Best music of 2019...so far

Look man, it's fucking 2019 and the United States is running concentration camps for children, where those who are supposed to be looking after them instead joke about them dying. The fact that this isn't all we're talking about all the time until this situation is rectified is one of the greatest shames I can imagine for a country that fancies itself the greatest on Earth.

So, for fuck's sake, go donate to RAICES and/or reach out to your elected officials so we can try to regain some morality and you know, mother-fucking human decency, to this country.

Music is the only thing that's kept me from going outside and screaming endlessly into the night, so, as monumentally unimportant as it is, here's my list of 25 favorite albums from the first six months of the year, followed by 50 songs.

May some of it bring you comfort and provide you a soundtrack to getting out in the world and fighting the rapidly-growing fire humanity is facing:

Albums

1. American Love Call - Durand Jones and The Indications

2. Bandana - Freddie Gibbs and Madlib

3. Father of the Bride - Vampire Weekend

4. Dedicated - Carly Rae Jepsen

5. Western Stars - Bruce Springsteen

6. Painted - Lucky Daye

7. Ventura - Anderson .Paak

8. CrasH Talk - ScHoolboy Q

9. Keepsake - Hatchie

10. LIL BIG MAN - Maxo

11. Live In London - Flight of the Conchords

12. Can You Really Find Me  - Night Moves

13. Free Spirit - Khalid

14. I Am Easy to Find - The National

15. FOTO - Kota the Friend

16. I Love You. It's A Fever Dream - The Tallest Man on Earth

17. Atlanta Millionaires Club - Faye Webster

18. Sucker Punch - Sigrid

19. thank u, next - Ariana Grande

20.  Future Hndrxx Presents: THE WIZRD - Future

21. Center Point Road - Thomas Rhett

22. Rap Or Go To the League - 2 Chainz

23. American Football (LP3) - American Football

24. A Bath Full of Ecstasy - Hot Chip

25. Young Enough - Charly Bliss

Songs

1. "Seagull" - Live in London - Flight of the Conchords

2.  "Jerusalem, New York, Berlin" - Father of the Bride - Vampire Weekend

3. "Julien" - Dedicated - Carly Rae Jepsen

4. "August and Everything After" - Single - Counting Crows

5. "Make It Better" feat. Smokey Robinson - Ventura - Anderson .Paak

6. "Do You Love Her Now" - Single - Jai Paul

7. "Roll Some Mo" - Painted - Lucky Daye

8. "Too Many Tears" - American Love Call - Durand Jones and The Indications

9. "Train Love'" - Transportation - Your Old Droog

10. "Hitch Hikin'" - Western Stars - Bruce Springsteen

11. "Neon Moon" with Kacey Musgraves - Reboot - Brooks and Dunn

12. "Up" - Center Point Road - Thomas Rhett

13. "Harmony Hall" - Father of the Bride - Vampire Weekend

14. "5200" - CrasH Talk - ScHoolboy Q

15. "Old Town Road" feat. Billy Ray Cyrus – 7 - EP - Lil Nas X

16. "Colbert'" - You Can't Sit With Us - Pivot Gang

17. "Unshaken" - Single - D'Angelo

18. "Palmolive" feat. Pusha T and Killer Mike - Bandana - Freddie Gibbs and Madlib

19. "Walk Across the Water" - "Let's Rock" - The Black Keys

20. "Oh My God" - Oh My God - Kevin Morby

21. "Dreamin'" - City Pop - Benny Sings

22. “Backyard” – FOTO – Kota the Friend

23. “Adore You” – Single – Jessie Ware

24. "Young Enough" - Young Enough - Charly Bliss

25. “Mornings in Memphis” – The Saint of Lost Causes – Justin Townes Earle

26. "SUPERPOSITION" feat. John Mayer - CASE STUDY 01 - Daniel Caesar

27. "Intro" - Free Spirit – Khalid

28. "Leave A Light" - This Wild Willing - Glen Hansard

29. “Brilliant Nigga” – Single – Channel Tres

30. "Sundown" - Western Stars - Bruce Springsteen

31. “NASA" - thank u, next - Ariana Grande

32. "EARFQUAKE" - IGOR - Tyler, The Creator

33. "Spendin'" feat. Gucci Mane - M3 - ILOVEMAKONNEN

34. "Money in the Way" - Rap Or Go To the League - 2 Chainz

35. "Saint Honesty" - Amidst the Chaos - Sara Bareilles

36. “Dangote” – Single – Burna Boy

37. "Neapolitan Sky"- Single - The Avett Brothers

38. "Patience" - Single - Tame Impala

39. “Taller” – Taller – Jamie Cullum

40. "I Believe" - Happiness Begins - Jonas Brothers

41. "Living Mirage" - Living Mirage - The Head and the Heart

42. "Never in This House" feat. yMusic and The Staves - Absolute Zero - Bruce Hornsby

43. “Girls Need Love” (Remix) – Single – Summer Walker and Drake

44. "Mine to Miss" - American Football (LP3) - American Football

45. "I Guess I Just Feel Like" - Single - John Mayer

46. "Dogwood" - On the Line - Jenny Lewis

47. “Running” – This Is How You Smile – Helado Negro

48. "Jerrod'" - When I Get Home - Solange

49. "Before I Let Go" (Homecoming Live Bonus Track) - HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM – Beyoncé

50. "Seventeen" - Remind Me Tomorrow - Sharon Van Etten

Missing from playlist:

4. "August and Everything After" - Single - Counting Crows

Favourite Things I Heard in April 2019

Albums
1. Ventura - Anderson .Paak
2. CrasH Talk - ScHoolboy Q

3. Free Spirit - Khalid

4. Oh My God - Kevin Morby
5. Cuz I Love You - Lizzo

6. I Love You. It's A Fever Dream - The Tallest Man on Earth
7. This Wild Willing - Glen Hansard
8. Intellexual - Intellexual
9. Street Gospel 4 - Young Money Yawn
10. Amidst the Chaos - Sara Bareilles

Songs
1. "Make It Better" feat. Smokey Robinson - Ventura - Anderson .Paak
2. "Neon Moon" with Kacey Musgraves - Reboot - Brooks and Dunn
3. "Leave A Light" - This Wild Willing - Glen Hansard
4. "5200" - CrasH Talk - ScHoolboy Q
5. "Colbert'" - You Can't Sit With Us - Pivot Gang

6. "Oh My God" - Oh My God - Kevin Morby
7. "Before I Let Go" (Homecoming Live Bonus Track) - HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM - Beyoncé

8. "Old Town Road" feat. Billy Ray Cyrus - Single - Lil Nas X
9. "Saint Honesty" - Amidst the Chaos - Sara Bareilles
10. "Intro" - Free Spirit - Khalid

Album of the Week: The Tallest Man on Earth Dark Bird Is Home

This week there's not a lot of big releases worth noting, but there are some really interesting albums out from artists who deserve much more attention from listeners. Surfer Blood takes another step forward on their junior album 1ooo Palms and Crocodiles continue to explore new genres (Clash infused reggae this go around) on Boys. For my money though, the best release is The Tallest Man on Earth's latest, Dark Bird Is Home.

Kristian Matsson has been quietly releasing lovely little acoustic rock gems as The Tallest Man on Earth for a little under a decade, and while his albums have been consistently pretty in an unassuming way, none of them have made much of a mark on a large audience. Which is a shame really, because you'd be hard pressed to find a musician who makes albums this reliably enjoyable, in any genre.

If you're concerned that this is all a lead-up to me writing that Matsson makes some big sonic left-turn here, breathe regular – he's still as capable as ever of using an acoustic guitar to create shimmering landscapes of sound and voice. If anything, he's gotten better at nearly everything he does, and Dark Bird is easily Matsson's hookiest album, and also features an expansion in both sound and approach.

None of the things he does here are particularly groundbreaking, and it's easy to pick out Matsson's influences if you are so inclined. "Sagres" sounds like an unused cut from Bruce Hornsby's The WayIt Is, and he taps into Bon Iver's backing vocals approach on opener "Fields of Our Home." On the whole, the album sounds an awful lot like last year's Lost In A Dream by The War on Drugs, which is to say it sounds a lot like Tunnel of Love-era Springsteen. This is all to the good – Tunnel of Love is my second favorite Springsteen, and Lost In A Dream was one of the best albums of 2014. Matsson add his own spin to this snyth and atmosphere-heavy approach by digging deeper into folk music than The War on Drugs or Springsteen did on their albums.

Take the aforementioned "Sagres," which uses the synths to give the song a very Scottish lament vibe, or "Beginners," which sounds like early (and folkiest) Bob Dylan.

Album highlight "Singers" sounds like Matsson has taken the riff from Jackson Browne's "These Days" and just slightly repurposed it, until a saxophone starts adding soft touches about a third of the way through. I'm a fan of the sax, but used improperly it can be an overpowering instrument (check this delightful list of songs nearly ruined by saxes courtesy of The Onion's AV Club). It's used perfectly here, and adds just the right amount of depth to the song.

"Slow Dance" may just be the most radio-ready song on any Tallest Man on Earth album to date, and features some lovely guitar lines under the immediately infectious driving riff. It also makes wonderful use of horns, and the whole song comes out sounding like a perfect summer afternoon – I already added it to my summer playlists, and I suggest you do likewise.

From a lyrical standpoint, this album may be Matsson's brightest yet, despite the name. "Darkness of the Dream" (a nod to The War on Drugs?) is a perfect example of this, as Matsson extolls the benefits of resilience and power of determination over some truly lovely guitar and piano work. It's an incredibly uplifting song without crossing into sappiness or sentiment, and may well be one of Matsson's most complete achievements to date.

The folk rock vibe doesn't change throughout Dark Bird, and I suppose for people hankering for a little more variety in their music, the songs might be a little too similar to make any lasting impression. Spend a little time with the album, however, and allow it to wrap you in its tones and timbre, and you might just find it sounds like home. 

Dark Bird Is Home is out on Dead Ocean Records.