© Lauren Baxter 2021.
At the end of a decade where she constantly had to battle detractors questioning her authenticity, Lana Del Rey takes out The Music’s Album Of The Year. Armchair critics still loudly reject those they consider an “overnight success”, especially women. Just look at local sensation Tones & I — her fast ascension in 2019 has led to relentless online bullying. Del Rey suffered the same throughout the ‘10s, fielding claim after claim she was a manufactured, major label puppet. But she remained steadfast and with Norman Fucking Rockwell! released one of 2019’s most assured albums. It’s a trend that permeates through The Music’s top ten albums. Eight out of the ten artists are women, all forging their own path defiantly and opposing old, arbitrary archetypes about what women in music should look like. It’s a far cry from previous years in this category, The Music’s poll characteristically dominated by men.
Released in August by Polydor and Interscope Records, Norman Fucking Rockwell! uses soft-rock and piano-led ballads to rewrite the “great American dream’’: that same dream the artist Norman Rockwell delineated in Freedom From Want. Labelled a “millennial troubadour” and “one of America’s greatest living songwriters” by Pitchfork, Del Rey has crafted an album that stands out in 2019 as a sign of the times.
It wasn’t without its controversy though. In a review of the album, NPR’s music critic and correspondent Ann Powers discussed authenticity and the use of a persona. Del Rey took exception. “Here’s a little sidenote on your piece,” she responded on Twitter. “I don’t relate to one observation you made about the music. There’s nothing uncooked about me. To write about me is nothing like it is to be with me. Never had a persona. Never needed one. Never will.” It opened a discussion about the role of the critic in modern culture.
Lizzo — who comes in at #2 with Cuz I Love You — also weighed in on the critics’ debate, proclaiming on Twitter that “People who review albums and don’t make music themselves should be unemployed.” She made the comment despite the album’s widespread critical acclaim. Loud, charismatic and shamelessly Lizzo, the album bops and we’ve been blaming it on the juice all year long. Just not quite to the same level of devotion as Frankie Muniz.
We’d be amiss to talk about women in pop music without acknowledging the years that both Taylor Swift (coming in at #7 with Lover) and Billie Eilish (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? at #9) have had. They’re two innovators ahead of the game, Swift emblematic of millennial pop culture, Eilish the face of Generation Z.
Continuing the run of women is Sharon Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow, which pulses with optimism and humour, at #10 and FKA twigs too who delivered an album off the back of a highly publicised break-up. The all-encompassing Magdalene found hope in heartbreak and sees twigs in the #8 spot. Elsewhere, David Berman left a lasting impression with Purple Mountains, his new project which arrived ten years after the dissolution of Silver Jews. Tragically, he was found dead in a Brooklyn apartment the next month.
The work of three Australian acts, Sampa The Great, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Julia Jacklin, also made their mark in 2019, landing at #3, #4 and #5 respectively. Sampa Tembo is fast becoming one of Australia’s greatest exports: her ARIA-winning album The Return is straight fire and it’s exciting to see the world finally catching up. Nick Cave painted vivid landscapes of grief and Bright Horses in the critically adored Ghosteen and Jacklin’s Crushing was just as it said on the tin, catapulting her across the world and even onto the stage with our #1, Lana Del Rey.
Childish Gambino — our 2018 Artist Of The Year — finds his way back into The Music’s end of year lists, this time on the back of his powerful farewell tour, claiming International Live Performance Of The Year. After he cancelled his hyped Australian tour in 2018, his return this year for huge stadium and festival shows, expected to be his last under the Childish Gambino moniker, were the hottest tickets in town. He stood on the stage at Splendour In The Grass wide-eyed, shirtless and declared that “This is church,” delivering a sermon to the bouncing mass they wouldn’t forget any time soon. It’s the second year in a row a hip hop performance has taken out the category — Kendrick Lamar won in 2018 — showing the strength of an individual speaking truth to power.
Across the rest of the list, like in previous years, there’s a real element of nostalgia. Legacy tours from the likes of godfather of punk Iggy Pop and Fleetwood Mac, featuring new bandmate Neil Finn, plus the world premiere and Australian exclusive 30th anniversary shows for The Cure’s Disintegration clearly left a mark on The Music’s writers, along with hipster faves Parquet Courts and Jeff Tweedy. Our writers love a bit of English indie-rock too — both Arctic Monkeys and Foals impressed throughout the year. They’re both bands that have the live routine down-pat.
Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish joins the list at #10. Her return to Australia in 2019 to play Groovin The Moo and mammoth solo shows were some of the loudest of the year, fans singing along and almost overpowering the pop prodigy in volume. Lastly, The Prodigy toured Australia across January and February to support their latest LP, No Tourists. The next month lead singer Keith Flint was found dead. Tributes labelled Flint a “true pioneer, innovator and legend” and the band’s everlasting energy, on full display during the tour, saw them land at #7. Rest in peace, Keith.
Original article: The Music December 2019 Issue