The Best Songs And Albums Of 2019

Plus, more than 20 other best-of lists.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Courtesy of the artists Each December, NPR Music compiles lists of the very best songs and albums released in the past year. To do it, we gather our extremely opinionated group of writers, reporters, editors, podcasters, producers and playlist-makers in one (virtual) room and ask them to come to a consensus to make our expansive multi-genre lists. It’s a complicated process, but one we enter into with excitement — for us, it's an opportunity to shine a light on the music we felt most passionate about. Sometimes teammates become enemies until the voting is complete. The results are often spectacular and surprising, and the process helps members of our team hear what their colleagues are really excited about every year. But most of the time, when we’re listening to music throughout the year, we aren’t thinking about big ranked lists — and we bet the same is also true for you. We spent a lot of time having conversations about music this year — like the one our colleagues over at All Songs Considered recently had about the music of 2019. And out of those conversations, we decided to do something a little different. Our year-end package still has a list of the top 25 albums and songs of 2019 — but in our 21 other lists, we looked at the year in music from a variety of other angles. We surveyed new classics and cutting-edge breakouts in a variety of genres. We wrestled with the political climate’s impact on the year’s releases and our own lethargic desire to stay in on a Friday night. We selected music about dystopia and climate change; we even cracked some jokes.  Making these lists pushed us to think about the year differently — to create unexpected comparisons, to hear things we might not otherwise encounter, to broaden our personal definitions of “best.” We’re hoping that you too will discover something new to love in all these lists. Now we want to hear from you: When you get to December, how do you reflect on the year in music? Are you a list-maker? Do you track your personal top songs or your records purchased on Discogs? Or do you use year-end lists as a source of discovery to see what you may have missed? Let us know by using the email link at the bottom of this newsletter. Not the vacant wilderness vying, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message Tiny Desk Catie Dull/NPR Before her Tiny Desk concert, R&B singer Raveena Aurora — who performs under her first name — and her team meticulously arranged some props — homemade mushrooms and flowers — to lend a warm, cozy feel to the already cluttered office space. She performed her fan-favorite single "Honey" and dreamy standouts from her debut album, showing off the precision and charisma in her music. Also at the Desk this week: The Comet Is Coming, a British jazz trio that Bob Boilen calls “a force of nature,” and Weyes Blood, who played tracks from its latest album, Titanic Rising, one of our favorites of this year. One More Thing From Hot Priest to “L to the OG.” What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy