Fiction
(in no order)
Gary Lutz THE COMPLETE GARY LUTZ (Tyrant Books)
Richard Cheim KING OF JOY (Soft Skull)
New Juche THE DEVILS (Amphetamine Sulphate)
Mark Doten TRUMP SKY ALPHA (Graywolf Press)
Rosmarie Waldrop THE HANKY OF PIPPIN’S DAUGHTER (Dorothy, a publishing project)
Niven Govinden THIS BRUTAL HOUSE (Little Brown)
Juliet Escoria JULIET THE MANIAC (Melville House)
Renee Gladman MORELIA (Solid Objects)
Brian Evenson SONG FOR THE UNRAVELING OF THE WORLD (Coffeehouse Press)
Kathryn Davis THE SILK ROAD (Graywolf Press)
Wayne Koestenbaum CIRCUS OR, MOIRA ORFEI IN AIGUES-MORTES
(Soft Skull)
Maryse Meijer RAG (FSG)
Troy James Weaver SELECTED STORIES (Apocalypse Party)
M Kitchell EXPERIMENTAL MEN (Inside the Castle)
Karen An-hwei Lee THE MAZE OF TRANSPARENCIES (Ellipsis Press)
Sarah Rose Etter THE BOOK OF X (Two Dollar Radio)
Doug Rice BETWEEN APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR (Civil Coping Mechanisms)
Lisa Roberston THE BAUDELAIRE FRACTAL (Coach House)
Shane Jesse Christmass XEROX OVER MANHATTAN (Apocalypse Party)
Grant Maierhofer DRAIN SONGS (Fiction Collective 2)
Isabel Waidner WE ARE MADE OF DIAMOND STUFF (Dostoyevsky Wannabe)
James Nulick HAUNTED GIRLFRIEND (Expat Press)
Shane Jones VINCENT AND ALICE AND ALICE (Tyrant Books)
Jinnwoo LITTLE HOLLYWOOD (1111 Press)
James Champagne HARLEM SMOKE (Expat Press)
Oliver Zarandi SOFT FRUIT IN THE SUN (Hexus Press)
Josiah Morgan INSIDE THE CASTLE (Amphetamine Reptile)
Sean Kilpatrick SHOCK TEST … A NIGHT OF TRUTH: BILL HICKS & TIMOTHY MCVEIGH MEET AT WACO GUEST LECTURERS: WILLIAM COOPER & TED KACZYNSKI (nemo me impune lacessit press)
Andrew Hodgson MNEMIC SYMBOLS (Dostoyevsky Wannabe)
Sam Pink THE ICE CREAM MAN & OTHER STORIES (Soft Skull)
Enrique Vila-Matas MAC’S PROBLEM (New Directions)
David Leo Rice ANGEL HOUSE (KERNPUNKT Press)
Raymond Roussel THE ALLEY OF FIREFLIES AND OTHER STORIES (The Song Cave)
Poetry
(in no order)
Ed Smith PUNK ROCK IS COOL FOR THE END OF THE WORLD (Turtle Point)
James Tate THE GOVERNMENT LAKE: LAST POEMS (Ecco)
Elaine Equi THE INTANGIBLES (Coffeehouse)
Kim Yideum HYSTERIA (Action Books)
Ben Fama DEATH WISH (Newest York Arts Press)
Joseph Grantham RAKING LEAVES (Holler Presents)
Ron Padgett BIG CABIN (Coffeehouse Press)
Ariana Reines A SAND BOOK (Tin House)
Colin Herd YOU NAME IT (Dostoyevsky Wannabe)
Lynne Sachs YEAR BY YEAR (Tender Buttons)
Edmund Berrigan MORE GONE (City Lights)
Stephen Jonas ARCANA: A STEPHEN JONAS READER (City Lights)
Mary Ruefle DUNCE (Wave Books)
Joseph Mosconi ASHENFOLK (Make Now Books)
Kim Hyesoon A DRINK OF RED MIRROR (Action Books)
Bob Kaufman COLLECTED POEMS (City Lights)
Bruce Boone WALLPAPER (gausspdf)
Helena Österlund WORDS (Oomph)
Big Bruiser Dope Boy FOGHORN LEGHORN (Clash Books)
Kit Robinson THOUGHT BALLOON (Roof Books)
Nonfiction
(in no order)
Tosh Berman TOSH (City Lights)
Steve Abbott, ed. Jamie Townsend BEAUTIFUL ALIENS: A STEVE ABBOTT READER (City Lights)
David Rattray HOW I BECAME ONE OF THE INVISIBLE (Semiotext(e))
Gary Indiana VILE DAYS (Semiotext(e))
Will Alexander A CANNIBAL EXPLAINS HIMSELF TO HIMSELF (The Elephants)
