2019 Albums ----------- This year holds the distinction of me having the fewest favorite albums from the years I lived through first hand. There is no question I was almost completely disengaged from looking for new music. I spent a lot of time listening to the local classical music station, and some time looking backward thinking about the project I am working on here. .. image:: images/2019.jpg :width: 900 :alt: My favorite albums from 2019 .. raw:: html - *Norman Fucking Rockwell* by **Lana Del Rey** - [**2019 FAVORITE**] This was the only album that I discovered and fully engaged with during the year of 2019. I like all of Lana's albums, but this one is stunning. The songwriting has gone to a new level, and she has really separated herself from her peers working in the the crowded female singer songwriter (with a large support team) space of our current era. "Venice Bitch" and "Hope is a Dangerous Thing for A Woman Like Me to Have, but I Have it" are her two finest songs so far. [*Memory*: All of a sudden the world was on board with Lana, and I'm feeling ahead of the times] - *Office Politics* by **The Divine Comedy** - No act played a bigger part in my late 2010s listening that Neil Hannon and company. I had largely stayed away from the newer records, as I was for some reason convinced that their best work was back in the 90s. I especially avoided this record due to that horrendous cover making it look like some sort of comedy record. Hannon has always gone right up to the line of being a "joke band" but has managed to stay in the region of witty, ornate chamber pop. This record was a pretty big departure musically, with a broad range of styles, and has the most humor we have seen from him in over 20 years. I was wrong to be suspicious, this is an exciting reinvention and an indication of a bright future. [*Memory*: That cover is awful, I avoided the record for almost two years as a result] - *Forever* by **Metronomy** - When I heard this back in 2019 I immediately loved the song "Sex Emoji" but didn't really get the rest. This is one of Metronomy's more difficult albums, and it took some time to warm up to the more intricate, atmospheric electronic parts. [*Memory*: Feeling disappointed that I didn't like this at first, because I was getting into so little new music at the time] - *Motion* by **Rone** - Somewhere between electronic music and contemporary classical, I love this kind of thing. I have my Spotify weekly recommendations to thank for this one. Good job Spotify! This is technically a long single, not an album. This is how little music I've heard from 2019, that I need to count this. [*Memory*: Hearing this on Spotify recommendation radio and immediately loving it] - *Titanic Rising* by **Weyes Blood** - A terrific folk infused indie record with an artist with a stunning voice. Probably the kind of music **Joni Mitchell** would make if she was born in the late 90s. [*Memory*: It really bothers me that I discovered this when Spotify radio kept playing me "Andromeda". They were right, I love this. It just feels wrong that they are having so much influence on my tastes now.]