2019 has been another fantastic year for music, there were so many great albums to choose, from old favorites new efforts to some remarkable debuts, that we couldn't pick just 50. So after immense discussion and plenty of arguments, we have selected our 100 essential records from a list of 350.
Here are Kool Rock radio's staff 100 favorite albums of 2019, listed in alphabetical order:
- Agent Side Grinder ► ‘AX’ (Progress Productions) [Electronic/Post-punk/Industrial/Synth/ Dark wave/Gothic]
- Alcabean ► 'Confessions' (We Are Suburban) [indie rock/pop/alt]
- Automatic ► 'Signal' (Stones Throw Records) [avant-garde/post-punk/synth punk]
- Automelodi ► 'Mirages au futur verre-brisé' (Holodeck) [electronic pop/synthpop/minimal]
- Blushing ► 'Blushing' (Wall Flower Records) [dream pop/shoegaze/bedroom]
- Bodega ► 'Shiny New Model' (What's Your Rupture?) [art-rock/punk]
- Body of Light ► 'Time to Kill' (Dais Records) [dark/synth-pop]
- Boy Harsher ► 'Careful' (Nude Club Records) [dark/electronic/drone]
- Business of Dreams ► ‘Ripe for Anarchy’ (Slumberland Records) [indie pop]
- Cage The Elephant ► 'Social Cues' (Columbia) [Indie Rock]
- Capitol ► 'Dream Noise' (Meritorio Records/Kingfisher Bluez) [new wave/post punk/dream pop]
- CEREMONY ► 'In the Spirit World Now' (Relapse Records) [Indie Rock]
- Chai Khat ► ‘Hail Satin’ (Flat Field Records) [indie pop/wave]
- Chain Wallet ► 'No Ritual' (Jansen Records) [bedroom pop/indie pop/rock]
- City Calm Down ► 'Television' (IOHYOU Records) [post-punk/alternative]
- Cold Showers ► 'Motionless' (Dais Records) [post-punk/no-wave/electro]
- Crocodiles ► ‘Love Is Here’ (Deaf Rock Records) [indie rock/glam-punk]
- Crushed Beaks ► 'The Other Room' (Clue Records) [noise pop/punk]
- Current Affairs ► 'Object & Subject' (Tough Love Records) [post punk band/new wave]
- Deep Cut ► ‘Different Planet’ (Gare du Nord Records) [guitar driven psych pop]
- DIIV ► 'Deceiver' (Captured Tracks) [haze pop/dream pop]
- Drab Majesty ► 'Modern Mirror' (Dais Records) [goth/new wave/post-punk]
- Drahla ► 'Useless Coordinates' (Captured Tracks) [garage punk]
- FEET ► ‘What’s Inside Is More Than Just Ham' (Clapped Records) [indie rock]
- FEWS ► 'Into Red' (Play It Again Sam Records) [alternative/post punk/noise pop ]
- Flamingods ► ‘Levitation’ (Moshi Moshi Records) [psych/funk]
- Foals ► 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost' Part 1 (Warner Bros) [indie rock]
- FOAMMM ► ‘Foammm’ (Sheep Chase Records) [dream pop/shoegaze]
- Fontaines D.C. ► 'Dogrel' (Partisan Records) [rock n' roll]
- French Police ► ‘French Police’ [Post Indie]
- French Vanilla ► 'How Am I Not Myself?' (Danger Collective) [post-punk/no wave]
- Friendly Fires ► 'Inflorescent' (Polydor) [indie rock/pop/dance]
- Gang of Four ► 'Happy Now' (Gill Music Ltd ) [Post-Punk/Alternative]
- Generationals ► 'Reader As Detective' (Polyvinyl Record Co)[indie pop-rock]
- Green Buzzard ► 'Amidst The Clutter & Mess' (I OH YOU) [rock/pop]
- Hearts and Rockets ► 'Power' (Psychic Hysteria) [synth pop/post punk]
- Holy Ghost! ► 'Work' (West End Records) [Disco]
- Hot Chip ► 'A Bath Full Of Ecstasy' (Domino) [electronic/dance]
- I Know Leopard ► 'Love is a Landmine' (Ivy League) [Indie Pop]
- Ian Brown ► 'Ripples' (Polydor UK) [Indie/Alternative]
- It's For Us ► 'Stay' (Novoton) [Post-Punk/Shoegaze]
- Kaiser Chiefs ► 'Duck' (Polydor) [Indie Rock]
- KAKKMADDAFAKKA ► 'Diplomacy' [Indie Pop]
- KAPUTT ► 'Carnage Hall' (Upset The Rhythm) [post-punk]
- Ladytron ► 'Ladytron' (Ladytron music) [Electronic/Electro Pop]
- Levin goes lightly ► 'Nackt’ (Tapete Records) [lo-fi/psych]
- Liam Gallagher ► 'Why Me? Why Not' (Warner) [Indie Rock/Alt]
- Love In October ► 'Spahed' (The Musik Group) [Indie Pop/Indie Rock]
- LUCKYANDLOVE ►'Transitions' (Lucky&Love) [Electronic]
