2019 was one bizarre year for music. Kanye started a church in Wyoming, the Grammys actually got it right, and a country trap song became the biggest hit ever. And nothing screams “bizarre” like us at SCAD Radio, who vigorously defended our music tastes to pound out our 10 favorite LPs of the year. Be sure to look at our favorite albums of the DECADE as well, and check out our Top 10 Songs of 2019 list.
#10 III– The Lumineers
Run the Jewels and The Weeknd had successes this decade crafting trilogies, and The Lumineers added themselves to the list with one single album. III is an epic spanning three generations of a family ravaged by addiction. In the heat of the opioids crisis, the folk-rock band’s release is cinematic excellency aided by music videos pumping even more life to their universe that sadly isn’t unfamiliar.
#9 thank u, next– Ariana Grande
If a pop album has its playlist in all lowercase these days, that’s an inexplicable indication it’s gonna be great. What’s not inexplicable is that barely six months off of Sweetener, the former Nickelodeon star added another dose of sugar with thank u, next. Emanating as much fearsomeness as humility, it hosts different aspects of Grande’s worldview to the steamy (friends with benefits-ballad “bloodline”) to the serious (lowkey feminist anthem “fake smile”). The final trio is the dessert, a spicy Sound of Music mix in “7 rings,” the deliriously trappy “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” and of course, the title track: an antithesis from the sappy heartbroken heroine cliché to cement Ari as one of pop’s most forward-thinking delights.
#8 Father of the Bride– Vampire Weekend
The flappy sounds of Vampire Weekend’s fourth LP mimic the pleasantness of your wedding day, but Koenig & co’s dark lyrics give the fear your loved one’s skeptical father would subliminally emit. The six-year hiatus taken by the band proved to be no downgrade whatsoever, even with the departure of one of their members.
#7 Cuz I Love You– Lizzo
With depression on the rise and the world seemingly crashing down for many people, Lizzo was the musical Prozac we needed. Though “Truth Hurts” and “Good as Hell” exploded this year, her debut offering is destined to go down as one of the most quotable albums ever. “Slow songs are for skinny hoes,” “only exes that I care about are in my f**king chromosomes,” just a few of the treasured chants for your shower concerts.
#6 Zuu– Denzel Curry
What Illmatic is for New York hip-hop, Zuu is where Miami throws their hat in the rap ring. This Zuu is where Curry showcases his roar. He’s an aggressive force on the mic with anecdotes of a place proven to be more than a flamboyant Spring break spot. You could call it one of the most well-written hip-hop albums of the era- until you find out Curry freestyled the entire thing.
#5 Dedicated– Carly Rae Jepsen
E•MO•TION catapulted Carly Rae Jepsen beyond just being the lady behind “Call Me Maybe,” and Dedicated proves her pop music alternative is here to stay. It’s caressing, but never feels too mushy with some slamming production here (“Now That I Found You”) and moderate hip-swaying there (“Want You In My Room”).
Read our review of Dedicated here.
#4- Norman F**king Rockwell!– Lana Del Rey
From Pepsi cola-flavored privates to erotic duets with The Weeknd, Lizzy Grant’s journey has been one of a kind. On her complex fifth album, she enters her final form as a sorrowful savant. Rockwell’s writing channels some of Lana’s finest work yet and has a heavier focus on piano than you’d ever hear from the Born to Die era. It’s stripped down compared to its predecessors, but moments like the outro on “The greatest” and the silky “doin’ time” cover helped Lana own 2019- let’s just forget about that Charlie’s Angels song…
Check out our review for this landmark album here.
#3- Igor– Tyler, the Creator
Once envisioned solely as a rapper, Tyler, the Creator dips his feet into some retro funk, a similar road Childish Gambino took with “Awaken, My Love!”. Igor plays like some kind of R&B opera, Jerrod Carmichael narrating the title goblin’s soupy love triangle that sonically speaking, is as abstract as the man behind it.
#2 Better Oblivion Community Center– Better Oblivion Community Center
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus weren’t the only duo to dominate 2019: Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst’s terrific collaboration is as odd as their namesake would suggest. The pair fuses their powers marvelously, creating a dynamic with Oberst as the indie rock veteran and Bridgers as a rising star, but neither of them tries to outdo each other. This is their first collab (save for his feature on Bridgers’ 2017 debut), and tricks you into thinking they’ve been playing with each other for years- almost a modern-day Sonny and Cher.
#1 WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?– Billie Eilish
It’s the culmination of the pop music redrawing that’s dominated this decade. Artists like Lana and Marina flipped the script with an authentic sound of their own, and Eilish and her brother’s craft is a clearly distinguishable method in their weird world. Finneas’ sunken set pieces, Billie’s ominously muffled vocals, it all may as well have a “TM” printed next to it. She isn’t one to try to baffle you with her enigma, rather one aware of her surroundings and wholly in touch with today’s youth- equal parts sarcastic (dad seducing on “bad guy”), swaggering (fiery “you should see me in a crown”), and self-depreciative (suicidal “listen before i go”). Every generation has a beloved musician journaling the era they were raised in- now Gen Z has Billie Eilish.
