2018 ERA Album of the Year Voting Thread [Ends Midnight 12th of February PST]

[Sasliquid]

Hi All,

Like last year I will be hosting the Annual ERA voting thread for album of the year. The previous voting thread can be found here and the results here.

As with before please read the rules and follow the guidelines which I have updated from last year so hopefully it will be easier to analyse.

Here are the Rules:
- Make sure the spelling is all good.
- Please don't use abbreviations or nicknames etc
- If there is no clear ranking I will not count it
- Albums must be released in 2018 so no reissues or greatest hits compilation. However in terms of grey areas such as Car Seat Headrests 'Twin Fantasy' I will make concessions.
- EPs are allowed.
- You can edit your list up to the deadline.
- You can include 10 Ranked choices and 5 honorable mentions. Anything past this will not get counted. If you list more than 5 honorable mentions I will only take the first five.
- Feel free to include less than 10 choices but you must vote for a minimum of at least 3 albums.

The Deadline is Sunday 3rd February 2019 at 23:59:59 PST for submissions.

Please use this format:

1. Artist: Album: Comment
2. Artist: Album: Comment
3. Artist: Album: Comment

HM. Artist - Album: Comment

Please be consistent as the simpler everyone makes it the quicker I can get the results out. I will aim to have the results page up within a week of the deadline.

Comments are optional but encouraged, especially for your first place choices. Feel free to also use album art and other relevant images.

Point System is:

1st = 10 Points
2nd = 9 Points
3rd = 8 Points
4th = 7 Points
5th = 6 Points
6th = 5 Points
7th = 4 Points
8th = 3 Points
9th = 2 Points
10th = 1 Point
HM (Honorable Mention) = Half Point

If you would like to listen to more new music before the deadline I would recommend AlbumoftheYears aggregate list of critics results for 2018.

I look forward to seeing everyones votes and then being very stressed trying to collate them.

Edit: Hi all, since the responses have been coming in slower than last year I'm going to push back the deadline to 12th Feb. I'd be grateful if a mod can update the title accordingly.

 

[Booker Do It]

Foxing-Nearer My God.
Absolutely stunning album that kind of reminds me of Sufjan Stevens' Age Of Adz in that I never get tired of listening to it and always kind of notice new things about it. Nothing else has come close to touching it in terms of invention and surprises this year.

 

[Tugatrix]

1. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino: What a change in style but still awesome
2. Mitski: Be The Cowboy: Didn't know her music before but what a pleasant discovery
3. The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships: They best album yet
4. Snow Patrol: Wildness: How I miss them, glad they are back and strong
5. Childish Gambino: This is America EP: you gotta love his craftmanship and sheer balls for speaking out loud about the problems in america under Trump administration

 

[Potterson]

1. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer: Her best album yet. Amazing pop/r&b mix. Beautiful thing even if lyrics are sometimes too obvious.
2. Jack White: Boarding House Reach: Great experimental album from White. Really keeps you engaged.
3. Kids See Ghosts: Self titled: Man, so nice to hear such great non-trap but also a bit non-traditional hip-hop. Best Kanye's work this year for sure.
4. Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is A Reptile: GROOVY.
5. Ghost: Prequelle: Amazing riffs, tone and sound.
6. Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance: Sounds like a true brit-garage.
7. Anderson .Paak: Oxnard: Awesome mix of hip-hop, soul and r&b.

 

[Sasliquid]

Foxing-Nearer My God.
Absolutely stunning album that kind of reminds me of Sufjan Stevens' Age Of Adz in that I never get tired of listening to it and always kind of notice new things about it. Nothing else has come close to touching it in terms of invention and surprises this year.

Click to shrink...

Minimum of three albums please,

1. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer. Her best album yet. Amazing pop/r&b mix. Beautiful thing even if lyrics are sometimes too obvious.
2. Jack White - Boarding House Reach. Great experimental album from White. Really keeps you engaged.
3. Kids See Ghosts - Self titled. Man, so nice to hear such great non-trap but also a bit non-traditional hip-hop. Best Kanye's work this year for sure.
4. Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is A Reptile. GROOVY.
5. Ghost - Prequelle. Amazing riffs, tone and sound.
6. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance. Sounds like a true brit-garage.
7. Anderson .Paak - Oxnard. Awesome mix of hip-hop, soul and r&b.

Click to shrink...

While I appreciate some of your choices please check your formatting.

 

[Axisofweevils]

Can you make your album names hyperlinks? Like this? (Will edit this with a genuine vote soon, just didn't want to go to the trouble of hyperlinks if forbidden.)

1. Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up: The meme is amazing

 

[Sasliquid]

Can you make your album names hyperlinks? Like this? (Will edit this with a genuine vote soon, just didn't want to go to the trouble of hyperlinks if forbidden.)

1. Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up: The meme is amazing

Click to shrink...

Yeah that should be fine. I'll copy and paste them as text into an excel and then split them by semi colons so hyperlinks should work

 

[OwOtacon]

1. SOPHIE: Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: Transcendental bizarre future pop that is also one of the most emotionally honest albums about being trans. For an album with such bold sounds I found it weirdly relatable.
2. Mitski: Be The Cowboy: At a loss for words - this album just has so many fantastic songs.
3. Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears: This slappeth.
4. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour: To be honest this is such good pop country.
5. Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel: That having been said - this album also deserves the level of praise Golden Hour got
6. Noname: Room 25: Going to be honest - women made the best rap music in 2018. Like this album is just phenomenal.
7. Tierra Whack: Whack World: This is a bunch of amazing minutes. I hated the concept when I was told about it but the album just fucking clicks.
8. Ariana Grande: Sweetener: A little inconsistent, but Ariana Grande is maybe the most talented vocalist working in mainstream pop now, and the good stuff in this album is REALLY good.
9. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer: The best thing about Janelle Monae's music has always been her ambition, and this is maybe her most ambitious work yet in many regards.
10. Mariah Carey: Caution: Yeah she's not pushing any boundaries but Mariah Carey in her comfort zone is better than most singers at their A-game.

 

[Axisofweevils]

1. Marian Hill: Unusual: Glitchy, sensual R&B that just makes you want to dance.
2. Mitski: Be the Cowboy: An album about loneliness and broken relationships that's often incredible.
3. Midas Fall: Evaporate: A perfect moody album for late night listening.
4. Moby: Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt: Moody melancholic trip hop. The perfect soundtrack to these bleak times.
5. MGMT: Little Dark Age: Depressing lyrical themes clash with hooky synth pop.
6. Jean Michel Jarre: Equinoxe Infinity: 40 years after the original Equinoxe album, Jarre returns with a worthy sequel. A dystopian sci-fi soundtrack.
7. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino: A concept album about a Vegas lounge singer performing on the moon shouldn't work at all. It really does.
8. Cardi B: Invasion Of Privacy: Cardi's debut rap album is wonderful. So talented.
9. Nicki Minaj: Queen: Nicki's cartoonish flow remains as insane as ever. I know there's rivalry between Nicki and Cardi but I like both. Eminem's guest verse is fire.
10. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour: This is the first Country album I've ever liked.
HM. Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic: Gloomy, mesmerising post rock with haunting vocals.
HM. SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: This album sounds like the future of music. Surprisingly listenable despite the harsh, industrial beats.
HM. Auri - Auri: A celtic folk inspired side project from members of Nightwish. Ethereal and intoxicating.
HM. Frequency Drift - Letters to Maro: A stunning Prog Rock concept album that replaces the standard guitars with harps and wonderful singing that at times, resembles a musical.
HM. Daphne & Celeste - Daphne & Celeste Save The World: The year's most unexpected return. Previously infamous for their cheesy 2000 songs like "Ooh Stick You", this is a compelling album which strangely intellectual lyrics. It has no right to be this good.

