The twenty albums we enjoyed listening to the most this year are below. They are not ranked beyond that – you can decide what order you think they should be in.
To order any of these great albums, visit our best of 2019 page or reply to this email.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
In its quiet way, devastatingly beautiful.
The Soft Cavalry – The Soft Cavalry
Melodic and timeless.
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
An ambitious album, resonant and honest.
Ed Wynne – Shimmer Into Nature
A must for fans of psychedelic synth and rock music.
Mercury Rev – Bobbie Gentry’s Delta Sweete Revisited
A psychedelic reimagination of Bobbie Gentry’s 1968 album The Delta Sweete. Yes, really.
Marry Waterson & Emily Barker – A Window To Other Ways
English folk royalty meets Australian soul. Simply fabulous.
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
An album from a 17-year-old that features on many best-of-year lists.
Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising
Described by the artist as the Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya.
Son Volt – Union
An album steeped in the history of protest music that aims to heal the pain of division.
Eilen Jewell – Gypsy
A mixture of new and old sounds: electric-guitar-driven rockers, classic country and tender ballads.
The Comet Is Coming – Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery
A blistering slice of propulsive electronic jazz.
Thom Yorke – Anima
If glitchy dark electronica is your thing, you will love this.
Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel
Fontaines D.C. have delivered on their tremendous promise in a way that few bands have.
Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains
Undoubtedly one of David Berman’s greatest albums – full of wit and wisdom.
Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka
The magnificent follow-up to Love & Hate.
The Highwomen – The Highwomen
A stunning album from this country super-group.
Honeyblood – In Plain Sight
Honeyblood goes from strength to strength with this instant classic.
Thea Gilmore – Small World Turning
A rootsy, acoustic album from this acclaimed songwriter.
Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars
The Boss is back! Need we say more?
Angel Olsen – All Mirrors
An introspective deep dive from this versatile artist.