The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

one country-leaning record that i found through the AD list that I really liked a lot on first pass was the Rosali album ‘Trouble Anyway’

some really nice guitars on there if that’s yr thing btw

concreteislands.com Albums of the Year list. I own a disturbingly large number of these.

25. Vic Mars – The Hospice (Clay Pipe Music)
24. Gwenno – Le Kov (Heavenly)
23. Penelope Trappes – Penelope Two (Houndstooth)
22. Sharron Kraus – Joy’s Reflection is Sorrow (Sunstone / Nightshade)
21. AMOR – Sinking Into a Miracle (Night School)
20. Kama Aina + Hochzeitskapelle – Wayfaring Suite (Alien Transistor / Gutfeeling)
19. Chris Carter – Archival Recordings 1973 – 1977 (from the Miscellany box set) (Mute)
18. The Heartwood Institute – Secret Rites (Polytechnic Youth)
17. Barbara Morgenstern – Unschuld und Verwüstung (Fish Prints)
16. Modern Studies – Welcome Strangers (Fire)
15. Let’s Eat Grandma – I’m All Ears (Transgressive)
14. RVG – A Quality of Mercy (Fat Possum)
13. Thought Gang – Thought Gang (Sacred Bones)
12. Spirit Fest – Anohito (Morr Music)
11. The Goon Sax – We’re Not Talking (Wichita)
10. Beautify Junkyards – The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards (Ghost Box)
9. Chris Carter – CCCL Volume One (Mute)
8. Jon Brooks – Applied Music: Plastics Today (Café Kaput)
7. Bank of Forever – Music for Navigating (Temporary Tapes)
6. Kathryn Joseph – from when i wake the want is (Rock Action)
5. Low – Double Negative (Sub Pop)
4. D. Rothon – Nightscapes (Clay Pipe Music)
3. A Happy Return – A Happy Return (Spillage Fete)
2. The Advisory Circle – Ways of Seeing (Ghost Box)
1. Listening Center – Paths and Surfaces (Temporary Tapes)

Chris Carter – Archival Recordings 1973 – 1977 (from the Miscellany box set)

hoo boy I really did not need to know about yet another must-have boxset, thanks I think?

an old skool metal cru ilxor sent me this via facebook which he helpfully typed out - Kerrang!

errang Albums of 2018

50. Can't Swim - This Too Won't Pass
49. Brian Fallon - Sleepwalkers
48. The Black Queen - Infinite Games
47. Slash - Living The Dream
46. The Story So Far - Proper Dose
45. The Dirty Nil - Master Volume
44. Vein - Errorzone
43. Muse - Simulation Theory
42. Boston Manor - Welcome To The Neighbourhood
41. Smashing Pumpkins - Shity and oh so shite
40. You Me At Six - VI

39. Mike Shinoda - Post Traumatic
38. High On Fire - Electric Messiah
37. Thrice - Palms
36. Joyce Manor - Million Dollars To Kill Me
35. Fall Out Boy - MA N I A
34.The Struts - Young & Dangerous
33. Don Broco - Technology
32. Pagan - Black Wash
31. Greta Van Fleet - Anthem of the Peaceful Army
30. Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch

29. Panic! At The Disco - Pray For the Wicked
28. Tiny Moving Parts - Swell
27. Parkway Drive - Reverence
26. Trophy Eyes - The American Dream
25. Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth
24. Single Mothers - Through A Wall
23. The Interrupters - Fight The Good Shite
22. Alkaline Trio - Is This Thing Cursed?
21. Twenty One Pilots - Stench

20. Clutch - Book Of Bad Decisions
19. Conjurer - Mire
18. Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog
17. Mol - Jord
16. Drug Church - Cheer
15. Svalbard - It's Hard To Have Hope
14. Fucked Up - Dose Your Dreams
13. Marmozets - Knowing What You Know Now
12. The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart
11. Judas Priest - Firepower

10.Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It
9. Idles - Joy As An Act Of Resistance
8. Behemoth - I Loved You At Your Darkest
7. Culture Abuse - Bay Dream
6. Nothing - Dance On The Blacktop
5. Ghost - Prequelle
4. A Perfect Circle - Eat The Elephant
3. Architects - Holy Hell
2. Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
1. Turnstile - Time & Space.

Fully half of those are killer. I'm legit impressed

41. Smashing Pumpkins - Shity and oh so shite

lol

Wow, Advisory Circle! I hadn't heard the Beutify Junkyards one until recently, kind of stumbled upon it. It's also quite good, very strong Broadcast vibes on that one.

