Greetings once again, Afterworders. It’s that time of year again. Time for the platters that mattered, the songs that were strong, the tunes that made me swoon, the tracks that weren’t cack, and the CDs that were the bees’ knees. Yes, indeed, the hugely anticipated duco01 60 Favourite New Albums of 2019 list finally makes landfall.
You will remember, I’m sure, that my Favourite New Albums of 2018 chart contained a mere 40 albums. Well, 2019 must have been a bumper year, because I seem to have come up with a 60-album chart this time. Having said that, the ones lurking in the lower reaches of the charts only receive rather lukewarm recommendations.
Like anyone, I suppose, I tend to move chiefly within the safe zones of music that I know I’ll probably go for: low-key jazz, early music, American primitive guitar, 1970s roots reggae, the ambient genres, modern chamber music, English, Scottish & Irish folk, dub, a small dose of Americana, West African acoustic music, solo piano, and judiciously chosen singer/songwriter stuff. It’s more than enough to be getting along with.
In the time-honoured fashion, we count down from number 60, with the first batch of albums ending at no.41.
60. Leyla McCalla – The Capitalist Blues
Ms McCalla’s previous outing, 2016’s “A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey” was a lovely melange of Haitian and New Orleans folk-jazz. This new one is noisier, shoutier, and just a little bit charmless.
59. Red River Dialect – Abundance Welcoming Ghosts
A Cornish folk(ish) band making their first record for North Carolina’s fine Paradise of Bachelors label. I kept waiting for this to grow on me hugely, but somehow … it never did.
58. Kevin Morby – Oh My God
I listened to this a few times, and decided it was nowhere near as good as his brilliant 2017 opus “City Music”. I then left it too late to buy a ticket to see Morby live, because the gig was sold out. In an extended fit of pique, I haven’t listened to the album since.
57. Julia Kent – Temporal
The Canadian composer, cellist, and electronic noisemaker is always worth hearing. Top marks to her record company for including a free copy of the CD if one buys the vinyl LP. If only more labels would do this.
56. Stile Antico – In a Strange Land
This young(ish) conductorless early music ensemble are a class act. They’ve made some of my absolute favourite early music albums. These are recordings of Elizabethan composers in exile … and …. I don’t know, they don’t quite capture me like some of Stile Antico’s other stunning recordings of the past 15 years. Get “Music for Compline”, “Song of Songs”, or “Media Vita” instead.
55. Khruangbin – Hasta el Cielo
This is a dub version of “Con Todo el Mundo”, the excellent last album by the Texan “Thai funk” trio, Khruangbin. Normally, with Jamaican music, I tend to prefer the dub album to its vocal counterpart. Here, I’m not really convinced. The best tracks are the two dubbed by Scientist, which come on a separate 7” single.
54. Portico Quartet – Memory Streams
Portico Quartet’s previous record, “Art in the Age of Automation” was a real career highpoint and a delicious slab of uptempo chamber jazz. Inevitably, this one falls a little short by comparison.
53. Hampshire & Foat – Saint Lawrence
When you release FIVE albums in the space of eight months, they can’t all be great. The two Isle of Wight keyboard maestros make a pleasant enough wash of sound here, but the LP’s second side in particular finds them treading water a bit, I think. A much, much better album would be released by Foat just 3 weeks later.
52. Kjetil Mulelid Trio – What You Thought was Home
A Norwegian chamber jazz trio on Rune Grammofon records. You know what they’re going to sound like, don’t you?
51. Bill McKay – Fountain Fire
Guitar man Bill McKay is a musical associate of the rather more famous Ryley Walker. I prefer his instrumental tracks to his vocal ones. Still, worth investigating.
50. Michael Chapman – True North
The 78-year-old Yorkshire guitarist is enjoying a fine Indian summer to his career, with no less a person than Steve Gunn at the production desk and on second guitar on this album. A big thumbs-up for Bridget St. John on guest vocals, too.
49. Durand Jones & the Indications – American Love Call
Sophomore effort by Indiana soul outfit. Sometimes they almost drift into pastiche, but there are still some pretty strong songs here.
48. Jah Gumby – Humility: the Vibes of Jah Gumby
“Jah Gumby” is this guy Ryan Murakami from Hawaii who is a passionate reggae collector and producer. He thought he’d tinker about a bit and put together a few dub tracks. The result isn’t bad at all.
47. Nils Frahm – All Encores
By the standards of ambient artists, Nils Frahm is a big star now. His previous album, “All Melody” made him (almost) properly famous. This new album starts off in fine Frahm ambient style, before descending into more tedious electronic blips and burps in the last few tracks.
