As we approach the midway point of 2019, here's our constantly evolving recap of our favorite albums, songs, and videos from the first half of an already insane year. In an era when truly special new records seem to evade or evaporate from the internet's collective consciousness at an unsettling rate -- in many cases before they're even officially released -- it's not easy to keep up, but I've done my best. As always, please feel free to let us know what we've missed. And once again, we're excluding releases from our label Luminelle from our lists, although we love them all dearly.

ALBUMS

01 JAI PAUL | Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

02 ERIKA de CASIER | Essentials

03 BIG THIEF | U.F.O.F.

04 YVES JARVIS | The Same but by Different Means

05 BEA1991 | Brand New Adult

06 ALDOUS HARDING | Designer

07 FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB | Bandana

08 JESSICA PRATT | Quiet Signs

09 ARIANA GRANDE | thank u, next

10 NIVHEK | After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house

11 BALTRA | Ted

12 TYLER, THE CREATOR | IGOR

13 KORNÉL KOVÁCS | Stockholm Marathon

14 박혜진 park hye jin | IF U WANT IT

15 BILLIE EILISH | WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

16 FAYE WEBSTER | Atlanta Millionaires Club

17 NILÜFER YANYA | Miss Universe

18 LAUREL HALO | DJ-Kicks

19 BURIAL | Claustro / State Forest

20 GRACE IVES | 2nd

NEXT 20 (alphabetical)

BARRIE | Happy to Be Here

BELLA BOO | Supervillain

BOY HARSHER | Careful

CARLY RAE JEPSEN | Dedicated

HAND HABITS | Placeholder

KIM PETRAS | Clarity (singles)

KEDR LIVANSKIY | Your Need

KELSEY LU | Blood

LITTLE SIMZ | GREY Area

MARIA SOMERVILLE | All My People

MEGA BOG | Dolphine

PANDA BEAR | Buoys

PI’ERRE BOURNE + YOUNG NUDY | Sli’merre

POTTERY | No. 1

PURE BATHING CULTURE | Night Pass

RABIT | THE DOPE SHOW

SOFIA KOURTESIS | Sofia Kourtesis

SOLANGE | When I Get Home

TORO y MOI | Outer Peace / Soul Trash

WEYES BLOOD | Titanic Rising

SONGS

Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief // photo: Alexa Viscius

01 BIG THIEF | Jenni

02 ALDOUS HARDING | The Barrel

03 JAI PAUL | Do You Love Her Now / He

04 PLAYBOI CARTI + YOUNG NUDY | Kid Cudi

05 GEORGIA | About Work the Dancefloor

06 JESSIE WARE | Adore You

07 KIM PETRAS | 1,2,3 Dayz Up (feat. SOPHIE)

08 CLAUD | Easy

09 LANA DEL REY | hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but I have it

10 STORMZY | Vossi Bop

11 ARIANA GRANDE | NASA

12 CARLY RAE JEPSEN | Want You in My Room

13 BURIAL | Claustro

14 HELADO NEGRO | Running

15 ΣTELLA | Samba

16 ERIKA de CASIER | Space

17 SCHOOLBOY Q | Numb Numb Juice

18 EBHONI | TGM

19 BILLIE EILISH | bury a friend

20 LIL NAS X | Old Town Road

21 ZSELA | Noise

22 STEVE LACY | Playground

23 CHROMATICS | Time Rider

24 (SANDY) ALEX G | Gretel

25 JAPAN, MAN | Stop Staring

VIDEOS

01 BEA1991 | My Own Heaven

02 ALDOUS HARDING | The Barrel

03 BOY HARSHER | LA

04 FKA TWIGS | Cellophane

05 STORMZY | Vossi Bop