Marguerite Duras ME & OTHER WRITINGS (Dorothy, a publishing project)
John Waters MR. KNOW-IT-ALL (FSG)
Marcelline Delbecq CAMERA (Ugly Duckling Presse)
Byron Coley & Joanne Robertson 1979 SONGBOOK (Tenderbooks/Bad Taste Press)
Travis Jeppesen BAD WRITING (Sternberg Press)
Lydia Davis ESSAYS ONE (FSG)
Steve Finbow/Karolina Urbanik DEATH MORT TOD (Infinity Land Press)
Wheeler Winston Dixon SYNTHETIC CINEMA: THE 21ST-CENTURY MOVIE MACHINE (Palgrave Pivot)
Dorothea Lasky ANIMAL (Wave Books)
Michel Leiris THE RIBBON AT OLYMPIA’S THROAT (Semiotext(e))
Tim Miller A BODY IN THE O (University of Wisconsin Press)
Simeon Wade FOUCAULT IN CALIFORNIA (Heyday)
David Toop INFLAMED INVISIBLE: COLLECTED WRITINGS ON ART & SOUND 1976-2018 (Goldsmiths Press)
Music
(in no order)
Sunn0))) LIFE METAL (Southern Lord)
Thomas Brinkmann RAUPENBAHN (Editions Mego)
Aki Onda A METHOD TO ITS MESSINESS (Thalamos)
Moor Mother ANALOGUE FLUIDS OF SONIC BLACK HOLES (Don Giovanni Records)
Guided by Voices SWEATING THE PLAGUE (Guided by Voices Inc.)
Pharmakon DEVOUR (Sacred Bones)
JPEGMAFIA ALL MY HEROES ARE CORNBALLS (EQT Recordings)
King Midas Sound SOLITUDE (Cosmo Rhythmatic)
Thurston Moore SPIRIT COUNSEL (Daydream Library Series)
Xiu Xiu GIRL WITH BASKET OF FRUIT (Polyvinyl)
William Basinski ON TIME OUT OF TIME (Temporary Residence)
Elaine Radigue OCCAM OCEAN 2 (Shiiin)
Purple Mountains PURPLE MOUNTAINS (Drag City)
Billie Eilish WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO (Darkroom)
Matmos PLASTIC ANNIVERSARY (Thrill Jockey)
Helm CHEMICAL FLOWERS (Pan)
Felicia Atkinson THE FLOWER AND THE VESSEL (Shelter Press)
Tyler, the Creator IGOR (Columbia)
100 gecs 1000 gecs (Dog Show)
Finlay Shakespeare DOMESTIC ECONOMY (Editions Mego)
Burial TUNES 2011 – 2019 (Hyperdub)
(Sandy) Alex G HOUSE OF SUGAR (Domino)
Marc Hurtado HURT (Des Astres d’Or)
Inter Arma SULPHUR ENGLISH (Relapse)
Prefab Sprout I TRAWL THE MEGAHERTZ (Sony)
Film
(in no order)
Jean-Luc Godard LE LIVRE D’IMAGE
Bi Gan LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Michelle Memran THE REST I MAKE UP
Terrence Malick A HIDDEN LIFE
Annette Dutertre JOURNAL D’UN MONTAGE – ADULTERE MODE D’EMPLOI
Frederick Weissman MONROVIA, INDIANA
Angela Schanelec I WAS AT HOME, BUT …
Grégoire Beil ROMAN NATIONAL
Amiel Courtin-Wilson THE SILENT EYE
Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson THE GREEN FOG
Ken Jacobs THE SKY SOCIALIST
Pedro Costa VITALINA VARELA
Peggy Ahwesh KANSAS ATLAS
James Benning L. COHEN
Adrian Garcia Gomez ASCENSOR
Nick Toti IF YOU WON’T READ, THEN WHY SHOULD I WRITE
Chad Stahelski JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM
Art
(in no order)
Gretchen Bender SO MUCH DEATHLESS (Red Bull Arts New York)
Vija Celmins TO FIX THE IMAGE IN MEMORY (SF MOMA)
Vincent Fecteau (The Wattis Institute)
Morgan Fisher PASSING TIME (Redcat, Los Angeles)
Mary Corse A SURVEY IN LIGHT (LACMA)
Bertrand Dezoteux L’HISTOIRE DE FRANCE EN 3D (Palais de Tokyo)
Dora Maar (Centre Pompidou)
Joe Brainard 100 WORKS (Tibor de Nagy, NYC)
Betye Saar CALL AND RESPONSE (LACMA)
SENSE SOUND/SOUND SENSE (Whitechapel)
Adam Martin COMPETITIVE ENDURANCE MANIPULATION (Gandt)
