Believe it or not, 2019 has been the first year in living memory where I haven’t actively tried to stay on the pulse of new music. For anyone reading this who doesn’t know me — in just 2 months time me and my wife are expecting our first child. As you can imagine I have gleefully let this engulf me like a huge duvet and have spent the last 6 months revelling in the excitement, anticipation and momentum of the whole thing. It’s been the best year of my life already, and that’s saying something after 2018. But I have just about managed to keep an ear out for the odd album here and there, and I wanted to document 25 of the best of them from January — June in purely alphabetical order below. I’m not sure if — come December — I’ll be able to do an Albums of the Year with a 3-month old baby in tow, which made this seem all the more worth doing while I can. Enjoy!
Anderson .Paak — Ventura
Last year’s Oxnard was fantastic but still one of the year’s disappointments; which should say everything about how high a bar Paak set on 2016’s Malibu. It sounded like he’d let producer Dr. Dre take the reigns too much, but on Ventura he’s back to his soulful self, weaving that hazy, seaside evening vibe that we love him for. Featuring Andre 3000!
Beast Coast — Escape from NY
On which Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, Nyck @ Knight and Joey Bada$$ comes together with other Pro Era members to deliver the best posse album of the year. The 9 different vocalists are held together by beats from Powers Pleasant that push the envelope in hip hop sonics. I’ve been listening to it every time I run and it pushes me faster.
Dave — Psychodrama
UK rap’s most promising rising star, Dave AKA Santan Dave makes a powerful opening statement by framing his debut around a therapy session. The results are a powerful cry of resilience against the backdrop of tough neighbourhoods and systemic, nation-wide racism. Dave’s inimitable story-telling is on show here too, centring around a silencing account of domestic abuse.
Denzel Curry — ZUU
No-one was expecting Florida’s Denzel Curry to return from one of the best and most vital albums of 2018 any time soon. But here he was not 10 months later with an explosive tribute to his home town and the legends it has produced. It’s simultaneously more personal than TA1300 while managing to also be lighter and more fun. It’s the sound of youth.
Finn Andrews — One Piece At A Time
Finn Andrews’ day job is lead singer of The Veils — possibly the best band you’ve never heard of. I’ve been enamoured by them since their debut all the way back in 2004 and the main proponent to the fandom is in Andrews’ Prince-like yelp and Cave-esque lyricism. In short; he’s an artistic genius and this beautiful collection of solo numbers only cements that further.
Flume — Hi This Is Flume
I personally felt like Flume’s 2016 sophomore Skin suffered from the exact same problem as Disclosure’s debut — a genuine electronic talent bogged down by expensive DJ sets and too many features. So even the idea of this off-the-cuff mixtape appealed to me. And it didn’t disappoint: this is the Australian prodigy doing what he does best; pushing the boundaries of sound.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Bandana
I loved the pair last team up, one of the decade’s best, Piñata. But while it was a great showcase for Madlib and the many (15!) guests I don’t think it’s Gibbs’ best work. Bandana however is seriously in the running. He’s skates nimbly over the producer’s many challenges, showcasing himself as undoubtedly a Top 5 rapper working at the height of his powers. Powerful.
FONTAINES D.C. — Dogrel
I make no bones about it — I’m no authority on punk music; or anything under its umbrella. But once or twice a year I’m introduced to something that blows my face off (2018: hello, Idles) and so far this year it’s been FONTAINES D.C. the Irish post-punks from Dublin. This has the same unhinged, sweaty danger as Idles but with added Irish, and it’s fucking brilliant.
GoldLink — Diaspora
I’ve always enjoyed Goldlink’s melodic flow but didn’t think he had a Great Album in him, but here we absolutely are. Diaspora — as the name suggests — spans many places and many voices but essentially all builds towards the same shared goal: movement, power and spirit. It’s a thrill from start to finish while familiar and unfamiliar guests all equally shine, as does their host.
HEALTH — VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR
2015’s Death Magic was a huge turning point for the LA noise-punk outfit as they fully embraced soaring melody alongside their destructive experimental sounds. But, much like a cartoon villain disgusted by the realisation that they’re softening, HEALTH’s fourth album saw them lurch back into darkness, and with more horror and fervour than ever before. A terrifying ride.
Holly Herndon — Proto
This was my favourite discovery of the year. I’d known about Herndon before but never properly listened to her; only giving this a try on the strength of a captivating video. The best way I can describe how this album makes me feel is by likening it to watching Alex Garland’s sci-fi oddity Annihilation. There is a creeping sense of doom throughout, but also a resignation to the future.
Injury Reserve — Injury Reserve
The trio are rap’s best kept secret and they deserve to be huge. This, their 3rd record showcases more of their restless experimentation as well as savagely hard-hitting lyrics and flawless flows. Also, my lyric of the year so far: “Back in my head, Picasso-ing our kids / Hoping they’re more of you and all this love you give / Hoping they meet someone that make them feel like this.” Wow.
