The Best Albums of 2019: Honorable Mentions

So we begin the third annual Baltimore Music Festival, where we listen to everything and then rank them arbitrarily. Just as every year, there are three categories:

Honorable Mentions, where the largest number of albums end up, those that were fun, interesting, and definitely good enough to warrant a stream or two;

Runners Up, where ten albums reside, those that were excellent and of high enough quality to land on your shelves as physical copies, or at least purchased from iTunes/AmazonMusic/GooglePlay;

Albums of the Year, the top three albums, those that are truly transcendent, the ones you’ll be reminiscing about while your grandchildren won’t stop playing whatever passes for popular music in 2049.

2019 was actually a very good year for music. Amazing records were put out by a vast variety of artists, and a great time was had by all. Shall we begin?

Honorable Mentions listed alphabetically

Baroness
Gold & Grey
Stoner Rock : Listen

Big Thief
Two Hands
Folk Rock : Listen

James Blake
Assume Form
Leftfield R&B : Listen

Danny Brown
uknowhatimsayin?
Hip Hop : Listen

Cave In
Final Transmission
Post Rock : Listen

Charli XCX
Charli
Pop : Listen

The Comet Is Coming
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
Jazz Fusion : Listen

Dave
Psychodrama
Hip Hop : Listen

Lana Del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Pop Rock : Listen

FKA Twigs
Magdalene
Ethereal R&B : Listen

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Bandana
Gangsta Rap: Listen

Ariana Grande
thank u, next
Pop R&B : Listen

Aldous Harding
Designer
Art Rock : Listen

HEALTH
Vol.4 :: Slaves of Fear
Industrial : Listen

The Highwomen
The Highwomen
Folk/Country : Listen

Ibibio Sound Machine
Doko Mien
Highlife : Listen

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Infest the Rats Nest
Thrash Metal : Listen

Michael Kiwanuka
Kiwanuka
Soul : Listen

Lizzo
Cuz I Love You
Pop/Hip Hop/Funk : Listen

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
Ambient Electronic : Listen

Angel Olsen
All Mirrors
Indie Rock : Listen

Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
Rock : Listen

Show Me the Body
Dog Whistle
Hardcore : Listen

Širom
A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse
Free Improvisation : Listen

Slowthai
Nothing Great About Britain
Grime : Listen

Solange
When I Get Home
Contemporary R&B : Listen

Hayden Thorpe
Diviner
Ballad Pop : Listen

Tinariwen
Amadjar
Electric Blues : Listen

The Twilight Sad
It Won/t Be Like This All the Time
Alternative Rock : Listen

W.H. Lung
Incidental Music
Psychedelic Rock : Listen

Jamila Woods
Legacy! Legacy!
Contemporary R&B : Listen

Xiu Xiu
Girl With Basket of Fruit
Abstract : Listen

Thom Yorke
Anima
Electro : Listen