The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

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.

RYM top 100 >>>> most of these lists

― imago, Monday, December 17, 2018 1:47 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

gross

The presence of Koenji Hyakkei alone is a solid argument in imago's favour.

imago outs himself as a secret daughters fan

the rym chart this year is weirdly polarizing to me - instead of just a lot of metal and like jazz rap that didn't get much attention from anywhere else and i don't really have strong opinions on except that it's not for me, as well as few critical favourites, this year there's a fair amount of "wow this is really cool and hasn't had a lot of attention elsewhere" (like mid-air thief!) but also "why the hell do they like this shit so much"

yeah thr YM charts have value as long as you recognize their bizarre biases (which exist everywhere of course)

first & foremost the parrot fantano bias

I don't really find their biases more bizarre than most of these lists', though.

Yeah "Lift Yourself" came up on a playlist last night and I was struck by what a successful track it is, still makes me giggle, but with everything Kanye has gotten up to this year I wondered if it was being ranked at all

The three best albums I heard this year were Low and Tierra Whack and especially Rosalia, I rarely feel a feeling of "breathless anticipation" for what somebody is gonna release next but I got that feeling for all three artists

Anyway, I was listening to both and thinking I might have oversold the Anderson-Frisell comparison so I'm glad someone was turned on to the Frisell.xp

RYM is a fine list although the collective love of The People for Daughters is still a bit puzzling, but you cant like em all. I initially thought this was the inoffensive indiepop Daughter.

I didn’t know Kids See Ghosts was that critically maligned? Apart from the charisma-free Cudi it’s just as good in terms of production as the Pusha and Teyana Taylor records I think.

I like that Pitchfork has posted a list of rock albums (I assume other genres will follow)? Some unfamiliar names on there which I’ll check out.

did the world need another snail mail blurb j/k

haven't seen hop along appear much on these lists which is a shame

did the world need another snail mail blurb j/k

― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Monday, December 17, 2018 10:32 AM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

clearly p4k didn't think so, cause they used the same blurb for the best rock albums list as they did for their overall top 50

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2018/12/17/bandcamp-daily-staffers-on-their-favorite-albums-of-2018/

some good stuff on the Bandcamp editors' solo lists including my lads

clearly p4k didn't think so, cause they used the same blurb for the best rock albums list as they did for their overall top 50

― bros before HOOS (voodoo chili), Monday, December 17, 2018 8:36 AM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmao i didn't even notice, delightful

Dazed - The 20 best K-pop songs of 2018
http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/42620/1/best-k-pop-songs-2018

PopMatters - The 20 Best Avant-Garde and Experimental Albums of 2018
https://www.popmatters.com/best-experimental-albums-2018-2623308555.html

FACT - The best ambient of 2018
https://www.factmag.com/2018/12/16/best-ambient-2018/