Why will you remember 2019? What will make you think back to it and have a warming feeling? What meaning does it have to ‘end’ a decade?  

Here we are. At another finale. A change that doesn’t mean a lot, but we give it significance in order to make sense of everything that happens in the span of ten years. But the discussion of the decade is for another moment, right now, let’s focus in its last year.

Musically, 2019 was surprising and that is a bit unfair to say. As if artists and musicians would say: hey, let’s not release an album in the last year of the decade, nobody would care! Some music publications were already making their end-of-the-decade lists in September and October. What would have happened if D’Angelo made a suprise release or Daft Punk suddenly decided the turn of the decade was the perfect moment to come back? Anyway, there were tons of valuable and amazing records this year, ending the 2010s in a pretty marvelous fashion.  

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds closed one of the best late-career runs ever with Ghosteen; Wilco released their eleventh album, Ode To Joy; Angel Olsen kept cementing her place in the musical canon with All Mirrors; Bill Callahan returned after six years without a record; Thom Yorke came out with his most accomplished solo album, Anima. There was no shortage of great debuts, some artists decided to do something new to great results and others released their best efforts to date. In summary, if 2019 was to be considered a year that couldn’t give us much, it did, closing a versatile and suprsingly fruitful decade. Let’s have many more, shall we?

20. The National – I Am Easy To Find (4ad)

The National had an astounding run in the 2010s, and became my favorite band of the decade in the meantime. They capped it all with I Am Easy To Find, their most collaborative effort to date, and an ambitious take on expanding the band’s sound. Every song notably sees vocalist Matt Berninger sharing protagonism. Kate Stables, Gail Ann Dorsey and Mina Tindle are three of the several women that accompany Berninger and help reinterpretate his lyrics. The album is a welcomed introduction to what is probably a new phase of the band and a great finish to their 4-album run in the last ten years.

19. Lana del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell! (Polydor/Interscope)

On her most accomplished album to date, Lana del Rey lives up to her never-ending influences with a great classic-pop album. She uses Jack Antonoff’s excellent production to display her songwriting at its best. NFR! is exhaustive in its vision and ambitious in its building. Del Rey’s delivery is at a career high and it never slows down. From the first few engaging notes of ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ to the coda of the muted ballad ‘hope is a dangerous thing for me to have – but i have it’, this sprawling album demonstrates Lana’s evolution as one of the best songwriters in pop out there.  

18. Angel Olsen – All Mirrors (Jagjaguwar)

On her ambitious fourth album Angel Olsen strips away from the folk and indie-rock aesthetic that we could commonly associate with her and goes full orchestral chamber pop. On All Mirrors production aims for a big sound surrounding Olsen’s almost angelic voice. She sings about seeing herself grow after a break-up, one that forced her to retreat to write the barebones versions of these songs. With the help of producer John Congleton this songs became anthemic, resulting in an album of magnificent beauty. This woman is really a marvel.  

17. Thom Yorke – ANIMA (XL)

Thom Yorke hasn’t made a lot of noise with his solo outings after his debut. At least not enough to drown out you-know-who. But still, his work has been at least consistently interesting and that continues to be the case in ANIMA. This is not only his most solid solo effort in a while, but also a showcase of the way he’s paving lately with songs like ‘Traffic’ and ‘Not The News’. At the middle of it is ‘Dawn Chorus’ with its stark and pretty synth, one of Yorke’s most devastating songs this decade (overall), hands down. In this album he combines his cold and minimal electronic aesthetic with more warm synths and acousitc arrangements, resulting in a cohesive and satisfying record.    

16. Tindersticks – No Treasure But Hope (Lucky Dog/City Slang)

Tindersticks is a long-running indie rock band that goes back to 1991. They’ve always maintained a low profile but have never stopped recording. This is their 12th album, and it is a pure showcase of their experience in arrangement and songwriting. On No Treasure But Hope, frontman Stuart A. Staples uses his unique baritone voice to embellish the polished instrumentation in the tracks. Every instrument has its own space and like in highlight ‘Tough Love’ sometimes add up to make the songs grow without being disrupted. This is nuanced, perfectly-made and classically influenced indie-rock.

15. Bedouine – Birds Songs of a Killjoy (Spacebomb)

Syrian-American musician, Azniv Korkejian, writing as Bedouine, is an emerging folk singer-songwriter with a gentle and relatable voice. Bird Songs of a Killjoy, is an excellently rendered folk record with acoustic guitar, strings and the ocassional piano. In it, Bedouine describes scenes with various themes all from her own perspective. And musically, the album is soothing and easy-going. Nothing about it feels odd or exaggerated. Korkejian truly delivers an excellent sounding record, with only the power of her craft.

14. Wilco – Ode To Joy (dBpm)

Wilco’s presence this decade was of less prominence but still relevant, releasing 4 albums and touring endlessly (they’re finally coming to Mexico on January 25th). In the fourth of them, Ode To Joy, the Chicago veterans find themselves in a place of confort. Lost is the urgency of the first two albums of this decade, but not the musicianship. This songs are quiet and gentle but the band showcases their long-lasting chemistry. Lyrically, frontman Jeff Tweedy, deals with aging and legacy and also puts poetically his views of the state of love in today’s society. This is their best album of the decade.

13. Tyler, The Creator – IGOR (A Boy Is A Gun)

Tyler, The Creator’s evolution throughout the decade has caught enough attention. In IGOR he creates a story surrounding a love triangle where he is relegated by the man he loves by his ex-girlfriend. Throughout the album he uses samples, R&B and soul influences to build every track without a strict structure making the songs feel free for Tyler to express his frustrating unrequited love. I absolutely love the beats on ‘I THINK’ and ‘A BOY IS A GUN’, and the instrumentation on top of them is superb. Tyler’s delivery is subdued at times but that doesn’t hides his emotions, which he puts front and center in this solid alternative hip-hop album.

12. Caroline Polachek – Pang (Perpetual Novice)

A versatile art-pop album that shares this particular trait with the artist’s voice. Caroline Polachek, former member of the defunct indie-pop band, Chairlift, has an exciting delivery and gives life to every song on the record. Whether is the ethereal ‘Insomnia’, where she reaches an unfathomable high note, or the simple yet excellent tone in lead-single ‘Door’, Polachek never hesitates. Lyrically the record showcases the singer’s penchant for describing 21st century romantic love in original ways. Just take the title of ‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feeligs’, where, of course, she sings at top of her lungs. I invite you to open her door.

11. Big Thief – UFOF (4ad)

In thier third album singer Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek, bassist Max Oleartchik and bassist James Krivchenia conjure folk-rock that is beyond this world. The acoustic arrangements and the production are astounding and the band’s talents are excellently portrayed. In UFOF, Big Thief go from gentle acoustic tracks (‘Orange’) to evocative dream-pop (‘Jenni’) but it’s in tracks more characteristically theirs like ‘Cattails’ and ‘Century’ that we can see how good these guys are. Lenker’s lyrics are poetical and treat love and identity with care and nuance, her voice goes from whispery to ethereal in a heartbeat. This record is Big Thief at their very, very best. Oh yeah, and there’s another one.  

10. Jamila Woods – Legacy! Legacy! (Jagjaguwar)

In her second album, Chicago-based R&B artist Jamila Woods names every song after an artist she considers relevant to her life and own art. She uses influences of the lives of these artists (musicians, poets, visual artists) to express her own view of the world as a black woman in the 21st century. Moreover, she discusses her current feelings with relationships and how she has find herself and has find time to love herself before loving someone else. ‘Who wanna share my love for me with me?’ she sings in ‘EARTHA’ (referring to Eartha Kitt, a prominent black performer in the 50s) a few songs after stating ‘I am not your typical girl’. And that’s exactly what defines Jamila Woods. The music surrounding is pristine, the songs have hip-hop influenced beats and arrangements. There’s a guitar solo in ‘GIOVANNI’ (Nikki Giovanni is a celebrated african-american poet currently teaching at Virginia Tech) that reminds me of 90s R&B. And at the center is Woods’ voice, which transforms as she pleases giving poignancy to every word she sings. Like if you needed another reason to pay her all your attention.  

