25 Best Songs of 2019
- Beirut - Landslide
- Andrew Bird- Manifest
- Weyes Blood - Everyday
- Sharon Von Etten - Seventeen
- Ex Hex - Tough Enough OR Cosmic Cave
- Bleached - Hard to Kill
- Emily Wolfe- Holly Roller
- Tank and the Bangas - Nice Things
- Kehlani - Nights like this (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
- DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel (feat. De La Soul)
- Princess Nokia - Sugar Honey Ice Tea
- Lower Dens - I Drive
- Operators - I Feel Emotion
- Ashley Tisdale - Love Me & Let Me Go
- Ashley O - On a Roll
- Dilllon Francis - Catchy Song (feat. T-Pain & That Girl Lay Lay)
- The Dandy Warhols - Motor City Steel
- Seratones - Gotta Get to Know Ya
- Sunflower Bean - Come for Me
- King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard - Self-Immolate OR Mars for the Rich
- Power Trip - Hornet's Nest
- Le Butcherettes - spider/WAVES (feat. Jello Biafra)
- His Many Colored Fruit - Staring at Facebook Til It Makes Me Vomit
- Purple Mountains - Snow is Falling in Manhattan
- The Comet is Coming - Summon the Fire OR Unity
Best Album
1. Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet
2. Sharon Von Etten - Remind me Tomorrow
3. Charli XCX - Charli
2. Sharon Von Etten - Remind me Tomorrow
3. Charli XCX - Charli
Best Show
1. Kitty - Rose Gold: The Musical w/ vvervvolf (Rock and Roll Hotel, 8/14)
This show was by far the best thing I saw live this year, perhaps all the more so because it was too-sparsely attended and I never saw a word of press about it. Tragic! It blew my freaking mind by impressively turning a consistently great album into a sensory-overloading experience. It was totally an actual musical because there were spoken interludes, other people on stage, and a narrative. The officially stated story is this: a hot girl has problems, gets drunk, and plays music AND THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED. It was a very meta theatrical multimedia experience, and yea SUPER hot, but as a reminder, I'm here for the impressively independent DIY aesthetic, not the sex appeal. OK, fine- both. Both! After years of internet-based fandom bordering on obsession I finally got to see Kitty, and it was all I could have ever wanted and more: the incredible new album in its entirety, the very best songs from her band with her husband, The Poms-Poms, performed with gusto, and just one classic Kitty song was all that was needed to make everyone dance- even the old people. vvervvolf was a perfect opening act, and I expect great things from them in the future. It was not even a tour, so I felt so fortunate to be able to catch it in DC, as it was only every played there and in NYC and LA. It was the kind of event that makes one feel lucky to have gotten out of the house and witness something fantastic that has never happened before and will never happen again. And as a late entry at the tail end of 2019, the new stuff from The Pom-Poms is making me VERY happy! I feel like I've been trying to tell everyone about the greatness of Kitty since 2014 and while few cared as much as I did, this whole experience proved, at least to myself, that I was right a long about her.
2. Spiritualized (Lincoln Theater, 4/6)
I've seen Spiritualized every chance I've had since 1997, and this was easily the best. This version of the band has been together long enough, and it's not too big but not too small either. The addition of three gospel singers (neither just 2 nor a full choir) was perfect, and the soul-pop renditions of songs that melted into glorious chaos was something to experience live - from a padded seat for the first time. And that light show- Oh happy day!
This show was by far the best thing I saw live this year, perhaps all the more so because it was too-sparsely attended and I never saw a word of press about it. Tragic! It blew my freaking mind by impressively turning a consistently great album into a sensory-overloading experience. It was totally an actual musical because there were spoken interludes, other people on stage, and a narrative. The officially stated story is this: a hot girl has problems, gets drunk, and plays music AND THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED. It was a very meta theatrical multimedia experience, and yea SUPER hot, but as a reminder, I'm here for the impressively independent DIY aesthetic, not the sex appeal. OK, fine- both. Both! After years of internet-based fandom bordering on obsession I finally got to see Kitty, and it was all I could have ever wanted and more: the incredible new album in its entirety, the very best songs from her band with her husband, The Poms-Poms, performed with gusto, and just one classic Kitty song was all that was needed to make everyone dance- even the old people. vvervvolf was a perfect opening act, and I expect great things from them in the future. It was not even a tour, so I felt so fortunate to be able to catch it in DC, as it was only every played there and in NYC and LA. It was the kind of event that makes one feel lucky to have gotten out of the house and witness something fantastic that has never happened before and will never happen again. And as a late entry at the tail end of 2019, the new stuff from The Pom-Poms is making me VERY happy! I feel like I've been trying to tell everyone about the greatness of Kitty since 2014 and while few cared as much as I did, this whole experience proved, at least to myself, that I was right a long about her.
