When you listen to as much music as I do — not to mention as many different genres — making best-of lists is a nightmare. I mean, how do you decide whether the new Black Lips is better than the Black Rainbows or the Blackie & The Rodeo Kings? Or judge the relative merits of DOA, OEB, RTJ, Groupe RTD and X? It’s like comparing apples and oranges — along with lemons, pumpkins, eggplant and asparagus. The best I can do is whittle it down — at least a bit. First, here’s the Long List with all the best titles I heard in the first six months of the year, in alphabetical order. Since it has 322 names, I didn’t create links for them all: If you want to read a specific review, please use the search box at the top of the page. Enjoy — and stay tuned for the Short List.
Abrams | Modern Ways
Academy of Sun | The Quiet Earth
Acârash | Descend to Purity
Acid Tongue | Bullies
Adeline Hotel | Solid Love
Against All Logic | Illusions of Shameless Abundance + 2017-2019
The Airborne Toxic Event | Hollywood Park
Algiers | There Is No Year
Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela | Rejoice
The Alligator Wine | Demons Of The Mind
The Allman Brothers Band | Trouble No More 50th Anniversary Collection
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead | X: The Godless Void & Other Stories
Anti-Flag | 20/20 Vision
Fiona Apple | Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Arbouretum | Let It All In
Billy Boy Arnold & The Groundhogs | Live At The Virgin Venue
Ars Nova | Fields of People: The Recordings 1968-1969
ASL | Skyloft
Asking Alexandria | Like A House On Fire
Astroturf Noise | Astroturf Noise
Atavist | III: Absolution
Austra | HiRUDiN
Nicole Atkins | Italian Ice
Back Door | BBC in Concert
Bad Cop Bad Cop | The Ride
Badly Drawn Boy | Banana Skin Shoes
Alice Bag | Sister Dynamite
Banshee | Livin’ In The Jungle
Johnny Barnes Group | Live At the Rat 1977
bauwaves | u r everything
BC Camplight | Shortly After Takeoff
Beach Slang | The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Beauty Pill | Please Advise
Brendan Benson | Dear Life
Jehnny Beth | To Love Is To Live
Bhajan Bhoy | Bless Bless
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings | King Of This Town
The Black Lips | Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart
Black Rainbows | Cosmic Ritual Supertrip
Blóm | Flower Violence
Bloods | Seattle
Body Count | Carnivore
Boomtown Rats | Citizens of Boomtown
Phoebe Bridgers | Punisher
Bruce Peninsula | No Earthly Sound
Sammy Brue | Crash Test Kid
Bart Budwig | Another Burn On The AstroTurf
Built to Spill | Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston
Basia Bulat | Are You in Love?
Buscabulla | Regresa
Le Butcherettes | Don’t Bleed
The Buttertones | Jazzhound
Cable Ties | Far Enough
Carnivorous Bells | The Upturned Stone
Car Seat Headrest | Making a Door Less Open
Catholic Action | Celebrated By Strangers
Caleb Caudle | Better Hurry Up
Chats | High Risk Behaviour
Chemtrails | The Peculiar Smell of the Inevitable
Chepang | Chatta
Chicano Batman | Invisible People
Chief Tail | Chief Tail
Childish Gambino | 3.15.20
Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers | Vodou Ale
Las Cobras | Selva
Avishai Cohen | Big Vicious
Constance Tomb | Constance Tomb
Container | Scramblers
The Cool Greenhouse | The Cool Greenhouse
Coriky | Coriky
Cornershop | England Is A Garden
Charlotte Cornfield | In My Corner EP
Josie Cotton | Invasion of the B-Girls
Courteeners | More. Again. Forever.
Cowboy Junkies | Ghosts
John Craigie | Asterisk the Universe
The Cravats | Hoorahland
Robert Cray Band | That’s What I Heard
Cream | Goodbye Tour: Live 1968
Crooked Heart | Perpetual Twilight
Cherie Currie | Blvds of Splendor
Curse The Son | Excruciation
Custard | Respect All Lifeforms
Datura4 | West Coast Highway Cosmic
Richard Davies & The Dissidents | Human Traffic
Daxx & Roxane | Daxx & Roxane
Days N Daze | Show Me the Blueprints.
Deap Lips | Deap Lips
The Dears | Lovers Rock
Deathlist | You Won’t Be Here for Long
Death on Fire | Ghost Songs
Deau Eyes | Let It Leave
Def Leppard | The Early Years 79-81
Ben de la Cour | Shadow Land
Destroyer | Have We Met
DeWolff | Tascam Tapes
Diarchy | Splitfire
Jarrod Dickenson | Ready the Horses
Dictator Ship | Your Favorites
Died | Less Life
Diet Cig | Do You Wonder About Me?
