We’re getting to the end of the top albums of 2019, and these next five are some of my favorite records in recent memory. Why hype up the intro? Let’s get to it!

10) Stella Donnelly – Beware of the Dogs

Stella Donnelly is yet another insanely great musician to come out of Australia. After a few EPs, Beware of the Dog confirmed my long suspicion that Donnelly is going to be one of the best artists to follow in the coming years. With an insanely great voice and an introspective approach to songwriting, the young artist is hitting peaks other artists strive for on third, fourth, or fifth records, the first time out. “Tricks” is a favorite track of mine from 2019, and I can’t wait to hear more from what I consider to be one of the most promising artists in indie right now.

9) Young Thug – So Much Fun

If there’s an album named for the exact feeling you get listening to it, then Young Thug nailed it. The rapper is always featured on others’ tracks and people enjoy his work. An entire Young Thug album is a trip through the rush of a night out and the realization that you’re only as great as you remind everyone you are. I can’t think of a rap song I like more this year than “Sup Mate,” and hearing the rapper run through a diverse set of beats and amazing production feels so satisfying. Critics are always saying he’s a one-dimensional artist, but Thugger does it all on this one, and he’s one of the best in the game today.

8) Big Thief – Two Hands 

Big Thief is going to get a bigger write up later on, but let’s be clear: there is not a better band in music right now. The sheer force of their music is enthralling. With this being the second album they’ve released in 2019, I worried it wouldn’t match my love for U.F.O.F., but it’s just as memorable.

“Not” is a top three song in the calendar year, and I can’t imagine a band making this sort of run-in music release and quality any time in the near future. Even the best take years in between records to recreate their magic. Big Thief did it twice, and Two Hands is the second of two memorable records for indie’s most darling group of musicians.

7) Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising

Weyes Blood hit me unlike any other artist this year. I wasn’t really ready for Titanic Rising when I first heard it, and it took almost three listens to realize how forceful this album was. Natalie Mering’s songwriting style makes it feel like you’re listening to the future of music, while somehow stuck in the past.

It’s like looking at photographs, you know they’re from a time long ago, but they feel like previews of the future as well. Everything repeats itself in life, whether we notice it or not. Mering is a ridiculously talented artist, and her sense of energy behind a guitar or microphone is something that would dominate music in any decade you drop her.

6) Better Oblivion Community Center

Phoebe Bridgers is like hearing from a friend after years of not speaking. You’re overwhelmed with joy and comfort, and you promise yourself you’ll never go a day without them again. Connor Oberst has made a career out of a similar sentiment, and now the two team up in what I can only explain to you as an indie fever dream.

When I heard this record get announced, I almost cried. Two of my favorite artists on one record, writing together and making me feel all the feelings. It’s not something that works as well as it seems it should, two artists combining into one sound sometimes creates more clashes than harmony. Luckily, Better Oblivion Community Center met every expectation, then exceeded my every hope for what this record could be.

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