The Daniel G. Moir 2019 Music Awards

The “Did We Really Need That?” Award Kanye West Ye released his Jesus Is Love gospel album in 2019. Let me say that again. Kanye West released a GOS PEL album. I am entirely in favor of an artist, or anyone, having a moment of spiritual re-birth, but if you are gonna foist it out on the public, please incorporate it into a well-thought out piece of work. Otherwise it can come across as unfocused, disorganized and ultimately disingenuous. “Closed on Sunday” finds West incanting “Closed on Sunday, you my Chick-fil-A. You’re my number one with the lemonade.” Huh? Seriously? This is the audio equivalent of glitter. Once you open it up, it gets into everything and you never get completely rid of it. Not even slightly sure what to do with this at all.

The “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon/Magic Algorithm” Award Todd Rundgren Like a number of people, I listen to a pretty broad span of music and use streaming services to do it. Apple Music, in particular, has a “Favorites Mix” that updates weekly. What interests me most is how it can get from the EDM of DJ Snake to Metallica over 6 moves. Over many months, I discovered that Todd Rundgren is the gobetween link. He is somewhere in the middle of nearly every playlist Apple constructs for me. I am not a particularly huge Rundgren fan, but the dude’s musicality and diversity of genres over the past 50 years of work has made him indispensable for quick creation of playlists. Whether it’s the hard rock of “Crybaby” with his side band, Utopia, the soulful “Compassion” from 1981’s Healing, or the silly pop of “Bang The Drum All Day” released two years later, Rundgren covers all the bases and makes for the perfect bridge between genres. While he has yet to gain entry into the vaulted “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”, his inclusion in these ignoble awards is a no-brainer. I have a feeling, he might prefer it this way.

The “Tour That Didn’t Happen” Award Haley Kiyoko

I was really expecting a breakthrough year for the dreampop artist. A wonderful electro-pop sound with a positive LBGTQ+ focused message. Her “I’m Too Sensitive For This X” tour was shaping up to be her biggest ever with a stop scheduled for early 2020 at the soonto-be open Fillmore Minneapolis and a new album release as well. Sadly, just days before it was to start, Kiyoko pulled the plug and cancelled everything. I still hold out high hopes for her, but it might just be a while before she moves forward career-wise.

The “Best Gosh Dern Friend Country Music Ever Had” Award Ken Burns No, he isn’t a musician, but his exhaustive 16 ½ PBS documentary, Country Music was likely the best comprehensive take that the genre has ever had. He took all the brilliance of his 2001 series on Jazz and stepped it up considerably. Mesmerizing and complete, a tremendous piece of filmmaking for a true master in his prime. Cannot wait to see what he does next.

The “You Get In Trouble For That In English Class” Award Billie Eilish Now, I found her album WHE N WE ALL FALL ASLEE P, WHERE DO WE GO? to be a thrillingly weird collection but got a kick out of the fact that while the album title was in all-caps, all the song titles remained entirely in lower case. This was one to likely send every English Lit. Major into apoplectic shock. As if the album wasn’t disturbing enough to begin with… on a dedicated fan base and constant touring to financially sustain them, it is entirely another thing with an artist of Swift’s scale. Here, it feels exploitive. By the way, Swift was named by Forbes as the highest earning celebrity of 2019 thanks to $185 Million earned during the sold-out Reputation tour.

The “This Amp Goes to 11” Award HATE BEAK Surprisingly, there actually are a number of animal-fronted death-metal bands out there. The two-pitbull led Caninus may actually pull their act off slightly better musically, but the parrot-led HATE BEAK is just slightly ahead thanks to a seemingly endless string of humor found in their work. Their Number of the Beak album flocks together a number of classic titles like “Roost in Peace”, “The Thing That Should Not Beak”, “Hellbent for Feathers” and “Molt Thrower.” Lead, err…, crower Waldo’s work on their recent single “Nested are the Sick” is certainly one to ruffle a few feathers provided someone can translate the words.

Bonus points go to Los Angeles native, Tyler, The Creator for his album IGOR , who was at least consistent in putting the title and all the songs in all-caps as well.

The “Hope For The Future” Award Lauv One of the albums I am anticipating in 2020 will be ~how i’m feeling~, the full-length debut release by pop singer/songwriter Ari Staprans Leff, known professionally as Lauv. If the album’s initial single releases (“f&#k, I’m Lonely” and “Sims”) are any indication, this up & coming artist has a rare melodic gift for hooks and an interesting observational read on people. Scheduled for release on March 6, 2020, this is the one I’m looking forward to hear. Based in Los Angeles, Lauv also seems interested in the whole lower case/upper case dichotomy as fellow L.A. natives Tyler, The Creator, and Billie Eilish as well. Either there really IS something different in the water out there, or maybe the LA school system has some work to do.

The “All You Had To Do Was Pay” Award Taylor Swift If having no less than FOUR different Target-Exclusive Deluxe Versions of her 2019 Lover album available for purchase wasn’t enough, now T-Swift has announced plans to re-record all the albums in her back catalog. This all came about when her label, Big Machine Label Group, was purchased by music manager and mega-mogul Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings earlier this year for $300 Million. While I understand artists wanting to retain control of their master recordings, this might be a bit excessive. A couple of years ago, Carbon Leaf re-made their three major label albums for the exact same reason. That said, it is one thing for a small, working band that relies

The “You Gotta Be Kidding Me” Award The Grammys It was incredibly funny to see Lil Nas X nominated for “Album of the Year” based on his 2019 release, 7. I know that we live in a time of collectively short attention spans, but really? It was called 7 because it only contained SE VEN tracks. Of these seven, two were “Old Town Road.” One with Billy Ray Cyrus, and one without. Overall, the entire “album” took just 18 minutes and 44 seconds to play from start to finish. When you can play the entire album twice during your morning commute, you might be putting this one in the wrong category. Still, Lil Nas X was really fun and refreshing delight this year. Here is hoping that he pops out with something just a wee bit longer next time.

The “Very Best Album of the Year” Award Charli XCX Charli 2019 was filled with a variety of album releases that utterly captivated my attention. I kept coming back to this one. Sure, it is a “Pop” collection and is filled with a rapid succession of catchy candy-like melodies and lilting electronica, but there was something much more to it that reached out to me. Music is a singular experience. What might be one person’s obsession might be passé to everyone else. This album in particular worked as a wonderful companion during 2019. Listening on headphones brought out a subtlety in background and displayed something incredibly rare in music; something that was futuristic and visionary as well as highly danceable. This shined with what IS possible in pop music. Her cheeky “I’m a Great Pop Star” attitude displayed at a late year show at First Avenue rang completely true. She IS the perfect pop star for the early 21st Century.

The “Other Best Albums of the Year” Making a choice of “Very Best Album of the Year” was incredibly difficult due to Khalid and Bruce Springsteen’s earlier year album releases. Springsteen put out a masterful collection that was open to a variety of compelling interpretations. It was also the best album Glen Campbell never released. Khalid’s Free Spirit was just a masterwork of pop songcraft. While Billie Eilish may have won the Grammy for “Album of the Year,” I found it mesmerizing, but just didn’t connect with me in the same way that the other three did. Beyond these, there is no particular ranking order here. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Khalid Free Spirit Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Billie Eilish WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The Japanese House Good At Falling Lizzo Cuz I Love You Deadmau5 Polar (Music from the Netflix Film) Camila Cabello Romance Post Malone Hollywood’s Bleeding Tove Lo Sunshine Kitty

So, that’s the year as I see it. (Seriously, Mötley Crüe’s guitarist Mick Mars is putting out an album in early 2020?) SMS

“The nice thing about good songs is they stay written. Not only do they stay written, but they live. They live the years with you. They take the measure of the moment, at night when you play that song.” - Jackson Browne

Find Serenity at Lebanon Hills Regional Park

An engagement photo session led me to an unfamiliar outdoor destination on a chilly Dec. afternoon. The groomto-be forgot his hat but was a good sport as he and his bride-to-be repeatedly posed in the fresh and pristine snow. The backdrops were ideal. We were at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. At almost 2,000 acres, it is the largest in Dakota County and is made up of marshes, wetlands, grasslands and forests. The Jensen Lake Trailhead was a natural draw. The snow-covered lake stretched below in the solitude. Red winter berries and a little dog in a bright coat gave me pause and a smile. Winter enthusiasts hiked and skied through the landscape and fresh powder. It was peaceful. Serene. Therapeutic. Winter equipment rental is available in the visitor center weekends through March 15 and includes kicksleds, snowshoes and cross-country ski packages. Photos and text by Eli zabeth Nida Obert www.nidaphoto.com elizabeth@nidaphoto.com

SMS

Freelance writer and photographer Elizabeth Nida Obert, a former newspaper staff photographer for 18 years, has degrees in both and is passionate about telling stories in words and pictures. She thrives on travel and adventure and is always looking forward to where the next open road – or door – will lead.