The Wire's Top Releases of 2019

2019 Rewind: the year in underground music : The Wire ’s review of the last 12 months in underground sound and music. From the releases of the year to the reflections and analyses of critics, this is your guide to the audio culture highs and lows of the year. Plus, Invisible Jukebox with Hildur Guðnadóttir , Empath , Pod Blotz , Adam de la Cour , Global Ear: Mexico City , The Inner Sleeve chosen by Joe Muggs , Epiphanies by Ben Ponton of :zoviet*france: , 100s of reviews and more

Source

# 1

I Was Real by 75 Dollar Bill

Album • Jun 28 / 2019 Psychedelic Rock Tishoumaren

# 2

The Oracle by Angel Bat Dawid

Album • Feb 08 / 2019 Spiritual Jazz

# 3

We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration by The Art Ensemble of Chicago

Album • Apr 26 / 2019

# 4

Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes by Moor Mother

Album • Nov 08 / 2019 Industrial Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop Political Hip Hop

# 5

Morton Feldman Piano by Philip Thomas + Morton Feldman

Album • Sep 12 / 2019 Modern Classical

# 6

Lifetime by Klein

Album • Sep 06 / 2019 Epic Collage

# 7

The Sacrificial Code by Kali Malone

Album • Jun 28 / 2019 Drone

# 8

The Mirror by People Like Us

Album • Oct 18 / 2019 Plunderphonics

# 9

Mandatory Reality by Joshua Abrams + Natural Information Society

Album • Apr 12 / 2019 Post-Minimalism

# 10

Life Metal by sunn O)))

Album • Apr 26 / 2019 Drone Metal

# 11

More Arriving by Sarathy Korwar

Album • Jul 26 / 2019 Conscious Hip Hop Spiritual Jazz

# 12

GREY Area by Little Simz

Album • Mar 01 / 2019 UK Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop

# 13

Kubali by Mc Yallah + Debmaster

Album • Sep 23 / 2019 Industrial Hip Hop

# 14

Himalaya by Carl Stone

Album • Sep 20 / 2019 Plunderphonics Electroacoustic

# 15

Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise by Jaimie Branch

Album • Oct 11 / 2019 Avant-Garde Jazz Spiritual Jazz

# 16

Purple Mountains by Purple Mountains

Album • Jul 12 / 2019 Alt-Country Indie Rock Singer-Songwriter

# 17

COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis by Matana Roberts

Album • Oct 18 / 2019 Avant-Garde Jazz Free Jazz

# 18

No Home Record by Kim Gordon

Album • Oct 11 / 2019 Post-Industrial Noise Rock

# 19

1000 gecs by 100 gecs

Album • May 31 / 2019 Hyperpop

# 20

All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA

Album • Sep 13 / 2019 Experimental Hip Hop Glitch Hop

# 21

IGOR by Tyler, The Creator

Album • May 17 / 2019 Neo-Soul

# 22

Songs from the Bardo by Laurie Anderson + Tenzin Choegyal + Jesse Paris Smith

Album • Sep 27 / 2019 Spoken Word Tibetan Music

# 23

When I Get Home by Solange

Album • Mar 01 / 2019 Alternative R&B Neo-Soul Art Pop

# 24

Reach the Endless Sea by Tunes of Negation

Album • Oct 18 / 2019 Tribal Ambient Ambient Dub

# 25

Where Future Unfolds by Damon Locks + Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble

Album • May 31 / 2019 Spiritual Jazz

# 26

Wrecked by Zonal

Album • Oct 25 / 2019 Illbient

# 27

Baroo by Carl Stone

Album • Mar 01 / 2019 Plunderphonics

# 28

Solitude by King Midas Sound

Album • Feb 15 / 2019 Spoken Word Drone

# 30

Parallel Persia by Sote

Album • Apr 26 / 2019 Electroacoustic

# 31

Illegal Moves by Sunwatchers

Album • Feb 22 / 2019 Psychedelic Rock

# 32

Bandana by Freddie Gibbs + Madlib

Album • Jun 28 / 2019 Gangsta Rap

# 33

For You and I by Loraine James

Album • Sep 20 / 2019 IDM UK Bass Glitch

# 34

James Tenney: Changes - 64 Studies for 6 Harps by Nicholas Deyoe

Album • Mar 15 / 2019

# 35

Everywhere at the End of Time: Stage 4 by The Caretaker

Album • Apr 05 / 2018 Sound Collage Turntable Music Dark Ambient Noise

# 36

Wahala by YATTA

Album • Aug 02 / 2019 Sound Collage Art Pop

# 37

Pyroclasts by sunn O)))

Album • Oct 25 / 2019 Drone Metal

# 38

All the Many Peopls by Jennifer Walshe

Album • May 31 / 2019 Spoken Word Sound Poetry

# 39

LP by Big Stick

Album • Jul 05 / 2019

# 40

MAGDALENE by FKA twigs

Album • Nov 08 / 2019 Art Pop Glitch Pop

# 41

Ecstatic Computation by Caterina Barbieri

Album • May 04 / 2019 Progressive Electronic

# 42

7 Directions by NKISI

Album • Jan 18 / 2019 Techno

# 43

Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Album • Oct 03 / 2019 Singer-Songwriter Ambient Pop

# 44

Hiding Places by Billy Woods + Kenny Segal

Album • Mar 29 / 2019 Abstract Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop

# 45

Folly Bololey (Songs from Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom) by North Sea Radio Orchestra

Album • May 17 / 2019

# 46

Uingizaji Hewa by Duke

Album • Mar 08 / 2019 Singeli

# 47

There Existed an Addiction to Blood by clipping.

Album • Oct 18 / 2019 Industrial Hip Hop Horrorcore

# 48

Epitaph by Jay Glass Dubs

Album • Jan 25 / 2019 Ambient Dub

# 49

The Flower And The Vessel by Felicia Atkinson

Album • Jul 05 / 2019 Electroacoustic Spoken Word Ambient

# 50

Mechanical Flirtations by Saint Abdullah

Album • Jun 13 / 2019 Post-Industrial

# 51

Everywhere at the End of Time: Stage 5 by The Caretaker

Album • Sep 20 / 2018 Sound Collage Noise Dark Ambient Turntable Music