Rosemary Media | EOTY 2019

EVERYTHING OF THE YEAR 2019

THE BEST ALBUMS, GAMES, FILMS & TELEVISION SERIES RELEASED IN THE LAST YEAR

BY COREY PUTNEY

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

1. VAMPIRE WEEKEND

FATHER OF THE BRIDE

To be completely honest, I knew this was going to be my favorite album of the year the moment I heard "Harmony Hall", which, if I remember correctly, was back in January or something of last year. Ever since that first Instagram post from frontman Ezra Koenig describing the album, it's length, their diligence - I knew it was going to be nothing short of an instant classic. To craft an album nearly twenty songs in length in which track has it's own reason for being there, void of any nonsensical filler, is reason enough to make anyone believe that Father of the Bride was worthy enough for the top spot. Vampire Weekend is at it's most adventurous and most vulnerable state on this album and tracks such as "Hold You Now", "Sunflower", "Big Blue" and "Sympathy" make that extremely evident. To me, this is one of those rare "perfect" albums that don't come around every single year - but fortunately for us, we got at least one in 2019 and this is it.

2. BON IVER

I, I

5. LANA DEL REY

NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL

8. JAMES BLAKE

ASSUME FORM

11. THE NATIONAL

I AM EASY TO FIND

14. ANDERSON .PAAK

VENTURA

17. JPEGMAFIAA

ALL MY HEROES ARE CORNBALLS

20. COPELAND

BLUSHING

23. (SANDY) ALEX G

HOUSE OF SUGAR

3. TYLER THE CREATOR

IGOR

6. THE JAPANESE HOUSE

GOOD AT FALLING

9. HARRY STYLES

FINE LINE

12. OSO OSO

BASKING IN THE GLOW

15. REX ORANGE COUNTY

PONY

18. ANGEL OLSEN

ALL MIRRORS

21. THOM YORKE

ANIMA

24. CHANCE THE RAPPER

THE BIG DAY

4. FKA TWIGS

MAGDALENE

7. CLAIRO

IMMUNITY

10. SLOWTHAI

NOTHING GREAT ABOUT BRITAIN

13. BROCKHAMPTON

GINGER

16. KEVIN ABSTRACT

ARIZONA BABY

19. DANNY BROWN

UKNOWHATIMSAYIN?

22. JAMILA WOODS

LEGACY! LEGACY!

25. TAYLOR SWIFT

LOVER

HONORABLE MENTION

DENZEL CURRY - ZUU

FREE NATIONALS - FREE NATIONALS

KAYTRANADA - BUBBA

DANIEL CAESAR - CASE STUDY 01

FREDDIE GIBS & MADLIB - BANDANA

GIRLPOOL - WHAT CHAOS IS IMAGINARY

BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY CENTER - SELF TITLED

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER - MOTHER NATURE

GUS DAPPERTON - WHERE POLLY PEOPLE GO TO READ

STEVE LACY - APOLLO XXI

GAME OF THE YEAR

1. STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER

RESPAWN ENTERTAINMENT

This year was kind of a floater year when it comes to video games. The next-gen consoles hit store shelves next year and a lot of the big AAA titles that we've been anticipating were pushed to next Spring. Despite this, one of the best third party releases of recent memory saw the light of day just a year and a half after it was announced. And in a year that saw the end of Skywalker Saga and the beginning of The Mandolorian on Disney+, we also got one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Jedi: Fallen Order doesn't do much that's new but instead, takes the best parts of your favorite games and mashes them up into one clever, intuitive, action-packed, out-of-this-galaxy experience that stands toe to toe with any other third person action adventure game that you've played previously. Sure, the main character is a little vanilla but once you gain all of your powers and start force pushing and pulling your way around, you won't want to stop doing so.

2. POKEMON SWORD & SHIELD

GAME FREAK

5. CRASH TEAM RACING: NITRO FUELED

BEENOX

8. KATANA ZERO

ASKIISOFT

3. SUPER MARIO MAKER 2

NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT

6. LUIGI'S MANSION 3

NEXT LEVEL GAMES

9. OUTER WILDS

MOBIUS DIGITAL

4. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINKS AWAKENING

NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT

7. BORDERLANDS 3

GEARBOX SOFTWARE

10. DEATH STRANDING

KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS

HONORABLE MENTION

TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION 2

CONCRETE GENIE

AFTERPARTY

RESIDENT EVIL 2

KINGDOM HEARTS 3

MARVEL'S ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3

UNTITLED GOOSE GAME

KNIGHTS & BIKES

TRIALS RISING

ANTHEM

FILM OF THE YEAR

1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

QUENTIN TARANTINO

Somehow, some way, Quentin Tarantino has done it again. One of the greatest directors of our time - or any time, really, is nearing the end of his career and his possible second-to-last film is nothing short of a stunner. Once again, Tarantino tells a story that doesn't really follow the norms of film making - it ebbs and flows whilst capturing the lives of a couple of actors in Hollywood and the struggles they're going through at this particular time as the age of television is changing - one of which being a band of hooligans out to kill them for no reason what-so-ever - but even that isn't brought to light until the films final moments. The beauty of Once Upon A Time exists within it's ability to showcase the genius of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and the rest of the ensemble - it simply drops them into a scene and then asks that they demand your attention immediately simply by doing what it is they do best. If this movie fails to win a single Oscar, I'll eat my shoe - one of the one's that I wear while I mow the lawn, even.

2. THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

TYLER NILSON & MICHAEL SCHWARTZ

5. AVENGERS: ENDGAME

ANTHONY & JOE RUSSO

8. UNCUT GEMS

JOSH & BENNY SAFDIE

3. MARRIAGE STORY

NOAH BAUMBACH

6. TOY STORY 4

JOSH COOLEY

9. JOJO RABBIT

TAIKA WAITITI

4. JOKER

TODD PHILLIPS

7. THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

JJ ABRAMS

10. US

JORDAN PEELE

HONORABLE MENTION

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

ROCKETMAN

AD ASTRA

GOOD BOYS

LONG SHOT

BOOKSMART

DETECTIVE PIKACHU

EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE

GUAVA ISLAND

THE LION KING

TELEVISION SERIES OF THE YEAR

1. STRANGER THINGS

NETFLIX

Every time a new season of Stranger Things is released to the masses it feels like a spectacle - more so than any other show in recent memory except for maybe Game of Thrones but I don't get down with that fantasy business. I personally thought this season was the best one yet and the way that the Duffer brothers handle these characters' growth as young adults experiencing love, loss and everything in between all while living in a messed up world filled with demons and monsters is remarkable. There's a certain balancing act they must go through that I'm sure is difficult to do because different fans of the show want different things from it - some may scream for action while others may demand relationships and character building and this fourth season excels at delivering just enough of both to keep everyone satisfied. The slick new "summer" vibe this season gave to us paired with the 4th of July release date was a perfect storm that I won't soon forget.