December Collective Collaborative Blog: Favorite Releases of 2019

It's time again for the Trial and Error Collective year end list! Below are a collection of our favorite singles, EPs and albums from 2019, spanning from bubblegum pop to organ music to hardcore and beyond. 

Alex's Picks

Album: STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS
Artist: Fever 333  
Favorite Song: “Burn It”
It sometimes feels like rock music has lost its edge. Even punk and heavy metal, the abrasive genres whose unwashed enthusiasts once drew the ire of the Middle American establishment, have been pulled into the mainstream to the point that older bands like Slayer and Black Flag no longer feel like music of rebellion. Thankfully, Fever 333 have brought back danger and controversy into the rock scene and breathed in a new mentality into modern rock - and they’ve done so by flipping the script on the status quo of the genre itself. They incorporate elements of hip-hop in their music, but still lean more towards hardcore than the Adidas-clad nu-metal from 20 years ago. They spread a socially-conscious political message to a degree that hasn’t been seen since Rage Against The Machine had their heyday. Unlike Rage, they also show emotional vulnerability to the point where they label their headlining shows (which they call “Demonstrations”) as safe spaces that welcome all races, genders, sexualities, and beliefs. Furthermore, instead of bringing along opening bands, they encourage their fans to talk amongst themselves and discuss issues that are most important to them with one another before they unleash the explosive, chaotic catharsis that is their live show. STRENGTH IN NUMB333RSS is a solid full-length debut, and an even more solid introduction to a band that modern rock music sorely needed. I hope Fever 333 continue on for years to come.
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Album: amo
Artist: Bring Me The Horizon 
Favorite Song: “Mother Tongue”
Bring Me The Horizon’s career trajectory is a fascinating one. Since their beginnings as a Myspace-era deathcore band, they’ve gradually become more accessible with each passing album. Their last offering, 2015’s That's The Spirit, was their poppiest album to date; this year, they pushed the envelope further into the pop realm to the point where some of their songs wouldn't sound out of place on a Justin Bieber album. That’s not to say they’ve completely lost their metallic edge, however. Songs like “MANTRA,” “sugar honey ice & tea,” and the Dani Filth-accompanied “wonderful life” border more on nu-metal than their previous albums, but they get your head banging. The drastic change to their sound may have caused controversy among longtime fans, but it shows that Bring Me The Horizon are a versatile bunch who aren’t afraid to let themselves naturally grow.
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Album: Norman Fucking Rockwell
Artist: Lana Del Rey
Favorite Song: “Venice Bitch”
Lana Del Rey has always had a flair for drama, so I suppose the most dramatic thing she could do at this point in her career is strip back her sound. With the help of Jack Antonoff, Norman Fucking Rockwell eschews the Hollywood bombast of her earlier releases and adopts a 70’s folk and psychedelia vibe instead. Her vocal talents are also improving - right off the bat, her performance on songs like the title track, “Mariners Apartment Complex,” and “Venice Bitch” channel both Joni Mitchell and Robert Plant. Elsewhere, a cover of Sublime’s “Doin’ Time” and the solo piano-accompanied “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have - But I Have It” are haunting in their own different ways. It’s also Lana Del Rey’s most consistent album yet. She’s showing signs that she can go down as a timeless, iconic pop singer, and something tells me she will.
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Album: Admission
Artist: Torche
Favorite Song: “Admission”
It’s not easy for metal bands to be able to write music that is simultaneously heavy, mellow, uplifting, aggressive, poppy, lethargic, and straight-up cool. Somehow, Torche have consistently managed to make music that is all of these things, and they’ve made it their calling card throughout the course of their career. They did a great job of keeping it up this year. Much of Admission sounds like an album that Black Sabbath would have made if they were skater punks who grew up playing Tony Hawk video games and watching CKY. The guitars are loud and heavy. The songs are written with no nonsense and are quick to get to the point. Frontman Steve Brooks balances out the low, menacing growl of the guitars with his calming stoner baritone vocals. The title track is a doomy shoegaze masterpiece, and was one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. Torche always impress with each of their releases, but Admission sticks out as one of the best in their catalog.
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Album: Sermon
Artist: Une Misère
Favorite Song: “Sermon”
Influenced by the bleak, dark desolation of their home country, Une Misère formed when members of various Icelandic metal and hardcore bands came together with the simple intention of making the heaviest music in Iceland. Their full-length debut, Sermon, shows they already have a solid claim to that title. I drew a lot of comparisons to Code Orange when I first listened to Une Misère - Sermon’s heaviness is dark, claustrophobic, and takes no prisoners. It also borrows plenty of cues from Slipknot’s landmark album, Iowa, which is something that Code Orange have been known to do with no shame. Une Misère sound like a hungry young band who won’t be content to stop once they take over their homeland. They have their eyes on the horizon in every direction of the Atlantic, and they won’t let anyone or anything get in their way until they take over the world. ​
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Honorable Mentions
A Different Shade of Blue - Knocked Loose
Lover - Taylor Swift
Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear - Health
Gold and Grey - Baroness 
I, The Mask - In Flames