Michael Heizer 1968 – 2019 (Gagosian Le Bourget)
PARCOURS LIVRE D’IMAGE — JEAN-LUC GODARD (Nanterre-Amandiers)
Isidore Isou RETROSPECTIVE (Centre Pompidou)
Internet
(in no order)
SCAB
Profound Experience
Small Press Distribution
X-R-A-Y
Rhizome
Theme Park Review
Attractions Magazine
Re:Voir
The Call
TOWARDS CYCLOBE
Musique Machine
Original Cinemaniac
The Creative Independent
Shit Wonder
Fanzine
Volume 1 Brooklyn
Entropy
Lit Hub
Queen Mob’s Teahouse
dark fucking wizard
TL;DR
The Chiseler
espresso bongo
Experimental Cinema
The Wire
SOUL PONIES
{ feuilleton }
The Los Angeles Review of Books
Solar Luxuriance
3:AM Magazine
largehearted boy
Bookforum
pantaloons
Tiny Mix Tapes
Harriet
Open Culture
Locus Solus: The New York School of Poets
giphy
The Wonderful World of Tam Tam Books
Hobart
*
p.s. Hey. As the title states, I welcome and would love to hear what your favorite things of the year are, should you have inklings to share such news. Thanks! Also, I have no doubt that I’ve spaced and forgotten some favorite things that should be named up there, and hopefully they’ll come to me. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Glad you made it to Leeds untrammelled. Wow, it really is almost Xmas, both because you’re in Leeds and because UK Xmas mini-hells are rearing their heads. Or one head. Thanks for that tip. I haven’t found any other Xmas attraction horrors so far, but I’m not giving up. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Yes, ‘Jurassic’ is still there and as sublime as ever. ** Tosh Berman, Hi, Tosh! Good to see you. Happy holidays and all that festive stuff. I did the Liberace Museum a couple of times, but I missed the Debbie Reynolds. I don’t think I knew it existed until too late. I think, if I’m not mistaken, some portion of her things will end up in that movie/TV museum that they’re building next to LACMA? How are you? ** Bill, Hey. Me too re: the Guggenheim Soho. Never caught the Chicago Holography museum. Someone was going to take me when I was there millenniums ago for ‘Spew 1’, but then they didn’t take me. Hoping and even assuming your solo gig went really well. A friend of mine, the cellist Judith Hamman, who’s in the experimental consort Golden Fur who scored one of the scenes in ‘Like Cattle Towards Glow’ was in Paris a couple of weeks ago collaborating with Elaine Radigue on a new piece. Fascinating process, although too complicated to share in this tight p.s. space. But I was super impressed, obviously. Judith is also collaborating on a piece with Alvin Lucier, and she played in the Lamont Young performance at the Fluxus Festival as the Disney theatre in LA earlier this year. Pretty cool. I’ll look for that horror film. Paris does have one or two edgy annual horror film festivals, so catching it is not unlikely if I can stay focused on finding it. ** Steve Erickson, Ha, that’s exactly what I thought too. Hoping your voice actor can find the time pre-Xmas. ** Right. You know what the deal is today. Pony up with your faves, if you don’t mind. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
*
Thank you so much for including The Call website in this esteemed company!
