The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

Rough Trade are out of the gates with the first list of the year, as always.

https://roughtrade.com/gb/albums-of-the-year-2018

No, it's not any earlier than usual this year* - they are a record shop and this is what they are putting up in their window for the Christmas market.

Think they are supposed to be in order?

I follow these lists as a source for my thing, sure you have your own reason to be here.

*Actually it's one day earlier

I feel like we did this already... ;)

Listed in order here - https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1018-rough-trades-albums-of-the-year-2018/2

10. Oh Sees - Smote Reverser
9. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
8. Mark Peters - Innerland
7. Goat Girl - Goat Girl
6. Daniel Blumberg - Minus
5. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
4. Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
3. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
2. Everything Is Recorded - Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell
1. Shame - Songs of Praise

xp yeah, it's just one year after another these days

prob wanna change that thread title!

That is truly fucking abominable!

^^^the first in a series

The list, I mean, not the misdating

Aha fuck yes, might want to do that

That said I think a friend of a friend's brother is in Shame so I should check them out huh

Mid-November and I'm still getting the year wrong

there was probably always too much music but only a fraction was available to most people

now there is too much music available

it's nice

also a bit much at times

They have some great albums in there but the ranking seems very arbitrary.

I like the Shame album but #1 is insane (tho it's very on-brand)

Uncut albums list

https://www.uncut.co.uk/uncut-editors-diary/introducing-new-uncut-review-year-108178
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1019-uncuts-50-best-albums-of-2018/

1. Low - Double Negative
2. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
3. Ty Segall - Freedom's Goblin
4. Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt
5. Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On
6. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
7. Gruff Rhys - Babelsberg
8. Beak> - >>>
9. Christine and the Queens - Chris
10. Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
11. Richard Thompson - 13 Rivers
12. Neko Case - Hell-On
13. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
14. Ry Cooder - The Prodigal Son
15. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Look Now
16. Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus
17. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
18. The Breeders - All Nerve
19. Cowboy Junkies - All That Reckoning
20. Jack White - Boarding House Reach

So the earlier the list the crummier?

seems so

We haven't had the Radio X list yet, so much crummier is yet to come.

These days the choices are so vast and tastes are so specialized, nearly all the lists will be crummy to most. Jack White is a hilarious choice, but I do love the RBCF album. It's easy to complain, but there's always opportunity for new discovery. Usually the interesting finds are outside the top 10.

RT:
12. Bodega - Endless Scroll
14. Amyl & The Sniffers - Big Attraction/Giddy Up
24. Fatoumata Diawara - Fenfo (Something To Say)
38. Dream Wife - Dream Wife

I didn't know about Bodega, though on first listen probably not top 100 material for me. I do like Amyl & the Sniffers even if it is a bit yelpy. Dream Wife has grown on me steadily throughout the year. I wasn't sure about #7 Goat Girl for a while but it's grown on me too. Another debut that fits well with them on my playlist is Santa Librada, which probably won't show up on any of these lists, as well as Shopping (that might scrape into the bottom of a couple), Spiritual Cramp, Maggot Heart and Melbourne Cans.

Uncut has plenty that I find non-crummy (Idles, Gazelle Twin, Gwenno, Ryley Walker, Hookworms, Julia Holter, Yves Tumor), and I expect many of those will turn up in other lists. Not as much stands out as interesting to me:

30. Mélissa Laveaux - Radyo Siwèl
42. Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage

Melody Prochet went from collaborating with Tame Impala's Kevin Parker in 2012 to the Amazing’s Fredrik Swahn and Dungen’s Reine Fiske, an upgrade IMO. She had an excuse for her 6 yr gap, a car crash, brain aneurysm and broken vertebrae.

Any guesses for frontrunners? Beyond the domination of Janelle Monáe since early in the year, nothing seems too obvious. Robyn, Christine and the Queens, Confidence Man, Black Foxxes, Rosalía, Noname? Will RYM faves Daughters, Pusha T, Kids See Ghosts and Car Seat Headrest make an impact? I am really not sure which ones will stick. Will Kamasi Washington again be the token jazz choice or will Sons of Kemet hold on to their headstart from the Brit rags? I saw Sons of Kemet live at a free outdoor summer gig and it was hilarious watching people sitting on their blankets with their wine and cheese, unable to make conversation because it was too loud and dissonant, but determined not to show their discomfort. Kudos to those who actually power through that whole album on their headphones. It's good, but can indeed cause headaches! Makaya McCraven would tick a lot of boxes for people if critics aren't too lazy to explore, or Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids.

I most enjoy the interesting fusions with cumbia noir, space rock/psych, prog, post-punk, dub and soul like Dos Santos, Mythic Sunship, Mildlife, Vespero, The Messthetics, Elephant9, Sly & Robbie Meet Nils Petter Molvær, Ben Lamar Gay, The Midnight Hour and Kamaal Williams. Would be pleasantly surprised if any of them get a spotlight.

Sleep appear to be the token stoner psych doom choice, though I think many might prefer the Windhand if they heard it cuz of their newfound grungy hooks. With a couple possible exceptions like YOB, the rest of it will remain on the margins. There are a growing number of festivals featuring these bands in the U.S., though nowhere near the level of Europe.

I’m failing to see what the consensus top 3 albums will be when more lists start pouring in. Have a feeling that Janelle Monae might end up appearing in the most lists... Robyn, Parquet Courts, Rosalia and probably Low the ones will see the most too.

We’ll

It's gonna be Mitski and Musgraves, I'm guessing

Depending on the audience hip hop lists will either favor Pusha T and KSG or Denzel Curry and Noname.

Electronic token pick for zines that don’t really focus on house/techno will be AAL, Dj Koze, Ross from friends, Jon Hopkins... maybe Skee Mask.

Sons of Kemet and Kamashi seem like the token jazz picks this year.

Decibel's list:

40 Panopticon, The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness I and II, Bindrune
39 Hate Eternal, Upon Desolate Sands, Season of Mist
38 Cosmic Church, Tattymys, Self-released
37 KEN mode, Loved, Season of Mist
36 Monster Magnet, Mindfucker Napalm
35 Wake, Misery Rites, Translation Loss
34 Thou, Magus, Sacred Bones
33 Zeal and Ardor, Stranger Fruit, MVKA
32 Devouring Star, The Arteries of Heresy, Dark Descent
31 Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown, Nuclear Blast
30 Sepulcher, Panoptic Horror, Edged Circle Productions
29 Svalbard, It’s Hard To Have Hope, Translation Loss
28 Horrendous, Idol, Season of Mist
27 Abhorrence, Megalohydrothalassophobic, Svart
26 Visigoth, Conqueror’s Oath, Metal Blade
25 Mortuous, Through Wilderness, Tankcrimes
24 Portal, Ion, Profound Lore
23 Mournful Congregation, The Incubus of Karma, 20 Buck Spin
22 Sleep, The Sciences, Third Man
21 Funeral Mist, Hekatomb, Norma Evangelium Diaboli
20 Outer Heaven, Realms of Eternal Decay, Relapse
19 Varathron, Patriarchs of Evil, Agonia
18 The Atlas Moth, Coma Noir, Prosthetic
17 Tomb Mold, Manor of Infinite Forms, 20 Buck Spin
16 Satan, Cruel Magic, Metal Blade
15 Chapel of Disease, …And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye, Ván
14 Deafheaven, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Anti-
13 Voivod, The Wake, Century Media
12 Haunt, Burst Into Flames, Shadow Kingdom
11 At the Gates, To Drink from the Night Itself, Century Media
10 Pig Destroyer, Head Cage, Relapse
9 Khemmis, Desolation, 20 Buck Spin
8 Immortal, Northern Chaos Gods, Nuclear Blast
7 Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Wasteland, Rise Above
6 Skeletonwitch, Devouring Radiant Light, Prosthetic
5 Judas Priest, Firepower, Columbia
4 Evoken, Hypnagogia, Profound Lore
3 UADA, Cult of a Dying Sun, Eisenwald
2 Tribulation, Down Below, Century Media
1 YOB, Our Raw Heart, Relapse

Sons of Kemet and Kamashi seem like the token jazz picks this year.

Makaya McCraven, too. (Full disclosure, I'm doing a jazz list for Stereogum and all 3 will be on it.)

I mean The 1975 album isn't even out yet

another year of me being totally baffled that websites adhere to magazine publishing schedules for year-end lists

i guess no one would give a shit in january though

Common journalistic decency dictates that you should wait till the 1st of December.

this evoken record is absolutely incredible thank you decibel

I haven't gotten around to it yet but of those I've heard from their top 10 the Skeletonwitch and Tribulation were both underwhelming, so I'm skeptical as to the rest. Evoken sounds like it'll be right up my alley, though.

I bought exactly five records with recorded-in-2018 material this year (out of over 500 total), I think I'm ready to walk away from this treadmill and focus on old jazz records

Senyawa is pretty cool, I do admit

the last couple Evoken records slayed, stoked to check out the new one

A strange list as always. They inexplicably include token the garage psych noir album from Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, but leave out the amazing Windhand album (not to mention Witch Mountain, Castle, Moab, Weedpecker and Wytch Hazel). I love Uncle Acid, but it's not really what Decibel normally covers, so why even bother? Graveyard, Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows, Lucifer, Druid, Alastor, All Them Witches, The Exploding Eyes Orchestra, The Necromancers and King Buffalo are all just as great.

hasn't been a great year for metal imo, and most of the best stuff falls into the hardcore/emo crossover bracket which decibel clearly doesn't want to touch

agreed it's weird windhand didn't make it. i like that record a lot

That newest Graveyard record is a bit of a dud imo

Time, who apparently do an albums list now.

http://time.com/5455075/best-albums-2018/

10. Camila Cabello - Camila
9. The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
8. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
7. Troye Sivan - Bloom
6. Robyn - Honey
5. J Balvin - Vibras
4. Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes
3. Mitski - Be the Cowboy
2. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
1. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

Has the 1975 album been sent out to reviewers then?

Time 10 Best Songs of 2018

http://time.com/5455058/best-songs-2018/

10. Lizzo, “Boys”
9. Tom Misch, “It Runs Through Me (feat. De La Soul)”
8. Sigrid, “Sucker Punch”
7. Rüfüs Du Sol “No Place”
6. boygenius, “Ketchum, ID”
5. Mac Miller, “Self Care”
4. Joji, “YEAH RIGHT”
3. Ariana Grande, “thank u, next”
2. Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
1. Christine & the Queens, “Girlfriend” (feat. Dâm-Funk)”

Has the 1975 album been sent out to reviewers then?

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, November 16, 2018 8:05 AM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes

Will Time be the only list Shawn Mendes gets on?

goddamn either Time has somehow magically become hip or I am officially lame as hell because anywhere from 4 to 6 of those albums will probably be in my own top 10.

Time is I suspect much like Cosmopolitan in that they just let a single writer put together the lists, which means they are surprisingly coherent and curated.

Like the songs list is 1-5 = obvious inclusions, 6-10 = personal favourites

maybe marc benioff is a poptimist

Time lists are the best so far.

with an extremely low bar to clear

still anything that gets more people hearing mitski is a net positive

I bought exactly five records with recorded-in-2018 material this year (out of over 500 total), I think I'm ready to walk away from this treadmill and focus on old jazz records

Senyawa is pretty cool, I do admit

― #BreakingTheWorld (sleeve)

i mean to get off the treadmill, really i do, but i still love new music as much as i love old music. the i have just as many 2018 records added to my library at this point as i do 2017, which is a lot.

despite this i still haven't heard, or heard, didn't care about, and forgot, most of the acclaimed records in this thread so far. i guess it's good because they're apparently shit? but i'm too old to pretend i have good taste in music. i like records by old people everybody else has forgotten about. like the new chris connelly record!

The only big mainstream album I've heard all year was the Janelle Monáe, and I thought it was...a couple of good singles (and one really bad single) and a bunch of stuff I've already forgotten.

From the Decibel list, I've heard Hate Eternal (very good), Monster Magnet (OK), Horrendous (not for me), Visigoth (great), Sleep (yawn), Funeral Mist (amazing), Haunt (OK), Pig Destroyer (yawn), Judas Priest (better than I expected), and Tribulation (good).

