My 2019 Favorites

As I looked back at 2019 for the new music that really resonated with me, I realized the list was pretty short. Admittedly, I’m a creature of habit when it comes to music. I revisit a lot of music from the past and I have a lot of seasonal favorites. I’m also not as tuned into the places designed to expose listeners to new music so I’m positive that I missed some gems throughout the year. There are three albums, though, that really shine for me and will be in solid rotation well into the future. Appropriately, they fall into my three primary listening genres: experimental or alternative pop, heavy rock, and ambient.

Bon Iver
i,i

The fourth Bon Iver studio album i,i continued a trajectory toward a more electronic and experimental sound while maintaining a common thread of emotive hooks, beautiful melodies, and layered harmony vocals that has been present since the indie folk debut album For Emma, Forever Ago (2007). One of the cool things about the catalog is that if you listen to four albums in chronological order, you can hear a gradual evolution of the overall sound, but if you compare the last work to the first work, there are some dramatic differences. They’ve done an amazing job maintaining consistency while growing, expanding, and experimenting. I’ve settled on “Naeem” as my favorite track from the album.

Tool
Fear Inoculum

Tool has a rabid fanbase. I consider myself among them, but on the less extreme side of the spectrum. Like the rest of my comrades in this fraternity, I was anxious to hear new music from the Tool camp after a 13 year break. The build up and excitement for the release was more intense than any album I remember in recent history, so the expectations were extremely high. As is often the case for me, it took an investment of listens for me to settle into what they had created. In the case of Tool, this is typically a long term investment and the record will take years to for me to unpack it and really figure out what it means for me as a listener. In the meantime, they managed to create my favorite, and what I consider to be the best song in their catalog. It’s a 12+ minute track called “Invincible”.

David Helpling
RUNE

David Helpling is a guitar virtuoso who creates lush ambient soundscapes on his latest album RUNE, without the use of keyboards, synthesizers, or computer based sound generators. There are plenty of effects processors in the mix, but source sounds are completely generated through Helpling’s electric guitar and bass performances. This album marks his second solo ambient guitar album, although his 20 year career has been filled with emotionally invigorating cinematic instrumental music, both solo and in collaboration with fellow sound artist Jon Jenkins. The opening track “Free Dive” firmly establishes the vibe that Helpling creates for the rest of the journey through RUNE.