40. Holly Herndon
PROTO
(Matador)
The only album made in 2019 with the aid of an “A.I. baby” called Spawn.
Read Reef Younis’ review, listen to Holly on Midnight Chats or check out our cover feature interview. 

39. These New Puritans
Inside The Rose
(Infectious)
Another change for the experimental Barnett brothers, now pairing post-rave with dark orchestrations.
Check out Tom Critten’s review, and Fergal Kinney’s feature interview. 

38. William Tyler
Goes West
(Merge)
An album of pastoral guitar instrumentals from the big skies of Tyler’s Deep South.
Take a look at Sam Walton’s write up about the album. 

37. GLOO
XYZ
(Gloo)
The first ADHD collab between wonky maximalists Iglooghost, BABii and Kai Whiston.
Read Tristan Gatward’s album review, and our cover feature interview by Stuart Stubbs.  

36. Common Holly
When I Say To You Black Lightning
(Dalliance)
Folk musician Brigitte Naggar’s looser, more atonal second album of creepy lullabies.
Hayley Scott reviewed the album.

35. Lungbutter
Honey
(Constellation)
A debut noise rock record of sprechgesang vocals and impossibly distorted guitars.
Dafydd Jenkins wrote about the album, also check out Joe Goggins’ feature with the band. 

34. Kano
Hoodies All Summer
(Parlophone)
The North Londoner’s furious sixth album about his marginalised community.
Revisit Alex Francis’s album review. 

33. Clipping
There Existed An Addiction To Blood 
(Sub Pop)
Another concept record from the experimental LA hip-hop trio – a terrifying homage to cult horror movies.
Check out Jamie Howarth’s words about the album. 

32. The Murder Capital
When I Have Fears 
(Human Season)
The post-rock come art-punk debut from a literary Dublin outfit.
Liam Konemann wrote about the album, and Ian Roebuck spoke to them for this feature. 

31. Big Thief
U.F.O.F
(4AD)
The more fragile and oblique of the two records released by the folk rock band in 2019.
Take a look back at Joe Goggins’ review. 

30. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Bandana 
(Columbia)
The second collab between the blunt thug rapper and the mythical beatmaker.
Stephen Butchard scored the album high when it was released. 

29. Gong Gong Gong
Phantom Rhythm
(Wharf Cat)
Drummerless droning psych inspired by Bo Diddley from Beijing’s noise scene.
Revisit Dafydd Jenkins’ review of the album. 

28. Fontaines D.C. 
Dogrel
(Partisan)
The Dublin band’s indie debut, filled with tenderness and a liberal alternative to Ireland’s fading national identity.
The full review of Dogrel by Tristan Gatward, and his cover feature interview. 

27. Kate Tempest
The Book Of Traps And Lessons
(Fiction)
The poet’s largely beat-less collection of stories about Brexit, Jo Cox, Grenfell and Brexit again.
Stephen Butchard wrote about the album, and Kate was a recent guest on our podcast.

26. Sleaford Mods
Eton Alive
(Extreme Eating)
When austerity gets better, Sleaford Mods will stop making such articulate, angry music.
Jason was a guest on Midnight Chats this year, and Fergal Kinney reviewed the album. 

25. Show Me The Body
Dog Whistle
(Loma Vista)
A second record of spidery anti-corporate hardcore from the NYC trio with the banjo
Take a look at Greg Cochrane’s review. 

24. Ezra Collective
You Can’t Steal My Joy 
(Enter The Jungle)
The debut album from the Afrobeat and grime fusion heart of the South London jazz world.
Check out Tristan Gatward’s review, and Mike Vinti’s cover feature interview. 

23. Nilüfer Yanya 
Miss Universe
(ATO)
A debut of hiccupping pop rock and fuzzy Strat workouts.
Here’s our cover feature interview with Nilufer, and Tristan Gatward wrote about Miss Universe. 

22. Angel Olsen
All Mirrors 
(Jagjaguwar)
The American’s grandiose fourth album, made with a 14-piece orchestra.
Take a look at Susan Darlington’s album review.

21. Weyes Blood
Titanic Rising 
(Sub Pop)
The Carpenters soundtracking the apocalypse, written and performed by Natalie Mering
Susan Darlington wrote about the album when it was released. 

20. slowthai
Nothing Great About Britain
(Method)
How everyone feels right now; in the form of a snotty, hilarious, punk rap debut.
Check out Tom Critten’s write-up about the album. 

