The playlist this week is a list of my favourite albums of 2019. Most of the “Best of” lists came out in December but I am just getting around to it now. There are a lot of good albums that were on some of those lists but didn’t make it to mine. These are the albums that caught my ear and my attention this year.
I had a list of almost 90 albums and found that it was difficult for me to narrow down to 50. With a lot of listening and shuffling, I finally ended up with a solid playlist. They are mostly placed for playlist flow and not exact rated position in the list.
My top top picks are mostly in the first part of the playlist, such as Royal Canoe’s Waver, Begonia’s Fear, and Trampoline’s Happy Crimes, which happen to be all Winnipeg bands. Lightning Dust’s Spectre is my current favourite. Some of my favourite artists such as Patrick Watson, Leif Vollebekk, Black Mountain, and PUP all had new albums out this year. Trampoline and Whoop-Szo were a couple of my favourite new discoveries. Saskatchewan artists Ponteix, Close Talker, The Dead South, Natural Sympathies, and Marshall Burns all made me proud and made my list. Haviah Mighty, Kimmortal and Snotty Nose Rez Kids are representing for the hip hop/rap crew. I had more instrumental albums to enjoy again this year such as from The Cosmic Range, Badge Époque Ensemble, and Loscil . There was definitely a nice range of music for me to listen to again this year!
See my list below and listen to the playlist to find out what other albums made it to my best of list this year.
DarBar’s 50 Favourite Albums of 2019
Waver – Royal Canoe
Fear – Begonia
Happy Crimes – Trampoline
Wave – Patrick Watson
New Ways – Leif Vollebekk
The Isle of Ailynn – Mappe Of
Spectre – Lightning Dust
Destroyer – Black Mountain
Morbid Stuff – PUP
nipiy – nêhiyawak
A Blemish In The Great Light – Half Moon Run
Bastion – Ponteix
How Do We Stay Here? – Close Talker
Cool to Who – Walrus
Skye Wallace – Skye Wallace
ataataga – Riit
1952 – Geoffroy
Now – Jesse MacCormack
Warrior Down – Whoop-Szo
Sugar & Joy – The Dead South
C’qui nous reste du Texas – Bernard Adamus
Thanks for the Dance – Leonard Cohen
The Gratitude Principle – The Cosmic Range
Badge Époque Ensemble – Badge Époque Ensemble
Soft Landing – Sandro Perri
Release – Rich Aucoin
Outro – Emilie Kahn
Music To Draw To: lo – Kid Koala
Lifelike – Loscil
Junior – Corridor
In The Land Of – Wintersleep
Anyway Gang – Anyway Gang
The Shape of Your Name – Charlotte Cornfield
what we say in private – Ada Lea
Radiant Dawn – Operators
Salt – Blessed
Let Yourself Be Seen – Doomsquad
Porous – Natural Sympathies
Dark Beings – LAL
Helium – HOMESHAKE
Dawn Chorus – Jacques Greene
13th Floor – Haviah Mighty
TRAPLINE – Snotty Nose Rez Kids
X Marks the Swirl – Immortal
Speed Queen – Little Scream
Love, Inevitable – Jenn Grant
Shout – Gabrielle Papillon
Forever Overhead – Tim Baker
Pony – Orville Peck
Dogs and Booze – Marshall Burns
What were some of your favourites?
Good Morning
Good morning Scott 🙂
Hi Dar,
Thanks for the play list!.
Listening to the radio and streaming means that I don’t very often listen to a complete album. It used to be important to listen to an album to get a complete picture of what an artist was trying to say. I don’t if that is the case as much anymore. It seems like the artist has to tell his / her story in 3-5 minutes.
What do you think? You are obviously listening to complete albums.
Yes, it is definitely an age of singles. I thought about doing my favourite songs, but I am more focused on albums because of Polaris Music Prize. I hope that people will find something they like on the playlist and go listen to the rest of the album.
I am listening to tracks a lot through the week working on playlists but like to listen to the whole album front to back when I can. On the weekends I do more of that while listening to vinyl. I still love the whole album experience and hearing it in the order the artist wanted it heard.
Hello
Hiya Garf!