Cabbage & Shame
Will's 2019 Musical Musings
I thought I’d put together some of my favourite music from 2019. This list is in no particular order and is by no means exhaustive! Much of this music has been talked about in other EoY lists, but not all of it. Hopefully you find something new in reading this. If you don’t, well done you for having such good taste in music.
I’ve written more about certain bands/albums/EPs than others 
This isn’t an
indication on my liking them more or less — it’s more an indication on which I’ve read more
reviews of and have drawn inspriation from or which I’ve spent more idle time dwelling on what to
write. I initially wrote this as a post for a work channel about music then thought I’d use it as
the basis for the first post of a music blog. I’ve gone back and expanded some rather brief
statements about the music, but not all of them — hence the short reviews in places.
Julia Jacklin - Crushing
“Oh, another breakup album. Taylor Swift called: she wants her trademark back” is what a lesser man would say on the premise of this album. (Or me, if I were scraping the bottom of the barrel for a put down.)
Yes, making a breakup album is not exactly breaking virgin ground, but Julia Jacklin does it with aplomb and raw, heartfelt energy. From the first song, Body, opening the chapter about the breakup, through to singing about later stages of a deteriorating relationship in Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You, it makes you feel like it was your relationship that fell apart; almost holding up the mirror to your own life to trigger an existential crisis about your own relationships.
Dry Cleaning - Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks
Surprisingly not a member of the Speedy Wunderground label, Dry Cleaning put their own spin on the
current post-punk revival. From what I’ve read, their lead vocalist has no particular singing
experience and it shows, opting to speak the lyrics instead with a manner that sounds almost
bored as she recites them. This dull demeanour only furthers to highlight the sardonic lyrical
content of the songs.
Squid - Town Centre
Billed as one of the Sounds of 2020, Squid seem to be the poster child of the current British indie/post-punk scene. They’ve recorded with the Speedy Wunderground label, even convincing them to break from their singles-only mould to record this EP. Squid started as, in their own words, a “bad jazz band” and one can hear a decent amount of jazz influences in their sound. From the opening instrumental track of Savage, featuring a haunting cornet over the top, through the fast-paced drumming and further melodic trumpets in Match Bet via The Cleaner (SO I CAN DANCE) to the slowed closing of Rodeo, this EP is utterly enthralling. There’s good reason that Match Bet has been getting a lot of air time on BBC Radio 6.
I am beyond excited for what they might produce in 2020 and I’m desperately hunting for tickets to see them live.
The Comet Is Coming - Trust In the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
I got really into jazz this year and this is the some of the finest stuff out there. Shabaka Hutchings (a soon-to-be jazz legend) leads this collective which blends all manner of genres together to form one glorious whole.
Theon Cross - Fyah
Moses Boyd & Nubya Garcia both feature on this album and they are 2 of the best jazz artists around right now, complementing Theon Cross’s tuba playing exceptionally well.
Joe Armon-Jones - Turn to Clear View
I think I was at school with his brother. Another mover & shaker in the London jazz scene, also a member of the Ezra Collective. All round great jazz.
Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel
BBC 6 Music’s album of the year and very well-deserved. The opening lines of
“Dublin in the rain is mine / A pregnant city with a Catholic mind”
is, in my opinion, one of the best possible ways to start an album. I want every album to start like this. Yes, even music not at all connected with Ireland.
Aldous Harding - Designer
The Barrel is one of the best songs of the decade. That’s all I need to say about this album.
Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
Pure 70s style orchestral pop and it’s the bee’s knees. I’d highly recommend watching the video for Everyday: it’s a love letter to 70s/80s horror films.
Cate le Bon - Reward
Had this stuck in my head all week, large amounts of Bowie & Talking Heads influence in this.
Black Country, New Road
I don’t even know how to describe them, but I’ve got tickets to see them at The Mash House in January. Hype.
The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears
The number of times I’ve finished this album then gone straight back to the top and listened to it again is more than once. It’s an album that changes sound from front to back, starting with an almost cinematic, progressive sound before hitting the driving bass line, drums and guitar.
If you’re a fan of The Smiths or Joy Division, I would highly recommend this album.
Sports Team
Classic indie rock, I don’t really think they’re doing anything necessarily spectacular or revolutionary, but I think they’re a lot of fun. Also, this Guardian article kind of sums them up for me. Similarly, their frontman was born to be a frontman. Can you tell they all went to Cambridge? (Genuine question.)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies
Boogie music about climate change, better than it sounds.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats’ Nest
Heavy metal in the style of Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc. Still about climate change, but 25x heavier than FFF, phenomenal live.