19. Housewives
Twilight Splendour
(Blank Editions)
What happens when an unnerving punk band bin their guitars for their second record.
Take a look back at Sam Walton’s album review, and Tristan Gatward spoke to them for this feature. 

18. Injury Reserve
Injury Reserve
(Loma Vista)
The nonconformist hip-hop debut from Phoenix’s premier experimental trio.
Read Jamie Howarth’s album review, he also spoke to Injury Reserve for this feature. 

17. SELF ESTEEM 
Compliments Please
(Fiction)
The pop album of sorry-not-sorry self-love anthems that Rebecca Taylor has always wanted to make.
Check out Gemma Samways’ review of the album, Self Esteem also came on our podcast earlier this year. 

16. Black Midi
Schlagenheim
(Rough Trade)
How every improvisational art band wish they could play.
Joe Goggins reviewed the album, and Luke Cartledge spoke to Black Midi for this cover feature interview.

15. Dave
Psychodrama
(Neighbourhood)
The South London rapper’s debut, wrapped in a therapy session of plaintive piano and the young, black experience.

14. Deliluh
Beneath The Floors
(Tin Angel)
An art-rock debut of droning cold terror from the band rebuilding Toronto’s DIY scene.
Have a look at Jamie Howarth’s album review, and revisit Ollie Rankine’s feature with the band.

13. Kim Gordon
No Home Record
(Matador)
The debut solo album by the Sonic Youth co-founder, 40-years into her career.
Look back at Tristan Gatward’s piece about the album. 

12. Tropical Fuck Storm 
Braindrops
(Joyful Noise)
Australian punk songs about the rise of aliens, Nazi witches and Brian Wilson’s psychotherapist.
Fergal Kinney wrote about the album, and Liam Konemann interviewed the band for this feature. 

11. Anna Meredith
FIBS
(Moshi Moshi)
The composer’s second barrage of avant-pop horn blasts and MBE-awarded clarinet jams.
Revisit Reef Younis’s review of the album, and Anna looking back on her 16-year-old self for Sweet 16. 

10. The Comet Is Coming
Trust In The Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
(Impulse!)
An album as much in love with grime, punk rock and G-funk as it is with classic spiritual jazz.
Take a look back at Sam Walton’s album review. 

9. Floating Points
Crush
(Ninja Tune)
Sam Shepherd’s returning album as the king of nuanced, progressive club music.
Here’s Reef Younis’s piece about the album.

8. JPEGMAFIA
All My Heroes Are Cornballs
(EQT)
The Baltimore rap collagist let loose, experimenting with TLC covers and noise music.
Check out Katie Beswick’s recent cover feature interview with JPEGMAFIA.

7. Leafcutter John 
Yes! Come Parade With Me
(Border Community)
A modular synth album made with field recordings from a Norfolk coastal hike.
Sam Walton reviewed the album, and spoke to Leafcutter John for this feature.

6. Julia Jacklin
Crushing
(Transgressive)
The Australian’s deeply personal report of how awful falling out of love can be.
Read Stuart Stubbs’ album review, and cover feature interview. 

5. Richard Dawson
2020 
(Weird World)
Barbed folk songs about our grotty little lives by the black-humoured bard of Newcastle.
This was Fergal Kinney’s review of the album, and Max Pilley spent time with Richard for this cover feature interview. 

4. Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
(Drag City)
The long awaited solo album from Silver Jews’ David Berman, who died a month after its release.
Revisit Dafydd Jenkins’s album review, and conversation with David before he sadly passed away. 

3. Little Simz
GREY Area
(Age 101)
The “boss in a fucking dress”, rapping over flutes and strings and distorted drums and bass.
David Zammitt wrote about the album when it was released. 

2. Aldous Harding
Designer 
(4AD)
Hannah Sian Topp’s third, most full-band record of abstract weird folk.
Check out Susan Darlington’s review of the album.

1. FKA Twigs 
Magdalene
(Young Turks)
Twigs’s second album of future RnB and chamber pop, exploring feminine strength through the lens of Mary Magdalene.
Revisit Tristan Gatward’s 10/10 album review.

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FURTHER READING:

• Loud And Quiet’s Top 40 Albums of 2018
• Loud And Quiet’s Top 40 Albums of 2017
• Loud And Quiet’s Top 40 Albums of 2016