- Lust For Youth ► 'Lust For Youth' (Sacred Bones Records) [indie/electronic]
- Metronomy ► 'Metronomy Forever' (Because Records) [indie dance]
- MNNQNS ► 'Body Negative' (FatCat Records) [indie rock/post punk]
- NNHMN ► 'Shadow In The Dark' (K-Dreams) [electronic/dark ambient/experimental/post-industrial]
- Operator Music Band ► 'Duo Duo' (Broken Circles Records) [art-pop/krautrock]
- Operators ► 'Radiant Dawn' (Last Gang Records) [synth-rock/post punk]
- Piroshka ► 'Brickbat' (Bella Union) [Alternative/Indie/Shoegaze]
- Pixx ► ‘Small Mercies’ (4AD) [Indie Pop]
- POLYVERSO ► 'Antagonista' (SwissDarkNights Label) [alternative/darkwave/death rock/gothic/post-punk/synthwave]
- Press Gang Metropol ► 'Point Blank' (M/TRONIC-D/MONIC) [Rock/New Wave]
- PRIESTS ► 'The Seduction of Kansas' (Sister Polygon Records) [Alternative/Indie Rock]
- RIDE ► 'This Is Not A Safe Place' (Wichita Recordings) [shoegaze/Indie Rock]
- Ritual Howls ► 'Rendered Armor' (Felte) [Goth]
- Rosetta Stone ► 'Seems Like Forever' (Cleopatra Records) [Goth]
- S Y Z Y G Y X ► 'Fading Bodies' (Negative Gain Productions/Cold Transmission) [electro/synth]
- Sam Fender ► 'Hypersonic Missiles' (Universal Music) [Indie Rock]
- Second Still ► 'Violet Phase' (Fabrika Records) [post punk/cold wave]
- She Past Away ► 'Disko Anksiyete' (Remoov) [coldwave/darkwave/goth-wave/gothic/post-punk]
- She Pleasures Herself ► 'XXX' (Manic depression) [darkwave/eletronic/goth/post-punk/synthwave]
- Silent EM ► 'The Absence' (Disko Obscura) [cold wave/post punk/synth punk]
- Silent Forum ► 'Everything Solved at Once' (Libertino Records) [post punk/indie rock]
- Sleaford Mods ► 'Eton Alive' (Extreme Eating) [indie rock/punk]
- Sleeper ► 'The Modern Age' (Gorsky Records) [Britpop]
- Slow Riot ► 'G.A.D' (Straight Lines Are Fine) [post-punk]
- Snapped Ankles ► 'Stunning Luxury' (The Leaf Label) [art wave/post punk/krautrock]
- Soft Riot ► ‘When Push Comes To Shove’ (Jack Duckworth) [synth pop/electronic/minimal/dark wave]
- Soundwire ► ‘Soundwire’ (Mine Mine Mine) [psychedelic/alt]
- SPINN ► ‘Spinn’ (Modern Sky UK) [indie pop/dream pop/jangle]
- Starcrawler ► 'Devour You' (Rough Trade Records) [rock n' roll]
- Stats ► 'Other People's Lives' (Memphis Industries) [alt/disco/punk funk/pop]
- Strange Cages ► 'Pop Therapy' (Strange Cages) [psych/garage/punk]
- Strange Passage ► 'Shouldn't Be Too Long' (Strange Passage) [Indie Rock/Indie Wave]
- Sundara Karma ► 'Ulfilas' Alphabet’ (Chess Club/RCA) [Indie Rock]
- Temples ► 'Hot Motion' (ATO) [neo-psych]
- The Chemical Brothers ► 'No Geography' (Astralworks) [Electronic]
- The Fantastic Plastics ► 'Malfunction' (Listen to the Braintrust) [sci-fi punk/neo- new wave]
- The Foreign Resort ►’Outnumbered’ (Artoffact Records) [Post-Punk]
- The Juan Maclean ► ‘The Brighter The Light’ (DFA) [dance/house/electronic/techno, disco]
- The Ninth Wave ► 'Infancy' [Part I- II] (Distiller Records) [noise pop/post-punk]
- The Ocean Blue ► 'Kings and Queens/Knaves and Thieves' (Korda Records) [Indie Pop/DreamPop]
- The Rope ► 'Lillian' (Late Century Records) [Goth/ Post Punk]
- The Wires ► 'Plastic Mask' (The Wires) [Indie Rock]
- Tijuana Panthers ► 'Carpet Denim' (Innovative Leisure) [garage pop/surf punk]
- TOY ► 'Happy In The Hollow' + 'Songs Of Consumption' (Tough Love Records) [indie rock/psychedelic]
- Two Door Cinema Club ► 'False Alarm' (Prolifica Inc / PIAS) [Indie Dance]
- Underworld ► 'DRIFT Series 1' (Smith Hyde Prod.) [Electronic]
- W. H. Lung ► 'Incidental Music' (Melodic Records) [psych/post-punk]
- Weeknight ► 'Dead Beat Creep' (Dead Stare Records) [dark pop/synth]
- White Lies ► 'Five' [PIAS] [indie/post punk]
- WINGTIPS ► 'Exposure Therapy' (Artoffact Records) [new goth-pop/post punk]
- Xeno & Oaklander ► 'Hypnos' (Dais Records) [minimal/electronic/synth wave]