I tend to romanticize 2019 as a more innocent time, but that’s a trap—even without the global pandemic-to-come, the world was still a mess and I dealt with both civic and personal issues by seeking stimulation and comfort in film, books and music, just as I always had (and continue to do so in an ever-messy world.)

The first two tracks below are my favorites, both by new artists and completely out of left-field: Orville Peck, a queer, fringe-masked Canadian cowboy crooner, and Kelsey Lu, a Charlotte-born, African-American freak-folk original. Peck’s vocal on “Dead of Night” blatantly recalls Roy Orbison, Morrissey and Chris Isaak but when he shifts into his higher register on the chorus, it gives me chills like nothing Roy or few things Chris ever did (and like the Moz hasn’t in decades.) “Poor Fake”, on the other hand, instantly achieves soulful dancefloor splendor when the beat kicks in at 0:34 and approaches Kate Bush-levels of delightful eccentricity in its subject matter (counterfeit art) and bonkers spoken-word section. Peck’s gone on to semi-stardom, recording a duets album this year with the likes of Beck, Kylie Minogue and Willie Nelson; at this writing, I’m still waiting for a follow-up from Lu.

Other discoveries this year: Cate Le Bon’s pleasant/peculiar Avant-pop where at times her vocal recalls no one so much as Patti Smith (!); Weyes Blood’s own brand of Avant-pop, as if Aimee Mann and Brian Eno had a daughter; Steve Lacy’s Prince-meets-Daryl Hall comedown; Maggie Rogers’ compulsively singable declaration of desire; Yola’s retro baroque complete-with-harpsichord-soul (“Faraway Look”, an inspired choice to conclude the rebooted, fourth season of Veronica Mars) and Aussie Alex Lahey’s triumphant power-pop complete with a Clarence Clemons-esque sax solo.

Albums that nearly made my 2019 top ten (Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, The Divine Comedy) are represented by their best songs, as are spottier full-lengths that were slight let-downs (Jenny Lewis, Marina (now “and the Diamonds”-free, somewhat to her detriment), Carly Rae Jepsen, The New Pornographers.) Also, more tracks not attached to an album at all: Sufjan Stevens’ released-for-Pride-month chillout anthem, an orphaned Florence + The Machine song preferable to anything on the previous year’s High As Hope and another delirious disco epic from Roisin Murphy.

Also, I was delighted to rediscover a few songs I hadn’t listened to much since then: Robert Forster’s consideration of his own status as a semi-semi-popular artist, a track from a reformed, older-and-wiser Dream Syndicate and a lovely, final sigh from the now-defunct Chromatics. 

2019: Could This Be… A Forgery?

1. Orville Peck, “Dead Of Night”
2. Kelsey Lu, “Poor Fake”
3. Jenny Lewis, “Wasted Youth”
4. Tegan and Sara, “Hold My Breath Until I Die”
5. Robert Forster, “No Fame”
6. Bat For Lashes, “Kids In The Dark”
7. Steve Lacy “Hate CD”
8. Deerhunter, “What Happens To People?”
9. Marina, “Handmade Heaven”
10. Andrew Bird, “Manifest”
11. Vampire Weekend, “This Life”
12. Belle & Sebastian, “Sister Buddha”
13. Cate Le Bon, “Home To You”
14. Raphael Saadiq, “This World Is Drunk”
15. DIIV, “Skin Game”
16. Of Monsters and Men, “Wild Roses”
17. Calexico/Iron & Wine, “Midnight Sun”
18. Roisin Murphy, “Narcissus”
19. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Want You In My Room”
20. Lana Del Rey, “Norman Fucking Rockwell”
21. Cigarettes After Sex, “Heavenly”
22. Chromatics, “You’re No Good”
23. The New Pornographers, “Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile”
24. Guster, “Don’t Go”
25. Holy Ghost!, “Anxious”
26. The Divine Comedy, “Absolutely Obsolete”
27. Weyes Blood, “Everyday”
28. The Mountain Goats, “Younger”
29. Hot Chip, “Spell”
30. Yola, “Faraway Look”
31. Alex Lahey, “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”
32. Florence + The Machine, “Moderation”
33. The Dream Syndicate, “Bullet Holes”
34. Maggie Rogers, “Burning”
35. Sufjan Stevens, “Love Yourself”
36. Michael Kiwanuka, “Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)”
37. Sharon Van Etten, “Seventeen”
38. Charly Bliss, “Chatroom”
39. Imperial Teen, “How To Say Goodbye”
40. The National, “Light Years”