Time list is mega corny but ofc ilx likes it 🙄

Time list is mega corny but ofc ilx likes it

It ticks all the 2018 boxes:

- more women than men
- token country album
- Robyn (an artist whose entire audience consists of music critics)
- two Latin artists
- two "rock" albums (but no actual rock)

I'm waiting for the Let's Eat Grandma album to show up on one of these...

Robyn (an artist whose entire audience consists of music critics)

rmde go to a gay club some time

^^^

xp
LEG was on the first list posted itt at #11

Of course we can't have more women than men, or any latin music, it's pc gone mad, the natural order is for real proper whiny white indie dude rock to dominate and anyone disagreeing must be just pretending to like other things to tick identity politics boxes, amirite fellas?

unperson isn't particularly interested in the dull flowers of indie rock iirc

the time list isn't corny bc it fills some imaginary quota

personally i don't think the troye or camila records can hang in a top ten. and the songs list is... not good

who even is J Balvin and what are the odds all their shit sounds like Despacito reheats

xxp yeah thought he probably didn't (seems unlikely on here anyway) but accusing people of tokenism simply for including more women than men puts him in the club with those dudes anyway

well yeah

who even is J Balvin and what are the odds all their shit sounds like Despacito reheats

― imago, Friday, November 16, 2018 2:41 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

One of the most popular artists in the world, and odds are small. It does, however, sound very derivative of the rap music that is notably missing in most part from either list

and the songs list is... not good

Anybody's tracks list that doesn't have Boo'd Up some place in the top 4 is a bad list and should be ignored on principle.

I like Boo'd Up just fine but it won't even make my Top 50 tbh

If you want to get around feeling obligated to include it, it’s worth mentioning it came out last year ... like early last year

pvmic

One of the most popular artists in the world, and odds are small. It does, however, sound very derivative of the rap music that is notably missing in most part from either list

screaming at Rufus Du Soul (an Australian band that's basically like Jon Hopkins x Coldplay) somehow making into that TIME song list

You started out well, but then mischaracterized Balvin’s music just to make a point about the rap music that is notably present in the upper echelons of both lists

― breastcrawl, Friday, November 16, 2018 4:29 PM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ur right about jbalvin, thats my bad, i was thinking of difft artists

i don't think cardi & childish gambino are very representative of the rap im talking about though -- travis/gunna/lil baby type music is not at all represented

which is where a lot of the latin trap stuff is coming from ...

I guess now that we're almost into the final lap of the decade that - while I can still easily put together a list of 100 albums released over the course of the decade that I love - this is/has been possibly my least favourite decade for music ever.

Makaya McCraven, too. (Full disclosure, I'm doing a jazz list for Stereogum and all 3 will be on it.)

― grawlix (unperson)

Lookin forward to it. Maisha too? I forgot to mention that, Maisha's There Is A Place is pretty great too.

That Maisha album is really great, but I didn't have room for it. My runners-up and picks for reissues/archival releases of the year will all be in my December column.

I really like the Tony Allen & Jeff Mills collab, hope that gets some attention. Afrobeat Kosmische Jazz Electro Fusion has been my background music - rhythm, repetition, texture, and a touch of space madness.

Oh shit, how did I not know about this?

I bought tickets to see them both in London next year but the album disappointed me a bit, it felt like Mills was being a little too deferential to Allen. Enjoyable enough though.

J Balvin is probably the best reggaeton artist in the mainstream nowadays. Energia is a better album than Vibras imho but he’s been pretty consistent in his material and collaborations. I am actually glad to see it represented in there.

But yeah it doesn’t sound like Despacito.

My data-generated ranking of new albums by Spotify listener dedication is here: http://everynoise.com/tview.cgi?source=album_populism_2018 (recalculated daily until the end of the year...)

Arctic Monkeys and Panic! At the Disco have been close to tied at the top for a while now...

Surprised anyone listened to Kamikaze more than once.

I did, but it's far from being one of my favourite albums released this year.

who even is J Balvin and what are the odds all their shit sounds like Despacito reheats

Is this the level of informed and trenchant critique we can look forward to all month then?

oh i can do much worse and you know it

Glen I'm really interested in your list but I'm not quite following the ranking methodology there? XXX and Post Malone seem really low but I guess they've got a very large number of people listening more infrequently?

Legit amazed that the Arctic Monkeys album is that popular though.

incredible album tbf

Yeah, the Arctic Monkeys album is quite comfortably one of the best of the year, IMO.

Arctic Monkeys seem exactly the sort of act to be near the top of a chart like that - mainstream rock band with large-but-still-sort-of-cult fanbase

xxp Yes, Glenn — how do “points” work in your rankings?

The point-scoring formula is a closely guarded secret, meaning I don't remember the exact math without looking it up, but it's just a fancily-combined weighting of total listeners and "adjusted" listeners, where adjusted listeners prorates listenership by how much of the album people tend to play. So Post Malone has a ton of listeners, but most of them are only playing one or two songs

For an album with no discernable singles compared to their past ones, I’m surprised at Arctic Monkeys at number one in there. None of the top 10 songs in spotify are from this album, I’ve listened to it twice and couldn’t remember any song afterwards. For me it was a bit of a chore tbh.

Top 10 arctic monkeys songs I mean, and afaik they are not actually positioned by total number of listens but monthly ones I think?

happily imago's grousing prompted me to listen to the J Balvin album and it is of course excellent.

Yes, it is. Totally deserves its place in that list. It will be in my EOY’s as well.

I was thinking of bad bunny

I wasn’t sure of paying for the last two J Balvin’s albums
on vinyl and imago’s seal of dissaproval has prompted
to do so.

Mojo albums list. "Something for everyone here," etc.

https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/kate-bush-heads-up-mojos-best-of-2018-issue-1
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1022-mojos-best-albums-of-2018/2

20. Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears
19. Low - Double Negative
18. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
17. Gaz Coombes - World’s Strongest Man
16. Cypress Hill - Elephants on Acid
15. Tracey Thorn - Record
14. Paul Weller - True Meanings
13. Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
12. Pusha-T - Daytona
11. Fatoumata Diawara - Fenfo (Something To Say)
10. The Breeders - All Nerve
9. Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt
8. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
7. Ryley Walker - Deafman Glance
6. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
5. Christine and the Queens - Chris
4. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
3. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
2. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
1. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth

Gaz!!!!

That Cypress Hill album was shockingly good.

My seal of disapproval was more a seal of lazy anticipation. I've never knowingly heard a note of J Balvin - this will presumably change come polling season.

Liking these J Balvin singles. So the 'J' is, in fact, pronounced English-style?

Cool to see the Rolling Blackouts record get a few mentions already. Definitely my favourite rock record of the year.

very happy to see Low's ubiquity on these lists, the rare "late" career record where the critical resurgence is completely justified

I tried to listen to that Rolling Blackouts record and it just sounded like The War On Drugs without any of the droney stuff that helped make them enjoyable once.

I hate to be that guy but the first 2 EPs by RBCF are better than Hope Downs. They are world class at that fast propulsive sound. They don't do it much on Hope Downs.

My non-old brother dragged my old ass out to see Ty Seagall and Thee Oh Sees this year, glad to see them both popping up on year-end lists because they're fantastic.

bump

Musicophilia's Top 50 Albums/EPs

50 Thom Yorke - Suspiria
49 Calvin Valentine - Keep Summer Safe
48 Peaking Lights - Sea of Sand
47 Knife Knights - 1 Time Mirage
46 Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything’s Fine
45 MorMor - Heaven’s Only Wishful EP
44 Mourning (A) BLKstar - The Garner Poems
43 Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
42 Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet - Landfall
41 Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow

40 Small Professor - Church Jawns EP
39 Marlowe - Marlowe
38 Lithics - Mating Surfaces
37 Anderson Paak - Oxnard
36 Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try to Relax EP
35 Illingsworth - You’re No Fun
34 Hilary Woods - Colt
33 Cavern of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade
32 Yves Tumor - Safe In the Hands of Love
31 Witch Prophet - The Golden Octave

30 Apollo Brown & Locksmith - No Question EP
29 Kiefer - Happysad
28 Joy Postell - Diaspora EP
27 Tim Hecker - Konoyo
26 Chancha Via Circuito - Bienaventuranza
25 Moses Sumney - Black In Deep Red, 2014 EP
24 Mick Jenkins - Pieces of a Man
23 Kamaal Williams - The Return
22 Kali Uchis - Isolation
21 Georgia Anne Muldrow - Overload

20 Szun Waves - New Hymn to Freedom
19 Sam Phillips - World on Sticks
18 Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings
17 The Midnight Hour - The Midnight Hour
16 Brandon Coleman - Resistance
15 Lando Chill - Maya Maia Mayu EP
14 Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen
13 Jlin - Autobiography
12 The Internet - Hive Mind
11 Melo-Zed - Elven

10 Blood Orange - Negro Swan
09 Noname - Room 25
08 Lando Chill - Landolasso EP
07 Lotic - Power
06 Lando Chill - Black Ego
05 Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
04 Roy Kinsey - Blackie: A Story by Roy Kinsey
03 Serpentwithfeet - Soil
02 Low - Double Negative
01 Saba - Care For Me

(Caveat that Solange's 2018 album isn't out yet)

that Knife Knights record is good, just heard it yesterday

I need to revisit Serpentwithfeet. I was impressed when it came out, but haven't listened to it since.

I'm currently running down rabbit holes, lists are leading to more obscure recommendations ending up in dark alleys, often enticing singles and EPs that leave you wanting more. For example, C.C.T.V., a northern Indiana art punk/post-punk band allegedly released their third EP, Season Finale. I say allegedly because the only place I can find it so far is a single track on YouTube with funny Jerky Boys style radio bits. There's some intrigue here, with the original posting saying, "rick, if you're reading this please know, you're the devil" and the song titles. Rick is the DJ. I recommend listening to the whole thing, but it ties together at the end. I'm tempted to drive to Hammond for a rare gig on Dec 1. Also:

Body Type - Body Type EP (Melbourne jangly garage pop/punk)
Neurotic Fiction - Pulp Music (UK jangly pop/punk)
Spiritual Cramp - Television (San Francisco chaotic post-hardcore art rock, Deranged compiled their EPs and recent single. I saw them earlier this year, amazing. Admire the tambourine player's total commitment)
ILL - We Are ILL (whacky Manchester psychedelic post-punk)
L.A. Witch - Octubre EP (garage punk noir)
Public Practice - Distance Is A Mirror EP (NY, members of WALL)
LIINES - Stop-Start (UK post-punk)
Ganser - Odd Talk (Chicago energetic post-punk)
180dB - "Road Trip" single (Savages' Ayşe Hassan & Fay Milton with guests Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy and Nick Zinner. WANT MORE)
Flat Worms - "The Apparition/Melt The Arms"
Goat - "Let It Burn"

Also, after being disappointed by last year's Bulls And Roosters, I've been pleasantly surprised by Together PANGEA's Non Stop Paranoia EP, with a great cover of Devo's "Gates Of Steel"! Interested to see if it shows up on a best EP list somewhere other than mine. Here's a Spotify playlist of certain tracks to explore in the pre-T-Giving lull.

I was thinking of bad bunny

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Sunday, November 18, 2018 7:49 PM (three days ago)

Yup, him and Arcangel and Ozuna...D-40 largely otm about trap's heavy influence on Latin pop

jfc you'd think Gaz would chill out for once and drop a record that isn't album of the year

xp

Trap’s influence on Latin pop/reggaeton is a given (and guess what, it’s not even the biggest notable influence). We’re still talking different genres though. It’s weird to suggest that acts like J Balvin or Ozuna or whoever don’t belong on lists like these when there are no (US) trap artists there, which is what D-40 was doing.

i'd actually say Ozuna and J Balvin in particular work slightly outside of what deej is talking about—Bad Bunny in particular is *really* indebted to Travis, but Ozuna and Balvin have more formalist reggaetonero personas even though they're still modernizing the sound (Ozuna bridges the gap a little more i'd say).

