My 5 Favorite Albums of 2019
From pop to folk, here are the songs, artists, and projects I enjoyed most from this year
Maggie Rogers, Heard it in a Past Life
I found Maggie Rogers through a Ringer article published early in 2019, a profile designed to share her personality and praise her music. It didn’t take me long after reading that article to decide that Heard it in a Past Life is one of the best formal debut albums (it’s not quite her first stab at releasing music) that I’ve ever heard in years. It’s catchy, well-produced, lyrically interesting, and full of confidence. There are plenty of musicians in the world who sound like they know what they’re doing, but Rogers still sounds fresh and interesting.
Musically, Heard it in a Past Life is pure pop goodness. It’s light and airy, but still rhythmic and pulsing. “Alaska” is Rogers’ signature song, and it’s good centerpiece for the album, but my personal favorites are “Give a Little,” “Retrograde,” and “Back in my Body.” These three songs are the album’s high points, showcasing an impressive vocal range and catchy instrumentals. Heard it in a Past Life doesn’t take a ton of risks, but it plays to its strength and ranks as one of the best albums I heard in 2019.
Josh Ritter, Fever Breaks
Jason Isbell helped produce this album, which is all it took for me to at least give it a chance. That was a good decision. Isbell has good taste, and he did good work here, but Josh Ritter is more than worth checking out on his own. My favorite song on Fever Breaks is “The Torch Committee,” which tells a long, powerful story of betrayal, fear, and control. To anyone who wants a slightly less intimidating number to start with, though, I’d recommend “Ground Don’t Want Me,” or “Old Black Magic.” These are songs that would sound perfectly at home on the radio, but boast lyrical depth that most hits can’t match.
The best endorsement I can give Fever Breaks is that Ritter tells a fascinating story in almost every song. Maybe this is a little bit of Isbell’s influence shining through, but Ritter sure seems like he knows the nearly-impossible art of saying something compelling in just a few lines. “The Torch Committee” is the best example of this, but both other songs I’ve mentioned are also narratively powerful. There are songs about love, about loss, and about how to keep going in the midst of these things. Ritter may be a relatively new artist, but he’s one who sounds like he’s been here for years.
Jimmy Eat World, Surviving
I wrote about this album a few weeks ago, specifically how it is an amazing example of an older band staying both relevant over multiple decades and true to their original sound. I’ve been listening to Jimmy Eat World for well over a decade of my own now, and to see that they’re still around and still making music feels like a welcome link to my past. While Surviving doesn’t really add much evolution to their sound or musical style, I don’t think it really needs to. It’s enough to fit the mold that they’ve used for their entire career, and prove that there’s still room to write fantastic music in it.
The moment I love the most in Surviving comes in the first song (which is also the title track). “Gonna stand this cold,” Adkins belts out in the third verse, “Gonna see it out. Never define yourself, what choice is there left to make?” On their own, these words read like typical pop-music fare. Combined with the musical crescendo happening behind them, and Adkins’ impassioned delivery, they feel like pure poetry pumping through my car stereo. This is also where the band shines — Jimmy Eat World take pretty standard pop music elements and create something beautiful out of them. This isn’t their best album, but it ranks high enough to be well worth my time in 2019.
Bon Iver, i,i
This album is a little weird, which I’m beginning to realize is how I feel about most of Justin Vernon’s (the man behind Bon Iver) work. Every album he has released has been pretty heavily experimental, which I often find to be hit or miss. I always love a few songs from every project, but I sometimes find it difficult to get through the entire release. This one, for better or worse, is no different.
The reason that i,i makes my list of best albums in 2019 then, is on the strength of how much I love two of its songs: “Hey, Ma” and “Naeem.” These songs are sad, piercingly beautiful, and examples of the best that Vernon has to offer. “Hey, Ma” strikes me as especially poignant, flitting between melancholy self-reflection and reminders of parental love. It may seem a little weird to put an album on this list when I only really loved two of the songs on it, but I really think these two elevate the entire release enough.
Better Oblivion Community Center, Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center (I’m trying to write this band’s absurdly long name as often as possible) is one half Phoebe Bridgers and one half Conner Oberst. Both well-known musicians on their own, they’ve teamed up to create a new project and the results are stunning. It’s a mix of pop and folk music, and I personally think it combines the best of both artists. From the pensive “Didn’t Know What I was in For” and “Dominos,” to the rollicking “Dylan Thomas,” there are plenty of excellent songs.
“Dylan Thomas” is the song I’d show off to a friend, but “Dominos” is my personal favorite. It’s a thoughtful, well-executed reflection on death and mortality. It’s dark, but not too dark; hopeful beneath a veneer of depressing lines. However, it’s the strength of the entire album that landed it on this list — not the merits of any one song. Bridgers and Oberst have written 10 relatable, catchy, and interesting songs that have been my soundtrack to nearly all of 2019 and everything that’s come with it. I sincerely hope this album isn’t a one-off. I really want to hear more songs by these two.
