#9 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Bon Iver

i,i by Bon Iver

Justin Vernon, the driving force behind Bon Iver, has been a personal favorite of mine since his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago was released back in 2007. Every one of his releases has been on the Top 31 since the list’s inception (his Blood Bank EP was #17 in 2009, the self-titled Bon Iver was #6 in 2011, and his 2016 album, 22, A Million, was at the top of the list that year and is most definitely in my top 30-50 albums of all time, but I’ve never put that list to paper).

i,i, his fourth full-length album, is yet another beautiful feather in Vernon’s cap. With its release, Bon Iver has reached potential “greatest band” status according to my and my good friend Morgan’s self-imposed rule that governs such things: an artist must have four top-rated albums to qualify for such vaunted categorization. The fact that it’s his first four albums is a feat rarely achieved in music at any time, let alone in modern day. In trying to think of another band’s initial four albums that can be rated in the same way, my mind has to go all the way back to Led Zeppelin I-IV to find a similar stretch of greatness. Nearly unprecedented. As I’m writing this, I’m probably going to regret ranking i,i at #9. Bon Iver’s albums tend to surprise me in their longevity. I may have listened to other bands’ output more in 2019, but it’s probably i,i that I’ll be reaching for regularly in five years time.

The album features an impressive list of collaborators. The band itself has a larger roster than on previous albums: Justin Vernon on vocals, keyboards, guitar; Sean Carey on drums, keyboards, vocals; Matthew McCaughan on drums, vocals; Michael Lewis on bass, saxophone, keyboards, vocals; Andrew Fitzpatrick on guitar, keyboards, vocals; and Jenn Wasner on guitar, vocals. Additionally, James Blake, Aaron Dessner, and Bruce Hornsby all feature prominently across the album.

The songs themselves feel in keeping with 22, a million, but more deconstructed, as if the band picked up the blips, bloops, and blorks from the proverbial cutting room floor and reassembled them into a compelling whole. “Hey, Ma” is the highlight of the production, followed quickly by “U (Man Like)”. Taken out of context, these two songs feel like they could easily have come from a long-lost Bruce Hornsby album. I would have never in a million years drawn a line from Hornsby (he of “The Way It Is” with his band The Range) to Iver, if not for the fact that Hornsby is actually on this album. Knowing that fact, it’s impossible to not see his influence, in the best way possible.

I’m blown away by Vernon’s consistency and departures across his four albums. If you were a fan of 22, a million then you’ll love this new Bon Iver album. Check it out as soon as you can.

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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

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2009-2018 Top 31s

#11 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — TR/ST

The Destroyer (Parts 1 + 2) by TR/ST

Here’s another two-part album, each part released on a different date within 2019, similar to the Foals albums featured at #15. TR/ST, a musical “project” headed up by Canadian Robert Alfons, released The Destroyer (Part 1) in April, followed up by (Part 2) in November.

These albums are similar to the Foals albums only in release format. Alfons stays in the same general vicinity of goth-pop electronic music that Billie Eilish resides in, but with a hefty helping of deep dark and sultry vocals. The closest modern comparison I can make to TR/ST is somewhere in the Majical Cloudz / Alt-J realm, both of whom have appeared on the Top 31 a combined numerous times. Outside of that, you’d have to go back a lot further for true comparisons; think Bauhaus, or maybe Depeche Mode.

Those connections are probably why I love it so much. Goth music was where my head was mostly at back in the 90s, and The Destroyer (Part 2) hits on all those lovely, drippy black tones for me. “Iris,” featured in the video above, is the first song I heard the band (via the always-great and Seattle’s own KEXP 90.3 FM), and it was love at first listen. The rest of (Part 2) doesn’t disappoint. It’s worth noting that (Part 1) doesn’t evoke that same feeling in me, but it’s nonetheless a great album. I recommend starting with (Part 2) and then working your way backwards.

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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

#12 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Billie Eilish

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish

From one young pop phenom at #13 to an even younger, even more popular phenom at #12, Billie Eilish and her stellar debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? I’m completely lost at where to start in this review, as there’s so much to say. Eilish, at only 18 as of this writing, has been releasing extremely-popular music since she was 14. “Ocean Eyes,” the song she released in 2016, has been played on YouTube 200 million times. Since then, Eilish, with her 22-year-old brother Finneas as producer, has been releasing hit after hit.