 

[chrominance]

Sweet. As always, I'm still catching up on the year, but my thoughts for now (thank god for the "yes editing" rule). Ordered, but only loosely.

1. Moe Shop: Moe Moe: Future funk to me has always been about DAW-crafted beats played over 80s Japanese funk samples in an empty convention center the day before a trade show, and I've always loved it for that. But this ain't your parents' vaporwave. This is an album that stands on its own without falling back on nostalgia hooks, occupying territory somewhere between French club music and kawaii bass.

2. The Beths: Future Me Hates Me: Rock music often feels so boring these days that for anything to pierce my veil of cynicism-by-default is an accomplishment. Future Me Hates Me is a firecracker, self-deprecating but upbeat. Elizabeth Stokes is my favourite singer of the year, but don't miss out on those delicious backing harmonies and the precision-guided riffs.

3. Lililips: 目は口ほどに物を言うEP / ちょっと工夫でこのうまさEP: Last year's MAKE YOU POP was one of my favourite albums of 2017, and these two EPs build on the electropop foundation Nozomi and Usagi Disco started back then. Candy-coated and effervescent, both EPs take tentative steps out of the band's comfort zone for the better.

4. Melody's Echo Chamber: Bon Voyage: Still one of my leading picks for Broadcast successor (but see Gwenno below as well), the impact of Bon Voyage's heady melange of psychedelia is blunted only by the fact that its best tracks were showcased more than a year before its release, partially due to a health scare that delayed the album's release. Dizzying in its ambition and a genuine evolution over her self-titled debut.

5. CRCK/LCKS: Double Rift: CRCK/LCKS was the band that first introduced me to a wave of jazz-inflected Japanese pop, and they're still one of my favourite practitioners of the genre.

6. Gwenno: Le Kov: The angle most reviews take here is that Le Kov is sung entirely in Cornish, but don't mistake this for some dusty historical restoration project: Le Kov is a sleek set of electronic-inflected pop that takes a few cues from the likes of Broadcast.

7. Aseul: ASOBI: New Pop was a post-midnight musical adventure, a haze of soft focus artifacts pierced by insistent synths and reverb-heavy drum loops. For ASOBI, the Korean singer-songwriter rewinds the clock a few hours: the mood is still nocturnal but the music feels a little brighter, a little more intense.

8. Mononkul: RELOADING CITY: Funkier and a little less experimental/avant than CRCK/LCKS, Mononkul is who I go to when I want a little more lounge and a little less pop.

HM: HALLCA: Apertif: It's a pretty short EP, but as a first statement I'm digging the vibe. It's a good amalgam of Especia's glory days with their later, loungier material.
HM: Ava Luna: Moon 2: Now worlds away from their funk/noise/nerves origins, I found Moon 2 an easier album to admire than to love. Still kicks when it really wants to, though.
HM: Desired: Timeless: Best "traditional" future funk album of the year.
HM: iri: Juice: Doesn't quite have the quality of her first album, but still plenty of R&B-inflected J-Pop charm here.
HM: Monari Wakita: AHEAD!: Lots of earworms here, but somehow doesn't quite come together as an album. Too much filler in a FIFTY-TWO MINUTE album.
HM: Kero Kero Bonito: Time & Place: Even if it's not my favourite thing, big props to KKB for pulling off such a huge stylistic shift without losing too much of their innate appeal. "Swimming" is one of my favourite tracks of theirs despite being worlds away from all my other favourites.
HM: Anna Burch: Quit the Curse: Feels a little too patterned after some of my favourite 90s alt-rock, but still lovely.
HM: Steady Holiday: Nobody's Watching: I began to wonder if maybe I wrote off Dre Babinski's sophomore album prematurely when I listened closer to the pleasant country jangle of "Trapping Season" and discovered something sinister lurking. Need to spend more time with this one.

 

[Eros]

1. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want: Harrowing, terrifying, mind bending. I'm not going to go around saying this is better than historical noise and industrial rock albums. But I will say this is my new standard for this type of music. Absolutely incredible.
2. Saba: Care For Me: The sadboy of these newer soulful, jazzy Chicago hip hop artists. But it's kind of a cathartic, nostalgic sadness I get from this. Like you're better now, but you're looking back on what got you there.
3. JPEGMAFIA: Veteran: Some of the most interesting production ideas I've heard this year. Seriously. Glitch hop, confrontational lyrics...and some occasional Drake style singing.
4. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris: Everything's Fine:
5. Zeal and Ardor: Stranger Fruit: THE most interesting musical act of the past few years, easily. They take gospel, slave spirituals, and mix them with black metal. They found the darkness in genres that couldn't be further away from each other, and mold them into something that shouldn't work. But it totally does.
6. Anna von Hausswolff: Dead Magic: Deliciously dark and Anna gives some great performances.
7. Convulsing: Grievous: I'm a sucker for dissonance in my death metal. It helps that it's well written and well played, too.
8. Noname: Room 25: I'd say she's the relaxing, almost shy one of the Chicago hip hop artists. Her music is understated and might not grab you initially. But there's some tasteful stuff here.
9. Denzel Curry: TA13OO: Exactly what I wanted from Zel. More varied flows and his songwriting is the best it's ever been. He continues to improve.
10. Death Grips: Year of the Snitch: Death Grips doing what Death Grips do, but with more rock than usual.

HM: SOPHIE: OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES: I imagine this is what the future sounds like. The future sounds dope.

 

[dancingphlower]

1. Crossfaith: EX_MACHINA: Daybreak is probably my favorite song this year. The album is like a post-apocalyptic rave by machines. It's bizarre in the best possible way.
2. Thrice: Palms: Thrice continues to evolve in interesting ways. It doesn't always pay off but Palms is another solid effort from one of my favorite bands. The closer to album in particular hits all the right notes.
3. Coheed and Cambria: The Unheavenly Creatures: I haven't listened to much Coheed in a while but this album brought me back. The Gutter is amazing.
4. Atreyu: In Our Wake: I can understand old fans not liking their new direction, but this album is fantastic. Tracks like Safety Pin, Terrified, and Anger Left Behind are my jams.
5. Unearth: Extinction(s): It's more Unearth, what more could you want?
6. Anaal Nathrakh: A New Kind of Horror: As the title says, it's like a horror film perfectly encapsulated into 30 minutes of pure metal.
7. Vein: Errorzone: A cacophony of noise that somehow manages to be something more.
8. VENUES: Aspire: The vocals are fantastic and the songs are catchy.
9. Our Mirage: Lifeline: This album helped me through dark times.
10. Alterbeast: Feast: A feast for the ears.

