It can be argued that we live in a world that doesn’t consume music by the album anymore. Artists today release music by the single leading up to an EP or album, or just as a standalone singles. I believe that listening to full albums hasn’t died out.
Here are albums I enjoyed in 2019 that fit only two criteria on my behalf.
1). I listened to the full length album and 2). listened to it enough times to find songs that stood out to me. Also the word ‘album’ is relative on this list. Some albums are presented as singles despite having more than one songs.
So enjoy this unprompted sharing of my music tastes from this year.
III such a dark album with a lot of depth and busy layers. The music is just loaded with sound in the form of vocals and synths. It has a moody, R&B feel that is characteristic of Banks. And I know that my level of music knowledge won’t be able to explain it to the fullest, but this album is worth listening to.
If all thirteen tracks could be broken down into the concepts that Banks sings about, they would be love gone wrong, narcissistic lovers (“Stroke”), regret, and depression (“Sawzall”). Overall, you could say III is about love; maybe to different people and in different forms.
Also, there’s another mood that permeats the album at times about love gone wrong and narcissistic lovers. Banks has this excellent way of singing, almost on the verge of rapping (“The Fall”) when she delicately tells someone off in the songs (“F*ck with Myself” (not on the album) & “Till Now”).
This album was excellent. There was so much to take in musically I had to spread listening to the album over a couple of days. Not to mention each track had either a music video or a visualizer. There were these moody, soothing montages of water, two lovers, and just saturated colors.
Some stand out songs for me are “Contaminated,” “Sawzall,” and “The Fall.”
I wrote about how emotional it was to see former 2NE1 member Park Bom make a solo comeback after at least 4-year hiatus.
And the music already has an eternal newness. I could listen to “Spring”, “My Lover” and “Shameful” as if they were just released.
I wrote a too-long blog post about Chicago rapper CupcakKe back in November. And in that post, I mentioned that CupcakKe had a strong beginning to 2019 with a full-length album ready to release. This is that album.
Eden, which is her middle name, is CupcakKe’s fourth studio album. Based on the fact that this album came out after Ephorize, I made the mistake of listening with a certain expectation. The previous LP had a good bulk of material and a polished sound. And I think that is because I didn’t catch on to her music during the Audacious and C*m Cake eras. There was more “Duck Duck Goose” exposure as opposed to “Ace Hardware.” Both are CupcakKe, but the latter shows more social commentary and depth. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love Eden. Trust me, I did.
This album has its own charm and it showcases CupcakKe’s range. It’s a cohesive piece but it could go from bragging about how fat your cat is, to systemic racism, to a song dedicated to kids with autism. I know why CupcakKe is able to accomplish this (she has bars) but how?!
I’ve said this about almost every album I’ve written about; all the songs are bops. But if I had to pick favorites I’d pick “Cereal and Water,” “Dangled,” and “Garfield.”
The End of Nightmare by Dreamcatcher
I’m really pushing the “stan Dreamcatcher” agenda. It’s annoying, but it’s annoying people into meeting a great k-pop group. If you saw previous parts the Songs that Defined 2019 series, I explained how I came across Dreamcatcher and became a fan in time for a comeback. “Piri” was the single they promoted for this album.
There’s a joke amongst InSomnias (Dreamcatcher’s fandom) that Dreamcatcher literally doesn’t have any bad songs. I argue that this is kind of true. There’s a lot of variety in Dreamcatcher’s discography. I’ll use this album for example.
Briefly negating the orchestral rock “Intro” that sets the tone for the album, “Piri” is this fast-paced kind of S.O.S. or call for the end of suffering — hence the album title. It’s the loudest or most boisterous song. “Diamond” is a rock song about taking on a hard, shiny exterior that protects and empowers them. “And there was no one left” was different. It’s acoustic but kind of funky but it’s Dreamcatcher being funky. And “Daydream” is an acoustic ballad of sorts and it tugs the heartstrings.
In short, it’s a great mini-album. I hope that more people come across Dreamcatcher’s music. They’re a rather underrated k-pop group. Ah, let’s drop formalities. Stan Dreamcatcher.
Although, not an avid fan, I’ve anticipated a full album release from rapper Brooke Candy for a while. Sexorcism is this celebration of enjoying their sexuality and owning their freakiness.
Some stand out for me are “Cum,” “Freak Like Me,”and “fmu feat. Rico Nasty.”
Raid of Dream by Dreamcatcher
I have to feature Dreamcatcher twice not only because they released two Korean projects this year, but because they’re a group I don’t believe has a bad song. Raid of Dream is no exception.
“Deja Vu” is such a stark contrast from “Piri” to be used as a main single. It’s so beautiful and it has the orchestra-rock vibe that’s characteristic of Dreamcatcher. “The Curse of Spider” is a familiar vibe for me, but that’s not a bad thing. “Silent Night” is a favorite is electronic and fast — kind of like “Sleep-walking.” The album ends on a slower note with “Polaris” and it’s so soothing and beautiful. I don’t have the diction nor musical knowledge to describe how good this album is. Don’t take my word for it, Raid of Dream is just worth a listen.
I have waited for this artist to release her own solo album since I was in high school. CL is the former leader of girl group 2NE1, like Park Bom. She was stifled in her own way after being promised a full album, promotion in the U.S. and being given little-to-none of this.
Barely after leaving former agency YG Entertainment, CL begins releasing 2-song singles entitled In the Name of Love. The EP is in a diary format. Each track coincides with the date it was written and an Instagram photo she posted on that day.
The music videos have a range of creative vibes from an IG-story video of CL’s friends lip-synching , to a white-backdrop video of people interpreting her music in sign language, to a stop-motion journey of a symbolic cherry forgotten in a fruit bowl.
I love how she took different approaches to creating visuals that accompany the music. This is a refreshing change of pace from an expensive music video with outfits, sets, and choreography. Nothing wrong with that it makes this project more personal.
CL made this album. And she wrote it thinking of the GZBs who waited for her to release her music or at least an photo update on Instagram. The wait made this album more personal for me as well.
Arguably all the songs are great, but the ones I replayed the most are “+DONE161201+”, “+PARADOX171115+”, and “+IQUIT180327+”.
If you made it through this long post, or even skimmed it, thanks for reading Albums I Loved in 2019.
This post is a conclusion of the Songs That Defined 2019 series I began on Christmas Eve. This was supposed to be out before the New Year but I took an brief vacation to the coast with my family. I enjoyed this so much.
Don’t stay up too late. Good night!
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