I forgot all about that Marmozets album, but it's really good. They deserve much more attention than they get.

"errang"? i feel a new username coming on

Bandcamp top 20 is out

20 Ryan Porter - The Optimist
19 Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman
18 Flasher - Constant Image
17 Hatchie - Sugar and Spice
16 Peggy Gou - Once
15 Blood Orange - Negro Swan
14 Alan Braufman - Valley of Search
13 The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
12 Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings
11 V/A - La Contra Ola
10 Say Sue Me - Where We Were Together
09 JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
08 Low - Double Negative
07 Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen
06 V/A - Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa
05 serpentwithfeet - soil
04 La Luz - Floating Features
03 Noname - Room 25
02 Aisha Devi - DNA Feelings
01 Jean Grae and Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine

I was just thinking that Aisha Devi's godawful cover art must have put people off her album, but that's two lists in the past two days where she's placed in the top 10.

Nice to see La Luz show up on a list.

Anna Burch not showing uo on these lists. That’s a record I listened to a bucketload of times.

Ditto Ezra Furman

Kind of surprised that Say Sue Me made it to #10 on the Bandcamp list. They may have had the catchiest song of the year with "Old Town" but I thought the rest of the album was kind of a letdown. The Mantar from the Noisey list is amazing and what I come to year-end lists for.

Good to see Say Sue Me in the Bandcamp list. It's great! (It is not better than The Beths album, though.)

Marbecks, New Zealand – top 50 pop albums

Haz Beats - E5
Yoko-Zuna - Voyager
Avantdale Bowling Club - Avantdale Bowling Club
Orchestra of Spheres - Mirror
David Crosby - Here If You Listen
Daniel Brandt - Channels
Julien Dyne - Teal
Connan Mockasin - Jassbusters
Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman
Tim Hecker - Konoyo
Yves Tumor - Safe In The Hands Of Love
Cat Power - Wanderer
Leifur James - A Louder Silence
Marissa Nadler - For My Crimes
Christine & The Queens - Chris
Low - Double Negative
Princess Chelsea - The Loneliest Girl
Blood Orange - Negro Swan
Mitski - Be The Cowboy
Ross From Friends - Family Portraits
The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
Dudley Benson - Zealandia
Ha The Unclear - Invisible Lines
Cowboy Junkies - All That Reckoning
Okzharp & Manthe Ribane - Closer Apart
Tenderlonious - The Shakedown ft. The 22archestra
Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth
Jonathan Bree - Sleepwalking
Jorja Smith - Lost & Found
Kamaal Williams - The Return
Father John Misty - God's Favourite Customer
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Mary Lattimore - Hundreds of Days
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
John Hopkins - Singularity
Simian Mobile Disco - Murmurations
Emily Fairlight - Mother Of Gloom
Lord Huron - Vide Noir
Rival Consoles - Persona
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex & Food
David Byrne - American Utopia
Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
Peggy Gou - Once
Stef Animal - Top Gear
Marlon Williams - Make Way For Love
U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited
MGMT - Little Dark Age
Ty Segall - Freedom's Goblin
Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
Nils Frahm - All Melody

... in reverse chronological order, approximately. Either that, or their top album is a 2016 EP with a bonus track.

I cannot stand Ezra Truman's voice at all but I can understand why everyone I know who likes it *really* likes it. The Anna Burch is easily one of my favourites of the year and I'm surprised by how slept-on it seems to be

Xpost: pop albums!? I struggle to hear what’s pop in half of that list.

Aisha Devi’s album cover isn’t thaaaat bad, It’s certainly not good but it’s not offensive. I find Tirzah’s or Robyn’s almost as bad and those two are in almost every EOY list.

Another metal list on the path to overkill:

