Best of 2019

My writing habit never really properly got going again, but that didn't stop me from throwing myself at a plethora of albums. 79 of the buggers, to be precise. In an ideal world, I listen to everything released and make a more informed decision, but the harsh practicalities of life mean that I'll probably find at least ten more albums released last year that I've neglected to include - but change my life somehow. Until then, I'll settle for this list: my favourite 50 albums, and 100 tracks of the year.

#50 - "Beware of the Dogs" - Stella Donnelly

#49 - "Metronomy Forever" - Metronomy

#48 - "Angel's Pulse" - Blood Orange

#47 - "Songs For You" - Tinashe

#46 - "new breed." - Dawn Richard

#45 - "Dedicated" - Carly Rae Jepsen

#44 - "II" - TNGHT

#43 - "Pang" - Caroline Polachek

#42 - "I Am Easy to Find" - The National

#41 - "U.F.O.F." - Big Thief

#40 - "Late Night Feelings" - Mark Ronson

#39 - "Turn Off the Light" - Kim Petras

#38 - "Jesus is King" - Kanye West

#37 - "Sucker Punch" - Sigrid

#36 - "Cheap Queen" - King Princess

#35 - "Saves the World" - MUNA

#34 - "Two Hands" - Big Thief

#33 - "Charli" - Charli XCX

#32 - "Jaime" - Brittany Howard

#31 -  "Good at Falling" - The Japanese House

 

#30 - "Lost Girls" - Bat for Lashes

#29 - "Designer" - Aldous Harding

#28 - "uknowwhatimsayin¿" - Danny Brown

#27 - "Hypersonic Missiles" - Sam Fender

#26 - "Father of the Bride" - Vampire Weekend

#25 - "Sunshiny Kitty" - Tove Lo

#24 - "Heavy is the Head" - Stormzy

#23 - "Immunity" - Clairo

#22 - "A Bath Full of Ecstasy" - Hot Chip

#21 - "Ventura" - Anderson .Paak

#20 - "Kiwanuka" - Michael Kiwanuka

#19 - "Part 1: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost" - Foals

#18 - "IGOR" - Tyler, the Creator

#17 - "Hi, This is Flume" - Flume

#16 - "Cuz I Love You" - Lizzo

#15 - "BUBBA" - KAYTRANADA

#14 - "forevher" - Shura

#13 - "Twelve Nudes" - Ezra Furman

#12 - "Miss Universe" - Nilüfer Yanya

#11 - "WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" - Billie Eilish

#10 - "All Mirrors" - Angel Olsen

#9 - "Assume Form" - James Blake

#8 - "Ghosteen" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

#7 - "Remind Me Tomorrow" - Sharon van Etten

#6 - "Psychodrama" - Dave

#5 - "i,i" - Bon Iver

#4 - "Nothing Great About Britain" - slowthai

#3 - "Titanic Rising" - Weyes Blood

#2 - "Magdalene" - fka twigs

#1 -  "Norman Fucking Rockwell" - Lana Del Rey

 

 #100 - "Maybe You're the Reason" - The Japanese House

Just for that lilting guitar riff in the chorus, alone.

#99 - "Dysfunctional" - KAYTRANADA & VanJess

This would've been a decent enough bit of input for 2019 had he not gone and surprise-dropped an album just before Christmas

#98 - "tommy" - Shura

The sweet personal story at the beginning is a fine segue into Shura's signature serene musing on romance.

#97 - "Nights Like This" - Kehlani & Ty Dolla $ign

The mixtape that didn't quite match the album, save for this stand-out.

#96 - "Orphans" - Coldplay

It's been a frustratingly long time since they put out something listenable, and sadly this was the only highlight from Everyday Life.

#95 - "High Heels" - Melanie C & Sink the Pink

Always the most dependable Spice Girl in terms of talent and solo output, Sporty continues to this day to serve the occasional dance hit.

#94 - "High Beams" - Flume, HWLS & slowthai

My first introduction to slowthai was a rowdy one.

#93 - "Don't Worry Bout Me" - Zara Larsson

There was a dangerous lull in the quality of her output between 'Lush Life' and this year, so I'm thankful she regrounded.

#92 - "imagine" - Ariana Grande

Enjoyed with the most shit-eating of grins, knowing she is capable of so much better than this thank u, next cycle.

#91 -  "Wedding Bells" - Metronomy

I 100% have time for 90s pastiche music videos, especially when they accompany angsty little stompers.

