It’s the time we’ve all waited for over four articles! Let’s get to my favorite albums of 2019. Numbers 5 through 2 were tough to break down. Number 1, on the other hand, I knew from the moment I heard it. I’m so excited to finally share these with you!

5) Jessica Pratt – Quiet Signs

In 27 minutes, Jessica Pratt puts on a wide array of emotions and colors onto an audible canvas. With a vocal range and style unlike any other artist, some find her hard to access at first. Me, on the other hand? I fell in love with her eclectic, psychedelic style from the first track of Quiet Signs. With clear influences from worlds of fantasy and all realms of music, organs, acoustic guitars, flutes, and otherworldly instruments find their way to this record, along with stories worth revisiting over and over.

A lot like Joni Mitchell, and simultaneously nothing like any other artist, Pratt is a poet dabbling in music. It just so happens she’s also a killer musician, and it was tough putting this anywhere lower than #1. In 9 songs, Pratt set the stage for something no other artist did in 2019: create a whole new world in the blink of an eye.

4) The National – I Am Easy to Find

When I first started doing lists at the end of the year, I always figured 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me from The National would be the band’s best record. It’s tough to argue that 2019’s I Am Easy to Find is weaker than that record in any way. The guest vocals from a number of female musicians add depth to a band comfortably set in their ways. The sounds of The National often get mistaken for being repetitive and of the same color scheme. Instead, I Am Easy to Find feels more hopeful than other records from the band.

It’s great seeing long-time live favorites like “Rylan” get a studio treatment. Likewise, “Oblivions” is one of my favorite songs of 2019. The band touts the single best discography of the past 15 years, and I Am Easy to Find scoots comfortably up to the top of the list in my books.

3) JPEGMAFIA – All My Heroes are Cornballs

JPEGMAFIA is unlike anyone else in rap. He produces his own work, as well as the works of others. He spent time in the military, he grew up with Jamaican parents who moved him to New York, and then Alabama. He’s seen a lot and continues to push the boundaries of what hip hop can be. On 2019’s All My Heroes are Cornballs Peggy, as he’s often called, refuses to step back from his controversial tendencies and bursts of violent emotion. No rapper put out better music than JPEG in 2019, but nobody seemed to notice.

A lot of his indie, underground credibility comes from a lack of mainstream desires. Luckily, that means Peggy is free to do what he feels. His emotions and energy turn into insane productions and great lyrics that make you laugh and cringe all at once. 18 songs fly by in 45 minutes, and I think so many skipping this record this year is a travesty.

2) Florist – Emily Alone

I enjoyed the #1 album on this list a lot, but Emily Alone touched me emotionally more than any record in 2019. The sheer vulnerability in Emily Sprague’s voice and lyrics makes me cry if I’m not on guard. The album feels so open and honest that I’ll catch myself lost in its sounds and words even when I’m not listening to it. The quiet, soft spoken nature of the record makes me think that it’s never going to be reproduced again, even by Florist themselves.

I’m a huge fan of this year’s #1 album, but I have a hard time explaining exactly how perfect Emily Alone is. I’m grateful to have heard it, and I’m grateful to Sprague and company for writing it. It’s a treasure I’ll hold onto for years to come, and use whenever I need a little courage to feel my most sincere and deep emotions.

1) Big Thief – U.F.O.F. 

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: no band has ever had a studio tear like Big Thief. Lead singer Adrianne Lenker has four solo albums to her name, and this 2019 release is the third album in the band’s discography. A fourth was released months later in 2019, marking 8 incredible albums in four years. Luckily, the band is so great at providing listeners with broad strokes of feeling that every work feels separate enough to enjoy on their own. Together? They make up one of the most impressive collections of songs ever recorded by a single group of artists.

U.F.O.F. is a love letter to missing home, loved ones, and also feeling like you can’t ever give up the things you have now. We all long for something we’re missing, but most of us wouldn’t be happier back where we’ve been. ‘Now’ is always more than ‘back then’ because we get the gift of home in the present. The past, however, feels sweeter than ever on this record. The people we love shape us, just as the people we hate do. In a world suffocating itself with hate right now, U.F.O.F. feels like a reminder to just breathe and take everything in stride.

Thanks to everyone for keeping up with this series! I’d love to hear what you think! Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.