The results are in and the Last Mixed Tape Readers have had their say by voting for their Top 10 Albums of the Year 2019. Check out the full listen below.
10. Rosie Carney – Bare
What TLMT had to say: “Somewhere in the midst of listening to Bare for the third time, I felt myself drifting away from critiquing the record and instead began to give in to the intimate beauty of the music. Such is the beguiling quality of Rosie Carney’s songwriting, that the overwhelming sense of place that her debut album produces compels you to immerse yourself within it.”
9. Havvk – Cause & Effect
What TLMT had to say: “Cause & Effect is a compelling thematic piece working in moods and intensity throughout. With this debut Havvk take their core alt-rock sound a meld it with meaning, relevance and importance. There’s a story Factory Record’s owner Tony Wilson would tell in reference to the first time he saw Joy Division, saying that compared to all the other acts he saw that night the post-punk band were the only ones that “needed to be there” instead of just “wanting to be there”. In the same way, Cause & Effect was is an album that needed to be made.”
8. Lankum – The Livelong Day
What TLMT had to say: “Making the return the earthy, windswept world of Lankum’s music is a welcome journey indeed. There’s a wildness to The Livelong Day, an unkempt rough edge to the traditional music that flows within that Lankum unleash whilst maintaining a handle on the atmosphere, and the mood, of a record that feels like an act of expression over precision.”
7. Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel
What TLMT had to say: “The cultural relevancy of Dogrel that truly sets it apart. While the post-punk/indie-rock backbone of the music is familiar to whats come before, its how different it is to whats happening now and how it uses this backdrop to speak about whats relevant. ‘Boys In A Better Land’ convey the grit, determination to break out and sense of identity that is indicative of the Irish experience in 2019. Dogrel is the sound of fury pushing against the malaise of reality, this clash of moods is the driving force that makes Fontaines D.C. connect in such a profound way, its not ponderous, it’s not pretentious, it’s concrete, it’s tactile.”
6. Junior Brother – Pull The Right Rope
What TLMT had to say: “An album of pure expression, Pull The Right Rope is a masterclass in the sheer joy of creation. Junior Brother’s debut may divide tastes but that seems to be the point, the character of the songwriter is intrinsically linked to the album itself. In this way, Pull The Right Rope is a shining example of how long-standing genres like trad and folk can be given new life. A true musical self-portrait.”
5. Whenyoung – Reasons To Dream
What TLMT had to say: “Reasons To Dream is immediate. Everything about whenyoung’s debut offering is instant, impactful and illuminating to listen to. That’s not to say the album lacks depth, quite the opposite, the multiple layers that comprise the trio’s music is what makes Reasons To Dream such an all-pervasive work of art. As always, the devil is in the detail.”
4. Girl Band – The Talkies
What TLMT had to say: “Girl Band’s The Talkies works like a Francis Bacon piece. There’s an undercurrent of visceral unease that dominates every facet of the music, everything you would come to expect is taken from its original context and put through a surreal expressionistic filter, one that spits it all back out in a way that the form of the songs and the meaning behind them seem abstracted from their origins. The Talkies isn’t predictable, nothing is where our ears expect it to be and that’s whats so captivating about it. Much like Francis Bacon, Girl Band lay everything out bare but its up to us to find the meaning behind it.”
3. The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears
What TLMT had to say: “When I Have Fears is a thematically strong debut that sets the tone for the Murder Capital going forward. And while the record does suffer the pitfalls of many debut albums. There’s an underlined narrative to the record that makes it feel full of unmistakable purpose that needed to be voiced. A voice that resonates throughout and creates an album the band had no fucking choice but to make.”
2. Maija Sofia – Bath Time
What TLMT had to say: “There’s something about the music of Maija Sofia. It seems to occupy the periphery, the other, a place just out of reach. In Bath Time, Sofia’s debut offering, there’s an air of gothic poetry and neo-romantic tragedy put through a modernist lo-fi prism that allows us to hear the stories being told but at a distance. Indeed, this is an album that gives voice to those robbed of it and we must listen.
The Last Mixed Tape Readers Album of the Year 2019 is…
1. Tandem Felix – Rom-Com
What TLMT had to say: “Rom-Com is an invitation to traverse the music of Tandem Felix. Via an album that weaves vignettes of stories, fragments of memories, self reflection and a slight hint of abstract surrealism put through a prism of intricate lyricism and laid-back alt-country and indie-folk flourishes, we are given impression of a record presented in widescreen and a journey best experience from beginning to end.
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