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Midyear Rundown: The Best Albums of 2019 So Far

August 7, 2019 by A.S. Van Dorston

Same as I said last year, midyear lists are pretty half-assed, since no one really puts in the time and effort to dig deep and discover albums they may have missed before doing the list. It is what it is, a snapshot of what have been dominating our playlists so far, and not inherently useless. Despite the issues of people no longer buying music the same way they used to, it seems more music is being released than ever, and two people with somewhat compatible tastes can still have lists of favorites with nothing in common with each other. In one sense, that’s cool that there’s so much variety, but it can also be isolating, everyone in their own musical bubbles, and most of your friends might not share anything in common. That can in turn apply to fewer people agreeing on which live shows to go to. Perhaps that’s why festivals are so popular. Most of these bands you’ll have to catch separately in small clubs. Someday perhaps there will be a fest so awesome as to have this kind of range.

These blurbs cover the releases that have not yet gotten full length reviews, with the full list below them.

Spirit Adrift – Divided By Darkness (20 Buck Spin)

While there was a slight lull in productivity by some of the bands responsible for reviving traditional heavy metal the past decade and a half (a five year gap between albums from Slough Feg, Christian Mistress is MIA since 2015), youngish guns like Spirit Adrift have quickly taken up the baton and established themselves as leading lights in the scene with three full lengths and a couple EPs to date since 2016. Spirit Adrift was an instant favorite from the beginning, and they’ve only gotten better, with Nate Garrett transitioning from his one-man doom project to a fully operational band, incorporating additional elements of classic rock and metal (Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest). Their third album is their most direct, but still maintains the expansive approach of cosmic spirit seekers from the days when psychedelic prog bands roamed the earth.

Priests – The Seduction Of Kansas (Sister Polygon)

Priests showed a ton of promise with their 2017 debut Nothing Feels Natural, where they’re still masticating on a wide variety of post-punk and art punk influences.  Their follow-up is definitely a progression, but not quite how I expected, with a much more diverse array of sounds that threaten to lose cohesion. But thanks to their growth as subtle yet powerful lyricists, it all ties together as a complex examination on how America’s heartland has been seduced by the right wing political machine and think tanks. They may not quite rival Savages with their musical force, but they are certainly belong in the top tier of modern post-punk.

Fontaines DC – Dogrel (Partisan)

Even before the release of their debut album, I was smitten by Fontaines DC (not to be confused with LA electropop band Fontaines) via their “Chequeless Reckless / Boys in The Better Land” and “Too Real” singles. “Boys In The Better Land” is driven by propulsive percussion and Grian Chatten’s chanted/sneered vocals like The Fall’s “Cruiser’s Creek” in double time.  He can sing a tune too (“Liberty Belle,” with a garagey Vaccines vibe and  “Roy’s Tune”), and even pays homage to The Pogues’ Shane McGowan on album closer “Dublin City Sky.” Fingers crossed this isn’t the band’s peak and they continue to make great music.

Worshipper – Light In The Wire (Tee Pee)

Like Spirit Adrift, Worshipper were originally tagged into the doom metal bucket. There’s no shame in that, I love all kinds of doom metal. However they have quickly spilled over into all kinds of genres, from hard rockers Scorpions and UFO to, especially on this new album, Kyuss-inspired stoner rock, with John Brookhouse’s vocals reminding me distinctly of Truckfighters’ Oskar Cedermalm.  This can dangerously veer into an extremely overcrowded subgenre, but Worshipper has a sound that pushes the right buttons, including a few proggy excursions that keep them haunting my playlists daily through the first half of the year.

Rose City Band – Rose City Band (Jean Sandwich)

What happens when Moon Duo/Wooden Shjips’ Ripley Johnson teams up with a band to tackle cosmic Americana? This! Rose City Band is what happens! A hypnotic fusion of country folk and kosmische, veering off the autobahn onto country roads, but with hallucinogenic neon colored landscapes. I can’t single out particular songs, but as a whole it’s totally addictive, perfect for endless replays.