50 Solstice - White Horse Hill
49 New Light Choir - Torchlight
48 Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury
47 Nocturnal Graves - Titan
46 Aorlhac - L’Esprit des vents
45 Hissing - Permanent Destitution
44 Runemagick.- Evoked from Abysmal Sleep
43 Funeral Mist - Hekatomb
42 Svartidauði - Revelations of the Red Sword
41 Varathron - Patriarchs of Evil
40 Golgothan Remains - Perverse Offerings to the Void
39 Un - Sentiment
38 Lecherous Nocturne - Occultaclysmic
37 Sargeist - Unbound
36 Nekrofilth - Worm Ritual
35 Khemmis - Desolation
34 Serpent Column - Invicta
33 Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
32 Hamferð - Támsins likam
31 Thou - Magus
30 Jody Seabody & The Whirls - Hawksamillion
29 Rites of Thy Degringolade - The Blade Philosophical
28 Ascension - Under Ether
27 Green Druid - Ashen Blood
26 Pale Divine - Pale Divine
25 Eosophoros - Eosophoros
24 Brainoil - Singularity to Extinction
23 Mournful Congregation - The Incubus of Karma
22 Faustcoven - In the Shadow of Doom
21 Desolation Realm - Desolation Realm
20 Necros Christos - Domedon Doxomedon
19 Intercourse - Everything Is Pornography When You’ve Got an Imagination
18 Horrendous - Idol
17 King Witch - Under the Mountain
16 Mongrel’s Cross - Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court
15 The Men - Drift
14 Black Wizard - Livin’ Oblivion
13 Rapture - Paroxysm of Hatred
12 Urfaust - The Constellatory Practice
11 Wrong - Feel Great
10 Tomb Mold - Manor of Infinite Forms
9 Embrace of Thorns - Scorn Aesthetics
8 Primordial - Exile Among the Ruins
7 Portal - Ion
6 Obliteration - Cenotaph Obscure
5 Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror
4 House of Atreus - From the Madness of Ixion
3 Satan - Cruel Magic
2 Evoken - Hypnagogia
1 Ghastly - Death Velour

https://grizzlybutts.com/2018/12/14/opinion-the-50-best-albums-of-2018-the-year-in-review/

Someone recommended Ross From Friends to my but that band name....I don't know if I can do it

Have you perhaps considered listening to DJ Seinfeld instead?

ross from friends was definitely surprisingly good compared to how bad the artist name is

DJ seinfeld’s DJ kicks also surprisingly good

fRoots best of 2018 https://frootsmag.com/criticspoll2018

1. CATRIN FINCH & SECKOU KEITA : Soar (Bendigedig)
2. ANNA + ELIZABETH : The Invisible Comes To Us (Smithsonian Folkways)
3. FATOUMATA DIAWARA : Fenfo: Something To Say (Montuno)
4. THE RHEINGANS SISTERS : Bright Field (RootBeat)
5. LISA O’NEIL : Heard A Long Gone Song (River Lea)
6. NORMA WATERSON & ELIZA CARTHY : Anchor (Topic)
7. OLIVIA CHANEY : Shelter (Nonesuch)
8. JACKIE OATES : The Joy Of Living (ECC)
9. KITTY MACFARLANE : Namer Of Clouds (Navigator Records)
10. SANS : Kulku (Cloud Valley)
11. Gaye Su Akyol Istikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir (Glitterbeat)
12. The Furrow Collective Fathoms (Hudson)
13.= Ry Cooder The Prodigal Son (Fantasy)
13.= Sam Sweeney The Unfinished Violin (Island)
15. Richard Thompson 13 Rivers (Proper)
16. Karine Polwart Laws Of Motion (Hudson)
17.= Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith Many A Thousand (Ear Trumpet)
17.= Blowzabella Two Score (Blowzabella)
17.= Grace Petrie Queer As Folk (Grace Petrie)
20 = Ammar 808 Maghreb United (Glitterbeat)
20 = Monsieur Doumani Angathin (Monsieur Doumani)

People repping for Anna Burch itt, I see you! I just listened to the first three songs and found them very pleasant, in a bored anhedonic slacker kind of way (but with sharper than average songwriting)

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

Following up on the Musicophilia best-of list, here's the best-of mix, which is to me a preferable approach to end-of-years (and I'd be curious to see others linked here):

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/the-fire_v01a.jpg?w=1024

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/Musicophilia_00_The-Fire_Best-of-2018_COVER-REAR.jpg?w=900

https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/best-of-2018-the-fire/

That Marlowe record is great
Mello Music Group had a great year

Did anyone post Keith Harris's list yet? Happy to see Speedy Ortiz, Mary Gauthier, No Age, Spook School get mentions, those are all great.

http://citypages.com/music/the-year-in-music-2018-sad-songs-and-self-discovery/502510741

Is that the first Spook School mention? VITAL band. I could've done with something approaching that album when I was a teenager, my only comfort is that there are potentially teenagers somewhere this year hearing it and having their lives saved

Someone recommended Ross From Friends to my but that band name....I don't know if I can do it

I just mean I don't know what sets him above from other house producers mining similar routes and putting out full lengths.. he does have a few jams yeah for sure

Electronic Sound Magazine. Great to see Concretism in the albums Top 20, otherwise rolling my eyes a bit although it's in keeping with the artists they've featured through the year. They also did (equally idiosyncratic) reissues/archive, soundtracks and cover art lists.

