The 10 Best Albums Of 2019
A wise man once said, fuck what a wise man said... This is actually a line from an album that didn’t make it on the list, moral of the story, wise men are probably correct, especially when they claim that making a top 10 is similar to sacrificing your children. Now whether it was Gandhi or Aristotle I can’t recall, but what matters is that I’ve tasted it when some of my favorite albums did not make it on this list. Because believe it or not, 10 is such a small number, and my shortlist included over 70 different albums, each one I have a memory or two with, but I gotta suck it up and slay my children I guess, not just because any list over 10 items is virtually unreadable, but also, because of the pleasure of harder decisions.
Here to you are the best albums of the year, in my opinion, so check them out will you? You’re probably gonna have a good time (or a terrible time, according to what you choose to listen to), starting the countdown with:
10. Beyonce, ‘Homecoming: The Live Album'
The queen of our times also happens to be an electrifying visual artist and stage performer, thats not news, but with this album she brings back the best of her career into one massive, arena-size event of exemplary performance. Your favorite songs from her are bettered with marching band horns and her high-energy stage control. The guests include Destiny’s Child, Jay Z, and others, the crowd are having a blast, makes me wish I was among them.
Genre: Contemporary R&B, Marching band, Pop rap
Length: 109 minutes.
9. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, ‘Ghosteen’
The final part of a trilogy that have been very atmospheric and melancholic, Nick’s son died tragically back in 2015, and on this album he is longing for him and waiting on the 5:30 train convincing himself that he’ll return, or referring to him as “my baby” with a most broken, warm, fatherly voice. Nick’s writing can feel like poetry, he sometimes uses mythical and Biblical stories/images in his songs, there is something magical about his songwriting that even if I couldn’t understand it all I still am very interested in what’s he saying or thinking.
Genre: Ambient, Singer-songwriter, Spoken word.
Length: 68 minutes.
8. Quelle Chris, ‘Guns’
The Detroit rapper is back, now covered in bullets, obviously addressing guns, and the black man experience in a society who reacts first with guns “Bruh-bruh, I’m your friendly neighbor I stay on yo block” lol. Quelle’s always been a witty rapper, tackling serious issues with dark humor, he’s also incredible at creating hooks out of nowhere: “smoke ‘em if you got ‘em/sip ‘em if you got ‘em” in ‘PSA drugfest 2003', or “I be in your city” in the title track, and sometimes unbelievably catchy “everyone can get it like Obamacare” 🔥
Genre: Jazz rap, Conscious hip-hop.
Length: 48 minutes
7. FKA Twigs, ‘MAGDALENE’
“If I walk out the door, it starts our last goodbye” sings the British artist in the opener, a track that is a bit shy but also inviting, to an album of strange beauty and sadness. Twigs’s voice is angelic, the production is very detailed and the sound is transitioning a lot in a way that may feel hard to appreciate on a first listen, but the gravity of the album ultimately wins back. Tracks like ‘Mary Magdalene’ and ‘Cellophane’ are some of the most delicate and pristine songs of the year.
Genre: Art pop, Alternative R&B.
Length: 39 minutes.
6. Lingua Ignota, ‘CALIGULA’
“How do I break you before you break me?” Kristin Hayter screams on ‘Do you doubt me traitor’, sounds like its coming from someone powerful, but its coming from someone who’s in deep pain, desperate and vengeful, and that is exactly why its so frightening. Hayter is a classical singer so her voice is very theatrical giving this album some kind of a sacramental quality, especially in the more relaxed cuts like ‘Faithful servant friend of Christ’, while tracks like ‘I am the beast’ will make you pray for your life.
Genre: Neoclassical darkwave, Death industrial.
Length: 66 minutes.
5. Tropical Fuck Storm, ‘Braindrops’
When it comes to weird and unconventional, the Australian band are in a league of their own, whatever Braindrops may mean, it sure is a brain dropper. The songs often start up slow and build up to high climaxes of collapsing guitars, clashes of vocals and other instruments, its a big mess yeah but collectively everything sounds harmonious, psychedelic, or even funky. Gareth Liddiard is the frontman and he’s quite the punk, often bringing funny or indecipherable lyrics.
Genre: Dystopian art punk.
Length: 48 minutes.
4. Little Simz, ‘Grey Area’
“They will never wanna admit I’m the best here/From the mere fact that I’ve got ovaries” the female rapper is coming for blood on ‘Venom’, a track spookier and grittier than any song appeared on the Tom Hardy movie. Simz’ flow sound effortless in pretty much every track, whether she’s addressing her relationships or bragging about her pen game, every song is tight, technical, and produced with skill. The guests are fantastic, and the album has a radiating personality.
Genre: UK hip-hop, Jazz rap.
Length: 36 minutes.
3. Matana Roberts, ‘Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis’
Matana tells an ancestral story of a young black girl in the days of the klan, recollecting each memory by starting with “I’m a child of the wind, even daddy said so” and proceeding to tell disorienting tales of going to church or going to heaven and so on from the girl’s perspective, gradually revealing a traumatic experience going deeper. The free jazz passages can be harrowing and very complex like in ‘Trail of the smiling sphinx’, while a cut like ‘Her mighty waters run’ standout as a stunning spiritual piece.
Genre: Avant-garde jazz, Spoken word.
Length: 47 minutes.
2. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, ‘Bandana’
In a year of great rapper/producer records, the duo MadGibbbs has come out with the most essential underground hit, ‘Bandana’ marks their second full-length feature together, and a most anticipated one for years. Freddie (Kane) is flowing his ass-off with his distinct, fast rap-style, maintaining a high feat on challenging beat-switches crafted by the madman Madlib, who notably produced the whole album on his iPad. I’m loving the samples on here, the features are exciting, and the skits are hilarious.
Genre: Gangsta rap, Boom rap, Jazz rap.
Length: 47 minutes.
1. Sunn O))), ‘Life Metal’
Extended, droning guitar riffs played in slow motion and high decibels, is a sure recipe for a headache. Though a little bit of bravery can reward you with a mind-bending, transcendental experience, the album is meant to be loud, sweeping, and larger than life. ‘Between Sleipnir’s breaths’ opens and ends with celestial neighing, and melodies disappear as we enter the harsher cuts, namely ‘Troubled air’ and ‘Aurora’. Cello hums appear as guitars melt away halfway through the 25-minute odyssey ‘Novae’. The sound of this album is so bright and vivid yet very basic, I love it.
Genre: Drone Metal.
Length: 69 minutes.
A Quick Honorable Mentions: albums that belong to the top 10 just as much:
- Tyler, The Creator — ’IGOR’
- Lana Del Rey — ’Norman Fucking Rockwell’
- Billy Woods & Kenny Segal — ’Hiding Places’
- Blood Incantation — ’Hidden History of the Human Race’
- Big Thief — ’U.F.O.F’
Thank you for reading :-)