Here are our 73 nominations for best albums of 2019. I'll post the survey link next week, so you have plenty of time to listen to albums you haven't heard yet. I encourage you to advocate for albums and shout out new favorites in the comments.
(Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar
Genre: Alternative, Pop
Abstract Orchestra - Madvillain vol 2
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap, Jazz
Ages and Ages - Me You They We
Genre: Indie Pop, Folk
Alcest - Spiritual Instinct
Genre: Blackgaze, Shoegaze, Post Metal
Alex Lahey - The Best of Luck Club
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet
Genre: Alternative, Indie Rock, Chamber Pop
Ashbringer - Absolution
Genre: Blackgaze, Shoegaze, Post Metal
Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
Genre: Alternative
Beyoncé - Homecoming
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Hip Hop, R&B, Pop
Big/Brave - A Gaze Among Them
Genre: Metal, Experimental
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Alternative, Pop
Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race
Genre: Metal, Death Metal
Borknagar - True North
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Metal, Hard Rock
Boy Harsher - Careful
Genre: Electronic, Coldwave
Brittany Howard - Jaime
Genre: Alternative, Singer-Songwriter
Charly Bliss - Young Enough
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative
Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence
Genre: Alternative, Folk
Cool Original - I Never Said I Didn't Care
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Earth - Full Upon Her Burning Lips
Genre: Metal, Drone, Stoner Rock
Enforced - At The Walls
Genre: Metal, Thrash Metal
Eve - Rapsody
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
FIDLAR - Almost Free
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Alternative, Skate Punk
Fontaines DC - Dogrel
Genre: Punk, Indie Rock
French Vanilla - How Am I Not Myself?
Genre: Post Punk, Art Punk
Fuming Mouth - The Grand Descent
Genre: Punk, Hard Core
Gatecreeper - Deserted
Genre: Metal, Death Metal
Haelos - Any Random Kindness
Genre: Electronic, Trip Hop
Illusion - Magic with a smile
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Punk, Hard Core
Injury Reserve - Injury Reserve
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
James Blake - Assume Form
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Alternative, Singer-Songwriter
Jenny Lewis - On the Line
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Alternative, Pop
Jeremie Albino - Hard Time
Genre: Folk, Roots, Singer-Songwriter
Julia Jacklin - Crushing
Genre: Folk
Juls - Colour
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: World, Hip Hop, Soul
Kishi Bashi - Omoiyari
Genre: Indie Rock, Chamber Pop
Lana del Ray - Norman Fucking Rockwell
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Alternative, Pop
Layperson - The Divide
Genre: Indie Pop, Folk
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Soul, R&B, Pop
Mandolin Orange - Tides of a Teardrop
Genre: Alt. Country, Folk
Mapache - Lonesome LA Cowboy
Genre: Folk, Country, Psychedelic
Matthew Logan Vasquez - Light'n Up
Genre: Indie Rock, Roots
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Genre: Soul, Pop
MIKE - Tears of Joy
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
Orville Peck - Pony
Genre: Country, Shoegaze, Alternative
Paul Cauthen - Room 41
Genre: Country, Roots
Pernice Brothers - Spread The Feeling
Bandcamp, YouTube
Genre: Indie Pop, Folk
Pronoun - I'll Show You Stronger
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Dream Pop
Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
Genre: Alternative, Singer-Songwriter, Folk
Rich Brian - The Sailor
Genre: Rap
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Mettavolution
Genre: Acoustic, Latin, Instrumental
Rosalía - Fucking Money Man
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Latin, R&B, Pop
Sadness - Circle of Veins
Genre: Metal, Black Metal, Ambient
Sampa the Great - The Return
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap, Soul
Sinkane - Depayse
Genre: Soul, Funk
Slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap, Grime
Strand of Oaks - Eraserland
Genre: Alternative, Folk
Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury
Genre: Alternative, Country, Synth Rock
Sudan Archives - Athena
Genre: R&B, Soul
Sunn O))) - Life Metal
Genre: Metal, Drone, Psychedelic
Surf Curse - Heaven Surrounds You
Genre: Indie Rock, Surf
Swans - Leaving Meaning
Genre: Post Rock, Experimental
Taylor Swift - Lover
Genre: Pop
Tei Shi - La Linda
Genre: R&B, Pop, Synth Pop
Teskey Brothers - Run Home Slow
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Soul
The Black Doors - Deviants
Genre: Psychedelic, Goth, Alt. Country
The Felice Brothers - Undress
Genre: Alt. Country, Folk, Roots
The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage
Genre: Indie Pop, Folk
The Shivas - Dark Thoughts
Genre: Rock n' Roll
Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
Genre: Electronic, Chiptune, Synth Pop
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Genre: Alternative, Pop
Vukari - Aevum
Genre: Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal
Westkust - Westkust
Genre: Shoegaze, Post Punk, Surf, Indie Rock
Yola - Walk Through the Fire
Spotify, YouTube
Genre: Soul, Country
12 Comments:
Any egregious omissions?
Dave - Psychodrama
But thats my own fault. I was going back through everything and I had a memory of not likely this album. And, to be fair, sometimes an album needs a few listens to get into it.
Along those lines, I appreciate Slowthai being on the list. Another album that deserves a second (third?) listen.
Other than that, its a pretty comprehensive list.
Damn! This list is ALL OVER THE PLACE, and that's probably a good thing.
I wanted to give a little shout out to Icelandic musician/singer/composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. This year, she composed the soundtracks for both Chernobyl and Joker (both of which almost made my list of 5) AND is an active member of Sunn ))) (which DID make my list). She rules. Check her out...
Also, while I have immense respect and growing appreciation for Billie Eilish, as a dude has bled black goth blood since the mid 80's, I don't think that she fits into that genre classification. I hate to nitpick...I LOVE to nitpick.
Ha! Got it. Removing the goth tag.
And.. what to do with Tierra Whack? She released five singles at the start of the year. No album. No EP. But shes gold. I would be thrilled to listen to those five on my desert island.
No Sharon Van Etten! I don't love the whole album so I didn't include it on my top 5 but I thought she would get some hipster love. I'm okay with The National snub - I can't wrap my head around it as an album but I love a few of the individual tracks
Oh.. and Big Thief.. either album. They should be on this list.
This list is hilariously messing with Spotify's ability to classify my musical tastes. It's pure 2019 gold.
Fuck you machine learning! Another win for the humans!
Jeremy, yeah, there are a couple of the usuals missing this year: SVE, National, New Pornographers. Hold Steady, Beirut, the Heavy, Justin Townes Earle, Josh Ritter, Black Keys, Sheer Mag. They've all made the final list in the past.
Personally, I think the New Pornographers and Hold Steady albums were their best in years. Listened to both a ton. Also loved the return of Meet Me In The Bathroom era band, Longwave. Brought me back to living in DC in the early aughts. Black Keys album also was a lot of fun.
My top bands that didn't make my list: Sego, the Orange Kite, Petite League, Big Quiet, Good Shade, Aan, Souvenir Driver, and Tincho.
All various shades of indie rock, shoegaze, pysch, and power pop. All had albums I listened to a ton.
But that's what I love about this list, it introduces me to the best albums in genres I pay less attention to.
We've got a lot of good soul and funk related albums on list, but there are a couple others that didn't make it: Black Pumas, Los Coast, Seratones, Neal Francis, and Michael Kiwanuka all come to mind. My boys particularly love Los Coast.
Also, I was bummed to realize that Delgres' Mo Jodi came out in 2018. It definitely would have made my list if it came out this year.
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