2019

While I realise that lists are utterly self-indulgent and unnecessary, and my time should perhaps be spent on getting actual Content™ written and edited (rather than letting this account wither), I thought I might as well ‘indulge’ momentarily to provide a brief-ish account of the music and films that made an impact on me this year.

*Potential Top 10-ers.

MUSIC

• Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band: Pedal Steal + Four Corners*
• Otoboke Beaver: Itekoma Hits*
• Ebi Soda: Bedroom Tapes
• FKA twigs: MAGDALENE*
• Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble: Where Future Unfolds
• Slauson Malone: A Quiet Farwell, 2016–2018
• Caroline Polachek: Pang
• Kokoko!: Fongola
• Show Me the Body: Dog Whistle*
• black midi: schlagenheim*
• Powder: Powder in Space
• Snapped Ankles: Stunning Luxury
• Floating Points: Crush
• CHAI: PUNK
• Default Genders: Main Pop Girl 2019
• The Caretaker: Everywhere at the End of Time*
• Marc Mac: All Power to the People
• Florist: Emily Alone
• Glass Beach: the first glass beach album
• The Comet is Coming: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
• Holly Herndon: PROTO*
• Orville Peck: Pony
• Quelle Chris: Guns
• Ohtearsofjoy: bonsoir, fucker
• Richard Dawson: 2020*
• Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising*
• Nonlocal Forecast: Bubble Universe!
• Xiu Xiu: Girl with Basket of Fruit
• Angel Bat Dawid: The Oracle
• Solange: When I Get Home
• Brittany Howard: Jaime
• W.H. Lung: Incidental Music
• Stella Donnelly: Beware of the Dogs
• Amyl and the Sniffers: Amyl and the Sniffers
• Bill Callahan: Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
• Lingua Ignota: CALIGULA*
• (Sandy) Alex G: House of Sugar
• Big Thief: Two Hands
• Fuming Mouth: The Grand Descent
• Avenade: It’s a Whimsical Afterlife
• Dump Him: Dykes to Watch Out For
• Billy Woods and Kenny Segal: Hiding Places
• Angel Olsen: All Mirrors
• Injury Reserve: Injury Reserve
• MIKE: tears of joy
• Thom Yorke: ANIMA
• Great Grandpa: Four of Arrows

FILMS

• Happy as Lazzaro* (dir. Alice Rohrwacher)
• Rushing Green with Horses* (dir. Ute Aurand)
• Knife + Heart* (dir. Yann Gonzalez)
• Us (dir. Jordan Peele)
• The Irishman* (dir. Martin Scorsese)
• Diamantino* (dir. Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt)
• Atlantics* (dir. Mati Diop)
• Hale County This Morning This Evening* (dir. RaMell Ross)
• High Flying Bird (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
• Little Women* (dir. Greta Gerwig)
• E-Ticket (dir. Simon Liu)
• Lima Screams* (dir. Dana Bonilla, Ximena Valdivia)
• The Body Remembers When the World Broken Open* (dir. Kathlenn Hepburn and Elle-Maija Tailfeathers)
• Bait (dir. Mark Jenkin)
• Tux and Fanny (dir. Albert Birney)
• The Dead Don’t Die (dir. Jim Jarmusch)