2nd Quarter-Best Of The Year So Far

The Ballet-Matchy Matchy(Fika/Tenure Tracks)

Genre: Indie Pop, Indietronica

Why It's Good: Taking the best songwriting aspects of The Magnetic Fields and Belle And Sebastian these guys inject that overall Twee Indie Pop sound with a great sense of humor and a breezy attitude.

Kenny Beats & Rico Nasty-Anger Management(Sugar Trap)

Genre: Hardcore Hip Hop, Trap Rap, East Coast Hip Hop, Pop Rap, Industrial Hip Hop, Trap Metal

Why It's Good: Great sporadic beats with an angry as hell female MC raining hellfire all over the whole proceedings. This is the pissed off Hip Hop we need in 2019.

Body Meat-Truck Music(Self Released)

Genre: Glitch Pop, Alternative R&B, Footwork

Why It's Good: Finally we get a glitched out really well done style of the whole "weirdo" R&B thing. This is some top of the game shit. It's never boring and keeps you on your toes for the entire thing.

Blarf-Cease & Desist(Stones Throw)

Genre: Plunderphonics, Glitch Hop, Noise, Instrumental Hip Hop, Sound Collage, Experimental Hip Hop

Why It's Good: Um it's Eric Andre doing really out there Plunderphonics. What else do I have to say?

Budokan Boys-Dad Is Bad(Baba Vanga)

Genre: Spoken Word, Experimental Rock, Minimal Synth

Why It's Good: Taking the creepiest aspects of Ween and The Residents and injecting them with really odd tales of queer seediness all while done over an odd minimal synth style background. Adding to the strangeness is the singer's decision to pitch shift his vocals way up on every other song creating a totally unsettling feeling on one of the weirdest and best albums of the year.

Bill Callahan-Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest(Drag City)

Genre: Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Alt Country

Why It's Good: Well first off, it made me like Bill Callahan again. Secondly, this is one amazing loose folk album that really honors the influences that came before it.

Chris Crack-Crackheads Live Longer Than Vegans(Self Released)

Chris Crack-The Future Will Be Confusing(Self Released)

Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, Cloud Rap, Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip Hop, Alternative R&B

Why It's Good: Really weird and over the top odd production with one of the funniest rappers in the game spouting nonsense all over the top. Really recommended for those that want a little more weirdness from their Hip Hop.

Theo Croker-Star People Nation(Masterworks)

Genre: Jazz Fusion, Afro Jazz, Jazz Funk

Why It's Good: Just a really solid interesting African influenced Astral Jazz album.

Denzel Curry-ZUU(Loma Vista)

Genre: Trap Rap, Southern Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Dirty South, Pop Rap

Why It's Good: So far this is the best Trap or Trap influenced album of 2019. He injects what would be normal Trap style Hip Hop with an old school flavor that is a much welcomed respite in the shallow pool that is the Trap scene.

Dehd-Water(Fire Talk)

Genre: Vocal Surf, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Post Punk, Surf Rock, R&B

Why It's Good: Relaxed tripped out surf influenced garage rock. It creates a really interesting singular mood when putting it on. Like watching yourself walk through a dark surf noir film(something that needs to exist).

Mac DeMarco-Here Comes The Cowboy(Mac's Record Label)

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Soft Rock, Folk Pop, Psychedelic Pop

Why It's Good: A lot of people hate this album. I think it's much better than the last one. For the last album he embraced synthesizers quite a bit and put some of his most serious lyrics into it. I felt it was boring and overbloated and I really don't want introspection when I come to listen to Mac. This new one jettisons most of the seriousness for humor and just all out weirdness. You can really hear a Ween influence floating through on a lot of these tracks. Not to mention, a lot of his hero Haruomi Hosono's sound seeps through on this one too. It's ashame people haven't latched onto this one.

The Divine Comedy-Office Politics(Divine Comedy Records Limited)

Genre: Art Pop, Synthpop, Baroque Pop, Chamber Pop, Indie Pop

Why It's Good: A ridiculous Indie pop opera about the absurdity of the common office. It's funny and musically interesting.

Divino Nino-Foam(Winspear)

Genre: Indie Pop, Neo Psychedelia, Hypnagogic Pop

Why It's Good: Super breezy chilled out blend of Latin rock and psychedelic indie rock that switches from Spanish to English a lot of the time in the same song. Definitely has a Mac DeMarco/Ween meets Os Mutantes vibe going on.

Drugdealer-Raw Honey(Mexican Summer)

Genre: Psychedelic Pop, Pop Rock, Baroque Pop

Why It's Good: A great example of the classic Laurel Canyon 70s AM pop sound. This could saddle up right next to your best Byrds/Joni Mitchell/Mamas and the Papas records and you would barely notice a difference.

Dumb-Club Nites(Mint)

Genre: Post Punk, Indie Rock, Art Punk

Why It's Good: Yet another good one from these spiky and short punk stalwarts. Very much indebted to bands like Wire. This takes the Parquet Courts sound and boils it down to make something super consistent and familiar, yet always exciting.

The Felice Brothers-Undress(Yep Roc)

Genre: Americana, Folk Rock

Why It's Good: Extremely solid Americana meets Indie Rock album. If you are a fan of either genre this comes highly recommended. These guys have been at it for a while now and it's nice to see them still holding onto the original sound that made them great while still adding a few new and fun flourishes twists.

Field Medic-Fade Into The Dawn(Run For Cover)

Genre: Indie Folk, Singer/Songwriter, LO-FI, Contemporary Country

Why It's Good: This may be the best Indie Folk album of the year. The lyrics are amazing and relatable. The sound is a great mix of all the indie greats.

