The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

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