Warmduscher - Tainted Lunch
The frontman is as eccentric as the music he makes. Iggy Pop opens the album with a wandering preamble, what more do you want?
Liz Lawrence - Pity Party
Kind of indie pop, I suppose? USP & None of My Friends are stand out singles.
The Specials - Encore
Classic 80s two-tone/ska. They’re still great, still angry about the state of the world, still singing about it - thank God.
Stella Donnelly - Beware of the Dogs
I just love her voice, fortunately her tracks also are great. Singing songs about topics such as sexual assault, exploitation of women à la Harvey Weinstein and her abortion in her late teens/early 20s.
black midi - Schlagenheim
Noise/math rock, very experimental, all good if that’s your thing. (It’s one of my things, it seems).
Girl Band - The Talkies
The album opens with a recording of the lead singer having a panic attack in the recording studio. More noise rock, still experimental. Their first album a few years ago inspired the likes of black midi and more.
Brittany Howard - Jamie
Of Alabama Shakes fame, this fills a hole in my heart that they left behind, but this more than makes up for it. Brittany Howard explores similar sounds in this album that she did with Alabama Shakes, but goes further, delving into other genres like jazz, R&B, lofi hip hop and whatever 13th Century Metal is.
Girl Ray - Girl
Kind of dream/bedroom pop. What even are genres these days?
Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club
I refer to this as surfer country and I love it. Also, I think it’s my favourite album cover of the year.
Awkward Family Portraits - Everything We’ve Done Up Until Now Except What We’ve Done Since
Glasgow bluegrass band singing about such topics as climate change and nights out on the lash. Because why not. Nathan and I saw them live and I can safely say they were a lot of fun. I have a video if you want.
Oh Sees - Face Stabber
This album opens with them sampling a squeaky toy and that kind of defines the album going forwards. Lots of psychedelic & progressive rock influences. There’s a squeaky toy opening the album, why are you still reading this?
Pip Blom - Boat
I missed out on seeing these guys live - God damn it, Nathan, this would have been better than DnD. Dutch indie pop band, playful pop covering actual angst.
Trash Kit - Horizon
Having spent time in their own bands like Shopping (check them out), Trash Kit came together for their own special blend of post-punk, Afrobeat and more. The drums come in crashing and the vocals are more akin to sprechgesang than singing. Through the sound, there’s a lot of very good lyrics.
Gauche - A People’s History of Gauche
The singer of Gauche has a bizarre voice when singing, but I find it rather draws me in. Nathan disagrees. Mad post-punk but all kinds of fun. The upbeat music covers the underlying song topics.
Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal - Back At the House
Hemlock Ernst, better known as the singer of Future Islands, finally released a full album having featured on countless alternative hip-hop tracks. It was everything I’ve been waiting for from him.
Tacocat - This Mess Is a Place
Upbeat indie pop. Also their band name is palindromic, which is fun.
GIRLI - Odd One Out
This is featured in a Spotify playlist called Glitter Bomb, which should tell you enough about this in itself. Electrifying pop-electronica — the kind of thing listened to by girls finishing six form, freshers and - apparently - Nathan and me.
The Divine Comedy - Office Politics
Neil Hannon again plays around with whichever genres he feels like. Supposedly a concept album about an office - one to listen to at work and try to match up the characters with your colleagues?
Mac DeMarco - Here Comes the Cowboy
Despite the allegations of ripping off Mitski’s album from last year, Mac has clearly decided to just write music for himself rather than sounding like Mac DeMarco. Also, there’s a song called Choo Choo.
Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning
I’m convinced Loyle Carner can do no wrong. He continues to produce fantastic, heartfelt music and is possibly one of the best voices in UK hip-hop right now. (Sorry, Duncan, I know you’re all about CASISDEAD.)
Little Simz - GREY Area
I love Little Simz and this album only deepened that love. This album has been talked about a lot this year, so I’m not going to say too much about it. That said, I’m still gutted that she didn’t end up opening for Gorillaz in Glasgow. Maybe I was just late. We’ll never know. Anyway, listen to this, it’s good for you.
Sleaford Mods - Eton Alive
One of the top 10 albums of the year. The music almost sounds as Northern as the vocalist. It’s grating, almost caustic, but it delivers some biting commentary on modern Britain from a working class perspective.