Daniel's Top 10 Albums Of 2019
Every year that I've released a Top 10 Albums post, I've included the caveat that there is so, so much good music out there that it's almost unfair to ask me to try and listen to all of them. With that in mind, I hope you know this is not a definitive list of the best music of the year, but rather the top 2019 albums of those I actually listened to. I did try to be a little more proactive than usual this year, but personal biases tend to win the day. So, as always, it's a strange mixture of artists/bands I already liked with some critically acclaimed albums I proactively sought out after reading about them.
This was a really solid year for music. Most every year since I've done these year-end album rankings there have been at least a couple albums that felt instantly memorable, in a way that indicated they were surefire contenders for my Album of the Year. 2019 was a little different; it as a year full of 'growers.' Though I spent most of Spring and Summer decrying the relative drop in quality this year, in the last few months of the year I've found an unusually high number of albums were released this year that may be just okay upon first listen, but really grow on you upon further listening. I encourage each of you, if you don't do this already, to not give up on an album after just one listen simply because it didn't initially meet your expectations; you may be pleasantly surprised by how much you like it your second-- and third, and fourth, etc. --time through. But enough rambling; to the list!! First, a rundown of the 9 albums that may have missed my cut for Top 10, but that you should still listen to (in alphabetical order, not ranked):
Honorable Mentions
Canterbury Girls // Lily & Madeleine
GIRL // Maren Morris
Happiness Begins // The Jonas Brothers
Heard It In A Past Life // Maggie Rogers
Help Us Stranger // The Raconteurs
The Lion King: The Gift // Beyoncé featuring various artists
Norman Fucking Rockwell! // Lana Del Rey
thank u, next // Ariana Grande
When I Get Home // Solange
10. "Let's Rock!" // The Black Keys
The Black Keys made an unannounced, but welcome return from their 5-year hiatus with their album "Let's Rock!". The Akron rock duo, particularly guitarist Dan Auerbach, have made waves with other projects in the music world, but they showed on this one that they're still capable of whipping up some magic together. Not every song will make you forget about Brothers and El Camino-era Black Keys, but there are several on the tracklist that would be right at home on either of those classic albums.
Three-track lineup: "Lo/Hi," "Tell Me Lies," "Go"
9. Ventura // Anderson.Paak
2018 was the year of my introduction to Anderson.Paak. 2019 was the year of my official induction into his fanbase. With Ventura, Paak picks up right where he left off with last year's Oxnard, alternating between fiery rap bars and soulful funk., all-- or at least most --while playing the drums. In fact, it's likely an even more musically cohesive project than its solid predecessor.
Three-track lineup: "Come Home," "Make It Better," "King James"
8. Father of the Bride // Vampire Weekend
We hadn't heard from Vampire Weekend in 6 years, and when Rostam Batmanglij, long thought to be the creative force behind the band, announced his departure in 2016, many assumed that was it for the indie-pop group. Then at the beginning of the summer, VW dropped three double-singles (does that makes sense?), and soon after, Father of the Bride. Sonically, it's all over the place, a record reminiscent of The Beatles' White Album. But most of the songs are absolute keepers, and despite the increased musical experimentation, FOTB may be Vampire Weekend's most clearly themed lyrical album yet.
Three-track lineup: "Harmony Hall," "Unbearably White," "Sunflower"
7. Everyday Life // Coldplay
Don't laugh. Coldplay is back in a major way, and it's not at all what you expect. The English band seems to have as many detractors as fans, which is saying something given that they're one of the most popular groups in the world. But Everyday Life is likely to win over a few that are willing to be won over. While not without moments of exemplifying the very Coldplay people love to mock (slow piano ballads with vague surface-level messages), by and large this is Coldplay at their most musically adventurous, the closest they'll likely be to being avant-garde, and with lyrics that are easily their most razor-sharp in political tone.
