BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (2019)

After countless hours of pleasurble joy listening to loads of remarkable music, INDIEVOTION finally presents its pick for the Best Albums of 2019. The first part of the list comprises albums ranked 50 to 21 and a second part with the 20 most higher favoured.

Last year was, in a certain sense, a musical blessing with so many fabulous records having been released, so many great acts, loads of refreshingly good sounds, gorgeous, addictive songs hitting the airwaves and making every day a feast for the senses. Hopefully 2020 will be at least as good as 2019.

This list does not pretend to be definitive, orthodox, nor even to essay any sort of opinion making about the issue in appreciation, although we’re quite sure that it is a highly representative sample of the most thrilling, beautiful music released during the whole year.

21. SUNDARA KARMA - Ulfilas’ Alphabeth

22. Stef Chura - Midnight

23. Shura - Forevher

24. Stella Donelly - Beware of the Dogs

25. French Vanilla - How am I Not Myself?

26. JE T'AIME - JE T'AIME

27. Witching Waves - Persistence

28. Fontaines DC – Dogrel

29. TOY - Happy in The Hollow

30. Marika Hackman - Any Human Friend

31. Cherry Glazer - Stuffed & Ready

32. Shana Falana - Darkest Light

33. Trash Kit - Horizon

34. Aldous Harding - Designer

35. The Dream Syndicate - These Times

36. Tiny Ruins - Olympic Girls

37. Mammoth Penguins - There's No Fight We Can't Both Win

38. Emma Russack - Winter Blues

39. Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow

40. The Stroppies - Whoosh

41. Robert Forster - Inferno

42. Gauche - A People's History of Gauche

43. B Boys - Dudu

44. Vanishing Twin - The Age Of Immunology

45. AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - Amyl and The Sniffers

46. SEEKER LOVER KEEPER – Wild Seeds

47. DYSON STRINGER CLOHER - Dyson Stringer Cloher

48. The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears

49. UIU - Only Something When You Are Nothing

50. Rosegarden Funeral Party - Martyr

ALBUM OF THE MONTH [DECEMBER]: Drahla - Useless Coordinates (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9.5/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#53]: Be Forest - Knocturne (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10

AUSTRALIAN GEMS 2019 [#27]: Hexdebt – Rule of Four

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#52]: Emily Jane White - Immanent Fire (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#51]: French Vanilla - How Am I Not Myself? (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#50]: B Boys - Dudu (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8.5/10

ALBUM OF THE MONTH [NOVEMBER]: Rosegarden Funeral Party – Martyr (2019)

From now on Dallas will be worldly known not only because of its famous Arts District or the International Airport, the Kalita Humphreys Theater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or the JFK assassination, the graves of Bonnie and Clyde, the Cowboys, the Mavericks or the Dallas Stars but also as the home base of the breathtaking Rosegarden Funeral Party fronted by the massively talented musician, singer-songwriter, the dazzling Leah Lane.

Rosegarden Funeral Party came to the spotlight about two years ago due to their gorgeous "The Chopping Block" EP (2018) which spontaneously triggered deliberate wish for a much-needed debut album. Almost a year and a half after the aforementioned EP, some lineup changes and intense artistic involvement the band managed to put out their highly desired and anxiously awaited debut full-length, "Martyr", a couple of weeks ago.

Rosegarden Funeral Party's album is genuinely one of the most illuminating beacons flight of 2019. "Martyr" is a compellingly delightful 8 song albums of explosively, thrilling post-punk angst aesthetic, painted with some generous brush strokes of the most ardent traditional goth glimmer.

From the opening track to the closing one, "Martyr" delivers a powerful, deeply addictive, magnificent set of heartfelt songs that pay a stunning tribute to the best golden ark of alternative sounds from the 80s. There's blend of gloom, solemnity, sadness, rebellion, theatricality, impassioned soulfulness all over this album that essentially pushes Rosegarden Funeral Party sonic aesthetic towards the ones from Joy Division, New Order, The Cure, The Sound, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Smiths and even The Pretenders not to mention some The Human League synth pop omnipresence.

Listening to Martyr we can have some sort of augmented reality experience of what could perfectly be a Rosegarden Funeral Party live show because though it is a studio album the real feel present here is the one of a fabulous cathartic sonic live show liturgy.

Rosegarden Funeral Party's Martyr is a tremendously effective album that seems to have been patiently, cautiously and above all wisely crafted. Masterful guitar playing, jaw dropping riffs, a superb powerfully paced rhythm section all of this hauntingly wrapped up with gorgeous vocals that can range from husky to almost silky that often remind of a mix between Siouxsie Sioux and Chrissie Hynde on an album that will undeniably be among the greatest contenders for album of the year 2019. There are shinning stars over Dallas skies!

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8.5/10

AUSTRALIAN GEMS 2019 [#26]: Robert Forster - Inferno

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8.5/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#49]: Omni - Networker (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE 9/10

AUSTRALIAN GEMS 2019 [#25]: Amyl and The Sniffers - Amyl and The Sniffers

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8.5/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#47]: Jane Weaver - Loops in The Secret Society (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#46]: Shura – Forevher (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE 8.5/10

AUSTRALIAN GEMS 2019 [#24]: Elizabeth – The Wonderful World of Nature

It seems that breakdowns no matter what they're underlying work out as some kind of optimum triggers to creative endeavors. That's what presumably happened with the immensely talented and former Totally Mild singer-songwriter Elizabeth Mitchell. The aftermath of Totally Mild superb second album, "Her" brought with it their unsurprisingly split-up due to some private matters and raised the usual question of what would the band members be doing from then on.

On what concerns to Elizabeth she promptly focused on her career and managed to release a fantastic, solo debut album titled "The Wonderful World of Nature" but it could also be pompously named as the wonderful world of australian velvet dream pop. Elizabeth's debut album is a deliberate and beautiful exercise of melancholic grandeur filled with a notable sense of melodic construction that finds some parallel with Beach House ambient not with Lana Del Rey tedious, plastic, pop.

The Wonderful World of Nature is a highly balanced and cohesive album that spontaneously grabs the listener's attention. Song after song from opening to closing the album fully displays a handful of brilliantly crafted songs that makes this album a truly serious contender to Australia's Album of The Year.

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#45]: True Moon - II (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 8.5/10

ALBUM OF THE MONTH [OCTOBER]: Angel Olsen – All Mirrors (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10

ALBUM OF THE WEEK [#44]: JE T'AIME - Je T'aime (2019)

INDIEVOTION SCORE: 9/10