The Best Albums of the Year
2019 has been an exceptional year in music with great releases from both newcomers and well established artists. Trying to narrow down the best of the best was no easy task, but these ten albums are the ones that truly stood a head above. Here are my personal best albums of the year:
10. Crane Like the Bird – Crane Like the Bird
It seems like 2019 was the year of the drummer with many releasing their own solo albums. Kyle Crane’s project is a relatively short album with a pleasant variety of moods, from poppy to bittersweet. He doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it absolutely nails the craft.
Essential Track: Mendocino
9. Moron Police – A Boat on the Sea
There are no other albums that could rival this on terms of enjoyment. Moron Police have effectively delivered crystallized sugar in prog form. The biggest problem with this album is that it leaves you wanting more due to its short run time.
Essential Track: Captain Awkward
8. Coyote Kid – Skeleton Man
The first album under their new moniker (formerly Marah in the Mainsail), Coyote Kid paired their penchant for the cinematic with a greater level of grit than seen on previous works. Bouncing between brutal, bouncy, and beautiful, Skeleton Man is a classic western in the form of an album.
Essential Track: Backbone
7. Mappe Of – The Isle of Ailynn
Exploring a fictional world, the sophomore effort from Mappe Of seems almost like a series of gorgeous watercolor paintings rather than just songs. The lush soundscape, foreign setting, and poetic lyricism make this listening to this album feel like journeying through a dream.
Essential track: Icovellavna
6. Iamthemorning – The Bell
I am a big fan of piano in music, as someone who comes from a background of playing. Gleb Kolyadin is probably my favorite piano player in all of music right now and The Bell shows his outright talent and ability to provide what the song needs most. Singer and writer Marjana Seminka also comes out in full force for this beautifully haunting album.
Essential Track: Ghost of a Story
5. Kishi Bashi – Omoiyari
Omoiyari is a beautiful work set in a terrible time, telling a series of tales during World War II within the US internment camps. Despite it’s solemn subject matter, Kishi Bashi never fails to turn his music into a message of hope and a possibility of joy tomorrow. The last track feels out of place, but even it is strong in its own right.
Essential Track: Angeline
4. Said the Whale – Cascadia
I never would have pegged this as a stand-out when I first heard it but no other album has kept me coming back quite like this. Many elements are simple but executed precisely, such as the wonderful background vocals throughout, and they come together to make a strong whole. It’s hard to even name what it is about Cascadia that makes it so special, as it appears fairly standard on first glance, but it is undeniably fantastic.
Essential Track: Record Shop
3. Evan Carson – Ocipinski
Possibly the most cinematic album of the year, Ocipinksi is inspired by Carson’s grandfather and the Polish Resistance Army of World War II. Like on Iamthemorning’s album, Gleb Kolyadin’s brilliant piano playing elevates it to even greater heights while the incredibly unique instrumentation allows it to be instantly recognizable against other albums.
Essential Track(s): Sky & Shard
2. Thank You Scientist – Terraformer
I made this website purely so that I could review this album, which should give an idea how much I love it. The biggest flaw with it is it’s excessive length which causes it’s otherwise strong middle section to drag somewhat. Even so, a powerful start and even better finish help it to keep its staying power higher than most albums of its size. Perhaps the most impressive part of Terraformer is that it manages to capture the frenetic energy of a TYS concert, which I was lucky enough to see a month before the album came out.
Essential Track: Anchor
1. Cold Weather Company – Find Light
This was the first album I heard in 2019 and it has been my absolute favorite ever since. Only a few albums have even come close to knocking it off the throne and some of them didn’t have the lasting favor to stay on this list at all, much less take the top spot. Cold Weather Company bolstered their lineup with the help of some friends to deliver a much deeper wealth of instrumentation to accompany the poignant songwriting. Find Light is full of memorable hooks, vivid imagery, and shows the band’s love for the craft
Essential Track: Do No Harm
Koda Music 