BADTOOTH – “Medium Rare”
“Medium Rare” is a well-mixed blend of electronic and industrial music from BADTOOTH, which is a new music project from Arden Fisher, previously of Dekades. This track is a killer introduction and optimistic glance into the future of the project.
Automatic – “Too Much Money”
Automatic are a super trio, featuring Lola Dompé (drums, vocals), Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), and Halle Saxon (bass, vocals). Lola is the daughter of Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus), Halle is involved with Joo-Joo Ashworth (Froth), and Izzy is just really cool. Behind all the six degrees of connections, Automatic are a tight, focused post-punk group that have made significant headway into the indie airwaves with their first full-length release, Signal.
Ian Brown – “Black Roses”
With The Stone Roses reunion finished and showing no signs of going further, it was a nice surprise to see their frontman, Ian Brown, continue his solo efforts. “Black Roses” and the title track, “Ripples”, are pleasantly surprising tracks that were released without much fanfare, which is a bit shocking, as Ian’s 2019 works sounds as fresh as his older solo material.
Second Still – “Special No One”
Not a whole lot to say about Second Still’s latest album, Violet Phase, other than if you like darkwave and post-punk, you’ll like everything about this group. Starting with the instrumentation and aesthetics, Second Still faithfully reinterprets the era of Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Killing Joke, etc.
The Chemical Brothers – “Bango”
If you want to simply dance or listen to intricate electronic music, The Chemical Brothers didn’t fail deliver the goods in 2019 with their album, No Geography. You can’t really isolate one track from the album, as all the songs kinda transition and bleed into each other, but “Bango” is just one snippet of a magnetic, immersive listening experience.
The Faint – “Egowerk”
This may be the best Depeche Mode track from the 80s that isn’t actually Depeche Mode. The Faint just nail the synths on Egowerk, especially the title track. It’s also heartwarming to see the group still continuing their live touring circuit, even as EDM (and lesser DJs), have morphed the genre into something else entirely.
FACS – “Xuxa”
An off-shoot of the indie band, Disappears, who’ve unfortunately disappeared, FACS picks up the pieces where Disappears left off, but with more experimental song arrangements. Lifelike isn’t the most accessible album, but since the prior release, Negative Houses, FACS is certainly honing harmonies and ambient noises to something more artistic.
Cherry Glazerr – “Self Explained”
A similar riff to The Cure’s “Lullaby”, “Self Explained” is an addictive, well-produced song off of Cherry Glazerr’s Stuffed & Ready. Lyrically, it’ll reach the hearts of introverts and perhaps alludes to the songwriting rituals of front woman, Clementine Creevy, when she isn’t touring extensively. It’s an introspective and vulnerable composition, which certainly lends itself into why “Self Explained” is so appealing.
Iggy Pop – “Loves Missing”
After his previous album, Post-Pop Depression, with Josh Homme and company, there was a bit of speculation on what music project Iggy would work on next. Lo and behold, we see the 2019 release of Free. Iggy will always be “worth a million in prizes”, but “Loves Missing” is a rocking achievement to a lifetime and career of always keeping things interesting.
Eva Los Angeles – “Venacava”
Shout out to Eva Los Angeles for the fantastic single, “Venacava”. See more information on this music project here.
That’s a wrap on 2019. Embedded playlist of our curated tracks are below via Apple Music.
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