The 2018 end of the year music lists thread

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/

Mixmag - The Top 50 Albums of 2018
https://mixmag.net/feature/top-albums-2018?curator=MusicREDEF

dazed kpop list is pretty decent, quite a few favorites in there

Fester's Lucky 13: 2018 Year-End Summary
http://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-18/

Spotify | 2018 Breakdown: Genre Lists | Shows, Videos | Movies, Television & Books

1. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Hope Downs
2. Graveyard – Peace
3. Peluché – Unforgettable
4. Mansion – First Death Of The Lutheran
5. Teen Judge – Teen Judge
6. Bambara – Shadow On Everything
7. Birth Of Joy – Hyper Focus
8. Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows – Hymns
9. Sir Robin & The Longbowmen – Prozacco
10. MaidaVale – Madness Is Too Pure
11. The Native Cats – John Sharp Toro
12. Messa – Feast For Water
13. Maggot Heart – Dusk To Dusk
14. Vanishing Kids – Creation
15. Lucifer – Lucifer II
16. Neurotic Fiction – Pulp Music
17. Sleep – The Sciences
18. Bas Jan – Yes I Jan
19. Ancestors – Suspended In Reflections
20. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Wasteland
21. White Denim – Performance
22. All Them Witches – ATW
23. The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – II
24. Body Type – Body Type EP
25. The Ocean Party – The Oddfellows’ Hall
26. Crepes – In Cahoots
27. Khemmis – Desolation
28. Windhand – Eternal Return
29. Santa Librada – Santa Librada
30. Pale Divine – Pale Divine
31. Wytch Hazel – II: Sojourn
32. Witch Mountain – Witch Mountain
33. Castle – Deal Thy Fate
34. Oh Sees – Smote Reverser
35. Amgala Temple – Invisible Airships
36. Dream Wife – Dream Wife
37. Goat Girl – Goat Girl
38. Viagra Boys – Street Worms
39. Melbourne Cans – Heat Of The Night
40. Ought – Room Inside The World
41. ILL – We Are ILL
42. Tropical Fuck Storm – A Laughing Death In Meatspace
43. The Third Sound – All Tomorrow’s Shadows
44. Steeple Remove – Vonal-Axis
45. Parades Against Parades – Driving Me Stoned
46. Sitka Sun – Sitka Sun
47. Wooden Shjips – V
48. Black Salvation – Uncertainty Is Bliss
49. Cave – Allways
50. Druid – The Seven Scrolls
51. Weedpecker – III
52. Kikagaku Moyo – Masana Temples
53. Needlepoint – The Diary Of Robert Reverie
54. Iceage – Beyondless
55. LITHICS – Mating Surfaces
56. Glintshake – Benefit
57. The Breeders – All Nerve
58. Shopping – The Official Body
59. Moab – Trough
60. Alastor – Slave To The Grave
61. The Necromancers – Of Blood And Wine
62. Spiritual Cramp – Television
63. King Buffalo – Longing To Be The Mountain
64. Tony Allen & Jeff Mills – Tomorrow Comes The Harvest
65. Orb – The Space Between
66. Somali Yacht Club – The Sea
67. Greenleaf – Hear The Rivers
68. High Reeper – High Reeper
69. Earthless – Black Heaven
70. JIRM – Surge Ex Monumentis
71. Choral Hearse – Mire Exhumed
72. Mythic Sunship – Upheaval
73. The Wizards – Rise Of The Serpent
74. Les Big Byrd – Iran Iraq IKEA
75. Magmakammer – Mindtripper
76. Amyl And The Sniffers – Big Attraction & Giddy Up
77. Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings
78. Ezra Collective – Juan Pablo: The Philospher EP
79. Maisha – There Is A Place
80. Al Doum & The Faryds – Spirit Rejoin
81. Goatman – Rhythms
82. Trés Oui – Poised To Flourish
83. Massage – Oh Boy
84. Salad Boys – This Is Glue
85. Electric Citizen – Helltown
86. Dunbarrow – Dunbarrow II
87. Nekromant – The Nekromant Lives
88. Crippled Black Phoenix – Great Escape
89. Green Dragon – Green Dragon
90. Dos Santos – Logos
91. Spiders – Killer Machine
92. LIINES – Stop-Start
93. Szun Waves – New Hymn To Freedom
94. Public Practice – Distance Is A Mirror EP
95. Rough Spells – Modern Kicks For The Solitary Witch EP
96. Petite Noir – La Maison Noir: The Gift And The Curse EP
97. Vital Idles – Left Hand
98. Sammal – Suuliekki
99. Black Moth – Anatomical Venus
100. Ty Segall – Freedom’s Goblin

boring top 2 but an otherwise cool list

To clarify, the RYM top 10 is kind of awful, but there's plenty of good stuff in the 100

I actually quite like the new (old) Car Seat Headrest album though - there's my terrible confession

the music industry's greatest terrible secret is that that kid is actually really fuckin' good at making killer indie rock songs. don't tell anyone, tho.