| 2019.5 - Top 50 |
| 50 |  | Matt Kivel
last night in america
Lo-Fi Folk - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Wendy and Roxanne" |
| 49 |  | Low Dose
Low Dose
Hard Indie Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "For Sure" |
| 48 |  | Kurt Travis
There's a Place I Want to Take You
Alt Pop - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Lewis" |
| 47 |  | Foals
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1
Alt Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Moonlight" |
| 46 |  | Marianas Trench
Phantoms
Pop - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Echoes of You" |
| 45 |  | The Maine
You Are OK
Pop Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "My Best Habit" |
| 44 |  | Holding Absence
Holding Absence
Post-Hardcore/Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Like a Shadow" |
| 43 |  | Kishi Bashi
Omoiyari
Folk - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Marigolds" |
| 42 |  | Angelo De Augustine
Tomb
Folk - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "You Needed Love, I Needed You" |
| 41 |  | The Twilight Sad
It Won/t Be Like This All the Time
Indie Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "10 Reasons for Modern Drugs" |
| 40 |  | Puppy
The Goat
Rock - 3.5/5.0
Favorite Song - "Black Hole" |
| 39 |  | Weyes Blood
Titanic Rising
Psychadelic Folk - 3.6/5.0
Favorite Song - "Andromeda" |
| 38 |  | Local Natives
Violet Street
Indie Pop - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "When Am I Gonna Lose You" |
| 37 |  | Narco Debut
Strange & Ever - Changing Depths
Post-Hardcore/Alt-Rock - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "Yukon" |
| 36 |  | Holly Herndon
PROTO
Electronic - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "Frontier" |
| 35 |  | Tyler, the Creator
IGOR
Hip Hop - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "A BOY IS A GUN" |
| 34 |  | Cat Clyde
Hunters Trance
Country/Folk - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "All the Black" |
| 33 |  | 55 Deltic
You Could Own An American Home
Emo - 3.7/5.0
Favorite Song "Fulbright" |
| 32 |  | Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Indie Folk - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "Service Road" |
| 31 |  | Two People
First Body
Electronic/Trip Hop - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "Phone Call" |
| 30 |  | The Gloaming
The Gloaming 3
Irish Post Rock - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "Athas" |
| 29 |  | Jessica Pratt
Quiet Signs
Folk - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "This Time Around" |
| 28 |  | The Western Den
A Light Left On
Folk - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "A Light Left On" |
| 27 |  | Yes We Mystic
Ten Seated Figures
Indie Rock - 3.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "Win Ben Stein's Money" |
| 26 |  | Mike Mains and The Branches
When We Were In Love
Pop - 3.9/5.0
Favorite Song - "Underwater" |
| 25 |  | Sharon Van Etten
Remind Me Tomorrow
Indie Rock/Folk - 3.9/5.0
Favorite Song - "Seventeen" |
| 24 |  | William Tyler
Goes West
Country/Americana - 3.9/5.0
Favorite Song - "Alpine Star" |
| 23 |  | Badflower
OK, I’M SICK
Butt Rock done right - 3.9/5.0
Favorite Song - "Promise Me" |
| 22 |  | Sarah McCoy
Blood Siren
Jazz - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Boogieman" |
| 21 |  | Big Thief
U.F.O.F.
