#7 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Sault

5 + 7 by Sault

Very little is known about Sault and the two amazing albums they released in 2019, 5 in April and 7 in September. The “band” doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, which seems impossible here in 2020. What I can tell you is that these two albums are amazing, and you should drop everything to listen to them right now. I suspect for most people reading this (which is not very many of people, admittedly) this will likely be your first exposure to the band, and that is exactly why I create the Top 31 every year. I love turning people onto new music.

I’ve been able to piece a bit together about Sault from various other sources. There’s an article in The Guardian that tells me that most likely Sault is made up of at least three core individuals: Dean Josiah Cover (aka Inflo, who teamed up with Danger Mouse to produce Michael Kiwanuka’s self titled album listed at #10 this year); British soul singer Cleo Sol as one of the vocalists; and Chicago-based rapper Kid Sister as another. But these are all just educated guesses.

These albums appear here due to what I call the “KEXP influence.” If you’re unaware, KEXP is the best radio station on the planet, they’re based right here in Seattle, and they play stellar music 24/7. Sault got lots of airplay this year on the station, so much so that John “in the Morning” Richards, the weekday morning DJ and associate music director at the station, ranked 5 his #1 album of the year.

These albums blend soul, funk, psychedelic and pop hooks in such a way that you can’t help but move in your seat. At times, I can hear a tUnE-yArDs influence. At others, like in the song “Something’s in the Air” above, I hear hints of Lemon Jelly. Each song packs a punch, so I recommend listening all the way through both albums at your next available moment. Hopefully we’ll learn more about the band soon. I do admire their ability to remain anonymous, as it’s something that seems nearly impossible to do in today’s day and age. They’ve cracked the code, and somehow released two phenomenal albums without giving anything up about themselves. I can’t wait for the potential 9, 11, and 13 to follow.

Lastly — I’m sorry for the non-video video. Unfortunately, the “band” hasn’t put out any real music videos. C’est la vie.

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8. Giants of All Sizes by Elbow
9. i,i by Bon Iver
10. Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka
11. The Destroyer (Parts 1 + 2) by TR/ST
12. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
13. Cheap Queen by King Princess
14. Anima by Thom Yorke
15. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals
16. Gallipoli by Beirut
17. My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
18. Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa
19. Designer by Aldous Harding
20. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
21. Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow
22. Juice B Crypts by Battles
23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

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2009-2018 Top 31s

#10 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Michael Kiwanuka

Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka

We’ve broken into the top 10! British singer/songwriter Michael Kiwanuka barely makes the cut with his fantastic self-titled third album, Kiwanuka. You may or may not know his name, but you likely know at least one of his songs. Back in 2017, “Cold Little Heart,” from 2016’s Love & Hate (which did not make the Top 31 that year, in retrospect a fairly large oversight, but I never heard the album that year) became the theme song for the first season of the wildly popular HBO show “Big Little Lies.” (Related, that song’s video is well worth watching, as it stars then up-and-coming but now big-time actor LaKeith Stanfield.)

Kiwanuka’s music is approachable from any side, and feels like it was created for the widest acceptance from anyone 30 years or older. So, naturally, I love it. It’s a slightly odd thing to go through an album and think “Well that was perfectly acceptable. Not a damn thing was controversial, difficult, or seemingly pushed any buttons (or boundaries).” The album was produced by Inflo (more from him later in the Top 31) and Danger Mouse (whose own 2019 album, Lux Prima, created in conjunction with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, just barely missed the cut-off for the Top 31). That’s a pedigree behind the music that few artists can claim, and it becomes clear why Kiwanuka is killing it.

In addition to “Hero,” shown in the video above, there are a few other stand-outs on the album. Again: something for everyone. Be sure to check out the other two videos from the album, as Kiwanuka not only has a great audio-production team behind him, but his video-production connections appear to be just as stellar: “Money” and the very very catchy “You Ain’t the Problem.” The whole album is easily consumed and easy to love. Eat it up.

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11. The Destroyer (Parts 1 + 2) by TR/ST
12. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
13. Cheap Queen by King Princess
14. Anima by Thom Yorke
15. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals
16. Gallipoli by Beirut
17. My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
18. Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa
19. Designer by Aldous Harding
20. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
21. Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow
22. Juice B Crypts by Battles
23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

Subscribe to the 2019 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2018 Top 31s

#23 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Damon Albarn, despite all expectations to the contrary, has staying power. Having far outgrown the quibbles he and his first band, Blur, had with competing London rockers Oasis, Albarn has accomplished so much in his musical career that it’s astounding to think he’s only 50 years old, with so much more living — and, presumably, music — left to do.

Blur released their first album, Leisure, in 1991. Including that seminal album, Albarn has been a principle part of the production for eight Blur albums, six Gorrilaz albums, six various collaboration albums, one solo album and now, with Merrie Land, two albums with the collective known as The Good, the Bad & the Queen. That’s 23 albums in 27 years, an astounding feat for anyone. His 23rd album, here at #23; I swear I didn’t plan that.

The Good, the Bad & the Queen is by all measures a proverbial “supergroup”, featuring the aforementioned Albarn as the principle lyricist/vocalist, and a band made up of: The Clash’s bassist, Paul Simonon; The Verve’s guitarist, Simon Tong; and “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived” (according to Brian Eno), Tony Allen. (Allen was the drummer and musical director for Fela Kuti’s band Africa from 1968-1979, whose work was the main influence for the Talking Heads’ album Remain in Light that was covered so beautifully by Angelique Kidjo and appeared at #30 just a week ago. So if you follow the bouncing ball: Tony Allen created Afrobeat with Fela Kuti, which in turn influenced the Talking Heads which was then covered by Kidjo and now the originator appears here in an entirely different context. I just blew my own mind.)

Merrie Land is the supergroup’s second album, but is markedly different from their 2007 debut, which was produced by Danger Mouse and was created under very different political circumstances. Albarn has stated that the new album, which was produced this time around by Tony Visconti (who — get this — won a grammy for his production of Angélique Kidjo’s 2007 album Djin Djin), is rooted in his personal goodbyes to the pre-Brexit Great Britain. Listen closely to the dark lyrics, and you can figure out exactly where Albarn’s loyalties lie.

Albarn takes the visuals of the music to new heights, with the album cover featuring an image from a 1945 horror film called Dead of Night where a ventriloquist is taken over by his dummy. Going further into the ventriloquist arena, Albarn dons dummy makeup and stars in a lip-syncing video for each song from the new album:

• Merrie Land
• Gun to the Head
• Nineteen Seventeen
• The Great Fire
• Lady Boston
• Drifters & Trawlers
• The Truce of Twilight
• Ribbons
• The Last Man to Leave
• The Poison Tree

That’s a level of dedication to creative output that most musicians don’t or won’t tackle, but Albarn gives out like candy, and it’s much appreciated. If you’ve ever been a fan of Albarn in any of his many incarnations, then you should check out Merrie Land right now.

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24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s