Her debut album, here at #12, is chockablock with ear worms. Falling on the indie-goth side of the pop spectrum, Eilish’s songs demonstrate a level of maturity and depth that even some 30-something artists can’t evoke. Her lyrics are full of metaphor and innuendo, painting the picture of someone who’s already lived a full life. Then you remember they’re the words of a (when written) 14, 15, or 16-year old home-schooled girl put to music she and her 18, 19, or 20-year old brother cooked up in Pro Tools in their small bedroom-based studios.

The amazing songs are only part of the equation. Even more outstanding is her command of the promotion and consumption of her music. For starters, look at the YouTube output for the songs on this album:

• “lovely” with R&B artist Khalid, directed by Taylor Cohen and Matty Peacock
• “you should see me in a crown” in both a Takeshi Murakami-directed animated version and a live-action vertical video version, directed by Eilish, that has her covered in live spiders
• “when the party’s over” (shown above), a crazy-amazing song with a crazy-amazing video directed by Carlos López Estrada, who also directed Father John Misty’s fantastic video for “Mr. Tillman,” featured at #26 last year. Be sure to watch the behind-the-scenes from the Eilish video, too.
• “bury a friend” which was directed by Michael Chaves
• “bad guy” in both normal version, directed by Dave Meyers, in which she can be seen rolling around in a Takeshi Murakami smiley-flower outfit, and vertical version that shows the outtakes of the normal version
• “all the good girls go to hell,” directed by Rich Lee, which starts with a clip also shown in “bury a friend” above and takes it in a completely different direction
• and finally, “xanny,” directed by Eilish herself

That’s ten separate independently-produced videos for 50% of the songs on the album. As I put together this list, I’m often hard-pressed to find more than one, maybe two, videos per album. Outside of the music videos, Eilish has had long-standing relationship with Apple Music (culminating in a lovely long-form holiday commercial from last year). On top of that, Eilish has famously done an interview with Vanity Faire magazine three times, each a year apart, answering the same questions and reminiscing about where she’s come from and where she’s going. That is huge foresight by VF.

If you’ve only heard Eilish’s name, you must hear the music. Set aside all your preconceptions and just listen. You will not be disappointed.

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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

#13 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — King Princess

Cheap Queen by King Princess

This next artist on the Top 31 first came to me as a suggestion from a friend (hi Tim!) while in the midst of creating last year’s countdown. At the time, Mikaela Mullaney Straus, otherwise known by the name King Princess, had only released a great single and an EP, which disqualified her from being featured that year. But this year, she continued down her path to greatness by releasing the wonderful album Cheap Queen.

Straus first won me over with her song “Pussy is God” which is about exactly what you think it’s about. This was my first taste of what she could do, and I loved it. It was fun and sexy, the video is irreverent, and she lays everything out for you right there. That was November 2018. Fast forward to January 2020, and Sraus’s full-length debut, Cheap Queen, has been out now for three months, and she’s already performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

She grew up in Brooklyn, and her direct yet playful style feels very “east coast” to my west coast ears. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, her paternal great-great-grandparents died on the Titanic. She only turned 21 back in December, and is already near the top of the world. Her music is a bit slow compared to other indie pop darlings I’ve been drawn to, but it goes well with Straus’s lower-register, sultry voice. Full of catchy hooks, Cheap Queen’s main storyline seems to be all about break up and recovery. How personally true that is for her is unknown to me, but it makes for a good foundation upon which to layer some music.

I anticipate great things from Straus. So far she’s proven that she’s not a one-hit wonder. Here’s to hoping she’s not a one-album wonder, either.

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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

#14 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Thom Yorke

Anima by Thom Yorke

Let’s start this review by stating the obvious: Radiohead is my #1 favorite band of all time. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying their albums since 1995’s The Bends, and if you’re counting (I always am), that’s 25 years of bias. So please take this “review” with a grain of salt.

Whew, ok, glad I got that off my chest. Now on to the absolutely stellar album from Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke. Anima is Yorke’s fourth solo album, including his 2018 soundtrack to the movie “Suspiria” (#22 that year). In addition to that, Yorke (solo and with his bands Radiohead and Atom for Peace) has appeared on the Top 31 many many many many many times. His solo albums don’t tend to veer too far off the path of what Radiohead does as a band, but I think it’s safe to say that Yorke’s bandmates add warmth to his otherwise cold, distant, disconnected electronic music.

