You probably won't like the others. Perhaps Menzingers, as there is a Springsteen streak running through them.

Not that we're really tallying, but any final thoughts folks?

Welcome back!

A quick tally up suggests Sturgill wins 2019 by an unspecified amount. 

Thread can be unstickied now.

Gave Menzingers a go Dante.  Didn't go mad for the latest one, but I've just finished On the Impossible Past and it does the upper-mid tempo guitar thing well.  Decent Gaslight Anthemic stuff.  I assume you know Titus Andronicus, their first two albums are worth a look.  No idea about their more recent efforts, they might be good too.  When I was looking for similar stuff on the back on my frenzied Hold Steady kick a few years ago this album emerged as a win (pretty sure the looking consisted of buying records by any artist listed as remotely similar on Last FM):

@Arkady, if you're lurking - that Sharon Van Etten track is a cracker.

Bump and title change, let's go again.

Albums:

Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
RTJ4 - Run the Jewels 
Co-Starring - Ray Wylie Hubbard
Starting Over - Chris Stapleton
Western Swing & Waltzes & Other Punchy Songs - Colter Wall
Rough & Rowdy Ways - Bob Dylan
School Daze: A Fundraiser for Durham Public Schools Students - Hiss Golden Messenger (live album but I'm having it because it got me into them)

....need to jog my memory with some others.  


Some tracks:

A full masterpiece, Bob's best track since Mississippi:













Presumably on my own here but I think this Cornell tribute is Vedder & the gang's best ballad in 20 years:





....and of course:

Nice, haven't listened to anything new this year (shame on me) bar Idles

I haven't heard much new stuff this year so can't really do a proper list, but yeah put me down for the Clipping, Godfather 3 by Wiley, E3AF from Dizzee and Agenda by Dorian Electra was good, but not as good as the last album (a tough mountain to climb tbh). 

Here, have a couple of my favourite tracks of the year for you to get mad at, you big load of absolute dads. 

This is the only place you will find the Village People on a track in 2020. From a concept album written from the perspective of an alt right type who finds themselves trapped in a gay dictatorship. Oh and I guess Pussy Riot shout a lot for a bit as well if that's your bag. 


This might be my favourite track of the year, people still refuse to acknowledge that the UK is more than capable of going toe to toe with big US stuff. I will never stop saying that the UKs best are lyrically beyond the US at this point (plenty of evidence in the UK urban thread, but listen out for Dizzee managing to effortlessly work in a reference to fucking gino ginelli ice cream when recalling a period of time in the past in this track) and they did it while also creating a genre of music that execs have been unable to coopt for themselves. Dizzee, Kano and Ghetts are some of the best to ever do it and here they all are on the same track. AMAZIN. Strap in and prepare to flip a table. 


EDIT: Caveat - US and UK goals when making tracks are different, before the hip hop heads assemble the lynch mob.

Double edit while I don the flame proof suit - personal preference, pls understand. I enjoy the way UK artists will put together lines and use wordplay and I also enjoy the way Kendrick, Kanye, Tyler, Lupe, etc. also put together their lyrics. Gah I should have just kept my mouth shut hahaha.

Wheel up sound for Rouj. Wordplay is (even more) intrinsic in the UK rap scene and if that's what gets you on the hook it's a preference that makes sense to me.

Not very exciting list but it is -

Haim, Gorillaz, Fiona Apple, Aesop Rock, and Soccer Mommy make up my top 5 in some order.

In no order then for albums:

Colter Wall - Western Swing & Waltzes
Only Fire - Double Penetration
Dizzee Rascal - E3 AF
Chris Stapleton - Starting Over

Picks...

I haven't really listened to Dizzee since Showtime, will give this one a go.

Looking at my tidal year end thing...

RTJ, Aesop and Blackthought fighting for top spot.

Then, in some order...

The kite string tangle c()d3x
Sohn live with metropole orchestra
Kandace springs the women who raised me
Jess gillam time
thundercat it is what it is
Daniel hope hope@home
Clipping newie
Sweet swirl how much works (had to check bandcamp to remind me)

Did you listen to Clipping Grem? I get the feeling you'd like them