46. Alasdair Roberts – The Fiery Margin
Alasdair Roberts, along with the charentais trio Tartine de Clous, made my favourite record of last year (Au Cube”), but as they released it in late December, it was too late to include it in my 2018 chart. “The Fiery Margin” never reaches those heights, but the ‘wyrd’ Glaswegian folkie couldn’t make a bad record if he tried.
45. Moon Bros – The Easy Way is Hard Enough
“Moon Bros” is basically one guy: Illinois guitarist Matthew Schneider. One night in Chicago he was beaten up and had his electric guitar stolen. He took this as a sign that he should make acoustic fingerstyle records instead. And here’s the first one. Very nice, too.
44. Marisa Anderson – Mercury
The Oregonian guitarist makes it three fine albums in a row with this set of thoroughly engaging electric and acoustic instrumentals.
43. Yves Jarvis – The Same But By Different Means
“Yves Jarvis” is a pseudonym for the Canadian multi-instrumentalist Jean-Sebastian Audet. Strange record. A long string of very short ambient or folky instrumentals. Disorientating but fun.
42. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – The Undivided Five
AWVFTS are the top ambient duo of Dustin O’Halloran and Adam Wiltzie, and this is their third full-length album. I like it well enough, but would recommend investigating O’Halloran’s solo piano albums first. They’re all top-notch.
41. Arne Forsén – Visa från Dorotea
If you like the music of the great Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson (1931-1968), then you’ll like Arne. Solo jazz piano that has its roots in Nordic folk musics.
Stay tuned for numbers 40 to 21, coming up in due course…
G’Day Duco -You have me some what confused with “YOUR NEW ALBUMS OF 2019” given that Marisa Anderson’s “Mercury” came out in 2013 on the “Important Label” USA – yes I have CD of it plus her “The Golden Hour” of 2009.
Should your heading read “…My Newly Discovered Albums of 2019″”??
My recently NEW discovery is “FUZZHEAVY” sampler downloads – with “new stuff” from 2017 to 2019, if you like “Fuzz” or “Heavy” which I do among much other music.
Merry Xmas & best for 2020 from the “roarin” HOT New South Wales OZ.
Apropos Red River Dialect, I believe I may have pointed you that away, your interest aroused as much by the record label. If so, I’, sorry. Fabulous opening track, which grabbed me from the Folk Radio UK website, the rest then, at purchase, being a little limper than I hoped. I think @carolina gives it a shout in her 20 of the year, admiring his shaky vocals. I found them, ultimately, annoying.
Re: Marisa Anderson’s “Mercury” cock-up. Thanks for pointing this out, Jack. Embarrassment for duco01.
So ….
1. chuck out the Marisa Anderson album.
2. move all the albums below 44 up one place
3. Put this album in at no. 60:
60. James Yorkston – The Route to the Harmonium
OK – but the weakest album of his outstanding career.
These are the ‘lukewarm’ recommendations? Wow. I keep saying that you don’t have to go far to find wondrous music in the 21st Century.
I think number 42 deserves to be a lot higher.
I’m scared. There’s already two artists here I’ve actually heard of.
I recognised 4 of those. As in ‘heard of’, not ‘heard’!
ZERO in my case, and comments like this aren’t really exciting me to be brutally honest:
“The Oregonian guitarist makes it three fine albums in a row with this set of thoroughly engaging electric and acoustic instrumentals.”
I hope there’ll be one or two records later in the chart that capture your interest a little more, dai!
Just for you I will listen to your top 5 (if readily available on streaming services).
dai – extend it by one, and listen to the top 6.
Think you might like the Ian Noe album. Say Yes to Noe!
I’m in…
Oh, I find the comments thoroughly enticing. I am particularly beguiled by “Dark ambient cello noise melded with field recordings. “
I actually have Music for Compline by Stile Antico. And a cracker it is too, if you like that kind of thing
I most certainly do like that kind of thing. I like LOTS of that kind of thing!
Three batches means twisting the anticipation dial to MORE THAN ELEVEN.
I suspect I won’t like ALL of these, but
“sometimes they almost drift into pastiche” is so much more articulate than “a bit Showaddywaddy”
Actually, Sewer, I was thinking of dividing it up into very small batches towards the end, so that the anticipation dial goes RIGHT OFF THE SCALE!
Where’s me pills?!!
I’ve heard one of these and duco you exactly express what disappointed me about it in a way I couldn’t work out til you said it – the Leyla McCalla ‘just a little bit charmless’. Looking forward to the rest of the list.
Jah Gumby?
As in
– ‘HELLO?
– SHUT UP MR.GUMBY.
– I HAVE GOT MY HEAD STUCK IN THE RECORD PLAYER. I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING’.
