As the year comes to a close, we’ve teamed up once again with our friends at CD Central to get their takes on the best music released in 2019. Not surprisingly, the picks from shop owner Steve Baron and his six staff members – three standout albums and a list of “honorable mentions” from each – range wildly in style and genre. We see everything from doom metal to country, desert rock to experimental pop – in some cases, all those genres and more represented in one individual’s list. It’s a testament to not only the wealth of great music that continues to be released each year but also to the breadth of knowledge and varied palates that continue to be cultivated under the roof of this beloved local beacon of independent music.
We hope this guide inspires not only some new musical discoveries but also some year-end gift ideas – and if it does, we hope you will strongly consider making your purchase at CD Central, or another independent music shop to support the contributions these places make toward the local music scene and culture.
ELIZABETH O’DELL’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
Karen O and Danger Mouse joined forces to create the stunning 2019 album ‘Lux Prima.’ Photo by Natalia Mantini for The New York Times
Karen O & Danger Mouse, “Lux Prima”
• The unlikely duo of Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O and prolific electronic producer Danger Mouse team up to create a shimmeringly sparse yet ethereal album. Danger Mouse lends beautiful atmospheric versatility coupled with Karen O’s warm but somehow raw vocals. Together, these two highly acclaimed artists set the mood for a luxuriously timeless and soulful dreamscape worth playing over and over again.
Hovvdy: “Heavy Lifter”
• Austin, Texas, based indie pop duo Hovvdy pull together a lighthearted collection of songs about friendship, heartbreak and hopefulness on their third album, “Heavy Lifter.” Their layered lo-fidelity vocal arrangements on top of beautiful subdued guitar harmonies portray an intimate snapshot of quiet reflection, gazing through the window from the inside out in.
Orville Peck: “Pony”
• Canadian mystery man Orville Peck debuted his 12-track full length “Pony” earlier this year. Donning a black leather fringed mask and a Stetson, Orville’s country crooning brings to mind the likes of Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline. Orville is able to dance effortlessly, bringing nostalgia, his own queer sensibilities and playfulness to this masterpiece of an album.
Elizabeth’s honorable mentions:
• Shana Cleveland, “Night Of The Worm Moon”
• Deerhunter, “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?”
• Kim Gordon, “No Home Record”
• Vagabon, “Vagabon”
EDWARD MASON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
The Menzingers. Photo furnished
The Menzingers, “Hello Exile”
• The Menzingers continue where 2017’s After the Party left off, writing punk-influenced heartland rock songs about the bittersweet nostalgia and the melancholy reality of navigating your 30s. Hello Exile takes the Springsteen influences further than its predecessor, cranking out plaintive hooks like the painful “I Can’t Stop Drinking.” However, songs like “America (You’re Freaking Me Out)” show that, in their hearts, the Menzingers are still a punk band.
Sturgill Simpson, “Sound and Fury”
• Two things are clear about Sturgill Simpson in 2019. First, he’s not just a country music singer. Secondly, he has the artistic license to do anything he wants. “Sound and Fury” sounds like if ZZ Top listened to a lot of Tangerine Dream-esque synth-pop, and the album has a Netflix companion anime film. No one could have expected his next album would sound like this. I can’t wait to hear how he reinvents himself next, but I’ll have a lot of fun listening to “Sound and Fury” in the meantime.
Highwomen, “Highwomen”
• I don’t feel that as a white male I can adequately explain how important this album is for 2019. I can, however, talk about how this is the best country music release of the year. The supergroup of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires challenges the marginalization of women in a way that is both touching and witty. Their gender-swapped reworking of the classic song “The Highwayman” alone shows the importance of their work.
Edward’s honorable mentions:
• Bruce Springsteen, “Western Stars”
• Mountain Goats, “In League With Dragons”
• Pedro the Lion, “Phoenix”
• American Football, “American Football (2019)”
• Starflyer 59: “Young In My Head”
• Bad Religion: “Age of Unreason”
STEVE BARON'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
Tyler Childers. Photo furnished
Tyler Childers, “Country Squire”
• Tyler Childers’ new album was eagerly awaited by his legions of fans in central Kentucky, but it also solidified his standing as one of a trio of Kentuckians – along with Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton – who are rejecting the old norms of Nashville and bringing country to a national audience that didn’t know it liked country music. Childers once again proves himself a fine songwriter and storyteller who can create vivid characters (à la Steve Earle) and does it with the utmost authenticity.
Beatles, “Abbey Road” (anniversary reissue)
• “Abbey Road” is pretty close to the top of the heap in the pantheon of 1960s rock albums, not to mention that many consider it the final “real” Beatles album. You have to be careful messing with something as beloved as this, but by all accounts the remix performed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell is a success, bringing out detail and nuance hitherto unheard in the tracks.
Jenny Lewis, “On the Line”
• Her fourth solo album (following several with her group Rilo Kiley) sees Lewis making some of the best and smartest indie pop music out there, heavy on melody but heavy as well with an edginess that reflects some personal tragedies in her life. How much is autobiographical and how much is storytelling is for the listener to decide. Among her collaborators on the album are Beck and Ringo Starr.