 

[Infernostew]

1. Murder By Death: The Other Shore: Completely blew me away while I was overseas on vacation and added an exclamation point to a great trip.
2. Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers: Bought To Rot: Really washed out the bad taste the newest Against Me! record put in my mouth and this more back to form with the AM! album before that and earlier stuff as well. Born in Black is also easily up there as one of my favorite tracks written by LJG.
3. Iron Chic/Toy That Kill: Split: Toy That Kill are pretty dope but Iron Chic have just been firing on all cylinders. After putting out my 2nd favorite record of last year, they release another 4 killer tracks on this split that would've fit perfectly on last year's full length.
4. Johnny Marr: Call The Comet: It's The Smiths jams without that shitheel Morrissey. What's not to love?
5. Spanish Love Songs: Schmultz: Really into these guys. They remind me of The Menzingers but if all their songs were complete downers. That's not even a bad thing! Fun record.
6. Brian Fallon - Sleepwalkers: His solo stuff has been knocking it out of the park recently. Can't say the same thing about the last Gaslight Anthem effort...

 

[SplitYourInfinities]

I was wondering if there was a thread like this this year, it's always great to catch stuff I missed. I will post my list later.

 

[janoGX]

1. Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts: I can't for the life of me say this album doesn't deserve top status, I just can't, Kanye and Cudi put a masterpiece of raw emotion and some of the best beats and lines of their careers. In a year where we see Kanye fall from grace and the "wE fOrGiVe YoU kInG!" meme rise due to his constant controversies, he allies with his compadre Kid Cudi and they bring the best from each other. You have songs like 'Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)' hitting the Rock button, or '4th Dimension' that many compare it to one of Kanye's classics like 'Jesus Walks' in how fire it is, this is just pure gold and even with how shit Kanye was on 2018, he still got it. This is Kanye's only 'win' of this year.

2. Haru Nemuri: Haru to Shura: This came close to my top, and it became my biggest discovery of this year, an artist I've never heard of, and now every song stuck in my head and won't leave. Haru delivers fire all album long, fast bars, fast spoken word, beats that range from rage to happiness. Songs like 'Yume Wo Miyou' (ゆめをみよう) giving this sensation of unease and desperation with the piano beat and keeping a fast pace on the delivery of the words make this album. Go listen to it.

3. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want: This album is 'Depression: The Musical'. Songs that make you look at a black abyss, make you question who you are, what are you doing, what are you thinking. They put you in a range of emotions, mostly negative. I love what it does, it drowns you just to bring you back to the light and enjoy the moment. 'Satan in the Wait' man, this is an example of sounds hitting your emotions and crushing them.

4. MGMT: Little Dark Age: This is the year we got MGMT back for real. After two unsuccessful albums we finally get something that while moves to some new sounds for the group, it's a natural evolution from their first record. It might not have the same success that 'Oracular Spectacular' got (though 'Me & Michael' was the most underrated song of 2018 and should have been a chart topper) but their creative success has never been higher than this. I'm happy for them.

5. twenty one pilots: Trench: How do you top one of your most successful albums on both critical and commercial fronts? By going balls out with a concept album that evolves the sound you made on your past efforts. The album tells the story of "Trench", a valley located on the metaphorical city of Dema, where many stories happen, most of them about mental health. The album hits the right notes, chooses the right themes, the music, the delivery. 'Jumpsuit' is one of the best album openers I have ever heard in a while, and don't forget 'My Blood' that's incredible. They did it again.

6. Ghost: Prequelle: Tobias fought the suits, Tobias won. Tobias made an amazing album when everyone thought that the magic was "over" after everything behind the curtain was revealed. Tobias project is an album with riffs from the 80's while keeping the themes and lore that the band has, and it succeeds in it. Songs like 'Dance Macabre' or 'Miasma' bringing the heat, or the ultra-mega-hyper catchy 'Rats' making you sing your lungs out, showing that Ghost can keep their look and their tone while going a little more mainstream. Recommended 5 out of 5 Tobias.

Still in limbo:
- Mike Shinoda: Post-Traumatic
- Kero Kero Bonito: Time & Place
- Rosalía: El Mal Querer
- Andrew W.K.: You're Not Alone
- The Voidz: Virtue
- Post Malone: Beerbongs & Bentleys
- Eminem: Kamikaze
- Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Hotel + Casino
- Father John Misty: God's Favorite Costumer
- Pusha T: Daytona
- Travis Scott: Astroworld
- Denzel Curry: TA13OO
- BROCKHAMPTON: Irisdescense
- Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer
- Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs
- The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
- SOPHIE: Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
- Joji: BALADS1

 

[Sasliquid]

Imma bump this for the New Year. Also would be grateful if a mod can sticky the thread either now or nearer the deadline.

 

[Servbot24]

Didn't notice this til now, bookmarking.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

i have been super un-adventurous this past year when it comes to music, and barely listened to anything new. i still like all these albums but most of them are from artists i've loved for years and are kinda there by default.

1. Gas: Rausch: i'll never not like a gas album, the experience of listening to each new one for the first time is just amazing, and i'm super happy that he's back after so many years and picked up right where he left off, and is putting out albums at a good pace.
2. The Field: Infinite Moment: same as the above. axel willner has never disappointed me, and each new album is just a joy. he's [extremely] slowly and subtly moving away from the minimalism of his earlier albums, and this album is his most colorful yet. can't wait to see what his next album is like in a few years.
3. Sophie: The Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: this is the one album this year from a new artist that i had no prior knowledge of that absolutely blew me away. each track is amazing and unique, and as a whole it's just a fantastic listen beginning to end. immaterial is probably my favorite song of the year.
4. Robyn: Honey: the wait for a new robyn album was pretty long, but she didn't disappoint. it's not as energetic as body talk, but i love the more sensual vibe of the songs here.
5. Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of: i'm not the biggest OPN fan, and i've only listened to his "big" albums (replica, r plus seven, garden of delete), but age of is my favorite work from him. i love his experiments with vocals in his songs starting from garden, and here they're pretty enjoyable and prominent. i was pretty obsessed with black snow for a week or two.
6. Grouper: Grid of Points: it's a grouper album so i like it. i'm still waiting for her to go back to the style of A I A but the new albums are very good too.
7. doon kanda: Luna: an ep from the visual collaborator of arca. it's really good, as was his previous ep, heart. molting is his best song yet.
8. Soap&Skin: From Gas to Solid / you are my friend: the wait for a new album from anja plaschg was really long too, like with robyn. she's still masterful at making dark and hopeless songs, but this album has some happy moments too. not my favorite work from her and a step down from lovetune for vacuum and narrow, but still enjoyable.
9. Lykke Li: So Sad So Sexy: another one that was a minor disappointment, while still being enjoyable. i guess it was unrealistic to expect her to come out with something like i never learn again since that was such an specific album for a specific period in her life.
10. Preoccupations: New Material: something's gotta be number 10 since i can't make a top 9. pretty good album, not as good as viet cong but still worth a listen.

 

[Deleted member 5853]

i have been super un-adventurous this past year when it comes to music, and barely listened to anything new. i still like all these albums but most of them are from artists i've loved for years and are kinda there by default.

