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Hey Listen! (to this): 2019’s Best Albums

~ kbo27

It’s that time of year again. Lists. Lists everywhere, for everything. Many of them pretending to be legit but actually are just paid placements. Some of them being utter crap, playing you for a fool with a clickbait title. Luckily for you, I am not nearly popular enough to garner attention from anyone to pay me anything for placement, and I think clickbait is the devil. As such, you’re getting the straight goods – an unbiased collection of my favorite albums discovered during the last year. Or would it be a completely biased? Well, either way, it’s hot stuff. I’m not typically an albums guy – I like my singles – so it’s really something special when I find an album that I come back to again and again for tracks to feature on this blog.

Anyway, enough preamble. It’s list time.

#5. Broods; Don’t Feed The Pop Monster

Released: Feb. 1, 2019

Notable tracks: Too Proud, Peach, Hopitalized, Falling Apart, Dust, Old Dog

I’ve always had a soft spot for Broods. They’d already released countless tracks I was really into. It thus surprised me further when they released Don’t Feed The Pop Monster and still managed to blow my mind with tons of quality, “top track of the week” music.

#4. Garcons; Be Human

Released: Oct. 10, 2019

Notable Tracks: Ladybug, Firestarter, Froggin, Moonlight

I love that no two Garcons tracks sounds too similar, but you can still instantly recognize who it is a few bars into the track. Weird, goofy, but still brilliant.

#3. Gallant; Sweet Insomnia

Released: Oct. 25, 2019

Notable Tracks: Sharpest Edges, Paper Tulips, Sweet Insomnia, Hips, Hurt, Sleep On It

Love me some Gallant. His early stuff blew me away, then he had a little spurt in the middle where I wasn’t much of a fan. Then BAM! Sweet Insomnia. Almost every song is special.

#2. Monsune; Tradition

Released: Sept. 20, 2019

Notable Tracks: Cloud, Outta My Mind, Mountain

Ok ok it’s just a 5-track album… but all five tracks are well worth a listen and three of them are amongst my absolute favorites of the year. So yea, it’s making the list, and it’s getting that #2 spot. It’s that good.

#1. Vlush; Who 250

Released: May 24, 2019

Notable Tracks: Byof, Bored, Goner, First Town Down, Happy Talk, 98 Degrees

So this one is a kinda cheating. I’m giving this album credit for introducing me to vlush overall, and there are tons of tracks not on this album (released previous to it) that also blew my mind this year. However, Bored and Goner are probably in my top five tracks of the year. I just can’t stop listening. The entire album kind of feels like a pet project for this dude, as if challenged by a friend who said “bet you can’t make an album” and our dude was all “oh ya? watch me” and proceeds to drop this. And it’s a stunner. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. Straddles the line of raw, made-in-a-bedroom sound with studio-produced. I really hope this isn’t a one-and-done story (it was, for as much as I can tell, his debut album), but I also do not know how you’d follow this one up.

Artist Watch – 2016 (Part 2)

~ kbo27

Continuing on from Part 1, I’m sharing my picks (and hopes) for the artists that could break out in 2016. Again, list is in alphabetic order.

6. Movement — soundcloud.com/movementofficial

movement

Movement are another in the line of this haunting, minimalistic, vocal-driven sound that either is my new fascination… or is just what’s popular right now for emerging artists.I feel like these guys have nailed down their sound, and now are just that one big single away from being the next one.

#7. R I T U A L — soundcloud.com/ritual_music

ritual

I know very little about R I T U A L. Is that dude up there him? (It’s a picture form their/his Facebook page). Is it a just one guy? Is it a group? Granted, I could probably find the answers if I searched, but ain’t nobody got time for that! Besides, I could care less how many members comprise R I T U A L. As long as they keep churning out nothing but breathtaking music, I’m a happy camper. Next to ACES, R I T U A L is the act I next hope to really make it big. I absolutely love their sound, production, vocals… all of it. Wonderful.

#8. Roy Wood$ — soundcloud.com/roywoodsofficial

roy woods

If I was a betting man, Roy Wood$ is the next breakthrough hip hop act. He is a member of the OVO crew afterall… but it’s more than that. He’s got this gritty flow that is… in my very official opinion, quite unique in today’s world of hip hop. Hoping that we hear a lot more from him next year… and maybe even a few mix tapes that include some cuts from Drake himself.

#9. Skizzy Mars — soundcloud.com/skizzymars

Skizzy-Mars

Pretty sure that everytime I post a new Skizzy Mars cut, I claim that he feels like a guilty pleasure. I’ve given up trying to pretend I don’t like Skizzy Mars. His stuff is consistently so goddamn catchy that some days I end up JUST playing Skizzy Mars music. His stuff is totally radio-ready, and frankly I’d be surprised if he isn’t a big deal in 2016.

#10. VÉRITÉ — soundcloud.com/veritemusic

verite

I still remember the first time I heard Weekend. It is everything I love about catching an artist on the first few days of releasing a song you just know is going to blow people’s minds. Ever since that release I’ve been sure that VÉRITÉ was on the fast track towards the same types of success that Lorde, Ellie Goulding and other hot shot female acts have had. Really hoping I’ll be lucky enough to see VÉRITÉ live next year.

 

That’s it! Thanks for following along the journey this year everyone, and hopefully you’ll join me for another great year in 2016!