It's time to rank my favourite albums of 2019.
Every year it takes me longer to get round to doing these lists. I mean, come on man, it’s almost February 2020. Still, better late than never I suppose.
Part of the reason that this list is
so late is that – relatively speaking – I didn’t listen to many albums in 2019.
I was struggling to put together a Top 20 list as I usually do, so I thought I’d
narrow it down to 10 albums this time with a few honourable mentions.
While you’re here, don’t forget to
also check out my lists of favourite and least favourite songs from the year. On
top of this, you can also check out my favourite albums lists from 2012, ’13, ’14,
’15, ’16, ’17 and ’18.
Let’s get this on with this list…
Honourable Mentions:
Norman Fucking Rockwell - Lana Del
Rey
Is He Real? – IDK
Bubba – Kaytranada
Thank u, Next – Ariana Grande
We Are Not Your Kind - Slipknot
10. Uknowwhatimsayin¿ – Danny Brown
Detroit rapper Danny Brown has seemingly cleaned himself up from all the drugs. He may not be sounding as entertainingly unhinged as on his last album, but he makes up for this with a
flurry of punchlines and mean jabs: ‘Want
beef? You’re gonna fuck around and end up a vegetable’.
9. Zuu – Denzel Curry
Florida rapper Denzel Curry delivers
banger after banger on this new hi-octane album Zuu. The hooks are mightily
infectious and the beats go harder than wurtzite boron nitride. It’s pretty
impressive given that it was released within barely a year of Ta13oo.
8. Hidden History of the Human Race
– Blood Incantation
Progressive death metal band Blood
Incantation deliver an intense labyrinth of frenetic drums, intricate riffs and
sci-fi flavoured growls. It's an impressive display of musicianship and an intense listen.
7. There Existed An Addiction To
Blood – Clipping
Experimental hip hop act Clipping released
this new freakish album inspired by old horror movie scores. It’s a mix of
bloodcurdling, rapid-fire lyrics and creepy avant-garde beats. It’s the
scariest record of the year, minus that scarily awful DJ Khaled album.
6. Magdalene - FKA Twigs
Experimental r&b singer FKA Twigs delivers
some of her most creative and emotional vocals to date. It’s a challenging listen
due to how weird it is, but it’s fascinating to see how left-field she is able
to take r&b while not fully abandoning it's poppier side.
5. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost
Part 1 – Foals
This is the first part of a two part
album from indie rock band Foals, lyrically centred around various disasters of our
age including global warming, overpopulation and technological dependence. It's a solid collection of groovy dance-rock anthems.
4. When We All Fall Asleep Where Do
We Go? – Billie Eilish
The young quirky pop star tackles
themes such as depression and sobriety with a maturity beyond her years.
Her dejected half-whispered singing and the skeletal but textured production make
this one of the most unique-sounding pop albums of the decade.
3. All My Heroes Are Cornballs –
JPEGMAFIA
This is a much more melodic album from
the experimental hip hop artist compared to 2018’s exigent Veteran. I’m
still so-so on the auto-tune and No Scrubs cover – and yet this is still my
third favourite album of the year. No-one is making music like this right now.
It’s provocative, perplexing, noisy and yet also quite beautiful in places.
2. Igor – Tyler, The Creator
Tyler has fully reinvented himself as
a soul artist. There is still some rapping on here, but it’s mostly
singing (which I found intolerable at first, but now it’s grown on me, even if
some of it is off-key). The breakup love-triangle theme to the record is
inventive and surprisingly moving. As for the production, these are some of the
most fun beats on a record this decade.
1. Cuz I Love You – Lizzo
This was never the type of record I’d
have expected to make my album of the year spot. It’s a pop album – but it’s an
incredibly dynamic and fun pop album. Influences range from Amy Winehouse to
Prince. There’s even a trap rap banger in the mix. She nails each style while still able to inject her own distinctive personality into each track (she does body positivity a lot better than Meghan Trainor). There are also few vocalists in pop right now with the
singing ability that she has.