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Parisa's Picks

Since I tend to get long-winded about the albums that I love, I'm continuing my annual tradition of presenting my year-end list in haiku form.

Album: Girl with Basket of Fruit
Artist: Xiu Xiu
Favorite Song: “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy”
Ritual and myth
Imbued with sorrow and pain
Divine and twisted

(psst - you can also read my interview with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu about this album here)
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Album: Nothing Great About Britain
Artist: Slowthai
Favorite Song: “T N Biscuits”
Sharp and quick-witted
Absolutely massive
Innit bruva?
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Album: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
Artist: The Comet is Coming
Favorite Song: “Blood of the Past (feat. Kate Tempest)”
A funk odyssey 
Psychedelic rock from space
Insane sax playing

Album: When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Artist: Billie Eilish
Favorite Song: “Bury a Friend”
Angelic vocals
Pop with creepy aesthetics
So freakin’ catchy

Album: Dogrel
Artist: Fontaines D.C.
Favorite Song: “Too Real”
Collected and cool
Post-punk album of the year
These lads are alright
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Album: The Practice of Love
Artist: Jenny Hval
Favorite Song: “Ordinary”’
Floats as light as air
Subtle but not minimal 
So ethereal

Album: Bubba
Artist: Kaytranada
Favorite Song: “Go DJ”
Master of dance music
A welcomed surprise release
Real hype yet too cool

Album: They Came With Sunlight
Artist: SÂVER
Favorite Song: “Distant Path”
Atmospheric sludge
Heavy space-doom from Oslo
Ambient at times

Album: Claude Fontaine
Artist: Claude Fontaine
Favorite Song: “Cry for Another”
Sixties pop vocals
Rocksteady bossa nova
Lana del Reggae
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Album: Purple Mountains
Artist: Purple Mountains
Favorite Song: “All My Happiness is Gone”
So tragic it hurts
Beautiful, sweet arrangements
Rest in Peace David

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Honorable Mentions
Volume Massimo - Alessandro Cortini 
​Siku - Nicola Cruz​
Vile Nilotic Rites - Nile
Return to Center - Kirin J. Callan
Ventura - Anderson.Paak
The Age of Immunology - Vanishing Twin
uknowhatimsayin¿ - Danny Brown 
​Infest the Rats Nest - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
​​GREY Area - Little Simz
​Caligula - Lingua Ignota
온다(ONDA) - Jambinai
Anicca - Teebs
​"Sweet Blue" - Cleo Sol
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​**edit - i forgot to add Orville Peck's Pony but that would actually be in my top 10**

Ronny's Picks

Album: Outer Peace
Artist: Toro y Moi  
Favorite Song: “Ordinary Pleasure”
Maybe I’m inclined to like this because of the Bay Area vibes, but the truth is I never listened to Toro y Moi until earlier this year: While flipping through records at Amoeba SF, a series of songs playing over the store’s soundsystem perked my ears up. What was it? This newly released album, a 30-minute, 10-minute track journey through R&B and dance. There are uppers (“Ordinary Pleasure, “Freelance”), chillers (“Miss Me,” “New House”), and everything in between. But the flow never drops.

Album: Amyl and the Sniffers
Artist: Amyl and the Sniffers  
Favorite Song: “Got You”
While everyone else at Primavera Sound in Barcelona was watching Tame Impala grace the main stage with super indie psychedelia, I joined 50 other weirdos at a tiny stage on the water’s edge to see Australian punks Amyl and the Sniffers. I have no regrets. Their self-titled album is their first full-length, and it’s fucking fire. It has the explosive riffs of 80s hair metal bands you never liked, the raw energy of your local punk band you never support enough, and—the cherry on top—Amy’s lyrics and voice, which strike with vengeance and precision. 

Album: The Sacrificial Code
Artist: Kali Malone  
Favorite Song: “Glory Canon III”
Across 10 songs, nearly two hours of minimalist organ music. It’s sublime.
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Album: Constellation in Still Time
Artist: Rafael Toral  
Favorite Song: “AER 7 G”
Akin to Brian Eno’s early, now-classic ambient experiments. It’s beautiful,

Album: Celia
Artist: Angelique Kidjo  
Favorite Song: “Toro Mata”
A year after the brilliantly executed cover of Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light,” Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo returns with a collection of Celia Cruz covers. Once again, Kidjo reinforces and raises awareness of the African influence in our favorite music, while also respecting the unique ways in which the artist (before David Byrne, now Afro-Cuban all-star Celia Cruz) spun those African rhythms, melodies, and harmonies into something completely unique.

Single: “Cariñito”
Artist: Lila Downs  
The main hook translated: “Never, never abandon me, baby.” How can such a sad song be so celebratory? Maybe that’s why this song always hits hard, because it’s Mexican musician Lila Downs perfectly expressing the painfully ecstatic, ecstatically painful feeling of love.

Single: “Con Altura”
Artist: Rosalía
My introduction to Rosalía was a humble, black-and-white video in which she sings flamenco-style folk accompanied by a single guitarist with Picasso's 'Guernica' in the background. I loved it, but I would have never imagined that a year later she would be performing a spellbinding blend of trap-meets-flamenco at theaters packed to the brim with shrieking, adoring fans. But that's exactly what happened. Following her masterful sophomore album released in 2018, “Con Altura” is just the biggest (maybe not the best—I can’t actually choose) of a handful of quality singles she released this year.

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Single: “Incapable”
Artist: Róisín Murphy  
What if you could pretend you “never had a broken heart”? As if no one had “ever seen you fall apart”? Then I guess you could groove to cool disco on the dance floor for a solid 8.5 minutes, eyes closed, hands outstretched, breathing deeply and two-stepping to eternity. This song is proof that you can lie all you want as long as you do it over a funky bassline. Reminds me of 1982 disco underground classics in its attention to detail and seductive minimalism. It’s not going anywhere and that’s perfectly alright.

Single: “Juicy”
Artist: Doja Cat
From the "Mooo! Bitch I'm a Cow" YouTube star comes quite possibly the most addicting pop slash rap banger of the year. Sugar sweet production, flirtatious vocals, and an unbelievably catchy (not to mention body-positive) chorus. Try to play it just once.

Single: “New World”
Artist: Tacocat  
There are so many new and exciting ways to view the apocalypse—especially now that it feels as present as it did in the 80s, when nukes were on everyone’s mind. Back then, the feeling may have been best addressed by Prince, who seemed to accept the end as somehow simultaneously personal and geopolitical. Plus, he could take a dark theme and make it something you could dance to. And that’s what Tacocat has done here. You could criticize them for lazily dreaming of utopia instead of encouraging action in our actual world, but here are the song’s best counterarguments: 1) Many of us already take action 2) and still feel hopeless 3) so let’s remember that imagining the world we want to live in is part of the process of creating that world. 
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Honorable Mentions
Cairn - Mizmor [metal]
Crush - Floating Points [electronic]
Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited - Mercury Rev [rock]
GREY Area - Little Simz [hip hop]
Islands - Erin Durant [folk]
Open Too Close - Will Saul [electronic]
Sinner - Moodymann [electronic]
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - Beth Gibbons [classical]
When I Get Home - Solange [r&b]
ZOOSPA - J-E-T-S [electronic]

Jasper's Picks

Album: Dedicated
Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen
Favorite Song: "Julien"
Another glittering pop jewel from CRJ. I missed the full-tilt 80s nostalgia of Emotion at first, but the production, as always, is flawless on this record.. The soft disco of "Julien," the polished lead single "Party for One," the synth pads on "Too Much," all perfect pieces of pop songwriting. Pop music is good, and this record is still on my heavy rotation! This is my pick for radio pop music!
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Album: Pang
Artist: Caroline Polachek 
Favorite Song: "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings"
I stumbled onto Polachek's projects when Youtube autorecommended "Door" to me-a soft pop tune with a jarring and incredible bass-hit about halfway through. I was hooked! A slow drip of singles throughout the year led to this quiet, wistful, strange and wonderful album. Polachek's voice is ethereal and captivating and the production is soft and shimmery. My favorite "weird" pop album of the year, ahead of a strong field of KARYNN, Lafawndah, Kedr Livanskiy, and Sequoyah Murray
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Album: Sult
Artist: Maja S. K. Ratkje
Favorite Song: "Sjå, Åmioda - og ikke en lyd kom mig fra strupen"
This album is the score to a ballet performance, originally performed in Oslo. Written for pump organ, percussion, and Ratkje's formidable voice, it holds up beautifully outside of that context. The labored breathing and creaking of the pump organ and the stunning vocal performance create really beautiful textures. My favorite album performed on organ this year, ahead of Kali Malone's "The Sacrificial Code" and Ellen Arobro's "Chords"