2. Spiritualized (Lincoln Theater, 4/6)
I've seen Spiritualized every chance I've had since 1997, and this was easily the best. This version of the band has been together long enough, and it's not too big but not too small either. The addition of three gospel singers (neither just 2 nor a full choir) was perfect, and the soul-pop renditions of songs that melted into glorious chaos was something to experience live - from a padded seat for the first time. And that light show- Oh happy day!
Best New Artist
Sigrid
It is kinda stretching here for the best new artist, but that was a really good debut pop album (she had an EP out last year). I liked both "Don't Kill my Vibe" and "Strangers" (the bigger hit), but the whole album is eminently listenable. She's young, so it will be interesting to see how it goes from here. I also can tell you (and the GRAMMYs) that the best new artist is NOT:
Tank and the Bangas,
'cause they are super-great but they've been around for too long to reasonably be considered new. Then again
Lindsay Lou
has been around for nearly that long, but this was the year I was so pleasantly surprised to "discover" her at Del Fest; new-to-me discoveries like that keep me going back to music festivals even if the announced artists seem either redundant or unknown. Let's have an honorable mention for the uniquely impressive
Seratones,
another "new" band that I was exposed to thanks to WTMD's First Thursday concert; just like
Emily Wolfe,
I didn't even make it to the show but was still blown away from seeing stuff online and listening to their full albums.
Artist of the Year
The Regrettes
Their newest wasn't even my favorite album of the year--even though it sounds like a pile of near-perfect singles--and the best songs from it ("Pumpkin," "I Dare You," and "Dress Up") didn't even make the short list, but this band was everywhere in my media feeds this year, and I am all for it. This might be the perfect band that everyone in America should be listening to right now- an absolutely ideal mix of timeless rock influences and modern punk-ish sensibilities. "Pumpkin" might be their song I liked best, but it's not exactly representative enough of their overall sound. "I Dare You" is the perfect run-away single. The thing that really blew my mind was this incredible cover of an underplayed Queen song; I'm comfortable declaring it superior to the original! (Not necessarily from this year, but they are killing these covers: previously "A Teenager in Love" and this impeccably spunky performance of another excellent, underplayed classic rock song, this one from Sweet.) I can only assume that their sold-out show in Baltimore (that I missed) was excellent because they immediately booked a larger venue in DC for their next pass through the area: my loss. They are all insanely adorable people, but more importantly they are so smart- making excellent musical choices paired with incisive, emo-esque lyrics. The way the brilliant lead singer (and lead songwriter) adds just the right amount of snarl to her sweetness is a 10/10. She and the band also released a Christmas duet with her actual rock-star/actor boyfriend. The whole band rocks, and those backing vocals are well-played too. Tell the young people!
Sigrid
It is kinda stretching here for the best new artist, but that was a really good debut pop album (she had an EP out last year). I liked both "Don't Kill my Vibe" and "Strangers" (the bigger hit), but the whole album is eminently listenable. She's young, so it will be interesting to see how it goes from here. I also can tell you (and the GRAMMYs) that the best new artist is NOT:
Tank and the Bangas,
'cause they are super-great but they've been around for too long to reasonably be considered new. Then again
Lindsay Lou
has been around for nearly that long, but this was the year I was so pleasantly surprised to "discover" her at Del Fest; new-to-me discoveries like that keep me going back to music festivals even if the announced artists seem either redundant or unknown. Let's have an honorable mention for the uniquely impressive
Seratones,
another "new" band that I was exposed to thanks to WTMD's First Thursday concert; just like
Emily Wolfe,
I didn't even make it to the show but was still blown away from seeing stuff online and listening to their full albums.
Artist of the Year
The Regrettes
Their newest wasn't even my favorite album of the year--even though it sounds like a pile of near-perfect singles--and the best songs from it ("Pumpkin," "I Dare You," and "Dress Up") didn't even make the short list, but this band was everywhere in my media feeds this year, and I am all for it. This might be the perfect band that everyone in America should be listening to right now- an absolutely ideal mix of timeless rock influences and modern punk-ish sensibilities. "Pumpkin" might be their song I liked best, but it's not exactly representative enough of their overall sound. "I Dare You" is the perfect run-away single. The thing that really blew my mind was this incredible cover of an underplayed Queen song; I'm comfortable declaring it superior to the original! (Not necessarily from this year, but they are killing these covers: previously "A Teenager in Love" and this impeccably spunky performance of another excellent, underplayed classic rock song, this one from Sweet.) I can only assume that their sold-out show in Baltimore (that I missed) was excellent because they immediately booked a larger venue in DC for their next pass through the area: my loss. They are all insanely adorable people, but more importantly they are so smart- making excellent musical choices paired with incisive, emo-esque lyrics. The way the brilliant lead singer (and lead songwriter) adds just the right amount of snarl to her sweetness is a 10/10. She and the band also released a Christmas duet with her actual rock-star/actor boyfriend. The whole band rocks, and those backing vocals are well-played too. Tell the young people!
Looking forward to new stuff NEXT Year from
Ruby Ibarra
Sierra Hull
Kesha
Ruby Ibarra
Sierra Hull
Kesha