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#90 - "California" - Lana Del Rey

One of those tracks where you could extract a random 30 second clip and be convinced it was the chorus. A lingering one.

#89 - "Mountains" - Bat for Lashes

Much of 'Lost Girls' is achingly beautiful, but this is probably Khan at her barest and most emotive.

#88 - "Hit Me Where It Hurts" - Caroline Polachek

 A weird little carpet ride over London that finds Polachek flitting between disinterested droning and agonised yearning.

#87 - "With My Whole Heart" - Sufjan Stevens

It is a given that Sufjan will find a way onto any list of mine if he releases something: this year it was just the two or three cute tracks, so they'll bow out here gracefully.

#86 - "Exits" - Foals

Never really considered myself a Foals fan... until this year.

#85 - "Transition From Nowhere to Nowhere" - Ezra Furman

Not a title that would describe its contents; this track packs more angst than a branch of Hot Topic.

#84 - "Don't Feel Like Crying" - Sigrid

Whilst another young Scandinavian tried to save the world in 2019, this one dished out banger after banger. And in the long run, which is more gratifying?

#83 - "Lose Control" - Meduza, Becky Hill & Goodboys

Not their biggest hit of the year, but throw in Becky Hill to a formula that works and it just gets 500% more appealing. Funny, that.

#82 - "Save Room For Us" - Tinashe & MAKJ

Divinely funky and another reminder that Tinashe is criminally underrated.

#81 - "Wiley Flow" - Stormzy

Maybe the reverence behind this has faded a little now that Wiley's had a go at Stormzy for allowing Ed Sheeran to ride grime's coat-tails for exploitative profit, but that doesn't change my enjoyment. If anything that's a fun new layer. 

 

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#80 - "Where's the Catch?" - James Blake & Andre 3000

It's present on the entire track, James, and you bloody well know it.

#79 - "Rabbit Hole" - Camelphat & Jem Cooke

Whilst it's hard to argue that every CamelPhat song doesn't sound the same, there's something so beguiling about this.

#78 - "Prophet" - King Princess

A genderbending, seductive jam

#77 - "WHAT'S GOOD" - Tyler, the Creator

Definitely tied with Nicki Minaj for most iconic use of these two words. A big chaotic energy here.

#76 - "No God" - Hot Chip

I'm not sure there'll ever be a time where the Screamadelica sound is unwanted

#75 - "Glad He's Gone" - Tove Lo

An absolute masterpiece of a music video, but the track itself is cute as hell, too.

#74 - "Wasteland" - Tierra Whack

Releasing a new single every week in February for #WhackHistoryMonth was a genius marketing ploy from one of the most interesting new talents in years. This was my favourite of them.

#73 - "Dirty Laundry" - Danny Brown

I have absolutely no idea what's going on but I am enjoying myself.

#72 - "Everyday" - Weyes Blood

A cute baroque pop moment told through a video inspired by 80s slasher films. Wonderful.

#71 -  "Strange" - Celeste

I am willing to bet my house on her winning the BRIT Award that propels her into stardom, and with a voice like this it's not unjustified.

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#70 - "Summer Girl" - HAIM

The first reaction to this was definitely a slight shrug, but it grew and it grew and became a slow-burning favourite.

#69 - "Sun Forest" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

An electronic twilight that allows for the gravity and the beauty of Cave's grief to swell and take flight.

#68 - "You Ain't The Problem" - Michael Kiwanuka

The first track off his 2019 album kicks things off with a raucous bang, and enough funk to last a year.

#67 - "In Your Head" - Nilüfer Yanya

It's incredibly difficult to sound completely unique in music today, but she has carved a fascinating path so far.

#66 - "Do Me" - Kim Petras

She might have more success pushing out Halloween-themed material but the sleazy electropop is a stellar back-up.

#65 - "On God" - Kanye West

Included entirely on the merit of the synths and production. The less said about the evangelical side of new Ye, the better.

#64 - "Dancing With a Stranger" - Sam Smith & Normani

Whilst it's easy to make fun of Smith in the wake of their Oscar moment, it's also easy to forget that Smith's voice lends extraordinarily well to dance music, and this sublime single from the turn of the year was a genuine pop-duet moment to stand the test of time. Normani will get praise later, don't worry.

#63 - "The Archer" - Taylor Swift

At least this album cycle wasn't a complete waste of time.

