As usual, I picked a song (or a few) from each album that I recommend you give a listen to get a feel for the album and hopefully entice you to check out the whole thing.
These lists are always tricky to put together because inevitably I feel like things could have been shifted around later, or I'll discover stuff that I wasn't aware of when I put the list together. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the great albums that were released last year, there was some incredible music that didn't make the list.
I made a Spotify playlist of all the "Check Out" songs embedded below that you can find here.
Feel free to let me know what you agree or disagree with and which albums you think I missed and might need to check out. Without further ado, I present my list of the top albums of 2019!
The Top 15 Albums of 2019
15. Cassadee Pope - "stages"
Check Out: "One More Red Light"
Stream on Spotify
14. Lindsey Stirling - "Artemis"
Check Out: "Underground"
Stream on Spotify
13. Tyler Hilton - "City on Fire"
Check Out: "City on Fire"
Stream on Spotify
12. Amon Amarth - "Berserker"
Check Out: "Crack the Sky"
Stream on Spotify
11. Eric Hutchinson - "Before & After Life"
- You can find a link to Eric's official website below where you can stream and download the album for free, as well as read about the meaning behind the album directly from him.
Eric Hutchinson website
10. City & Colour - "A Pill for Loneliness"
Check Out: "Imagination"
Stream on Spotify
9. Emarosa - "Peach Club
Check Out: "Givin' Up"
Stream on Spotify
8. Devin Townsend - "Empath"
Check Out: "Singularity"
Stream on Spotify
7. Sum 41 - "Order in Decline"
Check Out: "Out For Blood"
Stream on Spotify
6. Bayside - "Interrobang"
Check Out: "Interrobang"
Stream on Spotify
5. Wilderun - "Veil of Imagination"
- Fans of older Opeth albums might wanna give this album a spin.
Check Out: "The Tyranny of Imagination"
Stream on Spotify
4. Leprous - "Pitfalls"
- No single word describes Leprous better than "epic." This album is a bit of a shift from the sound on their last few, but it still packs a punch. If you've been sleeping on Leprous, it's time to wake up.
Check Out: "Below"
Stream on Spotify
3. Opeth - "In Cauda Venenum"
- Prog metal titans Opeth's 13th studio album comes in two versions, English and Swedish.
Check Out: "Universal Truth"
Stream on Spotify (English Version)
Stream on Spotify (Swedish Version)
2. Russian Circles - "Blood Year"
- One of the greatest instrumental bands of all time continues to churn out incredible music album after album.
Check Out: "Arluck"
Stream on Spotify
1. Meg & Dia - "Happysad"
- One of my favorite bands of all time finally returned after an 8 year hiatus with the surprise release of their first album since 2011's Cocoon, Happysad. They had been evolving their sound through the years before their hiatus, but this album definitely represents the biggest leap forward musically, which makes sense given the 8 year gap. As you would expect, a lot happened in that time for the girls both personally and professionally and it shows. Happysad sounds like the slickest Meg & Dia record yet. The folk and rock influences of their past efforts take a backseat to more modern pop sensibilities. In true Meg & Dia fashion, they tackle some serious subject matter within a catchy and almost upbeat sounding song, Which makes the album title Happysad even more fitting.
The song "Boys Can Cry" takes down gender stereotypes, "We've got old rules / we don't buy them / now our voices can't stay silent / Why's it so hard getting it right? / Boys can cry / Girls can fight" and "We're gonna change their minds / leave it all behind / won't happen overnight." all on top of a driving beat of groovy bass and keys with an infectious melody.
"Warm Blood" is easily one of the standouts on the album for me, the arrangement is about as close to perfect as possible, utilizing strings, guitar, keys, and even a flute on top of a fairly minimalist beat but everything is balanced and used so perfectly that nothing gets in the way and each other.
I could go on about how great every song is because each one has its own distinct sound while the album overall has a cohesive vision that was executed beautifully. Happysad is an instant classic modern pop album that everyone needs to check out.
Check Out: "American Spirit"
"Lit Match"
"Warm Blood"
Stream on Spotify
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