In January, I mused about 2019 wasn't an overly spectacular year for music. Eight months later, I feel a bit differently. There were several career-best efforts (Lana Del Rey's Norman Fucking Rockwell, Alleageon's Apoptosis, Shadow of Intent's Melancholy) some inspired revitalizations from acts that I had completely written off (Children of Bodom, Whitechapel, Korn) and a few records that have significantly grown on me in recent months (Gunna's Drip or Drown 2, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Infest the Rats' Nest, While She Sleeps' So What?). While that's not grounds to declare 2019 a revelatory year, it's certainly enough to make it more notable than I had thought it was when I was writing my initial year-end list.
With that retrospective take in mind, here's an updated look at the musical offerings of 2019 which incudes 3 new entries (w/quick blurbs) and a top 25 that features some pretty prominent movement.
()=indicates ranking on initial year-end list
EP's:
6.(6)Drake-The Best in the World Pack (C)
5.(5)Future-Save Me (C+)
4.(4)Lil Nas X-7 (B-)
3.(3)Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA baby (B)
2.(2)$ucideboy$ and Travis Barker-Live Fast Die Whenever (B)
1.(1) Action Bronson and The Alchemist-Lamb Over Rice (B)
LP's:
106.(103)ScHoolboy Q-CrasH Talk (D+)
105.(102)Hootie & the Blowfish-Imperfect Circle (D+)
104.(101)Kanye West-Jesus is King (C-)
103.(100)Charli XCX-Charli (C-)
102.(99)Tyler, the Creator-IGOR (C-)
101.(98)James Blake-Assume Form (C-)
100.(97)Yelawolf-Trunk Muzik 3 (C)
99.(96)Pile-Green and Gray (C)
98.(95)PUP-Morbid Stuff (C)
97.(94)Baroness-Gold and Grey (C)
96.(93)Sharon Van Etten-Remind Me Tomorrow (C+)
95.(92)Hath-Of Rot and Ruin (C+)
94.(new)Lil Keed-Long Live Mexico (C+)
Young Thug protégé Lil Keed doesn't have enough personality or general mic skills to justify releasing a 20 track/nearly 65 minute record. A lack of overly memorable flows or beats lead to all of the tracks bleeding together after the opening stretch of the record and it makes for a bloated effort that isn't particularly fun, catchy or interesting.
93.(91)Jackboys-Jackboys (C+)
92.(90)Vampire Weekend-Father of the Bride (C+)
91.(89)Beast Coast-Escape from New York (C+)
90.(88)Secret Band-LP2 (C+)
89.(87)JPEGMAFIA-All My Heroes Are Cornballs (C+)
88.(86)Foals-Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 (C+)
87.(85)Future-The WZRD (C+)
86.(84)Wristmeetsrazor-Misery Never Forgets (C+)
85.(83)Offset-FATHER OF 4 (C+)
84.(82)The Number Twelve Looks Like You-Wild Gods (C+)
83.(81)Trippie Redd-A Love Letter to You 4 (C+)
82.(80)Angel Olsen-All Mirrors (C+)
81.(79)Thaiboy Digital-Legendary Member (B-)
80.(78)Soilwork-Verkligheten (B-)
79.(77)Camilla Cabello-Romance (B-)
78.(76)The Black Keys-“Let's Rock” (B-)
77.(75)Kevin Abstract-ARIZONA BABY (B-)
76.(74)DaBaby-Kirk (B-)
75.(new) Roddy Ricch-Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial (B-)
Roddy Ricch is the latest young rapper with an intriguing, dynamic set of musical skills (wide range of flows, ability to craft catchy hooks/melodies, solid legit singing ability) and serious potential that just hasn't put it together yet. The handful of show-stopping standouts ("The Box", "War Baby", "Start wit Me", "High Fashion", "Moonwalkin") are ultimately overshadowed by the sizable chunk of competent yet nondescript pop rap/trap tracks that surround them. That being said, this is still a respectable debut LP for Ricch that he'll hopefully be able to build off on his next effort-which has a chance of being released before the end of this year.
74.(73)King Princess-Cheap Queen (B-)
73.(72)Royal Coda-Compassion (B-)
72.(71)Taylor Swift-Lover (B-)
71.(70)Caroline Polachek-Pang (B-)
70.(69)DaBaby-Baby on Baby (B-)
69.(68)Fallujah-Undying Light (B-)
68.(67) Antagonize-Slip Death (B-)
67.(new) Doja Cat-Hot Pink (B-)
Hot Pink is the musical equivalent of a pure power hitter in baseball. There are a lot of ugly strikeouts, but when it connects, it's a true spectacle that's dazzling to behold. Is this formula maddening at times? Absolutely. However, sitting through some stinkers becomes much more forgivable when there's pieces of pure, radiant gold buried between them. Consistency really is Doja Cat's worst enemy at this point and if she can put out an album worth of tracks that are the same quality of the magical disco pop banger "Say So" or the deliriously energetic "Won't Bite", she'll be in business moving forward.
66.(66)Amon Amarth-Berserker (B)
65.(65)Injury Reserve-Injury Reserve (B)
64.(64)Maggie Rogers-Heard It in A Past Life (B)
63.(63)Exhumed-Horror (B)
62.(62)Fit for An Autopsy-The Sea of Tragic Beasts (B)
61.(61)EARTHGANG-Mirrorland (B)
60.(60)Inculter-Fatal Visions (B)
59.(59)Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Bandana (B)
58.(58) Car Bomb-Mordial (B)
57.(57)Trippie Redd-! (B)
56.(53)As I Lay Dying-Shaped by Fire (B)
55.(56) Thy Art is Murder-Human Target (B)
54.(54)Weyes Blood-Titanic Rising (B)
53.(52)Knocked Loose-A Different Shade of Blue (B)
52.(51)Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats-Anger Management (B)
51.(50)Hozier-Wasteland, Baby! (B)
50.(49)Fleshgod Apocalypse-Veleno (B)
49.(48) Big K.R.I.T.-K.R.I.T. IZ Here (B)
48.(46) Carnifex-World War X (B)
47.(30) Killswitch Engage-Atonement (B)
46.(44) Blood Incantation-Hidden History of the Human Race (B)
45.(43)City Morgue-City Morgue Vol.2: As Good as Dead
44.(42)Despised Icon-Purgatory (B)
43.(45)Rings of Saturn-Gidim (B)
42.(47)Kelsey Lu-Blood (B)
41.(39)Young Nudy & P'ierre Bourne-Sli'mierre (B)
40.(38)Carly Rae Jepsen-Dedicated (B)
39.(41)Megan thee Stallion-Fever (B)
38.(32)Venom Prison-Samsara (B)
37.(36) Post Malone-Hollywood's Bleeding (B)
36.(35)Born of Osiris-The Simulation (B)
35.(34) Billie Eilish-When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (B)
34.(33)Lil Pump-Harverd Dropout (B)
33.(40)While She Sleeps-SO WHAT? (B)
32.(31) BROCKHAMPTON-GINGER (B)
31.(29) Korn-The Nothing (B)
30.(28)Equipoise-Demirgus (B+)
29.(27)The Callous Daoboys-Die on Mars (B+)
28.(26)Critical Defiance-Misconception (B+)
27.(25)2 Chainz-Rap or Go to the League (B+)
26.(24)Itacha-The Language of Injury (B+)
25.(23)Counterparts-Nothing Left to Love (B+)
24.(22)Sadistic Ritual-Visionarie of Death (B+)
23.(20)Periphery-Periphery IV: HAIL STAN (B+)
22.(19)Slipknot-We Are Not Your Kind (B+)
21.(55)King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Infest the Rats' Nest (B+)
20.(21)Norma Jean-All Hail (B+)
19.(17)After the Burial-Evergreen (B+)
18.(16)Tove Lo-Sunshine Kitty (B+)
17.(37)Gunna-Drip or Drown 2 (B+)
16.(15)Ariana Grande-thank u, next (B+)
15.(14) Danny Brown-uknowwhatimsayin? (B+)
14.(18)Shadow of Intent-Melancholy (B+)
13.(13)Sturgill Simpson-Sound & Fury (B+)
12.(12)FKA twigs-Magadelene (B+)
11.(11)Moon Tooth-Crux (B+)
10.(10)Young Thug-So Much Fun (B+)
9.(9)Anderson. Paak-Ventura (B+)
8.(8)Banks-III (A-)
7.(7)Thank You Scientist-Terraformer (A-)
6.(6)SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-The Correlation Between Entrance and Exit Wounds (A-)
5.(5)Children of Bodom-Hexed (A-)
4.(4)Whitechapel-The Valley (A-)
3.(3)Denzel Curry-ZUU (A-)
2.(2)Allegaeon-Apoptosis (A)
1.(1)Lana Del Rey-Norman Fucking Rockwell! (A+)
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