1. Gas: Rausch: i'll never not like a gas album,.the experience of listening to each new one for the first time is just amazing, and i'm super happy that he's back after so many years and picked up right when he left off, and is putting out albums at a good pace.
2. The Field: Infinite Moment: same as the above. axel willner has never disappointed me, and each new album is just a joy. he's [extremely] slowly and subtly moving away from the minimalism of his earlier albums, and this album is his most colorful yet. can't wait to see what his next album is like in a few years.
3. Sophie: The Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: this is the one album this year from a new artist that i had no prior knowledge of that absolutely blew me away. each track is amazing and unique, and as a whole it's just a fantastic listen beginning to end. immaterial is probably my favorite song of the year.
4. Robyn: Honey: the wait for a new robyn album was pretty long, but she didn't disappoint. it's not as energetic as body talk, but i love the more sensual vibe of the songs here.
5. Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of: i'm not the biggest OPN fan, and i've only listened to his "big" albums (replica, r plus seven, garden of delete), but age of is my favorite work from him. i love his experiments with vocals in his songs starting from garden, and here they're pretty enjoyable and prominent. i was pretty obsessed with black snow for a week or two.
6. Grouper: Grid of Points: it's a grouper album so i like it. i'm still waiting for her to go back to the style of A I A but the new albums are very good too.
7. doon kanda: Luna: an ep from the visual collaborator of arca. it's really good, as was his previous ep, heart. molting is his best song yet.
8. Soap&Skin: From Gas to Solid / you are my friend: the wait for a new album from anja plaschg was really long too, like with robyn. she's still masterful at making dark and hopeless songs, but this album has some happy moments too. not my favorite work from her and a step down from lovetune for vacuum and narrow, but still enjoyable.
9. Lykke Li: So Sad So Sexy: another one that was a minor disappointment, while still being enjoyable. i guess it was unrealistic to expect her to come out with something like i never learn again since that was such an specific album for a specific period in her life.
10. Preoccupations: New Material: something's gotta be number 10 since i can't make a top 9. pretty good album, not as good as viet cong but still worth a listen.

Click to shrink...

For someone who posts on Gaming Side a lot, you have very good taste.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

For someone who posts on Gaming Side a lot, you have very good taste.

Click to shrink...

oh, thank you 🙃

 

[Catvoca]

1. Hermit and the Recluse : Orpheus vs the Sirens : Ka is one of the best working writers today and this is his finest album yet. Animoss's smooth, lush, grandiose production is the best Ka has ever rapped over, and fit the greek mythological theme perfectly. Ka's bars are sharpened to a sheen without a word misplaced. They're full of complex wordplay but still easy to follow, sound amazing, contain insane rhyme schemes and still have a ton of depth. He is on another level. Just going to leave my favourite verse from an album of classics because his words can speak for the album better than anyone.

Learned many lessons from women, the biggest was forgiveness
Impossibly generosity taught me giving is the privilege
Fought for respect, had to be the villain of the village
'Cause the only ones chillin' was the ones willing to pillage
Armed for strong-arm and too impatient to plan a heist
And how you handle fights determine if you man or mice
But soon taught the same true sport if you a fan of life
Start to gather what you rather: six feet or get hand a vice
I choose the op to excuse a lot, just don't deceive me
Not at all spoiled if the hard-boiled never got over easy
Where it's clear it's never acceptable to turn to jakes
I impress to you, become a vegetable or learn the stakes

2. Earl Sweatshirt : Some Rap Songs: Earl is one of my favourite rappers and Some Rap Songs more than delivered. The Lo-fi production with hypnotic loops is the perfect compliment to Earl's vocals. He only gets better with time.

3. Tierra Whack : Whack World: Tierra does in 15 minutes what most artists can't do in their entire careers. This is one of the most confident and creative debut projects i've ever heard. I like short songs and I listened to this album so much that Spotify somehow says she is one of top 5 most listened to artists in 2018 lol

4. Saba : Care for Me: The hip-hop coming out of chicago right now is so exciting with Saba (and Noname) being two of my absolute favourite modern artists. Saba shows so much versatility and skill with this album, and its personal story of grief and sadness is deeply affecting.

5. Arctic Monkeys : Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino: This album really surprised me. I didn't care for AM and had kind of given up hope on the Arctic Monkeys altogether with them seeming like they'd completely lost their way to me. So I was shocked when I put on the album and heard the gorgeous first keys of "Star Treatment" and heard Alex Turner, in what's probably the most honest and self aware lyric he's written in years, croon "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes. Now look at the mess you've made me make". The album is a glorious, ridiculous pastiche of 70's and 80's space pop and glam rock with lyrics that are a hilarious word salad of modern and futuristic mundanity.

6. Pusha T : DAYTONA: DAYTONA is for my money the only one of Kanye's Wyoming projects to fully deliver. The brevity of DAYTONA feels like an asset rather than a hindrance, with 20 minutes of Pusha's razor sharp, ridiculously hard bars being just enough. Kanye's beats are the star of the show though, perfectly complimenting Pusha with that infectious chopped up sample skill that we haven't seen from Ye in years.

7. Mac Miller : Swimming : Swimming was already an album I really liked and by far my favourite Mac album, but his death transformed it into an album that destroys me. It's a reminder of his immense talent and the hopefulness that permeates the sadness throughout makes the album only more tragic knowing he wouldn't make it much longer. "I just need a way out of my head. I'll do anything for a way out of my head". RIP Mac, gone way way too soon.

8. The Voidz : Virtue : With the Voidz, Julian Casablancas is making some of the most exciting music of his career. Virtue isn't quite as balls to the wall weird as Tyranny was (and also doesn't have any songs as stunning as Human Sadness or Father Electricity) but it's still a strange psychedelic trip that doesn't sound quite like anything else. I love the dark, sticky production on songs like Wink, and Casablancas is still capable of writing hooks catchier than anyone else with songs like "All Wordz Are Made Up". Don't sleep on this album, and make sure you listen to Tyranny too.

9. Noname : Room 25 : Noname's "lullaby rap" is so sweet and endearing, and while this album didn't quite live up to telefone for me, it's still a bright, beautiful record. Ace is probably my song of the year and the album is stuffed full of great bars.

10. JPEGMAFIA : Veteran : Veteran feels like the perfect album for the perpetually online in 2018. It's erratic, aggressive, loud, confusing, has lyrics that reference disparate figures from Myke C-town to Tomi Lahren as punchlines, and has song titles like "My Thought's on Neogaf Dying" (The hook of which is him singing "I don't care" over and over) and "I can't fucking wait til Morrissey dies". It's a cathartic release of experimental beats and fiery lyrics that got a lot of play for me earlier in the year.

HM. Armand Hammer - Paraffin
HM. Smino : Noir
HM. Vince Staples : FM!
HM. Beach House : 7
HM. JID : Dicaprio 2
HM. Black Thought : Streams of Thought Vol. 1 & 2
HM. Idles : Joy as an act of Resistance

 

[RDreamer]

Here's mine:

1. Zeal & Ardor: Stranger Fruit: It's an amazing combination of African American spirituals and black metal. It's something I didn't know I needed until he released an EP a year or two back and that was amazing. Now the sound is fully realized and there's a band backing it (meaning no more programmed drums). Every song is crazy good. I literally cannot imagine anyone who likes metal not having this near the top of their list.