Indie Folk - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Betsy" |
| 20 |  | The National
I Am Easy to Find
Indie Rock - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Not in Kansas" |
| 19 |  | Hatchie
Keepsake
Dream Pop - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Obsessed" |
| 18 |  | Laura Stevenson
The Big Freeze
Indie Folk - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Low Slow" |
| 17 |  | The Dangerous Summer
Mother Nature
Pop Punk/Alt Rock - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Starting Over/Slow Down" |
| 16 |  | Pup
Morbid Stuff
Pop Punk - 4.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Scorpion Hill" |
| 15 |  | Mike Adams at His Honest Weight
There Is No Feeling Better
Indie Pop - 4.1/5.0
Favorite Song - "So Faded" |
| 14 |  | Stella Donnelly
Beware Of The Dogs
Indie Pop/Folk - 4.1/5.0
Favorite Song - "Tricks" |
| 13 |  | Thank You Scientist
Terraformer
Prog Rock - 4.1/5.0
Favorite Song - "FXMLDR" |
| 12 |  | Owel
Paris
Alternative Rock + Post Rock - 4.1/5.0
Favorite Song - "Get Out Stay Out" |
| 11 |  | Bad Books
III
Folk - 4.1/5.0
Favorite Song - "Army" |
| 10 |  | State Faults
Clairvoyant
Screamo - 4.3/5.0
Favorite Song - "Clairvoyant"
Not much to say about this one, mainly because it's so out of my wheelhouse, but that's how I know it's a good one. Incredibly melodic and catchy screamo that I can't get enough of. |
| 9 |  | In Her Own Words
Steady Glow
Pop Punk - 4.3/5.0
Favorite Song - "Steady Glow"
Basic pop punk done perfectly right, all with a brilliant vocal performance. The title track remains one of the best, if not the best, mid-tempo songs I've heard in the genre. |
| 8 |  | Glen Hansard
This Wild Willing
Post-Folk - 4.3/5.0
Favorite Song - "Don't Settle"
Another benefit of loving musical theatre. From the man who helped create "Once" comes a stupendous album of the brilliantly coined "post-folk" (credit to neekafat!). Relying as much on atmosphere as he does on his lyrics and vocals, "This Wild Willing" is an absolutely enthralling example of what the genre is capable of. |
| 7 |  | Craig Finn
I Need A New War
Indie Folk/Americana - 4.3/5.0
Favorite Song - "Grant at Galena"
Another one that plays to my love of storytelling, each track would be brilliant on its own just for the lyrics. Add the layers of instruments (with horns being put to quite good use) and this is an absolutely engaging slice of Americana. |
| 6 |  | The Tallest Man on Earth
I Love You. It's a Fever Dream.
Folk - 4.4/5
Favorite Song - "Hotel Bar"
Takes the best of "The Wild Hunt" and adds instrumental flourishes to make it sound like much needed progression without too much change in the sound. Also his best vocal performance to date, while lyrics are as good as ever. |
| 5 |  | Kayak Jones
You Swear It's Getting Better Every Day
Pop Punk/Emo - 4.6/5.0
Favorite Song - "Nose Blunt"
Admittedly has grown off of me, but still a pop punk record with plenty to offer. Combining the catchy choruses of pop punk, the emotional capacity of Midwestern Emo, and stronger instrumental capabilities than their peers, this has a lot to offer (even if the lyrics are admittedly lackluster). |
| 4 |  | La Dispute
Panorama
Post Hardcore - 4.6/5.0
Favorite Song - "Fulton Street I"
Combining the intensity of "Wildlife" with the personal touches of "Rooms of the House", "Panorama" might just be La Dispute's masterpiece. Dreyer's vocals and lyrics are as brilliant as ever, but the rest of the band gets their opportunity to shine as well. |
| 3 |  | Air Review
How We Got By
Synth Pop - 4.7/5.0
Favorite Song - "You Gotta Love Somebody"
Engaging synth pop that tells the story of the lead singer's foster child being taken forced to bureaucratic and forced to go to a home deemed not fit. The atmosphere is beautiful and the lyrics are heart-wrenching. Since I start my MSW in the fall, this is a another with strong personal connections. |
| 2 |  | Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
Routine Maintenance
Americana - 4.8/5.0
Favorite Song - "Runnin' Towards the Light"
This plays wonderfully into my other love of musical theatre. Tells a brilliant story, incredibly heartfelt, and even more incorporation of Americana elements from the debut. |
| 1 |  | Copeland
Blushing
Indie Pop - 5.0/5.0
Favorite Song - "Strange Flower"
Cliche at this point, but for a reason. Copeland's lush arrangements represent a dreamy haze, while Marsh's lyrics raise questions of love and longing. Enough moments of brilliance to keep this from monotony and to make it endlessly relistenable. |
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