I like Serpentwithfeet when his church-rooted vocals and the rhythms are more traditional, but on a number of tracks the backing is too forced and stiff in an art-rock way gone bad. He tries too hard vocally on some cuts too

serpentwithfeet is prob a record i should talk about in the overhyped releases thread. still i look forward to whatever is next

Serpentwithfeet I don’t get at all. Can’t believe that got a fader cover

Ozuna songs I heard are pretty straightforward trap music although i do love “balanciaga”

J balvin is def Reggaeton tho I wasn’t thinking of him

It’s weird to suggest that acts like J Balvin or Ozuna or whoever don’t belong on lists like these when there are no (US) trap artists there, which is what D-40 was doing.

― breastcrawl, Wednesday, November 21, 2018 5:02 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was thinking of the wrong artist but regardless it’s still pretty weird not to have trap music really represented

Like even in its pop Travis Scott form

every time i heard “sicko mode” this year i thought “wow this is such a bad song(s)” but otherwise i agree

I quite like the serpentwithfeet album (wouldn't put it higher than that) but it does seem like an alternate-reality ridic. side project effort by Olly of Y&Y with frands.

Piccadilly Records, who have missed the thanksgiving dinner lull memo, presumably because they are in Manchester

https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?&feature=875
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1023-piccadilly-records-top-100-albums-of-2018/2

20. Whyte Horses - Empty Words
19. Boy Azooga - 1, 2, Kung Fu!
18. Baxter Dury & Étienne De Crécy & Delilah Holliday - B.E.D
17. Children Of Zeus - Travel Light
16. The Orielles - Silver Dollar Moment
15. Low - Double Negative
14. Altın Gün - On
13. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
12. Eleventeen Eston - At the Water
11. MGMT - Little Dark Age
10. Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
9. Ezra Collective - Juan Pablo: The Philosopher
8. Phil France - Circle
7. The Advisory Circle - Ways of Seeing
6. Halo Maud - Je Suis Une île
5. TVAM - Psychic Data
4. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
3. Beak> - >>>
2. LUMP - LUMP
1. Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen

Ooh, Childqueen at #1!

LUMP! ILM is seriously sleeping on this one.

The Boy Azooga album is great too

see, musicophilia is a good reminder of why i stick around for this year-end clusterfuck. hard as i try to keep up with the new music scene there's always stuff i had no idea even came out, like neneh cherry and jlin.

Piccadilly always do a really good EOY list, a mix of stuff I know I really like already and stuff I've never even heard of, and I end up investigating the latter based on the strength of the former. I imagine their list is preperation for Black Friday shopping

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever is showing in a lot of these and it didn’t do much for me on first listen. Should I give it another chance?

It’s currently #1 on the AOTY summary score:

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/summary/2018/

It’s too early to tell but compared to the critic score summary it’s not even in the top 25:

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/2018/1

Those lists make 2018 seem weirder for music at least from my POV. I don’t really agree or have even heard 80% of the albums on those lists :/

Happy to see Low doing well I guess

Resident did a list. Without even looking at it I said to tt 'Roling Blackouts Coastal Fever at 3 then'. They're at 4. I guess record collector rock lives

Or at least, UK record shop rock

rolling blackouts is decent, their ep made it into my top 50 last year

haven't listened to the new one, but if it's a whole album's worth of the same, it probably isn't as good

They're a very bread and butter guitar band, could slot them into 1984 as easily as you could 2004. I guess that's what makes them unique in 2018?

The record has really strong melodies and hooks, and some lovely guitar interplay. Took a few of listens for it to sink in for me - I saw them live before hearing the record and was initially put off, but the album converted me. It isn't experimental, it isn't political, it says nothing about the age we live in (these are the kinds of things that tend to see something get rated highly on EOY lists), but sometimes ya just need a record with a bunch of good songs on it.

the vocals are bad

It’s ok but very nondescript? I’d rather have The Beths or Orielles or Black Belt Eagle Scout get the nod than this record...

Losers so far for me on the “indie rock” category are Amen Dunes, Beach House, US Girls, Mr Twin Sister... really good records and i must be getting old because I would have predicted they would make it in many eoy lists and I don’t think they’ve even showed up anywhere yet.

Not sure you can class Mr Twin Sister as "indie rock" anymore tbh

Piccadilly always do a really good EOY list, a mix of stuff I know I really like already and stuff I've never even heard of, and I end up investigating the latter based on the strength of the former.

Their compilations Top 20 tends to be really good too and I always discover some gems that I missed during the year.

https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=872

yeah and I love that they do a compilations list as so many other places tend not to bother despite comps being a great launching point for further explorations

3. Beak> - >>>
I find this more fun than it probably is

They're a very bread and butter guitar band, could slot them into 1984 as easily as you could 2004. I guess that's what makes them unique in 2018?

This must be true of hundreds of bands, the only difference is that people pay attention to RBCF.

would be very surprised if Mr Twin Sister show up on any list except the ILM one, they were completely ignored by most outlets unfortunately

Is there a good reason why this year's Jlin record has been largely ignored?

probably because it's a soundtrack and wasn't really presented as the real follow-up to Black Origami

This thread is giving me anxiety, seeing all these names and they are like marksmen taking up positions on nearby hillsides. Some familiar from incidents past, and some new ones coming through the ranks

There are so many of them and fact they are ordered and numbered suggests they are organized this time, so in theory I should be able to dodge the most dangerous but its not likely to work out that way I know

don't be so precious and get yer sen down Our Price and check out the hit parade, saer!

Lol at the RBCF backlash. Never thought I'd see that happen, as I just expected them to be ignored as usual by people unimpressed by anything that doesn't obviously say anything about the age we live in. There is hardly a shortage of jangly guitar rock with bits of garage and post-punk this year - Body Type, Neurotic Fiction, Melbourne Cans, The Black Watch, Salad Boys, Clearance, RAYS, The Roves, Heaters, Sea Pinks. Sans jangle there's Teen Judge, Sir Robin & the Longbowmen, Goat Girl, Parades Against Parades and dozens more. Also RVG, Chook Race, Total Control, Dick Diver, Zebra Hunt, Black Springs, Last Leaves, Odd Hope, Melenas, Glaciers, Real Estate, Proper Ornaments. Anyway, RBCF deserve the attention. And they DO get political, they just don't waggle it in your face -- the album Hope Downs is named after a giant hole meant to mine iron-ore until 2037, at the expense of the community, environment and economic sustainability.

Piccadilly has outdone themselves, complete with a printed guide to accompany the list (you can read the PDF here). There's interesting choices pretty much all the way through. Check out #58 Mildlife - Phase, for example. Good to see mentions of Les Big Byrd and White Denim. I spent time with Altın Gün earlier in the year and I admired it, but didn't get into it, need to revisit. I've loaded Spotify with at least a dozen albums I hadn't heard yet.

I never said there weren't a lot of active guitar bands, just that the one people chose to rally around this time is RBCF for reasons that remain a mystery to me.

That's fair, as I think most of the bands I mentioned above are really great. But I do especially enjoy the perhaps indulgent use of three guitars among other factors that give them an edge in my mind (my review).

Here's the portion that might address the questions at hand: "So what makes them so great? Let’s start with the fact that they have three members sharing guitar, songwriting and vocal duties. This could create a chaotic, shambolic sound, and while early tracks do have a giddy, fragmented quality, the writers sound completely locked in tune with each other, so I can’t easily tell who’s songs are who’s they all sound like RBCF. The band has been described as “motorik jangle” thanks to Joe Russo’s bass locked in with Marcel Tussie’s precise propulsion which is actually rooted in his background with Afrobeat. And then there’s the guitars, guitars, guitars! Fran Keaney’s acoustic guitar is aggressively percussive, while Joe White paints wide swaths of sound. With his 1959 hollowbody Gretsch, Tom Russo produces a distinctively sharp chime, a post-Shadows and Hank Marvin surf twang. Together they create a rich array of textures and intertwined leads. While so many bands feel obligated to rely on synths (a technology that’s already a half century old) to sound contemporary, it’s refreshing to just roll around in guitar heaven with a pop band.

While their Sub Pop recordings are relatively clean and pristine, the band manages to retain some of their original garage punk feel amidst the sweet melodies and hooks. “An Air Conditioned Man” is a jittery masterpiece of tension and drive, with vocals that remind me of prime Felt, a couple solos tossed back and forth like challenges. If you think this would make for great live music you’d be right. A month and a half before the album’s release, I saw them near the end of their tour. Despite coming all the way from Australia and driving across North America, the band were nearly bursting with joyous enthusiasm, clearly having a blast playing."

I agree, RBCF deserve the plaudits. The propulsive nature of their songs makes them stand apart from the crowd and it doesn't surprise me that RBCF has got the momentum at the moment.

The thing about the RBCF album for me is that each song sounds pretty good in isolation, but when listening to the album the sameyness all becomes noxious.

I do like the jangle motorik sound and they are actually tight-sounding live but for a band with three vocalists none of them are really good. Fran Keany in particular is really bad imho, and yet he seems to pen their catchiest choruses.

I don’t really hate it but seeing it as the top, consensus album of this year so far is a little baffling to me. Everyone in here seemed to hate War on Drugs (which sort of was the indie/jangle consensus pick from 2017) and this one sounds like a lesser version of that sound to me.

Maybe I’m just sore that none of the artists I mentioned upthread will make it to the top 50.

I have always felt that War on Drugs take themselves very seriously whereas there is a playfulness to RBCF that I find endearing. Maybe I am just predisposed to Aussies having spent a formative year out there...oh, and I really like the vocals, admittedly, they can't sing for toffee but then neither could Grant or Robert. Most of my favourite vocalists are 'bad' singers.

That said, I'm equally baffled by the seemingly random nature of reaching a consensus. For example, Overload by Georgia Anne Muldrow hasn't appeared on any list as yet, as far as I can tell, yet is a stone cold classic. I also really liked Hop Along's album, also conspicuous by its absence from these lists.

Is there a good reason why this year's Jlin record has been largely ignored?

― Matt DC, Friday, November 23, 2018 11:54 AM (five hours ago)

probably because it's a soundtrack and wasn't really presented as the real follow-up to Black Origami

― ufo, Friday, November 23, 2018 12:00 PM (five hours ago)

Yeah, it's not been promoted as a Jlin solo album, but like a collaborative side project thing. I need to listen to it, tbh, because it's probably still great.

...
ILL - We Are ILL (whacky Manchester psychedelic post-punk)
...

― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, November 21, 2018 3:34 PM (two days ago)

Also need to listen to this, I've really liked some other ILL stuff. (To be fair to me, I don't think it's been out long.)

Jlin is definitely worth checking out, she branches out a bit with more atmospherics and melodic elements, but it's still very much a Jlin album.

Not to worry, I suspect RBCF will be lucky to make the top 50 once all the lists are out. I really don't understand the "bad" vocals criticism though. It's not like they're over-reaching or anything. Comparisons with Go-Betweens is apt. Feelies too -- very unobtrusive, flat vocals, just like it should be for this music. I really don't think it would work for them if they got a Jeff Buckley-like chanteuse to handle vocals.

