Year in Review: Best Albums of 2019
December 31, 2019
Over the past couple of weeks I have been asking producers and writers about trends they’ve seen emerge over the past decade - connecting time, and the many currents with in it, and sound. The interviews were not conducted under the premise that time is some fixed and clearly defined phenomena, or once the clock strikes midnight we will all of a sudden be dropped into a new era of (there is plenty of music recorded years prior to its release). Rather, the interviews were structured to highlight the touch points throughout the decade.
In an effort to understand the relationship between time and sound, each interviewee spoke from their particular area of expertise and interest. Their responses, though subjective, help clue us in to the many changes that have taken place. John Smythe and John McNeil brilliantly spoke about the sonic and stylistic changes that have occurred over the decade. Drawing parallels between culture, aesthetic, and sound in the decade, Smythe astutely pointed out,
I would describe the sound of the 2010’s as “larger than life”. “Over produced” is another good one. Not much unlike how we treat our lives on social media. There isn’t really much emphasis on the nuances of life, how emotionally dynamic our days are, or how human we are. Music in the 2010s is the same; not much emphasis on nuance (masters are really loud, drums are at max velocity, vocals are super compressed), dynamics (masters are really loud, drums are at max velocity, vocals are super compressed), or human touch (do I have to repeat myself?).
Similarly, speaking on the relationship between technology and sound, John McNeil pointed out,
for the 2010s, the laptop computer definitely was the technological innovation that defined the era, coupled with the wild change in music consumption and purchase habits with the rise of streaming platforms and YouTube making “viral hits” a frequent occurrence more than ever, along with empowering a new army of DIY independent artists who could record a song in their bedroom, shoot the video themselves and upload it to YouTube or anywhere online in a matter of minutes.
Jasmin Oya incisively connected large political and cultural changes that have taken place and how they’ve been reflected in music. Writing about the relationship between politics and music, Oya stated,
“The transition from the 2000s into 2010 began with the presidential election in '08. Hope was contagious at the sight of the black President that perhaps we could move beyond the ghettos and blackness could be more accessible in the mainstream world. Hope requires an alternative. Alternative ways of looking, seeing and being.”
So, what do we make of the moment we are in, and the moments we will enter? What have these past 10 years taught us about the relationship between politics and music? What technological innovation will be developed that could change how music is made or consumed? These questions, and many others, aren’t readily answerable now, but in time they will be addressed. We’ll stop back in 10 years to see how things have changed (or not).
*****
Below is the definitive, wholly complete, and unbiased Best Albums of 2019. Don’t worry about the criteria. Just know that these albums have gone through a rigorous, scientific selection process.