James Blake — Assume Form
Everyone’s favourite singer/producer returned in January to shake off the unfair and pejorative ‘sad boy’ tag with a joyous album about falling in life and being enriched by a second half to yourself. With production contributions from Metro Boomin and a host of vocal collaborators, it was Blake’s most lively and effervescent record yet, resetting exceptions.
Kevin Abstract — Arizona Baby
It was probably time that Brockhampton took a break after four albums in just 15 months. I loved them all but they needed a break to stop and try something new. In the interim, leader Kevin Abstract went back to solo and released a stunning pop album with the help of Lorde/St Vincent/Lana Del Rey producer Jack Antonoff. It showcased his star quality perfectly.
Little Simz — Grey Area
I’ve been saying it for years — Little Simz is the UK’s best rapper. She’d proven it already but Grey Area seemed to be the moment that everyone finally sat up and took notice. Her latest injected a restless funk to proceedings, not 100 miles away from the soul that ran through Kendrick’s To Pimp A Butterfly. But while he dealt with nationwide issues, Simz is all about self-empowerment.
Lizzo — Cuz I Love You
If you know you know — Lizzo been ready for the spotlight for a long time. Ever since ‘Truth Hurts’ in 2017, we’ve known she’s 100% That Bitch but with recent performances at the BET Awards and Glastonbury that demanded praise, finally the rest of the world took notice. Her new album is exploding with attitude and personality, but most importantly the music rules.
This is also My Wife’s Hot Pick™ for 2019 so far.
Octavian — Endorphins
The UK’s brightest hope returned in June with a second mixtape — completely different tonally from last year’s exceptional Spaceman but every bit as thrilling. This time round we get more singing, more experimentation and actual guitars. The features are interesting but none steal the light from this rising star. Get involved now before he’s a megastar.
ScHoolboy Q — CrasH Talk
This was a funny one for me — the lead single ‘Numb Numb Juice’ was the just the kind of twisted assault I’ve come to expect from the hard-nosed TDE rapper. But an initial spin of the full album revealed a mixed bag and mixed results. But somehow it became a massive grower and is now — to me — one of the most essential collection of rap songs this year.
Shlohmo — The End
While not as immersive and heady as 2015’s Dark Red, Shlohmo’s new album was another exploration into the special kind of murky psychosis only LA beat music can conjure. While he’s released better albums, there are songs on here that are absolute career-highs; namely the title track which takes everything we love the producer for and pounds it to a dizzying maximum.
Skepta — Ignorance Is Bliss
Since Skepta single-handedly dragged Grime into a new era and long-overdue prominence in the UK charts, he’s had a baby daughter and closed ranks. The result is an album that proudly states that it trusts no-one, expects nothing from anyone and has nothing to prove to anyone but his nearest and dearest. It’s sometimes a hard listen, but always vital.
Slowthai — Nothing Great About Britain
If Tyron Frampton is where Grime is going next then I can’t wait to see where we go in the next couple of years. Somewhere between punk and hip hop — think Jamie T going over a distorted harp-sampling banger — he is undoubtedly The Real Deal. And from the album title to the shots he fires at deserving figures of authority in his lyrics, we need him now.
The Tallest Man on Earth — I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream.
I read somewhere that the Swedish singer-songwriter recently went through a divorce in the lead-up to recording this album, but if you’re familiar with his striking strain of melancholy poetry, it doesn’t really change the tone much. What we have here is another essential collection of folk songs that peer into the inner self and dive in without shame.
These New Puritans — Inside The Rose
Let me preface by affirming my belief that TNP are the UK’s most underrated act. Jack Barnett is a musical genius and hopefully the rest of the world will begin to cotton on. This, their first in six years was well worth the wait. If you’re tired of hearing the same sounds and melodies then I implore you to give this a go and open your mind to something truly original.
Tyler, the Creator — IGOR
I loved Tyler and OFWGKTA when I was 18 but the shtick quickly wore off. But with last year’s Flower Boy there suddenly seemed to be so much more to the young rapper than originally offered, and in this the follow up that potential bursts into life. All at once confrontational, beautiful and confounding; we’re hearing a real creative reaching full bloom.
Vampire Weekend — Father of the Bride
This is not an album I expected to love, but 1 minute into the opening song a modulated choir burst into the mix and I was immediately hooked. The rest of the album’s hour runtime doesn’t let up once as the band try about 100 things they’ve never done before — somehow all of them successful experiments. I’m glad they’re still around and pushing themselves further.
Some Honourable Mentions
Baroness — Gold & Grey, Billie Eilish — When We All Fall Asleep.., The Black Keys — “Let’s Rock”, Flying Lotus — Flamagra, Jamila Woods — Legacy! Legacy!, J-E-T-S — ZOOSPA, Loyle Carner — Not Waving, But Drowning, Mereba — The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, Murlo — Dolos, The National — I Am Easy To Find, Nilüfer Yanya — Miss Universe, Solange — When I Get Home, Thom Yorke — ANIMA, Weyes Blood — Titanic Rising, Vegyn — Text While Driving If You Want To Meet God!, YG — 4REAL 4REAL