Ha! Yes, I suspect Jah Gumby is a little young to remember the early Monty Python sketches, but I must admit something similar occurred to me when I first read his name….
I tell you what, everyone.
As you’ve been so nice, I’m going to release numbers 40 to 21 this evening….
40. Leo Svirsky – River without Banks
Dutch-based US composer and pianist Leo Svirsky was a new name to me this year. These are group pieces, but very much rooted in Svirsky’s minimalist piano. For any fans of, say, Lubomyr Melnyk, this is well worth checking out.
39. Abdullah Ibrahim – The Balance
The 85-year-old South African pianist made his first album for the admirable Gearbox label this year. I suspect I’m not alone in liking the ballady tracks the best.
38. Andrew Wasylyk – The Paralian
This is Lodestone’s current favourite. “Andrew Wasylyk” is a pseudonym for this Scottish guy, Andrew Mitchell who records on Greg Foat’s Athens of the North label. “The Paralian” consists of instrumental pieces written to celebrate a historic house/arts centre in Arbroath: field recordings overlaid with piano and harp. Thumbs up!
37. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Bryce Dessner, Eighth Blackbird – When we are Inhuman
A vinyl/mp3-only release, I think. Will Oldham gets together with Bryce Dessner out of the National and some other pals to record a few odd little pieces, including a 16-minute cover of “Stay on It” by avant-garde jazzman Julius Eastman. Michael Maccaferri plays a blinder on bass clarinet.
36. Robert Forster – Inferno
Although I’m a huge Go-Betweens fan, I hadn’t really been convinced by Forster’s solo work before this record. But this is a really nice collection, and the final track, “One Bird in the Sky” is his best solo song yet.
35. William Tyler – Goes West
The Tennessee songwriter/guitarist goes for a completely instrumental set this time out, and what a consistent inventive and melodic collection it is.
34. Dominic Miller – Absinthe
I don’t seem to have paid so much attention to ECM releases this year. But this is an ECM album – the second for the label by versatile guitarist Miller. He leads a 5-pice band including drummer Manu Katché through 10 of his own reflective compositions.
33. Vic Mars – Inner Roads and Outer Paths
Many Afterworders love Frances Castle’s Clay Pipe Music label, as much for the beautiful cover art as the music inside. Here, Vic Mars serves up some more pastoral instrumentals, resonant of old England.
32. Jonny Dillon – Songs for a One-String Guitar
Beardy acoustic guitarist from somewhere south of Dublin. 10 solo pieces. Nice playing. Recommended.
31. Lars Danielsson and Paolo Fresu – Summerwind
Danielsson plays double-bass and cello. Fresu plays trumpet and flugelhorn. So: an interesting duo very much in the spirit of Siggi Loch’s ACT Music. Superior chamber jazz.
30. Big Thief – Two Hands
I’ve only heard this a couple of times, so it’s a bit early to judge. But Big Thief really are a very fine band, and in Adrianne Lenker they have an indie songwriter, guitarist, singer and frontperson of rare quality. Can’t wait to see ‘em live in 2020!
29. Richard Skelton – Border Ballads
Richard Skelton’s albums all sound pretty much alike, but that’s no problem, because they’re all good. Dark ambient cello noise melded with field recordings. Yep, I’ll have some more of that, please.
28. Frode Haltli – Border Woods
We have some nyckelharpa fans here, don’t we? Emilia Amper plays the great Swedish keyed-fiddle here, with Norwegian Frode Haltli joining in on accordion. Another fine slice of left-field folk/jazz from Hubro Music.
27. Shida Shahabi – Shifts
Ms Shahabi is an Iranian/Swedish keyboard player and ambient composer based in Stockholm. Her second LP is a lovely collection of piano/cello pieces very much in the mould of guys like Jóhann Jóhannsson, Ólafur Arnalds and Max Richter. A record that deserves to be better known.
26. Justin Wright – Music for Staying Warm
Debut album by Canadian cellist and composer. Four-piece ensemble: cello, double-bass, violin and viola. Heart-touching and engrossing. He’s set out his stall brilliantly.
25. Penguin Café – Handfuls of Night
Arthur Jeffes, leader of the Penguin Café, is of course the son of the late Simon Jeffes, leader of the great Penguin Café Orchestra. Arthur’s done his old man proud here.
24. The Delines – The Imperial
The warm, lived-in voice of Amy Boone really makes Willy Vlautin’s stories of the rough end of modern American life come alive.
23. Lau – Midnight and Closedown
Lau are the my favourite Scottish folk band of all time, and so even though this isn’t their absolute best work, it’s still well worth hearing.
22. Joe Henry – The Gospel According to Water
Joe Henry appears to have made a miraculous, Wilko Johnson-like recovery from the stage 4 cancer he had last year. Huge hurrahs! And a new album to celebrate, too. What could be better?
21. Joe Jackson – Fool
At the age of 65, Joe Jackson is making some of the best music of his career. Spread the word.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the chart. Coming up reasonably soon ….
Yes! I liked the Joe Jackson album and I have heard of Robert Forster (and seen him live in the GBs)
Joe Jackson’s 65?! I can handle Dylan and the Beatles and the Stones getting old, but it’s scary when the artists I grew up listening to start hitting pensionable age. John Foxx is 71. Jet Black is 81.
Then again, I nearly fell off the sofa earlier when I read that Nicholas Parsons is 96, but I never really bought any of his records.
Well Jet Black was always old, he hasn’t aged faster than anybody else.
Not even Cliff?
In a moment of self deprecation, Dave Couse at the recent A House gig pointed out that the trick ageing well is to “start ugly”
They’re gigging? Any good?
Not exactly gigging. They (and by “they” I mean singer Dave and guitarist Fergal plus some others) got together to perform their album I Am The Greatest upon the occasion of being presented with an award for said album back in the summer. That seemed like it (and I missed that one! Our esteemed colleague DrJ could fill you in. And then you could get a second opinion – arf!) until they announced a another stab at it in December. Was it ace? Yes it bloody was (although it was my first time at a gig where an album is played in sequence and I have to say I’m not wild about that idea). Will there be more? Don’t know. Nowadays you can never say never…
I’m a bit more enthusiastic about the ‘Winged Victory’ album than Duco. I think it’s their best since the debut album. For me they are one of leading lights in the ambient/new classical field. As ever an intriguing list – Looking forward to seeing what’s further up the list.
I think the ‘Winged Victory’ album suffered a little from being released rather late in the year. I’ve only listened to it a few times, so it’s rather hard to position in the top 60. In a couple of months I’ll probably realise that I should’ve had it much higher than no.42. Oh well.
I do enjoy Justin Wright’s bottom end.
Have you Wasylyks earlier one, from last year. Themes For Buildings and Spaces. What I’d call documentary soundtrack, and I think he does too, but good for that seemingly faint praise.
Yes. I’m not as keen on it as Lodestone, though. 😉
I have 4 in the first batch and 2 in the second batch plus 2 I intend to buy (Joe Henry and Penguin Cafe). The list is positively mainstream.
Seriously I always look forward to this for new discoveries.
It’s time for a mini-batch of five albums, I think.
Now we’re into the business end of the chart – the Top 20, which will eventually be added to Lodestone’s mega-list on the other thread….
20. Eluvium – Pianoworks
“Eluvium” is a moniker used by Portland-based ambient composer Matthew Cooper. Much of his early work centred around guitars and loop pedals, but this double LP is all piano. Or rather, there’s 3 vinyl sides of lovely piano pieces and one side of nasty hissing noise. Bizarre.
https://eluvium.bandcamp.com/album/pianoworks
19. Michael Vincent Waller – Moments
Eighteen beguiling keyboard pieces written for piano and vibraphone by the US composer Michael Vincent Waller and played by pianist R Andrew Lee. One to chill out to.
https://michaelvincentwaller.bandcamp.com/album/moments
18. Joan Shelley – Like the River Loves the Sea
Another year. Another Joan Shelley album. Another twelve vignettes of fragile, Kentucky country-folk loveliness. And to accompany her, she has two of the best ‘sidemen’ out there, Nathan Salsburg and James Elkington who, as a duo and each of them as a solo artist, have produced some of my favourite acoustic guitar music of the past decade.
https://joanshelley.bandcamp.com/album/like-the-river-loves-the-sea
17. Big Thief – U.F.O.F.
This was the first, and slightly more low-key of Big Thief’s two albums in 2019. It’s been great to see recognition for them growing this year. They are a Brooklyn indie band in excelsis.
https://bigthief.bandcamp.com/album/u-f-o-f
16. John Southworth – Miracle in the Night
Canadian John Southworth is the son of Peter Shelley. No, not Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks, but Peter “Love Me, Love My Dog” Shelley. Southworth has a weak voice, can’t sing in tune, and all his songs sound the same. I can’t understand why I like them so much. But I do.
https://johnsouthworthmusic.ca/album/miracle-in-the-night
Right … that’s it for the moment.
Will be back in due course.
Now we only have the Fantastic Fifteen to go …
Is this the year El Duco went Mainstream? Two of these five have already been nominated! I for one hope the next fifteen is filled with Norwegian Nose Flutes, Sozzled Scotsmen and Abyssinian Air Guitars
I bet “Voice Of A Rebel” will get a pretty high placing.
You have just spoilt everything! El Duco’s surprise Number 1 is no longer a surprise. Honestly Gary, you are worse than useless
Is this the year El Duco went mainstream?
Well, I would maintain that I’ve been fairly mainstream for 3 or 4 years now. I see that 2 Afterworders (naming no names) have already voted for the album that is No.1 in my Favourite New Albums list, while 1 Afterworder has already voted for the album that is No.2. So it’s not all Faroese gamelan ensembles in my modest little chart. Oh no.
A new John Southworth album! This is tremendous news which has somehow eluded me. Thanks for alerting me, duco. His songs appeal to me in the same way too, the album Niagara particularly.
Carolina,
Wait till we get to No.6!
I’ve a feeling that that album will be your cup of tea, if you’re not already aware of it.
I never ceased to be amazed about the great variety of genres in which you are an expert.
“I tend to move chiefly within the safe zones of music that I know I’ll probably go for: low-key jazz, early music, American primitive guitar, 1970s roots reggae, the ambient genres, modern chamber music, English, Scottish & Irish folk, dub, a small dose of Americana, West African acoustic music, solo piano, and judiciously chosen singer/songwriter stuff.”
One fine day I may work out the common factor between Early Music, heavy dub, atonal jazz shronking, the Dead , English folk music, Pete Atkin, Elton John and the Go Betweens. For the moment, I am just happy to make new discoveries from your list.
Not heard any so far but plan to address this failing over Christmas.
Right, then, Afterwords, it’s time for another batch of five albums. Thanks for all your comments so far. Goodness me, it’s getting exciting….
15. Vin Gordon – African Shores
This is very much a partner album to Nat Birchall’s “Sounds Almighty” from last year. Both records were created at the Bakery in Stockport, with Al “Breadwinner” Redfern at the production helm. Birchall’s album was very much a jazz/dub hybrid, whereas “African Shores” is slightly more of a straightforward – but very fine – instrumental reggae/dub set.
https://natbirchallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/african-shores-vin-gordon
14. Lankum – The Livelong Day
There’s been a fair bit of Afterword discussion about Lankum. I’d been meaning to investigate the band for ages, and this record didn’t disappoint, right from the opening tack, in which that old chestnut “The Wild Rover” is given the full drone treatment, at tortoise pace, drawn on and on.
https://lankum.bandcamp.com/album/the-livelong-day
13. Jake Xerxes Fussell – Out of Sight
Fussell is a real archaeologist of the great US folk and blues tradition, and records these old gems from decades past with such panache and love.
https://jakexerxesfussell.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-sight
12. John Zorn – Nove Cantici per Francesco d’Assisi
It’s been a fairly quiet year for the indefatigable jazz/classical polymath John Zorn. But he did write an album-length musical tribute to Bellini’s painting of Saint Francis in the Desert, played by the dream guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Gyan Riley and Julian Lage. Delectable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtJJKJoUWX4
11. Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscia – La Misteriosa Musica della Regina Loana
Is it just me, or has ECM Records had a rather below-par year? Anyway, this was my favourite ECM offering of 2019: a sort of musical interpretation of an Umberto Eco novel, incorporating a couple of Glenn Miller pieces. Trovesi plays clarinets, Coscia plays accordion, and the whole thing floats along in that most agreeable ECM style.
https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/1555421941
Great! Somehow Vin Gordon’s album had passed me by. I’ll correct that straight away.
I hope you’ve read the novel – it’s Eco’s best one IMO!
@Kaisfatdad
I assume you will be providing a Spotify playlist.
I certainly will, Junior. Today we are driving down to Öland which takes all day. Tomorrow, I will get listing.
Say hello to Kalmar. I was there twenty years ago… first time I’d seen frozen sea. Nitherin’.
Now that Gary has revealed the No 1 I feel it only fair to publish the review I found in Duco’s waste basket where it had been flung in a fury and disappointment.
“Jed and Ward were at rock bottom. Mystified by the complete lack of sales for their Afrodub Meets Ian Paisley album they began to wonder if the music business really was for them and whether or not the offer from Uncle Paddy to take over his Dublin-based chain of fish & chip shops was their best option.
One last roll of the dice. Taking inspiration from a trip to Sweden (a mistake it turned out as the concert booker was a charlatan and a fraud only interested in obtaining pictures of our boys letting off steam in a Gothenburg nightclub) they booked a whole afternoon in the recording studios. And what a result!
Voice Of A Rebel is a triumph, merging as it does teenage angst, post-industrielle zeitgeist and Petula Clark”
How very odd. Cos Duco sent me a private message in which he described it more along the lines of “festering rat droppings masquerading as cacophony”. I got the impression he didn’t like it much.
