Acclaimed Music Forums

The best albums of 2019 (update February 28)

The numbers presented next to each album title are the weighted average rating, and, in brackets, average and number of ratings (out of 34 included sources). The weighted average is based on a formula that includes a) the average of ratings and b) the number of sources that have rated the album.

The magazines I used for the ratings were:
EUR + Australia: Gaffa-dk; Gaffa-sw; Humo; Indiestyle; Jenesaispop; Laut; Mondosonoro; Musikexpress; Nojesguiden; Ondarock; Plattentests; Sentire Ascoltare; The Music
UK: Clash (new); DIY; Drowned In Sound; God Is In The Tv (new); Load And Quiet (new); NME: The 405; The Guardian; Music OMH (out) ; The Line Of Best Fit; The Skinny
USA + Canada: Allmusic; AV Club (out); Consequence Of Sound; Earbuddy; Exclaim!; Nothern Transmissions (new); Paste; Pitchfork; Popmatters; Rolling Stone; Spectrum Culture (new); Under The Radar

Highlights: These are the top three songs from the album according to Allmusic, Consequence of Sound, Jenesaispop, Plattentests, The Skinny, Beardfood, BostonGlobe, Nowtoronto, Entertainment Weekly, etc…

New entry or Re-entry
Albums that have obtained new reviews and improved the score
Albums that have obtained new reviews but worsened the score

Out:
Tiny Ruins: Olympic Girls

20 - Boy Harsher: Careful - 72,7 (76,0 / 11)
Highlights: LA - Lost - Face the Fire
Darkwave
[imgsize 240x240]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... oO-nA=&f=5[/imgsize]


19 - Tim Presley & White Fence: I Have To Feed Larry's Hawk - 72,7 (75,0 / 14)
Highlights: I Have to Feed Larry’s Hawk - Forever Chained - Phone
Psychedelic Pop
[imgsize 240x240]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... wcKNY=&f=6[/imgsize]


18 - William Tyler: Goes West - 72,9 (77,3 / 8)
Highlights: Fail Safe - Rebecca - Alpine Star
American Primitivism
[imgsize 240x240]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... oO-nA=&f=6[/imgsize]


17 - Cass McCombs: Tip Of The Sphere - 73,5 (72,8 / 23)
Highlights: Sleeping Volcanoes - Absentee - Tying Up Loose Ends
Singer-Songwriter
[imgsize 240x240]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... IBuB4=&f=5[/imgsize]


16 - Steve Gunn: The Unseen Inbetween - 73,9 (74,5 / 19)
Highlights: Vagabond - New Moon - Morning Is Mended
Folk Rock
[imgsize 240x240]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... pAJWo=&f=5[/imgsize]


15 - Beirut: Gallipoli – 73,9 (71,9 / 27)
Highlights: Gallipoli - Landslide - We Never Lived Here
Indie Pop
[imgsize 260x260]https://exclaim.ca//images/beirut_2.jpg[/imgsize]


14 - Sleaford Mods: Eton Alive – 74,0 (75,0 / 18)
Highlights: Kebab Spider - Flipside - O.B.C.T.
Post-Punk
[imgsize 260x260]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... 2-yAg=&f=5[/imgsize]


13 - Steve Mason: About The Light - 74,5 (77,8 / 11)
Highlights: America is Your Boyfriend - Stars Around My Heart - Walking Away from Love
Singer-Songwriter
[imgsize 260x260]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... XXB1I=&f=5[/imgsize]


12 - Spellling: Mazy Fly - 75,1 (79,1 / 9)
Highlights: Hard to Please (Reprise) - Haunted Water - Under the Sun
Minimal Synth
[imgsize 260x260]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... IBuB4=&f=5[/imgsize]


11 - Desperate Journalist: In Search Of The Miraculous - 75,3 (80,0 / 7)
Highlights: Murmuration - Jonatan - Black Net
Indie Rock
[imgsize 260x260]https://cdn2.thelineofbestfit.com/image ... 00_600.jpg[/imgsize]


10 - Bob Mould: Sunshine Rock - 75,7 (76,0 / 20)
Highlights: Western Sunset - Sunshine Rock - Send Me a Postcard
Alternative Rock
[imgsize 280x280]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... IBuB4=&f=5[/imgsize]


09 - Pedro The Lion: Phoenix - 77,3 (80,0 / 13)
Highlights: Yellow Bike - Circle K - Clean Up
Indie Rock
[imgsize 280x280]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... oO-nA=&f=5[/imgsize]


08 - James Blake: Assume Form – 77,5 (75,2 / 28)
Highlights: Where's the Catch? - Can’t Believe the Way We Flow - Assume Form
Alternative R&B
[imgsize 280x280]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... AXRBU=&f=5[/imgsize]


07 - The Twilight Sad: It Won't Be Like This – 78,1 (76,4 / 26)
Highlights: I/m Not Here (Missing Face) - VTr - Auge/Maschine
Post-Punk
[imgsize 280x280]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... 2-yAg=&f=5[/imgsize]


06 - Ariana Grande: thank u, next – 78,5 (78,1 / 22)
Highlights: thank u, next - ghostin - bloodline
R&B
[imgsize 280x280]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... pAJWo=&f=5[/imgsize]


05 - Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center – 78,9 (77,6 / 25)
Highlights: Dylan Thomas - I Didn't Know What I Was in For - Forest Lawn
Folk Rock
[imgsize 300x300]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... AXRBU=&f=5[/imgsize]


04 - Jessica Pratt: Quiet Signs – 79,8 (78,4 / 25)
Highlights: This Time Around - Fare Thee Well - Poly Blue
Folk
[imgsize 300x300]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... x15tU=&f=6[/imgsize]


03 - Julia Jacklin: Crushing - 80,1 (79,8 / 22)
Highlights: Body - Comfort - Good Guy
Singer-Songwriter
[imgsize 300x300]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... pAJWo=&f=5[/imgsize]


02 - Sharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow - 82,3 (78,6 / 32)
Highlights: Seventeen - Comeback Kid - No One’s Easy to Love
Indie Pop
[imgsize 300x300]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... xGXts=&f=5[/imgsize]


01 - Deerhunter: Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? – 82,5 (78,5 / 33)
Highlights: Death in Midsummer - No One's Sleeping - What Happens to People?
Indie Rock
[imgsize 300x300]https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jp ... x15tU=&f=5[/imgsize]

JohnnyBGoode wrote:Not sure if anyone's ever asked this before, but any others above 70 ...?

21 - Maggie Rogers: Heard It In A Past Life - 72,4 (70,8 / 26)
22 - Tiny Ruins: Olympic Girls - 72,3 (74,3 / 15)
23 - Blood Red Shoes: Get Tragic - 72,1 (76,1 / 9)
24 - Du Blonde: Lung Bread For Daddy - 72,0 (76,4 / 8)
25 - Dawn: New Breed - 71,7 (76,0 / 8)
26 - Spielbergs: This Is Not the End - 71,6 (74,2 / 13)
27 - Girlpool: What Chaos Is Imaginary - 71,1 (70,4 / 23)
28 - Mercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited - 71,0 (73,4 / 14)
29 - Teeth Of The Sea: Wraith - 70,3 (74,6 / 8)

#12: The band name should have three Ls in it: Spellling. Thank you for all your hard work on this list. I look forward to it.

DadHasADD wrote:#12: The band name should have three Ls in it: Spellling. Thank you for all your hard work on this list. I look forward to it.

I see what they've done there...

Yes thanks Otisredding

So, that's confirmed, exit Taylor Swift, we've entered the era of Ariana Grande being the new pop critical darling. Do we have to expect reappraisal for her first three albums in the years to come?

DadHasADD wrote:#12: The band name should have three Ls in it: Spellling. Thank you for all your hard work on this list. I look forward to it.

OK!

Hello, Rob

Changes in The Twilight Sad highlights

Yay, new update!



With the Julia Jacklin and Spellling album we got two albums whose cover art contains a photo with bad lighting. I guess the idea is that this is so ugly that it is hip. Please don't let this become a trend.

Pierre wrote:So, that's confirmed, exit Taylor Swift, we've entered the era of Ariana Grande being the new pop critical darling. Do we have to expect reappraisal for her first three albums in the years to come?

I think Dangerous Woman is her best album, so maybe.