For whatever it’s worth, here’s by own 2019 list…
Books
David Keenan – For The Good Times (Faber)
Meg McCarville – Four Circles (Amphetamine Sulphate)
New Juche – The Devils (Amphetamine Sulphate)
Juliet Escoria – Juliet the Maniac (Melville House)
Barney Farmer – Coketown (Wrecking Ball Press)
Music
Consumer Electronics – Airless Space (Harbinger Sound)
Carla dal Forno – Look Up Sharp (Kallista)
Patrick Cowley – Mechanical Fantasy Box (Dark Entries)
Film
Permanent Green Light (Dennis Cooper, Zac Farley)
In Fabric (Peter Strickland)
Midsommar (Ari Aster)
Art
Jeremy Deller – Everybody In the Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984-1992 (BBC4)
Alberta Whittle – How Flexible Can We Make the Mouth (DCA, Dundee)
Wow — It’s List-O-Mania Time.
“Tosh” is my fave new book. Anything by Gary Indiana is required reading.
As for film my fave this year is martin Scorsese’s “I Hear You Paint Houses” closely followed by “Permanent Green Light” and Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” The new Malick drew a total blank for me. Hand-held medium-close shots that dribble on and on.
When it comes to music I listen to nothing new save for Adam Lambert
meanwhile . . . The Last of Walter Benjamin
Ahh IGOR is on your list! I don’t remember, did you always like Tyler? He’s one of my favourite artists and consistently has been for years. I also thought the new Moor Mother was brilliant. So brutal and uncomfortable to listen to. I missed seeing them play here last year and I regret that a lot!
Other music I liked this year included the two EPs by Debby Friday and Orange by Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet.
Now that I think about it I really didn’t listen, read, or watch much from this year.
I’m happy to be back here.. it’s so nice to see references to work that is mostly outside of the mainstream. I don’t think I’ve come across any of the books you’ve listed! I get really tired of the internet these days, of the mindless outrage over trivial things that shifts from day to day etc.
It’s been a weekend!
I hope that Duras collection includes “Cest Tout’ which were her last spoken words as taken down by Yann Andrea
And I hope the Foucault book includes info on his adventures at a San Francisco sex club called “The Slot” where he discovered fist-fucking. “At last – a New Sexual Act!” Foucault enthused.
Zowie and Wow! To be listed among these other great artists is an incredible honor. To share the honors with the others – I need to do a screen shot to capture this moment forever. Thank you Dennis! I’m going to send a best of list either tonight or tomorrow. Right now my life is a blur – more of a verb than a noun. But overall things are very good.
At the moment, I’m reading the Ed Smith book, which is incredible and brings a lot of memories back to me. Ed used to call me from New York City in the early 21st-Century, or was it in the 90s. Once on the phone with him, there goes the whole day! On the other hand, he seemed to be very happy in NYC, and especially happy to be with his wife. She’s from Japan, and an artist, and he knew about my marriage to Lun*na (who is also an artist/Japanese) and I think he just wanted to share experiences of Japan pop culture and what it is like to live/love another artist from Japan. He was also very gossipy. Even though my day was shot when he called, I enjoyed the conversations as well. And to this day, I remember his readings at Beyond Baroque. I was writing poetry at that time, and I was curious about how his work is placed in the context of ‘poetry’ and doing ‘readings.’ I wouldn’t say he was an influence on my work or reading of my material, but more of a fellow traveler, who I admired greatly. I like the sense of humor in his work. And his ability to communicate and express his work to an audience. It’s fantastic to see his work in one volume. David Trinidad did a remarkable job of editing and making this book soar. Ok, that book is on the best-of list – and Lydia Davis! I bought both Ed and Lydia in one purchase. It’s a sign of some sort! Thank you, Dennis! I’ll do my list of best as soon as my head clears up and time allows me such pleasures. And David E. – Thank you for your kind words about my book!
Dennis,
I loved Juliet the Maniac especially this year! San Diego and madness are very relatable for me. Loved all the Amphetamine Sulphate stuff this year. You liked the Billie Eilish album?