Album: CALIGULA
Artist: LINGUA IGNOTA
Favorite Song: "DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR"
This is my album of the year, maybe of the last 5 years. It's a necessary piece of rage from a survivor of abuse. It's harsh, it's beautiful,, Kristin Hayter's voice is jaw droppingly dynamic and expressive. It's perfect. CALIGULA played a real and important part in my own healing from abuse. I could go on about this record, but do yourself a favor and listen to it.
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Album: You Made It This Far
Artist: Esther Rose
Favorite Song: "Handyman"
My favorite country record this year-though the lesbian love ballad "If She Ever Leaves Me" by the Highwomen gave it a real run for the money. Rose's brand of country is sharp and clear, not bombastic or showy. Some real Patsy Kline vibes. Smart lyrics, bright guitars. What else could a girl want?
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Album: Emily Alone
Artist: Florist
Favorite Song: "I Also Have Eyes"
This album has grown and grown on me all year. The instrumentals are sparse and insistent. But the lyrics really got their hooks into me. Emily Alone deserves a close listen. Meditations on despair, loss, life, the sea. This album really made a home for itself in my sad girl heart. Other good folk records this year came from Shannon Lay and Molly Sarlé

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Brian's Pick

Album: Crushing
Artist: Julia Jacklin 
Favorite Song: “Don’t Know How to Keep Loving You”
Julia Jacklin’s Crushing is a must-hear album not only because its tracks are catchy and well produced, but also because of the raw frankness of the songwriting centered on self examination. Almost every track is a perky pop song with all of the typical peacocking and showiness removed leaving the listener with the trademarked cleverness and inward-looking lyricism of Jacklin’s earlier music, all layered atop guitar-driven instrumentation and vocal harmonies. The music on the album shares the same sound as 50s rock n’ roll except toned down and introspective, full of Jacklin’s somber yet utterly relatable writing reminiscing relationships in crisis and the feeling of staring into a mirror at one’s own self.

Arguably the best track is Don't Know How to Keep Loving You, being a bluesy account of someone wanting to remain in love but for whatever reason they can’t. Rhythmic electric guitar and a simple drum beat carry the song while Jacklin’s soft and smooth vocals, punctuated by the occasional yet well-timed yodel, reiterate the raw and churning tone. “But you know my body now and I know yours. / We put so many things between these walls. / And every gift you buy me, I know what's inside. / What do I do now? / There's nothing left to find.” It's obvious that Jacklin is expressing the quiet ache of the loss of passion. The songwriting so perfectly captures the guilt and dullness of knowing that love has left. The mid-song guitar solo worlds that same weeping, frustrated melody found in Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, where the guitar player expertly speaks through his instrument directly to the heart of the listener. The song continues with Jacklin's voice building in both volume and frustration repeating her conundrum, trying to make sense of the romance that's vanished. Her sense of loss and her sense of being lost are expressed best in the last line of the song, “I just wanna keep loving you.”

Not every song on the album is romance-centric, but each does share the same sense of looking inward and the need to redefine oneself and adapt after loss. Despite the somber tone of the music it's hard to not get addicted to the honest and upfront songwriting, not to mention the exceptionally poignant musical talent. Jacklin’s Crushing is a timeless album with lyrics reflecting on the near unbearable emotional states of life, but nevertheless proving to us that perhaps that’s where the most relatable self expression originates.
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Noe's Picks
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• Everywhere at the End of Time Part 6 - The Caretaker*
• Syntheosis - Waste of Space Orchestra
• Xiexie - Celer
• Life Metal - Sunn O)))
• Warp Tapes 89-93 - Autechre
• A Pyrrhic Existence - Esoteric 

​*read more about this album in our latest zine!