#62 - "All Day And Night" - EUROPA (Jax Jones & Martin Solveig) & Madison Beer

The best thing to come out of French and British collaboration since the evacuation of Dunkirk.

#61 -  "Hungry Child" - Hot Chip

A Black Mirroresque music video is a fine accompaniment for Hot Chip's great house moment.

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#60 - "Mother's Daughter" - Miley Cyrus

In the year of Lizzo it was easy for the media to overlook any other female empowerment in pop music this year, but the day this music video dropped was honestly astounding.

#59 - "Let You" - Cheryl

I don't know if I've ever included anything by Cheryl in a "best of the year" list before, but this hook-laden track should've been one of her many #1s.

#58 - "It Might Be Time" - Tame Impala

It feels like an eternity since Currents and whilst their 2019 teasers didn't seem to offer anything new, there's definitely something a little more groovy about this offering.

#57 - "Now That I Found You" - Carly Rae Jepsen

 Didn't quite pack the punch that previous years of Carly singles have done, but it still hits the spot somewhat.

#56 - "Sympathy" - Vampire Weekend

Frenetic, catchy and a little bit daft. Great.

#55 - "Salem" - Bon Iver

22, A Million looked like it might've been the album to knock the Wisconsinites off their perch, but they came back with a vengeance this year.

#54 - "If You Want To" - Beabadoobee

Another one tipped for big things in 2020, Beabadoobee definitely wins style points early on, but this grungey ode to insomnia is utterly charming.

#53 - "Good For You" - Blood Orange & Justine Skye

Hazy, groovy, and a great guest vocal completes the set.

#52 - "Number One Fan" - MUNA

"So I heard the bad news: nobody likes me and I'm gonna die alone in my bedroom, looking at strangers on my telephone". Terrific enough, but I can't feel changing the chorus to "like, wig, like, stan" instead of "like big, like stan" would've been a master stroke.

#51 -  "Hypersonic Missiles" - Sam Fender

Everything about the budget of his promotion campaign screamed "overrated corporate project" but this was a major surprise for me. Stupidly pretty man with a banger about the inevitable third world war.

 

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#50 - "Lights Up" - Harry Styles

A weird, hazy little song that is something of a risk for one of the world's biggest popstars, and a pretty raunchy video too.

#49 - "Thinkin Bout You" - Ciara

One of those song titles that seems guaranteed to be great (in the wake of Frank Ocean and Ariana Grande, anyway); Ciara proves herself to be, yet again, effortlessly captivating and fun.

#48 - "Late Night Feelings" - Mark Ronson & Lykke Li

Lykke's solo output lately has been rather disappointing, so it was a relief to see Mark steer her towards this sultry groove.

#47 - "Con Altura" - ROSALÍA, J Balvin & El Guincho

This may have been the song that turned her into a superstar; the 1 billion views would certainly attest to it.

#46 - "Zoo Eyes" - Aldous Harding

What is the opposite of 'wanderlust'? I feel this song embodies that, whatever it may be called.

#45 - "Jet Black" - Anderson .Paak & Brandy

If there were any justice, this would've been a soundtrack of Summer 2019. It's sunkissed, and Brandy's vocal is so chilled and gorgeous here.

#44 - "Wish You Well" - Sigala & Becky Hill

I had the pleasure of seeing this performed live at a Pride event and it doesn't get more euphoric than this. As already mentioned: Becky Hill is the queen of British bangers.

#43 - "In Degrees" - Foals

A tropical take on indie disco? Sign me up. A bassline LCD Soundsystem would kill for.

#42 - "Spirit in the Sky" - KEiiNO

If I'm placing something from the tacky madness of Eurovision this high, you know it's too good for Eurovision. Norway's entry this year was an insanely euphoric interpolation of Norwegian folklore and synthpop. Move over, Norman Greenbaum: this is henceforth the most iconic 'Spirit in the Sky'

#41 -  "I Told You Everything" - Sharon Van Etten

I am a sucker for a stripped-bare piano ballad, but when the lyrics are so forthright and honest, it becomes something magical.

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#40 - "Never Mine" - Sigrid

The music form of a sugar rush for me: a moody synthpop masterpiece. Just needed a little more in the lyrics department to turn it into a serious contender for song of the year.

#39 - "The Hunger" - Bat for Lashes

There are so many moments in this song's production where I stop and go "ooh" that it's hard to keep track. Witchcraft.

#38 - "10%" - KAYTRANADA & Kali Uchis

Huge fan of both of their previous albums, so it was a foregone conclusion that I'd dig the hell out of this. Both bring their A game.