1 - Kadhja Bonet - I like this a lot, though it's only hovering in my 130s just because it doesn't get as heavy rotation as my preferred genres and there's so. Much. Music. Her tart, prickly interview in the booklet is great.
2 - Lump - I've appreciated Laura Marling in the past, but this album did nothing for me earlier in the year, and gets zero feels out of me now. I'm sure it's fine, I'm just dead inside and need different triggers to ignite me.
3 - Beak> - I'm always impressed by Beak>, but rarely listen to their stuff more than a few times. This is a bit more challenging, and makes sense in this list.
5 - TVAM - Un upgrade of the latest disappointing Hookworms.
6 - Halo Maud - A pleasant psych pop companion piece to Melody's Echo Chamber, will give more listens to see if I like it quite as much.
7 - The Advisory Circle - I thought they were fab via Other Channels (2008), but have since been bored with them. Still not in the mood, pass.
8 - Phil France - Not something I usually seek out but nice percussion, melody and flow, enjoyable.
9 - Ezra Collective - I liked their track on the We Out Here compilation, and the album doesn't disappoint. This makes an excellent addition to my Afrobeat Kosmische Jazz Electro Fusion playlist! Just an EP but just the right length. A nice bookend to Maisha's There Is A Place, with a cover of Sun Ra's "Space Is The Place."
10 - Khruangbin - Didn't fully get the enthusiasm for them but after lurking at the bottom of my playlists all year, I'm enjoying it as background music.
12 - Eleventeen Eston - The blurb's invocations of Durutti Column and Arthur Russell are much more enticing than the actual music.
16 - The Orielles - Bog standard dream pop, I'd rate about ten albums in this category over it.
17 - Children Of Zeus - Smoove jazz soul along the lines of D'Angelo, broken beat, I can get on board with this.
19 - Boy Azooga - One of my favorite psych pop singer-songwriters, Jacco Gardner, doesn't sing on his new album. This could possibly scratch that itch, but wish it were better ("Taxi To Your Head" is a highlight). Maybe Dougle Tuttle's new one will do the trick instead. "Losers In The Tomb" and "Waitin'" might be growers, we'll see.
20 - Whyte Horses - Okay, more British psych pop. I don't hate it despite the Stone Roses references!
26 - Prins Emanuel - Now THIS is more like Durutti Column!
29 - Tim Burgess - I alway perk up because I keep confusing him with the Chameleons bloke, Mark Burgess. This is at least better than his stuff with the Charlatans.
32 - Shelter - French cosmic progressive electronic sounds, hard to find streaming, had to download to hear. Try to decipher Growing Bin's incomprehensible blurb. "Jules Verne by way of Vangelis," if you say so!
33 - D.A.L.I. - 80s style synthwave, this holds up well against the more horror themed entries this year from Dance With The Dead, Stieglitz, Daniel Davies. Where is S3 of Stranger Things BTW?
36 - GoGo Penguin - Always pleasant jazz fusion, but would never thought of them as top 100 material. RYM needs to stop with the "Nu" genre qualifiers, it's diminishing.
37 - Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe - After seeing the documentary Dig! (2004), it was hard for me to listen to any of Newcombe's projects because he's so horrible. But this is decent.
41 - Gulp - Well there's no shortage of female-lead dreamy psych/dream pop this year. Not bad but not impressive.
43 - MIEN - I was excited about this space rock supergroup (Black Angels/Horrors/Elephant Stone/Earlies) and bought it. It's good, but I still found 168 better albums this year so far.
46 - Fatima - Pretty good soul tunes, need more time to compare to others.
47 - La Luz - I've been wrestling with this all year. Surf punk and dream pop, should be a winner, but I currently have it ranked in the 400s.
50 - The Vryll Society - I love the cover, but man, they do sound like Verve! Nope.
58 - Mildlife - This has been floating in my top 100 for a while. Not just jazz fusion funk, also some space rock and psych prog in there.
64 - Holy Motors - Dream pop from Estonia with a noirish twang, nice.
68 - Amen Dunes - I can see why he's usually ignored, his quirky vocals can be hard to get on board with. But if you can get past that, he's a decent songwriter.
76 - Thom Yorke - One of the dad rags gave his Suspiria soundtrack five stars. Eh. Hard to get excited over this.
93 - Sauna Youth - Last year Piccadilly offered up Flat Worms and L.A. Witch for some prime garage punk. All they got this year is this? I love the one review on RYM - "Deaths is too noisy and too unmusical and the album sounds as if Sauna Youth wish to kill us with their fake punk rock." Ha ha ha. I'll still give this another listen.
96 - Holy Wave - A year or so ago I bought all their stuff on Bandcamp because I loved the idea of the surf psych. Tunes didn't hold up, or they're trying to be hypnagogic or something and this album is currently #735 on my list. I'll revisit.

I never said there weren't a lot of active guitar bands, just that the one people chose to rally around this time is RBCF for reasons that remain a mystery to me.

For example, Overload by Georgia Anne Muldrow hasn't appeared on any list as yet, as far as I can tell, yet is a stone cold classic.

Can you name Georgia Anne Muldrow's publicist? Me either. That's why she's not on any year-end lists.

keep meaning to here the prins emanuel, his last one was ace

The Eleventeen Eston album is fucking great

lol at hip Arthur russel/dietitian reference points, though. the sources are actual unhip (well they're hip now) smooth things

I've listened to it a lot this year but i definitely preferred their first album

Doug Tuttle has 2 fans, me and Fastnbulbous. He should be a huge star, but is in fact teetering on the edge of even remaining in the music business.

Wtf is rbcf

Red Bot Chili Feffers

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, also sometimes known as Rolling Blackouts C.F., is an Australian indie rock band

sounds very run of the mill post punk revival to me

not bad, not something I really need

it's much more dry than War on Drugs, don't see much similarity there

more like that first Parquet Courts album with the swagger of some British retro rock outfit

and by dry I mean not doused in reverb

I have to admit I'm rather enjoying the album right now I see how it would be a consensus pick, it's kinda joyful and innocuous, well done, no indie rock fan could hate

they channel a bit of Real Estate, Deerhunter for me too

I found last year's EP pleasant enough but didn't feel like I'd ever need to hear more.

Anyone who enjoyed the recent stuff even a little needs to check out the first EP, Talk Tight which now includes the fab "Write Back/Career" single. "Wither With You" is a perfectly joyous earworm, and the rest is nearly as great. It's all there - literate Go-Betweens style wit, the occasional delicacy of Felt, the manic energy of Orange Juice and the driving post-punk of Radio Birdman and early Feelies. If you download the free singles "Angeline," "Waking Up, Dirt River," "Keep It Close" and "How Long?," together they make up a solid album-length debut. Those who don't drool a little at the description probably don't need it in their lives, and it's okay. We're all gonna die anyways.

With Drift's list added to the aggregate we definitely get a good snapshot of UK record store tastes. They also offer a thorough write-up here. I lost enthusiasm for Ought and need to revisit. I'm investigating #64 Starcrawler right now. #44 Laurence Pike is pleasant, Dungen & Woods is up my alley but I hadn't listened to it much as it felt like a pretty tossed off side project, but will listen more. #31 Our Girl is promising. #15 Amen Dunes getting props. #4 Bodega -- been listening for a few weeks, still thinking about 'em. #3 Nap Eyes is decent, something I would have been into 25 years ago. #1 Dirty Projectors - I'd forgotten about this, was not into it when it came out, but it is an interesting album. I'm most excited about this:

#63 Bas Jan - Yes I Jan

Among other things I like their fresh take on late period Raincoats. Also, they released an EP just yesterday that might even be better:
https://lostmap.bandcamp.com/album/instant-nostalgia

Ooh, I love this Bas Jan!

Finally a freaking list with Amen Dunes in the top 20.

I'm surprised to see Nap Eyes so high, but it seems like the kind of list where they just list the stuff they like, which is understandable. I liked the previous Nap Eyes album pretty well, and sampled this new one when it came out, but it kind of just sounded like more of the same and I wasn't feeling the need for it at the time, probably wasn't in the right mood. It's the kind of music that takes its time and requires a bit of patience. I should probably spend more time with this one.

Musicophilia's Top 50 Albums/EPs

50 Thom Yorke - Suspiria
49 Calvin Valentine - Keep Summer Safe
48 Peaking Lights - Sea of Sand
47 Knife Knights - 1 Time Mirage
46 Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything’s Fine
45 MorMor - Heaven’s Only Wishful EP
44 Mourning (A) BLKstar - The Garner Poems
43 Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
42 Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet - Landfall
41 Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow

40 Small Professor - Church Jawns EP
39 Marlowe - Marlowe
38 Lithics - Mating Surfaces
37 Anderson Paak - Oxnard
36 Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try to Relax EP
35 Illingsworth - You’re No Fun
34 Hilary Woods - Colt
33 Cavern of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade
32 Yves Tumor - Safe In the Hands of Love
31 Witch Prophet - The Golden Octave

30 Apollo Brown & Locksmith - No Question EP
29 Kiefer - Happysad
28 Joy Postell - Diaspora EP
27 Tim Hecker - Konoyo
26 Chancha Via Circuito - Bienaventuranza
25 Moses Sumney - Black In Deep Red, 2014 EP
24 Mick Jenkins - Pieces of a Man
23 Kamaal Williams - The Return
22 Kali Uchis - Isolation
21 Georgia Anne Muldrow - Overload

20 Szun Waves - New Hymn to Freedom
19 Sam Phillips - World on Sticks
18 Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings
17 The Midnight Hour - The Midnight Hour
16 Brandon Coleman - Resistance
15 Lando Chill - Maya Maia Mayu EP
14 Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen
13 Jlin - Autobiography
12 The Internet - Hive Mind
11 Melo-Zed - Elven

10 Blood Orange - Negro Swan
09 Noname - Room 25
08 Lando Chill - Landolasso EP
07 Lotic - Power
06 Lando Chill - Black Ego
05 Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
04 Roy Kinsey - Blackie: A Story by Roy Kinsey
03 Serpentwithfeet - Soil
02 Low - Double Negative
01 Saba - Care For Me

Here's a thread with all these albums with links to listen/cover art:

THREAD: For 20+ years, I've been mostly focused on the music of the past. Why focus on the tiny sliver that is "now" when there's an undiscovered ocean out there called "then"? But 2018 has renewed my faith in "now" music. These artists are our light when we need it most. pic.twitter.com/nEekdW9fhl

— Musicophilia (@musicophiliamix) November 22, 2018

If I could achieve anything in advocating 2018 music, it'd be to get people to listen to Lando Chill, Roy Kinsey, and Saba--all doing really incredible work and (I have the sense) not being heard/talked enough about. . .

I like that list. I find serpentwithfeet and moses sumney very pretentious but the rest of the list is very agreeable for me.

Getting a lot of album lists in here, have many best tracks lists surfaced yet? And if not, what are some of y'all favourite tracks of the year?

I mostly save my contemporary listening for the end of the year - the only albums I've listened to and liked this year are

Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place
Daphne & Celeste - Daphne & Celeste Save the World
Andrew W.K. - You're Not Alone
Julia Holter - Aviary
Mr Twin Sister - Salt

Not surprised that the only one of these that is likely to make an appearance anywhere is Julia Holter, bit annoying obviously, but would be crazy to expect any different. Still hoping to find plenty of good stuff in these lists, even if I have to wade through a load of mulch on the way.

(Listened to the new Kamasai Washington and Beach House LPs too, found both a bit dull, yes I have only heard 7 new albums this year)

xp I am also looking forward to the tracks lists, the albums lists out so far are for record shops and print magazines, both of which favour albums and have to be out more than a month before xmas.

The first three things you named will all make my list!

Sadly this thread is for the real lists done by real critics

I've mostly been listening to metal this year but there should be more Jon Hassell, Tropical Fuck Storm and Emma Ruth Rundle on these lists.

Mr Twin Sister is alright so far. I only made it through two songs of Daphne & Celeste, Kero Kero Bonito and Andrew WK each.

didn't realise there was an Emma Ruth Rundle album will check it out thxp

I was thinking that Ben LaMar Gay album would be all over these lists, but control f reveals one mention on this thread. Seriously, it's really great!

Does ILM usually have a thread for user's own year's favorites ?
Cause I'm thinking that between the generalist and specialist's lists, we might as well forget about the pretension that anyone has a global perspective. At least, the lists posted so far seem to come from such different angles (which is certainly good in itself)... And I won't pay much attention to the more consensual ones dropping at the end.
Saying this as someone trying to catch up at the moment, and finding the namedropping pretty steep.

Rolling Favorite Tracks + Albums 2018

This is as close as we get to a "keeping track" kind of ilm list. Of course, there's also an EOY poll coming up soon and you always learn about a TON of stuff during the nominations process.

xp lol yeah I'm never gonna hear 90% of these, and I'm cool w/that.

the new Jon Hassell is indeed very good! (xps)

There will be end of year polls here in January, but this is a good place to look in the meantime:

What are your top 10 2018 albums so far

Fopp. Not a sign of RBCF or any of my favourites for that matter, but a second showing for Gaz.

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1025-fopps-best-albums-of-2018/2
https://www.fopp.com/bestalbums2018/

20. Daniel Avery - Song For Alpha
19. Tracey Thorn - Record
18. John Grant - Love Is Magic
17. David Byrne - American Utopia
16. Jack White - Boarding House Reach
15. Teleman - Family of Aliens
14. Gaz Coombes - World’s Strongest Man
13. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
12. The Breeders - All Nerve
11. Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
10. Nils Frahm - All Melody
9. Jon Hopkins - Singularity
8. First Aid Kit - Ruins
7. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
6. Christine and the Queens - Chris
5. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
4. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
3. Low - Double Negative
2. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
1. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth

Roy Kinsey just performed at the Subterranean Friday night. Maybe I'll catch him in January at Steppenwolf.