Steve’s honorable mentions:
• Angel Olsen, “All Mirrors”
• Ona, “Full Moon Heavy Light”
• Rhiannon Giddens, “There Is No Other”
• Gary Clark Jr., “This Land”
• Bob Dylan, “Travelin’ Thru 1967-69” (Bootleg Series)
• Bon Iver, “i, i”
AAYAT ALI'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
Big Thief. Photo furnished
Big Thief, “Two Hands”
• Big Thief’s second release of the year has solidified the group’s stance as not just a band comprising musicians but as a single entity. The album’s standout track “Not” offers everything Big Thief is known and loved for: Adrianne Lenker’s comforting, yet haunting vocals over top of smashing cymbals, and a gravelly guitar solo that transports you straight to the Texas desert where it was recorded.
Weyes Blood, “Titanic Rising”
• The album art for “Titanic Rising” features Natalie Merling in an underwater bedroom, which completely encapsulates its ability to make you feel like you’re floating in a sensory deprivation tank. On the track “Andromeda,” Merling embodies Karen Carpenter and sings about the potential of finding contentment but realizes, “Now I know it’s just one dream/All these others gonna tear me apart,” a theme that follows throughout the entire album.
Beyoncé, “Homecoming: The Live Album”
• The name Beyoncé needs no introduction. The album accompaniment to the 2019 Netflix documentary that highlighted her Coachella performance that year is a career-spanning love letter to historically black colleges and universities. Accompanied by a full marching band, Knowles turned her recognizable hits on their heads. Despite being in the business for nearly two decades, Knowles has made an undoubtedly career-defining album.
Aayat’s honorable mentions:
• Better Oblivion Community Center, “Better Oblivion Community Center”
• Solange, “When I Get Home”
• The National, “I Am Easy to Find”
• (Sandy) Alex G, “House of Sugar”
• Stef Chura, “Midnight”
WILL BURCHARD’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
One Eleven Heavy. Photo furnished
One Eleven Heavy, “Desire Path”
• Album number two from this band (which features former Lexingtonian James Toth of Wooden Wand), and, oh man, here’s your free ride for the year: careening slack jawed down a path paved with pine needles, raucous and lazy but never late. Duel guitars and vocals harmonize in the dirt in this textbook example of a band becoming cohesive through touring for their first album, then recording their second while riding that crest.
Yawning Man, “Macedonian Lines”
• Noted as one of the first influential bands in the “desert rock” scene, Yawning Man has begun to capitalize on and further their reputation as the sandy nomad architects of the dry American West. Drifting guitars and octopusian drumming find their root in live performance, born of arid jams.
Je Suis France, “Back to the Basics of Love”
• This is the most ambitious record to date by the prolific Athens, Georgia-founded experimentalists. Unlike previous recordings, which featured elements recorded remotely, the band members came together from their half-dozen separate cities to sync up the jam in person. Scuzzy, melodic guitar, caustic percussion and the feeling of being just on the verge of inside-joke inclusion, there are no existing descriptors that can accurately convey the feeling of the France.
Will’s honorable mentions:
• Howling Giant, “The Space Between Worlds”
• Colour Haze, “Live Vol. 2 Duna Jam 2007”
• Russian Circles, “Blood Year”
• Ceremony, “In the Spirit World Now”
• Big Business, “The Beast You Are”
• Ride, “This is not a Safe Place”
• Garcia Peoples, “One Step Behind”
MAX MORRIS’ TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
100 gecs. Photo furnished
100 gecs, “1000 gecs”
• A hyperactive genre mash-up that repurposes influences from some of the most reviled acts of the millennium (3oh!3, Brokencyde, Skrillex, even Crazy Frog) so brilliantly that it makes you reconsider your hatred for those acts in the first place. Some of the most exciting and unique music I’ve heard in years.
Uniform & The Body, “Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back”
• Doom metal duo The Body and noise-rockers Uniform are two acts I’ve always been a casual fan of but have never really connected with. The same cannot be said when the two come together. An abrasive yet deeply moving project that surpasses even last year’s great “Mental Wounds Not Healing.”
Tanya Tucker, “While I’m Livin’”
• This album could’ve been truly awful and I still probably would have loved it, just because it’s new, original material from Tanya Tucker – something we haven’t had in close to 20 years. However, that is not the case. With songwriting from Brandi Carlile, this long-awaited return is a nearly perfect collection of 10 great new songs from one of country’s all-time great voices.
Max’s honorable mentions:
• Xiu Xiu, “Girl With a Basket of Fruit”
• Charli XCX, “Charli”
• Young Dolph & Key Glock, “Dum and Dummer”
• DJ Nate, “Take Off Mode”
• Insane Clown Posse, “Fearless Fred Fury”
• Nick Cave, “Ghosteen”
RONNIE DONAHUE’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
Joan Shelley. Photo furnished
Joan Shelley, “Like the River Loves the Sea”
• Full of gorgeous melodies and poetic lyrics, the fourth LP from the Louisville native features backing vocals from Will Oldham. It is a perfect companion to a warm autumn day.
Purple Mountains, “Purple Mountains”
• Beautiful but sad album highlighted by the tragic passing of frontman David Berman. Despite the subject matter and following events, is still an up tempo effort from one of the greatest songwriters of recent times.
Lizzo, “Cuz I Love You”
• Packed with clever one liners and catchy hooks, this major label debut is a fun and powerful statement from this Detroit powerhouse.
Ronnie’s honorable mentions:
• Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “I Made a Place”
• Steve Gunn, “The Unseen in Between”
• William Tyler “Goes West”
• Cass McCombs, “Tip of the Sphere”
• Jake Xerxes Fussell, “Out of Sight”
• Bedouine, “Bird Songs of a Killjoy”
• Big Thief, “U.F.O.F.”