Best of 2019

Introduction

To attempt to explain why artists weren’t motivated enough to reach for the high water marks of years past would be a futile gesture. Speculation would have us believe there is a collective disappointment with existence, a feeling that no matter what effort was made toward a specific end we always wind up in a similar place of steady decline. Isn’t this reminiscent of what it would be like if all of society at once realized that everyone dies and no one can escape the feeling of being mortal. The hopeful art feels artificial, it feels as if it’s been made as a product to appease the masses while generating revenue. And actual, real art, made from a place of striving to do something great has for whatever reason, be it mortality, or disillusionment sounds muted in this year’s music. This doesn’t mean, of course, that I have nothing to share. I’ve chosen a few albums that stood out among the productized, formulaic, and pointless expressions. They may not stand the test of time, but they did help pass the time. There are moments on these albums that I will remember, intentions that are important, even if those intentions weren’t fully realized.