TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2019

2019 closes out a decade of music with some of the best albums that I have heard over the past ten years. In a few days I will be posting my 'best of the decade' list. In the meantime, here are my favorite albums of 2019.

10. Mike Posner, A Real Good Kid 

In April, Mike Posner started a nine month walk across the country. In an interview with CBS, Posner said that his hope from the walk was to fall in love with being in the present moment and being perfectly incomplete. Facing the death of his father to cancer, his friend and collaborator Avicii to suicide, and breakup with his girlfriend, Posner's world came crashing down and he found himself pondering life and death, family, friends, and how he had come to define success. On A Real Good Kid, Posner pours his heart and soul into a collection of songs that bring us into the mind of a broken man looking to find a new inner peace and perspective on living. 

9. Peter Perrett, Humanworld

Addiction to Heroin and crack took decades from Peter Perrett, but not his music or musical ideas. Now, at the age of 67, Perrett is making some of the best music of his career. As The Guardian wrote, Humanworld isn't just good by the standards of albums made by people who spent years on hard drugs, or by the standards of late career revivals: it's simply a very good album indeed. It 'manages to avoid both the possible traps: trying too hard to sound current, or trying too hard to recapture past glories. Instead it's clean, and sharp, and melodic guitar rock.'

8. Rex Orange Country, Pony

English singer/Songwriter Alexander O'Connor, who records under the name Rex Orange Country, closed out the year for me with Pony, his major label debut, which was released a few weeks ago. It was 'that' album that I had been waiting for all year, but did not know it until I heard it. American Songwriter pointed to his 'unique pop prosody and production skills and inventiveness.' Jazz-tinged songs full of catchy hooks and charm, Pony is as NME writes, 'a total delight.

7. Weyes Blood, Titanic Rising

Titanic Rising is a calm and expansive album that feels timeless without chasing nostalgia. Weyes Blood builds songs with rich piano lines, soft strings, and clear vocals that carry both beauty and unease. The lyrics look inward while also scanning the world outside, touching on climate anxiety, connection, and belief in something more. Natalie Mering has said the album is about trying to find hope in the face of slow disaster. It is her fourth album and the one that brought her the widest attention, for good reason.

6. FINNEAS, Blood Harmony

Blood Harmony is a focused and personal debut from FINNEAS, best known for his work as Billie Eilish’s producer and co-writer. On his own, he leans into clean, minimal pop with a reflective tone, writing about love, memory, and distance without overcomplicating the sound. The production is subtle but detailed, giving space for the lyrics to land. Songs like “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night” show his ability to mix charm with restraint. It is a strong introduction that proves he is just as compelling in the spotlight as he is behind it.

5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Ghosteen

How does one grieve over the loss of a child and the endless tidal waves of emotions that overwhelm one's ability to just breath let alone live? Over three albums, concluding with Ghosteen, Nick Cave has been grappling with the tragic death of his teenage son in 2015 which left him utterly broken. 

On Ghosteen, the shock of Cave's son's death has passed, but devastation and isolation have slowly transformed into memories and loneliness and Cave finds himself asking more questions than ever. Now it's on to "what do I do now, where do I go?(Sputnik). There are no easy answers as Tracy Thorn masterfully conveys in her review of the album. “The past with its savage undertow” appears in two songs – in one it lets go, while in another, it will never let go, there is no escape. And you feel that both are true. There is no resolution. Songs hint at the possibility of recovery, then evert to despair. The need for acceptance of loss is in constant tension with the impossibility of acceptance."

Yet, by the end of the album, you get a sense that he has come to terms as he sings "it's a long way to find peace of mind, and I'm just waiting now for my time to come." This is an astonishing album that is a must listen.

4. The LaFontaines, Junior

Junior by The LaFontaines is a high-energy mix of rock, rap, and pop that feels both sharp and unfiltered. The Scottish band delivers tight grooves, big hooks, and lyrics that hit on identity, ambition, and frustration without losing their sense of humor. Frontman Kerr Okan switches between spoken word and melody with ease, giving the songs a fast, punchy rhythm. The album captures the band’s live-wire presence while showing growth in both sound and structure.This is a killer album that I have not been able to turn away from since its release.

   

3. Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Del Rey’s talent has been misunderstood throughout her career, writes Spencer Kornhaber in the Atlantic, 'but with the freighter-heavy and canyon-gorgeous new album Norman Fucking Rockwell, maybe she’ll be seen for the essential writer of her times that she is.'  

As someone who has not only misunderstood Rey, but has also not taken her seriously as an artist, I approached NFR with skepticism. I can confirm that Kornhaber is 100% on point! Singing 'exquisitely of freedom and transformation and the wreckage of being alive, Pitchfork contributing Editor Jenn Pelly aptly penned that NFR establishes Rey as one of American's greatest living songwriters.

2. RPWL, Tales From Outer Space

I was not familiar with RPWL when I stumbled upon Tales From Outer Space. I was immediately drawn to this German progressive rock band and their deep twenty-year catalog of studio and live albums. They started as a Pink Floyd cover band, and that influence is clear—especially from Floyd’s later period, like The Division Bell. But this is very much their own work. The songs are built on strong melodies, polished arrangements, and sci-fi themes that never feel gimmicky. Having listened to most of RPWL’s albums, I would say that Tales From Outer Space stands as one of their most focused and best releases.

1. Tool, Fear Inoculum

Tool fans, such as myself, waited 13 long years for the band's follow up to 10,000 days. And now we have Fear Inoculum to consume and ponder. As Sputnik Music wrote, this album is a 'massive, compelling piece of music that unfolds beautifully and balances Tool’s unique style with plenty of rewarding new elements. Any fears that they would not live up to their past can be abated; Fear Inoculum is truly groundbreaking and one of the best albums of the decade.' I agree!