Albums of the Year & Shows of the Year 2019 // New Commute Staff
Photo by Abby Miller
Abby Miller
ALBUMS
1. Allah-Lahs- LAHS
2. Drugdealer- Raw Honey
3. Weyes Blood- Titanic Rising
4. Angel Olsen- All Mirrors
5. The Babe Rainbow- Today
6. Whitney- Forever Turned Around
7. Vampire Weekend- Father of the Bride
8. Brittany Howard- Jaime
9. Toro y Moi- Outer Peace
10. Harry Styles- Fine Line
SHOWS
1. Kikagaku Moyo at Neighborhood Theatre [Charlotte]
2. The Lemon Twigs at Visulite Theater [Charlotte]
3. Drugdealer at Music Hall of Williamsburg [NYC]
Photo by Angela Betancourt
Angela Betancourt
ALBUMS
1. Kim Gordon- No Home Record
2. Angel Olsen- All Mirrors
3. Nick Cave- Ghosteen
4. Metronomy- Metronomy Forever
5. Heavy Lungs- Measure
6. Garcia Peoples- Natural Facts
7. Julia Jacklin- Crushing
8. Big Thief- Two Hands
9. Sunn O)))- Life Metal
10. Steve Gunn- The Unseen In Between
SHOWS
1. Tropical Fuckstorm at Hotel Vegas [Austin]
2. Idles at Barracuda [Austin]
3. Neneh Cherry at Pitchfork Music Festival [Chicago]
Photo by Bryceson Center
Bryceson Center
ALBUMS
1. Solange- When I Get Home
2. 박혜진 park hye jin- If U Want It
3. Danny Brown- uknowhatimsayin¿
4. Cate Le Bon- Reward
5. James Blake- Assume Form
6. Priests- The Seduction of Kansas
7. Devendra Banhart- Ma
8. Metronomy- Metronomy Forever
9. Vegyn- Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds
10. Toro Y Moi- Soul Trash
SHOWS
1. Massive Attack at Ceremonia Festival [Toluca]
2. Tame Impala at Madison Square Garden [NYC]
3. Metronomy at Rough Trade [NYC]
Clark Hodgin
Clark Hodgin
ALBUMS
1. Bagdad Brothers- Sorry
2. Blood Orange- Angel’s Purse
3. Diamond Miller- Heavy Heart
4. Joy Again- Piano
5. Goth Babe- Mt. Hood
6. Damien Jurado- In The Shape of the Storm
7. Kevin Morby- Oh My God
8. Lee Fields and the Expressions- It Rains Love
9. Big Thief- Two Hands
10. Greentea Peng- Rising
SHOWS
1. Blood Orange at The Orange Peel [Asheville]
2. Deerhunter at The Mothlight [Asheville]
3. Amen Dunes at The Mothlight [Asheville]
Photo by Connor Fields
Connor Fields
ALBUMS
1. Weyes Blood- Titanic Rising
2. Big Thief- U.F.O.F.
3. Jessica Pratt- Quiet Signs
4. Helado Negro- This Is How You Smile
5. Crumb- Jinx
6. Avey Tare- Cows on Hourglass Pond
7. Wand- Laughing Matter
8. Cate Le Bon- Reward
9. Big Thief- Two Hands
10. (Sandy) Alex G- House of Sugar
SHOWS
1. Animal Collective at Desert Daze [Lake Perris]
2. Ty Segall at Teragram Ballroom [Los Angeles]
3. Wand at Satellite Bar [Houston]
Photo by Dave Scholten
Dave Scholten
ALBUMS
1. Big Thief- U.F.O.F.
2. Tim Presley’s White Fence- I Have To Feed Larry’s Hawk
3. Cass McCombs- Tip of the Sphere
4. Hand Habits- placeholder
5. Michael Nau- Less Ready To Go
6. Molly Sarlé- Karaoke Angel
7. Purple Mountains- Purple Mountains
8. Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears- Time Has Grown A Strawberry
9. Steve Gunn- The Unseen In Between
10. William Tyler- Goes West
SHOWS
1. White Fence at Bowery Ballroom [NYC]
2. Buck Meek at Union Pool [NYC]
3. Michael Nau at Baby’s All Right [NYC]
Photo by Emily Galvin
Emily Galvin
ALBUMS
1. FKA twigs- Magdalene
2. James Blake- Assume Form
3. Orville Peck- Pony
4. Cigarettes After Sex- Cry
5. Sudan Archives- Athena
6. Devendra Banhart- Ma
7. Tyler, The Creator- IGOR
8. Goldlink- Diaspora
9. O Terno- <atrás/além>
10. Monster Rally- Adventures on the Floating Island
SHOWS
1. FKA twigs at King’s Theatre [NYC]
2. The Lemon Twigs at Music Hall of Williamsburg [NYC]
3. Orville Peck at Music Hall of Williamsburg [NYC]
Photo by Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown
ALBUMS
1. Weyes Blood- Titanic Rising
2. Lana Del Rey- Norman Fucking Rockwell!
3. Brittany Howard- Jaime
4. FKA twigs- MAGDALENE
5. Caroline Polachek- Pang
6. Bon Iver- i, i
7. Sharon Van Etten- Remind Me Tomorrow
8. Tyler, The Creator- IGOR
9. Nivhek- After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house
10. Vampire Weekend- Father of The Bride
SHOWS
1. The Antlers at First Unitarian Congregation [NYC]
2. Big Thief at Variety Playhouse/Adrianne Lenker at Music Hall of Williamsburg
3. Vampire Weekend at Fox Theatre and Music Midtown [Atlanta]
Photo by Lachland Starling
Lachland Starling
ALBUMS
1. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Fishing For Fishies
2. The Babe Rainbow- Today
3. The Murlocs- Manic Candid Episode
4. Mac Demarco- Here Comes The Cowboy
5. Thee Oh Sees- Face Stabber
6. Allah-Las- LAHS
7. (Sandy) Alex G- House of Sugar
8. Pond- Tasmania
9. Pond- Sessions
10. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Infest The Rats’ Nest
SHOWS
1. Connan Mockasin at The Enmore Theatre [Sydney]
2. Thee Oh Sees at The Factory Theatre [Sydney]
3. The Murlocs at Paddo RSL [Sydney]
Photo by Madelyn Matthews
Madelyn Matthews
ALBUMS
1. Thom Yorke- Anima
2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Infest The Rats’ Nest
3. Deerhunter- Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
4. Purple Mountains- Purple Mountains
5. Julia Jacklin- Crushing
6. Angel Olsen- All Mirrors
7. Sharon Van Etten- Remind Me Tomorrow
8. Lana Del Rey- Norman Fucking Rockwell
9. Orville Peck- Pony
10. Big Thief- Two Hands
SHOWS
1. Tame Impala at Coachella [Indio]
2. Parquet Courts at Bonnaroo [Manchester]
3. Deerhunter at Hopscotch [Raleigh]
Photo by Nicolette Ender
Nicolette Ender
ALBUMS
1. The Mystery Lights- Too Much Tension
2. Chris Catalena- Chris Catalena
3. Being Dead- Fame Money Death By Drive By
4. Night Beats- Night Beats Play The Sonics’ Boom
5. Charlie Megira- Tomorrow’s Gone
6. RF Shannon- Rain On Dust
7. Black Pumas- Black Pumas
8. Bazooka- Zero Hits
9. Lee Fields- It Rains Love
10. The Schizophonics- People In The Sky
SHOWS
1. Kikagaku Moyo at Fuzz Club Festival [Eindhoven]
2. Lee Fields at Mohawk [Austin]
3. Thelma and the Sleaze at The Electric Church [Austin]
Photo by Noel Woodford
Noel Woodford
ALBUMS
1. Angel Olsen- All Mirrors
2. Arthur Moon- Arthur Moon
3. Ada Lea- What We Say In Private
4. Blood Orange- Angel’s Purse
5. Girlpool- What Chaos Is Imaginary
6. King Princess- Cheap Queen
7. Lizzo- Cuz I Love You
8. Ty Segall- First Taste
9. Maggie Rogers- Heard It In A Past Life
10. GRLwood- I Sold My Soul to the Devil When I Was 12
SHOWS
1. Mitski at Central Park [NYC]
2. Deerhunter with L’Rain at Brooklyn Steel [NYC]
3. Weyes Blood at Music Hall of Williamsburg [NYC]
Photo by Olivia Cummings
Olivia Cummings
ALBUMS
1. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Infest The Rats’ Nest
2. Thom Yorke- Anima
3. Men I Trust- Oncle Jazz
4. Angel Olsen- All Mirrors
5. Divino Niño- Foam
6. Pipe-Eye- Inside/Outside
7. James Blake- Assume Form
8. The Murlocs- Manic Candid Episode
9. Djo- Twenty Twenty
10. Michael Nau- Less Ready To Go
SHOWS
1. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at The Forum [Melbourne]
2. Ty Segall at Brooklyn Steel [NYC]
3. James Blake at Hopscotch
Photo by Ruchita Lalmalani
Ruchita Lalmalani
ALBUMS
1. Cass McCombs- Tip of the Sphere
2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Fishing For Fishies
3. Kevin Morby- Oh My God
4. Wand- Laughing Matter
5. Steve Gunn- The Unseen In Between
6. Hand Habits - placeholder
7. Aldous Harding- Designer
8. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets- And Now For The Whatchamacallit
9. The Babe Rainbow- Today
10. Cate Le Bon- Reward
SHOWS
1. Kikagaku Moyo at The Fillmore [San Francisco]
2. Thee Oh Sees at The Chapel [San Francisco]
3. The Babe Rainbow at The Independent [San Francisco]
Photo by Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller
ALBUMS
1. Shura- Forever
2. Steve Lacy- Apollo XXI
3. Part Time- Modern History
4. Tyler, The Creator- IGOR
5. Faye Webster- Atlanta Millionaires Club
6. Anderson Paak- Ventura
7. Devendra Banhart- Ma
8. Woman’s Hour- Ephyra
9. Jordan Rakei- Origin
10. Beverly Glenn-Copeland- Primal Prayer
SHOWS
1. Massive Attack at The Masonic Temples [Detroit]
2. Steve Lacy at House of Blues [Houston]
3. The Soft Moon at Ace of Cups [Columbus]
Photo by Sam Blieden
Sam Blieden
ALBUMS
1. Weyes Blood- Titanic Rising
2. Bill Callahan- Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest
3. FKA twigs- Magdalene
4. Charly Bliss- Young Enough
5. Charli XCX- Charli
6. Solange- When I Get Home
7. Thee Oh Sees- Face Stabber
8. Sharon Van Etten- Remind Me Tomorrow
9. Tim Presley’s White Fence- I Have To Feed Larry’s Hawk
10. Amyl and the Sniffers- Amyl and the Sniffers
SHOWS
1. Thee Oh Sees with Jimmy Whispers and Prettiest Eyes at Warsaw [NYC]
2. Kikagaku Moyo with Sarah Louise at Monty Hall [Jersey City]
3. Cate Le Bon with Moon Diagrams and Vivien Goldman at Elsewhere [NYC]
Photo by Tyler Loring