In a few days, Konradsen will release their new EP, Rodeo No. 5, a project which focuses on “fleeting, immediate moments” and that is described as “an ode to the small choices we make everyday.” After “The Year Is Over,” the Norwegian duo, comprising vocalist-pianist Jenny Marie Sabel and multi-instrumentalist Eirik Vildgren, has now returned with another elegant and soulful offering, “Give It Back To The Feelings.” With its tender harmonies, the final part of the track is a pure moment of solace. “Into the night, we need a light,” they sing.

“It’s one of those songs that just appeared to us,” Jenny Marie Sabel stated. “Eirik made a synth sound with his DX7, running through some effects. We recorded it properly and had Erlend Vesteraas do some vocals on it. In the end, the last thing we did was to record some violin with our friend Selma French Bolstad. The song is about being thankful, realizing that there are other people out there who are giving a lot.”

The pair comprising vocalist and pianist Jenny Marie Sabel and multi-instrumentalist Eirik Vildgren have also unveiled the first single, “The Year Is Over,” which sounds as beautiful and warm as Indian Summer. Listen below and pre-order the 5-track EP via Bandcamp.

Firstly, albums are not a thing of the past! Lof of people have claimed that this format was not relevant anymore in the streaming era, but the artists below have proven the contrary this year. Albums remain the best way to fully express an artistic direction and a vision.

Then again, it’s never easy to definitively rank albums so we guess that this list is only a photography of our tastes at this very moment. In one year, it could be totally different…

Finally, if you like any of these releases, and we’re sure you will, don’t forget to support the artists. Streaming is a good start, but it’s unfortunately not enough.

On Friday, we will unveil our Best Tracks of 2019 and you can already check the 20 EPs and Mixtapes that made our year. But for now, here are our 50 favourite albums of the year (you can also browse the entire list with our Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page).

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50. Konradsen – “Saints and Sebastian Stories”

49. Sneaks – “Highway Hypnosis”

48. Tobi Duchampe – “The Saddest Game.”

47. Kelsey Lu – “Blood”

46. PAT – “Love Will Find A Way Home”

45. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Chancletas D’Oro”

44. Toro y Moi – “Outer Space”

43. The Japanese House – “Good At Falling”

42. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

41. Bodywash – “Comforter”

40. Holly Herndon – “PROTO”

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39. Stella Donelly – “Beware of the Dogs”

38. Black Belt Eagle Scout – “At The Party With My Brown Friends”

37. Carla dal Forno – “Look Up Sharp”

36. Octo Octa – “Resonant Body”

35. TR/ST – “The Destroyer – Part 1”

34. Sharon Van Etten – “Remind Me Tomorrow”

33. Thom Yorke – “Anima”

32. Common Holly – “When I say to you Black Lightning”

31. Jessica Pratt – “Quiet Signs”

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30. Boy Harsher – “Careful”

29. Two People – “First Body”

28. Charli XCX – “Charli”

27. Nilüfer Yanya – “Miss Universe”

26. Yeule – “Serotonin II”

25. Noah – “Thirty”

24. Crumb – “Jinx”

23. Morabeza Tobacco – “Morabeza Tobacco”

22. Tyler, the Creator – “IGOR”

21. Clairo – “Immunity”

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20. Angel Olsen – “All Mirrors”

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19. Aldous Harding – “Designer”

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18. 100 gecs – “1000 gecs”

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17. Danny Brown – “uknowhatimsayin¿”

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16. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Dedicated”

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15. JPEGMAFIA – “All My Friends Are Cornballs”

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14. Sir Babygirl – “Crush on Me”

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13. Chromatics – “Closer To Grey”

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12. Men I Trust – “Oncle Jazz”

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11. FKA twigs – “MAGDALENE”

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10. Lana Del Rey – “Normal Fucking Rockwell!!”

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9. Weyes Blood – “Titanic Rising”

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8. Jenny Hval – “The Practice of Love”

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7. Maria Somerville – “All My People”

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6. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

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5. Big Thief – “U.F.O.F.”