How very odd. Ah, I see the problem. El Duco on account of him being deaf and all got JedW and Taylor Swift mixed up. I wholeheartedly agree re his opinion of Reputation, her worst ever record. She needs to get back to being fifteen and telling tales of losing herself in the back of a Corvette.
We move inexorably into the Titanic Top Ten, starting with a nice mini-batch of four albums.
10. Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano & Jan Lundgren – Mare Nostrum III
Siggi Loch’s ACT Music lanel has now put out the third and final Mare Nostrum album by the trumpet/accordion/piano trio from Italy, France and Sweden respectively. Unimpeachably lovely, of course. I’m not a hardcore audiophile by any means, but the sound quality of the 45rpm double vinyl version of this album really is something else.
https://www.actmusic.com/en/Artists/Mare-Nostrum/Mare-Nostrum-III/Mare-Nostrum-III-CD
9. Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising
Wait a minute – what’s this? There must be some mistake. An album that is actually very popular out in the big wide world has sneaked into my chart. I don’t know how that happened, but I’ll allow it just this once. Natalie Mering is a BIG talent.
8. Matthew Halsall – Oneness
I must admit I wasn’t unduly excited when trumpeter Matthew Halsall announced he was putting out some early unreleased recordings that had been hanging around in his cupboard for ten years. But these slow, stately pieces turned out to be some of the most enjoyable of his career. As Tiggerlion rightly pointed out, this album should be in the “Archival Recordings” chart, but I couldn’t be bothered to change my list.
https://matthewhalsall.bandcamp.com/album/oneness
7. Kali Malone – The Sacrificial Code
3CD set of huge, glacial organ drones played on 3 different church organs in Sweden. I play these discs over and over. Patterns slowly unfold and evolve. Mesmerising. These are exceptional recordings – music I know I’ll always play. The Boomkat site, which is an authority on ambient music, had this as their Album of the Year. I can see why.
https://kalimalone.bandcamp.com/album/the-sacrificial-code
And here’s the penultimate batch of albums, numbers 6, 5 and 4.
6. Ian Noe – Between the Country
Debut album of the year, by a mile. Americana singer/songwriter from Kentucky. Great voice, a little like a young Bob Dylan at times. A whole slew of cracking songs with proper-job lyrics in a tough country vein. The best album of its type that I’ve heard since Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” back in 2013. American roots music in general is very popular on this board, so if there’s one record on my 2019 chart that I’d broadly recommend to all Afterworders, it’s this one. If you’re going to have a listen to one track, try “Letter to Madeline”. Outstanding.
5. Greg Foat – The Mage
This was Foat’s real bullseye this year – a supremely confident record that one might call jazz, rather than merely jazz-influenced. He’s got a tremendous, relaxed groove going here. Plenty of saxophones flitting about. A Tim Buckley cover thrown in. He even brings in a vocalist on the opening track. I’ve just given a first listen to Foat’s fifth album of the year, “The Dreaming Jewels”, and that sounds promising, too. Hell, this guy makes great records faster than the world can absorb them!
https://aotns.bandcamp.com/album/the-mage
4. Steve Gunn – The Unseen In Between
I’m glad this album was released on 18 January, because that gave it a full eleven months to grow on me. On previous albums, Gunn’s vocals have deliberately been kept low in the mix, muffled, and mostly incomprehensible under huge swathes of guitar sound. But here he comes out of his shell a little. These songs were written, as I understand it, during his father’s terminal illness; Gunn sounds bruised and resigned about the whole business of mortality: (“Into the ground / Is where we’re bound”).
https://stevegunn.bandcamp.com/album/the-unseen-in-between
OK … back tomorrow morning with the tantalisingly tremendous Top Three!
Am really glad you chose the Ian Noe,duco. I rated a lot of the songs on it, he has a great voice too, as you say, and it only got a measly 6 out of 10 review, either in Mojo or Uncut can’t remember. It definitely deserves bringing to the AW’s attention.
Bugger and bugger. As usual I am waiting till late in the day to post my own Top Twenty in order not to influence my follower. I was so pleased nobody until now had nominated Ian Noe
Ooh, I like this noe.. I mean this one..
“Where’s Ian gone?”
“He’s over there, sitting next to Prince Far I.
I’s to the right, Noe’s to the left”
I’ll get me paper hat and plastic moustache.
