2019 was another year with a shortage of many notable, new releases in
the world of mainstream and alternative rock music, but of the albums that were
new last year, two ended up being among the best of the decade. 2019 saw the
triumphant returns of Tool, Beck, The Raconteurs, and The Black Keys, after
many years away, and another installment of Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions was a
welcome surprise near the end of the year. Both The Flaming Lips and 311
offered solid LPs that explored the range of their sound without abandoning it,
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails continued their successful run
scoring several films and TV episodes, The Claypool Lennon Delirium offered the year's most engaging psychedelic record, and even though many in the world of
music journalism chose to focus on the many shades of the pop rainbow when
exploring their own year-end lists, here’s a run-down of 2019’s best new albums
by another aging ‘90s fan.
After the underwhelming Colors, it was pleasant to
hear Beck step back a bit toward the alternative fusion for which he is know
and is best. While elements of that previous album’s pop-leaning production
remain on the sleek, new, Hyperspace, a blend of themes, from ‘80s
synth-pop to ‘00s hip hop, connects the movements of each side of the album,
the first a bit more upbeat and dance-able, the second focused on a chilled-out,
late night introspection vibe. Largely co-written, co-produced by, and occasionally
featuring Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes, N.E.R.D., and as a solo artist in
his own right), a few tracks are even reminiscent of Snoop Dogg’s, “Drop It Like
It’s Hot,” which itself is now 16 years old.
Highlights include the lead single, “Saw Lightning,” and the thumping “Die
Waiting” and “See Through.” The
atmosphere of side two may cause you to drift away, so tether yourself when
listening.
A compilation of cover songs from the band’s past along
with a large helping of new covers, this unexpected but enjoyable placeholder LP kept things rocking last summer. Including songs by Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC,
Ramones, David Bowie, Queens of the Stone Age, and many others, this slice of
grungy boogie-rock re-imagines each song in the EODM style, often minimalist and
in the vein of much of their original material. While we wait for the band to
regroup and release another album of originals, it’s nice to add this set of cover
songs to the shuffle, and it will be a treat to hear them live in the coming
years.
After a 16 year break, Josh Homme, leader Queens of the
Stone Age and member of several other projects, reignited his long-running
musical experiment, The Desert Sessions, with two more volumes to add to the series
that began in 1997, prior to the first QOTSA album. Each volume collects an
assortment of musicians who challenge themselves to write and record original material
from scratch within the span of a week at Rancho de la Luna, the Palm Desert,
CA studio where many of Homme’s groups originated. This time around, notable guests
include Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Les Claypool of Primus, and members of
Warpaint, Scissor Sisters, Royal Blood, and Carla Azar of Jack White’s backing
band, among others. Joining Homme at the helm of these installments is
multi-instrumentalist and alternative rock veteran, Matt Sweeney, previously of
Chavez and Zwan, and having worked with both Iggy Pop and QOTSA in the past. While
this collection includes only 8 songs in 30 minutes (the shortest of all Desert
Sessions releases), a massive amount of variety is packed into each, with
different songwriters and vocalists taking the lead from track to track. The
way-too-short, grungy new wave of “Cruifire” stands out as the album’s best
track, but each is enjoyable, and Jake Shears’ work on “Chick Tweetz” and “Something
You Can’t See” alone make this album worth hearing, if not owning.
After an 11 year break, Jack White and Brendan Benson
revived their excellent garage/blues/country band, The Raconteurs, and rocked their way across
the country for most of the year, including plenty of music videos, promotional
appearances on TV and radio, and a massively successful tour that kicked off in Detroit in July. While he continues to dominate in the field of rock song
writing and production as he has for much of this decade and a fair amount of this
century, it is worth noting that Help Us, Stranger, the band’s third LP, could
be both their best and is certainly one of the very best of 2019. Each of the
album’s 12 songs is a well-crafted blend of the talents of all four players,
with White and Benson trading off vocal duties from song to song and backing
each other up more often than harmonizing with themselves. This particular
model of The Raconteurs leans much more toward classic garage rock, with up
tempo numbers like “Bored and Razed,” “Don’t Bother Me,” “Sunday Driver,” and “Live
a Lie” standing out as the album’s biggest rockers. Other singles, like “Only
Child”, “Somedays”, and the title track, balance things with measured changes
in tone and tempo that allow the whole record to flow very well, even through
the side break and spirited arrangement of Donovan’s trippy ‘60s classic, “Hey
Gyp”. Outdoing even his own excellent solo LP from 2018, Jack White and The
Raconteurs reminded the rock faithful that it’s never too late to
enjoy roaring guitars, deep bass grooves, and bashing away on the drums, just
like they used to do way back in the 20th century, and they also
reminded everyone they are one of the very best of the bands left standing.
2019’s best album carries with it a weight that makes it
almost unfair to compare to any other. After a mega-slow, 13 year wait for new
material, alternative prog/metal legends, Tool, finally graced their audience
and the world with Fear Inoculum, an amazing, epic, emotional journey of
an album that reflects growth within the band and within its audience. Drummer,
Danny Carey, takes the leadership role throughout most of the record,
especially on interstitial synthesizer instrumentals that bridge the proper
songs and throughout each piece with dazzling drum solos, fills, and accents.
The theme of growth applies even to the length and depth of the songs
themselves, none of the 6 included here clocking in under 10 minutes, but Tool
keeps each track rooted in their signature style and production which also
maintains a connection to their earlier songs and albums, especially their
material from the last 25 years. Guitarist, Adam Jones, shines on each of the
songs but especially on the majestic “Pneuma” and “7empest,” the album’s
hardest rocker. Justin Chancellor adds his unique bass stylings to key moments in
the lead single and opener, “Fear Inoculum,” and shines beside his band mates
on “Invincible” and “Descending”. Singer/lyricist, Maynard James Keenan, may
not let loose with some of the fury and anger of the band’s previous work on
these new songs, but as always, he does a magnificent job serving each song,
not going overboard with lyrics or repetition in most sections of each.
The anticipation for this release was so great, many (myself included) doubted it
would ever actually be released, so it is almost incomparable to other,
standard releases and even to Tool’s other albums. Fear Inoculum reflects on
the inevitability of aging, the soul that makes us more than just our bodies,
and both the value and the ruthlessness of nature (not to mention social and
political commentary), but not all topics receive the same focus or attention. The
monumental release of new Tool songs alone makes this album worth hearing, but
the time, care, and precision that obviously went into the writing and recording
process pays off during the album’s many peak moments and highlights. Nothing from 2019 carried the weight and expectation of
Fear Inoculum, and nothing delivered quite as completely to the audience and to
the overall rock timeline. Tool’s new album is not only the best album of last
year, but arguably one of the very best of the decade (They met the deadline
just in time!).
***COMING SOON!!!: The Top (25 or so?) Albums of the 2010s!!!***
***COMING SOON!!!: The Top (25 or so?) Albums of the 2010s!!!***