The FOPP list pushed Kamasi to the top, and Idles to #4. I like what Idles' Joe Talbot said about my top post-punk album in MOJO: "The best thing I heard all year was easily Bambara and their album Shadow On Everything. [Singer/lyricist] Reid Bateh brings this savage realism but the noir-ish depth of the music takes you away on Birthday Party-type vibes. I just love everything they do - and I think they're one of the best live acts I've ever seen. They're from Atlanta, Georgia but based in Brooklyn. They're violent and passionate, interested and interesting and good-looking, and they're much cooler than we are."

Other artist recommendations:
Kim Deal/Breeders - 1080dB single
Shabaka Hutchings - Kojey Radical, D Double E, Ghetts
Stephen Malkmus - This Is The Kit, C.C.T.V., ILL

Gary Numan - Görkem Sen
Ryley Walker - Ben LaMar Gay

An interesting simultaneous trend I’m noticing in these lists is

1) a definite move towards a more “personal”, less faux-objective generalist dilletante’s attempt to cover “everything good” and more of an attempt to create a specific relative aesthetic (and it seems like a conscious effort to make that aesthetic heterodox at the same time, rather than culturally monolithic) — this is, fwiw, my preferred way of engaging with lists

2) the second edge of that sword is there’s definitely been a backing away from populism (a dirty word in a political sense bleeding over into this one?), from “trash culture,” from poptimism, moving towards a kind of tastefulness, respectability, aesthetic conservatism, art that exists in a kind of private, undisputable space... like critics have in response to the broader cultural arguments, become more conflict-averse

This is a trend I’ve noticed over the last few years and obviously i don’t know many of the artists mentioned in the above lists so someone can tell me if I’m way way off but it feels right

^^I’ve never heard of most of the stuff on these lists, so this sounds right to me...

I hope that’s the trend because otherwise 2018 is the year I’m officially old.

I’ve also never heard of most of these publications or blogs or whatever... I’m assuming that Pitchfork and Rolling Stone’s lists will be more “populist” (i.e., feature albums/artists I’ve actually heard of)?

(NB – I’ve heard of Time magazine, and their list illustrates my point)

2) the second edge of that sword is there’s definitely been a backing away from populism (a dirty word in a political sense bleeding over into this one?), from “trash culture,” from poptimism, moving towards a kind of tastefulness, respectability, aesthetic conservatism, art that exists in a kind of private, undisputable space... like critics have in response to the broader cultural arguments, become more conflict-averse

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40)

i think of this in the sense that i've read about russian aestheticism, in particular the thing about being apolitical being a political act... i don't know if there's a russian world for "self-care" but things there long ago reached a point where engaging politically became both futile and immensely self-destructive. the post-hippie era in america had the same sort of disillusioned disengagement, which was roundly denounced by the political radicals at the time (before the political radicals all wound up killing themselves).

I haven't heard of many of these artists/publications, but it's been that way for a few years now. At peace with it.

I’ve also never heard of most of these publications or blogs or whatever... I’m assuming that Pitchfork and Rolling Stone’s lists will be more “populist” (i.e., feature albums/artists I’ve actually heard of)?

― my guitar friend wants his money (morrisp), Sunday, November 25, 2018 1:07 PM (forty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

To be clear I’m partly looking at this through the stuff that I *do* know on these lists & all the stuff I’m seeing excluded

I’m sure mainstream mags will include more pop but i feel like there was way more consensus earlier years among these smaller pubs when it came to ie rap music (cf the year everyone decided Lil b was a genius or w/e)

There are countless bands doing what RBCF (who are good though) and Parquet Courts (who are not good) do but yeah those two have publicity and labels and money behind them so you're gonna see them on these lists and not, say, the Goon Sax or the Woolen Men or whatever.

The Parquet Courts album seemed to get a lot of positive press when it came out, but I’m wondering if list-makers will have come to their senses in the cold light of December.

This PQ album the first one of theirs where I actively felt non-plussed, and just couldn't grasp the hype at all.

That’s insane. Wide Awake is my favorite record of the year easy

I mean, it's great that you like it and others do too! (Not mad, not everything's for me obviously.) It's just not the sound I come to this band for at all. Did kinda like the first single though.

Interesting to see that people really are into the lyrical content. This record is teaching me that to some extent - at this point in my life anyway - the music has to sell me before the words register, and the music isn't getting there.

Wide Awake! is their best album, IMO.

Whatever man, you love CHVRCHES.

It'll be interesting to see if Cardi B tops a lot of album lists.

I think the lyrics sound like a Twitter feed I wouldn’t care to follow, but to each their own (per Raymond, if I liked the songs otherwise, I wouldn’t care).

(wouldn’t mind the lyrix)

Whatever man, you love CHVRCHES.

― Johnny Fever, Sunday, November 25, 2018 9:11 PM (eighteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well, I'm certainly not going to deny this. They also released a very good record this year.

thanks 2 Fastnbulbous for helping me get a head start on sorting through all this stuff. it's so stressful trying to cram for the january ilm exam. this year i'm getting a head start!

parquet courts so so boring imho

I’m sure mainstream mags will include more pop but i feel like there was way more consensus earlier years among these smaller pubs when it came to ie rap music (cf the year everyone decided Lil b was a genius or w/e)

I also feel like there was a lot more rap in general on most other lists from earlier this decade. It feels like we've reached a bit of a saturation point, and the quality of music has suffered - I think rap in 2018 will be remember for everything except for the quality of music released. I made a similar point in another thread, but it really felt like this year was the first time in a while that the worst excesses that the genre is capable of (pointless deaths, beefs, too much low effort music, style over substance) pushed creativity and interesting music out of the spotlight. Undeniable that it remains the most popular pop idiom, but aside from a couple of releases, I haven't really enjoyed too much rap from this year.

eh i think there's some truth to the idea that everything feels saturated & it might take longer than usual to sort out what's really sustained from this year but there are plenty of dope projects out IMO -- they just failed to generate any real critical consensus

xpost what a silly argument

Without wanting to start handwringing about how algorithms are killing pop music or whatever, we're now at the stage where the artists that are the most popular, the most trashy, are also the ones whose careers are the most dependent on streaming. As a result they've either become less album-centric or or the albums themselves have become way too baggy and undefined. The Cardi B album felt like it struck the perfect balance there but I haven't heard too many others that have nailed it like that.

Which is my way of saying that it sort of stands to reason that the albums lists are coalescing around a kind of middlebrow worthiness best encapsulated by that Fopp list, and that more places should be doing tracks lists.

I know bloat has been an off-and-on problem with hip-hop albums for decades now but this did seem like a particularly bloated year with artists trying to game the streaming charts by putting out these behemoth records like Drake, Rae Sremmurd, Wayne, and of course every permutation of Migos. and this is always a push-and-pull for me when it comes to ranking, like I am always going to gravitate towards ranking an album higher when it has 10 tracks and 7 of them are good as opposed to it having like 22 tracks and 9 of them are good. which is at least a little weird because the latter album did have more good songs so I'm basically just punishing it for making me skip tracks a bunch.

BBC 6 Music Albums

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5b2YkzSbF7wfvDxL0SR9fdS/6-music-recommends-albums-of-the-year-2018
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1026-bbc-radio-6-musics-albums-of-the-year-2018/

10. She Drew The Gun - Revolution of the Mind
9. The Orielles - Silver Dollar Moment
8. Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
7. Beak> - >>>
6. Gabe Gurnsey - Physical
5. Low - Double Negative
4. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
3. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
2. Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
1. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance

Glide 20 best albums (unranked)

https://glidemagazine.com/217222/the-glide-20-glides-20-best-albums-of-2018/
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1028-glides-20-best-albums-of-2018/

Becky Warren - Undesirable
Caroline Rose - Loner
Colter Wall - Songs of the Plains
Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain
Erika Wennerstrom - Sweet Unknown
Frank Turner - Be More Kind
Ghost - Prequelle
Glorietta - Glorietta
Israel Nash - Lifted
Jonathan Wilson - Rare Birds
King Tuff - The Other
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
R+R=NOW - Collagically Speaking
Rainbow Kitten Surprise - How To: Friend, Love, Freefall
Shannon & The Clams - Onion
The James Hunter Six - Whatever It Takes
The Marcus King Band - Carolina Confessions
The Wood Brothers - One Drop Of Truth
Trampled By Turtles - Life is Good on the Open Road
Wayne Shorter - Emanon

Revolver's 30 Best Albums of 2018

https://www.revolvermag.com/music/30-best-albums-2018
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1027-revolvers-30-best-albums-of-2018/

30. At The Gates - To Drink From The Night Itself
29. The Black Queen - Infinite Games
28. Underøath - Erase Me
27. Tribulation - Down Below
26. ZillaKami & SosMula - City Morgue Vol. 1: Hell Or High Water
25. CANDY - Good To Feel
24. Horrendous - Idol
23. Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses
22. Old Wounds - Glow
21. Ghostemane - N / O / I / S / E
20. YOB - Our Raw Heart
19. Tomb Mold - Manor of Infinite Forms
18. Cane Hill - Too Far Gone
17. Harm's Way - Posthuman
16. Nothing - Dance on the Blacktop
15. High on Fire - Electric Messiah
14. Kælan Mikla - Nott eftir nott
13. Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
12. Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
11. Cult Leader - A Patient Man
10. A Perfect Circle - Eat the Elephant
9. Gouge Away - Burnt Sugar
8. Behemoth - I Loved You at Your Darkest
7. The Soft Moon - Criminal
6. Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
5. Sleep - The Sciences
4. Judas Priest - Firepower
3. Turnstile - Time & Space
2. Vein - Errorzone
1. Ghost - Prequelle

I've definitely heard the guys at the Ringer banging on about RBCF for a few years so I figured they'd make some lists when they released a full length. ilm reaction to them here no surprise of course.

hey here's Paste's list

That Revolver list is pretty interesting. I like Tribulation, Ghostemane, High On Fire, The Soft Moon, Judas Priest, and Ghost, and I'm checking out the Kælan Mikla record now; it's kinda dark synthwavey post-punk. I'm into it.

the Vein album is super fun if you can deal with some bro-y heft in your metal, like a slightly more melodic Code Orange. Emma Ruth Rundle is an inspired inclusion

Paste list hits almost every irritating mark it could have. Stand by, I'm going to develop a theory about this

paste's no. 1 (lucy dacus historian) is a fucking amazing album at least

placing the decemberists at 15 is sort of a "what, did you run out of good albums" choice though

lol before I even clicked the link I thought, "Lucy Dacus is probably number one."

US Girls, Camp Cope, Caroline Rose, Haley Heynderickx and a bunch of other stuff I like on there too

gonna really have to stump for Natalie Prass in the ILM poll cause her consistent snubbing in these lists is upsetting

everyone fronting that TFS didn't toss all the rest of Australian indie into a blender this year is basically an ideological enemy of mine

They might end up as my #1 tbh. are there any Aussie-centric lists out yet?

Definitely top 5 material as far as I'm concerned.

idk i want to find a non-asshole way of indicating that some of these lists might have been compiled with more than half an eye on what looks right as opposed to the actual quality of music, while simultaneously observing that if there magazines did their jobs properly and listened to enough goddamn music they could solve both problems by putting Black Dresses on top of all their lists

I really like the Kelly Moran record on Paste’s list

Man, Amanda Shires is getting hosed in these. She released what is easily one of the best records of the year with To the Sunset.

can we all agree that ppl responding to these lists with "it's only November!" or w/e is *the worst*

where's the ilm list? It's AFTER thankgiving ffs

xp - I mean, it IS only November... (I'm sure there's a reason why these lists are coming so early now, I don't really care either way, but...)

there were at least a few years where albums that made the top 5 in our list came out after all of these other lists had dropped

everyone fronting that TFS didn't toss all the rest of Australian indie into a blender this year is basically an ideological enemy of mine

― imago, Monday, November 26, 2018 2:19 PM (fifty-four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

who?

xp I remember best-of-the-year lists (for movies, music, etc.) traditionally being a "week between Xmas and New Year" feature -- but I'm sure someone will inform me that in the current Web economy, the only scalable model of monetizing reader enthusiasm for listicles requires a timeframe suitably in advance of the annual attention-consuming flood of Cats Wearing Santa Hat content, etc.