9. Big Thief – Two Hands (4ad)

If it wasn’t clear until now, Big Thief proved they are one of the best rock bands of the moment by releasing a second album in 2019, one that it’s equally amazing as the first one and, if you judge them by this list, even a little better. Two Hands is raw and soulful. The band sounds present like if Adrianne Lenker is whispering in your ear, of course in this album she does more than whispering. Her voice reaches compelling highs and her lyrics still find herself dealing with self-love and the influence of relationships. But what really stands out of the album is the band’s rapport. These are 4 great musicians, playing together for the sake of playing, resulting in an album that has solid indie-rock tracks like ‘Forgotten Eyes’, and even the mind-blowing and emotional jam ‘Not’, probably the best rock song of the year. Big Thief are here to rule and I’m more than happy with that.  

8. Brittany Howard – Jaime (ATO)

Named after her late sister, Brittany Howard’s solo debut, Jaime, is a work of art that freshly pays tribute to her cultural heritage. The album combinations of R&B, jazz, hip-hop beats and soul is perfectly arranged. The short, sharp songs are all connected by way of one trait: Howard’s own voice. In the end, that’s the centerpiece of the album. Her vocals morph with each song, going from sweet whispers to piercing high notes that highlight her ability even more than her work with Alabama Shakes. This is also because what she’s talking about feel more personal and straightforward. Throughout the album Howard discusses love, her race, her beliefs and her role as a queer woman in today’s society. But despite how she puts herself out throughout these tracks Brittany Howard sounds free, both musically and personally, resulting in a very engaging and versatile album.  

7. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow (Jagjaguwar)

On her most personal and raw album to date, Sharon Van Etten crafts a darker sound by way of putting her emotions up front over ominous synths and drum beats. On the 5 year gap before releasing Remind Me Tomorrow, she went back to school, got married and became a mother. All these life-changing events influence the songs in a powerful way. ‘I’m feeling the changes’, she sings on ‘Hands’ and later claiming ‘I wanna make sense of it all’. After that verse the songs pulls the listener into a thunderous chorus that helps transmiting Van Etten’s feelings. The album plays a lot with these dynamics and it’s most evident in ‘Seventeen’. In this ode to NYC and her own youth, Sharon Van Etten calls for the past without forgetting where she’s at now, all over a rhythmic and powerful synth-pop track. ‘I know what you’re gonna be!’ she screams in what I think is the album’s climax, a moment of pure emotion that represents the sound of a woman getting into terms with who she was and who she is now. Oh, did I mention she has an amazing voice too?

6. Bon Iver – i,i (Jagjaguwar)

For Emma, Forever Ago was winter. Bon Iver, Bon Iver was spring. 22, A Million was summer. On i,i, Bon Iver’s autumn album, the band does an excellent job in combining loud and quiet sounds, both in deeply arresting ways. Lyrically, the album deals with spirituality and the very question of how to live it. Vernon opens up, showing through his eccentric language a new tendency to question his beliefs while also sounding at peace with himself. This time, his voice is more present than ever which helps these song sound earthly. The band’s knack for acoustic, instrument-based melodies is excellently mixed with the electronics and processed vocals we’ve come to grown fond of. i,i really lives in a space that Bon Iver hadn’t been before, and yet it is a marvelous combination of every strength the band has already shown. I want another season cycle worth of Bon Iver albums, if it is not too much to ask.  

5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (Ghosteen/Bad Seed)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have made a string of albums this decade that not only cement their status as one of the greatest long-running rock bands there are, but also showcases their capability to go beyond their already wide-reaching sound. The culmination of this sound is Ghosteen, an album drenched in grief, that reflects this process through magnificent string arrangements, choruses and synths. Finally, in the center of it all, is Nick Cave and his awe-inspiring poetry at full capacity. He’s overwhelmed by the loss of his son in 2015, but he’s founding new reasons to think that love stands above it all and in the meantime he reflects on death, existence itself and hope. This sprawling, two-part opus is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds at their most deep and evocative, and it’s as heavy and significant as anything that has come before.

4. Bill Callahan – Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest (Drag City)

In the six year gap between his last album and Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, Bill Callahan settled down and became a father. The album, nevertheless, doesn’t show the singer-songwriter tired or with a lack of narratives. Actually, this new state in his life has given him more situations to ruminate and give life to through his detailed and bright imagery. Reflections in fatherhood, marriage, love and the meaning of all these things as he reaches his mid-50’s, are recurring themes in these 20 tracks. The music is sparse and straightforward, most of the time is Callahan and an acoustic guitar; a few extra instrumentation gives each song a beautiful background. ‘It feels good to be writing again’ he sings in the simple ‘Writing’, it feels good to listen to his writing too.    

3. Fontaines DC – Dogrel (Partisan)

There were few rock debut albums this year as engaging and powerful as this one. And although this post-punk quartet from Dublin does not exactly sound angry or pointing at a broken system, they do have something to say. In Dogrel, Fontaines DC observe the state of their city as it undergoes modernization. A transformation that is not only changing the landscape but the whole social state. As for the songs, they are at times fast, with sudden rhythm changes, with riffs and hooks as memorable as frontman Grian Chatten’s almost spoken-word delivery. You have melodious speed in ‘Big’ and ‘Boys in The Better Land’, you have channeled abrasiveness in ‘Too Real’ and ‘Hurricane Laughter’, and even a little balladry in ‘Roy’s Tune’. This is hands down one of the best guitar-rock albums of the last few years.  

2. Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising (Sub Pop) 

Natalie Mering, singer-songwriter of Weyes Blood has an amazing voice. And although it may seem that that’s enough to attract you to her music world filled with passionate nostalgia, her fourth album proves that there is so much more. Despite the fact that Titanic Rising’s arrangement and aesthetic do call to an era already gone, the music itself still feels linked to nowadays. Mering’s writing is universal and timeless and her voice only helps underline the poignancy of her lyrics. There’s the cinematic synth-driven ‘Movies’ or the perfect retro-ballad ‘Picture me Better’; Weyes Blood’s compositions swiftly combine sounds of the past and the future. ‘True love is making a comeback’ she sings at one point, well, if it’s by the hand of an album like this, it sure will.  

1. Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains (Drag City)

David Cloud Berman, former frontman and singer-songwriter of the indie rock band Silver Jews, had stop making music after the last album with that project. This year he returned with a new moniker and a new album. This record, filled with perfect indie rock songs about depression, dealing with a mid-life crisis and the whole sentiment surrounding it, is a perfect distillation of Berman’s songwriting. The songs are sweet and fun, they have tongue-in-cheek lyrics about its themes, and they still deal with a lot. Starting with the summery rock of single ‘All My Happinness is Gone’ this album stands out by sounding completely different with how it reads. Still, being that it fell under the notion that it was quintessential Berman, it turned out to be a solid indie rock album with excellent production, and great instrumentation, courtesy of members from the band Woods. With all that it portrays the album didn’t feel like a farewell letter from the musician, but it is his last work anyway.  

David Berman took his own life a month after the release of the album, a few days before starting the tour behind it. It can only come to mind that whatever he was dealing with, had tormented him long before the release of Purple Mountains, and despite songs like ‘Maybe I’m The Only One For Me’ and the piercing lyric: ‘And I confess I’m barely hanging on’, we can’t take this as a suicidal note. It was, briefly, the work of a great songwriter putting himself out, intimately and achingly in 10 tracks. Berman considered this album to be among his best work, I think so too. We don’t have him anymore, but we will always have the tender ‘Nights That Won’t Happen’ and the fun ‘Margaritas at The Mall’. It was not his goodbye letter, it was an unintentional last gift.  

‘Songs build little rooms in time, and housed within the song’s design. Is the ghost the host has left behind, to greet and sweep the guest inside, stoke the fire and sing his lines.‘

Down here is a playlist of my favorite songs of 2019.
Please stay tuned in 2020 and have a wonderful year in the meantime.