2019 was a great year for new music. It was such a great year that it made it damn near impossible to put them in any kind of order. After much deliberating, processing, and re-listening, I wasn’t even able to put them in any kind of order. Each album had a special place in my heart this year and they all deserve equal attention. With that being said, here are my Top Albums of 2019.
Happy Holidays!
Jess By The Lake – Under The Red Light Shine
Jess and the Ancient Ones lead vocalist Jasmin Saarela emerged in 2019 with her debut solo project, Jess by the Lake. Under the Red Light, Shine showcased Saarela’s ability to step to the forefront as a creative force of her own, creating a psych-rock/occult rock masterpiece that captivated me and made me want more. Hopefully, we’ll hear more Jess By The Lake as well as Jess and the Ancient Ones.
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Brave – The Calm | The Storm
Virginia/DC progressive rock/metallers Brave returned in 2019 with The Calm|The Storm, which is their first release since 2008’s Monuments. Eleven years is a long fucking time to go between releases, but The Calm|The Storm was well worth the wait. Brave released the best work of their career once again, proving to be one of the most diverse bands in the genre with songs ranging from ethereal acoustic numbers to a pummeling doom duet. This album is an album not to be overlooked.
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Brother Hawk – Big Trouble Sessions
Atlanta’s Brother Hawk is a band that I love as a band but for some reason, they fell off of my radar. In 2019, Brother Hawk released an EP called Big Trouble Sessions. The new song “Like Water” and a heartwrenching cover of Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell” cut me to the bone and had me going in for repeat listens. This is a great representation of the diversity of Brother Hawk and their ability to inject songs with their southern/alternative rock mojo. This sets Brother Hawk away from the pack.
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Children of the Sun – Flowers
Sounding like the soundtrack for Hair and looking like a Laurel Canyon freak hippie cult, Children of the Sun found their way into my heart with their debut full-length release Flowers. With a sound that timewarps back to an era of peace, love, and psychedelics, Children of the Sun channel the sounds of bands such as the Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, and even a hint of folk-rock in there. With all of them under the age of 22 years old (as of this writing), Children of the Sun have proven that the younger generation can still make timeless music from a timeless generation and hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.
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Heavy Feather – Debris & Rubble
Keeping up the tradition of Swedish bands delivering kick-ass music, Heavy Feather arrived on the scene with their debut album Debris & Rubble. While they may not be re-inventing the wheel, Heavy Feather has made an album that is something special and quite remarkable. Debris & Rubble is chockfull of great songwriting, spot-on delivery, and the outstanding vocals courtesy of blues vocalist Lisa Lystam. This is a diamond in the rough for sure.
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Kadavar – For The Dead Travel Fast
Solidifying their place in the top tier of psych-rock/doom bands, Kadavar put out For the Dead Travel Fast, and it was the album I have been waiting to hear from them for years but didn’t know it. It’s one of those things that once you hear it for the first time, you say, “THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!” Kadavar has created a formula that works well for them, and while they’ve made some great albums in the past, with For The Dead Travel Fast, they released the perfect album.
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Marillion – With Friends from the Orchestra
In 2019, Marillion released an album of re-imagined Marillion classics featuring an orchestra. The result is a beautifully emotional album that introduced me to older Marillion songs I had never heard. I was turned on to Marillion in 2018 when their latest release at the time was the brilliant F.E.A .R (Fuck Everybody and Run.) While not a huge fan of original vocalist Fish, vocalist Steve “H” Hogarth and company wowed me with the quality of writing and the inspired and unique way they revisited these songs. It made me love that older Marillion material but in my opinion, H is always going to be what made me love this band.
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Michael Monroe – One Man Gang
I have been a fan of Michael Monroe going back to his days in Hanoi Rocks. I have followed Monroe’s solo career since the release of his 1989 album Not Fakin’ It, and since then, I have heard some truly great stuff. Monroe is always willing to push the envelope and to dip into new waters, but with One Man Gang, he channeled the vibe of his old band but did so with a very current twist to it. It’s a little bit old and a lot of new which will please everyone from the casual fans to the diehards. It’s a must-have.
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Rival Sons – Feral Roots
After a couple of albums that seemed to lose me (Hollow Bones and The Great Western Valkyrie), Rival Sons delivered their greatest album to date with Feral Roots. Full of attitude, through the roof vocals and a wall of guitars, Feral Roots is rock and roll music the way it was meant to be played. The album is perfectly sequenced, creating an amazing flow from song to song. The title track alone is worth the price of owning this album, but as a whole, this album is one of the best rock albums of the decade.
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Twin Temple – Bring you Their Signature Sound… Satanic Doo-Wop
As much as I hate sub-genre tags, Satanic Doo-Wop has got to be the greatest thing I have ever heard. With evil, sexually driven lyrics, sultry vocals, and music that would make your parents get up and jig around, Twin Temple delivered the single most unique album I’ve heard in the past decade or more. Is it a schtick? That’s up to you to decide. Is it awesome fun? Abso-fucking-lutely!
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