This was a strange year, in the sense that without even planning it I ended up listening to more new releases than any past year. I think it was a subconscious thing, being in the middle of a "oh yeah I'll just build my own house and it will go perfectly with no hiccups whatsoever" type of situation. I was looking for something new and perfect to replace the new home which has yet to arrive. Luckily all this listening paid off as there were some really excellent albums this year. It started off slowly, only for some of the best output to come out towards the end. Killer climax, man.
This year I have not put together a playlist, but instead included a song or video for each review as a taste for the rest. And even though these are numbered as you can see, they are not in any order whatsoever. Except for #1 - that one truly rises above all else this year.
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
2019
10
Night Pass
PURE BATHING CULTURE
Portland's Pure Bathing Culture is one of those bands I've tried from album to album to get into - thinking that band name was just calling out to me. But unfortunately I never connected to any of their songs. That is until now. I'm not sure the comparison could have been applied previously and I simply missed it, but the Fleetwood Mac reference is VERY strong here. Just check out the video for 'All Night' here, right down to the guitarist looking much like a younger Lindsey Buckingham, right down to the receding hairline. If I was to fully describe it, I'd say this album is a mix of Fleetwood Mac and Beach House - a sound I hope they continue to explore down the road, because this one is stellar, and a grower.
Tracklist
Thin Growing Thing
Devotion
Veil
Black Starling
Ad Victoriam
All Night
Moonrise
Remember
Joyous Lake
Violet A Voyager
Label
Infinite Companion
Released
26 April 2019
Running time
40:00