I listened to eight new albums over the course of the last few days. Before I get into the ranking section of this post, might I just remark at how insanely good this week’s music was.

It’ll be difficult for any week this year to produce music this good from top to bottom.

One task I’m going to maintain while doing this list is a running ranking of the best albums of the year. As of now, here are the top 8 albums of 2019. Next week, the list will expand and include next week’s music, comparing with the music of this week. The goal is to have a complete ranking of the music of 2019 by the time December hits–a list that will consist of every album I listened to this year. At this pace, it will be ~400 new albums.

EVERY ONE OF THESE ALBUMS ARE VERY GOOD. SORRY DEERHUNTER FANS–THE ALBUM RULES–JUST NOT AS HARD AS THE OTHER SEVEN.

8. Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? – Deerhunter

Highlights: “Death in Midsummer” / “No One’s Sleeping”

 

7. Future Hndrxx Presents: The WZRD – Future

Highlights: “F&N” (the beat change at 2:00 is incredible) / “First Off (feat. Travis Scott)” (Travis makes everything better)

 

6. Assume Form – James Blake

Highlights: “Mile High” / “Are You In Love?” (a beautiful song, and best melody on the album)

 

5. Heard It In A Past Life – Maggie Rogers

Highlights: “Say It” / “Retrograde”

 

4. Remind Me Tomorrow – Sharon Van Etten

Highlights: “Memorial Day” / “Seventeen”

 

3. Outer Peace – Toro y Moi

Highlights: “Ordinary Pleasure” / “Freelance”

 

2. Phoenix – Pedro the Lion

Highlights: “Yellow Bike” / “Quietest Friend”

 

 

and… at number one…

 

 

1. IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME – The Twilight Sad

Highlights: “VTr” / “Auge/Maschine”

 

The Twilight Sad are absolutely incredible. They are a contemporary Scottish post-punk band whose music sounds like if Joy Division and Interpol had an angst-driven, rebellious lovechild.