Dion | Blues With Friends
Disheveled Cuss | Disheveled Cuss
D.O.A. | Treason
Swamp Dogg | Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
Do Nothing | Zero Dollar Bill
Dozer | In The Tail Of A Comet / Madre De Dios / Call It Conspiracy
Drab City | Good Songs for Bad People
Drakulas | Terminal Amusements
The Dream Syndicate | The Universe Inside
Drive-By Truckers | The Unraveling
Dumama + Kechou | Buffering Juju
Baxter Dury | The Night Chancers
Thomas Dybdahl | Fever
Bob Dylan | Rough and Rowdy Ways
Steve Earle & The Dukes | Ghosts Of West Virginia
Early James | Singing for My Supper
Easy | Radical Innocence
The Eighteenth Day Of May | The Eighteenth Day Of May
Hanni El Khatib | Flight
James Elkington | Ever-Roving Eye
El Ten Eleven | Tautology I
Joe Ely | Love in the Midst of Mayhem
Endless Boogie | Basement Jam Ritual / Live at Nublu, NYC, Feb 17, 2019
EOB | Earth
Brian Fallon | Local Honey
Fange | Pudeur
Field Music | Making A New World
Flat Worms | Antarctica
Dom Flemons | Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus
The Flytraps | Wild Card
Steve Forbert | Early Morning Rain
Fu Manchu | Fu30, Pt.1
Liam Gallagher | MTV Unplugged (Live At Hull City Hall)
Rory Gallagher | Check Shirt Wizard: Live in ’77
The Game Theory | Across The Barrier Of Sound: PostScript
Gaylord | Wings Of The Joyful
Geezer | Groovy
A.O. Gerber | Another Place To Need
Ghostpoet | I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep
Devon Gilfillian | Black Hole Rainbow
Margaret Glaspy | Devotion
The Grahams | Kids Like Us
Green Leaf Rustlers | From Within Marin
Grimes | Miss Anthropocene
Groupe RTD | The Dancing Devils of Djibouti & Bab L’ Bluz | Nayda!
Grouplove | Healer
Guided By Voices | Surrender Your Poppy Field
Haim | Women in Music Pt. III
Luke Haines & Peter Buck | Beat Poetry For Survivalists
Halsey | Manic
Happyness | Floatr
Hawklords | Hawklords Alive
HellgardeN | Making Noise, Living Fast
Lilly Hiatt | Walking Proof
Andrew Hibbard | Andrew Hibbard
Hollow Ship | Future Remains
Horse Lords | The Common Task
The Howl & The Hum | Human Contact
Howling Hex | Knuckleball Express
Human Impact | Human Impact
The James Hunter Six | Nick Of Time
Hyborian | Vol. II
Ides | Hikikomori
Irma Vep | Embarrassed Landscape
Irreversible Entanglements | Who Sent You?
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit | Reunions
Jade Hairpins | Harmony Avenue
Maddy Jane | Not All Bad Or Good
The Janitors | Drone Head
Jars | Vilnius IV
Joan As Police Woman | Cover Two
Norah Jones | Pick Me Up Off the Floor
Sass Jordan | Rebel Moon Blues
Damien Jurado | What’s New, Tomboy?
Just Joans | The Private Memoirs & Confessions Of …
Bai Kamara Jr & The Voodoo Sniffers | Salone
Las Kellies | Suck This Tangerine
Kesha | High Road
Khruangbin | Mordechai
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges | Texas Sun
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Chunky Shrapnel
Pokey LaFarge | Rock Bottom Rhapsody
Lamb Of God | Lamb Of God
Ray LaMontagne | Monovision
Mark Lanegan | Straight Songs of Sorrow
Larkin Poe | Self Made Man
The Last Bandoleros | Live from Texas
Jim Lauderdale | When Carolina Comes Home Again
Laveda | What Happens After
Logan Ledger | Logan Ledger
Hamilton Leithauser | The Loves of Your Life
Huey Lewis And The News | Weather
Liar, Flower | Geiger Counter
Local H | Lifers
Lord Fowl | Glorious Babylon
G. Love & Special Sauce | The Juice
The Lovely Eggs | I Am Moron
Luminous Bodies | Nah Nah Nah Yeh Yeh Yeh
Corb Lund | Agricultural Tragic
Shelby Lynne | Shelby Lynne
Harold Mabern | Mabern Plays Mabern
Jordan Mackampa | Foreigner
Magnetic Fields | Quickies
Stephen Malkmus | Traditional Techniques
Man Man | Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between
The Manvils | Reaction Arrow
Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts | The Sonet Anthology
Aska Matsumiya | Betty HBO Original Series Soundtrack
Me And That Man | New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.1
Melkbelly | Pith
Melt Yourself Down | 100% YES
Mac Miller | Circles
Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes | What Kinda Music
Mondo Cozmo | New Medicine
Mandy Moore | Silver Landings
Moor Jewelry | True Opera
Morrissey | I Am Not A Dog On A Chain
Los Mundos | No Hay Quien Se Salve
Muzz | Muzz
Naeem | Startisha
Nana Grizol | South Somewhere Else
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real | Naked Garden
Brett Newski | Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down
Nihiloxica | Kaloli
Willie Nile | New York At Night
The 1975 | Notes On a Conditional Form
Nixon Now | Whatsoever
No Age | Goons Be Gone
No Ones | Great Lost No Ones Album
Nova Twins | Who Are The Girls?