Three-track lineup: "Church," "Trouble In Town," "Arabesque"
6. i,i // Bon Iver
The release of i,i was much like the album itself: quiet but brilliant. Bon Iver, well known as they are, still don't command any sort of radio presence, so you may have missed that they were releasing a new album. But release it they did, track-by-track, over the course of one day, with a lyrical video accompanying each. With lyrics discussing toxic masculinity and the presidential election, and a musical sound that draws on the wildly different stylings of each of the band's 3 previous albums, it's Bon Iver at their most global.
Three-track lineup: "Hey Ma," "U (Man Like)," "Sh'Diah"
5. IGOR // Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator's 2017 album Flower Boy stunned everyone with its hard turn away from volatility to introspection. IGOR continues in a similar vein, with Tyler growing increasingly comfortable in venturing outside of rapping; his singing voice and piano play as much a part on this album as his recognizable baritone rap voice. The result is an energetic explosion of catchy hits, some more sonically pleasing than others, but all infectious and introspective in equal parts.
Three-track lineup: "EARFQUAKE," "I THINK," "GONE, GONE/THANK YOU"
4. Assume Form // James Blake
I wrote about how much I liked this album back when I awarded it my midyear Album of the Year: "Blake has always been brilliant at pairing melancholy chill with creative production, and Assume Form sees him at his peak in this regard. The increased energy and trap influence are what sets this record apart from his previous discography, and there's no real deadweight on this tracklist."
Three-track lineup: "Into The Red," "Barefoot In The Park," "Where's The Catch?"
3. Cuz I Love You // Lizzo
There's not much I can tell you about Lizzo that you either don't already know or are intentionally trying to avoid. The singer, rapper and classically-trained flautist took the country by storm in 2019, thanks in large part, ironically, to her 2017 song "Truth Hurts." But this is not an instance to scoff at an artist just because of her popularity to the masses: Lizzo is the real deal, proving her equal deftness throughout Cuz I Love You at songwriting, singing and rapping. (And yes, the flute makes an appearance.) You will laugh, you will cry, and you will most certainly dance.
Three-track lineup: "Cuz I Love You," "Juice," "Jerome"
2. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? // Billie Eilish
Though she could not be more different musically, Billie Eilish was much like Lizzo in the way she exploded into the national consciousness in 2019. I'm not really sure how to best explain Eilish's unique appeal, and I loved the description provided by Pitchfork's Amy Phillips, so I'll steal it: "Every generation gets the teen-angst avatar it deserves. For kids raised under the threat of mass extinction, of course a dead-eyed 17-year-old whispering about night terrors, benzos, suicide, and the climate crisis over a post-genre stew of trap beats, dubstep drops, and twee-ish bedroom pop would be hailed as a savior." Even if that sounds like the furthest thing from your music tastes, trust me when I ask you to give When We All Fall Asleep a chance. There's enough creativity and vulnerability there for you to find at least a few songs you'll want to replay.
Three-track lineup: "when the party's over," "my strange addiction," "ilomilo"
1. Homecoming: The Live Album // Beyoncé
I know you probably think I have a personal competition to find ways to make Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar #1 in this list every single year, but I promise that's not the case. It's just that, in a year full of good albums, Homecoming is the only record that truly blew me away. A recording of Beyoncé's history-making Coachella set in 2018, the brilliantly produced album captures the glory of Queen B's performance, but also the delightful and meaningful skits in between songs, and of course, the HBCU marching band that added so much energy and gumption to her performance. Homecoming doesn't just play like a recording of a concert, it plays like a recording of a significant moment in musical history, like George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh or U2's performance at Slane Castle. Listen to it and you'll be hard-pressed to find a bad thing to say about Beyoncé's ability to put on a show.
Three-track lineup: "Welcome / Crazy In Love," "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," "Sorry"
If you're interested, please see my Best of 2019 playlist linked here! It features tracks from nearly every album referenced in this article, and includes 2 from the best of the best.