It was a deceptively solid year for music. We were given an eclectic mix of new music from both veteran innovators (Lana Del Rey, FKA Twigs, Nick Cave, James Blake) and newcomers that dominated the global charts (Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo).

2019 feels like a precipice, in a way. Not just for music, or film, and other forms of art. The social fabric of our society is changing. Art is evolving rapidly, and redefining itself in ways that we never would have expected, much like the world at large. And we don’t quite know where that will lead us. For much of the music we heard in 2019, that uncertainty was a prominent theme. And yet, that created another unexpected trend. Instead of committing to particular genres or cultural identities, many of the most groundbreaking artists of the year committed to their own sense of self and worth. Hundreds of artists coming together…to express their own individuality. It’s something that will likely change drastically in 2020. We just have no idea what kind of change we’ll see.

Here are my favorite ten albums of the year, plus a few more.

You can also check out my end of year Best of Playlists Playlist 2019 on Spotify, featuring some of the songs I loved to listen to in 2019 (not all songs are from 2019). Spotify player below