#37 - "Tonight" - Angel Olsen

A magical example of the comfortability in one's own skin after a break-up; a much-needed tonic for anyone going through heartbreak, surely?

#36 - "Motivation" - Normani

Remember when popstars actually tried to make music videos like this? An absolute belter of a solo breakthrough, and so much more visually and sonically impressive than some of the dross being peddled by other Fifth Harmony alumni. The Beyonce comparisons are deserved.

#35 - "Stay High" - Brittany Howard

Post Alabama Shakes, Howard turned introspective and tapped into something magical here: this is one of those songs that makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

#34 - "EARFQUAKE" - Tyler, the Creator

I'm not convinced this wasn't a fever dream.

#33 - "Deal Wiv It" - Mura Masa & slowthai

I'd pigeon-holed Mura Masa as this chilled tropical-pop dude, so when this came along I was a little surprised. Pure The Streets energy.

#32 - "Inglorious" - slowthai & Skepta

It was difficult to choose a highlight from Nothing Great About Britain, but in the end I chose this because it was released the same week Theresa May resigned, and I can't help but feel the events are connected.

#31 - "ilomilo" - Billie Eilish

Having only begun to pay attention to Eilish after the album was released, I feel robbed of not loving singles from previous years sooner. I can't include 'when the party's over' this year, but this song is both frightened and frightening.

 

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#30 - "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend" - Ezra Furman

A classic rock-and-roll ballad told through the lens of gender-fluidity and transition.  

#29 - "Vossi Bop" - Stormzy

Deserved to go to #1 just for the sheer scope of making this, alone. Fuck the government and fuck Boris, indeed.

#28 - "Never Really Over" - Katy Perry

Much like Cheryl, another popstar I assumed had since "past it" (mostly because the last album cycle was...so embarrassing) found it again this year. Trying to keep up with the chorus was one of 2019's more fun points.

#27 - "somethingfartoogoodtofeel" - The Japanese House

Achingly beautiful.

#26 - "everything i wanted" - Billie Eilish

Her first output since the album, and it just lingers in the mind as one of those songs that makes you feel crushed and helpless. In the most welcome and gorgeous of ways, of course.

#25 - "All the Songs" - Will Young

A single that should've spelt a massive comeback for one of UK pop's most underappreciated talents; All the Songs is a cute tribute to music itself and its power to break your heart.

#24 - "Movies" - Weyes Blood

My first impression was Origin of Symmetry-era Muse: those dizzying arpeggios providing a time-stopping backdrop for something magical.

#23 - "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it" - Lana Del Rey

Oh god she really turned up the songwriting this year. A Sylvia Plath-inspired bit of melodrama is always touching and beautiful, but match it with Lana's voice and it's just something else.

#22 - "religion (u can lay your hands on me)" - Shura

The most daring vision of a group of nuns since Sister Act; this is delightfully funky.

#21 -  "Not" - Big Thief

It made Barack Obama's list of the best songs of 2019 and it's no mystery why: this is one of the year's best vocal performances and full of grit and glory.

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#20 - "Baby Blu" - Nilüfer Yanya

Her voice sounds so... individual here, and the whole vibe around this track is just immensely appealing... somewhat aloof, somewhat curt and moody, but also powerful and authoritative

#19 - "Black" - Dave

In light of completely absurd complaints about the song, the message behind it seems only more pertinent. A dizzying track that demands to be heard and is jam-packed with powerful statements.

#18 - "Slide Away" - Miley Cyrus

Further staking the claim that Cyrus is the best of the current crop of major pop stars, 'Slide Away' added a tick in the form of Californian chill to her repertoire, and it's got that same inspired-euphoria vibe that the likes of Bittersweet Symphony have.

#17 - "Gone" - Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens

Charli has a slightly irritating tendency to hype the everlasting shit out of her own material when it's honestly predictably hit-or-miss, but this was a big hit.

#16 - "Hey, Ma" - Bon Iver

'Holocene' by the same band is an all-time favourite song of mine, and this is almost its spiritual successor. 

#15 - "Selah" - Kanye West

In an ideal world, this was an absolute fire hit on 'Yandhi' and this whole born-again spiel never got the chance to play out. Because, like on Ultralight Beam, West's faith has the potential to burst forth in explosive and inspiring ways. This track is an example.  

#14 - "Now I'm In It" - HAIM

Every year without a single from Robyn requires a spiritual successor, and this is 2019's best candidate for the position.

