Listing To Starboard: 100 Favorite LP's 2019

Listing To Starboard:
100 Favorite LP's 2019

Capping off another year, we've upped the ante to a Top 100 this year, after years of a focus on 50. As always, too much good stuff to keep up with, and if there was one recurring theme this year as a trend, it was watching a generation in LA absolutely come into its own with a sheaf of amazing releases, including Cherry Glazerr, Sasami, Vagabon, Hand Habits, Rosie Tucker, Chasms, Jay Som, Sudan Archives, French Vanilla, Shannon Lay, Drab Majesty, Automatic, Feels, Girlpool, Potty Mouth, and the return of the Vivian Girls.
Also, we marked the end of a decade by using our yearly Title IX playlist as a launchpad for our decade in review...

Without further ado, here's 100 LP's that kept us going throughout an interesting year...

100. Mercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry’s the Delta Sweete Revisited

99. Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising

98. Girl Ray: Girl

97. Boy Scouts: Free Company

96. Club Night: What Life

95. Patience: Dizzy Spells

94. Caroline Polachek: Pang

93. Maneka: Devin

92. Seablite: Grass Stains and Novacaine

91. Moss Jaw: Embody

90. Fawns of Love: Permanent

89. Pile: Green and Gray

88. Paws: Your Church On My Bonfire

87. Hiss Golden Messenger: Terms of Surrender

86. Julia Shapiro: Perfect Version

85. Martin Frawley: Undone At 31

84. Flesh Eaters: I Used To Be Pretty

83. Great Grandpa: Four of Arrows

82. Moor Mother: Analogue Fluids of a Sonic Black Holes

81. Upset: Upset

80. Shura: Forevher

79. Mavis Staples: We Get By

78. Florist: Emily Alone

77. Bill Callahan: Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest

76. Jenny Hval: The Practice of Love

75. Kim Gordon: No Home Record

74. Lisa Prank: Perfect Love Song

73. Personal Best: What You At

72. Jade Jackson: Wilderness

71. Bethlehem Steel: (s/t)

70. Charly Bliss: Young Enough

69. Chastity: Home Made Satan

68. Titus Andronicus: An Obelisk

67. Empath: Active Listening: Night On Earth

66. Mid Air Thief: Crumbling

65. Kevin Morby: Oh My God

64. Sharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow

63. Sleater-Kinney: The Center Won’t Hold

62. Dream Syndicate: These Times

61. Amy Klein: Winter/Time

60. Sneaks: Highway Hypnosis

59. Mike Krol: Power Chords

58. Priests: The Seduction of Kansas

57. Mikal Cronin: Seeker

56. Nick Cave: Ghosteen

55. New Pornographers: In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights

54. Bob Mould: Sunshine Rock

53. Liz Brasher: Painted Image

52. Pendant: Through A Coil

51. Michael Kiwanuka: KIWANUKA

50. Sudan Archives: Athena

49. Angel Olsen: All Mirrors

48. Leggy: Let Me Know Your Moon

47. Queen of Jeans: If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid

46. Purple Mountains: (s/t)

45. Big Thief: UFOF

44. Alex G: House of Sugar

43. Lizzo: Cuz I Love You

42. Vagabon: (s/t)

41. Mannequin Pussy: Patience

40. Jay Som: Anak Ko

39. Shannon Lay: August

38. DJ Shadow: Our Pathetic Age

37. Tacocat: This Mess Is A Place

36. Flying Lotus: Flamagra

35. Palehound: Black Friday

34. Halfsour: Sticky

33. Cuco: Para Mi

32. Jeanines: (s/t)

31. Control Top: Covert Contracts

30. Automatic: Signal

29. Dexter Story: Bahir

28. French Vanilla: How Am I Not Myself?

27. Necking: Cut Your Teeth

26. Drahla: Useless Coordinates

25. Anderson.Paak: Ventura

24. Lambchop: This (Is What I wanted To Tell You)

23: Cate Le Bon: Reward

22. Radiator Hospital: Sings ‘Music For Daydreaming’

21. Marika Hackman: Any Human Friend

20. Feels: Post Earth

19. Pip Blom: Boat

18. Cherry Glazerr: Stuffed and Ready

17. Vivian Girls: Memory

16. Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze

15. Girlpool: What Chaos Is Imaginary

14. Martha: Love Keeps Kicking

13. Potty Mouth: SNAFU

12. Big Thief: Two Hands

11. Stef Chura: Midnight

10. Black Belt Eagle Scout: At The Party With My Brown Friends

9. Drab Majesty: Modern Mirror

8. Tropical Fuck Storm: Braindrops

7. Rosie Tucker: Never Not Never Not Never Not

6. Hand Habits: Placeholder

5. Sasami: (s/t)

4. Chasms: The Mirage

3. Chastity Belt (s/t)

2. Jamila Woods: Legacy! Legacy!

1. Otoboke Beaver: Iketoma Hits

Return of the Vivian Girls

VIVIAN GIRLS

THE TAVERN, VENTURA

03 OCTOBER, 2019

Vivian Girls are back in business, kicking off their reunion tour with a warmup gig at The Tavern in Ventura, before their official start at the Regent Theater in LA on 10/4. It’s the classic lineup of Cassie Ramone, Katie Goodman, and Ali Koehler that have reconvened for their first action since their 2014 going away shows. Coming together in secret last year, they recorded a new LP, Memory, that's every bit the equal of their small but storied catalogue. Polyvinyl has also remastered/rereleased the first two LP's.

Whatever nervousness they betrayed was blown away by a diverse set, touching on all their work. "The End" and the new "Something To Do" stood out among the high points, and they ended a brief encore with a rousing "No", blowing out the dust in a big way. With most of the band settled into families, it's hard to tell what this portends for the future, but at the moment, it's just nice to have the Vivian Girls back where they belong.

Revenge of Grrrls On Film

REVENGE OF GRRRLS ON FILM

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

MARINA DEL REY, CA

14 SEPTEMBER, 2019

A scenic diversion to Marina Del Rey, on the campus of Loyola Marymount University, provided our weekend action with Revenge of Grrrls On Film, the followup to 2016's Grrrls On Film Festival. This edition kicked off with a screening of the Gina Burch/Helen McCookerybook documentary, Stories From The She Punks, setting the table for a panel discussion moderated by Evelyn McDonnell (Women Who Rock, LMU faculty), featuring Vivien Goldman (whose Revenge of the She-Punks  serves as a launch pad), plus Alice Bag (The Bags, Violence Girl), Sandra Iszadore (Fela Kuti) and Drew Arriola Sands (Trap Girl). The night culminated with a showing of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.

 

Rosie Tucker Steps Out

ROSIE TUCKER

RUBY THROATED

RETT MADISON

HI HAT, LA

08 MARCH 2019

Rosie Tucker held court at the Hi Hat, hosting a show that served as an album release party for Never Not Never Not Never Not, (out now on New Professor). Spurred on by a hometown crowd, Tucker boasted a tight backing band that brought the LP's songs to life, and made the packed club feel like a small dinner party. She showed her command from the off, stringing out the intro of "Gay Bar', pausing to take it all in, then dropping into the first line. "Fault Lines" and "Real House Music" stood out, and mid set, Tucker took a few songs solo, with "Icebergs" visibly melting the audience. Coming between SF's Noise Pop and the looming shadow of SXSW, (let alone a tour), Tucker''s Hi Hat show proved a vital respite in the middle of upcoming chaos. Support for the evening was provided by locals Ruby Throated and Rett Madison, with the West Virginia native showing off a huge voice and songs from an LP due in the fall, providing an early evening highlight with "Flea Market".

 ROSIE TUCKER

RUBY THROATED

RETT MADISON