2019 was a weird year, and not always in a good way. Tumultuous, full of rapid changes, uninvited drama, seeing through people, and trying to figure out what to do with my life. It got me a bit unhinged, not knowing what to do with my life, and emotionally unstable.
Yeah, I can’t say it was a good one at all.
But there was one thing that 2019 was good for, and that was discovering new music. In fact, music is what kept me going, and that’s why I’ve decided to end the year with a list of my personal favourites in music.
As many of you know, my musical taste is all over the place, so really, to give it justice and avoid comparing apples to oranges, I’d need to divide every category into subcategories, but alas, I don’t really have the time or patience for it, so forgive me if it’s all a bit messy and all over the place. I am, too, so this makes perfect sense.
So, without further ado, here goes.
Top 5 albums
1. I Hate Models – L’Âge Des Métamorphoses, Perc Trax
Even before it came out, I was very apprehensive of this one. Worried I might hate it, I even thought I’d put off listening to it to avoid disappointment. After all, when someone who has so far only released EPs decides to record a 93-minute behemoth of an album, you don’t really know what to expect.
But I gave it a go as soon as it dropped. And all my fears and worries have dissipated.
This is not an easy album; many people think it’s just a bit too experimental, too weird, not melodic enough, too different from I Hate Models’ older work. I can see where they’re coming from; in fact, some tracks took a while to grow on me. But, to me, this album is something else entirely. It makes me feel things. And that’s an achievement not many artists out there have unlocked.
From the haunting, cinematic opener, ‘The Beginning of the End’, through the more familiar-sounding, four-to-the-floor tracks with a hint of melancholy like ‘Crossing the Mirror’ and ‘You Are Not Alone’ (which, contrary to its title, might make you feel more alone than ever), the absolute weirdness of ‘Impossible Love’ (which I can only describe as a sonic expression of trying – and failing – to communicate with someone who doesn’t listen, and then exploding because you can’t get through to them), the brilliant ‘Romantic Psycho’, accompanied by a dark and disturbing video, to the slightly nostalgic ‘Eternity Is Burning’, this album tells a story. It’s not an easy one to listen to, but I find it hard to stop once I start.
I don’t care what critics and purists say; to me, it’s near-perfect.
2. Boy Harsher – Careful, Nude Club
I’ve been following Boy Harsher for a couple of years now, and I think they’re one of the most interesting acts out there at present. Their live performances are like watching a conversation between the two band members, Jae Matthews and Gus Muller, the dynamics ever-changing, and the emotions almost palpable.
‘Careful’ is perhaps the most mature work by the Massachusetts duo. Following a time when the couple were not on speaking terms, it still features the usual dark and minimalistic synth sounds, but there’s also more warmth there, and even sudden flashes of hope.
Opening with a slightly disturbing, claustrophobic intro, ‘Keep Driving’, it rolls smoothly into the distorted synths and husky, almost whisper-like vocals of ‘Face the Fire’, followed by ‘Fate’, mixing a catchy melody with gloomy late-night atmosphere and lyrics to match (‘In spite of me, you always go’). ‘LA’ is a ray of light in the dark, it seems, all warmth and lust and road-trip vibes. But my absolute highlight is the dancefloor-worthy ‘Come Closer’, probably the darkest, most dense and delicious track on ‘Careful’. Even as things mellow down towards the end of the album, there’s still that disturbing feeling under the skin that you can’t completely get rid of.
All in all, I feel like ‘Careful’ would make my top 10 of the decade, and that’s saying something. A truly excellent album.
3. Ansome – Hounds of the Harbour, Perc Trax
The Cornish modular innovator and producer known as Ansome has been releasing quality music for a while now, and his 2016 album, ‘Stowaway’, is still one I go back to every now and again. Even so, I didn’t really know what to expect from ‘Hounds of the Harbour’. So when I first listened to it, I did so with an open mind.
And oh boy, did it deliver! Someone on Bandcamp commented on it: ‘This is how you wake ancient Lovecraftian titans up from their sleep’ – and that’s the perfect way of putting it, I think. Consisting of 12 short but dense tracks, this is industrial techno at its finest, with an impressive palette of sharp, jarring, dirty sounds.
From the heavy, dense, almost sinister ‘Pedal to the Metal’ through the anger-fuelled, razor-sharp, stompy belter of a track that is ‘Smuggler’s Den’ to ‘Hell for Leather’, full of strange background noises, distorted sounds and insane tension, this is as close as you can get to consistent brilliance. Special mentions to the eerie titular track, ‘Hounds of the Harbour’, that wouldn’t be out of place in a low-budget horror movie, and the heart-wrenching, sad and low-key beautiful ‘Last Bottle’.
Yeah, it’s safe to say this is a must-listen, especially if industrial techno is your thing.
4. Kanga – Eternal Daughter, self-released
If you haven’t heard of Kanga, don’t worry; not many people have. I discovered her by accident, thanks to a recommendation from friends, and her affiliation with 3Teeth. I must admit I didn’t listen to her much – until she released ‘Eternal Daughter’.
Being a solo artist, Kanga doesn’t have to compromise on sound. She expertly mixes futuristic pop with gritty synths, heavy bass with Gary Numan-esque elements (it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Numan invited her to open for him during his (R)evolution tour), and packs it all into punchy yet powerful tunes.
‘Eternal Daughter’ is a short one, with only six tracks, but in some cases, good things come in small packages, and every single one of them is quality stuff, from the brief intro that unfolds into catchy, almost poppy ‘Burn’, with Kanga’s honest, unpretentious vocals reminding me of Ladytron, and then follows on to slower, sensual ‘Daughter’ with its low, rumbling bassline. ‘Run’ is so catchy that it wouldn’t be out of place on the radio, and the lyrics have a liberating vibe – after all, wouldn’t we all want to run sometime? Closing the album are ‘Cocaine’ and ‘Control’, both weaving between synthpop and industrial rock, both really well rounded tracks.
I’m curious to see what Kanga comes up next – she has definitely piqued my interest.
5. Karenn – Grapefruit Regret, VOAM
Karenn may be a new name on the electronic music scene, but the two people who create it are long-standing stalwarts, Blawan and Pariah. They’d released bits of music together before, but ‘Grapefruit Regret’ is their first full album as Karenn. As soon as I found out they were coming to my local club with a live show, I had to check it out.
And I’m glad I did! It’s not easy to recreate the energy of a live set in the studio, but the British duo managed to pull it off, or at least come as close to it as humanly possible. The grinding 4/4 rhythms, interspersed by bleepy noises and weird loops, are made for a proper club-quality sound system, but they don’t lose much of their quality when listened on decent headphones. And yes, you might end up jumping out of your chair and breaking into a dance, like yours truly just did.
If you do get the chance, go and see Karenn live. This is when their music truly comes to life, and packs the strongest punch. I can guarantee that you will find it hard to stop dancing, even if your feet scream in agony and you’re a (barely) living, (hardly) breathing puddle of sweat. Seriously, they’re so good they’ll make you want to speak to the manager.
Also, listen to ‘Crush the Mushrooms’. You’ll thank me later.
And you, dear readers? Do you have your top 5 albums of 2019? Is there anything you’re looking forward to in 2020?
More favourites from me coming soon!
We are all mad here. 