2019: THE YEAR IN REVIEW (sort of)

Despite this being not just the end of the year but the end of the decade, it's adios to 2019 with the briefest, shortest recap in the history of 5 and leaving whether to ponder the decade perhaps some other time. But truth be told the first two decades of the 21st century are sort of one big blur ‘round here, anyway, so… (The ‘00s review can be found here.) 
So, here we go...

FAVORITE ALBUM: 
THE CLAYPOOL / LENNON DELIRIUM South of Reality
[Prawn Song]
A proggy alt-rocker with a fondness for the weird and absurd and a melodic singer/songwriter with a taste for psych does not sound like the most auspicious musical combination. But these two talented gentlemen have made the most of their common ground, namely that sweet spot where Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd meets John Lennon in “I Am The Walrus” mode with a dash of early ‘70s King Crimson.

FAVORITE REISSUE:
THE BEATLES Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Edition [Apple]

Giles Martin does his old man proud on this remix of the Fabs’ best sounding album—and arguably their best—giving it the proper sonic treatment it deserves. That it practically explodes from your speakers without sacrificing clarity or nuance is quite the triumphant achievement, indeed.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: 
The Kominsky Method
(season 2) [Netflix] 
Watching Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas share scenes is nothing short of delight. This is the kind of show that, as I go through each one, inevitably makes me sad to acknowledge I’m counting down the episodes. Yup.

Runner up:
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel [Amazon]
A little to precious at times and a bit demanding in the suspension of disbelief department, but a winner nonetheless.

BIGGEST HYPE:
The Overwhelming Return of Vinyl and the Death of the CD 
Despite CD players being eliminated from cars and computers while vinyl enjoys quite the resurgance, the pesky shiny discs refuse to die: they outsold vinyl records by more than twice as many units in the first half of 2019, 18.6m vs 8.6m units. And Discogs notes that while vinyl is their most popular format, CDs saw the biggest sales increase on the noted online music database/marketplace. So hold off, will ya?

GOODBYE

Drummer Andy Anderson (The Cure, Steve Hillage, Peter Gabriel); the incomparable Ginger Baker; Silver Jews frontman David Berman; Alabama 3’s Jake Black; the great studio drummer Hal Blaine; South African singer and apartheid activist Johnny Clegg; the legendary Dick Dale; Germs bassist Lorna Doom; The "Captain" in Captain and Tennille, Daryl Dragon; American psych godfather Roky Erickson; The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint; Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson; Brazilian legend Joao Gilberto; co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Talk Talk, Mark Hollis; Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter; rapper Nipsey Hussle; the great Dr. John; singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston; rocker Eddie Money; The Meters and Neville Brothers’ Art Neville; singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer Ric Ocasek; singer/songwriter Leon Redbone; multi-instrumentalist and Big Black bassist Dave Riley; English Beat and General Public’s Ranking Roger; Kim Shattuck of The Muffs and The Pixies; Shawn Smith of Brad, Satchel and solo fame; The Monkees’ Peter Tork; the one and only Scott Walker; singer/songwriter and Bridge School founder Pegi Young.