Here are some of the albums that I couldn’t stop listening to in 2019:
Maggie Rogers – Heard It in a Past Life (January 18, 2019)
Many artists who become the product of a viral incident only end up seeing 15 minutes of fame. Then you have a rare case like Maggie Rogers who is out to make a legacy. Many may recall the video that exploded on the internet a few years ago when rapper and producer Pharrell Williams made an appearance at Rogers’ university masterclass and heard the first cut of what would be her track Alaska, and ended up tearing up at the end. After a moment like that, how do you separate yourself as an artist? You take time off, and create an album that is truly and authentically you. And that’s exactly what Maggie Rogers did. Heard it in a Past Life is an album that covers a number of topics that a young 20-something may face: people can change overnight (Overnight), the pedestal we put our happiness on (Light On), those first moments of falling in love (Burning), learning to love yourself again (Back In My Body). This folk-pop masterpiece is for anyone who feels conflicted and confused about where to go in life, about who you should surround yourself with and the struggles we fall into along the way. It speaks immensely towards the millennial generation who are currently going through just that. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are insightful and they feel as if you’re in the situation that’s described in the song. Despite being only 25 years old, Rogers speaks from experience, and as a listener, that’s all we need to hear.
PUP – Morbid Stuff (April 5, 2019)
Canadian punk-rock band PUP released their third studio album in April. And while the band has always been known for their loud, fast, punk-rock anthems, Morbid Stuff saw PUP progress into a stronger outfit, with a change in musical direction that has cemented their style. Morbid Stuff, as the title so implies, deals a lot with the struggles of mental health and the obsession of dark thoughts. It also expands into topics such as the spiral into depression (Scorpion Hill), self-medicating (Bloody Mary-Kate and Ashley), and even feeling like you’re trapped in the city you live in (City). And while it may come across as depressing or alarming, this sort of concept may even be intended that way. It seems now more than ever we’re living in a world that is so overwhelming, from the in-your face of the news to being bombarded with social media. It’s both refreshing and reassuring to have an album as a companion to help us navigate the mess this world is in, even if just for 40 minutes.
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (April 19, 2019)
If you were listening to music at all in 2019, it was hard to ignore any of the tunes that came from hip-hop/R&B super star Lizzo. Her track Truth Hurts (which technically came out in 2017) catapulted to the top of the charts and was easily one of the songs of the summer. The infectious Juice and Tempo infusing both pop and hip-hop, skyrocketed up the charts throughout the year. Even her song Good as Hell, which was actually featured on her EP Coconut Oil, has managed to sneak its way back into the Billboard Hot 100, 3 years after its release. But Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, goes beyond catchy radio hits. Cuz I Love You connects on a more personal level, she bares it all (both literally and symbolically. She tastefully poses naked on the cover of the album). The way she wails ‘I’m crying cause I love you’ on the album opener grabs your attention from the get go and lets you know that we’re about to go on a ride. Like a Girl radiates self-confidence and female independence. Jerome tackles the end of a relationship, and the playful Boys is, well, an ode to all of them. And that’s just the start. The album is filled with a barrage of genres that have married themselves together to create songs that will get stuck in your head. Despite the multiple genres and music stylings, there’s something on this album for everyone, a sure sign of a quality record.
Carly Rae Jepsen – Dedicated (May 17, 2019)
After the enormous underground success of her third studio album, Emotion, Jepsen spent some time in Sweden following a breakup to record her follow up, Dedicated. Jepsen described the album as an understated disco, living room dance party, with inspiration from ABBA and Donna Summer, and it shows. Although CRJ has been notorious for including the up-beat, catchy synth in her music, Dedicated sounds like the older sister to Emotion. The music and lyrics sound more mature, and you can tell Jepsen is moving away from the easy pop bits destined for the radio. It sounds more relaxed and casual. A chill disco, if you will. The infectious Now That I Found You and Party For One are anthems of celebration, while Want You in My Room and Everything He Needs are more sultry and desire-driven. Although Dedicated comes from a relaxed approach, its core still has the much-loved synth-pop magic that Jepsen has mastered.
The Black Keys – Let’s Rock (June 28, 2019)
When you’re a band and you go on a hiatus, sometimes the return can be dicey. Will your fanbase still be there when you get back? Can you return with a record that is substantial and relevant, especially with so many transitions in genres? Those questions may have crossed the minds of The Black Keys, but that’s far from the case on their latest effort, Let’s Rock. If anything, this album saw a triumphant return for the Ohio duo, who had been on hiatus for four years. Let’s Rock sees The Black Keys maintain the sound they carried in their last two albums, Turn Blue and El Camino, but with the absence of Danger Mouse as producer, there’s a little room in the record for a more polished sound, losing some of the band’s initial raw, but that doesn’t ruin what you hear. There’s no dramatic change in sound but Let’s Rock carries what a Black Keys album sounds like; a good, pure rock and roll record. There is no shortage of wailing guitar solos and toe tapping drum beats. Eagle Birds and Lo/Hi encompasses everything that rock radio loves, while Go and Fire Walk with Me are the perfect concert clap-alongs. This record puts a modern twist on rock’s golden era.
Taylor Swift – Lover (August 23, 2019)
When you spend two years proclaiming the tarnish of your reputation, hiding from the press and ignoring online storms riddled with snakes, how do you come back in a new era? With butterflies and rainbows, of course. And that’s exactly what Taylor Swift did with Lover. Swift’s seventh studio album saw the singer approach her next era in a brand new light. Out we stepped from the dark and edgy era of Reputation and into a new one that saw Swift return to her more upbeat, catchy tracks, but she came in with a new agenda this time. On Lover, Taylor reflects on the different aspects of love. And although the subject has been a major basis for her career, this time it’s in a bit of a different direction. The songs on Lover look at the daunting relationships (Cruel Summer), the ones that last forever (Lover), the ones that might not (Cornelia Street) the love for your family and friends (Soon You’ll Get Better, It’s Nice to Have a Friend), and even more so, the love for yourself (Daylight). Thrown in the mix are subtle political remarks as heard in Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince and You Need to Calm Down. Needless to say these 18 tracks have shown that Taylor Swift has grown tremendously in the past decade, and there’s no doubt she’s got so much more up her sleeve.
City & Colour – A Pill for Loneliness (October 4, 2019)
City and Colour (AKA Dallas Green) is known for putting out music that can be so soft and gentle but with lyrics that can cut like a knife. And A Pill for Loneliness is no exception. Green’s latest record feels like a transition, a growth in character. The record navigates in a more realism approach by addressing the search for something more (Strangers) to the cynicism in humanity (Mountain of Madness.) But then there are songs like Astronaut and Living in Lighting that feel like they come from this point of independence, and that maybe sometimes the loneliness is good, and not such a bitter pill to swallow after all.
Honourable Mention:
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
Before you stop me, yes, I know this album came out in 2018, BUT it most certainly had a moment in 2019. Between her Grammy wins, her iconic ‘I didn’t say f*ckin YEE’ meme-worthy moment at Coachella, another world tour and her recently released holiday special, Kacey was still making waves in 2019. Although country may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Golden Hour encompasses elements of pop, electronic, synth, otherwise genres not necessarily associated with country. The album opens with the reminiscent Slow Burn, which is warm and gentle and slowly pulls you into the rest of the record. This soul-baring album has tracks like the heartbreaking ‘Mother’ and the tear-jerker ‘Rainbow.’ But it’s not all slow and sad because there’s the disco-type ‘High Horse’ and the lovey-dovey ‘Butterflies’ that will have you singing and dancing along. In the excerpt of the record, Musgraves writes “this is a time to be present, to witness the beauty of this incredible world you are so lucky to be alive in,” which fully encompasses everything this record says.