Hey Dennis, thanks for including my novel on your list. I’ve read a few of the books you included this year (THE DEVILS, HAUNTED GIRLFRIEND, INSIDE THE CASTLE, TOSH, and DEATH MORT TOD), though some of those other ones look interesting as well. I had no idea you were a Billie Eilish fan, ha ha… well, I have heard that album!
As you know, I always wait till the very end of the year to post such lists of my own, so on Dec. 31st that’s what I’ll do… for example, I can’t finalize my music list yet until I hear the new Harry Styles album (which just dropped today I think?)
Bumper lists this year, Dennis. I’ve been so spacey, I didn’t get to Gary Lutz (wait, it’s not out yet), and didn’t hear about the new Sam Pink, Grant Maierhofer, etc. Will be harvesting from them ASAP.
Quick stab at 2019 favorites, will probably be updating over the next few days…
Fiction:
Maryse Meijers, Rag: stories
Deborah Levy, The Man Who Saw Everything
New Juche, The Devils (umm, I guess this is fiction?)
Jeannette Winterson, Frankkissstein
Jesse Ball, The Divers’ Game
Mona Awad, Bunny
M. Kitchell, Experimental Men
S.D. Stewart, Bunker Diaries
Jaime Hernandez, Is This How You See Me?
Peter Rock, The Night Swimmers
Non-fiction:
Alex DiFrancesco, Psychopomps
Alvin Orloff, Disasterama!
Alyce Mahon, Dorothea Tanning (catalog for 2019 Tate show)
Tosh Berman, Tosh
Deborah Levy, The Cost of Living
James Oseland, Jimmy Neurosis
Elliot Sharp, Irrational Music
Hope Wolf, Grace Pailthorpe and Reuben Mednikoff (catalog for Camden Arts show)
Music (may include a few 2018 releases):
Weird rock:
Surplus 1980 Collectif Ensemble w. G.W. Sok, Forget All This
Swans, Leaving Meaning
Pere Ubu, The Long Goodbye
Squonky/jazzy/improv:
Matthew Shipp String Trio, Symbolic Reality
Pat Thomas, John Butcher/Thomas Solberg, Fictional Souvenirs
FEN, No One’s Island
Drasler/Jackson/Thompson, Nauportus
Minton/Butcher/Robair, Blasphemious Fragments
Michel Edelin Quintet, Echoes of Henry Cow
Rob Brown Quartet, From Here to Hear
Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra Live at Mills
Fish-scale Sunrise, No Queen Rises
Delbecq/Dijkstra/Hollenbeck, Linger
Noisy electronics/acoustics:
Meitei, Kwaidan https://meitei.bandcamp.com
Dax Pierson, Live in Oakland
Hoan Kiem Chess Team, Paskal’s Dream https://softerror.bandcamp.com/album/paskals-dream
Coil, Live Five Gdansk 2002
Helm, Chemical Flowers
Bridges of Konigsberg, Considered Parallel to Borders (or Dividers)
Cheryl Leonard, Watershed
Composed music:
Michael Finnissy, 6 Sexy Minuets 3 Trios
Movies (may include a few 2018 releases):
Desolation Center
This is Not Berlin
Knife+Heart
Self Portrait in 23 Rounds (David Wojnarowicz)
Thanks to Hank
From Sun to Night
Parasite
I Lost My Body
Unsettled
Pain and Glory
Art:
Jess and northern California artists, modern Germans at SFMOMA
Grace Pailthorpe/Reuben Mednikoff at Camden Arts Centre, London
Dorothea Tanning at Tate Modern, London
Emil Nolde at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
Films:
Joker
Pain and Glory
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Under the Silver Lake
Climax
Books (fiction):
Vernon Subutex (Virginie Despentes)
Oval (Elvia Wilk)
Serotonin (Houllebecq)
Songs for the Unraveling of the World (Brian Evenson)
Harlem Smoke (James Champagne)
(Nonfiction)
Gary Indiana-Vile Days
Mark Fisher-Flatlines
Slavoj Zizek-Sex and the Failed Absolute
Leila Taylor-Darkly
Travis Jeppesen-Bad Writing
Records:
JPEG Mafia-All my Heroes are Cornballs
Bill Callahan-Shepard in a Sheepskin
Moor Mother-Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes
Klein-Lifetime
Jenny Hval-The Practice of Love
Art (all in New York)
Ebecho Muslimova at Magenta Plains
Ed Atkins at Gavin Brown Enterprises
Mike Kelley at Hauser and Wirth
Bradford Kessler at Interstate Projects