Cold, disconnected music is not a bad thing (obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t love Yorke and Radiohead so much), and Yorke knows how to exploit those dark emotions in ways unlike anyone else out there. Whereas greats like Bowie and Prince would take cues from shifts in the musical landscape and perfect it, Yorke has found his niche and stays firmly planted there, never straying. He is a genre unto himself, wholly non-categorizable.

He is also a master of the visual form. For this release, he worked with one of my favorite directors, Paul Thomas Anderson, to create a 15 minute short film, or long form music video, if you will. The video is only viewable on Netflix, but I do highly recommend watching it if you have a subscription and 15 minutes to spare. Additionally, he released the above animated video, for the song “Last I Heard (…He Was Circling The Drain).” I devoured every second of it when it came out.

By now you know who Thom Yorke and Radiohead are, and you know if you like him. This album is not going to change your opinion of him in the slightest. Chances are, if you’re a fan, then you’ve already heard it. In fact, if you’re surprised to hear that Yorke released an album in 2019, I’d love to hear how you remained in the dark for so long!

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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

#15 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Foals

Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals

We’re officially into the top half of the 2019 Top 31, and it’s with a new spin on what qualifies as an “album”. I’ve always been ok with putting double albums on the Top 31 (just look at DJ Shadow back at #21). But the latest from Foals, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost was released in two distinct parts, months apart from each other. Does that mean it’s now two albums, and should therefore be considered separately? Wikipedia thinks so. But I’m not as strict as the Wikipedia community, and I’ve decided that, yes, both parts of the album can qualify as one “album”. In fact, I’d go so far as to say multiple releases by the same artist in the same year can qualify as a single “album” as it pertains to the Top 31. I guess that means I’m no longer charting albums, but instead the entirety of output from an artist within a single year. So be it. It won’t be the last time we encounter this within this Top 31, either.

Foals are an exceedingly popular band that you’ve never heard of They’ve been around since 2005. They hail from Oxford, England (where another band you’ve never heard of called Radiohead also hail from). And they’ve only released five albums in that time (or six, if you count Everything as two albums), nearly all to great acclaim — in England. They just haven’t had the promotion and adoration here that they’ve experienced in their home country.

While I’ve heard of the Foals name for a few years now, I can’t say I’ve ever actively listened to them before 2019. And I’m so glad I did. Part 1 of Everything is really what won me over, and specifically the song “Exits,” which is featured in the above video (starring Isaac Hempstead-Wright, aka Bran Stark). It’s one hell of a banger. This song is quite typical, I’ve found, of the band’s sound in general. It’s a very English sound. Good use of keyboards, guitars, swelling crescendos, evocative of bands that I used to love eons ago, like Placebo or, more currently, Elbow (when they’re particularly loud). Lead singer Yannis Philippakis’s voice is on the higher register, but it’s always projected fully — not dainty and removed, but entirely present and loud, but never screechy.

The band also appears to have a bit of humor as well. The name of these albums was joyously cribbed from the memific Nintendo Wii ’Quit Screen’ message: “Anything not saved will be lost.” Regardless of its source, that’s a pretty fun thing to name your album after.

These albums slay. There’s just no other way to put it. Put both of them on, back to back, and get fully immersed in what the band has to offer. I’m compelled (but have yet to do so) to listen to their older work. I’ll be sure to report back once I do.

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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

#16 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Beirut

Gallipoli by Beirut

Here we are again with yet another predictable pick on the 2019 Bacon Top 31. Beirut, led by impresario Zach Condon, are as close to “worldwide indie rock” as you’ll ever get. I’ve been a fan of the band ever since their debut in 2006. In that time, the band has only released five LPs, only one of which ended up on the Top 31, 2011’s The Rip Tide (#29 that year). Prior to that, a set of fantastic EPs titled March of the Zapotec/Holland was #8 on my first-ever Top 31, in 2009.

Condon most often plays trumpet and sings in a melodic, vibrato-tinged and beautiful voice. The songs he writes and the band performs often involve a full horn section and strings, mixed with a handful of unexpected and dissonant sounds that coalesce into song after gorgeous song. When I first saw Condon and the band perform, way back on their first tour in 2006, Condon was only 19 years old and bothered by the fact that, due to archaic Washington-state law, he was not allowed to spend time hanging out in the Crocodile bar before or after the show due to his age. He was precocious and difficult, but who can blame him. The kid must have been hearing that he was a musical genius for many years leading up to that tour, and that was only ever going to give him a big head about who he is and what he’s owed.