@vc: beloved aussies Tropical Fuck Storm

this year seems bad for new music

musically 2018 is an embarrassment of riches

grimes album possibly on the way, so perhaps that could happen again?

Oh fucking phone - that was supposed to be a response to pres keyes

Ariana has also teased that her new album will be out before end of year; seems early, but who knows (...not that "Sweetener" seems to be making any of these lists!)

would somebody be so kind as to post the paste list as text? i have a million tabs open and i'm having a really hard time navigating the site rn

I don't have a text list but AOTY has it all on one page if that helps:

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1031-pastes-50-best-albums-of-2018/

ah okay! thanks. i didn't realize that site existed somehow

Guess I spoke too soon re: Parquet Courts

@vc: beloved aussies Tropical Fuck Storm

― resident hack (Simon H.), Monday, November 26, 2018 3:16 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

damn does this album have the worst artwork i've ever seen.

Accidentally created Gritty's homeland.

Glad to see TFS get some attention after The Drones' Feelin Kinda Free (2016) was ignored, even though it was a better album. Bummed to hear The Drones are no more, even if TFS does sound similar.

A cool Russian post-punk album came out today - https://glintshake.bandcamp.com/album/--2

OK this serpentwithfeet record is pretty good!

Jazzwise - Top 20 Jazz Albums of 2018
http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/artists/15101-top-20-jazz-albums-of-2018

seems kinda focused on high profile artists

man that Kurt Elling cover is awful, it looks like an ad for a Brian Cox documentary or something.

Ooh, I love this Bas Jan!

There's a band called Bas Jan?! My Ader-obsessed younger self is excited to learn this.

it's a very old-ilm album

lol what can I say, I'm old-before-my-time-ILM

I don't listen to near enough jazz to have a take on that jazzwise list, but I'm enjoying the Roller Trio (one of the few recordings from that list which is on bandcamp; gonna check out Nicole Mitchell - Maroon Cloud next)

the salvant album is good

i'm surprised there are so many things on their list i hadn't read people repping this year, i've listened to a LOT more jazz than has been my habit.

whoa I didn't even know there was a new Nicole Mitchell, cool

it's a very old-ilm album

I would think a fairly now-ILM album would be Peluché - Unforgettable. It was mentioned in the rolling post-punk thread a couple months ago, and it's a different facet of Raincoats influence, Odyshape era, with Sade-level lushness. The trio of women built a studio out of a garden she shed where they like to jam (here's a snapshot in their environment, Shed Session #1). Older singles "Ohio/Cinnamon" and "Sin" are less original but super fun.

Yeesh, what happened to the time when Jazz album covers were so beautifully designed it made you want to hang them on your wall. Most of those are either boring as hell, really ugly or both.

there's been some shaping up in those recently, beyond the ECM/present-day blue note domination of styling, but yeah, still some egregious offenders, that's what happens when musos without budgets get their hands on design decisions

Bas Jan is the harpist/songwriter Serafina Steer doing indie pop, it's nice but nothing especially memorable.

Bas Jan' lyrics are great imo

I'm appreciating the Peluché record, thanks for that FnB

^^^^ This is great.

yeah this is a delight, what is it?

Interesting, that Musicophilia list has a TON of albums I've been digging this year (and is closest to what I'll eventually submit here), and every other list is barren or has 1-3 I even recognize. WTF

tbf most of the lists posted so far are from indie record shops or genre sites/mags. There will be a whole bunch of exciting lists with Mitski in the top five coming soon!

if that's shade then it's ill-chosen shade

not really shade--just that complaints that these lists are full of albums-I-haven't-heard-of will soon be remedied by soothing dips of consensus

Mitski and Kacey should go on tour together

The Best Metal of 2018, according to Pop Matters:

20. Vein - Errorzone
19. Thou - Magus
18. Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
17. Slaves BC - Lo, and I Am Burning
16. Portal - Ion
15. Ghost - Prequelle
14. Tribulation - Down Below
13. Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
12. Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury
11. Horrendous - Idol
10. Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
9. Boss Keloid - Melted on the Inch
8. Agrimonia - Awaken
7. Chaos Echœs - Mouvement
6. Sleep - The Sciences
5. Tomb Mold - Manor of Infinite Forms
4. Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology
3. Mournful Congregation - The Incubus of Karma
2. Sumac - Love in Shadow
1. Yob - Our Raw Heart

Decent list, overall. I don't much care for Yob but it's good to see Mournful Congregation, Tomb Mold, Chaos Echœs, Horrendous, Imperial Triumphant and Portal.

https://www.popmatters.com/best-metal-of-2018-2621689330.html

Bleep's Top 10 Albums of the Year 2018:

1. Tirzah – Devotion
2. Skee Mask – Compro
3. SOPHIE – OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES
4. Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands of Love
5. Chris Carter – Chemistry Lessons Volume 1
6. Kamaal Williams – The Return
7. Paper Dollhouse – The Sky Looks Different Here
8. Marie Davidson – Working Class Woman
9. Pariah – Here From Where We Are
10. Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo

https://bleep.com/Bleeps-Top-10-Albums-of-the-Year-2018

to paste the Paste list

50. Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On
49. Blood Orange - Negro Swan
48. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere
47. Flasher - Constant Image
46. Phosphorescent - C'est La Vie
45. Paul Kelly - Nature
44. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
43. Caroline Rose - Loner
42. Bettye LaVette - Things Have Changed
41. Adrianne Lenker - abysskiss
40. Kelly Moran - Ultraviolet
39. Alejandro Escovedo - The Crossing
38. Richard Swift - The Hex
37. Preoccupations - New Material
36. Lonnie Holley - MITH
35. I'm With Her - See You Around
34. DJ Koze - Knock Knock
33. Rosanne Cash - She Remembers Everything
32. Noname - Room 25
31. Neko Case - Hell-On
30. Haley Heynderickx - I Need to Start a Garden
29. The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
28. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends
27. Ought - Room Inside the World
26. Superchunk - What a Time to Be Alive
25. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
24. Iceage - Beyondless
23. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Look Now
22. Big Red Machine - Big Red Machine
21. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain
20. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
19. Robyn - Honey
18. Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer
17. MGMT - Little Dark Age
16. Sunflower Bean - Twentytwo in Blue
15. The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl
14. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
13. U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited
12. Shame - Songs of Praise
11. Amen Dunes - Freedom
10. Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog
9. Low - Double Negative
8. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
7. Pusha-T - Daytona
6. Mitski - Be the Cowboy
5. Snail Mail - Lush
4. Soccer Mommy - Clean
3. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
2. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
1. Lucy Dacus - Historian

I'm glad to see Pusha on a second wind but Daytona is not v inspired imo

milquetoast indie: a compendium

Glad to see the love for Richard Swift. Hop Along too low, obviously. Some nice choices on the list until it takes a turn for the conventional in the top half

I didn’t realize anyone cared about the new decemberists album... (I also didn’t realize there was a decenberists album this year)

http://www.tedgioia.com/bestalbumsof2018.html

100 albums including Mississippi bluesman (& RL’s grandson) Cedrick Burnside, Janelle Monae, Steve Reich, Carl Stone, Wayne Shorter, Sons of Kemet , Tirzah, and many more

Just finished puking from all these lists. I don't think I'm going to be able to eat until 2019, it's all so sickening.

oh, good to see ted gioia's list is up, i picked up a great bagpipe record from his list last year. he listens to a lot of stuff other people don't.

like, an archival bruce haack record came out this year? who knew?

xp yeah just picked out the Sarah Davachi album from that list and it's great: organ drone that reminds me of Basinski at times. Cool.

like, an archival bruce haack record came out this year? who knew?

I love the Bleep list, Tirzah es mi numero uno.

I did! And it's rather fantastic!
― willem

it is! there's gotta be some kind of story about that one... the guy who did "the electric lucifer" recording for a christian record label, around the same time he was recording the much, much darker "haackula"? i get the general impression there are lots of stories about haack that people don't really want to talk about, though...

The story's in the booklet, part of which is reproduced/available as an introduction on the label's website:
https://www.telephoneexplosion.com/products/bruce-haack-preservation-tapes-lp-pre-order

re the bleep list, I guess here's where I say that I think the skee mask album is super uninspired. warmed over 'idm'-is-a-cool-flavor-now super griddy ugly sounding and boring. so many better techno

i love it

Good to see the Chris Carter album in a list. Old Master Doing What Old Master Does Best in a convincing manner.

I think that skee mask album is great! it's definitely one of my favorites of the year

the radiophonic workshop chris carter remix is good too

I guess the Objekt - Cocoon Crush album was released too late to show up on any of these lists, but it is so great

https://twitter.com/i/events/1068961391954935809

gross

what it's just gary

I get the assessment that the Skee Mask album is basic, but still it didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it.

whatever. everyone should listen to the shed album from last year instead.

actually the lauer album, released at the end of november, is arguably even more basic but way the fuck more fun. it's got a direct new order bite with peter hook bass and everything. it's a fucking blast.

feel like i can think of a few other techno albums from this year that are better than compro. it's blander than pampa people.

if 2018 is the year you want to get into drum n bass you can do a lot better

i'd be overjoyed if every compro mention were replaced with cerebral hemispheres by mr. fingers, which is just a b+ (it's overstuffed) but certainly better than compro.

I like Compro but yeah, the Mr. Fingers album deserves better. Its inconsistency is kind of charming.

word

Mr Fingers record is definitely on my list of faves this year, and yeah, definitely higher than Skee Mask.

Will DiMaggio's At Ease was also pretty good, I wonder if it will show up on some lists?

Bjorn Torske's Byen on the space-disco tip and the Don't Mess With Cupid, 'Cause Cupid Ain't Stupid trip retro-hardcore comp were also things I enjoyed... I imagine the latter might make it onto the RA list.

xp "crying over you" is better than anything skee mask has ever done, even when he was like 18 or w/e with Ilian Tape

i have not heard those, space-disco has me intrigued atm. will check out.

lol it's not a competition, you don't have to convince ppl to substitute a record you approve of for one you don't approve of. they can like more than one!

i rather like the dimaggio album too altho it's a little spikier than i usually wish it would be.

well................

it actually is a competition

anyway you should listen to "power" by lauer j. i think you'd dig it

off the top of my head so probably missing a bunch but electronic albums i've really liked this year: hieroglyphic being, steven julien, shinichi atobe, vessel, syclops, kelly morgan, arp, kate nv, hunee, shy layers, niagara, deena abdelwahed, will dimaggio, forma

err, kelly moran not morgan

Aside from Mr. Fingers, I especially enjoyed Autechre, Bjørn Torske, Martyn, Rival Consoles, SIT, Steven Rutter and Sly & Robbie with Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset and Vladislav Delay. I've also been meaning to check out Richard Devine, Shackleton and DJ Richard.

still need to hear bunch of those. would suggest giving the vessel record a go if you haven’t heard that yet, you might get something out of that. not too far away from shackleton, airy and strange but also very physical. think it’s called ‘queen of the golden dogs’?

music that would knock you over in the street then point out the beauty of the church spires as you lay bleeding on the ground

Sold!

ted gioia list looks great, I like the concise descriptions

compro is very good imo

ctrl+f helena hauff

hm i'm only getting one result

i like the blurbs too, i have a hard time navigating a list of 100 records i mostly haven't heard without signposts - this is why i tend to stay away from actually making year-end lists; blurbing is hard work! i have no idea how to describe most of the new records i hear.

I liked the second, more varied and melodic half of Qualm better than the first few tracks, which I found needlessly primitive and cold.

