Another article, another 5 songs in my top 25 albums of 2019 list! We’re moving on to the heart of this year’s best records. Let’s get to it!

15) Julia Jacklin – Crushing

It was this time last year that Polyvinyl released the name of their first release of 2019. Julia Jacklin’s first album Crushing is a soft scream of hope and helplessness. The artist’s talent for lyricism isn’t lost behind her stripped-down method of writing music. Everything from grlpwr rock to 90s alt jangle is here to enjoy. The most pleasurable part of her music, however, is her airy voice and in-the-pocket rhythm displayed in songs sad and happy. I’m excited to see what’s next for her, and happy to say her record and the next in this list made me feel 2019 would be a great year in music.

14) Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow 

I obsessed over this record for the better part of 2019. The feeling of timelessness in Sharon Van Etten’s voice and music makes me feel like I’m hearing music’s history. The influences of her sound range from Fleetwood Mac to contemporaries like The National. With that said, it’s no surprise that the latter’s Aaron Dessner produced Remind Me Tomorrow.

With tales of childhood dreams playing out like home movie reels, you remember everything you’ve loved about your life hearing this record. It’s an emotional album without being too much of anything. It’s perfect in every way, and if it wasn’t for a great year in music, it’d be a guaranteed top 10 record in any other year.

13) Cherry Glazerr – Stuffed and Ready

Cherry Glazerr is the project and workhorse of Clementine Creevy. Her love for the over the top, sensual, hypersexual side of pop and rock makes her music feel equal parts erotic and endearing. The ways in which Cherry Glazerr evolves over the course of Stuffed and Ready surprised me the first listen through.

The songs sound crunchy and distorted, but somehow still very clear in their message. Essentially, Creevy’s style has always been a love for grunge, but putting an indie-pop spin on it makes it feel fresh and lively. She’s someone I always enjoyed, but this year’s record puts her high on my radar from here on out.

12) Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

Vampire Weekend is the most important indie band of the last 15 years, and Father of the Bride was a very safe way to come back after a hiatus. There isn’t anything insanely daring on this record, but enlisting the help of Danielle Haim and Steve Lacy helps the album breathe a bit. Still, even a safe record from Ezra Koenig is a great record.

The addition of Brian Robert Jones on guitar and vocals is also a huge plus for the original trio of musicians who started the band back in college. Nobody quite gets a great song like Koenig, and Father of the Bride is an introduction to just how confident he and the band are in their ability to crank out great tunes.

11) Oso Oso – basking in the glow 

Jade Liltri is a force in emo music, but Oso Oso is always overlooked for their more popular, showy contemporaries. On basking in the glow, Oso Oso stakes claim to the future of the genre. There are few artists with the ear for catchy indie tracks that still feel like you’re peering into the artist’s heart.

Liltri is a great singer, guitarist, and lyricist. The past works for the band have been previews of what they could be, and on basking in the glow, Oso Oso is fully realized. The band is a bright spot in a bright year, and I see a great few years ahead for this group.

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