The compilation of lists is the one thing I like most about blogging. To look back at the records that have been published over the last twelve months is like nothing else. That being said, it was a year with less time for discovering music and writing about it. My main job is taking up a big amount of time, but I will carry on with Tinnitus Attacks, that's for sure. And as you might know, I think the best time to publish the "best of"-list in between Christmas and New Years Eve, a time we call "between the years" in Germany. Maybe that's because when I was a kid, we used to watch a TV show that looked back on the most important moments of the year and if I remember correctly, that was always aired on the 31st of December. While this year was not one of big discoveries on my part, it saw the triumphant return of some of my all-time musical favorites. Let's have a look at my top ten records - and ten more that I will have to take the time to listen to now that I finally find some time and leisure for it.
10.) Calexico - Years To Burn (with Iron And Wine)
Every year it seems I find a record - or does the record find me? - that feels like a quiet moment in a sea of noise. This year, it was this one. Calexico's Joey Burns and John Covertino teamed up with Sam Beam once again and their second collaboration album was the perfect blend of their musical trademarks: Iron and Wine bring a comforting feeling to the table while Calexico dial back their tex-mex-signature sound and explore their melancholic longing. A soothing record in troubling times.
9.) Vampire Weekend - Father Of The Bride
I remember well when I first listened to Vampire Weekend. When "M79" played, it felt like stepping into a Wes Anderson movie. And I love Wes Anderson movies! Vampire Weekend managed to keep every album since their debut in 2008 exciting. "Father Of The Bride" is no different. There are so many musical treasures that want to be explored and cherished here from the piano-fueled "Harmony Hall" to the surf-vibe tune "This Life". The duets with Danielle Haim add to the multifacetedness of the album.
8.) Soilwork - Verkligheten
Sometimes my metal past comes back haunting me. I had a soft spot for heavy sounds in my late teenager and early twens. And especially melodic Death Metal from Sweden was a big thing to me, I adored In Flames (until "Colony", after that I did not care much for their musical development). Soilwork even haunted me in my dreams with their song "Black Star Deceiver" from the fourth record "Natural Born Chaos". After "Sworn To A Great Divide", I lost track of the band - but then "Verkligheten" brought them back to my stereo. What a great record. How amazing is "Stålfågel"?
7.) The Menzingers - Hello Exile
The Menzingers have been one of my favorite punkrock bands for many years now. With "After The Party", they made it to the pole position of my top ten records in 2017. Now while "Hello Exile" did not overwhelm me like its predecessor, it's still an excellent record. The political opener "America (You're Freaking Me Out)" or the more personal songs like "Anna" prove one again that The Menzingers have become one of the most relevant bands in punkrock.
6.) The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
When I sat in the cinema watching Zombieland ten years ago, "Salute Your Solution" by The Raconteurs came on during the last scene and I was thrilled to hear this song in a movie. The first two records by the group that stars Jack White and Brendan Benson were fantastic, and it's good to finally have the their one spinning, eleven years after "Consolers Of The Lonely". And it picks right up where we left, with "Bored and Razed" hitting us with guitars galore and Jack White's significant voice. A record like an old oak table, made with craftsmanship and skill. "I'm here right now, I'm not dead yet", Brendan Benson and Jack White sing in "Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)". Couldn't agree more.
5.) Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
Opeth have evolved from Death Metal pioneers to Progressive Metal giants. As I only got to know them with "Pale Communion", that is not an issue for me. Now with album No. 13, Mikael Akerfeldt and his fellow musicians have forged an impressive piece of music once again. And the fact that they released it in English and their mother tongue Swedish just adds to the grandeur of the record. Be sure to enjoy songs as "Charlatan" with your headphones on. There's so much detail that you would miss if you just let it play as a musical backdrop for anything you would do instead of really listening to this.
4.) Pascow - Jade
The best German punk band has released yet another great album. "Jade" is filled to the brim with riffs that seem to come easy, but they are so precise and sophisticated. I love how I knew that the 2:37 mark in the video for the title track, we would see the backdrop fall and reveal the corpse paint version of the artwork that just amazes me everytime I see it. If you are reading this in a country where English is the native language, I can tell you that learning German would be worth it just for the lyrics on this record. But you can also just get crazy listening to the fantastic music that Pascow have immortalized on this record.
3.) Baroness - Gold & Grey
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a musician. I can imagine that it's not a good feeling if people say "I prefer your older stuff". When I look back at the younger me, I would not want to go back or be stuck in being the same forever. So when bands like Baroness try new things because they want to keep going forward as artists, I can relate to that. "Gold & Grey" is something new for sure but it's not like you wouldn't recognize it. Gina Gleason enriches the sound of Baroness with her voice and her guitar in many ways. I won't name a single song here because this album wants to be listened to in its entirety (I put one song on my best of 2019 playlist though, as you can see at the end of this post).
2.) Dave Hause - Kick
There's just so many good songs on the fourth album by Philadelphia born singer and songwriter Dave Hause, and the record as a whole proved to be a silver lining in dark times where you can sometimes be under the impression that the world has truly lost its mind. "Saboteurs" is an encouraging appeal to not give in while "Bearing Down" features on of the best lines ever written: "You're The One I Want To Wither With".
1.) TOOL - Fear Inoculum
No other record comes close to this one in 2019. After 13 years of absence, Avantgarde Metal giants TOOL celebrate their triumphant return with a record that is deeply immersive, musically flawless and just utterly incredible. I saw the band play live at this year's Rock im Park and took their pictures and it was the one show that I could see from start to finish. I've been a fan of the band for a long time and I think they play in a class of its own. When the title track was published, I only listened to that and of course I bought the fairly overpriced limited edition with built-in screen and speaker. The songs are just perfect, and I love how the record comes to an end with "7empest" just to show off a killer guitar riff in a nonchalant way. Welcome to the pinnacle.
Click here to find a spotify playlist featuring my favorite songs from my top ten records.
What made my top then last year? Click here to find out.
If you want to see my lists with the Top Ten Records of former years, just click on the year: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011. They were still written in German, but you get an idea of my musical taste.
10.) Calexico - Years To Burn (with Iron And Wine)
Every year it seems I find a record - or does the record find me? - that feels like a quiet moment in a sea of noise. This year, it was this one. Calexico's Joey Burns and John Covertino teamed up with Sam Beam once again and their second collaboration album was the perfect blend of their musical trademarks: Iron and Wine bring a comforting feeling to the table while Calexico dial back their tex-mex-signature sound and explore their melancholic longing. A soothing record in troubling times.
9.) Vampire Weekend - Father Of The Bride
8.) Soilwork - Verkligheten
7.) The Menzingers - Hello Exile
The Menzingers have been one of my favorite punkrock bands for many years now. With "After The Party", they made it to the pole position of my top ten records in 2017. Now while "Hello Exile" did not overwhelm me like its predecessor, it's still an excellent record. The political opener "America (You're Freaking Me Out)" or the more personal songs like "Anna" prove one again that The Menzingers have become one of the most relevant bands in punkrock.6.) The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
When I sat in the cinema watching Zombieland ten years ago, "Salute Your Solution" by The Raconteurs came on during the last scene and I was thrilled to hear this song in a movie. The first two records by the group that stars Jack White and Brendan Benson were fantastic, and it's good to finally have the their one spinning, eleven years after "Consolers Of The Lonely". And it picks right up where we left, with "Bored and Razed" hitting us with guitars galore and Jack White's significant voice. A record like an old oak table, made with craftsmanship and skill. "I'm here right now, I'm not dead yet", Brendan Benson and Jack White sing in "Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)". Couldn't agree more.5.) Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
4.) Pascow - Jade
The best German punk band has released yet another great album. "Jade" is filled to the brim with riffs that seem to come easy, but they are so precise and sophisticated. I love how I knew that the 2:37 mark in the video for the title track, we would see the backdrop fall and reveal the corpse paint version of the artwork that just amazes me everytime I see it. If you are reading this in a country where English is the native language, I can tell you that learning German would be worth it just for the lyrics on this record. But you can also just get crazy listening to the fantastic music that Pascow have immortalized on this record.
3.) Baroness - Gold & Grey
2.) Dave Hause - Kick
There's just so many good songs on the fourth album by Philadelphia born singer and songwriter Dave Hause, and the record as a whole proved to be a silver lining in dark times where you can sometimes be under the impression that the world has truly lost its mind. "Saboteurs" is an encouraging appeal to not give in while "Bearing Down" features on of the best lines ever written: "You're The One I Want To Wither With".
1.) TOOL - Fear Inoculum
No other record comes close to this one in 2019. After 13 years of absence, Avantgarde Metal giants TOOL celebrate their triumphant return with a record that is deeply immersive, musically flawless and just utterly incredible. I saw the band play live at this year's Rock im Park and took their pictures and it was the one show that I could see from start to finish. I've been a fan of the band for a long time and I think they play in a class of its own. When the title track was published, I only listened to that and of course I bought the fairly overpriced limited edition with built-in screen and speaker. The songs are just perfect, and I love how the record comes to an end with "7empest" just to show off a killer guitar riff in a nonchalant way. Welcome to the pinnacle.Click here to find a spotify playlist featuring my favorite songs from my top ten records.
What made my top then last year? Click here to find out.
If you want to see my lists with the Top Ten Records of former years, just click on the year: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011. They were still written in German, but you get an idea of my musical taste.