Gary Olson | Gary Olson
Ondara | Folk N’ Roll Vol. 1: Tales Of Isolation
1000mods | Youth of Dissent
Orgöne | Mos/Fet
Ozzy Osbourne | Ordinary Man
The Pack AD | It Was Fun While It Lasted
Pantayo | Pantayo
Charlie Parker | The Savoy 10-inch LP Collection
Waylon Payne | Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me Act I
Pearl Jam | Gigaton
Peter Bjorn & John | Endless Dream
Phantom Planet | Devastator
Phish | Sigma Oasis
Lido Pimienta | Miss Colombia
Pins | Hot Slick
Joel Plaskett | 44
Poppy | I Disagree
Pottery | Welcome to Bobby’s Motel
Pressure Cracks | This Is Called Survival EP
Puss N Boots | Sister
Nathaniel Rateliff | And It’s Still Alright
Allan Rayman | Christian
Steve Reidell | Duke (40th Anniversary)
The Remedy Club | True Hand True Heart
Jessie Reyez | Before Love Came To Kill Us
Raleigh Ritchie | Andy
Ritual Dictates | Give In To Despair
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever | Sideways To New Italy
Daniel Romano’s Outfit | Okay Wow
Rookie | Rookie
Jeff Rosenstock | No Dream
Run The Jewels | RTJ4
Ryte | Ryte
Second Arrows | Second Arrows
2nd Grade | Hit to Hit
Ron Sexsmith | Hermitage
Sex Swing | Type II
Shabaka and the Ancestors | We Are Sent Here By History
Shabazz Palaces | The Don Of Diamond Dreams
Nadine Shah | Kitchen Sink
Andy Shauf | The Neon Skyline
Archie Shepp / Raw Poetic / Damu The Fudgemunk | Ocean Bridges
Gord Sinclair | Taxi Dancers
Sister Species | Light Exchanges
Sleaford Mods | All That Glue
Sleep Eazys | Easy To Buy, Hard To Sell
Sparks | A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
Sports Team | Deep Down Happy
Squarepusher | Be Up A Hello
The Strokes | The New Abnormal
Sunflowers | Endless Voyage
Sunwatchers | Brave Rats
Sunwatchers | Oh Yeah?
Supersuckers | Play That Rock N’ Roll
Swampmeat Family Band | Muck!
The Sword | Conquest Of Kingdoms
Tame Impala | The Slow Rush
The Third Mind | The Third Mind
13 Crowes | Solway Star
Thundercat | It Is What It Is
Today Is The Day | No Good To Anyone
Trace Mountains | Lost in the Country
Yves Tumor | Heaven To A Tortured Mind
24-Carat Black | III
Etuk Ubong | Africa Today
Vibration Black Finger | Can You See What I’m Trying to Say
Vile Creature | Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
Sonny Vincent | Diamond Distance & Liquid Fury
Waco Brothers | Resist!
Butch Walker | American Love Story
Wheeler Walker Jr. | Fuck You Bitch: All-Time Greatest Hits
M. Ward | Migration Stories
Wares | Survival
Wasted Shirt | Fungus II
We Versus The Shark | Goodbye Guitar
Whyte Horses | Hard Times x Stretch and Bobbito & The M19s Band | No Requests
JJ Wilde | Ruthless
Devon Williams | A Tear in the Fabric
Lucinda Williams | Good Souls Better Angels
Wire | 10:20
Brian Wright & The SneakUps | Lapse of Luxury
Jaime Wyatt | Neon Cross
Wylde Ratttz | Wylde Ratttz
X | Alphabetland
Charli XCX | How I’m Feeling Now
Xoan | Greenhorn
Neil Young | Homegrown
Yonic South | Twix & Dive EP
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile | Not Our First Goat Rodeo
Frank Zappa & The Mothers | The Mothers 1970
