Best Music of 2018

It's that time of year again.

This will be my one and only post of the year. I'm still going to do the big reveal countdown-style, but I'm just going to keep adding to this post, so stay tuned for more to come. As I do so, I'll share video/audio of some of my favorite songs and/or stuff by artists new to the list, but probably not much more commentary beyond that.

Also, here's a link to a 2018 Spotify playlist that I'll be building as I go.

If you're one of the few loyal enough to return to pay attention to the music I care about, thank you. I hope you had a great year and a great many to come.

Peace!

50. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Sparkle Hard

49. Wussy - What Heaven is Like



48. Son Lux - Brighter Wounds



47. Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today

46. Okkervil River - In the Rainbow Room

45. Pinegrove – Skylight

44. Alejandro Escovedo - The Crossing



43. Eric Bachmann - No Recover

42. Darlingside -Extralife



41. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Hope Downs

2018 was a good year for Australian bands...



40. Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt

39. Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog



38. Eleanor Friedberger – Rebound

37. Beach Slang - Everything Matters but No One is Listening (Quiet Slang)



36. Hinds - I Don’t Run



35. Wild Nothing – Indigo

34. Typhoon – Offerings



33. Neil Young - ROXY: Tonight’s the Night Live

The first of two live records by older artists in my top 50.

32. Tracyanne & Danny - Tracyanne & Danny



31. Neko Case - Hell-On

30. Natalie Prass - The Future and the Past



29. Metric - Art of Doubt

28. Phosphorescent - C’est La Vie

27. Alela Diane – Cusp



26. Loretta Lynn - Wouldn’t it Be Great

25. The Jayhawks - Back Roads and Abandoned Motels

24. Marianne Faithfull - Negative Capability



23. J Mascis - Elastic Days

22. The Essex Green - Hardly Electronic



21. Dirty Projectors - Lamp Lit Prose

Pretty sure you'll either love this song or you'll hate it.



20. Saintseneca - Pillar of Na



19. Lucy Dacus – Historian



18. Mastersystem - Dance Music

Scott Hutchison posthumously delivers the most heartbreaking lyric of the year:

I missed the summer, but didn’t care.
There will always be another, if I make it to next year.



17. Tomberlin – At Weddings

This, however, is both the saddest and most beautiful song of the year.



16. Half Waif – Lavender



15. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar



14. U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited



13. Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino



12. St. Vincent – MassEducation



11. Soccer Mommy – Clean



10. Middle Kids – Lost Friends

The second of three Australian bands in my top 50 and the first of two, of course, in the top ten.



9. Nap Eyes - I’m Bad Now

One of only two male-centric acts in this year's top ten.



8. Bruce Springsteen – Springsteen on Broadway

I like Bruce, but I’m by no means a huge fan. That said, this is an amazing performance, in my opinion. If you haven’t heard it yet, and if you’re a Netflix subscriber, I suggest experiencing it that way your first time. I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with "The Wish," Springsteen's tribute to his mother. I even gained a newfound appreciation for "Dancing in the Dark."



7. Sugarland - Bigger

This one is a bit outside the norm for me, but the songs are super catchy and many of the themes hit home. Also, as I alluded to earlier, I'm a sucker for songs that are tributes to mothers.



6. Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer



5. Camp Cope – How to Socialize & Make Friends

I believe this is the first top five finish for a band from the southern hemisphere.



4. Lori McKenna – The Tree

Every artist in my top ten so far has achieved that distinction for the first time, however two of the top three have been here before.



3. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

Kacey's second top three finish in the past four years.



2. The Aces – When My Heart Felt Volcanic

This year's highest-ranking Americans and debut artists.



1. CHVRCHES – Love is Dead

The Scottish indie pop trio scores their second top three in the past four years and their first album to top my year-end list.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!