Skip to main content

2019 (Before I forget)


2019 (Before I forget)


2019

Records I Like the Most  Released in 2019:
Wives - So Removed @@
Fontaines DC - Dogrel %%
Kate Tempest - The Book of Traps and Lessons ##
Stella Donnelly - Beware of the Dogs ##
Peter Perrett - Human World @@
Mattiel - Satis Factory @@
Tough Shits - Burning in Paradise @@
Felice Brothers - Undress @@
Robert Forster - Inferno ##
Danny Brown -uknowhatimsayin %%



%%
Records I Like that Lots of Other Know-it-Alls Like:
Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs
FKA  Twigs - Magdalene
Charly Bliss - Young Enough
Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
Refused - War Music
Aldous Harding - Designer
Better Oblivion Community Center - s/t
Black Midi - Schlagenheim
Cate LeBon - Reward
Raconteurs - Help Me, Stranger
Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury
Rhiannon Giddens - There is No Other
Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars





##
Records I Like That A few Know-it-Alls Like:
Mick Trouble - Here’s The Mick Trouble Lp
Titus Andronicus - An Obelisk
75 Dollar Bill - I was Real
Tacocat - This Mess is a Place
Mdou Moctar - Ilana (The Creator)
Joan Shelley - Like the River by the Sea
Du Blonde - Lung Bread for Daddy
Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles
Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee
Adia Victoria - Silences
Lillo - Because I Love You
Nick Cave - Ghosteen
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Bandana




@@
Records I like that were by and large ignored by know-it-alls:
Chastity - Homemade Satan
Who - The Who
Chuck Mead - Close to Home
Denzel Curry - Zuu
Toby Hay - New Music for the 12 String Guitar
Kel Assouf – Black Tenere
Fleshtones – Budget Buster
Bellows – the Rose Gardener
Offset – Father of 4
Mystery lights – Too Much Tension
NOX Boys – out of Touch
Sebadoh – Act Surprised
21 Savage I am > I was
Emerson Snowe – That’s Rock n Roll
Andrew Wasylyk – Paralian
Mike – Tears of Joy
Thea Gilmore – Small World Turning
Summer Cannibals – Can’t Tell Me No
Westside Gunn – Flygod is an Awesome God
Catenary Wires – To the Morning
Nicole Yun – Paper Suit
Josienne Clark - In All Weather
Comet Gain - Fireraisers, Forever!
Kyle Craft - Showboat Honey
Deerhunter - Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Ruby Fields - Permanent Hermit
Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes
Future - Save Me
Cavemen - Night After Night
Jesse Malin - Sunset Kids
Lankum - The LiveLong Day
Flesheaters - I Used to be Pretty 
Headland - What Rough Beast
Murder City Capital - When I Have Fears
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes - Catfish Blues
Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere
J.S. Ondara - Tales of America
Redd Kross - Beyond the Door
Mavis Staples - We Got by
Emerson Snowe - That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll
Vandoliers - Forever
Yawpers - Human Question
Whiffs - Another Whiff
Chelsea Wolfe - The History of Violence
Queen of Jeans - If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid
Kacy & Clayton - Carrying On
Joseph - Good Luck, Kid
Willie Farmer - Man from the Hill
Mekons - Deserted
Patty Griffin - s/t
Mavi - The the Sun Talk
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
Young Thug - So Much Fun
JPEGMAFIA - All of My Heroes are Cornballs
Guided by Voices - Zeppelin Over China -AND- Warp & Woof -AND- Sweating The Plague by Guided by Voices


Comments

The people have spoken.

2018 in the world of Music: Purple Prose, Spleen, Ideal, Love, Cancer, Hope, Despair and two-cents

THE AESTHETICS AT THE ROCK CRITIC’S FUNERAL My self-identified role as a curator of popular music is one that I’ve gradually been shedding, part from changed perspective, part from failure to sustain a meaningful audience. That’s a fancy way of saying that when so many people don’t give a shit, they start to seem convincing after a spell. I ran out of gas. I felt tapped for maintaining blogs and that kind of shit. For years I had some tangible connection to the ‘industry’ that made me feel, I dunno – active? relevant? I ran a really good record store. I wrote for a major metropolitan newspaper. I wrote for various reasonably high circulation periodicals. I appeared frequently on public radio stations. But when my record store died after 52 years (I was there for 39 of them) and the newspaper gave the axe to freelancers, I lost my base, if you will. Sure, people tell me they miss the store. Or my reviews. And it’s nice. But these ripples of awareness are dr...

SPEW crowns the 41st - 50th best Albums of 2017. Wowzers!

Here it is, ladies and gents and humans of all genders and description! Your BEST ALBUMS OF 2017. * Okay, not really. It's 41-50. Hey, pretty damn good records. It's a competitive world.  41.   Chain and the Gang – The Best of Crime Rock (In the Red) 42.   Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent (Domino) 43.   Vivienne – STUD  (Objects Ltd.) 44.   Flamin’ Groovies – F antastic Plastic (Severn) 45.   Kyle Craft – Girl Crazy (Sub Pop) 46.   Bully - Losing    (Sub Pop) 47.   Idles – Brutalism (Balley) 48.   Lee Ranaldo – ElectricTrim  (Mute) 49.   James Elkington – Wintres Woma ( Paradise of Bachelors) 50.   Filthy Friends – Invitation (Kill Rock Stars) Let's have a look: Ian Svenious has been a savvy mainstay of Ameri-indie in the post-hardcore era (you know, like, the last thirty years), with groups like Nation of Ulysses, Make-Up (the ...

Better Ed than Dead

Ed Sheeran - He looks like Van Morrison, kinda, huh? Check the tats.   Ed Sheeran is the highest paid entertainer on the planet. I think. I don’t know. They say he’s worth 65 million. Anyway, I read that somewhere. God knows he travels light and doesn’t have to share that dough with an orchestra or anything. I saw Ed once. At least that I’m aware of. He opened for the Rolling Stones in 2015 (or was it 16?) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Just me and several thousand of my closest friends. He came out with a guitar in front of that throng and mesmerized the crowd. Okay, not really. Some kids seemed to like him. Old people, eighty percent of the attendees, treated him as a curiosity or mild irritant, not uncommon for a warmup act served up before the Stones’ Lions and Christians, bread and circuses exhibition. Later, he sang “Beast of Burden” with Mick. He was better than Dave Matthews. I see his ruddy little mug and tousled ginger top here and there in the ...