2. Orphaned Land: Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs: When their guitarist left I was a bit hesitant on where they'd go and how things would sound, but this album really stuck with me. It's a return to a more progressive rock sound after the lighter "All is One," which I really liked. It keeps the conciseness, though, and doesn't go too crazy with instrumental sections like some older albums did. Basically it achieves an equilibrium in their sound, almost perfecting it.

3. Ihsahn: Amr: This is Ihsahn's best as far as I'm concerned. It's heavy but also catchy enough that it sticks in your head. His clean vocals are the best they've ever been.

4. Long Distance Calling: Boundless: I was really skeptical when they got rid of the singer they just got. Trips was my AOTY when that came out largely because of the variety the singer gave them. But in the end it works. These guys know how to craft instrumental rock with the best of them. When I pop this on I have to listen all the way through.

5. Night Verses: From the Gallery of Sleep: This came out of nowhere and blew me away. It's another instrumental release, and generally speaking those need to be really amazing to top my list. These guys display just the right amount of instrumental prowess with amazing song writing abilities. Each song feels distinct. They don't fall into the noodling trap a lot of more progressive instrumental bands/albums fall into. These guys also just had a singer depart, but it definitely feels like the best for them. I tried going back an listening to previous albums and they just didn't hold a candle.

6. Rolo Tomassi: Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It: This has the exact right amount of heavy phrenetic feel mixed with the absolute beauty their singer can put out. They flow from one extreme to another with absolute ease. The flow of the entire album is really what amazed me about this release. Each song goes right into the next until you're finished and inevitably want more.

7. Between The Buried and Me: Autamata I & II: They didn't do themselves a favor by releasing this in separate parts. Honestly I think if it had released together it'd be higher on my list. As it stands, I feel like I have an awkward relationship with the album as a whole. I listened to part 1 a lot when it released and now when I listen to the whole thing as it should be there's a loss of balance because I'm so much more familiar with the first half. Despite that it is one of BTBAM's strongest releases as a whole. It's heavy, it's catchy, and it's technical.

8. Deafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love: It took a long while for this to click, but when it did I think I realized it's probably my favorite of theirs. Song's stand apart, and the atmosphere is superb. It's the whole package. As a whole it's more subdued than their last one, but the atmosphere created much more than makes up for it. The opening track may be my favorite of theirs as a whole.

9. Ghost: Prequelle: This is more pop rock than Ghost has ever been before, but man is it good. At first I wasn't as keyed into the instrumentals, but now I really love them. They give the album that slight prog tinge to round things out and balance the pop of the rest of the songs. Riffs are catchy and memorable as hell, too. Overall it's no surprise these guys are so big.

10. A Perfect Circle: Eat the Elephant: I didn't think they could pull it off after so ridiculously long away from the game, but Eat the Elephant is a worthy APC album in my eyes, and I'm one that tends to like APC a bit more than Tool on average. The album's one knock is that it doesn't flow quite as well and picked the worst closer track on an album full of what would be amazing closers. But as individual songs this album has some of the best on my entire list. It's not as heavy as something like Judith, but I'm not sure who would even expect that at this point in their career.

HM. 11. Amorphis: Queen of Time
HM. 12. The Intersphere: The Grand Delusion
HM. 13. The Ocean: Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
HM. 14. Vennart: To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea & Copeland EP
HM. 15. Oceans of Slumber: The Banished Heart

16. Riverside: Wasteland
17. Khemmis: Desolation
18. The Atlas Moth: Coma Noir
19. The Sea Within: The Sea Within
20. Alkaloid: Liquid Anatomy

21. Tesseract: Sonder
22. Rivers of Nihil: Where Owls Know My Name
23. Coheed and Cambria: Unheavenly Creatures
24. Anna Von Hausswolff: Dead Magic
25. Carpenter Brut: Leather Teeth
26. Haken: Vector
27. Judas Priest: Firepower
28. VOLA: Applause of a Different Crowd
29. Vanishing Kids: Heavy Dreamer
30. Pineapple Thief: Dissolution

31. Toundra: Vortex
32. Gleb Kolyadin: Gleb Kolyadin
33. Lunatic Soul: Under the Fragmented Sky
34. Voices from the Fuselage: Odyssey II: The Founder of Dreams
35. Thomas Giles: Don't Touch the Outside
36. Gazpacho: Soyuz
37. MewithoutYou: [untitled]
38. ASG: Survive Sunrise
39. Gost: Possessor
40. Hollywood Burns: Invaders

41. Good Tiger: We Will All Be Gone
42. The American Dollar: You're Listening
43. Behemoth: I Loved You at Your Darkest
44. Toby Driver: They are the Shield
45. Obscura: Diluvium
46. Sithu Aye: Homebound
47. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats: Wasteland
48. NIN: Bad Witch
49. Polyphia: New Levels New Devils
50. Sleep: The Sciences

 

[deafmedal]

1. A Perfect Circle: Eat the Elephant: I'm old and this album seems to show the band has matured with me. My favorite album this year, and my favorite APC album.

2. Flatbush Zombies: Vacation in Hell: Perhaps a bit of filler but the standouts do just that. Would like to catch a show and some merch!

3. King Princess: Make My Bed: This being an EP is the only reason I rank it so low ;) Looking forward to future stuffs!

4. A$AP Rocky: TESTING: His mic does sound nice!

5. Denzel Curry: TA13OO: I like the previous album a bit more but really enjoy this one.

6. Coheed and Cambria: The Unheavenly Creatures: Just recently got into this band (SHAME), solid effort.

7. CZARFACE & MF DOOM: Czarface Meets Metal Face: Not the biggest Doom fan (HERESY) but I quite liked this collab.

8. nine inch nails: Bad Witch: Works best with the previous 2 EPs as a whole album imo, God Break Down the Door and Over and Out are fantastic songs.

9. Alison Wonderland: Awake: Couple of duds but the rest carries it for me.

10. Perturbator: B-Sides and Remixes: More Perturbator is never a bad thing.

HM. Carpenter Brut: Leather Teeth
HM. Pusha T: DAYTONA
HM. Bullet for My Valentine: Gravity
HM. Hollywood Burns: Invaders
HM. Ghostface Killah: The Lost Tapes


I may add some more words and maybe a small change or two, just wanted to get the bulk done before I forgot.

 

[Equippedwithtowel]

1. US Girls: in A Poem Unlimited:

In a poem unlimited we stay
And on a lawless night, lawless night, we wait
Holding our breath, we wait

No one needs to make a profit
No one needs to get paid
If we all agree we don't have to live that way
But to this day we choose the hard way

One of the sharpest, wittiest and gorgeously produced pieces of pop music release this decade. It showcases Meg Remy as one of our great songwriters of the moment. The first seven tracks are sharply deviled character portraits, adapting the dirgy lo-fi approach to anthology found on Half Free and placing it within an electrifying combination of disco, sour pop-rock and free jazz.

2. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!!!:

Travel where you are, tourism is sin
These are the ruins we left behind, you can't take pictures of them
If what they say is true, then you become what you chew
If it decays spit it out, affectation is a drought
That you wait through when you hate everything that you do
You wanna live outside the groove, then fine
But it's there like a flower blooming in your ears
Open up your mouth, pollinate your peers

Fourteen killer songs about living in our current moment. They get better with every album.

3. Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs:

Why ain't nobody tell me I was bleedin'?

thanks earl, I needed that one

4. Against All Logic: 2012-2017:

Click to shrink...

5. Low: Double Negative:

Before it falls into total disarray
You'll have to learn to live a different way
Too late to look back on apocryphal verse
And to be something beyond kinder than words

Music for lamenting a future already lost.

6. DJ Koze: Knock Knock:
7. Armmand Hammer: Parrafin:
8. Fucked Up: Dose Your Dreams:
9. Beach House - 7:
10. Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance:
HM. Yves Tumor - Safe in the Hands of Love
HM. Iceage: Beyondless
HM: Jpegmafia: Veteran
HM. Mount Eerie: Now Only
HM: Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy
HM. No Age: Snares Like a Haircut
HM. Noname: Room 25:
HM. Death Grips: Year of the Snitch
HM. Julia Holter: Aviary
HM: Wye Oak: The Louder I Call, the Faster it Runs
21. Ought: Room Inside the World
22. Melody's Echo Chamber: Bon Voyage
23: Pusha T: Daytona
23: Kero Kero Bonito: Time and Place
24: Hermit & the Recluse: Orpheus vs. the Sirens
25: Ty Segall: Freedom's Goblin

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

Let's do this!

1. Godsmack: When Legend's Rise
2. Cypeore: The Alliance
3. Shinedown: Attention Attention
4. Rivers of Nihil: Where Owls Know My Name
5. Auri: Auri
6. Mike Shinoda: Post Traumatic
7. Disturbed: Evolution
8. Shylmagoghnar: Transience
9. The Homeland Conspiracy: You Are Being Lied To
10. Dimmu Borgir: Eonian

I have a more detailed writeup here http://thecomicspodcast.com/b/36e5cd9dc2b670/ but I'm bad at talking about music.

 

[Jeff6851]

1. Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts
2. Lord Huron: Vide Noir
3. Gregory Alan Isakov: Evening Machines

 

[lamaroo]

1. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!
2. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy
3. The Voidz: Virtue
4. Pusha T: DAYTONA
5. Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar
6. Iceage: Beyondless
7. IDLES: Joy as an Act of Resistance
8. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want
9. Ought: Room Inside the World
10. U.S Girls: In a Poem Unlimited

HM. Rolling Blackouts Coastal: Hope Downs
HM. Menace Beach: Black Rainbow Sound
HM. No Age: Snares Like a Haircut
HM. Anderson .Paak: Oxnard
HM. Guerilla Toss: Twisted Crystal
HM. BROCK HAMPTON: iridescence
HM. Preoccupations: New Material
HM. Screaming Females: All At Once
HM. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red
HM. Shopping: The Official Body

 

[RatskyWatsky]

1. Mitski - Be the Cowboy: Bite sized songs ripped straight out of Mitski's soul.

2. Lord Huron - Vide Noir

3. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

5. The Vaccines - Combat Sports

6. Beach House - 7

7. The Gorillaz - The Now Now

8. Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer

9. Kimbra - Primal Heart

10. Moby - Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt

(sorry I have no idea how to talk about music in terms other than "I liked the way it sounded")

 

[Jarlaxle]

1. The Voidz: Virtuue:
2. BC Camplight: Deportation Blues:
3. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino:
4. Father John Misty: God's Favorite Customer:
5. Matt Maltese: Bad Contestant:
6. Earthless: Black Heaven:
7. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy:
8. Palace Winter: Nowadays:
9. Richard Swift: The Hex:
10. Ezra Furman: Transangelic Exodus:

Honorable Mentions

Riverside: Wasteland:
Crippled Black Phoenix: Great Escape:
Holy Mushroom: Moon:
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats: Shockwave City:
A Perfect Circle: Eat the Elephanat:

 

[Reedirect]

1. Meg Myers: Take Me To The Disco: Once again my AOTY is not an album that I consider to be artistically the best of the year, but rather one that stuck with me the most. It was with me when I moved to a new country. A set of great alt-rock anthems coupled with Meg's fantastic vocals made this record spin in my ears for months. A sound of someone who went through so many new beginnings in her life that she no longer knows if it's worth it. The important thing is she'll never stop trying.
2. A.A.L. (Against All Logic): 2012 – 2017: Frankly the best Nicolas Jaar's ever been, but keep that opinion low and quiet.
3. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy: Incredible remaster and recontextualization of fantastic songs.
4. Jon Hopkins: Singularity: In an ideal world, these electronic bangers would be played in clubs around the world.
5. Twenty One Pilots: Trench: Their most consistent and often superbly written album.
6. Superorganism: Superorganism: Innovative, wild and certainly a sign of more great things to come.
7. Lycoriscoris: Flight: Meditative, yet so full of life and wonder.
8. The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships: Overblown, pompous, topical and completely heartbreaking in places.
9. MGMT: Little Dark Age: MGMT's most self-realized album to date. Excellent pop songs throughout.
10. Chrome Sparks: Chrome Sparks: A powerful full-length debut after many great EP's.

 

[Roxas]

1- Gorillaz - The Now Now: an amazing album, still on rotation on my playlist through the year, a great return to form for the band, plus some kick-ass songs, Lake Zurich, Idaho, Humility, Tranz and Souk Eye are among my favorites.
2- The Good The Bad & The Queen - Merrie Land: I'll admit that this album took some time to click for me, but it has an amazing vibe, the feeling of hopelessness and disappointment in the UK is really there if you really hear it. The Poison Tree, Ribbons and Merrie Land stand out among others.
3- Kali Uchis - Isolation: Just discovered Kali this year but man she can sing, Tyrant and Nuestro Planeta are amazing songs, definitely will be following her career from now on

 

[Turin]

1. Alice In Chains: Rainier Fog: Arguably the best album in AIC's second act. Jerry Cantrell still has a lot left.

2. Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch: I grew to like this more over time. Best appreciated with the other two EP's.

3. A Perfect Circle: Eat the Elephant: Wasn't huge on this album but the songs I did enjoy, I enjoyed a lot.

4. REZN: Calm Black Water: A bit disappointing after last years debut but I definitely still want to see how this band progresses. Best song is High Tide(though that doesn't touch last years Rezurrection).

 

[LL_Decitrig]

1. Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer: The most quintessentially musical album I have heard in my 62 years on this planet.
2. David Byrne: American Utopia: A cure for jaded hearts.
3. Kendrick Lamar (vocals) and various artists: Soundtrack album of Black Panther: A magnificent gathering of talent.

 

[Juan29.Zapata]

Ctrl + F "Florence": 0 results

God dammit, ERA, you disappoint me.

I'll have to think a bit on the music I heard this year. To make a top 5. This'll serve as a reminder.

 

[Blader]

Completely missed this thread before.

1. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer
2. Beach House: 7
3. The Decemberists: I'll Be Your Girl
4. The Internet: Hive Mind
5. Kendrick Lamar: Black Panther: The Album
6. Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts
7. Anderson Paak: Oxnard
8. Gorillaz: The Now Now
9. Teyana Taylor: K.T.S.E.
10. Thom Yorke: Suspiria

 

[boybrushdRED]

1. Camila Cabello: Camila: She's great. Havana is great. Her debut album is great. Don't @ me

2. Mariah Carey: Caution: Mimi is back. Album has standout tracks like "With you", and "portrait". I have a lot of respect for this artist and I admire her longevity.

