The Top Albums of 2019
81 Albums That Moved Me and Defined My Year
In 2019, I listened to a whopping 303 newly released albums, which is, without a doubt, the most I’ve ever listened to in a year. (I counted a “listen” as meaning at least 75% of the tracks in full, and in the vast majority of cases it was truly 100% of the tracks in full.) In the process of creating this list, I determined that I liked 144 of those 303 albums, which means I listened to about 159 that I thought were meh or awful. And let me tell you — I do not recommend spending your time that way! In 2020, I will listen to less new music. Instead, I’ll spend that time investing in relationships, or taking care of myself, or, yes, listening to albums I already know I love.
The other thing is, unsurprisingly, 144 albums is far too many to create a real relationship with, even if I liked all of them. So, this year, rather than giving you my Top 150, or even my top 100, I decided to adopt my hero Hanif Abdurraqib’s tradition of ignoring the idea of round-numbered lists and let my feelings lead the length.
With that in mind, below are the 81 albums released in 2019 that I feel like I have a real (positive) relationship with. If I wrote (or tweeted) about it, I included a link to that as well.
81. tobi lou — tobi lou Live on Ice
80. Slowthai — Nothing Great About Britain
79. Kedr Livanskiy — Your Need
78. Bat for Lashes — Lost Girls
77. Japanese Wallpaper — Glow
76. Lady Lamb — Even in the Tremor
75. Bohan Phoenix — The Prince EP
74. Y La Bamba — Entre los Dos EP
73. Gabriel Birnbaum — Not Alone
I wrote about the Not Alone track “Mistakes” in December for Wild Honey Pie.
72. Taylor Swift — Lover
71. Action Bronson — Lamb over Rice
70. Whitney — Forever Turned Around
I tweeted my review of Forever Turned Around in June.
69. Beyoncé — The Lion King: The Gift
68. Beirut — Gallipoli
67. Jade Bird — Jade Bird
66. Rapsody — EVE
65. Lucy Dacus — 2019 EP
64. Octo Octa — Resonant Body
63. Mallrat — Driving Music
62. Tegan and Sara — Hey, I’m Just Like You
61. Tyler Ramsey — For the Morning
I got to put together an interview feature with Tyler Ramsey about For the Morning for FRONTRUNNER Music.
60. NOIA — Crisàlida EP
I wrote about NOIA’s track “Ciudad del Humo” for a FRONTRUNNER playlist.
59. Caroline Polachek — Pang
58. Charli XCX — Charli
57. Solange — When I Get Home
56. Burna Boy — African Giant
55. Shura — forevher
54. KAINA — Next to the Sun
53. Another Sky — Life Was Coming in Through the Blinds
52. DaBaby — KIRK
51. Bedouine — Birdsongs of a Killjoy
50. Stef Chura — Midnight
49. Girlpool — What Chaos Is Imaginary
48. Cantrell — Devil Never Even Lived
47. Palehound — Black Friday
46. Hot Chip — A Bath Full of Ecstasy
45. Offset — Father of 4
44. Florist — Emily Alone
43. Emily Reo — Only You Can See It
I featured Emily Reo’s track “Strawberry” in a playlist for FRONTRUNNER Music.
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42. Broken Social Scene — Let’s Try the After Vol. 1 & 2
41. King Princess — Cheap Queen
40. Calexico / Iron & Wine — Years to Burn
39. DIIV — Deceiver
38. Jay Som — Anak Ko
37. Polo G — Die a Legend
36. The New Pornographers — In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
35. Future — Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD
34. MorMor — Some Place Else EP
I wrote about Some Place Else in my Second Quarter Review.
33. Molly Sarlé — Karaoke Angel
32. Madison McFerrin — You + I
31. Sharon Van Etten — Remind Me Tomorrow
30. Black Belt Eagle Scout — At the Party with My Brown Friends
I tweeted about one of my favorite lyrics on At the Party in October.
29. 2 Chainz — Rap or Go to the League
I wrote about Rap or Go to the League and what makes 2 Chainz so dang special in my First Quarter Review.
28. Shredders — Great Hits
(ICYMI, Shredders is a Doomtree side-project comprised of P.O.S., Sims, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak.)
27. Angel Olsen — All Mirrors
26. Great Grandpa — Four of Arrows
25. (Sandy) Alex G — House of Sugar
24. Jenny Lewis — On the Line
23. Carly Rae Jepsen — Dedicated
22. Bill Callahan — Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
I tweeted to document my first Bill Callahan moment in July.
21. Anderson .Paak — Ventura
20. Young Thug — So Much Fun
19. Oso Oso — Basking in the Glow
18. Big Thief — U.F.O.F.
17. Vampire Weekend — Father of the Bride
16. Kishi Bashi — Omoiyari
I wrote about Omoiyari in my Second Quarter Review.
15. The National — I Am Easy to Find
I peaked on Twitter in June with a tweet involving Matt Berninger, and only 6 people noticed.
14. Clairo — Immunity
I tweeted about my seasonal love for Immunity in October.
13. Big Thief — Two Hands
12. BROCKHAMPTON — GINGER
11. Little Simz — GREY Area
I wrote about GREY Area in my First Quarter Review.
10. Denzel Curry — ZUU
I wrote about ZUU in my Second Quarter Review.
9. Vagabon — Vagabon
8. Bon Iver — i,i
I tweeted about my favorite i,i lyric in September. Then I tweeted about my other favorite in November.
7. Thom Yorke — ANIMA
I wrote about ANIMA in my Second Quarter Review.
6. Better Oblivion Community Center — Better Oblivion Community Center
I wrote about Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst’s joint album, Better Oblivion Community Center, in my First Quarter Review.
5. Hikes — Mahal Kita
I wrote some nice things about my newest favorite band, Hikes, in the intro to my Final Quarter Review.
4. Nilüfer Yanya — Miss Universe
I wrote a little about Miss Universe in my First Quarter Review. Even more excitingly, I also had the opportunity to talk to Nilüfer, which turned into an interview feature for FRONTRUNNER Music.
3. Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell
I wrote about what makes Norman Fucking Rockwell so fucking powerful in my Third Quarter Review.
2. Jamila Woods — LEGACY! LEGACY!
I wrote about LEGACY! LEGACY! and some things that Jamila has taught me in my Second Quarter Review.
1. Bellows — The Rose Gardener
I wrote about The Rose Gardener in my First Quarter Review. It is an immensely special album that reminded me how to be strong but tender all year long.
