Albums of 2019

Another difficult year in the books, but another year of incredible music as well. Even as streaming services continue to dominate and Spotify's "Wrapped" becomes a cultural staple shared on Social Media, I remain a firm believer in the art of the album. To me, it's still the best way to enjoy music and to back up my claim, I purchased over 100 records this year to enjoy off-line. However, with music more accessible than ever before, genres begin to blur and tastes become more eclectic. For me, rock still remains the core of my taste and this year once again proved that it's not dead. From the return of The Raconteurs and Duster to the best work in years from Wilco and Sunn O))), it was clear that guitars still have a voice, and a loud one at that. This year also saw the uprising of acts like Weyes Blood and Angel Olsen finally getting proper recognition, TWO new albums from Big Thief, ambient masterworks from Telefon Tel Aviv and Fennesz, and the final words from David Berman. I spent a lot of this year listening to the reissues from Stereolab, countless Neil Young records (reissues and the return of Crazy Horse), the triumphs of FKA twigs, and the surprise return of Vivian Girls. To wrap things up, I'm sharing fifty of my favorite records this year and I hope something here strikes a chord for you. Thanks for reading!

Songs of 2019

Closing out the year feels a bit nice, but a little lost in the end of the decade as well. To me, 2019 was another stellar year for music and for once, it feels like a lot of different bands and artists are making appearances on "best of" lists around the internet. For me, rock music was very much alive and well thanks to veterans like the Raconteurs and punk heroes Sleater-Kinney. I still think albums are the primary way of listening to music, but with streaming and surprises releases dominating the industry, single songs are still the best way to find new music. I listened to hundreds (maybe thousands) of songs this year and ranked 100 of my favorite below. I hope you find something fun.

James Blake played Brooklyn Academy of Music

After releasing his fourth record, Assume Form, earlier this year, James Blake is rounding out 2019 with intimate shows featuring only himself and a piano.

Albums of the Decade | 2010 - 2019

As the decade comes to an end, I still believe that the album is a concept and one that is best suited for listening to music. Even as streaming captivated the world and changed the way we enjoy and experience music, albums still feel critical. This was the first decade in which I ranked my favorite albums each year, so compiling this list was easier than expected, but still yielded some fun surprises. Again, I stuck to one album per artist (although you'll see some people on here twice) and it was fun to remember some records that faded over time in my memory, but still sound as bright and sharp as they did the year they were released. From Deafheaven to Beyoncé, Grouper to Iceage, and Kamasi Washington to Robyn, I hope there is something here for everyone.

Thank you to everyone who has read this blog over the past ten plus years. It means the world to me.

Songs of the Decade | 2010 - 2019

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since I ranked my favorite songs and albums of the 2010s, but here we are at the close of another decade. The past ten years have been monumental in my life and writing this blog has been a major aspect of it. This was the first full decade I lived in New York City and nine and a half of those years have been in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I saw the rise and fall of plenty of DIY venues and the remarkable change that has swept through the neighborhood. I went to hundreds of shows, bought hundreds of records, and listened to hundreds (if not thousands) of songs.

On this list, I was a bit more ambitious than ever before and have listed out 200 of my favorite songs from the past ten years. I was selective and only have one track per artist (exceptions include: Kanye and Jay solo as well as with Watch the Throne, Carrie Brownstein with Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag, Thom Yorke solo and with Radiohead, Drake's guest spots, and the women of Boygenius all of whom appear solo as well) which meant choosing a single song by Beyoncé, Beach House, Kanye, Rihanna, Kendrick, and Drake was incredibly challenging. If you're asking how did I find the time to do this, well I took two months off from work and traveled the Eastern Hemisphere alone while gave way to a lot of free time and ample amounts of hours to revisit tons of songs. I hope you find something you enjoy! There's a Spotify playlist all the way at the end.

Lightning Bolt played Pioneer Works

Noise masters Lightning Bolt dropped by Brooklyn's Pioneer Works in support of their great new record, Sonic Citadel.

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - "Texas Sun"

Khruangbin and Leon Bridges are both artists hailing from Texas. Next year, they'll release a joint EP called Texas Sun, but first they've shared the title track via Dead Oceans.

Burial - "Old Tape"

Burial has shared a new track called "Old Tape" from HyperDub's Adult Swim collaboration, HyperSwim.

Angel Olsen played Brooklyn Steel

Angel Olsen is in New York for three nights at Brooklyn Steel in support of her excellent new record All Mirrors.

Haim - "Hallelujah"

Haim are back with their third single of 2019. "Hallelujah" is another somber jam, but one that finds them at their sharpest and most direct.

Andy Stott - "Versi"

Andy Stott has made a surprise, late entry in the best of the year game with his double EP, It Should Be Us which dropped just over a week ago.

David Byrne's American Utopia on Broadway

David Byrne's tour behind his record American Utopia has landed on Broadway and is an absolute must-see for any music lover (or human being with ears).

FKA twigs - "sad day"

FKA twigs is ready to release her sophomore record MAGDALENE this coming Friday via Young Turks. In anticipation, she's shared one final lead-up single, "sad day."

Saves the Day played Through Being Cool at Elsewhere

Emo vets Saves the Day are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their great record Through Being Cool by playing the album from start to finish. To help them out, the band brought Hot Rod Circuit along for the ultimate in emo nostalgia.

Frank Ocean - "In My Room"

Frank Ocean has shared another new song, his second of 2019. It's called "In My Room" and it follows "DHL" as his first new material since 2017.

Sleater-Kinney played Kings Theatre

In support of their underrated new record The Center Won't Hold, Sleater-Kinney played Brooklyn's Kings Theatre for their first of two New York City shows.

Tame Impala - "It Might Be Time"

Tame Impala have announced their first new record in five years. The follow-up to 2015's incredible Currents is called The Slow Rush and it's out in February 2020.

OctFest 2019

The third annual Octfest presented by Pitchfork and October was held at the Knockdown Center in Queens and featured an impressive line-up of craft beer and killer rock and roll.

Matt Berninger and Phoebe Bridgers - "Walking on a String"

Matt Berninger and Phoebe Bridgers have shared a full studio recording of their song "Walking on a String" from the soundtrack to Between Two Ferns.

Bon Iver played Barclays Center

In support of this year's great record i,i, Bon Iver came to Brooklyn's Barclays Center for their biggest New York show to date.

Panda Bear - "playing the long game"

After dropping his new album Buoys earlier this year, Panda Bear is back with a new, stand alone single called "playing the long game."

Caribou - "Home"

It's been five years since Dan Snaith released new music under his moniker Caribou, but after half a decade of waiting, his first new track since Our Love has arrived.

Dean Wareham - "Snow is Falling in Manhattan"

Earlier this year, we lost the great David Berman shortly after the release of his incredible album (of the year) Purple Mountains. In tribute to the singer, a compilation of covers has been shared called Approaching Perfection: A Tribute to DC Berman.

Songs of 2019: Q3

We're now only a few months away from the end of the year and the start of 2020, but first here are a bunch of tracks that I had on heavy rotation all summer.

The Comet is Coming played Music Hall of Williamsburg

Avant-guard jazz group The Comet is Coming is having a banner year thanks in part to their astounding record Trust in the Lifeforce of Deep Mystery. They touched down to Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg to kick-off a short U.S. tour as part of a final victory lap of 2019.

Stereolab played Brooklyn Steel

The reunited Stereolab played their first show in New York in 11 years at Brooklyn Steel on the first of two sold-out nights.

Massive Attack played Radio City Music Hall

After being forced to reschedule tour dates earlier in the year, Massive Attack finally made it to Radio City to bring their classic album Mezzanine to life.

Janelle Monáe played Pier 17

Still on tour in support of last year's Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe brought the party to New York's Pier 17.

Boards of Canada - "XYZ"

Warp Records has announced a new vinyl box set entitled, WXAXRXP Sessions, which collects recordings of 10 radio sessions from artists across the label. Included is "XYZ," an unreleased Boards of Canada track.

Angel Olsen - "Lark"

Angel Olsen is set to release her new record All Mirrors on October 4 via Jagjaguwar. It's her first album of all new material since 2016's excellent My Woman.

FKA twigs - "holy terrain"

FKA twigs has announced her follow-up to 2014's impressive LP1. Her sophomore record is titled MAGDALENE and it's out on October 25 via Yung Turks.

Morrissey and Interpol played Forest Hills Stadium

It was a perfect late-Summer evening out in Queens as the impossible Morrissey played to a pretty packed crowd with the help of hometown moody setters Interpol.

The Raconteurs played Hammerstein Ballroom

In support of their great new record Help Us, Stranger, the Raconteurs rolled into Hammerstein Ballroom for their first of two New York shows this weekend.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - "Milky Way"

Living legend and my personal musical hero Neil Young is gearing up to release a new album with his iconic band Crazy Horse. The record is called Colorado and it's out October 25. Check out the record's first single, "Milky Way," now!

Sannhet played St. Vitus

Brooklyn's own Sannhet brought the doom and destruction to Greenpoint's excellent St. Vitus for a Saturday night of extreme pleasures.

Bill Callahan played Webster Hall

Bill Callahan kicked off another leg of his tour in support of this year's fantastic new album Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, his first album in six years, with a show at Webster Hall.

Tame Impala played Madison Square Garden

Tame Impala played to a sold-out crowd on their first of two nights at New York's acclaimed Madison Square Garden and brought a show worthy of the legendary venue's reputation.

Sheer Mag - "The Killer"

Philly thrashers Sheer Mag will release their new record, A Distant Call, on August 23 and the band have shared a third single, "The Killer" ahead of the album's release.

Ringo Starr played Pier 17

Thirty years after assembling his first ever All-Starr Band, Ringo brought the latest version to lower Manhattan's Pier 17 to gently rock and older crowd back to the glory days of classic rock.

Sleater-Kinney - "The Dog/The Body"

The Center Won't Hold, the new record from Sleater-Kinney, is one of the best rock records of the year and another excellent addition to the band's incredible discography.

Big Thief - "Not"

Earlier this year, Big Thief released their excellent new record U.F.O.F and today they've already announced a follow-up record, Two Hands, due later this year. Yes, that's two new Big Thief records in 2019.

Battles - "Titanium 2 Step"

Experimental math-rockers Battle are back, this time as a duo, and have announced a new record, Juice B Crypts, that drops on October 18.

Haim - "Summer Girl"

Haim have shared a new song called "Summer Girl" and while there's no album announcement attached with the release, it's their first piece of new music since 2017's Something to Tell You.

Elvis Costello and Blondie played Forest Hills Stadium

The epic double-bill of Elvis Costello and Blondie came to Queen's Forest Hills Stadium on a supreme summer evening.

Robyn played Barclays Center

Robyn is still touring in support of last year's incredible Honey. Amidst a massive heatwave rocking the east coast, she brought her disco-pop treasures to Brooklyn for a night of pure bliss.

Carly Rae Jepsen played Hammerstein Ballroom

Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated is without question the best pop album of the year. To support her recent masterpiece, she brought the Dedicated Tour to NYC for two nights of incendiary pop bliss.

Vivian Girls - "Sick"

Well here's some unexpected news, Vivian Girls are back! The trio has reunited, announced a new record, and shared their first new song since 2011's Joy.

Wilco - "Love is Everywhere (Beware)"

The legendary Chicago band Wilco has announced their eleventh studio album. It's called Ode to Joy and it's out October 4.

Bill Callahan played Murmrr Theatre

Earlier this year, Bill Callahan released his first new record in six years. To celebrate, he brought a full band to Brooklyn's lovely Murmrr Theatre.

Bon Iver - "Faith"

Bon Iver has announced the follow-up to 2017's 22, A Million. The new record titled i,i, is out on August 30.