3. Ariana Grande: Sweetener: Girl had a messy 2018 but that didn't stop her from making good music. She went on a different kind of direction in this album, but overall, I liked it.

4. CHVRCHES: Love is Dead: The opening track "Graffiti" really sets the tone for this album. I loved every minute.

5. Alpines: Full Bloom: I've never heard of this UK duo before 2018, so I won't be surprised if you haven't too. Also, I don't know how to describe their music. Sorry. But at least listen to the opening track "Full Bloom"

6. Little Mix: LM5: Album was ok, but not as good as their last 2 albums before IMO.

 

[Sasliquid]

Just over a week left everyone. I know we can get loads more ballots in

 

[Creamium]

Hope I can get some comments in at a later date, but here's mine.

1. Snail Mail: Lush: There were a few 90's sounding records this year, but this is definitely the best among them. It's crazy to me that Lindsey Jordan is only 19 and came out with a debut like this, it sounds like she already has 5 albums under her belt. 'Lush' didn't appeal to me straight away, I had to give it a few listens but it really started to open up after that. It became the album I drove to work with, the one I listened to while working and put on in the evening as well.
2. IDLES: Joy as an Act of Resistance: Like no other album this year it captures the zeitgeist of 2018 perfectly. The lyrics are just the right amount of woke, some songs like Danny Nedelko have anthem-like qualities and it still hits hard overall.
3. Soccer Mommy: Clean: Contrary to Snail Mail, Sophie doesn't sound that experienced and Clean really feels like a debut album, but that's part of the charm and what makes 'Clean' so memorable. There's a heavy sense of sadness and melancholy in this album and you can hear Sophie went through a rough patch.
4. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour: If 'Golden Hour' was filled with 'Oh What a World' and 'Love is a Wild Thing' caliber songs, it would be my n°1 with a bullet. These are also my favorite songs of the year. However, the album's not consistent enough to warrant that top spot. Still a fantastic pop country album though.
5. Judas Priest: Firepower: This was actually my introduction to Judas Priest. Even after exploring their discography a bit I'd still rank this as one of their better albums, very tight from start to finish.
6. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want: It hurts listening to this album, but it's amazing that music can do that. If you actually get used to the dense black ooze that is this record (what a fitting cover!), you'll find a beautiful set of ugly songs. This is the one album I can see rising in my ranking as I explore it further.
7. Slugdge: Esoteric Malacology
8. Tribulation: Down Below
9. Jack White: Boarding House Reach: first time listening to a Jack White project since the White Stripes days and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect to hear such a diverse and experimental sound. An album that just flies by when you're listening because there's such a big variation in sound.
10. Noname: Room 25
HM. U.S. Girls: In a Poem Unlimited
HM. MGMT: Little Dark Age
HM. Against All Logic: 2012 - 2017
HM. Beach House: 7
HM. Rivers of Nihil: Where Owls Know My Name
HM. Jean Grae: Everything's Fine
HM. Kendrick Lamar: Black Panther: The Album
HM. Nils Frahm: All Melody
HM. Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is a Reptile
HM. JPEGMAFIA: Veteran
HM. Iceage: Beyondless
HM. MewithoutYou: [untitled]
HM. Kurt Vile: Bottle it in
HM. Parquet Court: Wide Awake!
HM. Sleep: The Sciences
HM. Janelle Monaé: Dirty Computer

 

[theBmZ]

1. Mitski: Be the Cowboy
2. Snail Mail: Lush
3. SOPHIE: OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES
4. Screaming Females: All At Once
5. Slothrust: The Pact
6. MGMT: Little Dark Age
7. KIDS SEE GHOSTS: KIDS SEE GHOSTS
8. Speedy Ortiz: Twerp Verse
9. Tune-Yards: I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
10. U.S. Girls: In a Poem Unlimited

HM. Christine and the Queens - Chris
HM. Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears
HM. Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off Dog
HM. Dream Wife - Dream Wife
HM. Soccer Mommy - Clean

Will update with thoughts later.

 

[AkimboChainz]

1. Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave: Drogas Wave is Lupe Fiasco's longest album at 98 minutes, and his most dense album yet. The album features multiple storylines from slaves jumping over board and living under the Atlantic ocean and bringing other slave ships down with them, to a story about drugs, and also a story about Lupe's personal life including his issues at Atlantic Records. When its all said and done this may go down as my favorite album by him which is impressive considering how much I like F&L, The Cool, and T&Y. If you don't like Lupe this album probably won't change your mind, but this album showcases him at his best. Standout Tracks - Manilla, WAV Files, King Nas

2. Pusha T: Daytona: While Drogas Wave is very long and very dense, Daytona is almost the exact opposite. Pusha T bring some his best raps yet, and the Kanye West production his some of his best work as well. While there are only 7 tracks, none of them standout as a weak link. Pusha T set the bar very high as the first of 5 albums in 5 weeks from GOOD Music and ended up being the best of the 5. Standout Tracks - The Games We Play, Santeria, Infrared

3. Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts: An album in 2018 by Kanye West and Kid Cudi had me very worried especially following Kanye's solo album Ye ,released a week earlier, being very mediocre. I was a huge fan of MOTM 1 and 2 but in 2015 Kid Cudi released what may just be the worst album I've ever heard in Speeding Bullet to Heaven. Given the state of both these guys careers this album could very easily been a disaster. But instead it showed Kanye and Cudi are still incredibly talented and when they have a exact vision they can provide an excellent album. The album takes the best from both artists with Kanye's production and some of his best rapping in years, along with Cudi's signing/humming. Standout Tracks - Freeee, Reborn, Cudi Montage

4. Denzel Curry: TA13OO: I hadn't heard much from Denzel Curry outside of a few listens to Nostalgic 64 in 2013, but Ta13oo is a great mix of hard hitting bangers like Sumo and more serious songs like Sirens. Denzel delivers an album that has very few flaws and a lot of highs. Standout Tracks - Sumo, Sirens, Clout Cobain

5. Travis Scott: Astroworld: Astroworld is the quintessential Travis Scott album. Its filled with incredible production and is full of big features from Drake, Frank Ocean, and even Stevie Wonder. The only real knock on this album is Travis Scott might be the weakest part of this album. He's pretty good for the most part, but I can't help but think about what how great this album would be if someone like Kendrick Lamar was on Stop Trying to be God instead of Travis. Standout Tracks - Stop Trying to Be God, Skeletons, Houstonfornication

 

[flook]

A late run for Lush - nice.

1. Snail Mail: Lush: Love the C86 feels from this.
2. MGMT: Little Dark Age
3. Thom Yorke: Suspiria: Been listening to this a lot lately.

I mostly listen to individual tracks and haven't listened to enough of any other albums to justify inclusion. I can already imagine the RDR2 soundtrack will be on next years list.

 

[Steamlord]

I think this is about as good as I'm gonna get it.