Barbara Ess at Magenta Plains
Thank you for sharing another list of exciting artists to explore! 1000 gecs would be on my 2019 music list too, I’d recommend one of it’s member’s previous solo works as well (osno1.bandcamp.com) “i just dont wanna name it anything with “beach” in the title” and “hello kitty skates to the fuckin CEMETARY” especially. As for myself and books, well, I mostly spent my reading time finally being able to check out your work and subsequently having to read through your entire bibliography… so that would definitely be my literary highlight of the year haha. Movie wise, I had fun with Giuseppe Makes a Movie (Adam Rifkin), Knife+Heart (Yann Gonzalez), The Flying Luna Clipper (Ikko Ono), and your two films with Zac Farley. I don’t know where or if it would fall on my list but I also recently watched a movie called 3615 code Père Noël (René Manzor), which was a strange little Christmas horror gem that apparently until recently was only available on VHS bootlegs.
My fave book of poetry of 2019: John Emil Vincent, Ganymede’s Dog (McGill Queens Press)
Hey Dennis!
Good to see you again for one of my favorite days of the year. This year has been primarily school dedicated. Seriously I was recapping and I’ve been going non stop since January. Next semester is my last and I can’t tell you how ready I am to be done with it. I’ll finally have the time to read the new market books. I normally read stuff that’s been on my to-get-to list. Finally got to ‘Satantango’ after seeing the movie in theaters. By far my favorite film experience. I was shook for days.
Besides some of the books you’ve already mentioned though:
Amygdalatropolis by B.R. Yeager
Selected Poems by Eric Walker
Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr
Getting Off by Erica Garza
Golden Rod by Bram Riddlebarger
Like I said it’s been a slow year for me. I haven’t picked out my favorite movies yet, but I’ll let you know later.
How have you been? Long time.
Hey Dennis – Can’t believe it’s already that time of the year. Such a stellar list, as always. This is the one that I always look out for and it’s great to see everyone’s lists in the comments, too.
I just interviewed David Leo Rice here in Charlotte, so it was especially nice to see his book on the list. I just got the Rattray last week and started reading it – wonderful stuff. I was going to ask you about it, but of course it’s on your radar. Did you read it when it first came out?
In terms of other books, I liked Megan McShea’s ‘Steep in the Boil,’ Chantal Akerman’s book on her mother, and the ‘Nocilla Trilogy’ by Augstin Fernandez Mallo (cool box set put out by FSG).
Justin Taylor just recommended Nightboat’s new Collected Poems of Douglas Crace. He’s unknown to me. Are you a fan of his work?
I’m still catching up on lots of movies, but in addition to what you’ve listed I was impressed by ‘Transit,’ ‘Cold Case Hammarskoljd,’ ‘Her Smell,’ ‘Atlantics,’ and ‘The Irishman.’ And a few others that I’m pretty sure that I’m forgetting. My most memorable theater experience this year was our rainy morning basement viewing of those Grandrieux films.
Didn’t know you’d seen the Malick — what were your thoughts on it?
Music-wise, two experimental reissues have really knocked me out: Phil Niblock’s ‘Music for Cello’ and Roy Montgomery’s ‘Scenes from South Island.’ Think you’d dig them both.
Jah Wobble comp ‘The Lagos Years’ – his earliest DIY singles – is surprisingly compelling. Horace Tapscott Arkestra’s ‘Live at IUCC’ reissue is monumental jazz and super great.
I also loved the new Kim Gordon and Pere Ubu, plus Craig Leon’s ‘Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol 2.’ Not normally my thing, but Big Thief’s ‘UFOF’ has gotten lots of spins here.
