In other years I've tried to say something wry and bleak but ultimately hopeful about the current state of affairs, but I really don't have anything. The best I can do is this: support Black Lives Matter and remember that your actions affect other people (so maybe wear a fucking mask, yeah?).
In other words, take Dr. Dreyfuss' advice from The Apartment: " Be a mensch! You know what that means? A human being."
Here's my list of 25 favorite albums from the first six months of the year, followed by 50 songs.
Albums
1. The New Abnormal – The Strokes
2. Dedicated Side B – Carly Rae Jepsen
3. SOUTHSIDE – Sam Hunt
4. Notes On A Conditional Form – The 1975
5. Alfredo – Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist
6. Everything – Kota the Friend
7. how i’m feeling now – Charli XCX
8. It Is What It Is – Thundercat
9. The Album – Teyana Taylor
10. Rough and Rowdy Ways – Bob Dylan
11. Truth or Consequences – Yumi Zouma
12. Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
13. Local Honey – Brian Fallon
14. Women In Music Pt. III – HAIM
15. After Hours – The Weeknd
16. It Was Good Until It Wasn’t – Kehlani
17. Introduction, Presence – Nation of Language
18. The Slow Rush – Tame Impala
19. Printer’s Devil – Ratboys
20. It Was Divine – Alina Baraz
21. Cold Water – Medhane
22. Everything Is Beautiful – Princess Nokia
23. RTJ4 – Run The Jewels
24. Modus Vivendi – 070 Shake
25. Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman
Songs
1. "Murder Most Fowl" – Rough and Rowdy Ways – Bob Dylan
2. "People, I’ve
been sad" – La vita nuova – EP –
Christine and the Queens
3. "Young Once"
– SOUTHSIDE – Sam Hunt
4. "Hard
Feelings" – Local Honey – Brian Fallon
5. "Texas Sun"
– Texas Sun – EP – Khruangbin and
Leon Bridges
6. "party 4 u"
– how i’m feeling now – Charli XCX
7. "Circles"
– Circles – Mac Miller
8. "Tomorrow’s
Dust" – The Slow Rush – Tame Impala
9. "Don’t’
Stop… Demo" – Single – Oasis
10. "Something to Rap About" feat.
Tyler, The Creator – Alfredo – Freddie
Gibbs and The Alchemist
11. "JU$T"
feat. Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha – RTJ4 – Run The Jewels
12. "Inside
Friend" feat. John Mayer – Single
– Leon Bridges
13. "Fast Car"
– Single – Black Pumas
14. "God
Whispered Your Name" – Single
– Keith Urban
15. "Martin "
– Making a Door Less Open – Car Seat
Headrest
16. "The Wall and
I" – Introduction, Presence – Nation of Language
17. "Dear April"
(Side A – Acoustic) – Single – Frank
Ocean
18. "Southwark"
– Truth or Consequences – Yumi Zouma
19. "Sweeter"
feat. Terrace Martin – Single –
Leon Bridges
20. "Cool"
– Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
21. "Stumble
On My Way" – Pick Me Up off the
Floor – Norah Jones
22. "Misunderstood"
(Live in New Orleans) – Painted (Deluxe Edition) – Lucky Daye
23. "Endamame"
– Single – Zacari
24. "Time
Flies" – Dark Lane Demo Tapes – Drake
25. "Pretty
Lady" – Single – Tash Sultana
26. "SAVAGE
ANTHEM" – PARTYMOBILE – PARTYNEXTDOOR
27. "Bad
Behaviour" – Single – Elli
Ingram
28. "To Me"
– It Was Divine – Alina Baraz
29. "Hate The Club"
(feat. Masego) – It Was Good Until It
Wasn’t – Kehlani
30. "King
Prospero" – World As a Waiting Room
– White Denim
31. "Rapper
Weed" feat. Boogie – Single
– SiR
32. "You Amaze
Me" – Devotion – Margaret Glaspy
33. "Shawn vs.
Flair" – Pray for Paris – Westside
Gunn
34. "Fake Love"
feat. Elcamino – No One Mourns the Wicked
– Big Ghost Ltd and Conway the Machine
35. "Lockdown"
– Single – Anderson .Paak
36. "Something
Comforting" – Single – Porter
Robinson
37. "Universal
Soldier" – A Written Testimony –
Jay Electronica
38. "sadder
badder cooler" – Sunshine Kitty (Paw
Prints Edition) – Tove Lo
39. "Dangerookipawaa
Freestyle” – Single – Ab-Soul
40. "Magic
Hour " – Chilombo – Jhené Aiko
41. "In A Good
Way" – Single – Faye
Webster
42. "Fall_Window"
– Forever – Starchild and The New
Romantic
43. "Strobe
Lights" feat. Gallant – Produced By:
Adrian Younge – Adrian Younge
44. "In the
World" feat. Nick Hakim – Single
– Lance Skiiiwalker
45. "Whiskey
Regrets" – Single – Rationale
& TS Graye
46. "More Than
My Hometown" – Single – Morgan
Wallen
47. "Stick
That In Your Country Song" – Single
– Eric Church
48. "Murphy’s
Law" – Single – Róisín Murphy
49. "Headlights"
– I Was Born Swimming – Squirrel
Flower
50. "Chapter
319" – Chapter 319 – EP – clipping.
Missing from playlist:
50. "Chapter 319" – Chapter 319 – EP – clipping.
Modern
philosopher-king Nick Miller once opined thusly, “I like getting older. I feel
like I’m finally aging into my personality.” I feel that more and more every
year, but this year, I often found myself wondering if that meant the most
important musicians to me would start disappointing more frequently.
I wrote about this
last year and 2019 saw another batch of new releases from many artists that I
have a deep affection for, and I’d say for as much as 75 percent of them, my reaction
was, “This is fine.” That’s not to say that releases from favorites were out-and-out
bad or anything – they just didn’t hit what I was hoping for. It’s entirely
possible (a word here that means probable) that the problem is with me and not
the musicians making them.
This seems like a
fitting match for a year which was (by and large) deeply unsettling and infused
with a sense of…off-kilterness that I had a hard time shaking. It wasn’t
exactly a banner year for me, and I wasn’t the only one. People and countries
still ignoring the dangers of climate change? Check. Children still being kept
in cages in the southern border? Yep. Violence against minorities occurring with
frightening frequency? So it seems.
I don’t want to
appear like a complete downer or encourage anyone to give into despair. There
are still so, so many beautiful things around us every day, and joy can still
be found (my brother’s wedding day was one of the most fun days of my life, and
I spent a good portion of it worrying about my best man speech). What I’m
saying is, if you feel more adrift than normal, I know just how you feel. As
Tolkien wrote, “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many
dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love
is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater”
My favorite music
of the year reminded me of the importance of connection and engagement with
others, even when it’s difficult. People can disappoint you, break your heart
and just plain confuse you, but as one of 2018’s best songs reminded me, we
can’t do this all our own.
I hope the in the
following lists you find something that moves you and provides you with a positive
connection to your fellow humans. Because when you’re really able to connect
with someone, that fucking rules.
Oh yeah, and don’t
forget – fuck Donald Trump:
**AUTHOR'S NOTE - Throughout
the page you'll find two Spotify links - one with all the albums and the songs
I selected (minus one).
Happy listening**
Top 50 Albums
1. Thrashing Thru the Passion – The Hold Steady
2. American Love
Call – Durand Jones and The Indications
