2019

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/98875dd7-e64d-4971-83b4-2450793d6817

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JM2JLTKo4BZyJrJHu4ntU

Here is my list of favorite releases from 2019. There was surely more music that I enjoyed this year, but I limited the list to 15 tracks to match the format of this blog. Some of these selections represent full albums while some favorites are just the single tracks. One of the musical techniques that I am most drawn to is the use of repetition, which is a prevalent feature in many of the songs chosen for this list.


1. I Know You See Me - Kassa Overall, J Hoard, Melanie Charles

Kassa Overall is a drummer/MC/songwriter/producer/artist from Seattle and based in NYC. He is one of my favorite drummers. He brings a potent, genuine style to his playing. This track is one of his first releases after being signed to Gilles Peterson's label Brownswood Recordings. It incorporates his drumming, MC, and production skills to create a flowing, collage-like sound. 

2. Goat Head - Brittany Howard

Brittany Howard's solo release "Jaime" was one of my favorite albums of the year. This track in particular drew me, first because of the sample-like instrumental looping that starts the song. It features the impenetrable drumming of Nate Smith under a sparse keyboard line. Howard then enters with heavy lyrics about the intolerance that she and her family faced growing up in Alabama with a white mom and black dad and the identities that people try to force on her for being mixed. The lyrical delivery switches between repeating phrases, holding on one note, and an almost spoken word approach. This switching up of delivery creates a conversational vibe. It also helps convey the emotions of the story. 

3. GIOVANNI - Jamila Woods

LEGACY!LEGACY! by Jamila Woods was another of my favorite albums of the year. The dense, drum heavy instrumentals on this album complement Jamila's smooth, soprano voice. Although her voice has that quality, the lyrics are powerful and assertive. 

4. Basement Jack - Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy is the guitar player for the band The Internet. Lacy's songwriting on Apollo XXI is skillfully simple and has a similarly playful quality to that of the The Internet but is a little more airy. 

5. Babouche - Jidenna, Goldlink

I like this song because it slaps. The beat accomplishes a deep groove using just a snare, hi hat, and sub kick. Everything else on the beat is color. Additionally the koto sample reminds me of a sample approach that I have used in the past, but this song does it better. Jidenna's flow fits right into the pocket. Goldlink's delivery sounds kind of like Kendrick on this track, but it fits well. 

6. Statute of Limitations - 2 Chainz

Rap Or Go To The League is one of the albums I listened to the most this year. I like that 2 Chainz is one of the older rappers who is still current and collaborating with younger artists. His flow is simple and he expresses a lot with a little. 

7. Fire Is Coming (feat. David Lynch) - Flying Lotus

The newest Flying Lotus album, Flamagra, features dense chords over bouncy funk grooves. Thundercat is a prominent feature throughout. The first half of the track "Fire Is Coming", is just David Lynch telling a feverish, Lynchian story accompanied by sound effects. At the end of the story the beat comes in HEAVY.

8. Thinking (Live Sesh) - Louis Cole

In 2012 I saw Austin Peralta play at the Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice, CA. It was the first time I had seen or heard of Louis Cole, who was playing drums that night. I talked to him after the show and asked him what other gigs he plays. He said he didn't really play out that much. Now he's one the most well known modern instrumentalists within the jazz/funk world, playing with and writing songs for Thundercat, leading the electro-funk band Knower, being featured on the Snarky Puppy family dinner video series, etc. Recently he has been arranging his songs for a large ensemble. The orchestration of his funk songs, like this one, are fat, funky, and feel good. 

9. Stop The Tape - Emmavie

I found out about Emmavie from the Fresh Selects Bandcamp page. Her album Honeymoon from this year is soulful and groovy, using largely electronic instrumentals. The electronic sound gives the songs a vaguely retro feel but the album still sounds fresh. I have been having fun playing along to this track, with it's groove switching between an almost DnB style, a slow RnB vibe, and a 3 over 4 polyrhythmic vamp. 

10. Tarhatazed - Mdou Moctar

I had the privilege of opening for Mdou Moctar in 2018 with the band Beyond Captain Orca. His band rocks out hard over Saharan rhythms. Moctar is heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix. His album from this year, Ilana (The Creator), is heady and beautiful. The band really goes for it on this song and Moctar lets loose on guitar. 

11. Highwomen - The Highwomen

This group took a good, classic country song and made it really good. The original song featuring Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson, told the fictional stories of adventurers and laborers who died during their work, but whose spirits live on. Highwomen, sung by Brandi Carlisle, Natalie Hemby, Yola, Amanda Shires, and Maren Morris, uses the same format but tells the stories of women throughout history who were killed for defying the roles that their societies imposed on them. I get the chills every time I listen to it. Although I love the original tune, this update is a lot more meaningful. 

12. Can't Believe The Way We Flow - James Blake

Assume Form, by James Blake was another one of my favorite albums this year. The murky, moody production and reverb-heavy vocals create a uniquely beautiful statement. Blake's music can't really be categorized. He incorporates techniques from different musical traditions, but the end product is his own. 

13. Not - Big Thief

The beauty of this song is that it never resolves lyrically or musically. When you think the song may be about to resolve, it just keeps building, creating more tension. 

14. Due West - Kelsey Lu

Due West is a beautiful pop song about leaving to pursue one's dreams.  The lyrics on the chorus fall across the bar line pushing the song forward.


 15. Bass Attack Bap - Georgia Anne Muldrow

Georgia Anne Muldrow is one of my favorite producers of all time. She has one of the dopest feels and her arrangements are always new and interesting. She has a style rooted in old school, 90's neo-soul and hip hop but it always feels fresh as well. This track combines a fat bass line with an expansive piano chord vamp and slapping drums.


 bonus:

16. Trail Mix - Terrace Martin, Buddy, Rose Gold

Terrace Martin is one of my favorite artists. Known for producing Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly album, he also plays alto saxophone and vocoder with Herbie Hancock and is producing Hancock's next album. In addition to those big projects, he has been releasing soul music side projects and collaborations for the past few years. Highlights include "Velvet Portraits" and "The Pollyseeds". This year he has been releasing a string of singles including this one. It's a simple song that creates a vibe more than anything else. Terrace is great at creating vibes.