1. Julia Holter: Aviary
2. Mothers: Render Another Ugly Method
3. Yo La Tengo: There's a Riot Going On
4. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want
5. Kero Kero Bonito: Time 'n' Place
6. Snail Mail: Lush
7. U.S. Girls: In a Poem Unlimited
8. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!
9. Anna von Hausswolff: Dead Magic
10. Super Unison: Stella

HM. Beach House: 7
HM. Cursive: Vitriola
HM. Death Grips: Year of the Snitch
HM. Beak>: >>>
HM. Guerilla Toss: Twisted Crystal

Spoiler: The rest

Forth Wanderers: Forth Wanderers
Exploded View: Obey
Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog
Eleanor Friedberger: Rebound
The Pauses: Unbuilding
Mitski: Be the Cowboy
Iceage: Beyondless
Wye Oak: The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
Ava Luna: Moon 2
Low: Double Negative
Emma Ruth Rundle: On Dark Horses
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs: No New World
Marissa Nadler: For My Crimes
Mount Eerie: Now Only
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Hope Downs
Pram: Across the Meridian
Rolo Tomassi: Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It
Soap&Skin: From Gas to Solid / You Are My Friend
Miya Folick: Premonitions

 

[Wiped]

1. Eminem - Kamikaze: modern rap production meets an aggressive, hungry and more focused Eminem
2. Bring Me The Horizon- amo: not metal. Fine. It's a swaggering, ambitious record which stomps across genres at will and it's great
3. Atreyu - In Our Wake: kinda like amo but a touch rockier. Very good.
4. Fall Out Boy - Mania: solid pop rock with an electro twist
5. Panic! At the disco: Pray For The Wicked (see above)
6. Paul Smith - Diagrams: stripped back poetry with acoustic guitars
7. Arctic Monkeys- Tranquillity Base Hotel: a very unusual album which grows on every listen. Laid back late night whisky blues at the piano. In space.

 

[Deleted member 21255]

1. Eminem - Kamikaze: modern rap production meets an aggressive, hungry and more focused Eminem
2. Bring Me The Horizon- amo: not metal. Fine. It's a swaggering, ambitious record which stomps across genres at will and it's great
3. Atreyu - In Our Wake: kinda like amo but a touch rockier. Very good.
4. Fall Out Boy - Mania: solid pop rock with an electro twist
5. Panic! At the disco: Pray For The Wicked (see above)
6. Paul Smith - Diagrams: stripped back poetry with acoustic guitars
7. Arctic Monkeys- Tranquillity Base Hotel: a very unusual album which grows on every listen. Laid back late night whisky blues at the piano. In space.

Click to shrink...

Amo was only released this month, wouldn't think that would count.

 

[Wiped]

Amo was only released this month, wouldn't think that would count.

Click to shrink...

Well if it doesn't then can be ignored. January is awkward cos it's often forgotten by the next year

 

[Servbot24]

I barely listened to any music in the second half of the year but here's mine

1. Natalia Lafourcade - Musas Vol 2
2. Julia Holter - Aviary
3. Ichiko Aoba - qp
4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
5. Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place
6. Arianna Grande - Sweetener
7. Pendant - Make Me Know You Sweet
8. Niño de Elche - Antología del cante flamenco heterodoxo
9. тпсб - Sekundenschlaf
10. Tim Hecker - Kyoto
11. Leon Vynehall - Nothing Is Still
12. Thee Oh Sees - Smote Reverser
13. The Necks - Body
14. mewithoutYou - Untitled LP
15. Kali Uchis - Isolation
16. Rafiq Bhatia - Breaking English
17. Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On
18. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
19. Beach House - 7
20. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V
21. Various Artists - NON Worldwide Compilation, Vol. 2, Pt. 1
22. Kate NV - для FOR
23. DJ Koze - Knock Knock
24. Actress & London Contemporary Orchestra - Lageos
25. Binker & Moses - Alive in the East?
26. Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut Wood
27. Hilary Woods - Colt
28. Felicia Atkinson - Coyotes
29. Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears
30. Various Artists - Black Panther

 

[Steamlord]

Kate NV - для FOR

Click to shrink...

Didn't realize she had a new album. I loved Binasu.

 

[Resetta Stone]

1. TWRP - Together Through Time: What can I say about this other than if you're a TWRP fan, this is their best album. All of the best elements from their previous work all coalesces into a fun, positive, 80's infused synth rock jam session with great guest vocals. We need more albums like this, especially now.

2. Lena Raine - Celeste OST: I have a game soundtrack high on this list and the last time that happened, Toby Fox released Undertale. A genius infusion of melodic piano work and 8-bit sound that perfectly encompasses why Celeste is the best.

3. GUNSHIP - Dark All Day: I'll admit, the title track is the best song, but the album itself doesn't slouch. High production values and surprisingly a lot of diversity in the tracks.

4. Hollywood Burns - Invaders: It's X-COM synthwave but holy damn does it rock.

5. Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love: This would of been higher on my list, but frankly the last half of this album somewhat falters for me, but due to it being only 7 songs, there isn't much filler. Canary Yellow is probably one of the best songs they've made.

6. Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch: If NTAE is about foreboding and Add Violence is about the outcome, Bad Witch is the raw, visceral emotional reaction.

7. Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth EP: With synthwave being saturated as it is, it's still nice to hear a new Carpenter record. Beware The Beast is a total jam.

8. Maximum The Hormone - Korekara no Menkata Cottelee no Hanashi wo Shiyou: MTH is still at it with their batshit insane energy coupled with their sardonic takes on everything from weight loss to superheroes I guess?

9. Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'N Place: I got into this band very recently and just love how different and experimental this album is compared to Bonito Generation.

10. Ghost - Prequelle: This is low on the list not because it's bad, but because it doesn't have that same impact Meliora does. I can maybe attribute it to the production sounding kind of flat, but Rats is a fun song and I am glad that Ghost is embracing their more pop anthem rock side.

HM: Gorillaz - The Now Now
HM: Death Grips - Year of the Snitch
HM: Perfume - Future Pop
HM: You Drive - Self Titled
HM: MOL - Jord

 

[Loadout]

1. Daughters: You Won't Get What You Want: Amazing atmosphere, phenomenal writing.
2. Death Grips: Year Of The Snitch: Another fantastic work by DG, great album all around.
3. Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning: Superb punk rock piece, exactly what I needed after their previous effort which was quite slow and underwhelming. This is the closest they've got to their masterpiece "Attack on Memory".
4. White Denim: Performance: WD is probably my favorite band ever mainly because their music is such a pure joy to listen to while retaining clever lyricism and depth. Performance is no stranger to the vibes their tunes generally produce, and brings to the table some new exciting stuff.
5: Father John Misty: God's Favorite Costumer: Probably Tillman's weakest album under his most notable pseudonym FJM. Great album nonetheless.
6. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base: A lot better than AM but I can't help but feel that Turner can do so much better than this.

 

[Deleted member 5853]

I had meant to do this earlier, but eh, no time like the present:

1. Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs
2. Pusha-T: Daytona
3. DJ Koze: Knock Knock
4. Robyn: Honey
5. MGMT: Little Dark Age
6. Vince Staples: FM!
7. Lana Del Rabies: Shadow World
8. Denzel Curry: TA1300
9. Caterina Barbieri: Born in the Voltage
10. Szun Waves: New Hymn to Freedom

HM: Travis Scott: Astroworld
HM: Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of
HM: Harunemuri: Harutosyura
HM: Killy: Surrended Your Soul
HM: Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings