The Nicsperiment's Favorite Songs of 2019 (Not From Albums On My Top Albums of 2019 List)

So much music. So very, very much music. Here is some music from albums that won't be on my favorite albums of the year list on 12/31/19. I liked most of the albums these songs came from...but I'm not running an intergalactic kegger here. I've only got room for 15. Here are songs that aren't on those 15.

Augure -- "A Cloud of Gray"
Augure's Apnea changes up the "post-rock" instrumental formula by bringing the bass and drums to the forefront, while the guitar is used more for atmosphere. A winning formula if you ask me (no one ever asks me anything, except, "Where'd you put the remote?" or "Did you take my cheese?"), and Apnea very nearly made my top albums list, with the cathartic climax, "A Cloud of Gray," a particular favorite.

Weyes Blood -- "Andromeda"

A lot of major publications (the ones whose "Top Albums" lists feature the same boring albums shuffled in a slightly different order) went nuts for Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising, but I felt like the majority of that album was the same generic alt-country-flavored-vanilla-indie-rock those same publications have been going nuts over for the last two decades. Titanic Rising does feature a few genuinely great songs, though, particularly the cinematic "Andromeda."

Mollo Rilla -- "Flowers"
 Mollo Rilla's promising self-titled debut is a fun grab bag of rock genres, all done pretty well. The standout is the eight-minute, flamenco-influenced, jazzy ballad "Flowers," which is moving, powerful, and just as difficult to define as the rest of the album it's taken from.

Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree -- "Grandmother"

Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree's name seems influenced by a similarly-titled Earth album, but  the buzzing, earth-shaking"Grandmother" sounds exactly like enormous bees making honey in a house sized, vein-y tree, riding a ridiculously thick and satisfyingly sludgy riff halfway through it's eleven-minute runtime.

Blankenberge -- "Look Around"

I miss shoegaze. I must not be the only one, as lately it seems like a bunch of bands have been trying to fill a Slowdive-sized hole in the music world. I haven't heard anyone nail the vibe quite like Blankenberge do on their satisfying More's "Look Around," spacey guitars launching rushing drums and bass and soaring vocals into the stratosphere.

No Man's Valley -- "Nowhere"
No Man's Valley's "Nowhere" is the kind of drawn-out trippy, wandering, atmospheric rock song I could listen to for hours. Channeling The Doors, but...and I genuinely mean this as a compliment, the menace is replaced with fun.

Calm Before the Calm -- "Woman"
The dusty, classic rock-tinged "Woman" sounds like it came off one of my dad's old LP's I'd thumb through, and something would fall out of, and he'd quickly confiscate, except it came out this year, and I was probably in high school when the kids who recorded it were born.

Kilo -- "Back to You"

A nice melancholic blend of R&B. trip-hop, and somehow, early 00's pop that somehow works, and is great to run to, with vocals that are both laid back, and full of conviction.

Uneven Structure -- "Creator"
Atmospheric metal band, Uneven Structure, struck gold with their debut, Februus, but haven't gone back to the well of that particular sound since. On Paragon, they create an album featuring 12 tracks focusing on 12 different human roles, like "Hero," "Outlaw, and "Jester." "Creator," which details the creative process, is my personal favorite, as its lyrical and musical climax is the act of creation itself.

Demon Hunter -- "Loneliness" 

After putting out a career highlight in 2017's Outlive, the long-lived Demon Hunter decided to try something completely new for 2019, releasing simultaneous albums that act as separate showcases of the band's softer and heavier sides. Peace features more of a traditional rock-and-roll sound, while War features more of a death metal focus. Surprisingly, I find Peace a bit more interesting, the longing ballad "Loneliness" a particular standout, though I do wish the band had just taken the combined best 12 songs from these two solid albums and just made one really great album.

Eaton Super 10 -- "What Pressure?"

The fun, fuzzed out, upbeat rock of Eaton Super 10's "What Pressure?" makes me wish it was still the early 00's, and that I was in college again. Great song! That's it....that's all I got.

Slipknot -- "Nero Forte"

Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind is the metal band's best album in years, and I don't just say that because they haven't released an album...in years. This new album sounds more focused and cohesive than anything Slipknot have done since 2004's The Subliminal Verses. "Nero Forte," with its catchy opening riff, surprising chorus, and cacophonous finale, is a particular standout.

Joseph Black -- "Wildest Dreams"

You can tell from Wildest Dreams' cover that Joseph Black is going for an early 90's, atmospheric soft rock vibe. Listening proves he's nailed it, as you could easily hear these sweet guitar licks, wistful melodies, deep, meditative keyboard textures, and strangely ancient tones in Black's voice blaring out of an arena with Bruce Hornsby's or Springsteen's name on the outside marquee. This is a tone recently mastered by The War on Drugs, but dare I say that band hasn't captured a 3.5 minute slice of it quite as well as Black does here.                 

Laura Stevenson -- "Low Slow"

Laura Stevenson's got the rare voice that's both high and airy, yet powerful. "Low Slow" is an absolute showcase, finding Stevenson first quietly emoting, slowly growing bigger and bigger, before blowing the night clouds into deep space.