Saturday, June 8, 2019

The Best Albums of 2019 ...So far




It is that time of the year. We are half way into 2019 so here is a look at the albums that have been released so far.By best , I have already done a best of metal list, so this represents genres that are not metal. So it spans from pop to indie rock.Their placement is based off of score of review and how much did I actually listen to something, as all the cool critics can claim an album is important , but if it doesn't make you want to listen to it all the time then how good can it be. How many of these will stand up over the next six months to come. Experience with these shows at least half, which is typically the bulk of the top five. Did not include samples of the music those can be found on the links to the reviews I posted alongside the entries.   So if you want to read more about them or hear them use those urls to go to the full review.









10-Conny Ochs-"Doom Folk"

 Genre- folk His songwriting is pretty remarkable. It's like if you took 60s pop songs and made them darker. In some ways it's like stripped stoner rock in others it's like the AOR out of California in 70s but on different drugs.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/01/conny-ochs-doom-folk.html




9- Health - "Slaves of Fear"


 Genre- Electronic

 This album is the first without guitarist Jupiter Keys and their is a noted change in their over all sound. It starts of in a harsher more experimental direction and waits til "Feel Nothing " to get focused on the kind of songs that originally won me over. It's equal parts pop and industrial.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/health-slaves-of-fear.html





8-Frontlime Assembly -"Wake Up the Coma"


 The project's 20th album finds them pumping out what you would want from them. Aggressive dystopian dance music with slithering grooves. The first departure from their tried and true formula is on their cover of Falco's " Rock Me Amadeus" with Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence on vocals.

 Genre- Industrial

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/frontline-assembly-wake-up-coma.html





7- Gold- "Why Aren't You Laughing?" <- -="" 4th="" a="" abysmalhymns.blogspot.com="" adding="" album="" and="" are="" aren="" atmosphere="" br="" can="" depth="" feeling.="" few="" first="" for="" from="" genre="" gold-why-arent-you-laughing.html="" gold="" hear="" https:="" indie="" introspective.="" laughing="" little="" making="" moments="" more="" most="" of="" right="" rock="" s="" t="" the="" them="" they="" vocals="" what="" while="" why="" works="" you="">

If you told me this was from the 4AD archives I would believe you.There is a similar sonic intensity to "the Garlands" where the more some fey vocals were cast against a more aggressive backdrop.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/gold-why-arent-you-laughing.html




6- New Years Day - "Unbreakable"

Genre- hard rock

I have typically liked what this band does. Ash Costello's vocals seem to get better with every album. Slick arena sounding production helps the overall sound, but it is the hook in their choruses that really sells it.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/04/new-years-day-unbreakable.html





5- Low Dose - s/t />

 Genre - Grunge

 The guys from Fight Amp have formed a new band with singer , guitarist Itarya Rosenberg, that owes more to 90s alternative than pumped up noise rock. Not that some of the more pounding angular bit are not there, along with punk influences, but they have more in common with L7 thanks to Rosenberg.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/low-dose-st.html





4 Rammstein- "s/t" 

 After 10 years these guys are back. No line up changes. Their sound is still intact, They have not changed with the times, but still feel fresh. Perhaps the only thing that different is some of the synth sounds. They are worked in a way that is very true to the band.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/05/rammstein-st.html





3-Miley Cyrus - "She is Coming"


 Genre- Pop

 Drugs made thing darker for Miley and her music was rewarded by this. I can leave this album on and just let it play . It's hard to mine there could be a pop album that is better than this one


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/06/report-to-dance-floor-miley-cyrus-she.html





2-Brutus- "Nest" 

 Genre- Indie Rock

 It is impressive that as a trio they are kicking up this amount of noise and their singer Stefanie is also playing the drums. She has a pretty good voice that at times makes me imagine that this is how Bjork might sound if she decided to play punk. I guess this is post-punk, but not in the sense that they want to be Siouxsie and the Banshees.It's more like dashes of post-rock atmosphere are thrown against taunt punk temper tantrums

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/brutus-nest.html




1-Morrissey- "California Son"

" Genre - rock

 The strength of the vocal performances on this album gives it an edge. Obviously if you are a regular reader you know I am a huge Morrissey fan, that does not mean I am going to just give him a free pass, in fact the bar is raised higher and he pretty much comes back in full force and nails better than he has since perhaps "Ringleader of the Tormentors.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/05/morrissey-california-son.html

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