The 2019 Ho Media Awards
There were quite a few "big names" in my library that released new albums this year. For the most part, everyone's effort was appreciated. As usual, we have the Outstanding, Good, and Eh? groups of albums.
Outstanding:
Violet Street by Local Natives
Local Natives went a bit sideways with their second and third albums, so I wasn't really tuned in to their 4th album's recording status. They recorded videos for several tracks that were recommended to me through YouTube; luckily I trusted the system enough to click and watch. Not only is the album Album of the Year, the song "When Am I Gonna Lose You?" - video below - grabs Song of the Year.
Consequence of Sound has a great track-by-track breakdown of the whole album by the band that talks about the evolution of each final song that's really interesting. There's also a "leftover" that was just released called "Nova" that's really good.
My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird's latest studio offering was a close contender. It's been nominated for a Grammy for Folk Album, so I'm not the only one to think of it highly. I saw him with his current band in Chicago this summer and it was an incredible show.
Everyday Life by Coldplay
This is probably the most interesting Coldplay album since VLV, and let's be honest, we don't often get to pair "interesting" with "Coldplay." They've grown into their niche of saccharine piano balladry rife with woooh-oohhhhs and do very well for themselves, but they haven't done much that's worth repeated listens in some time. This is quite a sonic pastiche. I'm not sure where it ranks in their whole catalog yet, but there are some definite classics in here.
Good:
Giants of All Sizes by Elbow
I'm not convinced yet that there's a complete statement being made here. "Dexter and Sinister" is a real banger, but as an opener it's a bit out of place. It's at its best when it gets weird - see "On Deronda Road."
Why Me? Why Not. by Liam Gallagher
This sits more comfortably in his trademark swagger than his last album. Letting other people take the songwriting seat was probably a good move. I'm not sure if any of these are songs for the ages though.
Cause and Effect by Keane
I didn't even know these guys were back together until I saw that this album was out. Even though I really like Strangeland, it went a bit too heavy on the happy tracks. This definitely doesn't, but knowing any of the band's recent history makes the weight of it almost suffocating. I also have to take issue with their stupid habit of including demos on their deluxe CDs. Demos should always be a separate disc. Always.
ANIMA by Thom Yorke
Spooky and a marked improvement on Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, this is really only held back from being one grade higher by the middling track "Last I Heard (...He Was Circling The Drain)." The 11+ minutes from the start of "The Axe" to the end of "Impossible Knots" is a real trip.
Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs
I guess Jack White finally found an incarnation that interests me, because The Raconteurs' 2019 release has been one of the most persistent earworms of the year.
Eh?:
Gallipoli by Beirut
I feel bad including this down here with these other two turds, but there just wasn't enough of the old Beirut magic in this one to make it worthwhile. I can't recall a single melody. Maybe I just haven't found the right mood/atmosphere for it yet.
Chip Tooth Smile by Rob Thomas
The love/hate relationship I have with Rob's albums has ticked over to the side of loathing for this one.
Imperfect Circle by Hootie and The Blowfish
Someone should put The Blowfish guys on a milk carton, because they were 100% missing from this album. A couple of catchy tunes otherwise mired in songs Darius seems to have left on the cutting room floor from his country albums. Dreadful.
As far as new old things go, Emancipator is this year's Discovery Artist of the Year. While not prolific, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough is really all this guy needed to release to cement a future for himself. Is "cinematically instrumental-ish" a genre? If it is, that's what this is. I'm not sure what chain of RIYL albums I followed on Amazon Music to get me to this one, but I'm glad I did.
For the most part, this has been another year of catching up on the TBR pile. When N.K. Jemesin's third book in the Broken Earth trilogy made her the first person in history to win three consecutive Hugos, I knew it was time to push these books up towards the top of the pile. Sometimes awards go to works that are too cerebral or trying too hard, but these were just three really damn good books. With a gun to my head, I'd pick the first one (The Broken Earth) as my favorite, but the whole set tells one story and really can't be separated.
I just received Islington's third installment in his current trilogy, but those a long books, so it's going to take a good chunk of 2020 to get through them. I'll probably need to reread the first volume to get back into the world properly.
Neal Stephenson's Fall was interesting and better than REAMDE, but there were a few false start sprinkled throughout and the ending was almost unbelievably lame (but only almost, since biffing endings is becoming one of his trademarks).
I'm not sure that I saw a movie worth awarding this year. Marvel's flicks were alright, but Endgame was no Infinity War.