The Lord Weird Slough Feg – The New Organon (Cruz Del Sur)

Ah Slough Feg how I love them. In many ways they kickstarted the revival of traditional heavy metal when they released their first album in 1996. Their productivity started tailing off when four years between The Animal Spirits (2010) and Digital Resistance (2014) stretched from four years to five. And while the latter was slightly lackluster compared to their catalog, every new album offers at least some great material. The New Organon is the first album they’ve used their full original The Lord Weird Slough Feg name since Traveller (2003).  And while it does indicate somewhat of a return to their celtic influenced twin guitar harmonies, it may not quite reach those heights. But the prospect of them touring again is exciting, as they are one of the best live bands you’ll ever see, kind of what I imagine seeing Iron Maiden in a small club back in ’79 might have been like.

Wonderment – Wonderment (Woolgathering Records)

It’s been a good year for jazz so far, with The Comet Is Coming, Kokoroko, Greg Ward Presents Rogue Parade, Ezra Collective, Sunwatchers, The Tronosonic Experience, Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Matt Mitchell, The Writhing Squares, etc. Wonderment is a power trio of accomplished musicians Zach Brock (violin), Matt Ulery (double bass) and Jon Deitemyer (drums), songwriters all. Over a decade in the making, this debut album fuses avant creativity with post-bop traditions for some lovely sounds that inspire repeated listening. It works just as well in the background as it does riding the rollercoaster of emotional impact from a focused listening session.

Sacri Monti – Waiting Room For The Magic Hour (Tee Pee)

Encinitas, CA based Sacri Monti’s debut was a highlight for me in 2015. Despite that, they kind of fell of my radar, and while I was wondering when the next Golden Void album would come out, it turns out I was actually craving Sacri Monti’s second album, on which they continue to toss some prog (with requisite mellotron) and kosmische into the heavy psych stew, but also weave in some nuanced blues folk textures.

Body Type – EP2 (Partisan)

There’s been a series of EPs that I rate over most full-lengths partly because of the killer/filler ratio, and also because many of these bands are so ephemeral, breaking up before they even get a chance to progress (Melbourne’s Wet Lips and Boston’s Dazey And The Scouts). I breathed a cautious sigh of relief when Sydney’s Body Type already has a followup to last year’s amazing EP and single, even though it doesn’t quite measure up to the first one. Their infectious energy has dissipated into a more sedate, melancholy mood on these five tracks. Nevertheless, these jangle pop/garage/post-punk tracks sparkle in their own subtle way, no duds in sight. Here’s hoping they are working on a full length.

Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind – CollectiV (Jim Jones)

No relation to the cult leader responsible for the Jonestown Massacre, this Jim Jones was the lead vocalist of MC5-inspired garage psych Thee Hypnotics in 1989-94, the bluesier Black Moses 1999-05, and the drunk punk blues of The Jim Jones Revue 2008-12. His latest band The Righteous Mind nearly rivals Thee Hypnotics, thanks to the evocatively grim blues punk garage noir of debut Super Natural (2017). CollectiV is just as strong, but hasn’t seemed to gained traction this year. Fans of Tom Waits, Grinderman, Gallon Drunk and Tropical Fuck Storm (he learned from the latter in getting even more unhinged in his old age, per “Sex Robot”) should not miss this.

Jess By The Lake – Under The Red Light Shine (Svart)

While I’ve been eagerly anticipating the long-delayed solo debut from Rosalie Cunningham (of Purson), Finnish vocalist Jasmin Saarela has been reliable for producing excellent proggy psych noir material with Jess and the Ancient Ones and side project The Exploding Eyes Orchestra.  With her solo project Jess By The Lake, she takes the opportunity to explore the capacity of her blues soul pipes, and they are impressive, at the very least on the level with Elin Larsson of Blues Pills. Those familiar with her band projects will certainly recognize similar psychedelic undertones, but she definitely goes for a simpler, earthier approach here that could theoretically do well in the mainstream if she weren’t on a relatively obscure Finnish record label.

Blue Orchids – The Magical Record Of Blue Orchids (Tiny Global)

Blue Orchids’ debut album The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) (1982) is a lost classic of psychedelic post-punk, and cherished part of my collection along with their singles. Singer Martin Bramah formed the band in 1979 after leaving The Fall, then fell silent until 2004 when they released Mystic Bud. Twelve years later they came out with The Once and Future Thing (2016) and shortly after, Righteous Harmony Fist. which are decent, but nothing really jumped out and grabbed me. Their third album in three years (with allegedly another album of originals coming soon) “tells a Faustian tale of woe over the course of nine covers and one co-written original” according to the Bandcamp page. The covers are of sixties garage psych bands like The Penny SaintsThe Aardvarks and Crystal Stilts that are so obscure that it sounds to my ears like Blue Orchids originals, especially since they’re tied together with the band’s consistent relentless drive, not to mention the interwoven concept of a pact with forces of evil. On top of that, they’ve exhumed newfound Mark E. Smith lyrics for the centerpiece, “Addicted To The Day.”

