10) Typhoon - Offerings
Their first album of new music since 2013's brilliant White Lighter was worth the wait. I was hooked on the single 'Rorschach' which came out a couple months before the album. The album was released in January so it got a little lost in the shuffle for me as I was still catching up on 2017 albums. However, when I came back to it later in the year, I was struck by how rich it was and what a complete album it feels like instead of just a collection of songs.
Listen to Empiricist
I knew very little about Bob Moses when I saw them open for Miike Snow a few years ago but I enjoyed their set enough to start keeping tabs on them. From the two songs they released in advance of Battle Lines, I was fully on board with this release. The opening track 'Heaven Only Knows' sets the tone and the rest of the album follows the lead for 48 minutes of great songs which ooze cool.
Listen to Heaven Only Knows
8) The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
The highlights from A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships are spectacular. However, not all of the 15 tracks completely work for me as the front half of the album stands out more than the last. The 1975 first came to my attention with a series of EPs released in 2012 which became the basis for their self-titled debut album. Their second album i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it (yes, that's the actual title), confirmed they weren't just a flash in the pan but A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships is their most complete album to date.
7) Wye Oak - The Louder I Call The Faster It Runs
Wye Oak has been one of my favorite bands since I first heard Civilian in 2011 and saw them live for the first time shortly thereafter. Jenn Wasner's voice to me is otherworldly and brings me a calm like just about no one else making music today. I also appreciate that Wye Oak never wants to make the same record twice despite the success of their prior work. Shriek was a complete departure Civilian and after releasing Tween in 2016, the latest effort The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs is very clearly a Wye Oak album but has soundscapes that are completely unique from their prior work.
Listen to Lifer
6) The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl
I'll Be Your Girl is a truly interesting album because it jumps around from song to song with wildly different tempos and instrumentation. It works for me as a whole but it's an album of high highs and some tracks which don't quite click for me. 'Once In My Life', 'Severed', 'Everything Is Awful' and 'Sucker's Prayer' are all highlights that were excellent to see live in March when they kicked off touring the album.
Listen to Once In My Life
5) Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
Janelle Monáe didn't release an album for nearly five years as she was pursuing a budding acting career that included roles in Hidden Figures and Moonlight. This album was well worth the wait. Within the opening moments of Dirty Computer, her vocals harmonized with Brian Wilson let you know that this album is something special (full disclaimer: I'm a sucker for anything that Brian Wilson lends his voice to). The album has all kinds of influences and soundscapes but there are some heavy homages to Monáe's mentor Prince.
Listen to Make Me Feel
4) Mac Miller - Swimming
For some unknown reason I had lumped Mac Miller into a group of young rappers that I didn't think I would enjoy. I was recommended Swimming shortly after it was released in early August and was an instant fan. Sadly, Mac Miller passed away just a few weeks later and I'll never know how that album would have affected me had he not passed away but it does carry a bit more gravitas knowing just how personal his music as he openly and frankly talked about his addiction and depression. It's also incredibly well produced as he enlisted musicians Jon Brion, J. Cole, Dev Hynes, Thundercat and John Mayer among others to help write and produce the album.
Listen to Ladders
3) boygenius - boygenius
Clocking in at just 21 minutes, this is probably the shortest album (technically EP) to ever make one of my year end lists but it's quality over quantity. boygenius is the moniker for three extraordinary singer-songwriters (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus) who collaborated to make these gorgeous six songs. Individually, all three of them have tremendous voices but working together they make a beautiful angelic chorus.
Listen to Souvenir
2) Vacations - Changes
It's strange to hear music some heavily influenced from artists of the past that somehow comes out sounding fresh and vital. Changes feels like it was buried in a time capsule from 30 years ago and it might be the closest thing we ever get to a new album from The Smiths. I stumbled across 'Steady' before the album was released and fell in love with that song but worried the album might let me down. Changes did not disappoint me and I listened it probably as much as any other new release in 2018.
Listen to Steady
1) Foxing - Nearer My God
I was only vaguely familiar with Foxing from their previous album Dealer. Nearer My God is their opus. Like most truly great albums, my favorite song changes with almost every listen and when I start the album, I almost always listen to the entire thing. Foxing incorporates a lot of unique instrumentation and dabbles in so many sounds it's difficult to pinpoint the album as a genre but that what I love about it.
Listen to Heartbeats
Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy
Hammock - Universalis
Hippo Campus - Bambi
Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog
Lord Huron - Vide Noir
Mitski - Be the Cowboy
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams
Panic! At The Disco - Pray For The Wicked
Pusha T - DAYTONA
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