Here’s Culture Addicts’ picks for the best albums released during 2019. There were so many amazing releases this year so this list is in no particular order, but they are all great LPs. For reference, where possible, we popped in the album stream so you can take a listen.
Girl Band – Talkies
This album is dark, abrasive, and beautiful. It teeters on the edge of completely falling apart but makes it through the the end of the b-side just holding on my the skin of its teeth.
DIIV – Deceiver
This is what the world sounds like once you get clean from addiction. Beautiful shoegaze is what came out of frontman Zachary Cole Smith’s post-treatment. His writing seems to get better with each album.
Fontaines DC – Dogrel
This Irish band are the saviours of indie rock. They put together a solid debut album that has the perfect mix of rock’n’roll chops and indie swagger.
Froth – Duress
Laid back and sometimes with squelchy guitars. Great chill out or comedown tunes.
Ladytron – Ladytron
The British synth quartet returned with a bit of a triumphant new record. They even survived a Pledge Music disaster. It’s a bit poppier, but it’s very much still solid Ladytron.
Clipping. – There Existed an Addiction to Blood
What happens when you take two sound designers and mix them with a rapper? You get a beautiful fusion of sound and flowing lyrics that is the latest from clipping.
Lust For Youth – Lust For Youth
LFY delivers their strongest album yet. They are sort of like the nouveau New Order but the New Order at their best not the New Order of present. No full album stream is available so you can listen to one track.
Odonis Odonis – Reaction
Not really an album but it’s good enough to make our ‘best of’ list for the year. Dirty, gritty, and dark vibes on the EP. Hopefully we’ll get a full length in 2020. There was no playlist or album stream for this one, but here’s one of the tracks.
Ride – This Is Not A Safe Place
Shoegaze legends Ride gave us a new album this year that showed us even more experimentation than Weather Diaries.
Secret Shame – Dark Synthetics
Bringing us fresh new goth sounds, Dark Synthetics is such a beautiful debut outing for this indie band.
Black Marble – Bigger Than Life
Chris Stewart made a move from New York to LA and this album captures his change in environment. So retro leaning but solid cold, stark vibes.
N0V3L – NOVEL
N0V3L created an amazing release of weirdo post-punk. A very solid EP. Here are a couple tracks from the EP.