Thanks to https://www.humblebundle.com, I was able to pick up the entirety of IDW's first...universe (?) of Transformers for a steal. A good, charity-helping steal, that is. In return, here's your shiny electronic words of distinction - enjoy your Website of the Year Award.
Branch out and surprise yourself next year. Enjoy your 2020.
Outstanding:
Violet Street by Local Natives
Local Natives went a bit sideways with their second and third albums, so I wasn't really tuned in to their 4th album's recording status. They recorded videos for several tracks that were recommended to me through YouTube; luckily I trusted the system enough to click and watch. Not only is the album Album of the Year, the song "When Am I Gonna Lose You?" - video below - grabs Song of the Year.
Consequence of Sound has a great track-by-track breakdown of the whole album by the band that talks about the evolution of each final song that's really interesting. There's also a "leftover" that was just released called "Nova" that's really good.
My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird's latest studio offering was a close contender. It's been nominated for a Grammy for Folk Album, so I'm not the only one to think of it highly. I saw him with his current band in Chicago this summer and it was an incredible show.
Everyday Life by Coldplay
This is probably the most interesting Coldplay album since VLV, and let's be honest, we don't often get to pair "interesting" with "Coldplay." They've grown into their niche of saccharine piano balladry rife with woooh-oohhhhs and do very well for themselves, but they haven't done much that's worth repeated listens in some time. This is quite a sonic pastiche. I'm not sure where it ranks in their whole catalog yet, but there are some definite classics in here.
Good:
Giants of All Sizes by Elbow
I'm not convinced yet that there's a complete statement being made here. "Dexter and Sinister" is a real banger, but as an opener it's a bit out of place. It's at its best when it gets weird - see "On Deronda Road."
Why Me? Why Not. by Liam Gallagher
This sits more comfortably in his trademark swagger than his last album. Letting other people take the songwriting seat was probably a good move. I'm not sure if any of these are songs for the ages though.
Cause and Effect by Keane
I didn't even know these guys were back together until I saw that this album was out. Even though I really like Strangeland, it went a bit too heavy on the happy tracks. This definitely doesn't, but knowing any of the band's recent history makes the weight of it almost suffocating. I also have to take issue with their stupid habit of including demos on their deluxe CDs. Demos should always be a separate disc. Always.
ANIMA by Thom Yorke
Spooky and a marked improvement on Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, this is really only held back from being one grade higher by the middling track "Last I Heard (...He Was Circling The Drain)." The 11+ minutes from the start of "The Axe" to the end of "Impossible Knots" is a real trip.
Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs
I guess Jack White finally found an incarnation that interests me, because The Raconteurs' 2019 release has been one of the most persistent earworms of the year.
Eh?:
Gallipoli by Beirut
I feel bad including this down here with these other two turds, but there just wasn't enough of the old Beirut magic in this one to make it worthwhile. I can't recall a single melody. Maybe I just haven't found the right mood/atmosphere for it yet.
Chip Tooth Smile by Rob Thomas
The love/hate relationship I have with Rob's albums has ticked over to the side of loathing for this one.
Imperfect Circle by Hootie and The Blowfish
Someone should put The Blowfish guys on a milk carton, because they were 100% missing from this album. A couple of catchy tunes otherwise mired in songs Darius seems to have left on the cutting room floor from his country albums. Dreadful.
For the most part, this has been another year of catching up on the TBR pile. When N.K. Jemesin's third book in the Broken Earth trilogy made her the first person in history to win three consecutive Hugos, I knew it was time to push these books up towards the top of the pile. Sometimes awards go to works that are too cerebral or trying too hard, but these were just three really damn good books. With a gun to my head, I'd pick the first one (The Broken Earth) as my favorite, but the whole set tells one story and really can't be separated.
I just received Islington's third installment in his current trilogy, but those a long books, so it's going to take a good chunk of 2020 to get through them. I'll probably need to reread the first volume to get back into the world properly.
Neal Stephenson's Fall was interesting and better than REAMDE, but there were a few false start sprinkled throughout and the ending was almost unbelievably lame (but only almost, since biffing endings is becoming one of his trademarks).
I'm not sure that I saw a movie worth awarding this year. Marvel's flicks were alright, but Endgame was no Infinity War.
Thanks to https://www.humblebundle.com, I was able to pick up the entirety of IDW's first...universe (?) of Transformers for a steal. A good, charity-helping steal, that is. In return, here's your shiny electronic words of distinction - enjoy your Website of the Year Award.
Branch out and surprise yourself next year. Enjoy your 2020.
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