Saturday, January 04, 2020

Top albums of 2019 (plus top albums of 2010s)

I continue to listen to less and less music...  But that doesn't mean that I can't still put together a year-end top albums list.  Unlike last year, when I threw my arms up and made no attempt to order the list, I'll at least try to rank the albums this year (despite not giving them an adequate amount of listens).  When I first began compiling these lists (and up until a couple of years ago), I used spreadsheets to tally up points to create the rankings; ain't nobody got time for that these days.  But here's a rough cut (with links to some of my favorite songs from some of the albums)...

  1. Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love
  2. James Blake - Assume Form
  3. Buke & Gase - Scholars
  4. Davido - A Good Time
  5. Joseph - Good Luck, Kid
  6. The New Pornographers - In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
  7. Foals - Everything Not saved Will Be Lost Part 1
  8. Tool - Fear Inoculum
  9. Lower Dens - The Competition
  10. elbow - Giants of All Sizes
  11. Somos - Prison on a Hill
  12. Tycho - Weather
  13. Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
  14. Sudan Archives - Athena
  15. Tender - Fear of Falling Asleep
  16. Clams Casino - Moon Trip Radio
  17. Thom Yorke - Anima
  18. Foals - Everything Not saved Will Be Lost Part 2
  19. Lillie Mae - Other Girls
  20. Burna Boy - African Giant

As a bonus, here's a list compiled because my good friend Tom asked what my top albums of the decade are.  I combed through the lists from 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and came up with this...
  1. Foals - Total Life Forever
  2. Beach House - Depression Cherry
  3. James Blake - Overgrown
  4. Other Lives - Rituals
  5. Moderat - III
  6. Bear in Heaven - I Love You, It's Cool
  7. Panda Bear - Tomboy
  8. The Range - Potential
  9. Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love
  10. Sigur Rós - Kveikur
  11. Alt-J - This is All Yours
  12. Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like a Bell
  13. Jónsi - Go
  14. Crystal Castles - (III)
  15. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins