Something positive: when human beings are living in tumultuous times, the quality of their artistic creations – especially those pushing back against a state or situation which is causing mass economic and emotional disruption – often tend to be at their greatest. It’s been an odd year. I think plenty of us are glad to see the end of it. It has however been solid for Film, TV, and Music; I only hope 2020 brings something as breathtaking and transcendent as we deserve, given the dire state of the world at present.
As with every year, what you see below is what I’ve seen or heard this year so there may be a couple of pieces from 2018 in there. Without further ado, here’s the list:
FILM
1. Happy as Lazzaro
2. The Irishman
3. Minding the Gap
4. The Favourite
5. Thunder Road
6. Midsommar
7. Deadwood
8. Wildlife
9. Destroyer
10. Free Solo
Honourable Mentions
The Death of Dick Long, Only You, Marriage Story, Ad Astra, In Fabric, Support the girls, The Farewell, Mid90s, Burning, Ray and Liz, Climax, Border.
Overrated
Velvet Buzzsaw, Joker, High Life, Pain & Glory, Her Smell, Us, Stan and Ollie, Lion King, Yesterday, Blinded by the Light.
TV
1. Fleabag
2. Euphoria
3. Barry
4. Succession
5. Russian Doll
6. The Deuce
7. True Detective
8. Veep
9. State of the Union
10. Rick and Morty
Honourable Mentions
Silicon Valley, Better Things, Killing Eve, The Virtues, Mindhunter, Chernobyl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Overrated
GoT, Black Mirror, Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, Broad City, Mandolorian.
MUSIC (Albums)
1. Bon Iver – i,i
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
3. Big Thief – UFOF
4. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
5. Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains
6. These New Puritans – Inside the Rose
7. FKA Twigs – Magdalene
8. Danny Brown – uknowwhatimsayin?
9. Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka
10. Thom Yorke – Anima
Honourable Mentions
Tindersticks, Vanishing Twin, Aldous Harding, Tyler the Creator, Twilight Sad, Big Thief [Two Hands], Bill Callahan, The National, Cate le Bon, Drahla, Floating Points, Swans.
Overrated
Vampire Weekend, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Slowthai, James Blake, Dave, Foals, Liam Gallagher.
MUSIC (Singles)
1. Big Thief – Not
2. Bon Iver – Naeem
3. Sharon Van Etten – Seventeen
4. FKA Twigs – Cellophane
5. Thom Yorke – Dawn Chorus
6. Purple Mountains – All My Happiness is Gone
7. Danny Brown – Dirty Laundry
8. Michael Kiwanuka – Hero
9. Perfume Genius – Eye in the Wall
10. Sky Ferreira – Downhill Lullaby