Guided By Voices-Warp And Woof(Guided By Voices Inc)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop, LO-FI

Why It's Good: Extremely consistent, extremely catchy Power Pop from these guys who haven't disappointed since 1993!

Frank Iero And The Future Violents-Barriers(B.Calm Press)

Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Hardcore, Chamber Pop, Noise Rock

Why It's Good: An excellent huge sounding Indie/Emo grandiose album. This is what I imagine Weezer would have eventually sounded like had Matt Sharp not left and if Rivers never gave into wanting to be in the spotlight. AKA what I would have wanted the Green Album to sound like.

Injury Reserve-Self Titled(Loma Vista/Concord Music Group)

Genre: Experimental Hip Hop, Industrial Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Glitch Hop

Why It's Good: Great varied Hip Hop album that isn't afraid of a lot of progression in terms of it's production. This one is equal parts fun, crazy and intelligent. These guys should be huge!

Grace Ives-2nd(Dots Per Inch)

Genre: Glitch Pop, Indietronica, Synthpop, Electroclash

Why It's Good: Great electronic leaning bedroom pop that harkens back to the days of The Blow. This one also has it's fair share of Max Tundra influence. Kind of like a female Russian Futurists.

L.O.T.I.O.N.-World Wide W.E.B.(Toxic State)

Genre: Digital Hardcore, Hardcore Punk, Industrial Rock

Why It's Good: Extremely ugly. Severely pissed off. Entirely ridiculous. These guys piss all over what Punk is supposed to be and we are all the better for it.

Malci-Papaya!(Self Released)

Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop

Why It's Good: Extremely weird and wacky Hip Hop that touches bits and pieces of what's popular right now in the Hip Hop scene while maintaining a fiercely independent approach to those genres of music.

Slauson Malone-A Quiet Farwell: 2016-2018(Grand Closing)

Genre: Sound Collage, Experimental Hip Hop, Glitch Hop, Abstract Hip Hop, Plunderphonics, Cloud Rap, Ambient, Hypnagogic Pop

Why It's Good: Very trippy collection of really out there and warped sampledelica. All done by the smooth jazz legend Wynton Marsalis's son.

Mattiel-Satis Factory(ATO)

Genre: Indie Rock, Americana

Why It's Good: Really solid blend of Indie Rock meets Americana roots style music.

Sean Nelson-Nelson Sings Nilsson(Self Released)

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Psychedelic Pop, Baroque Pop, Art Pop

Why It's Good: A long awaited issue of a project that has been going on since the early 2000s. This is a superb collection of all Harry Nilsson covers done by the lead Singer of Harvey Danger all done in a really elaborate orchestral pop style.

Nocturnus A.D.-Paradox(Profound Lore)

Genre: Technical Death Metal, Progressive Metal

Why It's Good: Just extremely solid Metal from some legends who used to be in the legendary Nocturnus.

Otoboke Beaver-Itekoma Hits(Damnably)

Genre: Hardcore Punk, Japanese Hardcore, Noise Rock, Riot Grrrl, Art Punk

Why It's Good: The much better alternative to the horrible Chai. This is Japanese girl punk done right. Has echoes of Deerhoof but so much more indebted to classic noise rock and Punk.

Prince Daddy & The Hyena-Cosmic Thrill Seekers(Counter Intuitive)

Genre: Pop Punk, Indie Rock, Emo Pop, Power Pop, Rock Opera

Why It's Good: Like a crazy blend of Ovens, The Beach Boys and every good emo band you have ever heard. All the songs lead into the next one to form a seamless patch of one of the best Emo influenced Indie Rock albums I have ever heard.

Johnathan Rice-The Long Game(Mano Walker)

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Pop Rock

Why It's Good: Probably his best album and an extremely well written collection of Indie Pop/Singer/Songwriter music. It's a breakup album at it's best.

Sly And The Family Drone-Gentle Persuaders(Love Love)

Genre: Free Improvisation, Noise, Avant Garde Jazz, Drone

Why It's Good: Normally I kind of can't stand this stuff. But these guys have a sense of humor and it really doesn't reek of the horrible downtown high art scene. The album is ridiculously visceral with each note slamming into you like a hammer from the gods.

Esperanza Spalding-12 Little Spells(Concord)

Genre: Art Pop, Vocal Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Neo Soul, Psychedelic Soul, Progressive Pop

Why It's Good: Really out there and super creative Soul album. This is what I would imagine a collaboration between Erkyah Badu and Van Dyke Parks would sound like.

Sunn O)))-Life Metal(Southern Lord)

Genre: Drone Metal

Why It's Good: Just more of the solid same by these guys, which means looooooong ass songs, big ass riffs and always crushing atmosphere.

Tech N9ne-N9NA(Strange)

Genre: Pop Rap, Trap Rap

Why It's Good: Sounding like a weirder cousin to Eminem with a bunch of modern trap and pop rap influences thrown in. That combo should sound kind of terrible but when your lyrical mindset is set to Kool Keith influence it turns everything around.

Truth Club-Not An Exit(Tiny Engines)

Genre: Indie Rock, Emo

Why It's Good: Great little weirdo indie rock album with enough interesting twists and turns to make it stand out from the dime a dozen pack.

Versing-10000(Hardly Art)

Genre: Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Post Punk

Why It's Good: Great shoegaze influenced indie rock that harkens back to the days of Rollerskate Skinny and Hum.

Jamila Woods-LEGACY! LEGACY!(Jagjaguwar)

Genre: Neo Soul, Art Pop, Trip Hop, Alternative R&B

Why It's Good: A weirdo R&B album that actually lives up to the hype. Her lyrics are biting and confrontational and as a result pushes this album into really good territory amongst a sea of crap.