Baroness – Gold & Grey (Abraxan Hymns)

I’ve been a big Baroness fan from the beginning. While Purple (2015) was my album of the year, my listening experience since then has been tainted by the terrible production of Dave Fridmann, who had some success with The Flaming Lips, but his shitty, overdriven, distorted exaggerated drum sounds have been a mistake ever since. Inexplicably they returned to him for this album, so there’s that. They lost guitarist Pete Adams, but gained the talented Gina Gleason. Similar to their approach on Yellow & Green (2012), they challenge themselves with a variety of sounds and styles from indie noise to psych prog. The proper songs work well, but the interstitial experiments don’t add anything to the experiments, as they feel too random. Nevertheless I don’t think they ruin the experience of the album overall. If you can get past the Fridmann sound, there’s some great, ambitious songs here, that will be a must to catch live, where they show they deserve top billing alongside the likes of Mastodon and Queens of the Stone Age.

Ex Hex – It’s Real (Merge)

[Editor: Special entry from Hermi. We haven’t heard from him in a while but be assured he has things percolating. Recently he had become smitten with Ex Hex and Mary Timony’s other bands, which surprised me, because he hasn’t traditionally been an indie being (it’s uncertain whether or not he’s human). He’ll usually found reveling in blues, classic rock, power metal, robobilly (chugs ‘n’ hugs!) and, er, new age and vaporwave. He describes Ex Hex as “absolutely 100% perfect.”

Ex Hex came out of nowhere and smacked my soul sideways so hard that I had to follow the sound around like a lost puppy. I did a bit of analyzing to attempt pinpointing exactly why and discovered some things. Yes, the melodies are exactly the kind that I fall in love with (especially “Radiate” – OMG!) and the vocals are easily within my preferences, but those are not the driving forces for my addiction with the band. It’s that guitar! Such masterful work. Otherworldly almost. I don’t mean to overplay it (well.., yes I do), but it is absolutely brilliant to me. So brilliant, in fact, that I believe that Mary might not even be playing her guitar. I think it is entirely possible that her guitar is actually playing HER. Guitar possession is, of course, extremely rare, but my research indicates that our poor Mary might be playing the puppet to the spirit embodied within her own guitar.

One need only look to the song “Another Dimension” to see lyrics like “Pick me up like you did before and I’ll follow you through the sun door.” Clearly this would indicate an transcendent instrument spirit seeking a gateway into our world. The lyric “You’re a frequency no one can hear but me and you hang around on a wavy sound” could be a revelation from one not quite possessed yet, but still in that mystical attraction stage. It all begins so innocently, doesn’t it? I won’t go into details, but there are several songs that lead me to imagine a dialog between a musician and her possessor, which, in turn, leads me to believe that her guitar is not only designing the music, but also doing more than its fair share of the lyric songwriting.

Now, I don’t know a lot about instrument possession, but I believe that being this blatant about possessing a human is viewed as extremely uncouth within the guitar spirit community, so we don’t see it that often. This is a rare glimpse. Another indicator of guitar possession is a lack of movement while playing. Possession takes a lot of energy, so it doesn’t leave much left for dancing around. Also, guitars don’t understand “dancing” in the human sense so they may not even know how to make their humans do that. They dance with their strings, and this one is a fantastic “dancer”.

To add more evidence, the name given to the act of a guitar possessing a human is called an “Axe Hex”. Could it be any more obvious? It’s almost as if her guitar is trying to get caught. Or perhaps it is a cry for help from Mary herself, longing for someone to intervene and break whatever enchantment her instrument holds over her. If that’s the case, don’t look at me. I’m too busy enjoying the sound. She’ll be fine. Most likely. This one seems to be such a happy spirit that I’m sure Mary and her bandmates will not come to any harm.

