For the full list and year-end wrap-up click here: MaxSounds 2019

1. Tool • Fear Inoculum
2. Vampire Weekend • Father of the Bride
3. The New Pornographers • In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
4. Black Mountain • Destroyer
5. Opeth • In Cauda Venenum
6. Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders • Get the Money
7. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds • Ghosteen
8. The Raconteurs • Help Us Stranger
9. The Claypool Lennon Delirium • South of Reality
10. Temples • Hot Motion
11. The Cranberries • In the End
12. Ladytron • Ladytron
13. Karen O + Danger Mouse • Lux Prima
14. Angel Olsen • All Mirrors
15. The Black Keys • Let’s Rock
16. Sharon Van Etten • Remind Me Tomorrow
17. Lana Del Rey • Norman Fucking Rockwell
18. The Regrettes • How Do You Love
19. The Twilight Sad • It Won’t Be Like the Last Time
20. Tacocat • This Mess Is A Place

On the bubble (a-z)

• Amyl & the Sniffers • Amyl & the Sniffers
• Mannequin Pussy • Patience

Other notable albums (a-z)

• Cate LeBon • Reward
• Charli Bliss • Young Enough
• Clinic • Wheeltappers and Shunters
• The Flaming Lips • The Kings Mouth
• New Order • MIF Live – So It Goes
• Sleater Kinney • The Center Won’t Hold
• Surf Curse • Heaven Surrounds You
• The National • I Am Easy to Find