This new album, Gallipoli, his fifth, has no surprises. Much like the Andrew Bird album from yesterday, this is predictably Beirut, and therefore predictably good. If you’ve not heard Beirut before, I suggest going all the way back to the beginning, to 2006’s Gulag Orkestar, and then work your way forward. Despite the 13 years separating that first album from this newest one, the music itself stands free of time, is of a time outside of yesterday, today, or tomorrow. And that’s what makes it so great.

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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

#17 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Andrew Bird

My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird

You know I like Andrew Bird. If you didn’t already know, you could have probably guessed. His music is perfectly tailored to my interests: he plays violin (which I played in my younger years) and uses hefty portions of whimsy, whistling and wit to bring all his music to life. I’m pretty sure if you summarized any musical artist as “full of whimsy, whistling and wit” I’d be there in a flash.

“I think you’re getting too predictable,” my lovely wife tells me as she sees me preparing this review. “I have surprises coming, I promise!” But this album, Andrew Bird’s perfectly listenable 12th LP, My Finest Work Yet, is certainly no surprise. And yes, the album is predictable, in both the content on the LP as well as the fact that it lives here in the Top 31. I don’t relish creating a predictable list — I push against it as much as I can, as it’s one of my fears about putting together an annual list — but some level of predictability is unavoidable.

Allow me to expand on that thought for a minute. I strive to listen to new things, to stretch myself and my tastes, but I also like what I like. This list is not “Royal’s list of new bands and albums that you’ve never heard before.” It’s the Bacon Review Top 31 albums of the year. I do take recommendations for things to listen to from people all the time, and there are always things I’ve missed that end up on the list because I heard about it from a friend (see my review of Sufjan Stevens’ Age of Adz, #3 in 2010). In the end, it’s only my personal likes and dislikes that make up the list. I hold no particular musical pedigree, no reason you should value my opinions over your own or someone else’s. But I’m full of opinions, and I like to write, so here we are.

Once again, we’re reading about another Andrew Bird album. Twice before he’s appeared on the Bacon Top 31, first with Noble Beast at #22 in 2009, and then the phenomenal Are You Serious hit #5 in 2016. Bird’s latest, titled My Finest Work Yet, is most certainly not that. And he knows it. “If you really break down what I’m saying, it’s not quite as arrogant as it sounds,” Bird told Apple Music. “I figured people will find it funny, and if they don’t get it, then it’s the power of suggestion.” I fall in the former camp, and think the title is exactly everything it should be, just like the man who said it.

If you’re like me and you like Andrew Bird, you will find nothing outlandish or difficult about this album. It’s the most typical Andrew Bird album you’ll find. It’s not Are You Serious, but it’s better than the five other albums he’s released that didn’t make the Top 31since I’ve been making it.

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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

#18 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Great Grandpa

Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa

One thing I love about writing these articles are the pleasant surprises I unearth in researching the bands I feature. For instance, I’ve liked Great Grandpa, the band whose sophomore album, Four of Arrows, landed at #18, for a few months now. But only today did I discover that they’re from Seattle (the city I, too, call home). If I’d given it any thought before today, I probably would have predicted this, as they have a distinctly indie-Seattle sound. Four of Arrows, the only Great Grandpa album I’ve heard, has a foundation similar to older Modest Mouse. Rough-around-the-edges production and pop rock sensibilities abound.

What really drew me to Great Grandpa, though, is the voice of lead singer Alex Menne. Her voice, loud and unrefined, cracks at the edges, evocative of Katie Crutchfield, of Waxahatchee, in her most strained moments. Beyond Menne, the heart of Great Grandpa are husband and wife Carrie and Pat Goodwin, who play bass and guitar respectively, and write the bulk of the band’s output. Together, the three of them, along with Dylan Hanwright on second guitar and Cam Laflam on drums, the quintet fills an indie-rock void in Seattle that I hadn’t realized even existed until now.

“Digger,” shown in the video above, is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics are unapproachable — more power to you if you can figure them out. But the video is another story. It’s impossible to talk about the video without revealing too much, so all I’m going to say is: watch the video in full. It will move you in ways you don’t expect, and not only because of the stellar soundtrack.

While this is only the 2nd album from Great Grandpa, I suspect the best is yet to come. Four of Arrows is a good effort, but this is a young band with lots of potential. Keep an eye out for the future.