(It was really not easy to decide and it could have been “Two Hands” as well)

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4. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

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3. Grace Ives – “2nd”

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2. BEA1991 – “Brand New Adult”

(and artwork of the year)

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1. Erika de Casier – “Essentials”

Last year, we introduced you to Konradsen, a Norwegian duo consisting of singer and pianist Jenny Marie Sabel and multi-instrumentalist Eirik Vildgren. Since then, they have been working on their debut album, Saints and Sebastian Stories, which will be released later this month. Besides their auroral debut single “Never Say A“, we’ve already heard “Baby Hallelujah” and “Television Land“. The two artists, who met in high school, have now unveiled a new offering, “Dice”, which is described as the foundation of their music. In their own words:

[su_quote]It’s our common search for a good place to be. We didn’t have much experience recording music, but we were really tuned into searching and discovering. This became the foundation for Konradsen’s recordings, lyrically, sonically and thematically. “Dice” set the mood and direction for the rest of the record. We use a lot of sounds from Eirik’s bedroom. You can hear beer bottles being opened, the sound of cutlery, piano strings, and Eirik’s younger brother taking out of the dishwasher. The piano and Jenny’s voice are really the center of this song, with all the other sounds accompanying and accentuating them. It’s a sweet song, and a sad song. It’s the only love story on the record.[/su_quote]

Like with their previous tracks, “Dice” sounds intimate and warm and brims with background details and textures. More than a song, it sounds like a vignette of life, where they let the listeners sit on the corner of their bed for a few minutes. Listen below.

Last year, we fell in love with Konradsen, the Norwegian duo comprising of vocalist and pianist Jenny Marie Sabel and multi-instrumentalist Eirik Vildgren. The pair are now back with their third single, the bedroom gospel track “Television Land”, which also announces the release of their debut record for this fall.

Inspired by traditional hymns and artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Frank Ocean and French composer Christophe Chassol, Konradsen‘s debut album mixes the electronic and the organic, boasting on field recordings and samples of ambient sounds. Despite being forward-thinking, the tracks manage to remain familiar and comforting as they feature little flickers of voices from old home movies and snippets of conversations with friends. “It makes me feel safe somehow. It makes the music personal, and reveals little insights about who we are,” Sabel explains. “It’s sort of like a glimpse of something bigger…like a sneak peak or a still photo,” Vildgren adds. This ethos of proximity and intimacy is particularly palpable in their DIY, VHS-like new video, which was directed by Eilif Fjeld Teisbo and where a family friend impersonates a televangelist. Watch below.

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Hailing from Oslo, Eirik and Jenny of Konradsen follow up on their auroral debut “Never Say A” with a slice of unclassifiable, soulful indie pop. Combining bedroom gospel choirs and skeletal electroacoustic arrangements, their intricate new offering “Baby Hallelujah” also features samples from their closed relatives. About this comforting new track, the duo detailed:

[su_quote]’Baby Hallelujah’ is about dealing with the aftermath of life. It’s simple and honest. Just piano, vocals and samples of the people we love.[/su_quote]

Ray Newlan, Noah Salem – Dreaming – 00:00

Maria Somerville – All My People – 03:18

Dwen – Tr Pp N – 09:05

Kip Nelson – Laced Up – 12:50

Deep Sea Peach Tree – Xanzibar – 15:27

Arlo Parks – Super Sad Generation – 17:45

Bathe – Kimmi – 20:26

Virgin Pool – The Wanderer – 24:45

Hand Habits – Can’t Calm Down – 28:14

Mini Dresses – Rank and File – 31:36

Melby – VCR – 34:05

Jessica Pratt – Aeroplane – 37:53

Jackie Mendoza – De Lejos – 41:13

UTO – Synthetise – 43:47

Konradsen – Baby Hallelujah – 47:08

Pecas – Tshirt – 49:58

0171 – 1000 Words – 53:02

Emmett Kai – Taste The Sunset – 57:00

There’s a new fascinating duo working in a bedroom surrounded by plants in Oslo. Comprising of Eirik and Jenny, Konradsen make their debut on Su Tissue Records – home of Okay Kaya and Jenny Hval in Norway – with their absorbing song “Never Say A”. It’s a caressing track which reproduces the magic of a specific moment, when rays of light are being beamed at your window on a winter morning. Intermingling flugelhorn and piano arrangements with vocal samples and electronic layers, the ambient pop track can count on its luxuriance to envelop and warm you up but it is distilled drop by drop, with a Nordic elegance and restraint. About “Never Say A”, Konradsen stated:

[su_quote]With ‘Never Say A’, we wanted to show the playful side of this project. We try to combine experimenting with samples, lots of flugelhorn tracks and warm fuzzy vocals. Lyrically, the song is about breaking out of a role that is given to you. “I would never steal your story”. It’s fragments of thoughts you have, expectations and wishes. For us the ending is a summary, where you arrive in a good and dreamy place.[/su_quote]