Electronic Sound Albums

1. Creep Show - Mr. Dynamite (Bella Union)
2. Chris Carter - Chris Carter’s Chemistry Lessons Volume One (Mute)
3. Gazelle Twin - Pastoral (Anti-Ghost Moon Ray)
4. John Grant - Love Is Magic (Bella Union)
5. Sink Ya Teeth - s/t (Hey Buffalo)
6. Haiku Salut - There Is No Elsewhere (PRAH)
7. Orbital - Monsters Exist (ACP)
8. Tunng - The Songs You Make At Night (Full Time Hobby)
9. Blancmange - Wanderlust (Blanc Check)
10. Jon Hopkins - Singularity (Domino)
11. Hannah Peel - Particles In Space (My Own Pleasure)
12. Reed and Caroline - Hello Science (Very)
13. Gabe Gurnsey - Physical (Phantasy Sound)
14. Charlotte Hatherley - True Love (Sylver Tongue)
15. Near Future - Ideal Home (Blanc Check)
16. Concretism - For Concrete and Country (Castles in Space)
17. Finiflex - Suilven (Finiflex)
18. Meat Beat Manifesto - Impossible Star (Flexidisc)
19. Soft Cell - Keychains & Snowstorms (UMC)
20. Yumi and The Weather - s/t (MIOHMI)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ducsma8WsAADXO_.jpg

Electronic Sound Compilations

1. The Bedroom Tapes: A Compilation of Minimal Wave From Around The World 1980-1991 (Minimal Wave)
2. To The Outside of Everything: A Story of Post Punk 1977-1981 (Cherry Red)
3. Audio Album (A Year In The Country)
4. Tone Science Module No.1: Structure and Forces (Tone Science)
5. Communion (Burning Witches)
6. Prophecy + Progress: UK Electronics 1978-1990 (Peripheral Minimal)
7. 1+1=X (Erased Tapes)
8. Czech Up! Vol.2: We’d Be Happy (Vampisoul)
9. Revolutionary Spirit: The Sound of Liverpool 1976-1988 (Cherry Red)
10. Brainfeeder X (Brainfeeder)

looking at the honorable mentions, I was very confused to see All Of Them Witches, until I realized it's a completely different act from the Southern psychedelic blues-rock group All Them Witches (who did, in fact, put out an excellent record this year!)

Listened to the Marisa Anderson this morning. Some beautiful stuff there, with a vibe that reminded me of Bill Frisell's excellent Music IS from this year, which I listened to a lot. Also just listened to the Steve Reich album that made Gioia's list: I really dug it, actually. It's all that I would want from him at this point.

I'll have to check it out. Music IS was one of my favorite albums this year.

Yeah, it's up there for me for sure.

I don't know why Frisell hasn't done more original stuff over the last 20 years. It bums me out that he records so many covers collections. His own compositions are so good.

Was this the first solo album of original material in five years? I thought he was putting out an album of originals every year or two before that?

Geoffrey Himes top 10 Roots and Blues albums for Paste

1. Charles Lloyd & the Marvels + Lucinda Williams: Vanished Gardens
2. Kevin Gordon: Tilt & Shine
3. Bettye LaVette: Things Have Changed
4. Alejandro Escovedo & Don Antonio: The Crossing
5. Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild!
6. Charley Crockett: Lonesome as a Shadow
7. Lonnie Holley: Mith
8. Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Downey to Lubbock
9. Shemekia Copeland: America’s Child
10. Cedric Burnside: Benton County Relic

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/12/the-10-best-roots-blues-albums.html

I like the jazz horn player Lloyd with Frisell and Lucinda one, but as with some others here I am not a fan of Himes' 7th choice- Lonnie Holley due to his out there vocals. The Alejandro Escovedo album is just ok, the Lavette one is uneven...Haven't heard the others

Transglobal WM Chart Best of 2018!
BEST ALBUM OF 2018: Monsieur Doumani
2-Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
3-Fatoumata Diawara
4-El Naán
5-Ammar 808
6-Gabacho Maroc
7-The Turbans
8-SANS
9-Vigüela
10-Samba Touré

Really appreciated that Musicophelia list. The hip hop choices in particular really hit the spot for me.

Has "Lift Yourself" been appearing on any songs lists?

only place i've seen it is the tinymixtapes one

https://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/2018-favorite-50-songs?page=5

it's nice to see Mid-Air Thief get a bit of attention at least

yeah it's great. RYM top 100 >>>> most of these lists

rym top 100 also has car seat headrest and kids see ghosts, of all things, in its top 5 iirc so

Cheers for the heads up on the Frisell - it's lovely.