The 25 best albums of 2019

13 September 2023, 21:06

Radio X picks the best albums to be released in 2019: from Billie Eilish and Liam Gallagher to Sam Fender and Jade Bird.

1. Weezer - The Teal Album: release date 24th January 2019

   Rivers Cuomo and his team released their 13th studio album in 2019 (The Black Album), but the one getting all the attention was this would-be joke LP. It's actually a great selection of covers from 80s cheese (Take On Me by A-ha and Jacko's Stand By Me) to yacht rock classics (Toto's Africa and ELO's Mr Blue Sky). It's so ironic that it's not ironic any more.

   

2. Bring Me The Horizon - Amo: release date 25th January 2019

   The British rock band's sixth studio album included the tracks Mantra, Wonderful Life and Medicine.

   

3. Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1: release date 8th March 2019

   Foals returned in 2019 with the first part of their Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost double bill. From the ethereal opening soundscape of Midnight, to the melancholic closing piano of I'm Done With The World (And It's Done With Me), what lay before us what a band finally ready to conquer the world.

   

4. Dave – Psychodrama: release date 8th March 2019

   The debut album from the British rapper included the tracks Black, Streatham, Location and Disaster and won both the Brit Award for Album Of The Year and the 2019 Mercury Prize.

   

5. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?: release date 29th March 2019

   Backed by everyone from Dave Grohl to Thom Yorke, Billie Ellish truly owned 2019. On When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go, Ellish fused electro pop sensibilities with emo aesthetics; an anxious love letter to Generation Z.

   

6. Circa Waves - What's It Like Over There?: release date 5th April 2019

   After the shining indie pop of their first two albums (Young Chasers and Different Creatures), the third outing from the Liverpool band sees the guitars get fuzzier and the atmosphere getting darker and more mysterious.

   

7. Fontaines DC – Dogrel: release date 12th April 2019

   The debut album from the Dublin post-punk act was nominated for the Mercury that year and included the tracks Liberty Belle, Hurricane Laughter, Chequeless Reckless, Too Real and the amazing Boys In The Better Land.

   

8. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You: release date 19th April 2019

   The third album from the charismatic Michigan rapper included the hits Juice and Tempo.

   

9. Jade Bird - Jade Bird: released 19th April 2019

   One of Britain's most distinctive voices of 2019, this is a slick folk-rock debut, from the strident call to action of I Get No Joy, to the confrontational Uh Huh and the yearning ballad Lottery.

   

10. Catfish And The Bottlemen - The Balance: release date 28th April 2019

    Album three for the songwriting talent that is Van McCann; The Balance builds on the Catfish sound that was deployed on The Ride and The Balcony. McCann's lyrics hint at a growing maturity, with tracks like Longshot and Conversation boasting a bold guitar attack.

    

11. Vampire Weekend - Father Of The Bride: release date 3rd May 2019

    Six years out of the loop, so how would 2019 greet the return of Vampire Weekend? Well, pretty warmly actually. Ezra Koenig crafted a warm, ambitious and emotionally involving set of songs that pushes the group into new and exciting areas on tracks like Harmony Hall and Sunflower.Koenig has crafted a warm, ambitious and emotionally involving set of songs that pushes the group into new and exciting areas.

    

12. Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent: release date 17th May 2019

    The Scottish singer-songwriter's debut was a huge hit in the UK and spawned the singles Hold Me While You Wait, Lost On You, Grace, Bruises and the mega-ballad Someone You Loved.

    

13. Ten Tonnes - Ten Tonnes: release date 3rd May 2019

    Otherwise known as Ethan Barnett, the 21-year-old from Hertford comes from a musical family - his brother is George Ezra. With former Maccabee Hugo White on production duties, Ten Tonnes' debut is fresh and witty.

    

14. Yonaka - Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow: release date 31st May 2019

    Brighton four-piece Yonaka crafted an debut album of distorted, beats-heavy guitar rock, with a stunning performance from singer Theresa Jarvis. The band's live energy translates to the studio with ease.

    

15. Two Door Cinema Club - False Alarm: release date 21st June 2019

    Three years after Gameshow, Two Door returned with an album that proved they've not lost their knack for a killer chorus, while continuing to hone their style. The highly-stylised cover art shows the trio are older, wiser, but still as individual as ever.

    

16. The Black Keys - "Let's Rock": released 28th June 2019

    It was five long years since Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney released Turn Blue, and while there's no great reinvention here, there remains a solid set of soulful blues-rock tunes that deserve to be played loud.

    

17. Lana Del Rey – Norman F**king Rockwell!: release date 30th June 2019

    Lana's sixth album was a critically-acclaimed outing that spawned the singles Mariners Apartment Complex, Venice Bitch, Doin' Time and The Greatest.

    

18. The S.L.P. - The S.L.P.: release date 30th August 2019

    The S.L.P. sees Kasabian man Sergio Lorenzo Pizzorno step aside from his day ob and allow his creative juices to flow freely - featuring a cosmic dance banger in Nobody Else and a rap-infused Little Simz collaboration in Favourite.

    

19. Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles: release date 13th September 2019

    The 25-year-old singer-songwriter from North Shields caught the mood of the nation with the zeitgeist-embracing title track. Fender wears his Springsteen influences on his sleeve, but that's a good thing; the poignant thumbnail of Will We Talk? and the moving Dead Boys confront everyday life head on.

    

20. Liam Gallagher - Why Me? Why Not: release date 20th September 2019

    Helmed by the acclaimed Greg Kurstin, this second solo album lifts the lid on Liam's psyche: from the no-nonsense Shockwave to the "is it about Noel?" epic One Of Us. A strong collection.

    

21. Blink-182 - Nine: release date 20th September 2019

    The second album to feature the line-up of Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Matt Skiba, titles like Happy Days, Darkside and I Really Wish I Hated You feature on the record - but this is a textbook example of how to mature gracefully.

    

22. Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2: release date 18th October 2019

    Everyone was expecting a great record from Foals in 2019, but two? The follow-up had bigger riffs, more distortion, and louder shouting, but at its heart Part 2 maintained the sensitivity of its sister LP.

    

23. Stereophonics - Kind: release date 25th October 2019

    Despite taking things back to basics, the Welsh band's eleventh album sees Kelly Jones produce some of his most personal songwriting yet- with lead track Fly Like An Eagle inspired by his own child Colby's coming out story.

    

24. Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka: release date 1st November 2019

    The London singer-songwriter issued his third album, which went on to win the 2020 Mercury Prize. Tracks included You Ain't The Problem, Hero, Piano Joint (This Kind of Love), Light and Rolling.

    

25. Stormzy - Heavy Is The Head: release date 13th December 2019

    Fresh off the back of his headlining Glastonbury appearance that summer, this second album from the British rapper included the singles Vossi Bop, Wiley Flow, Crown and Own It, featuring Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy.