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(Originally Published December 26, 2019)
2019 was a fascinating year in music. I listened to more new albums than any year previously, with over 100 albums and counting! But considering all of the records I heard, the format overall wasn’t as strong as other years this decade. Some of my favorite artists released good albums with some great songs, but albums in general felt a bit lacking. However, there were so many amazing individual songs. It was difficult to choose the best of the best! This year, I made the largest songs countdown I have ever done before. I didn’t want to forget about anything. Please check out the Spotify playlist of my Top 70 Songs of 2019. It was a pretty solid year of new music for 2019, and I look forward to seeing what 2020 holds. Let me know what you think. Merry Listmas!
TOP 40 ALBUMS OF 2019
40. Charli XCX – ‘Charli’
39. Michael Kiwanuka – ‘KIWANUKA’
38. 100 Gecs – ‘1000 Gecs’
37. Belle & Sebastian – ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ Soundtrack
36. Brittany Howard – ‘Jaime’
35. Pup – ‘Morbid Stuff’
34. Karen O & Danger Mouse – ‘Lux Prima’
33. Ezra Furman – ‘Twelve Nudes’
32. Bruce Springsteen – ‘Western Stars’
31. Jessica Pratt – ‘Quiet Signs’
30. Intellexual - ‘Intellexual’
29. Arianna Grande – ‘thank u, next’
28. Purple Mountains – ‘Purple Mountains’
27. Sharon Van Etten – ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’
26. Craig Finn - ‘I Need A New War’
25. Operators – ‘Radiant Dawn’
24. Sir Babygirl – ‘Crush on Me’
23. Lana Del Rey –‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’
22. Sleater-Kinney – ‘The Center Won’t Hold’
21. Cayucas – ‘Real Life’
20. Beck – ‘Hyperspace’
19. The Drums – ‘Brutalism’
18. Alex Cameron – ‘Miami Memory’
17. Hatchie – ‘Keepsake’
16. Hot Chip – ‘A Bath Full of Ecstacy’
15. Elva – ‘Winter Sun’
14. Red Hearse – ‘Red Hearse’
13. Billie Eilish – ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go’
12. Mark Ronson – ‘Late Night Feelings’
11. Angel Olson – ‘All Mirrors’
10. The Hold Steady - Thrashing Thru The Passion
09. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
08. Alex Lahey - The Best of Luck Club
07. Crystal Fighters - Gaia & Friends
06. Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
05. The National - I Am Easy To Find
As I get older, I find myself more and more into The National. They have become an indie rock staple over the past two decades, and I have been a bit of a fan for about ten years. But I have been particularly taken with their past two albums, 2017’s ‘Sleep Well Beast’, and this year’s ‘I Am Easy To Find’. This particular album was made with an array of female artists that excellently complement singer Matt Beringer’s brooding baritone. They make music that is heavy, moody, and driven. I like to joke that they have been making the same song over and over for the past 15 years. But I’ll be damned if that same song doesn’t hit hard.
KEY TRACKS: “Rylan”, “I Am Easy To Find”, & “You Had Your Soul With You”.
04. Charly Bliss - Young Enough
This spunky New York band with loads of attitude upped their sound in a big way with ‘Young Enough’. While I found their debut album from a few years back a bit slight, I instantly fell for this very polished and bright sequel. Charly Bliss has a passionate leader in Eva Hendricks, who carries each song with weary and knowing lyrics. The title track is my favorite song of 2019. And they totally rule live!
KEY TRACKS: “Young Enough”, “Chatroom”, & “Hurt Me”.
03. Future Teens - Breakup Season
With a perfect blend of indie rock hooks and emo storytelling, ‘Breakup Season’ is like my musical catnip. They are a self-described “bummer pop band from Boston” with duel lead singers that give the album a great deal of variance. The songs are punchy, and hit you right in the gut with heartbreak and sweetness.
KEY TRACKS: “Frequent Crier”, “Swiped Out”, & “Born to Stay”.
02. Taylor Swift - Lover
Over the past two years or so, I have gotten very into the Taylor Swift discography. After winning tickets to see her in work raffle, I became pretty obsessed. It’s clearly reflected in my Spotify ‘End of Year Wrap-ups’, that had Taylor place number 1 for both 2018 and 2019. Although these statistics are clearly a reflection of not personally owning any of her music, the rankings didn’t surprise me either. Taylor Swift has an unbelievable discography, particularly with the music she released this decade. And while it may not have her best songs (like ‘Red’) or her biggest singles (like ‘1989’), ‘Lover’ may be her most consistent album yet. It has a very cohesive sound, courtesy of producer Jack Antonoff. But the songwriting is all Taylor. You’ve got to respect the craft!
KEY TRACKS: “Cruel Summer”, “Paper Rings”, & “Daylight”.
01. Vampire Weekend - The Father Of The Bride
Vampire Weekend returned this year with their most eclectic grouping of songs yet. ‘Father of the Bride’ goes in many different musical directions, while retaining their trademark wit and compact song craft. With 18 songs in under an hour, there is a lot to love. ‘Father of the Bride’ unfolds like a selection of short stories. (I love how preamble “Need You Now” transitions into the first chapter that is “Harmony Hall”.) It is the perfect soundtrack for the late spring / early summer. It’s an album whose charms unlock with each listen, and I find it to be endlessly rewarding.
KEY TRACKS: “Harmony Hall”, “This Life”, & “Stranger”.
TOP 70 SONGS OF 2019
As I do every year, I pick my favorite songs (1 song per Artist), and then rank them against each other to formulate ‘The Best Songs of the Year Countdown’. Click Here for the Spotify Playlist.
70. Dogleg – “Fox”
69. Bleached – “Hard to Kill”
68. Drake & Rick Ross – “Money in the Grave”
67. Lower Dens – “Young Republicans”
66. Harry Styles – “Adore You”
65. Modest Mouse – “Ice Cream Party”
64. Bon Iver – “Salem”
63. Gryffin (Feat. Carly Rae Jepsen) – “OMG”
62. The Raconteurs – “Bored and Razed”
61. Amber Mark – “Mixer”
60. Tones and I – “Dance Monkey”
59. Yeasayer – “Ecstatic Baby”
58. Craig Finn – “Something to Hope For”
57. Big Boi (Feat. Sleepy Brown) – “Doin’ It”
56. Two Door Cinema Club – “Satellite”
55. Sufjan Stevens – “Love Yourself”
54. Spoon – “No Bullets Spent”
53. Grimes (Feat i_o) – “Violence”
52. Sleater-Kinney – “The Future Is Here”
51. The Voidz – “Did My Best”
50. Tierra Whack – “Only Child”
49. Middle Kids – “Don’t Call Me Snowflake”
48. The Hold Steady – “Denver Haircut”
47. Julia Jacklin – “Body”
46. Hatchie – “Not That Kind”
45. Yuno – “Sunlight”
44. Wy – “Pavements”
43. Post-Party – “Love You Everyday”
42. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)”
41. Charli XCX (Feat. Lizzo) – “Blame It On Your Love”
40. Ezra Furman – “Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone”
39. Chance the Rapper (Feat. Death Cab for Cutie) – “Do You Remember”
38. Tame Impala – “Borderline”
37. Alice Merton – “Funny Business”
36. Caycuas – “Winter of ‘98”
35. The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
34. Nicki Minaj – “MEGATRON”
33. Dan Deacon – “Sat By A Tree”
32. Sigrid – “Sucker Punch”
31. Billie Eilish – “I love you”
30. Kanye West – “God Is”
29. Lana Del Rey – “Mariners Apartment Complex”
28. Red Hearse – “Half Love”
27. Passion Pit (Feat. Galantis) – “I Found U”
26. FKA twigs – “cellophane”
25. Brittany Howard – “Stay High”
24. Angel Olsen – “Lark”
23. The Drums – “Body Chemistry”
22. Crystal Fighters – “The Get Down”
21. Ariana Grande – “NASA"
20. Bruce Springsteen – “Hello Sunshine”
19. Normani – “Motivation”
18. Operators – “I Feel Emotion”
17. Mannequin Pussy – “Drunk II”
16. HAIM – “Now I’m In It”
15. Alex Cameron – “Miami Memory”
14. MisterWives – “whywhywhy”
13. Future Teens – “Frequent Crier”
12. Lauv (Feat. Troye Sivan) – “I’m so tired”
11. Hot Chip – “Melody of Love”
10. Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”
09. The National – “Rylan”
08. Caracara – “Better”
07. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Too Much”
06. Bob Mould – “Sunshine Rock”
05. Alex Lahey – “Don’t Be so Hard on Yourself”
04. Taylor Swift – “Cruel Summer”
03. Vampire Weekend – “Harmony Hall”
02. Lizzo – “Juice”
01. Charly Bliss – “Young Enough”
TOP 5 SHOWS OF 2019
Becoming a father means having less time and money for being able to go to shows. But all the ones I was able to make it to this year were pretty great. I’m seeing The Strokes on New Year’s Eve in Brooklyn, so there is a good chance that would make this list if I waited a few more days to publish it. Here are my top 5 as of today:
05. Janelle Monae. September 25. The Rooftop at Pier 17. New York, NY.
04. Carly Rae Jepsen. July 17. Hammerstein Ballroom. New York, NY.
03. Belle & Sebastian. July 12. Union Transfer. Philadelphia, PA.
02. Charly Bliss. November 13. Webster Hall. New York, NY.
01. The Rapture. December 4. Music Hall of Williamsburg. Brooklyn, NY.
Did you have any favorite new music in 2019? Do you like any of the music I listed above? Do you really hate Taylor Swift? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you for reading!
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