The Top Albums of 2019
Ninety-three albums that sounded like this year.
albumsoftheyear
A collection of 29 issues
The Top Albums of 2018
Following a mid-year checkpoint, catching up on the rest of 2018 with picks from the year in music.
The Top Albums of 2018 (So Far)
With 2018 a little more than half over, a check-in on the year's best long-player recordings.
The Top Albums of 2017
This is the way the year ends: with a fade-out.
The Top Albums of 2016
The best music from 2016 meant more than usual this year.
The Top Albums of 2015
Why we like the music we do is a matter of personal history—and in at least one case, a profound experience of hearing David Bowie.
The Top Albums of 2014
Music writing and music enthusiasm don't mix—let's change that. With the help of an army of YouTube commenters, we gush over our selections for the 31 best albums of the year.
The Top Albums of 2013
A full calendar year of only listening to music that was released in 2013 comes down to this: The Morning News Editor's Choice Awards for the 19 best albums of the year.
The Top 10 Albums of 2012
A year's worth of music listening, whittled down to the core. Because in the end, there can be only 10.
The Top 10 Albums of 2010
It's the end of the year, and time to sum it up: Ten albums, all great, no filler.
The Top 10 Albums of 2009
The past 10 years have upturned the music world, and we're all better for it. A countdown of the year's best music, and the artist of the decade is named.
The Top 10 Albums of 2008
After 12 months of listening, only 10 records remain.
The Top 10 Albums of 1989
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. Rounding out the '80s, music from the year America chose wrong.
The Top 10 Albums of 1988
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. Now arriving within two decades of the present day.
The Top 10 Albums of 1987
Because year-end album lists shouldn't happen just once a year. In this installment: The lists and timeline converge.
The Top 10 Albums of 2007
In the past 12 months thousands of albums were released, but there are only 10 you'll need to remember.
The Top 10 Albums of 1986
Emptying out a storage space in Houston means judging sentimental value against what fits in the car.
The Top 10 Albums of 1985
Even though it wasn't an election year, in 1985 Alex P. Keaton could have run for president--and won.
The Top 10 Albums of 1984
It was no Orwellian nightmare; to have nightmares you need to sleep, and you can't sleep when you lay awake terrified about nuclear war.
The Top 10 Albums of 1983
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. In this installment: The New Wave was drying up and the New Romantics were taking hold. But tell that to a Cub Scout in 1983 and you'll get a blank stare.
The Top 10 Albums of 1982
MTV was shaking up the airwaves, but if it was happening during an episode of Diff'rent Strokes. Ten favorite albums from the year the '80s really began.
The Top 10 Albums of 1981
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. In this installment: Iran's taking hostages, Pat Sajak’s still on the air, and all of a sudden 1981 doesn’t feel like so long ago.
The Top 10 Albums of 1980
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. In this installment: The dawn of a new decade saw punk rock fading away, or at least saving up to buy a synthesizer.
The Top 10 Albums of 1979
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. In this installment, times were good: Every album came with a poster, disco was dying, and actors weren't Presidents.
The Top 10 Albums of 1978
Year-end album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. Inaugurating a new series, Andrew Womack raids his music collection to rank his favorite albums from every year, year after year, starting with as far back as he can recollect.
The Top 10 Albums of 2006
The "record" industry is dead and 99-cent singles are now the rule, and yet terrific, cohesive rock LPs kept appearing every week.
The Top 10 Albums of 2005
After a year of music, thousands of hours of listening time, and one worn-out iPod, Andrew Womack brings us his picks for the very best music this year.
The Top 10 Albums of 2004
There were thousands of albums released by thousands of artists in 2004, so it must be hard to determine which were the 10 greatest, right? No, not really.
The Top 10 Albums of 2003
The iPod got a lot of use this year. After hundreds of albums and thousands of hours of listening to music, Andrew Womack narrows it all down to his top 10 albums of 2003. Here are his findings.