Top 5 (plus 1) albums of 2019

After nearly a decade of being told albums, as a format, are dead, dying, or rapidly circling the drain, they’re still here. It might not be the golden age of the album anymore, I’ll admit that, but in 2019 artists like Solange, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Mark Ronson, Hozier and even Madonna, showed us there is still hope. In the year of the pig -according to the Chinese zodiac- heavy-music fans were blessed with a numerous of new releases from new and old artists. Here are the 5 (plus 1) best albums of 2019.

Εδώ και μια δεκαετία ακούω, τα album έχουν πεθάνει, να ζήσουμε να τα θυμόμαστε, κλπ κλπ. Κάθε χρόνο όμως, υπάρχουν κάμποσα που καταφέρνουν να ξεχωρίσουν και να δικαιολογήσουν τη λατρεία μου προς αυτά. Μπορεί όντως να μην διανύουμε τη χρυσή εποχή του album, αλλά κυκλοφορίες όπως των Solange, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Mark Ronson, Hozier, ακόμη και από Madonna, μας έδειξαν ότι υπάρχει ακόμη ελπίδα στους δίσκους!  Τη χρονιά του χοίρου, σύμφωνα με το Κινέζικο ωροσκόπιο, αρκετές ήταν οι κυκλοφορίες που ξεχώρισαν. Αυτά είναι τα δικά μου 5 (συν 1) αγαπημένα albums για το 2019!

5. thank u, next by Ariana Grande

Just six months after dropping her ambitious comeback record, Sweetener, Ariana Grande send a rare pop-shaped bullet packed with emotionally complex material flying. What is left are 12 track, a musical road map that showcase what pop tragedy really looks like. Even though it’s only been out for the span of a few months, it’s already hard to imagine modern pop music without thank u, next!

4. Cuz I Love You by Lizzo

It might be hard to think of a Lizzo that didn’t fit the mould, but just a few years ago she was attempting to shine in between genres that pushed her out: not hip-hop or R&B enough, not pop enough. But now, on her self-love anthem-packed third album, she’s the exciting poster child for a more empowering, inclusive and diverse pop landscape. On Cuz I Love You, Lizzo proves she's the electric, complex pop star that the world needs.

3. MAGDALENE by FKA Twigs

Five years after her debut album, FKA Twigs remains ambitious as ever in 2019. Combining electronic explorations, intimate R&B melodies, and haunting lyrics, MAGDALENE is the product of an artist in full control of her craft that will make you feel emotions you didn’t know you had.

2. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey

On Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Lana Del Rey does what she’s been threatening to do since her start as the star of 2011’s surprise viral hit "Video Games": unleash an American classic. Lana Del Rey stormed into the middle of 2019 with an album that took the world by surprise as NFR is her most brilliant album yet.

1. When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?  by Billy Eilish 

Rising sounds like an understatement when it comes to Billy Eilish. Has there been a faster and more confident rise in pop this decade? She has a unique talent to make music that emphatically and artistically encapsulate teenage angst. When we look back on the music of this era a few years from now, there will be no singular album that absolutely nails the sound of 2019 quite like Billie Eilish’s debut record, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?.







plus 1. K-12 by Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez, an indie, creative, storytelling artist, for her sophomore project, K-12, unleashed a full-fledged conceptual album that not only uses her years of experience to stick to her artistic vision but also deliver something that becomes all the more artistically and commercially brilliant in 2019.