My Favorite Music of 2019

Every year around this time, I pick some of my favorite music from the last 365 days.

This list isn’t an attempt to replace real music critics’ picks; I am just an amateur music lover, not a pro. (For a critic’s take, I am a big fan of Chris Richards from WaPo.)

What it is: The music I loved and listened to the most this year. It’s not an equal sampling from lots of different genres. For example, most of the hip hop I listened to this year is from the 1980s and 1990s. (SIDEBAR: Get De La Soul on Spotify!) I did think “Jesus is King” was a totally fascinating and adventurous album from Kanye, and continue to really enjoy what Tyler, the Creator is doing. (Earl Sweatshirt too!)

These are in no particular order other than they occurred to me.

• Sharon Van Etten, “Seventeen”: I spent the last few years watching Van Etten on “The OA.” (RIP, that amazing show — by the way.) Her latest album reminded me how amazing she is as a songwriter and performer. “Comeback Kid” is simply stunning stuff.
• Hold Steady, “Thrashing Through the Passion”/Craig Finn, “I Need a New War”: Finn — and the Hold Steady, the band he fronts — are making my favorite music right now. Finn is smart, quirky and thoughtful. Who else could pull off a line like: “I’m Grant at Galena/I need a new war”? Hold Steady provides a fuller, more rocking sound but Finn is still the prime mover. In “Tuxedo T-Shirt, he sings: “They say everything’s perception/But that’s not really right/Let’s all try to tell a little truth tonight.” Yeah.
• Bon Iver, “i, i”: If I had to pick one version of Justin Vernon, I think I would take the sad, living-in-a-cabin-in-the-woods version that produced “For Emma, Forever Ago.” But, this latest incarnation on “i, i” is pretty amazing too. Everyone loves “Hey, Ma” — and rightly so. But my favorite track on this album is “U (Man Like).”
• Better Oblivion Community Center, “BOCC”/Phoebe Bridgers/Matt Berninger,“Walking on a String”: Yes, Berninger (of The National) and Conor Oberst were along for the rid here. But the real star was Phoebe Bridgers, who I will listen to sing anything. Her voice, her phrasing; she is the real deal.
• Josh Ritter, “Fever Breaks”: A Josh Ritter album produced by Jason Isbell? I feel like this was music created in a lab for me to love. And I did. If you don’t see the comparisons between our current moment and the world Ritter sings about in “The Torch Committee,” you aren’t paying attention.
• Jenny Lewis, “On the Line”: The best thing I can say about this album is that it feels like it’s filled with songs I have been singing my whole life. Also, “Heads Gonna Role” is awesome.
• The National, “I am Easy to Find”: Every single National album grow on me over time. This one was no different. In looking back at what I listened to the most this year, this album was near the top. I particularly loved “Rylan.”
• Vampire Weekend, “Father of the Bride”: This record was so highly anticipated that it seemed destined to disappoint. While I didn’t love it as much as “Modern Vampires,” it is still filled with so many amazing melodies and rhythms. The collaborations with Danielle Heim — especially “Married In a Gold Rush” — were my favorite tracks.