Top 50 Albums Of 2019, 50-21

20-11 | 10-1

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What was once an easy and objective thought - pinpointing what exactly defined the year in music - is now invariably difficult due to the throng of curiosities from every sphere of influence. Do not overlook or be ungrateful of the fact that, thanks to the Internet and its globalist, all-inclusive agenda, music has never been more diverse and distinctive. Every genre up until now, and more created seemingly on a bi-yearly basis, exists in 2019. All it takes is a dash of inquisition, a search bar, and valuable resources to live in musical nirvana.

That is all to say, who knows what 2019's main calling card will be. Previous influencers like Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, and Mac DeMarco fell off gracelessly, while others like Lana Del Rey, Angel Olsen, and Lightning Bolt experienced a much-needed resurgence. Social commentary came as aggressive, in instances like JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs, as it did humbling and sympathetic, as seen on Kate Tempest's Books Of Traps & Lessons. Transformations took shape, like the perennial about-facers Tyler, The Creator and King Gizzard, while others doubled down on their rigid aesthetic, like Horrorcore enthusiasts clipping. or demented prophet Lingua Ignota. Newcomers joined the fray, especially in the world of U.K. Rock with artists like black midi, FONTAINES D.C., Black Country New Road, and The Murder Capital all releasing transformative statements on the genre perpetually in a state of decay.

2019 had it all, and was consequently my biggest year yet in terms of listening habits. Nearly 200 albums - many of which reviewed in DoD's revamped Listening Log series - and 2,000 songs have been whittled down, competed against, and subsequently written upon to formulate these lists. Welcome to list week, please enjoy Dozens Of Donuts' Top 100 Tracks and Top 50 Albums of 2019.

And don't forget about the past. Take a look back at the Best Of:
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.

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50
Big Thief
U.F.O.F.
Indie Folk | Listen

Consider yourself a quality band when the worst project you put out in 2019 was still good enough for top 50 consideration. That's where we find Big Thief, who dove further into the folksy recesses of their mind with U.F.O.F., emerging with a rejuvenated emotional palate Adrianne Lenker took to expressing. Downtrodden, whimsical ballads chanted with a Canterbury trot as seen on 'Cattails' and 'Strange,' while others more grounded in the muck found Lenker exposed and searching, best seen on 'Contact' and 'Century.' Touchy, understated hooks and jejune verses blossomed like a flowerbed in the family garden, spurred by the downpour of tears. U.F.O.F. found Big Thief at their most intimate, a telling testimony given their already foundational, corporeal authenticity. Sure it lacked the vigor and gravity of Big Thief's previous projects (and future, in Two Hands), but that bond towards commonality helps offset the sentimental elasticity they're known for..

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49
Vanishing Twin
Age Of Immunology
Space Age Pop | Listen

Coming in just under the wire - having heard this album only mere weeks before posting this list - Vanishing Twin's Age Of Immunology isn't one to be missed. With influences vast in reach, drawing on the Indietronica of Broadcast ('Wise Children'), the Krautrock of Stereolab ('Cryonic Suspension May Save Your Life'), the Tropicália of Bruno Pernadas ('Magician's Success'), the Neo-Psychedelia of Deradoorian ('Backstroke'), and the Psychedelic Folk of Linda Perhacs ('You Are Not An Island'), Age Of Immunology is an expansive album worth diving headfirst into. Cathy Lucas' dreamy, off-center vocals draw upon the retro-futurism of Space Age Pop and the whimsical curiosities brought on by exploring alien landscapes reminiscent of them. Here, Vanishing Twin craft a world rich in peculiarities that suspends reality for cheap, but effective magic tricks.

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48
Wilma Vritra
Burd
Abstract Hip-Hop | Listen

Who would've guessed that - apart from the three-headed dragon of Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and Frank Ocean - it was Pyramid Vritra whose had the most artistically-fruitful release since Odd Future disbanded. Teaming up with producer Wilma Archer, Burd effortlessly moves the Odd Future style into an age of maturity, dashed with color and playful prose despite sobriety lingering under every fold. Similarities can be drawn to Brockhampton, just without the collective cajoling, as we see on the tip-toeing Jazz Rap of 'Targets & Digits' and 'Shallow Grave.' Archer's waggish production really drives home the lost innocence at the heart of Burd, as Vritra struggles to cope with growing old removed from the tomfoolery of Odd Future. Interspersed instrumentals - the best being 'Black Is The Beauty' and 'burds of paradise' - pronounce the saturated detail of Paul White's work, composed with equal parts energy and flamboyance.

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47
Have A Nice Life
Sea Of Worry
Gothic Rock | Listen

Despite the relative brevity, especially in comparison to their ambitious debut Deathconsciousness, one can physically feel the passion, effort, and toil Have A Nice Life imparts on their art. Sea Of Worry is no different, achieving distinction through its dual undertaking of upfront, near-accessible Post-Punk and distant, ambiguous Lo-Fi Indie. More so than any of their previous records, Sea Of Worry best contextualizes the difficulty of introversion and involuntary solitude. Tracks like 'Science Beat' and 'Lords Of Tresserhorn' find vocalist Dan Barrett lost amongst a sea of clatter, both beautiful and unsightly, as a way of pontificating the difficulties of being heard in the modern world. Add in Have A Nice Life's knack for stabilizing religious incongruity, fighting with and against the invisible hand guiding your actions from the sky, and Sea Of Worry quickly becomes a multi-faceted exploration of various anxieties that loom larger than life.

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46
KOKOKO!
Fongola
Afro-House | Listen

Perhaps history is cyclical, as we're now forty years removed from Talking Heads' celebrated assimilation of African music and, with KOKOKO!'s Fongola, the roles have been reversed. To native Congolese, the Lingala and Afro-House music bear familiarity. But beyond that, KOKOKO!'s invitation elsewhere has allowed for high-strung, artsy genres such as Synth Punk and UK Bass to invade their territory, much like how a band of pilgrims would bring customs from their motherland. Except in Fongola's case it's all been learned virtually, through online consumption. The beauty lies in the symmetry of intent, for cultural, language, and physical barriers fail to prevent an emotional connection, one that emerges in the visceral and emancipative tracks like 'Likolo' and 'Azo Toke.' The touch of European artists like Jamie Xx, M.I.A., and Clap! Clap! can be felt all across Fongola's exterior. But still, the heart of it all lies, enriched by KOKOKO!, through the Congo.

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45
glass beach
First Glass Beach Album
Power Pop | Listen

Criticizing artists for mimicking others in search of their own identity is something I often do. Rarely however, does one go to such extremes as Glass Beach. The First Glass Beach Album isn't just a conglomeration of styles that laid an impression on the L.A. group, it's a hodgepodge of 2000's esoteric Pop expressed through unfettered exorbitance. Subject Sufjan Stevens, of Montreal, The World Is A Beautiful Place, Islands, and My Chemical Romance to their peak adolescent avidity and puissance and this is the result. Tracks like 'classic j dies and goes to hell part 1' and 'Yoshi's Island' are bombastic highs with zero restraint for organization, while others, like 'bone skull' and 'soft!!!!!!,' eschew edgy emo constructs with tempered reflectivity. Oh, and there's Pub Rock ('cold weather'), Indietronica ('(rat castle)'), and pastoral Ambient ('(forever?????????)') for good measure too.

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44
Kevin Abstract
ARIZONA Baby
Pop Rap | Listen

Sure, ARIZONA BABY's rollout wasn't the best and didn't leave much for the imagination, but the end result wasn't scarred by such excess. Kevin Abstract's American Boyfriend follow-up surpassed the Brockhampton projects encasing it, returning to the centralized Pop Rap confluence that made Brockhampton appreciative from all angles. There's songs like 'Georgia' and 'Mississippi' that invoke Abstract's time in the South, layering throwback autotune and a humid aura in a way not far removed from Nappy Roots or Cunninlynguists. But the best moments tend to rely on his knack for melody, be it in the singing sense ('Peach,' 'Boyer') or rapping one ('Joyride,' 'Crumble'). All these came together on ARIZONA BABY's obvious standout 'Baby Boy,' a phenomenally-uplifting cut that builds with such liberating growth and gleeful accedence.

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43
Matana Roberts
COIN COIN Chapter Four
Avant-Garde Jazz | Listen

There's always a sort of level-headed wisdom that comes with Matana Roberts' on-going COIN COIN series. Like a historian knowledgable not just in the field of African-American upbringing, but also translating such grim, reluctant facts for the world of entertainment. Her incisive brand of Avant-Garde Jazz incorporates every commemorated style of expression African-Americans had their hands on, creating a rusted, yet wholly scintillating project teeming with power, poise, and provocation. On Memphis, Roberts charts a path for female liberation, teasing and tantalizing with rocky instrumental incongruity that breaks out best on the nine-minute expedition 'Trail Of The Smiling Sphinx.' Roberts' vocal range - dancing freely between Spoken Word ('As Far As The Eye Can See'), singspeak ('In The Fold'), and Gospel hymns ('Her Mighty Waters Run') - surmounts the human element, coalescing the frantic search for escapism and the need for familial fulcrum into one complex, narrative exploration.

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42
YBN Cordae
The Lost Boy
Conscious Hip-Hop | Listen

YBN Cordae's debut Lost Boy has quite the apt title, though it might not be for reasons the North Carolina rapper expects. Borrowing from a plethora of sources in the mainstream, Conscious Hip-Hop scene (namely J.Cole), there really isn't much room left for Cordae's own identity. Undeniably a criticism, his talents - and more importantly, knack for assimilating trend-worthy Hip-Hop - allows Lost Boy to propel forward through sheer enjoyment and relatability. Take 'Bad Idea,' a Chance The Rapper mimicry better than anything the Chicago emcee has made in four years. Or 'Thanksgiving' which fills the perpetual void of Isaiah Rashad. There's even hints of competent Brockhampton ('Have Mercy'), J.I.D. ('Lost & Found'), and Kendrick Lamar ('Broke As Fuck') that diversify Lost Boy in genial ways one could welcome. Sonic coherency? Maybe not. An effective and curated playlist of prominent Hip-Hop? You bet.

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41
The Chemical Brothers
No Geography
Big Beat | Listen

There's something inspiring about The Chemical Brothers' rise from the mid-2000's Big Beat grave, a coffin they themselves partly dug. The 2010's faired much better for the Manchester duo, beginning with one of the decade's most underrated projects Further, ending with No Geography, an expansive and intoxicating pilgrimage rife with touching vocal samples and euphoric Trance. Tracks like 'No Geography' and 'Catch Me I'm Falling' set sight on the stars, recounting a society on the brink of total freedom. As per usual, it wouldn't be a Chemical Brothers record without infinitely catchy and anesthetic beats intent on invading your auditory cortex. 'Eve Of Destruction,' 'Got To Keep On,' and 'We've Got To Try' achieved this through sloppy Soul samples and rambunctious percussion hellbent on occupying one's mind space with high-octane, House synthesizers. No Geography is Disco for the ADD generation.

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40
Ezra Furman
Twelve Nudes
Garage Punk | Listen

It's tough to say whether Ezra Furman bested his previous high, Transangellic Exodus, with Twelve Nudes. But there's no denying the visceral passion and funky blitzkrieg that sparked a whole new avenue for the LGBT singer. On Twelve Nudes, Furman escapes to high-velocity Garage Punk, sprinkling reflective uptempo Folk Rock ('Thermometer,' 'I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend') amidst the grimy, oil-stained wreckage. The variety is one thing, the consistency landing across Twelve Nudes' myriad of approaches is another. Whether it's the  Rolling Stones-esque 'Calm Down Aka I Should Not Be Alone,' the Titus Andronicus 'My Teeth Hurt,' or Furman's own 'In America,' Twelve Nudes never slouches in the entertainment department.

