Ranking the best albums of the year shouldn’t have to be about consensus. Heck, I’ve been making this yearly list for over 12 years and while I’ve sometimes fallen victim to the pitfalls of slotting and naming certain albums on the list because of the prevailing critical belief about their greatness, that approach is now effectively out the window.
What you’ll find in Everything Ecstatic’s Top 60 Albums of 2019 list, is a direct reflection of the best music I listened to and enjoyed the most this year; whether it’s by a mainstream artist, or someone you may have never heard of before. The latter, is what I think has made EE’s Albums list great for so long. ‘Cause at the end of the day, this site is about discovery and enthusiasm for said discoveries (of course). Stylistically, it’s always gonna be all over the map, from jazz to hip-hop to indie, electronic and beyond…from all over the globe.
Lastly, I’ll say this: I’m glad that I waited until 12/23 to release these picks, because the more days we have to listen to the insane amount of tunes that are getting released throughout the year, then the less likely it is to miss something you absolutely needed in your life (Jamila Woods’ incredible Legacy! Legacy! for example, would not have made its way onto the list, let alone into the Top 10 if this list was finalized in early December. )
So with that, here’s Everything Ecstatic’s Top 60 Albums of the Year, along with a Spotify playlist of them all at the bottom of the post. Follow @EcstaticBlog us on Twitter and like the EE Facebook page to get music shouts on the regular and to stay up on the EE live events series.
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Click the Albums of the Year tab at the top of the web page to re-visit more than a decade of EE year-end lists.
Stellar Spins (60-51)
60. Arthur Russell – Iowa Dream
59. Kedr Livanskiy – Your Need
58. Rosie Tucker – Never Not Never Not Never Not
57. Hand Habits – placeholder
56. Hot Chip – A Bathful of Ecstasy
55. Skepta – Ignorance Is Bliss
54. San Fermin – The Cormorant 1
53. Bedouine – Bird Songs of a Killjoy
52. Nate Mercereau – Joy Techniques
51. Jordan Rakei – Origin
The Top 50
50. Black Belt Eagle Scout – At The Party With My Brown Friends
49. Mndsgn – Snaxx
48. Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
47. Kindness – Something Like A War
46. Salami Rose Joe Louis – Zdenka 2080
45. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You
44. Kassa Overall – Go Get Ice Cream And Listen To Jazz
43. Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿
42. Angel Olsen – All Mirrors
41. Little Brother – May The Lord Watch
40. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana
39. Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising
38. Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call
37. Blockhead – Free Sweatpants
36. Stella Donnelly – Beware of the Dogs
35. Brijean – Walkie Talkie
34. Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel
33. Faye Webster – Atlanta Millionaire’s Club
32. Rexx Life Raj – Father Figure 3: Somewhere Out There
31. Sampa The Great – The Return
30. Spellling – Mazy Fly
29. Moonchild – Little Ghost
28. Boy Scouts – Free Company
27. Angie McMahon – Salt
26. SASAMI – SASAMI
25. Priests – The Seduction of Kansas
24. Thom Yorke – ANIMA
23. Black Marble – Bigger Than Life
22. Meernaa – Heart Hunger
21. Sessa – Grandeza
20. Big Thief – U.F.O.F.
19. Big Thief – Two Hands
18. Toro y Moi – Outer Peace
17. Quantic – Atlantic Oscillations
16. Flying Lotus – Flamagra
15. Nicola Cruz – Siku
14. Bayonne – Drastic Measures
13. Nilufer Yanya – Miss Universe
12. Theo Croker – Star People Nation
11. The Cinematic Orchestra – To Believe
10. Jamila Woods – LEGACY! LEGACY!
9. Pivot Gang – You Can’t Sit With Us
8. Monster Rally – Adventures On The Floating Island
7. Jessica Pratt – Quiet Signs
6. Jai Paul – Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
5. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Ancestral Recall
4. Julia Jacklin – Crushing
3. Aldous Harding – Designer
2. Teebs – Annica
- Helado Negro – This Is How You Smile
Hope you enjoyed y’all! Playlist is below and subscribe to it here on Spotify.
Everything Ecstatic 