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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

#19 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Aldous Harding

Designer by Aldous Harding

Sometimes you love the music, and sometimes you love the artist. With Aldous Harding, the singer/songwriter behind the album here at #19, it’s more the latter than the former. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Harding’s music quite a bit. But it’s the look, the creativity, the humor behind the New Zealander’s music that really sold me.

Watch the video above, as this is exactly how I first heard of Aldous Harding. It’s innocent enough at first, with the 30-ish Harding, whose real name is Hannah Sian Topp, doing a very stilted minimal twist in a womb-like space. But as you watch her movements, or, rather, move away from the movements and start studying the space around her, you see the ridiculous hat and asymmetrical pilgrim garb and you start to wonder about what you’re seeing. The video cuts to a full-body shot, and you see she’s wearing bizzare platform cloth-wrapped boots, and her dance gets slightly more strange. The dancing continues unabated, and eventually you see the full, phallic height of the hat. Just after minute three of this tame insanity, the wheels fall off of the bus, or, rather, the hat falls off of her head, revealing a rather frightening blue face that’s apparently been attached to the top of Harding’s head this whole time, covered up by the hat. What the hell. Shortly thereafter, the hat magically reappears, and the music comes to an abrupt halt. With 40 seconds left, the music kicks back in and Harding has gone through a complete wardrobe change, giddily dancing with maracas. The video ends, and you’re left trying to sort out everything you’ve just seen.

And that’s why I love Harding. She is clearly a free soul, does whatever the hell she wants, and could care less what you or anyone else thinks. The two other videos she’s released for Designer, her third album, are no less bizarre. “Fixture Picture” has her playing a guitar in a field and doing her strange controlled twist in and around her “band”. “Zoo Eyes” has her alternating between exaggerated clown-like makeup and black pixelated face makeup. This third video feels the most self-consciously weird, purposefully presenting nonsensical imagery to accompany Harding’s quiet, Joni-Mitchell-like songwork. That’s where she loses me a little — it seems less “I like to be weird because I like to be weird” and more “I think this will be weird so I’m going to do that,” if that makes sense.

Be that as it may, I do recommend this album as well. It’s quiet, so makes for a good Sunday morning, and well-constructed. It lacks dynamism, but that works to its advantage. Give it a listen, or, more importantly, watch the videos, and fall in love just as I have.

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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

#20 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Lana Del Rey

Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey

I’m as surprised as you are that I’m putting a Lana Del Rey album on the Top 31. But believe me, this is one of the best albums of the year! You can blame Cat Power for putting Del Rey on my radar, with the wonderful duet “Woman” from her top 10 2018 album Wanderer (#7 that year). Norman Fucking Rockwell!, her sixth release including her 2010 self-titled debut, is the first album of Del Rey’s that I’ve paid any attention to, and I’m so glad I did.

Del Rey is fully embedded in the “sadcore” side of alternative rock (of which Cat Power is the “queen”), and this album does not betray that notion. It’s slow, depressing, and dark, but it doesn’t ever fall into self-loathing or goth (which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing).

Del Rey, whose real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, has always created music in this vein, with a particular “cinematic” quality to it. The video above, titled “Norman Fucking Rockwell,” takes that to its logical conclusion, turning three of the songs on the album into a 14-minute short film, less a music video and more a parable. It‘s well worth watching the whole thing.

If you’ve not yet heard this album, don’t let whatever your brain associates with the name Lana Del Rey discolor your opinion of it. Put it on, close your eyes, and hear it for what it is: a beautiful, perfectly executed album.

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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

#21 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — DJ Shadow

Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow

It’s hard to believe that, despite having released his first album in 1996, Our Pathetic Age, DJ Shadow’s double-album epic from this year, is only his sixth studio album. Each of those six albums have been fantastic, starting with the groundbreaking Endtroducing....., the album that woke everyone to the potential of sampling and songbuilding. Since that seminal release, Shadow, whose real name is Josh Davis, has been building soundscapes and championing underground, has-been, and up-and-coming hip hop artists with great aplomb.

Our Pathetic Age is not a perfect album, but as it’s a double-length LP, it’s easy to set aside the imperfect to let the stellar shine. The album is split into two distinct halves, the first of which is fully instrumental, and the second the more predictable Shadow-type album. The Mountain Will Fall, Shadow’s 2016 album (#9 that year), saw him doubling down on his ability to take his great ear for beats and cadence and pairing that with well-known hip hop artists like Run the Jewels. RTJ reappears on the second half of Our Pathetic Age, along with a litany of other big hip hop names, such as Nas, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Gift of Gab and Leteef the Truthspeaker.

The video above, for “Rocket Fuel,” has Shadow teaming up with De La Soul. It’s a great song, and an even better video (directed by Sam Pilling, who also directed the great video I featured in my 2016 The Mountain Will Fall review). The song’s lyrics are top of the line, as written by the De La Soul crew. “People wanna know where Mase, Pos, and Dave went” goes the song. “Still here, still in your ear.” Later on in the song, the second verse has a mind-blowing rhyme that I can’t get out of my head:

Aced all quizzes, A-plussed the final
Vocals we align, we move it all simul-
-taneously over joints we rock
We earned thirty years, so you can say that we got
Three turns, live off the board, unlike you and your chessmen
We install doubt in you and your yes-men

That rhyming of “final” with the first two syllables of “simultaneously” and managing to keep the rhyme going is so so great. Check out this new album by DJ Shadow. You can set the first half aside, I won’t think anything less of you. But pay attention to the second half. It’s as great as anything Shadow has released to date, and you won’t be disappointed.

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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

#22 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Battles

Juice B Crypts by Battles

And then there were two. When Battles, the New York City based experimental rock band, released their superb album Mirrored back in 2007, the four-piece thoroughly impressed. I remember seeing them at Bumbershoot that summer, and watching drummer John Stanier hit that extra-high cymbal on his kit at just the right moment was the most memorable act that weekend.

In 2010, while extensively touring on the power of their debut album, the only “singer” in the group (I use that term lightly), Tyondai Braxton, left the group due to irreconcilable differences with his bandmates. The then-trio released their 2011 album, Glass Drop (#21 that year), featuring a large number of guest vocalists. It was a good album, but not as great as the first. The trio released a 2nd, this time vocals-less album in 2015 called _La Di Da Di, and all the better for it (#16 that year).

Then, in 2018, Dave Konopka (guitar / bass), left the band “for personal reasons.” Rather than throwing in the towel, drummer Stanier and multi-instrumentalist Ian Williams decided to soldier on, to great effect. This new album, Juice B Crypts, is as lush and erratic as their previous albums, and they’ve gone back to the Gloss Drop mode of bringing in guest singers, such as Shabazz Palaces, tUnE-yArDs, and Jon Anderson from Yes (!). Despite being at 50% power, the duo manages to create 11 exciting songs (some of which are really just one song broken in two, such as the cleverly named track #2 titled “A Loop So Nice…” followed by #3 “They Played it Twice.”)

If you like Battles, you’ll like this. If you’re unfamiliar with Battles, don’t start here — go through this progression: Mirrored, La Di Da Di, and then Juice B Crypts. Trust me.

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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

#23 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Orville Peck

Pony by Orville Peck

When country music makes it onto the Top 31, it usually has a hard time being fully classified as “country music.” Phosphorescent, Neko Case, First Aid Kit — in a certain light, these could all be classified as country, but usually aren’t. This is untrue of the obscured and befringed Canadian artist Orville Peck, whose wonderful debut album Pony couldn’t fall into any other genre than Country with a capital “C.” This isn’t “my wife left me, my dog died, and I accidentally got drunk” kinda country, but it does feature rodeos, horseback riding, and a Johnny Cash name-drop in all the right ways.

You may not have heard of Peck, but you’ve likely seen him. His visage is quite memorable; he’s always seen in a lone-ranger style mask with fringe attached and hanging down to his shoulders, fully obscuring all but his eyes and most of his jawline and neck when at rest; atop that he wears a standard-issue, not-quite 10-gallon cowboy hat.

Despite his public-facing disguise, his identity is known, but remains unconfirmed by Peck himself. So I won’t perpetuate the information here. What I can tell you is he’s Canadian, he’s gay, he commands a magical baritone voice, and his stage presence is second to none. The mystery certainly contributes to what I and so many other people like about him, but once you learn the truth of who he is, that doesn’t quell the fervor people feel for him.

I’d been hearing of Peck (which is different from hearing Peck) since the beginning of the year. I found him intriguing, but didn’t scratch that itch until he was on the bill at the inaugural Thing NW music festival. He played to a crowd that sardined itself into the covered McCurdy Pavilion about midway through day 1, and ended up being the highlight for many at the festival. A friend of mine’s 10-year old daughter fell so madly in love, she bought a tee (he’s smoking a cigarette! *gasp*) and then created her own Peck costume for halloween. Such is the charisma of Mr. Orville Peck, winning fans over at all ages.

I trust we’ll have much more to love about Peck in the years to come. We’re just at the tip of the iceberg. Give this album a listen now, so you can say “I was there when…”

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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

#24 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Beck

Hyperspace by Beck

It’s difficult to compare how much I like an album that came out at the end of November 2019 to one that came out in January of that same year. I just don’t have the proper amount of time to listen properly to an album when I have to start counting down the year just a little over a month later. This album came out a week before Thanksgiving. It got sidelined immediately for Christmas music. So, the chances are much higher on this album, Beck’s 14th studio album, that I’m going to wish I’d ranked this album in a different place than here, at #24 out of all the albums I listened to in 2019.

I’m going to stick with this digression a little bit longer. Looking back at the Beck albums that have made the Top 31 in its 11-year run, I can’t say I agree with any of the placements I’ve given his albums. I ranked the utterly amazing Morning Phase at #26 back in 2014 (way too low, as I listen to this album at least once every couple of months). I ranked 2017’s Colors at #8, and while that’s not too far off, I probably should have put it a little lower than I did, when I look back and see LCD Soundsystem, Fleet Foxes and Big Thief all ranked much lower that year. And in 2009 I clearly had no idea what I was doing, because I ranked his full-album cover of Velvet Underground & Nico at #7(!). I’ve not listened to that album again since.

Out of all three of these, the Morning Phase ranking at #26 is most troubling. That album came out in February that year, so I had plenty of time to determine that I should love that album forever. And yet… I’ll never stop being amazed at how time and perspective can change one’s opinion of the music they’ve listened to. </digression> Let’s get back to his newest record.

Beck is a chameleon of music, although his more recent output seems to be falling into a pattern (a good pattern, but a pattern nonetheless). So much so that I’m inclined to say that Hyperspace is a “typical” Beck album. It has all the things you’ve come to enjoy in his music: Endlessly catchy hooks; Quiet, introspective and ethereal sounds; A mastery of the form. What more can you ask for?

On the flip side, there’s nothing that wows me here. It’s a great album, but there are so many better Beck albums to listen to, I’m not sure I’ll ever get fully into this album and listen to it for years to come. But don’t let my digression and subsequent lackluster review distract you (it’s probably just the month-long cold I have talking) — check out this new album. You won’t regret it. But maybe I will.

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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

#25 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Strand of Oaks

Eraserland by Strand of Oaks

The last time we heard from Timothy Showalter’s Strand of Oaks on the Bacon Top 31 was not for his last album, but the one before that – his groundbreaking fourth album Heal, which hit #15 back in 2014. The album that followed, Hard Love, was rather forgettable (literally: I‘d forgotten all about it until I sat down to write this review). It’s hard for an artist to recover from releasing an amazing album like Heal and then follow it up by a lackluster one, and it sounds like Showalter had a particularly tough go of it in the aftermath of that 2017 album.

Battling with depression and exhaustion, he sequestered himself on the Jersey Shore. He used that negative energy to fuel his songwriting, and channeled it into this new, amazing 2019 record Eraserland. Showalter was not shy about his depression, and wrote about it on Instagram when commenting on the suicide of other greats, such as Dave Berman of the Silver Jews and Mark Hollis of Talk Talk (although Hollis’s death has not been confirmed a suicide). Of Hollis’s death, Showalter went so far as to claim the Talk Talk album Spirit of Eden changed his life and the tone of this new album:

Spirit of Eden is a prayer and a discussion with existence and it was the singular gateway for me to do that with my own life. Eraserland’s DNA is interwoven with Mark Hollis and the gifts he gave through music … I urge any of you who haven’t heard it to dig in, perhaps before you hear Eraserland to understand and perhaps find that communication with your own existence. Music saves it truly does. Thank you Mark your work will continue for the rest of time.

Sage advice, for sure. For now it sounds like Showalter is doing better, thankfully. If you’re a current fan of the Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Kurt Vile, or an older fan of My Morning Jacket (just to name a few), you’ll love Strand of Oaks and this new album. It’s powerful and moving, in the best way that a wailing guitar, heavy drums, and reverbed voice can be.