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39
The Caretaker
Everywhere At The End Of Time 6
Turntable Music | Listen

Death will come for us all, even fictional characters such as The Caretaker entrapped within the snares of an incomprehensibly-difficult art project. Over two decades Leyland Kirby has paralleled the decrepit, mental wherewithal of aging Alzheimer's patients, so it's only fitting his own persona meets that very demise. After a six-part ensemble, spread over three years, denied The Caretaker his own memories, 'Place In The World Fades Away' rests him peacefully with a beautiful rendition of a bygone favorite of his. Everywhere At The End Of Time was an agonizing venture, with total commitment to reality and zero forgiveness to the listener. Endure if you wish, you'll come out scathed, feeble, and torn.

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38
Little Simz
GREY Area
UK Hip-Hop | Listen

At its core, Hip-Hop was birthed on authenticity. Now, for much of the genre substance and realness are tertiary criteria at best. A fact that doesn't hold weight in Little Simz's eyes. GREY Area, her breakout release, is a no frills, all marrow piece of art capable of bending and contorting much like the human spirit. She establishes herself as a formidable foe on tracks like 'Offence' and 'Venom,' while discrediting outmoded customs on femininity ('Boss'), internally debating the value of ego ('Selfish,' 'Therapy'), and commenting on the veneration of gun culture ('Wounds'). In other words, GREY Area is Little Simz. It's her personality, beliefs, and attitude, faults and all.

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37
Kishi Bashi
Omoiyari
Chamber Pop | Listen

After a career set in limbo following the reductive Sonderlust, Kishi Bashi emerged anew with a flock of birds and a shimmering, Sunshine Pop sound. The ornithological aesthetic presents itself with flying colors on Omoiyari, as Kishi Bashi blends facile 60's psychedelia ('Penny Rabbit & Summer Bear,' 'F Delano') with lofty Progressive Pop ('Summer Of '42,' 'Violin Tsunami') and wondrous, homely Folk ('Angeline,' 'Annie, Heart Thief Of The Sea'). What it lacks in fanciful Art Pop - the kind that sparked worldwide curiosity on Lighght - Omoiyari more than makes up for in sheer beauty, galavanting around sun-drenched landscapes without a single grey cloud in sight.

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36
Hatchie
Keepsake
Dream Pop | Listen

Based off Sugar & Spice and the extolled singles leading up to Keepsake, many sought to crown Hatchie as the Indie mender of Synthpop. That distinction hasn't been crowned just yet. Not for lack of quality, but rather interest, as Hatchie's influences span far wider than the narrow Synthpop. Keepsake showed that, with the aftertaste of Shoegaze ('Without A Blush'), Alternative Dance ('Obsessed'), and Jangle Pop ('Kiss The Stars'), all coming under the general umbrella of aspirant Dream Pop. Her wanderlust knows no bounds, transforming the feeling of love to sonorous levels while paying homage to 90's nostalgic Pop that bred her desire for such evocation in the first place.

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35
Carly Rae Jepsen
Dedicated
Dance-Pop | Listen

As one can tell by this list, Dozens Of Donuts doesn't typically concern itself with Pop music. The mundanity, coupled with the sheer excitement found in more interesting genres elsewhere, leaves mainstream Pop largely unexplored. And likely for legitimate reasons, hence my apprehension towards approaching Pop darling Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated for fear of disapproval. That turned out to be unsubstantiated, as talent trumps all, regardless of genre affiliation. Despite her obsession with frivolous, teenage romance that plagues Dedication, Jepsen's strong vocal presence, her knack for bewitching hooks ('Party For One,' 'No Drug Like Me,' 'Now That I Found You'), and the occasional moment of introspective beauty ('Too Much,' 'Real Love') allow her long-awaited E-MO-TION follow-up to prosper.

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34
Carl Stone
Baroo
Plunderphonics | Listen

Late 2016 I stumbled upon Carl Stone's 1992 curiosity Mom's. At that point in time I had experienced a great deal of Electronic music, yet nothing prepared me for the intricate layering, sample-claustrophobia Stone's style expressed. Flash forward three years - 27 in Stone's world - and in comes Baroo, a pleasant surprise that takes his Tape Music formula and combusts it, repeatedly, to the absolute limit. Once again, five songs of varying length, dominated by two epics. In Baroo's case it was the title track and 'Sun Nong Dan,' two delirious and equally as mind-numbing extravaganzas that relish in the idea of human, sensory overload. Music that has no equal.

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33
The Comet Is Coming
Trust In The Life-force
Jazz Fusion | Listen

Being so far removed from the prime era of intergalactic, space operas (see: the early 1970's with Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Sun Ra, etc), The Comet Is Coming's Trust In The Lifeforce feels more driven by nostalgia than innovation. Nevertheless, quality doesn't concern itself with generational squabbles and The Comet Is Coming's second LP proves that. A tangled blend of Jazz Fusion, Space Rock, and Electronic take shape - split between Shabaka Hutchings, Betamax, and Danalogue respectively - invoking alien planets with mysterious text, apocalyptic uprisings, and nighttime rendezvous under watchful eyes. The only voice - playing a similar role to Joshua Idehen on Hutchings' last great success (2018's Your Queen Is A Reptile) - is that of the wonderful poet Kate Tempest on 'Blood Of The Past' pontificating about a world on the brink of destruction. It is Trust In The Lifeforce's standout, both a thematic and sonic triumph.

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32
Saint Pepsi
MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE
Future Funk | Listen

In a way, Vaporwave's steep descent from the minor attention it received in alternative music circles acts as the ultimate irony. It evoked an era for nostalgic purposes, while it itself succumbs to the same fate. Not according to Saint Pepsi though, who made one final push with MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE, an album of delectable Future Funk for sapless consumers to trod along to. Underlying grooves power through efforts like 'I Need Your Love In Me,' 'Visions,' and 'Greg,' breathing life into the drab elevator tones of late 80's middle class. While the Vaporware tendencies are strong, they're not reliant on schticks, gimmicks, or niche aesthetics which drowned the genre initially. Hell, the two best tracks - its last two; 'Mr. Wonderful, Pt. 2' and 'God, Pt. 2' - evoke the irresistible Deep House of Against All Logic and the freeing charm of The Avalanches respectively.

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31
Denzel Curry
ZUU
Southern Hip-Hop | Listen

Like Vince Staples with FM!, Danny Brown with uknowhatimsayin¿, or even Kendrick Lamar with DAMN, Denzel Curry took solace in the streets that birthed him following an ambitious artistic statement that garnered him acclaim. ZUU wasn't TA13OO, nor 13, but a beast all the same, capable of proving the merits of Trap and Southern Hip-Hop in an era where saturation reveals their incompetency. Tracks like 'RICKY' and 'SPEEDBOAT' twisted knotty flows and charismatic gruffness through quintessential Pop maneuvers all the rage in today's age. Call it Conscious Trap if you will, though ZUU didn't go without zany, barbarian bangers like 'BIRDZ' and 'P.A.T.' that only Denzel Curry is capable of making. Let's just say, we could've done without the habitual, low-quality interludes forever rife in Hip-Hop.

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30
The Fat White Family
Serf's Up!
Art Rock | Listen

Serf's Up! wastes no time cementing its stature and implanting its purpose with the rousing and bombastic 'Feet,' an ambitious Alternative Dance cut that bears resemblance to of Montreal, MGMT, or more squarely; Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor.' From there, Fat White Family embellish curiosities with pompous flair that would make Kevin Barnes, Ariel Pink, and even David Bowie flush with gratitude. The band's laundry list of components can be seen during every moment of Serf's Up!, as tracks like 'Kim's Sunsets,' 'Tastes Good With The Money,' and 'Rock Fishes' could only be achieved by beatnik vagabonds gathered together for one common goal. Rarely does a moment go by where disinterest seeps its ugly head, as instances both invasive and barefaced entice equally. Influence comes from many directions in spite of Serf's Up!'s tonal clashing, as 'I Believe In Something Better' borrows from The Voidz, 'Fringe Runner' does so with Ty Segall's playful smut, and 'Oh Sebastian' sounds plucked from Mercury Rev's lightest canticles.

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29
Big Thief
Two Hands
Indie Rock | Listen

The second of Big Thief's 2019 albums set itself back by moving forward, reclaiming the lost Indie Rock edge their early LP's had as U.F.O.F. dawdled, ever so pleasantly mind you, in the flowers for a forlorn and folksy afternoon. Dominated by 'Not,' a six-minute monolith of calamitous disarray the likes of which we haven't seen from Adrianne Lenker and company, Two Hands continued to shed light on the Achilles' hell staggering under every familial bond. Beautiful eloquence from Lenker emerges on tracks like 'The Toy' and 'Wolf,' while Big Thief's knack for nimble euphony came out in full bloom on 'Forgotten Eyes' and 'Two Hands.' There's a buoyancy, a sense of hopefulness, unearthed through these moving affairs, evolving in tone whilst maintaining engagement to Big Thief's previous beacons of Indie Rock 'Masterpiece' and 'Mythological Beauty.'

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28
King Gizzard
Fishing For Fishies
Boogie Rock | Listen

One can't commend King Gizzard enough for their inhibition. Regardless of talent, knowledge, or expertise, the Australian mega-outfit have no reservations, resulting in a level of ingenuity rarely seen in music. This year two LP's overlapped their marketing deploy, one the lighthearted Boogie Rock of Fishing For Fishies, the other apocalyptic Thrash Metal on Infest The Rats' Nest. While most preferred the latter, King Gizzard's honest-to-goodness heartland homage won me over. Adorable cuts decrying environmental destruction like 'Fishing For Fishies' and 'Plastic Boogie' enriched the earlobes with jejune psychedelics and uptempo joviality, while others rocked the house down in some inverted alternate reality of 70's Hard Rock only Aussies from down under could achieve.

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27
Jenny Hval
Practice Of Love
Art Pop | Listen

As predicted - much like her contemporaries Julia Holter, U.S. Girls, and Holly Herndon - Jenny Hval has adumbrated her knack for Pop prowess with intrinsic, Experimental origins. These two polar opposites have come to define Hval's growth as a songwriter, fully distancing herself from the grotesque Avant-Folk of Viscera through steady evolvement of sound, style, and acumen. The Practice Of Love finds Hval contemplating the necessity for humans, like herself, who don't leave next of kin behind for the betterment of mankind. It's a striking concept to contemplate, especially for likeminded swingers who struggle with the essence of themselves on Earth, and one made all the more alluring by Hval's evocative and invasive Synthpop. Tracks like 'Accident' and standout 'Ashes To Ashes' elicit this ambivalence through mesmerizing Trance that seeps into the listeners' skull like a dream intent on comforting incertitude.

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26
Spellling
Mazy Fly
Minimal Synth | Listen

And just like that another Sacred Bones enigma was born. Like those who came before - namely Jenny Hval, Zola Jesus, and Pharmakon - Spellling confounds and excites by taking something worn and making it new. In this case it's Synthpop or, to a wider extent, Alternative R&B, as Spellling drips salaciousness and brashness much akin to Erykah Badu and any number of her immediate disciples. All while rolling around in cow manure, extrapolating on tales of alien invasion and prehistoric symbolism like a conspiracy theorist whose far off the deep end. Headlining tracks 'Golden Numbers,' 'Secret Thread,' and especially 'Under The Sun,' combined this sense of unreasonable aberrance with sun-soaked Minimal Wave, creating an unconventional parallel world in the process. The sounds and vocals are familiar on Mazy Fly, but the process in which they're transmitted to space is not.

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25
Matmos
Plastic Anniversary
IDM | Listen

Too often musicians resort to conventional means for creation. Matmos has broken that mold for two decades now, culminating in the washing machine massacre of Ultimate Care II, expanded upon with the universal plastic obsession on Plastic Anniversary. In one instance an innovative IDM record, using all kinds of material - including but not limited to: waste containers, bubble wrap, styrofoam coolers, breast implants, and PVC pipe - to predict the future landscape of Electronic music. In another, a social commentary on the detrimental reliance humans have on plastic. Matmos' exegesis aside, Plastic Anniversary thrives in the hoopla of eccentric Sound Collage, evoking foreign ceremony ('Collapse Of The Fourth Kingdom'), seeping into nefarious science lab experiments ('Interior With Billiard Balls & Synthetic Fat'), and amplifying hostility in next-gen revolts ('Thermoplastic Riot Shield'), all using the same artificial means.

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24
Quelle Chris
Guns
Political Hip-Hop | Listen

The topic of guns, and violence that stems from their incessant presence in lower class communities, has always been on the mind of Hip-Hop artists. However it was only in recent years where public opinion has swayed towards criticism rather than acceptance, with prominent conscious artists like Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, and clipping. taking up the mantle. On Guns, Quelle Chris went for a more blunt, cutthroat approach. On tracks like 'Guns,' 'Mind Ya Bidness,' and 'Straight Shot,' Chris wisely pulled back from his Nerdcore antics to present a more accessible route for mass consumption. The lyrics are smart, the melodic Jazz Rap inspired by A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, and more is too. Yet nothing compared to the change-of-face banger 'Obamacare,' which aspired to the likes of El-P, Hit-Boy, or Paul White in its manic production.

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23
Tropical Fuck Storm
Braindrops
Art Punk | Listen

In the past half decade Australia has begun carving a name for itself in the modern Rock echelon, with vivacious artists hellbent on brash madness. With Braindrops, Tropical Fuck Storm left no stone unturned when it came to eliciting this sensation. Even the slower songs like 'Paradise' and 'Maria 63' eventually succumb to a penultimate crash of hysteria and recklessness, with Gareth Liddiard's drunken vocals standing no chance against the onslaught of desolation. Like an addict managing disillusioned highs and lows, Braindrops' extremities like 'Who's My Eugene?' and 'The Happiest Guy Around' feel like farces akin to forcing a smile. There's tragedy looming under every exacerbated squelch, tweak, or burst in the instrumentation, helping to elicit the mania of our modern world.

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22
Moor Mother
Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes
Industrial Hip-Hop | Listen

Known by all, 2019's political state is one that's both candid and deceitful. And what better way to accompany such disillusioned fear than Moor Mother's grotesque Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes, an Industrial Hip-Hop record borrowing from contemporaries in the field like clipping., Lil Ugly Mane, and Death Grips. On it, the Philadelphia provocateur rifles through visceral, abstract imagery to correlate with America's political warfare, its strengthening class divide, and the social hardships of those underneath the boot of capitalism. Combative, antagonistic cuts like 'Don't Die,' 'After Images,' and 'La92' intwine knotty, experimental Noise and Glitch with frightful dialogue from the mouth of a modern day rabble-rouser. The inclusion of Spoken Word depravity - seen best on 'Repeater,' 'Black Flight,' and 'Shadowgrams' - further intensifies Analog Fluids' state of mental disarray and political upheaval.

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21
Chromatics
Closer To Grey
Synthpop | Listen

Well, it took seven years. And it wasn't the long-anticipated Dear Tommy, but given the quality at hand, Closer To Grey will suffice. Dropped out of the blue, Chromatics' 2019 effort proved there was still life in the waning Synthwave movement. Beacons of purist Pop filtered through a righteous nighttime aesthetic crop up in the form of 'Twist The Knife,' 'Light As A Feather,' and 'Whispers In The Hall.' The latter - the lowest quality of the three - also the most daring for its successful incorporation of Trap influence. Ruth Radelet's angelic presence - set askew by depraved thoughts of violence, subservience, and sin - heighten Closer To Grey's duplicitous ways, best seen on tracks like 'Closer To Grey,' 'Twist The Knife,' and 'Touch Red.' Two covers of starkly-different quality spearhead the first and second halves, as 'On The Wall,' an epic eight-minute cover of Jesus & Mary Chain's Alternative Rock track of the same name, ricochets with vibrating pulses and stray riffs to achieve one of the most hypnotic tracks of the year.

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20-11 | 10-1 | Top 100 Tracks