The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

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

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

― octobeard

I'm a little bummed the Musicophilia list is apparently such an outlier, especially re: Nenneh Cherry, Roy Kinsey, Serpentwithfeet, Saba. . . I'm not saying I didn't miss a lot, but these are so great it's just a shame they won't get the attention these lists bring.

Low (and maybe Neneh Cherry) aside, the Musicophilia top ten definitely feels like a statement about where they feel the energy and excitement is right now, though of the relevant records the only one that will end up in my top ten is Roy Kinsey.

The response to the Lotic album has seemed strangely muted compared to all the hype he was getting previously?

Lotic - Power is incredible, like the Objekt album it's so out there it's hard to absorb

xps Senyawa is excellent, recommended. unperson was the first person I heard talk about them and then someone else recommended their recent 10" which is on Bandcamp

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

01 TIRZAH | Devotion
02 HELENA DELAND | From the Series of Songs “Altogether Unaccompanied” Vol. I – IV
03 ROSALÍA | El Mal Querer
04 AMEN DUNES | Freedom
05 ROBYN | Honey
06 EARL SWEATSHIRT | Some Rap Songs
07 ARIANA GRANDE | Sweetener
08 GROUPER | Grid of Points
09 BELLA BOO | Fire
10 CAROLINE SAYS | No Fool Like an Old Fool
11 TESS ROBY | Beacon
12 JULIA HOLTER | Aviary
13 DJ HEALER | Nothing 2 Loose
14 CHANNEL TRES | Channel Tres
15 CINDY LEE | Model Express
16 SOPHIE | OIL OF EVERY PEARL’s UN-INSIDES
17 MR TWIN SISTER | Salt
18 TIERRA WHACK | Whack World
19 SUN JUNE | Years
20 PLAYBOI CARTI | Die Lit
21 THE SAMPS | Breakfast
22 SMERZ | Have fun
23 LENA RAINE | Celeste (original soundtrack)
24 NU GUINEA | Nuova Napoli
25 BEACH HOUSE | 7
26 U.S. GIRLS | In a Poem Unlimited
27 DJRUM | Portrait with Firewood
28 PYNKIE | Neoteny
29 OKLOU | The Rite of May
30 GIA MARGARET | There’s Always Glimmer

we talked about it a little above, I like that list

want to hear the earl sweatshirt

its crazy to be not even that deep in rap discourse & then check these critic lists & see how differently its translating to critics

it really feels like a complete aesthetic backpedal from the early 2010s but i guess soundcloud rap will do that

xps ah oops I did a Ctrl+F for Tirzah rather than the name of the site

https://medium.com/@joshuacopperman1/what-your-favorite-album-of-2018-says-about-you-1e076340217b

You’ve been screaming internally and externally since like around puberty.

Wrong. Only internally.

xp D-40 are you talking about the earl sweatshirt? isn't that record supposed to be about a particular vibe (haven't heard it yet)

i think the earl album is pretty good, or at least is aesthetically distinct ... the thing i'm noticing is a major retreat from charting rap, club rap, regional rap, street rap, and most rap that exists in the intersection of these styles

in part i understand it ... i find the super popular ATL rap pretty boring this year, w a couple exceptions; soundcloud obv has always been super hit or miss and that's not even counting the problematic aspects... but there's definitely been a bunch of projects (as ever) worth listening to, it just feels like critics took a big 180 away from all populist forms of the genre

ok I'm processing this

Good to see Cucina Povera getting a place in The Wire's list

14. Proc Fiskal - Insula

Oh wow someone actually repping for this, endearingly playful melodic eskibleep stuff, Dizzee and Wiley cut-ups interspersed with random aggy Scottish vocal samples.

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

How many of the 50 records on that list have you heard?

imago is someone else who needs to hear the vessel record they had on their list tbh

https://open.spotify.com/album/4wVHohBynJ5eFHw6Cc1WzD