#13 - "Aute Cuture" - ROSALÍA

I won't pretend to be fluent in Spanish but the production and design behind this video were immediately attention-grabbing. And who doesn't love impractical fake nails?

#12 - "Barefoot in the Park" - James Blake & ROSALÍA

Jesus christ, some songs are so indescribably pretty.

#11 -  "Hollywood" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

A fourteen minute epic that closes off the last album and tells the Buddhist tale of Kisa Gotami and her coming to terms with the death of her son. It honestly feels silly even placing this in a list. It's a heart-wrenching and stark experience.

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#10 - "Ritual" - Tiësto, Jonas Blue & Rita Ora

I've had this very specific visual of a Drag Race lipsync to this song in my head, in which the contestant rips off a nun's gown and habit to reveal a crown of thorns, hollowed-out prosthetic eyes (a la Pan's Labyrinth), fake blood, and a skin-tight bodysuit, ever since it came out. It is a banger that deserves such a visual spectacle. 

#9 - "Bags" - Clairo

A song that immediately grabbed me in lieu of how understated and subtle it sounds. The single greatest contribution to the grunge genre in 25 years.

 

#8 - "sad day" - fka twigs

In all honesty, I think the only thing holding me back from placing this higher is a neurotic desire to not have two songs by the same artist in the top five. This is stunning.

 

#7 - "Norman Fucking Rockwell" - Lana Del Rey

It kicks off the album in a sublime way and sets the tone perfectly. I didn't know if it was ever possible to topple Video Games as her greatest ballad... but this may have succeeded.

 

#6 - "About Work the Dancefloor" - Georgia

I may have been too hasty with my earlier comment about there being a "best non-Robyn Robyn song of the year", because this is exactly that. Those fucking synths. God bless you, Georgia. 

#5 - "Juice" - Lizzo

It seemed unbeatable when it was released; Juice is one of those rare pop songs that is - from start to finish - raucously fun, carefree and soul affirming. I apologise to the karaoke bar that had to hear my take on the "ya-ya-yee"s. 

#4 - "Lark" - Angel Olsen

The strings here have been cunningly orchestrated to destroy me emotionally, and I don't appreciate that. 

#3 - "Harmony Hall" - Vampire Weekend

The most uplifting song about experiencing racism at college you're ever likely to hear. A strong Stone Roses vibe to this one but the final print is unquestionably Vampire Weekend.

 

#2 - "Cellophane" - fka twigs

I don't know if I'll ever hear a vocal performance like this again in my life, and I don't know if I want to. This is just... perfection.

 

#1 -  "Seventeen" - Sharon Van Etten

Any time a song captures that sense of feeling lost in your own hometown, or being unable to keep up with change, it resonates deeply with me and whilst it's not a comfortable sensation, it's comforting to hear such thoughts put into a song as perfect and bittersweet as this.

I couldn't not mention the worst five albums I've heard all year.

"Love & Fear" - MARINA

One of the few I actually managed to review on here; everything that I needed to say about this was written here.  

"Hurts 2B Human" - P!nk

How handy! Another review I managed to eke out. 

"Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent" - Lewis Capaldi

Look, it's only natural for the year's most overplayed artist to get a little bit irritating, but when it's someone who tries so hard to come across as Master of Banter, King of Clownery on Twitter, and not only pollutes the airwaves with his same three ballads on tandem loop but also comes at you in some sickening pincer attack by wearing a Noel Gallagher t-shirt that dominates

🤣this🤣branch🤣of🤣twitter🤣

for the entire bastarding summer, it just gets a little bit tiring, OK? And fucks with your run-on sentences, too.

"The Big Day" - Chance the Rapper

I didn't get around to listening to this until a week or two ago, and so I quietly looked on as the internet lost their damn minds over what was perceived to be a spectacular implosion on Chance's part. The wound of this, then, is still raw to me: 22 tracks centred around the concept of...his marriage... and little else. Even the most nauseating of loved-up couples must surely regard this as a mis-step.

""Let's Rock"" - The Black Keys

I'm not sure why I'm still giving the Black Keys a chance in 2019, let alone writing about them in 2020, but something bit and I regret it massively. My worst record of the year: a tuneless, thudding of the same techniques that won them fans back at the turn of the last decade, but where the hits like Gold on the Ceiling or Lonely Boy once came in droves, are here replaced by nothing worth anyone's damn time.