Top 50 albums of 2018
7. OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S Un-UNSIDES – SOPHIE
SOPHIE isn’t just bringing new flare and production techniques to mainstream pop she’s pushing the genre into the future. Oil Of Every…is a confident statement and places the producer-turned-star into the limelight. It’s finally time for SOPHIE to start getting the credit she deserves.
6. Tell Me How You Really Feel – Courtney Barnett
Courtney is indie rock’s answer to a world of over saturation and a lack of depth. The Australian crooner wideness her niche delivery to a more general audience in Tell Me How You Really Feel. The music is more mainstream rock, but her lyrical content is just as terse and witty. Courtney is at her best when she’s reflecting on everyday struggles, speaking on awkward situations, or friends in hard times. She’s asking for honestly all around because she isn’t afraid to dish it out herself.
5. Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine
Justin Vernon never ceases to amaze me. Every year he appears to continue his journey of deconstructing song structure conventions and moving towards innovation. He has a partner in crime this time, Aaron Dresner from the National whose baritone vocals adds a pleasant contrast to Vernon’s signature falsettos. The beats are spacey yet full of soul. The words are blurred yet their meaning are incredibly clear. This band could not have created a more experimental rock project on a more out of the box platform like people, yet the feeling it produces feels some common place and human. These two have tapped into a beautiful place and hopefully have post marked a space that electronic music and soul can meet in the near future.
4. Nearer My God – Foxing
The St. louis’ band is here for the long haul. They also have a powerful statement to make. The statement revolves around existing in a turbulent world. Not just that, but they want to make it better. Instead of waiting by as the world gets worse Foxing is declaring a call to action. Nearer My God is meant to be screamed out and applauded at the grandest of stadiums and widest of halls. They’ve firmly established themselves as presence in music with a vision creativity that will last.
3. Where We Were Together - Say Sue Me
In 2018, surf rock was seemingly dead, or not taken seriously. It’s laid back atmospheric sound was presumed to only be enjoyed by the millennials on California beaches or weed heads at suburban house parties. Contrary to popular belief surf rock provided the foundation for a lot of fantastic projects world wise, with Where We Were Together at the helm.
Say Sue Me is a south Korean band and are in the first legs of their career together. Despite the previous year of hardships and personal tragedies the band created an album that reveals an aura of overcoming. The music is defiantly surf rock, and moves with the steady pace of a sunset’s wave. Its airy vocals and nostalgic synthetic strands are peaceful for the mind. After a year of primarily protest music, it feels good to hear an album that’s all about the more intimate internal turmoil’s that trouble us. The music is filled with personal critiques but doesn’t let them destroy the ego, instead it frees it from any unturned surprises. Where We Were shows us that we are stronger when we are honest with ourselves and that tragedy can be overcome with steadfast resilience.
Say Sue Me is a south Korean band and are in the first legs of their career together. Despite the previous year of hardships and personal tragedies the band created an album that reveals an aura of overcoming. The music is defiantly surf rock, and moves with the steady pace of a sunset’s wave. Its airy vocals and nostalgic synthetic strands are peaceful for the mind. After a year of primarily protest music, it feels good to hear an album that’s all about the more intimate internal turmoil’s that trouble us. The music is filled with personal critiques but doesn’t let them destroy the ego, instead it frees it from any unturned surprises. Where We Were shows us that we are stronger when we are honest with ourselves and that tragedy can be overcome with steadfast resilience.
2. Chris – Christine and the Queens
Chris is sound proof that pop music can be mature, can consist of irresistible depth, and can improve on the past. Christine has taken her position as a talented star in the European pop world and turned it global. Her singing on Chris is top tier, and the songs are beautifully arranged. Each song sounds strongly dedicated to and is contrasted between a French and English version.
Chris is a revolutionary pop album that will take you into the future. It’s from an artist who isn’t restricted to gender norms and is, more importantly, comfortable in her own skin. She expresses masculinity when she feels it, not just when it’s socially acceptable. On the album she conducts internal debates on religion, materialism, messy relationships, and potential love. Chris is focused on the world that could be, and that world is worth working towards.
Chris is a revolutionary pop album that will take you into the future. It’s from an artist who isn’t restricted to gender norms and is, more importantly, comfortable in her own skin. She expresses masculinity when she feels it, not just when it’s socially acceptable. On the album she conducts internal debates on religion, materialism, messy relationships, and potential love. Chris is focused on the world that could be, and that world is worth working towards.
1. Skylight – Pinegrove
By many, 2018 is considered the year of #MeToo. The year society’s social conscious absolves itself of it’s inner demons. This is a net positive from my perspective. However, like all movements, mistakes are bad, assumptions are made, and lives are unfairly negatively affected. Pinegrove has been the center of much controversy in the past 2 years. It all started to come down when Evan was accused of sexual coercion by her girlfriend at the time. The band went on a hiatus as a result and canceled the remaining dates of their tour (of which I got a refund for).
After the mist cleared, and the mob was bringing down another man abusing his power, Pinegrove returned. They created Skylight. Apparently, the music was made pre-allegations, but the relevance can’t be avoided. The album sounds like a confessional in the most hubris of senses. It’s stripped of ego and led by the groups signature hyper personal analysis. Assumptions are explored, and purpose has been rearranged. There is a new way of living and Evan appears to be facing it head on. This is a relief.
The music is wonderful too. Not only do they keep the album short and sweet, but each song is packed with such emotion and presence that the visceral reaction is unavoidable and demands instant replays. Beneath the surface is where the group loves to go and they are damn good at it. Cardinal and Everything So Far had depth and was chalk full of personal reflection, but they’ve turned things up a notch here. The stakes appear higher now and the determination to make a positive change feels more serious and authentic. Musically, the guitars are better mixed, and Evan still carries some of that southern twang. Where it comes from (he’s from New Jersey), we’ll never know. The songs are structured in many ways and that adds to the individual uniqueness of each song in the track list. It’s a stellar album from top to bottom. Parallel to societies call to action on deviant behavior, comes Pinegrove rises to the occasion.
After the mist cleared, and the mob was bringing down another man abusing his power, Pinegrove returned. They created Skylight. Apparently, the music was made pre-allegations, but the relevance can’t be avoided. The album sounds like a confessional in the most hubris of senses. It’s stripped of ego and led by the groups signature hyper personal analysis. Assumptions are explored, and purpose has been rearranged. There is a new way of living and Evan appears to be facing it head on. This is a relief.
The music is wonderful too. Not only do they keep the album short and sweet, but each song is packed with such emotion and presence that the visceral reaction is unavoidable and demands instant replays. Beneath the surface is where the group loves to go and they are damn good at it. Cardinal and Everything So Far had depth and was chalk full of personal reflection, but they’ve turned things up a notch here. The stakes appear higher now and the determination to make a positive change feels more serious and authentic. Musically, the guitars are better mixed, and Evan still carries some of that southern twang. Where it comes from (he’s from New Jersey), we’ll never know. The songs are structured in many ways and that adds to the individual uniqueness of each song in the track list. It’s a stellar album from top to bottom. Parallel to societies call to action on deviant behavior, comes Pinegrove rises to the occasion.