10: Little Simz – GREY Area
An uplifting and powerful rap album. Little Simz manages to find optimism among hardship, while calling out some of the stereotypes found in rap culture.
9: Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
Shockingly good first half of a two-part album by a band truly comfortable in their own skin. A masterful display of how to build up songs. A crying shame that part 2 wasn’t up to the same standard.
8: JOHN – Out Here on the Fringes
Brash, boisterous guitar noise that’s just too much fun to ignore.
7: Snapped Ankles – Stunning Luxury
An fantastically bonkers blend of dance, psych, post-punk and avent garde that almost always hits the spot.
6: The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears
A brilliant post-punk debut album with an occasional whiff of early U2 to it, only let down on occasion by a slightly strained vocal.
Honourable mention: Viagra Boys – Street Worms
This album from the Swedish post-punk outfit was released late in 2018, so doesn’t officially make it into my list, but as I missed it at the back end of last year I wanted to give it a shout out for its brilliantly dirty grooves. Had it been released in 2019, it would most certainly have earned a place somewhere on this page.
And we’re down to the final five…
The Album Review 