And here are the top three. I often find that I don’t discover my favourite album in any given year until the next year, or the year after, or many years after. But for now, at least, these are the three records that I‘ve enjoyed most in 2019. Happy listening…
3. The Nat Birchall Quartet – The Storyteller
This album slipped out with absolutely no fanfare in September, and has remained below the radar ever since. Which is a real pity, because it’s superb. It’s Nat Birchall’s tribute to the US jazzman Yusef Lateef, who died six years ago, aged 93. A seamless collection of wonderfully realised modal jazz pieces: some are covers of Lateef’s work, while other were written by Birchall in tribute to the legendary saxophonist, flautist, oboist and … erm … shenai-ist (?). He’s done the great man proud. Jazz album of the year.
https://natbirchalljazzman.bandcamp.com/album/the-storyteller-a-musical-tribute-to-yusef-lateef
2. Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet
You know those threads on music forums which say “Name a perfect album with no weak tracks on it”? Well, here’s one. The Chicagoan violinist/guitarist/singer-songwriter has been making records for 23 years, and this year the magnum opus finally arrived. Ten swoonsome melodies; irresistible songs. We’ll forgive the immodest album title, because it’s entirely accurate.
1.Hania Rani – Esja
Gondwana Records was founded in 2008, in order that a Mancunian trumpeter and tenor saxman might put out a couple of albums. 11 years later, it’s still releasing jazz-related records, such as this set by the 29-year-old Polish pianist and composer Hania Rani. Ten solo piano pieces. Forty-five minutes. Music of quiet, indelible, unassailable beauty.
https://haniarani.bandcamp.com/album/esja
Well, that’s it for my 60 Favourite New Albums of 2019 chart. But of course there’s one more list to come, namely my Favourite Reissues and Archival Recordings of 2019. That’s normally a rather different beast, with less ambient stuff and more reggae, jazz and African music. Oh, and some Grateful Dead live albums that no one cares about. I’d better start compiling it now, and I should think it’ll be arriving as an Afterword thread sometime between Christmas and New Year. Until then, warm festive wishes to all Afterworders, with thanks for all the lively, intelligent and witty discussions over the past twelve months.
//duco
As ever a thoroughly interesting selection which as ever makes me want to step outside my normal somewhat narrow comfort-zone. Then I think ” Nah, I’ll leave all that to El Duco and go back to Western Stars”.
Have fab festive fun and may you stay forever young
You have excelled yourself this year, duco, putting together a thread that ebbs & flows beautifully almost like one of Hania’s tunes. I’ve loved the timing of the reveals, not to early, not too late and just enough to whet the appetite for more.
I’m looking forward to your Historical top thirty, mainly because there hasn’t been so much Dead this year, as far as I know.
I’ve got started on a playlist for the Duke’s mighty list. 10 tunes so far.
Now finished my playlist. Only two albums I could not find on Spotify.
Vin Gordon- African Shores
And the John Zorn ( which sounds very
Promising).
https://youtu.be/OtJJKJoUWX4
Now finished my playlist. Only two albums I could not find on Spotify.
Vin Gordon- African Shores
And the John Zorn ( which sounds very
Promising).
https://youtu.be/OtJJKJoUWX4
The Vin album is present in its entirety on YouTube. (Not much help to your playlist, KFD, but handy for the curious..
As ever some interesting stuff. Less ambient and classictronica this year, confirming this has been the rebirth of songs. And jazz bites yet still harder, year on year
Stile Antico are one of my favourite discoveries from the DuCool List. But this year they are merely bubbling under. It says a lot about the quality of the music released in 2019.
Here they are in Spanish Xmas mood.
We are currently on the island of Öland. It is very quiet and peaceful and very dark at night. No streetlights in the countryside. Perfect in fact for listening to the DuCool Hot 60.
Well, as you probably saw, KFD, another Stile Antico album was present and correct at no.56 in my chart. But I must admit I haven’t heard the “Spanish Nativity” album. Why not? Because as soon as an album title contains the word ‘Christmas’ (or indeed Nativity), I tend to be on my guard. I dunno … I’m just not a Christmas Album kinda guy, I suppose.
Stile Antico are bubbling under at No 56 this year.
I enjiyed some Alisdair Roberts this morning . Magnificently glum. Like most of the artists on you list, i Suspekt he has nerver Done a Xmas album.
Yuletide Murder Ballads is a niche market.
Thames for the tip about Vin Gordon on the Tune, Sewer.
Here is an artist WHO i am very curious about. Orgsn Drones foundation very DuCoolesque!
Here she is at the Festival of Endless Gratitude.
I am excited by the thought that there is a whole subvulture out of which i know nothing. Organ-crazy kids WHO like things dark and droney . Very Goth, very Berlin, very Iceland. Lots of mysterious, oozing geysers and pouting chanteuses from Paris and Pinner?
Based in Stockholm, Kali is from Volorado.
https://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/kali-malone
Colorado!
Does she do any live shows in Stockholm? We must go, Duke!
Kali belongs to a collective in Örnsberg: Tropiska Föreningen.
Where on earth is that? A very far-flung suburb,
Örnsberg, far-flung? I grew up just a couple of metro stops away from Örnsberg…if by far-flung you mean far away from the city (and I’m not entirely sure that you do, but I can’t think of another meaning that makes sense!) I can assure you that it isn’t very far at all. By metro it’s very quick, and we even used to ride our bikes into Södermalm all the time, and Örnsberg was a very short way away from my old suburb of Mälarhöjden.
You need to live a little and explore Stockholm suburbs beyond Kärrtorp! 😉
Hmm … I can’t see Kali Malone playing Tele2 Arena or Friends Arena any time soon. I should think that the ultra-hip Fylkingen is more her patch. It’s a tremendous album, though. I assumed that “Music for church cleaners” by strange Irishwoman Áine O’Dwyer would always be my favourite church organ drone album. I assumed wrongly…
This list has two organ drone Albums and both are from Sweden. Please welcome Ellen Arkbro!
https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2019/07/02/736647018/vikings-choice-organ-drone-purple-metal-hypercolor-fusion?t=1577405543872
The music that we do not know about!
Re: Ellen Arkbro “For Organ and Brass”.
Yeah, I’ve got that LP. It was covered extensively in the Wire magazine.
Ms Arkbro is from just down the road in Vällingby, I think.
Fröken Arkbro is almost your neighbour?
There’s no place like drone!
Impressed that Retro has found another drone artist.
There is an Australian guy, John Chantler, who organises a festival of experimental music and brought the Necks to Stockholm. Hats off to him!
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/artists/john-chantler-artist/
Talking of church and drones, was Brigdhe Chambeul this year or last?
Just checked, Feb 2019, so this. Would have scraped in at somewhere between 20 and 25 if I went that high.
Brigdhe sounds very interesting. From Skye!
https://store.roughtraderecords.com/products/brighde-chaimbeul-the-reeling
I only bought 2 CDs (I don’t do vinyl) this year.
The new albums from Bruce Springsteen &
The Specials.
I thought both were pretty fucking splendid.
Have you posted this on the Afterworders 2019 poll?
A properly succinct review there Jack, and absolutely spot on
If there is one record I’d recommend to you, @duco01, it’s Songs Of Our Native Daughters. It has all the charm Leyla McCalla’s solo album lacks, plus warmth, righteous indignation, beautiful singing, wonderful songs….
Yes, I’ve been meaning to get “Songs of our Native Daughters” since I first read a rave pre-release review of it in the Guardian. I don’t know why I haven’t got around to buying it, really. I suppose it’s partly because it’s been impossible to find the album at anything less than maximum price. But all the positive comments that it’s received on this and other threads mean that I will get the album fairly soon.
Yesterday, Dubkasm’s “Shady Grove” vinyl LP turned up, and so at the moment I’m enjoying its tremendous groove….
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/dubkasm-shady-grove/729419-01/
I have really enjoyed your comments on this thread, Tigger.
And Duke, the DuCool Sizzlng Sixty Thread is, as always, a thing of wonder. Not only because of all the marvellous stuff you list, but also all the comments that you inspire among the rest of us who are miffed or perplexed by the stuff that did not make the grade,.
I thank you, KFD, sir.
Rest assured that I am currently working on the duco01 24 Favourite Reissues and Archival Recordings of 2019 Chart. Coming your way soon … -ish.
For our listening pleasure, while you complete that Herculean task, here is a Norwegian trio, Lumen Drones, who are on ECM.
As Retro suggests, there are droney elements in a lot of folk music, not least the Hardanger fiddle which is used here. Easy listening it is not, but hang on in there!
The other two musicians have their day job with this post-rock combo
Never heard of them before today. They sound very promising.
Have just finished a random sampling of @Duco01 recommendations and as in previous years have found some real beauties. This time it was Andrew Wasylyk ‘The Paralian’; Penguin Cafe ‘Handfuls of Night’ and Vic Mars ‘Inner Roads’. So thank you for that – they have just got me through a tedious afternoon of report writing and and a back log of work emails. The Vic Mars album felt similar in style to the ‘The Green Line’ album from a year or so ago, sounds like a lost soundtrack to a 60s children TV programme.
Feedback, I suspect you might also enjoy this gorgeously pastoral album that the Duke introduced me to a while back.
Afterworders may know Virginia Astley from her megahit Never gonna give you up.
Interestingly, Virginia Astley used to be the sister-in-law of Pete Townshend out of the ‘Orrible ‘Oo!
Pete was LOUD. Virginia was … quiet.
That Virginia Astley album is a milestone in the development of ‘ambient’ music. Came out in 1983 but for a long time was really hard to find (its still not on Spotty). Lovely stuff.