Didn’t realize you’d seen the Isidore Isou show at the Pompidou. You liked it more than I would’ve guessed. The range of his work is really impressive. That Vincent Fecteau show looks very cool. Have you done a post on him?
Hey Dennis, how goes it? As usual your lists have an impeccable vibe, but also something implacable about them. There’s so much for me to follow up on in them.
Here’s my music list for the year. Hopefully some of it is of interest.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Tides
Jonatan Leandoer127: Nectar
Julia Kent: Temporal
The Telescopes:Exploding Head Syndrome
Nivhek: After It’s own Death/ Walking in a spiral towards the house.
Xiu Xiu: Girl with Basket of Fruit
Hannah Peel: Chalk Blue Hill
Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go
Duster:Capsule Losing Contact
Solange: When I Get Home
DJ Nate: Take Off Mode
Logos: Imperial Flood
Dessner-Labeque: El Chan
The National: I Am Easy To Find
Caterina Berberi: Estatic Computation
Holly Herndon: Proto
Guided By Voices: Warp And Woof
Sarah Davachi: Pale Bloom
Leech: Data Horde
Robag Wruhme: Veng Tolep
Beak>: Life Goes On
The Hold Steady: Thrashing Thru The Passion
Jay Som: Anak Ko
(Sandy) Alex G: House Of Sugar
Alessandro Cortini: Volume Massimo
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Ghosteen
Floating Points: Crush
Kanye West: Jesus Is King
Anna Meredith: Fibs
Malibu: One Life
A Winged Victory For The Sullen: The Undivided Five
Aphex Twin: Peel Session 2
Buttechno: badtrip
Jamael Dean: Blank Space Tapes
Gaviulan Rayna Russom: The Envoy
Burial: Tunes 2011-2019
.
Hello Dennis!
Thank you for your list! I’m afraid mine is full of old things but c’est la vie or something like that haha.
Books:
‘The Madman’; Kahlil Gibran
‘Train Dreams’; Denis Johnson
‘Steppenwolf’; Hermann Hesse
‘Complete Poems’; Konstantinos Kavafis
‘Our Lady of Darkness’; Fritz Leiber
‘Wait Until Spring, Bandini’; John Fante
Movies:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
3/4
Pain and Glory
Free Solo
Us
Music:
‘The Gilded Palace of Sin’ & ‘Burrito Deluxe’; Flying Burrito Brothers
‘La otra vida’; 091
‘Ghosteen‘; Nick Cave
Greetings!
Hey! Really nice to see my little book on this list! Glad it hit with something in you.
Books (not necessarily new):
Juliet the Maniac–Juliet Escoria
Tom Sawyer–Joseph Grantham
Almost Transparent Blue–Ryu Murakami
The Lake–Yasunari Kawabata
Confessions of a Mask–Mishima
Movies:
Midsommer
Out of the Blue
The Lighthouse
Music:
Gah I’m so all over the place I don’t even know….lots of (Sandy) Alex G, mostly. All the albums.
Hi Dennis, hope you’re well. My favorite music from China in 2019:
– GG Lobster – “Punk Rock Karaoke”
– Tzusing / M.E.S.H. Split
– Chen Sa – “Claude Debussy Préludes”
– Chunyang Yao – “A Trip to Nowhere”
– 33EMYBW – “Dong2”
– Gooooose – “Rusted Silicon”
– Run Run Run – “HOON”
– TRUETRUE – “ALCHEMY”
– Wang Zijian – “幻滅情歌 Love Songs in Disillusion”
– Laughing Ears – “Tidal Effect”
– Zuriaake – “Resentment in the Ancient Courtyard”
– Slikback & Hyph11E – “Slip B”
– 工工工 – “Phantom Rhythm”
– Howie Lee – “Tiān Dì Bù Rén”
The only new-for-2019 fiction I read was “Fall; or, Dodge in Hell” by Neal Stephenson, not a huge fan of his style but the premise has stuck with me..
I thought that when I posted a link to my Billie Eilish review here, you said that you disliked her. The most popular album of 2019 in the US stands out on your list next to Eliane Radigue and Pharmakon!
