonic Youth song, but it was catchy like the Pixies. I liked it instantly and downloaded the one song the next morning.
A couple of months later, I heard that they were up for Best New Artist at the Grammy's (which they didn't get). I decided to do some further investigating. I downloaded their album "Swoon". The first song was a catchy rock jangle, and it was okay. But then the song fades out into a swirling texture of sound as the "The Royal We" started. "What's this?" I thought with alarm. By the time the song ended, I was hooked. The song moved me. Every single song was like that. And the whole album rotated for months in my car's CD player.
Instantly, Silversun Pickups was inducted to the handful of bands that I call my favorite.
Last year, I heard that they were working on their third album. "Can they do it again?" I wondered. I was doubtful, because that kind of creativity rarely stays with artists. At the end of 2011, they released a three-song EP called "Seasick". It was a hint of the album - very good. I listened to those three songs over and over (until the wives got sick of hearing them.)
A couple of days ago, I was speaking to a friend and told her that I had to wait until my next payday to download Silversun Pickup's new album "Neck of the Woods". She surprised me by buying me a download. (Thanks, Becca!!) So this morning, I downloaded it. I struggled with it for a while, because I needed a program that could unzip it. I finally found one, and I got my first listen.
So how is it? Let me put it this way - the day is not even over, and I have listened to this album four times already. This album is one of those rarities that I spoke of. There is not a single bad song on it. From the opening shimmer of sound on "Skin Graph" to flowery "Bloody Mary" to the electronic pulse of "The Pit", there is not a boring moment on this album. My personal favorites are "Make Believe" and "Gun-Shy Sunshine".
This album is swirly and hard and haunting all at once. There is a gritty, somber mood that permeates this whole album, and it definitely smells of teen angst. Brian Aubert's singing style is an acquired taste. At first, I didn't like it. But it grew on me. And all the music is in good form - driving basslines and percussion, and the keyboards add great texture to the music. Yes, they take their cue cards from My Bloody Valentine and Elliott Smith. But this album assures them a place in the hall of "my favorite bands". I would recognize this album to everyone. Well, not everyone. Not my mother. Not my father-in-law. But anyone who likes original rock and roll.