I gotta say I find it hard to believe that any person had 100 favorite records from 2018

listening to 1000 new records (those are just the new releases!) in a year

doesn't make sense to me

but I need the eggs

want to also chime in with my love for and appreciation of ted gioia's always excellent lists

his book on jazz standards is also awesome, just sayin

I gotta say I find it hard to believe that any person had 100 favorite records from 2018

listening to 1000 new records (those are just the new releases!) in a year

doesn't make sense to me

but I need the eggs

― niels

it includes archival comps as well

i guess it depends on what your standard is for "favorite"

there are easily 100 records released this year i have loved listening to and would like to recommend to others, and a lot of them don't get talked about

like i don't know anybody has been talking about tia blake's "paris and montreal demos 1973-1976", just fantastic trad folk

i haven't had time to listen to it in its entirety yet but what i have heard is fucking amazing. am i allowed to put it on a "favorites" list?

yes!

I gotta say I find it hard to believe that any person had 100 favorite records from 2018

listening to 1000 new records (those are just the new releases!) in a year

doesn't make sense to me

I don't have time to listen to that much new music in the first place, let alone digest it all properly. So yeah, when people talk about listening to a ridiculous amount of music in a year, it totally makes me suspicious.

In any given year I usually end up with roughly 25 albums that I really, really like, but absolutely no more than 50.

i just made my RYM list of all the albums (and EPs) i've given 8/10 or more to this year - it numbers 46 at present and likely to rise

I should really do an archival/reissues/old stuff I didn't know before, since I probably bought 600+/- such albums this year, versus 125+/- released this year. . .

like i don't know anybody has been talking about tia blake's "paris and montreal demos 1973-1976", just fantastic trad folk

I'm wondering if this didn't make a big splash because it consist entirely of tracks that were on the reissue of her (fantastic) proper record from a few years back, so it's not really a new archival release?

I would think a fairly now-ILM album would be Peluché - Unforgettable. It was mentioned in the rolling post-punk thread a couple months ago, and it's a different facet of Raincoats influence, Odyshape era, with Sade-level lushness.

This is the best thing I've heard that I hadn't through any year-end lists or this thread, thanks Fastnbulbous.

Wait, you bought 700 albums this year?

Wait, you bought 700 albums this year?

Quick search says 707... I don't have kids, we didn't get to really travel this year, worked a hell of a lot, so went a little crazy on the music, yeah. Probably 550 or so physical (CD), the remainder digital-only through Bandcamp. That's up for me, but I'd wager it's typically between 300-500 most years, which I bet isn't that unusual amongst ILM types, no?

Textura’s 10 labels of 2018 (jazz, ambient, modern classical):
Hidden Shoal
Hubro
Innova
New Amsterdam
New Focus Recordings
Øra Fonogram
Parma
Schole
Slowcraft Records
Spotted Pecary

xp

Sorry I sounded so surprised, but I'm so far away from that it's not true! The boggling economy of it, the simple time to listen, digest and catalogue. Never mind attempting to justify the outlay to my missus.

None of which is to say I wouldn't if I could. Thank Faustus for Spotify.

if by buy you mean created a playlist for on spotify then uh sure

even then actually I only have 146 albums saved in my 2018 albums folder

... plus 130 in my 2018 (NOT 2018) folder

still need to hear bunch of those. would suggest giving the vessel record a go if you haven’t heard that yet, you might get something out of that. not too far away from shackleton, airy and strange but also very physical. think it’s called ‘queen of the golden dogs’?

― my name is leee john, for we are many (NickB), Sunday, 2 December 2018 10:44 (nine hours ago) Permalink

Oh wow this is great, thank you

needlessly primitive and cold.

― pomenitul, Sunday, December 2, 2018 12:13 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that’s the point

I have 20 2018 albums on my fave list

of course there are quite a few more I can recommend, but I'm taking (so far) 20 with me to my desert Spotify island

his book on jazz standards is also awesome, just sayin
oh that's the guy! love the corresponding spotify playlist...

I'm generally fond of the stuff, but her take on it leaves me cold instead of providing an experience of coldness. I'd probably enjoy it in a club setting, though.

xp

ctrl+f helena hauff

― jolene club remix (BradNelson)

Well yes, this. But listening last night I think above this brilliant Hauff acid squiggle album I'd place the Oneohtrix one nobody seems to be talking about, the Yves Tumour LP nobody seems to be talking about - oh and Sons Of Kemet. That's really great too. Some great records this year.

This Kitsos Harisiadis from the Gioia list is pretty amazing. Strange (?) how much it calls across the ages to Dickie Landry and Colin Stetson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vH0ByJhBGU

really love both the Yves Tumor and Oneohtrix albums

I think it might be The Best Oneohtrix album actually.

It's really good. I think GoD predisposed a lot of people to not give it a fair chance.

worked out the opposite for me - GoD got me hyped and it ended up dull

GoD was godlike

It's better than I initially gave it credit for, but I still like Replica, R Plus Seven, Good Time soundtrack, and Age Of more.

I dunno. Maybe I need to listen again. The last couple of album seemed so blank. Age Of sounds like he's reinvigorated. I think the collaborators have added a lot as well. Maybe something he needed.

I do think Lopatin goes to a new place with each album

That's very true, he doesn't repeat himself

1 double negative - low
2 oil of every pearl's un-insides - SOPHIE
3 gave in rest - sarah davachi (recital program)
4 simple affections - simple affections (recital program)
5 green ways - graham lambkin & aine & o'dwyer (erstwhile recs)

Double Negative is probably the album of the year, isn't it

green ways - graham lambkin & aine & o'dwyer (erstwhile recs)

really want to hear this

Low, Robyn, Tirzah are probably top 10 of the year for me...
Beach House and Kadhja Bonet are also good and those would be the 5 albums on the aggregate AOTY top 50 so far that I really like.

dan - my emails on my profile, drop me a line and ill share that with you

thanks meaulnes!

lol thank the label owner, who posts on ilm, while you're at it

he posts here? Jon Abbey has been responsible for the releases of the best label ever!

And I do mean ever!

see the thread for the label e.g.

also the Shadow Ring thread!

or the wandelweiser thread

really it's amazing he has time to run a record label at all with as much posting as he does, i hope it's a tax write-off, posting i mean

"like i don't know anybody has been talking about tia blake's "paris and montreal demos 1973-1976", just fantastic trad folk

I'm wondering if this didn't make a big splash because it consist entirely of tracks that were on the reissue of her (fantastic) proper record from a few years back, so it's not really a new archival release?

― Soundslike"

oh yeah that could be, i didn't know about that reish

"This Kitsos Harisiadis from the Gioia list is pretty amazing. Strange (?) how much it calls across the ages to Dickie Landry and Colin Stetson.

― Have the Rams stopped screaming yet, Lloris? (Chinaski)"

and it's on third man! i haven't listened to a jack white record in years but third man puts out some good stuff

I'm on a volunteer trip at an animal sanctuary right now and am mostly offline, but I loaded my player with a couple dozen albums i wanted to get to know better for list considerations. It's troubling that in a community like this, it's considered unusual, even suspect, to listen to a lot of music and buy more than a few dozen albums in a year. Music is not a chore folks, it's what keeps many of us sane!

Even if I do sometimes doubt Gioia's tastes (especially after including Sting in his 2016 list) I respect that he gives 0 f***s for what is fashionable.

~troubling~

maybe music lovers could also be troubled by volumetric music ingestion so massive that it seems to leave no time to form meaningful connections to or judgments about nearly two new albums per day over a year!

the Yves Tumour LP nobody seems to be talking about

yves tumor got a lot of discussion here iirc. i mean deej put me onto the record

also it's completely fucking awesome i agree

most records aren't talked about enough

http://www.gorillavsbear.net/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-2018/

gvb's list has a fair few things i haven't heard of as usual

the Tirzah is extremely low key and deconstructed-sounding. I've really enjoyed listening to it late at night

Amen Dunes - Freedom (another one mentioned above by Moka) is also really nice

For a minute I thought Meaulnes posted The Wire rewind list top 5 (which I believe will be out today or tomorrow). Great list. Will add Ipek Gorgun's record on Touch to the line-up of great electronic albums this year.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/03/the-top-100-tracks-of-2018-playlist

Guardian top 100 tracks of the year - props for getting 'I See You Shining' by the Nines in there, also Homerton B and Itgehane in the top 20. Most boring #1 imaginable though.

guessing This Is America

yassssss

'Top 100 music videos of 2018'.

lol, that's silly

has to be the result of a vote since why else would there be double entries from both Ariana and Robyn in the gaddamn top 10

why is there a band called let's eat grandma

ha i quite like that name

hehe aight, I guess I don't get it

guardian list is sprinkled with good tracks but mostly makes no sense at all

let's eat grandma album is one of the best of the year

it's a joke about punctuation.

Graun list is all over the place but looks like a recognisable version of 2018 to me, or 2018 as how it looked from London. Could do with more afroswing in there obv.

a joke since reworked by some dullard whose stocking filler I've started noticing on the bookshelves

Guardian needs to be deleted obv

if they were called Works On Contingency No Money Down maybe they would be more popular on here

surely everyone knows that track of the year is 'half a pill' by reckonwrong?

Line of Best Fit - Albums 2018
https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/listomania/best-albums-of-2018

1. Be the Cowboy - Mitski
2. Devotion - Tirzah
3. Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides - SOPHIE
4. Joy As An Act Of Resistance - IDLES
5. Cocoa Sugar - Young Fathers
6. Invasion of Privacy - Cardi B
7. El Mal Querer - Rosalita
8. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships - The 1975
9. I'm All Ears - Let's Eat Grandma
10. There's Always Glimmer - Gia Margaret
11. Songs of Praise - Shame
12. Iridescence - BROCKHAMPTON
13. Sweetener - Ariana Grande
14. Chris - Christine and the Queens
15. Negro Swan - Blood Orange
16. Your Queen is a Reptile - Sons of Kemet
17. Honey - Robyn
18. Double Negative - Low
19. Lost & Found - Jorja Smith
20. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - Arctic Monkeys
21. Heaven & Earth - Kamasi Washington
22. Lush - Snail Mail
23. Nao - Saturn
24. At Weddings - Tomberlin
25. Hive Mind - The Internet
26. Bloom - Troye Sivan
27. Kids See Ghosts - Kanye West and Kid Cudi
28. I Don't Run - Hinds
29. Freedom - Amen Dunes
30. Clean - Soccer Mommy
31. Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves
32. East Atlanta Love Letter - 6lack
33. My Mind Makes Noises - Pale Waves
34. Palo Santo - Years & Years
35. boygenius - Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker
36. Dream Wife - Dream Wife
37. Re:member - Ólafur Arnalds
38. Age Of - Oneohtrix Point Never
39. Hell On - Neko Case
40. Room 25 - No Name
41. Infections of a Different Kind – Step 1 - AURORA
42. The Anteroom - How To Dress Well
43. Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album - John Coltrane
44. Tell Me How You Really Feel - Courtney Barnett
45. Bottle It in - Kurt Vile
46. Sway - Tove Styrke
47. Basic Volume - GAIKA
48. Historian - Lucy Dacus
49. Dirty Computer - Janelle Monae
50. American Utopia - David Byrne

Tirzah, Amen Dunes and Robyn are my top 3 albums of the year so naturally I love the gvb list. Don’t even mind he’s plugging an artist from his label (Helena Deland) because those EPs are indeed wonderful, she deserves more attention. Claudion is one of the best songs of the year for me.

Also happy to see a couple of records that I listened to a lot that I haven’t seen in any other EOY list like Caroline Says, Bella Boo and Smerz.

I remember we used to have differing music taste a decade ago or so and it’s interesting for me that the list that most mirrors my taste so far is his.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been exposed to flamenco my whole life and I have a love/hate relationship with the genre but the Rosalia record just doesn’t connect with me, surprised that this is one of the non-english speaking artists that the critics are pushing this year.

“malamente” or “pienso en tu mira” are great singles that I expect to see in many eoy song lists but as an album it’s not that exciting imho and makes me tired after a couple of songs.

My friends love it too though, I’ll be seeing her live next year, maybe it clicks for me after that.

Have you heard her previous album Los Ángeles? It's much more traditional; maybe you'll like it more.

Personally, what really tipped the new record over the top for me was the first couple of videos, which are amazing.

I love that album but have definitely not been exposed to much flamenco

I'm on a volunteer trip at an animal sanctuary right now and am mostly offline, but I loaded my player with a couple dozen albums i wanted to get to know better for list considerations. It's troubling that in a community like this, it's considered unusual, even suspect, to listen to a lot of music and buy more than a few dozen albums in a year. Music is not a chore folks, it's what keeps many of us sane!

― Fastnbulbous

for me it's both! discovering new music is work, but it's rewarding.

Amazing how a 1975 album that came out four days ago has made it so high in so many lists.

the dismemberment plan's 'emergency & i' made the top 50 of pitchfork's original '90s albums list before the d-plan album technically came out

I'm indifferent to the 1975, but lmao at "The millennial We Didn't Start the Fire" being the opening seven words of a write-up of the tenth-best song of the year.

"Love It If We Made It" >>>>>>>>>> "We Didn't Start the Fire"

https://uproxx.com/music/best-albums-of-2018-ranked/

The Independent - Albums of the Year
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/albums-of-the-year-2018-arctic-monkeys-christine-queens-the-1975-janelle-monae-a8661091.html

40. Thom Yorke - Suspiria​
39. Interpol - Marauder
38. Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon
37. Black Peaks - All That Divides
36. Miya Folick - Premonitions
35. Suede - The Blue Hour
34. Cat Power - Wanderer
33. Architects - Holy Hell
32. Robyn - Honey
31. Florence + the Machine - High as Hope
30. Teyana Taylor - Keep That Same Energy
29. The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
28. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
27. Novelist - Novelist Guy
26. Nils Frahm - All Melody
25. Camila Cabello - Camila​
24. Mitski - Be The Cowboy
23. Years & Years - Palo Santo
22. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel
21. Blood Orange - Negro Swan
20. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy
19. Let’s Eat Grandma - I’m All Ears
18. Ghetts - Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament
17. Cypress Hill - Elephants on Acid
16. John Grant - Love is Magic
15. Pusha T - Daytona
14. Nao - Saturn
13. Travis Scott - Astroworld​
12. Troye Sivan - Bloom
11. Ben Howard - Noonday Dream
10. Shame - Songs of Praise
9. Gaika – Basic Volume
8. Tamino - Amir
7. Mac Miller - Swimming
6. Colter Wall - Song of the Plains
5. Kendrick Lamar/various artists - Black Panther: Original Motion Picture Score
4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
3. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
2. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
1. Christine and the Queens - Chris

(ew)

Treblezine - 10 best electronic albums:
https://www.treblezine.com/the-10-best-electronic-albums-of-2018/

the independent music section is a scorched wasteland

that uproxx list manages to be reeeeallly bad despite having some great albums that other lists haven't mentioned (foxing, etc.)

Total Guitar - The 16 best guitar albums of 2018
https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-16-best-guitar-albums-of-2018

16. The Magpie Salute - High Water I
15. John Butler - Home
14. Thrice - Palms
13. The Marcus King Band - Caroline Confessions
12. Johnny Marr - Call The Comet
11. Paul Gilbert - Behold Electric Guitar
10. Tom Morello - The Atlas Underground
9. A Perfect Circle - Eat The Elephant
8. Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog
7. Billy F Gibbons - The Big Bad Blues
6. Architects - Holy Hell

*break for guitar solo*

5. Slash - Living The Dream
4. Clutch - Book Of Bad Decisions
3. Joe Satriani - What Happens Next?
2. Tremonti - A Dying Machine
1. Joe Bonamassa - Redemption

Lol

i like that treblezine list. i need to check out the lotic album and i'm into anyone putting meat beat manifesto and aphex twin in their top 10 in 2018.

fantasizing about an ill listening club for the total guitar list 🤣

Alice in Chains had an album?

*ilx

that uproxx list manages to be reeeeallly bad despite having some great albums that other lists haven't mentioned (foxing, etc.)

― galaxy brian (voodoo chili), Monday, December 3, 2018 9:05 AM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

congratulations to travis scott for making uproxx's no. 1 album of the year

straight up

I totally forgot A Perfect Circle and Alice In Chains put out albums this year, but I've never been a huge fan of either. That Tremonti record is surprisingly good, though.

Alice in Chains had an album?

Yep, further consummating grunge's transformation into dad-rock, as if it hadn't happened 20+ years ago already.

Pearl Jam was always dadrock tbh.

maybe musically, but lyrically they were as teenage angsty as you could get, at least for the first few albums.

I'd say Live was always dadrock mainly because my actual dad liked them right out of the gate, possibly even more than I did.

that uproxx list manages to be reeeeallly bad despite having some great albums that other lists haven't mentioned (foxing, etc.)

― galaxy brian (voodoo chili), Monday, December 3, 2018 11:05 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, I personally wouldn't vote for Charlie Puth or Jon Hopkins but those were solid records that I haven't seen mentioned too often. I also feel like Beach House is getting a little overlooked, that one's definitely in my top 20, maybe even top 10.

Joe Satriani - What Happens Next?

More fucking guitar widdling, I'm sure is the answer to that question.

let's eat grandma album is one of the best of the year

― ufo, Monday, December 3, 2018 11:55 AM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yup, absolutely. At this point it's probably my #1 album of 2018.

now that pazz and jop is presumably dead for good will there be anything of similar scope for tracks? i know the pseudoscientific aggregators like metacritic, albumoftheyear etc. will be doing their thing for albums but i am more interested in tracks personally. or would one have to settle for whatever the totally-unbiased acclaimedmusic forum denizens have fed into their machine? (i.e. every guitar-oriented mag under the sun + anthony fantano but also rejecting gay pop music sites as being 'too specialized'/insufficiently generalist)

I’ve only ever bought one guitar magazine and that was probably in ~1987 because I’d just bought my first guitar and i wanted to learn something, anything. it came with a joe satriani flexi disc and the tab for ‘surfing with the alien’ (?) and all I learned was i never wanted to learn any of that shit ever. I have no other context for joe satriani

the purpose of joe satriani ime is to make the most innocuous of videos completely hilarious

https://youtu.be/G7yCFJ3Xwvc

Acclaimedmusic is the weirdest. All music welcome except ambient, classical, jazz and metal.

I have to say, I always like this time of year where I suddenly feel the urgency to discover a ton of great new music.

Lol at the billiards video, that guy definitely plays the invisible whammy bar on his cue as he walks away from the table

https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/12/top-50-albums-of-2018/

Uproxx Music is such a disaster

xp While acknowledging my stannish ways, I just don't understand a list that finds room for Troye Sivan, Robyn, Janelle M., Lily Allen, etc... but not Sweetener. Wtf?

The Wire Albums of the Year

1. Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
2. ZULI - Terminal
3. Ben LaMar Gay - Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun
4. Guttersnipe - My Mother The Vent
5. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
6. Sarah Davachi - Let Night Come On Bells End The Day
7. Senyawa - Squid
8. Autechre - NTS Sessions 1-4
9. Body/Head - The Switch
10. Low - Double Negative
11. Jerusalem In My Heart - Daqa'iq Tudaiq
12. Julia Holter - Aviary
13. Eli Keszler - Stadium
14. Proc Fiskal - Insula
15. Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of
16. Tyshawn Sorey - Pillars
17. Lea Bertucci - Metal Aether
18. Pusha-T - Daytona
19. Eartheater - IRISIRI
20. Nordra - Pylon II
21. Tirzah - Devotion
22. Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt - Brace Up.
23. Dedekind Cut - Tahoe
24. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine
25. Hannah Silva - Talk in a Bit
26. Kate NV - для FoOR
27. Josephine Foster - Faithful Fairy Harmony
28. Agnarkea - Black Helicopters
29. Hailu Mergia - Lala Belu
30. Jim O'Rourke - Sleep Like It's Winter
31. Anne Guthrie - Brass Orchids
32. Eiko Ishibashi - The Dream My Bones Dream
33. Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut Wood
34. Cucina Povera - Hilja
35. Kamaal Williams - The Return
36. Vessel - Queen of Golden Dogs
37. Embassador Dulgoon - Hydrorion Remnants
38. Noname - Room 25
39. Jlin - Autobiography
40. Grouper - Grid of Points
41. Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On
42. Helena Hauff - Qualm
43. Nkisi - The Dark Orchestra
44. Gazelle Twin - Pastoral
45. Gaye Su Akyol - İstikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir
46. Jon Hassell - Listening To Pictures: Pentimento Volume I
47. Ipek Gorgun - Ecce Homo
48. Park Jiha - Communion
49. Musarc/Neil Luck - Bloody Sirens
50. Yves Tumor - Safe In The Hands Of Love

lol I knew The Wire wouldn't snub that incredible Ben LaMar Gay alb, and the mighty H Hauff representing as well.

I feel kind of weird how hard my taste in weird music and Wire's have diverged so utterly

Given how well Low is doing in these lists, and how unsurprising it would have been to show up *somewhere* on their list - I'm surprised they are missing altogether from the CoS list. Seems like a band/album that fits right into the site's wheelhouse.

Wow - I sent The Wire a top 10, and their #1 was my #1, their #7 was my #4, their #8 was my #2, and their #16 was my #8. Sadly, my #3 (Ineffable Demise's Beyond the Marrow Gates) didn't make the top 50 at all.

Ben LaMar Gay sounds intriguing.

it's a run of the mill blend of S Reich/Prince/Brazilian Music/AACM - nothing to see.

It's a compilation of tracks from 7 albums that the label is slowly releasing individually. I tried it and lasted two songs.

lol calzino

I totally don't 'get' Low, the appeal is lost on me

the Eiko Ishibashi from The Wire list is beautiful

11. KALI UCHIS – ISOLATION

[...]

Why It Rules: Every song on this album is a banger, and there are 15 songs on the record. Aptly titled, Isolation makes for one hell of a solo dance party. Uchis’ voice is gold, her attitude is fierce, her writing and perspective and lyricism are one of a kind. The artist makes use of brilliant production, savvy sampling, and a kick-ass roster of guest vocalists to lend endless textures and vibrancy to her wildly creative sound. And she maintains cohesive emotional themes about being alone (even around other people) that land with elegant authenticity. –Kayleigh Hughes

Checking out this LP, based on the above from Consequence of Sound. The blurb doesn't seem to describe the album very well... very few of these tracks are "bangers" (that's not a value judgement; these just aren't "banger"-type songs). The album is light, and pleasant enough; it has a throwback trip-hop/neo-soul vibe in some spots, and a more modern feel in others. But...

This is not good blurb writing

Why It Rules: On a personal level, Sivan is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community; he’s paid homage to queer pioneers before him, repeatedly spoken up about the importance of being true to yourself, and even stars in Boy Erased, a new film about conversion therapy. He approaches his music the same way — Sivan both understands pop’s history and context and his specific place within it.

He cites High School Musical and Grease as influences, but also engages with Carly Rae Jepsen producers and The Knife’s experimental catalog to marry old and new and bend boundaries. He sings about the timeless topics of love, sex, and relationships, but through his own lens (heck, opening track “Seventeen” is all about hooking up with older men on Grindr).

Bloom isn’t a flawless record, but it’s Sivan’s big personality personified and certainly the album to justify calling the 23-year-old artist a queer pop icon.

god forbid these lists would overhype dull or otherwise mediocre music

Like the Wire's list this year. Nice to see Senyawa''s 'Squid' record get some love on a list - that record is really dope.

it's a run of the mill blend of S Reich/Prince/Brazilian Music/AACM - nothing to see.

― calzino, Monday, December 3, 2018 3:07 PM (fifty-two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha well done, I am extremely curious about this now

the Eiko Ishibashi from The Wire list is beautiful

Hm, yeah, this is pretty cool a few tracks in. I wonder if there's a translation of the lyrics somewhere.

soty is bitch I’m a cow

^ finally someone gets it

that year where the wire had '56 nights' and 'dirty sprite 2' is such a weird anomaly for them taste-wise, i take that maybe just as deference to noz?

feel like yves tumor dropping from top ten to number 50 is a direct result of his 'mainstreaming' via pitchfork lol

pretty funny they had "The Life of Pablo" also

I like the "doom/metal folk" description of Senyawa, and that it was released on Sublime Frequencies. looking forward to hearing it

Safe in the Hands of Love is one of the best records of the year however the Wire rates it