Favorite films:
JUST DON’T THINK I’LL SCREAM (this was acquired for US release next year very recently)
THE IRISHMAN
TRANSIT
THE SOUVENIR
THE IMAGE BOOK
PARASITE
END OF THE CENTURY
AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL
IN MY ROOM
LOS REYES
ATLANTICS
MEMENTO STELLA
Books:
Mark Doten-TRUMP SKY ALPHA
Valeria Luiselli-LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE
Tosh Berman-TOSH
J. Hoberman-MAKE MY DAY
Jia Tolentino-TRICK MIRROR
Ben Westhoff-FENTANYL INC.
Dale Beran-IT CAME FROM SOMETHING AWFUL
Aleksandar Hemon-MY PARENTS: AN INTRODUCTION/THIS DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU
Dennis,
Thank you so much for including HAUNTED GIRLFRIEND on your 2019 Favorites list… it is truly an honor, and as the writer B.R. Yeager (Amygdalatropolis) said on twitter earlier today, “congrats on getting onto the only list that matters…”
I love you, Dennis!
Love always,
James
Dearest Dennis,
How are you? I’ve been meaning to write to you for such a long time. And this was the perfect day to come back.
Thanks, as always, for your amazing list.
Some of my favorites this year:
Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Kim Gordon – No Home Record
Sunn O))) – Life Metal
DIIV – Deceiver
Kate Tempest – The Book of Traps and Lessons
Books:
Cristina Morales – Lectura fácil
Irene Solà – Canto jo i la muntanya balla
Paul B. Preciado – Un apartamento en Urano
Any book by Mariana Enriquez
The Book of X – Sarah Rose Etter
Screen Tests – Kate Zambreno
Destroy All Monsters – Jeff Jackson
Comic books:
Bad Gateway – Simon Hanselmann
The Lie – Tommi Parrish
Movies:
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
I’m going to study your list now. And I promise I’ll come back soon and catch up with you.
I love you!
Montse
What’s that still you’ve got there for L. Cohen?
My favorite films of the year are Liberte, High Life, I Was at Home, But…, Atlanique, Gemini Man, Too Old To Die Young, L. Cohen, Knives and Skin, Signal 8
Dearest Dennis,
How are you? I’ve been meaning to write to you for such a long time. And this was the perfect day to come back.
Thanks, as always, for your amazing list.
Some of my favorites this year:
Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Kim Gordon – No Home Record
Sunn O))) – Life Metal
DIIV – Deceiver
Kate Tempest – The Book of Traps and Lessons
Books:
Cristina Morales – Lectura fácil
Irene Solà – Canto jo i la muntanya balla
Paul B. Preciado – Un apartamento en Urano
Valeria Luiselli – Los niños perdidos
Any book by Mariana Enriquez
The Book of X – Sarah Rose Etter
Screen Tests – Kate Zambreno
Destroy All Monsters – Jeff Jackson
Comic books:
Bad Gateway – Simon Hanselmann
The Lie – Tommi Parrish
Movies:
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
I’m going to study your list now. And I promise I’ll come back soon and catch up with you.
I love you!
Montse
Dearest Dennis,
How are you? I’ve been meaning to write to you for such a long time. And this was the perfect day to come back.
Thanks, as always, for your amazing list.
Some of my favorites this year:
Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Kim Gordon – No Home Record
Sunn O))) – Life Metal
DIIV – Deceiver
Kate Tempest – The Book of Traps and Lessons
Books:
Cristina Morales – Lectura fácil
Irene Solà – Canto jo i la muntanya balla
Paul B. Preciado – Un apartamento en Urano
Valeria Luiselli – Los niños perdidos
Any book by Mariana Enriquez
The Book of X – Sarah Rose Etter
Screen Tests – Kate Zambreno
Destroy All Monsters – Jeff Jackson
Comic books:
Bad Gateway – Simon Hanselmann
The Lie – Tommi Parrish
Movies:
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
I’m going to study your list now. And I promise I’ll come back soon and catch up with you.
I love you!
Montse
Dear Dennis,
Thank you so much for including Death-Mort-Tod on your mightly list. We are grateful and honoured as always!!
Not sure if this is the right place for such a mention, but just wonder if the books we sent last week arrived okay? It was a little Christmas gift for you 😉
Love, Karolina & Martin xxx