My (Belated) Top 20 Best Albums Of 2019
Here is my (Very) belated best albums of 2019!
2019 was a great year in music, and the good albums more than made up for the...well lesser quality releases. There was some close competition this year, as some releases just barely missed the cut (Sorry Tylor The Creator and Lizzo!). |
| 22 |  | Bring Me the Horizon
Amo
NOTE: Ranking is #20
This album is the the "grower" of the year, when I first heard it, I hated it, but after hearing it more and more I love this. the changes from Rock to Dark synth to Nu metal to Pop and everything in between works well. even the weak moment "fresh bruises" is a pretty good song. This honestly might be one of my biggest score shifts (in a positive way) this album moved from a 1/5 to a 4.5/5 |
| 21 |  | The Who
Who
NOTE: Ranking is #19
Who knew The Whole was still going strong and putting out great music in 2019. |
| 20 |  | Yumi Nagashima
My Name Is Yumi
NOTE: Ranking is #18
Not music par say, but its an album so still counts. If you need a good laugh and like stand-up, give this a listen. The one song here is..very catchy to put it blunty. |
| 19 |  | Taylor Swift
Lover
NOTE: Ranking is #17
A return to form after a controversial outing, I really love how intimate and close this album is in its aesthetic. This album might have been a little higher had it not for "You Need To Calm Down", Regardless, it is impressive "Lover" made the list even with an song I did not care for. It's that great of an album |
| 18 |  | Amalee
Nostalgia VII
NOTE: Ranking is #16
Even if you are not a weeb, give this a spin, the arrangements are well done(with a bit of a personal touch) and surpass the originals. This is the best covers album of 2019. |
| 17 |  | Infant Annihilator
The Battle of Yaldabaoth
NOTE: Ranking is #14(TIE)
Read Deviloof below. |
| 16 |  | Deviloof
Oni (鬼)
NOTE: Ranking is #14(TIE)
Some brutal stuff, a lot of moments on here are just crazy and nuts. The musicianship is top-notch here too. looking for some strong deathcore? give this a spin. This comment applies to Infant Annihilator right above too. |
| 15 |  | Slipknot
We Are Not Your Kind
NOTE: Ranking is #13
This is a great comeback album (though not really as we won't get another slipknot album till 2027). This album is a strong blend of each era of the band. |
| 14 |  | NF
The Search
NOTE: Ranking is #12
What happens after you become famous? Will it make your problems go away? When are your 15 minutes of fame up? Will what you are currently working on be a flop that puts you in irrenvecny? These are the questions this album asks an interesting question about fame. It's also a look at depression as not only will fame not fix it, but it can make it worse. |
| 13 |  | Sabaton
The Great War
NOTE: Ranking is #11
An Epic recount of WW1 that still has the grave cost |
| 12 |  | Copeland
Blushing
NOTE: Ranking is #10
a romantic album about unrequited love or loving something that is not real. The arrangements on this are beautiful and make for a pleasant listen. |
| 11 |  | Korn
The Nothing
NOTE: Ranking is #9
Korn has an inconsistent discography but this album is not only one of the band's best albums in the catalog but it shows why the band is great in the first place. this is the most personal and raw album the band has put out in awhile. Jonathan Davis's performance is fantastic and like Fieldy's bass, the instrumental slaps |
| 10 |  | Jeff Williams
RWBY Volume 6 Soundtrack
NOTE: Ranking is #8
The orchestral section is absolutely fantastic, it's very diverse, the highlight is the horror themed “apathy”. The soundtrack side is very good too, and it's a strong offering without context of the show/ Their are some great bangers like “Rising”, “Lionize”, “nevermore”, and the breakdown in “miracle”.The remixes are well done and not a shoe in to pad runtime, like the atmospheric remix of “the path to isolation'' to the bassy remix of “the triumph” Plus the album has some real tearjerkers. like the doomed tragedy of “forever fall” or the personal bittersweet tribute to monty oum “Indomitable”. The composition all the way through is great and it throws some great left-field turns in both sections, shout out to the folk/ country rendition of “armed in ready” that is a lot of fun. |
| 9 |  | The Winking Owl
Thanks Love Letter (Thanksラブレター)
NOTE: Ranking is #7
This Band is inspired by western emo and post hardcore bands but they do stick out quite well, and their are electronics put in well for some ambiance. Luiza has a pleasant voice that fits this style really well and the songwriting is strong with sporting some really great melodies.. This is a very optimistic and uplifting album, so if you need something positive or things are rough, perhaps this will help you as much as it helped me. |
| 8 |  | BABYMETAL
