Best Albums of 2018
A note from 2018
[Time fails me this year. Here are my favorite records of the year, in general order from "honorable mention" territory to favorites. There are about 70-90 more records from this year that I simply haven’t spent enough time with to rank, and that I’ll continue to listen to in 2019.]
Anderson East: Encore
7/10: The guys just sounds fantastic.
Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch
7/10: Reznor and co have created a world in where their darkness lives and makes sense. Sonically fantastic.
Father John Misty: God’s Favorite Customer
Scallops Hotel: sovereign nose of (y)our arrogant face
Punch Brothers: All Ashore
7/10 - It’s interesting, but hasn’t fully grabbed me. I trust these guys so I’m going to give it more time.
Beach House: 7
First Aid Kit: Ruins
7/10: The songwriting, the harmonies...these girls just do things right.
Twenty-One Pilots: Trench
7/10 - These guys made their best record. Some of the best production you'll have heard in 2018 is on this album.
The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
7/10: Their best record with some creative pop gems.
J. Cole: KOD
The Voidz: Virtue
Rosalia — El Mal Querer
7/10 - Other than a couple of tracks that are too over-indulgent into a modern pop trend, this record is fantastic. Rosalia’s voice often leaves me speachless. If you are in the mood for modern Spanish-speaking flamenco pop done right, this is your album.
Brockhampton: Iridescence
The boys are back with another hard-hitting hip hop record full of solid bars and left-field production.
Guerilla Toss: Twisted Crystal
Anderson Paak: Oxnard
Julia Holter: Aviary
Julia continues to captivate and confuse me.
Mary Lattimore: Hundreds of Days
Czar Face & MF Doom: Czarface Meets Metal Face
mewithoutyou: [untitled]
Pusha T: Daytona
U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited
Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth
Another jazz gem from THE MAN.
Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!
8/10 - Punk record with a good balance of personality, message, spunk, melody, and guts.
Ging Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Gumboot Soup
8/10. This record sounds like the soundtrack to a dream after a drug trip, or the soundtrack to a movie involving goblin-haunted forests. Fantastic musicianship, fun and occasional spooky vocals. A lot of fun.
Kit Downes: Obsidian
A creative organ-centered album that I didn't know I needed.
Theo Alexander: Broken Access
Meditative and creative piano music with sound manipulation.
Aphex Twin: Collapse
Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog
I continue to love records from Hop Along. Tons of grit with this group.
Kanye West: Ye
Death Grips: Year of the Snitch
Interesting ideas around every corner. It’s honestly the sound of the internet having a panic attack
Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
If you need a solid and smart rock-release from 2018, this will work for you.
MGMT - Little Dark Age
Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs
Denzel Curry: Ta3oo
JID: Dicaprio II
8/10 - Dear goodness. The bars, the flow, the energy. Blown away.
Jon Hopkins: Singularity
Harutosyura: Harunemuri
9/ 10 - My goodness. I needed the sound of this Japanese debut record from Harutosyura. Sharp and twangy guitars develop this art rock, art pop/punk sound.
Noname: Room 25
Honest, beautifully delivered bars with very smart and textured production. She's just amazing.
Black Thought and 9th Wonder: Streams of Thought 1&2
8/10 - UNREAL bars from the legend with gritty production underneath.
Jean Grae x Quelle Chris: Everything’s Fine
One of the best and smartest hip hop records of the year. SO good.
Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is a Reptile
My favorite jazz record of 2018.
Natalia Lafourcade: Musas Vol. 2
9/10 - Lush and gorgeous latin-folk music with impeccable performances.
Against All Logic: 2012-2017
9/10 - Listened to this record a lot while exercising this year. The grooves and textures are fantastic.
JpegMafia - Veteran
8/10: If you are looking for some oddball, risky-taking hip hop, give this thing a try. Jpeg is unhinged.
Jack White: Boarding House Reach
8/10 - Jack got his guts back. A hard-hitting rock record from the man with everything he does well pushed up to 11.
Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts
Daughters: You Won’t Get What You Want
9/10: This album is a different kind of dark. Very intense and deeply wounded with a FANTASTIC sound.
Hilary Hahn: Bach: Violin Sonatas Nos 1 & 2
9/10: The voice and tonality Hilary plays with on this record is just perfect.
Jonny Greenwood: Phantom Thread
9/10 or 10/10: So perfect and exactly what I expect from Greenwood. A subtle, delicate, and moving soundtrack to this film.