Frankly, I’m jealous. All of my guitars totally suck at possession, which, naturally, is why I still struggle to be merely average at guitar playing. Not because I’m lazy or anything. That’s irrelevant. I have heard of an ancient ritual of guitar bonding called “Prak-Tis”, but I believe that to be a myth.
— Hermi Flagglenack

Bubbling Under

Elder is one of my top five favorite bands of the past 15 years, so of course The Gold & Silver Sessions is a treat. This is more of a loose instrumental jam where they tackle space rock. It’s pretty great, though there are a lot of bands doing this kind of thing. I eagerly await their next official album. I’m surprised to see Doug Tuttle leave the Trouble In Mind label, who seem adept at promoting his brand of psych pop. Nevertheless, his fourth album is out on Burger and it’s just as great as his first three. I’ve been looking forward to the second album of psychedelic garage noir nuggets from The Mystery Lights since I saw them live with Night Beats a few years ago. The paranoid, spooky “Someone Else is in Control” is a highlight, like a long lost 13th Floor Elevators tune. British garage noir Saint Agnes is slicker and bluesier garagebilly with a bit of White Stripes influence, but has repeatedly stabbed at my key pleasure buttons/weak spots. I can only surrender and let it play. Saint Vitus is back with original vocalist Scott Reagers and they’re all business, all doom, with stronger tunes than their last outing with Wino, Lillie: F-65 (2012). Bow down to the originators, your overlords. I’ve got 100 here, and more — Savage Mansion (indie garage), Torche (sludge pop), The Devil And The Almighty Blues (stoner blues), Magma (art rock/prog Zeuhl legends), Gygax (high fantasy Thin Lizzy worship) and much more.