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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

#26 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Fontaines DC

Dogrel by Fontaines DC

From one literal throwback to 70s music, now to one that’s a throwback in style if not in the time it was recorded. Fontaines D.C., a five-man post-punk group out of Dublin, fall right in line with a separate scene from Marvin Gaye’s world of the 70s. Fontaines are hard-hitting, loud and obnoxious, evoking feelings of Joy Division, The Clash and even maybe a little bit of that early-U2 fervor.

I first fell in love with Fontaines by listening to KEXP 90.3 FM, my favorite Seattle-based (but more prominently available online) radio station. They received equal airplay to the station’s #2 album of 2018, Idles (#16 in my Top 31 of 2018), and were often played back to back with that band despite not releasing their album until April 2019.

If you’re a fan of guitars, barking vocals, and music with a message, then Fontaines DC are right up your alley. If you liked Idles’ Joy as an Act of Resistance from 2018, then you’ll especially love it. Give it a listen now.

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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

#27 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Marvin Gaye

You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye

Putting this “new” album by Marvin Gaye (whose own father shot and killed him back in 1984) is a bit of a cheat. You’re the Man, originally recorded as the follow-up to Gaye’s first platinum-selling album What’s Going On, was never released in 1972, due to a dispute between Gaye and Mowtown Records’ founder and then-president Berry Gordy (who felt that What’s Going On was already a tinge too politically-minded and this follow-up, You’re the Man, most decidedly so, despite the undeniable success of the former album.) You’re the Man, if released when originally planned back in 1972, would have been Gaye’s twelfth full-length record. Releasing now, 35 years posthumously, it becomes his 18th and final LP.

In addition to being a clear R&B staple of its time, the album is a fantastic piece of politically commentary. Point your finger anywhere in the lyrics and you’ll see lines like “I believe America’s at stake,” “Politics and hypocrites are turning us all into lunatics,” and “Don’t you understand/There’s misery in the land.” There’s even a line that reads “demagogues and admitted minority haters should never be president,” intended as a dig at Nixon but so easily fits our current tyrant in charge.

Even if you’re not into lyrics, putting this album on will immediately get you moving in your chair. This is Gaye at his peak, between one fantastic album (What’s Going On) and another (Let’s Get it On). I waffled on putting it so low in the Top 31, honestly. I have a feeling I’ll regret placing it so low when reflecting back in years to come.

With the politics in our country at a fever pitch, this album couldn’t arrive at a better time. Yes, the music is wonderful, but pay attention to what Gaye is telling us from the grave. The words may be rooted in the civil rights issues of the 70s, but you shouldn’t be at all surprised that you can easily connect them to today’s climate.

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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

#28 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Stealing Sheep

Big Wows by Stealing Sheep

Here’s another group that totally won me over in 2019. Stealing Sheep, from Liverpool, England, create fantastically infectious pop songs. They’ve been together since 2010, and Big Wows is the third full-length album they’ve released in that time. All three of the women in the trio, Rebecca Hawley (keys), Emily Lansley (guitar and bass) and Luciana Mercer (drums) sing lead and harmonies across every song, creating a pleasing blanket of voice throughout. Mixing their vocals with a strong 80s nostalgia-fueled aesthetic (as seen in the album’s cover, the band’s website, and the videos they’ve released such as the one for “Show Love,” above), the band hit all the right notes.

My first draft of this review included a whole portion describing how I’d not heard the band’s previous records, but it turns out memory is fickle, and I was 100% lying to myself. The band’s 2nd album, Not Real, featured on the Top 31 back in 2015 at #23. Clearly, I liked the album enough to put it on the list, and liked it more than at least 8 other albums that year — but, looking back at that list, I can’t say I’ve listened again to any of those albums ranked 23-31 from 2015. See my post from four days ago to see exactly why that may be.

According to their label bio, this album marks a pointed expansion of talent for the band: “Mercer is working with a full drum kit now instead of just toms; Lansley is playing bass guitar; Hawley is making her own synth patches; and they’re all using new equipment, developing and experimenting and moving forward together.” Even though Big Wows is ranked lower than Not Real was in 2015, I still feel that it’s the highlight of their 9-year stint as a band.

If you’re into any of the female-led pop that The Bacon Review has promoted over the years (such as Chvrches, Christine & the Queens, or Grimes) then you’ll definitely find something you like here.

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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