Metal Galaxy
NOTE: Ranking is #6, also this is the Japanese Double LP version
This is a real fun blast, it is a really enjoyable double album...unlike another double album that came out this year *cough* Chris Brown’s Indigo *cough* This takes influences from different styles around the world and Babymetalifys them all to great effect. Su-metal gives a great performance and the band adapts really well from being a trio to a duo. |
| 7 |  | JPEGMAFIA
All My Heroes Are Cornballs
NOTE: Ranking is #5
Jesus forgive me, I am a thot for this album |
| 6 |  | Whitechapel
The Valley
NOTE: Ranking is #4
An Unrelenting and unforgiving album with an unexpected deathcore message about revenge, that even after the person who has caused you suffering dies, the pain never goes away. There are some nice cleaner melancholic moments to contrast with the more brutal moments, this is brutality with substance. |
| 5 |  | Lingua Ignota
Caligula
NOTE: Ranking is #3
Absolutely haunting and powerful, one of the most important and essential albums of not only the year but of this generation. Her vocal performance is just able to convey all these complex motions, on the basic level its from anger at a world that wronged her to the sadness that in the end she just wanted to be loved. This is not an album that can be enjoyed casually, and most people will only be able to stomach this album, but this is an album so important everyone, regardless of genre preference needs to hear at least once. |
| 4 |  | Fuki
Million Scarlets
NOTE: Ranking is #2
Fuki is one of the best vocalists currently active, so aside from her amazing performance. This album, in general, is fun. From the more metal side of Fuki to the J-pop and anime OST like side of her. So there's a bit of diversity in this album too. |
| 3 |  | The Devil Wears Prada
The Act
NOTE: 1-3 are all tied for #1
An album that not only combines all the progression the band has made but adds more to it. The songwriting is just phenomenal thought. it is not afraid to go to some dark territories, as is something the band is known for doing for. With songs like “Please say no”(which is based off the novel “Never come morning” by Nelson Algren, and just from the synopsis alone is really bleak.) and “Isn't it strange”.(there is a reason the bands is also referred to as "the depression wears Prada"). The band is not set on being complacent, there are many bold risks the band takes on this album, and every single one pays off with several different elements and themes in place. This is an album that not only expanded their own sound, but a genre has a whole because they did not ditch metalcore, they just expanded it. this is a genre-defining album. |
| 2 |  | OK Goodnight
limbo
NOTE: 1-3 are all tied for #1
Casey Lee Williams strikes again as lady's and gents i present to you, the best new artist of 2019! Most beautiful album of the year, the clean moments are rather majestic and the album has the right amount of punch when there needs to be and when it punches it is quite the jab, thanks to the nice deep tone from the bass. The whole instrumentation is really strong thought and Casey’s vocals really help with taking the listener on a journey with this album, and they really do add another layer and element to the track, such as her falsetto vocalization on “Sanctuary”.this album's length is also perfect. Nothing is too long where it drags on, and nothing is too short where I would have desired things to be expanded upon. This is one of the most impressive debuts i've heard, with how focused and cohesive it is, this is the kind of output that would happen after a few releases for any other band when they reach that level when they become great. |
| 1 |  | Band-Maid
Conqueror
NOTE: 1-3 are all tied for #1
What happens when a band makes their magnum opus? Why do those bands usually fall off right after? There are 2 cases, case A.) the band is constantly trying to recreate the magic of that magnum opus and falls short, or case B.) the band goes in a completely new direction that not only alienates most of their fan base, but the band loses their own identity in the process. Not the case here, rather than making “World domination 2” they go for something more vibrant as this is rich in layers and has a ton of replay value,with each listen there is something new to love. Here it shows the improvement of the band and the musicianship from the whole band is still very top notch, and it does showcase how diverse the band is stylistically, the band can pretty much do any style they want and pull it off. This is still BAND-MAID as the band now has 2 magnum opuses is their discography. in a rare occurrence, Band-Maid CONQUERED the magnum opus fatigue with ease! |
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