  1. Motorpsycho – The Crucible (Rune Grammofon/Stickman) | Buy
  2. The Sonic Dawn – Eclipse (Heavy Psych) | Bandcamp
  3. Magic Circle – Departed Souls (20 Buck Spin) | Bandcamp
  4. Spidergawd – V (Stickman) | Buy
  5. Lucille Furs – Another Land (Requiem Pour Un Twister) | Bandcamp
  6. Spirit Adrift – Divided By Darkness (20 Buck Spin) | Bandcamp
  7. Custard Flux – Echo (Custard Flux) | Bandcamp
  8. The Honey Pot – Bewildered Jane (Mega Dodo) | Bandcamp
  9. Priests – The Seduction Of Kansas (Sister Polygon) | Bandcamp
  10. The Galileo 7 -There Is Only Now (Damaged Goods) | Bandcamp
  11. Fontaines DC – Dogrel (Partisan) | Bandcamp
  12. Worshipper – Light In The Wire (Tee Pee) | Bandcamp
  13. Rose City Band – Rose City Band (Jean Sandwich)
  14. The Lord Weird Slough Feg – The New Organon (Cruz Del Sur) | Bandcamp
  15. Garcia Peoples – Natural Facts (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond) | Bandcamp
  16. Chris Forsyth – All Time Present (No Quarter) | Bandcamp
  17. Elkhorn – Sun Cycle/Elk Jam (Feeding Tube) | Bandcamp
  18. Wonderment – Wonderment (Woolgathering Records) | Bandcamp
  19. Sacri Monti – Waiting Room For The Magic Hour (Tee Pee)
  20. Body Type – EP2 (Partisan)
  21. White Denim – Side Effects (City Slang)
  22. Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind – CollectiV (Jim Jones)
  23. Jess By The Lake – Under The Red Light Shine (Svart)
  24. Blue Orchids – The Magical Record Of Blue Orchids (Tiny Global)
  25. Baroness – Gold & Grey (Abraxan Hymns)
  26. Sunwatchers – Illegal Moves (Trouble In Mind)
  27. Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions (Blues Funeral)
  28. Doug Tuttle – Dream Road (Burger)
  29. Ex Hex – It’s Real (Merge)
  30. The Mystery Lights – Too Much Tension! (Daptone)
  31. Saint Agnes – Welcome To Silvertown (Death Or Glory Gang)
  32. Crypt Trip – Haze County (Heavy Psych)
  33. Saint Vitus – Saint Vitus (Season Of Mist)
  34. Savage Mansion – Revision Ballads (Lost Map)
  35. Torche – Admission (Relapse)
  36. The Devil And The Almighty Blues – Tre (Blues For The Red Sun)
  37. Sugarfoot – In The Clearing (Crispin Glover)
  38. Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples – In The Clearing (Crispin Glover)
  39. Jouis – Mind Bahn (None More)
  40. Magma – Zëss (Seventh)
  41. Gygax – High Fantasy (Creator-Destructor)
  42. High Reeper – Higher Reeper (Heavy Psych)
  43. Flesh Of The Stars – Mercy (Flesh)
  44. Pyramidal – Pyramidal (Lay Bare)
  45. Haunt – If Icarus Could Fly (Shadow Kingdom)
  46. The Snakes – The Snakes (Anti-Fade)
  47. French Vanilla – How Am I Not Myself? (Danger Collective)
  48. Amyl And The Sniffers – Amyl And The Sniffers (Flightless)
  49. Drab Majesty – Modern Mirror (Dais)
  50. Guadalupe Plata – Three Demons (Everlasting)
  51. The Mermen – A Murmurous Sirenic Delirium (Mermen)
  52. Papir – VI (Stickman)
  53. Carlton Jumel Smith – 1634 Lexington Avenue (Timmion)
  54. Command Casual – Let’s Get Out Of Here (Command Casual)
  55. Zebra Hunt – Trade Desire (Jigsaw/Tenorio Cotobade)
  56. Possible Humans – Everybody Split (Trouble In Mind)
  57. CFM – Soundtrack To Any Empty Room (In The Red)
  58. Drahla – Useless Coordinates (Captured Tracks)
  59. The Laissez Fairs – Marigold (Rum Bar)
  60. Plastic Crimewave Syndicate – Massacre Of The Celestials (Cardinal Fuzz)
  61. The Comet Is Coming – Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (Impulse!)
  62. Tourist Activities – Off My Mind EP (Den Tapes)
  63. Trash Kit – Horizon (Upset The Rhythm)
  64. Helms Alee – Noctiluca (Sargent House)
  65. The Well – Death And Consolation (RidingEasy)
  66. Druids – Monument (The Company)
  67. The Dream Syndicate – These Times (Anti-)
  68. Kokoroko – Kokoroko EP (Brownswood)
  69. Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call (Dead Oceans)
  70. Greg Ward Presents Rogue Parade – Stomping Off From Greenwood (Greenleaf)
  71. Zara McFarlane with Dennis Bovell – East Of The River Nile EP (Brownswood)
  72. Green Lung – Woodland Rites (Kozmik Artifactz)
  73. Ravensire – A Stone Engraved In Red (Ravensire)
  74. Dead Bars – Regulars (A-F)
  75. The Darts – I Like You But Not Like That (Alternative Tentacles)
  76. Bench Press – Not The Past, Can’t Be The Future (Poison City)
  77. Black Mountain – Destroyer (Jagjaguwar)
  78. Monkey3 – Sphere (Napalm)
  79. Dreamtime – Tidal Mind (Dreamtime)
  80. Glitter Wizard – Opera Villains (Heavy Psych)
  81. VAURA – Sables (Profound Lore)
  82. Ezra Collective – You Can’t Steal My Joy (Enter the Jungle)
  83. The Proper Ornaments – Six Lenins (Tapete)
  84. The Gotobeds – Debt Begins At 30 (Sub Pop)
  85. Rokurokubi – Saturn In Pisces (Rokurokubi)
  86. Numidia – Numidia (Numidia)
  87. No Man’s Valley – Outside The Dream (Tonzonen)
  88. Acid Carousel – Another Everything (Dreamy Life)
  89. Haze Mage – Chronicles (Gimoire)
  90. Ouzo Bazooka – Transporter (Ouzo Bazooka)
  91. Dead Leaf Echo – Pale Fire (Moon Sounds)
  92. The Backdoor Society – The Backdoor Society (Area Pirata)
  93. Juju – Maps And Territory (Fuzz Club)
  94. Olden Yolk – Living Theatre (Trouble In Mind)
  95. Hey Satan – Orange Moon (Cold Smoke)
  96. The Hare And Hoofe – The Hare And Hoofe (HATH)
  97. Diät – Positive Disintegration (Iron Lung)
  98. The Tronosonic Experience – II: The Big Blow (Apollon)
  99. TAU – TAU & The Drones Of Praise (Tau)
  100. Jane Weaver – Loops In The Secret Society (Fire)

More: One of my favorite blogs, The Finest Kiss came out with their belated midyear list at the same time!

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