The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

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...