Top 25 Albums of 2018
2018 was a great year for music. And even though streaming is making the power of the single more important, the artistry of the album is still shining. Some albums may be shorter than they’ve been in years clocking in at just 7 songs and under 25 minutes. But those collections still fit together to tell larger stories and send monumental vibes a single track could never muster. Here’s my favorte 25 from the year.
The Top 10
In a year where others showed the power and necessity of diversity, Negro Swan was the best behind-the-curtain glimpse of the trials, bigotry, racism, and just simple struggles queer people of color experience. And yet somehow this album is a triumph about being yourself.
It’s a vibe all the way through. The psychedelic turns make this one of the most enjoyable albums to listen to loud in years.
3. Dirty Computer — Janelle Monáe
The album she let us see her true self. And that self is the most wonderful, creative badass on the planet right now.
This album grew on me because of Tweedy’s autobiography that came out about the same time. The storytelling is Americana at its best, as Tweedy looks back at his life with wisdom, humor, and a whole lot of gratitude.
21 minutes of pure adrenaline. Not in the speed of the songs, or even how hard the beats hit. Instead, it grabs you immediately and pulls you into Pusha’s coke-dealing world with might. What a ride.
6. KIDS SEE GHOSTS — KIDS SEE GHOSTS
Kanye and Cudi together are always magic to my ears. Cudi always brings out Kanye’s classic rocker tendencies, as seen on the best rock song of the year “FREEEEEE!”. These songs are made for stadiums.
7. EVERYTHING IS LOVE — The Carters
My wife and I listened to this album a lot on road trips. It brought smiles to both our faces as we held hands and soaked in landscape. There aren’t a lot of albums about love past the initial infatuation phases. This one hits on how powerful sustaining respectful love can be.
8. Tell Me How You Really Feel — Courtney Barnett
There are a lot of amazing young female rockers that deserve your notice. Courtney, to me, is their slacker leader. Her songs send you into their own little universe where you sit inside her mind with synapse after synapse firing as she just goes about her day. A prison of perfect thoughts.
I can’t believe this album was created by a teenager. Lindsey Jordan calls the ghosts of the alternative 90s to life in a séance of I-don’t-give-a-fuck classics.
No one has made something so epic so short. Somehow Vince packs an entire summer into 22 minutes of angst, joy, and subdued wooziness. Take a walk on his block with him and hear the sights as he sees them.
…and the rest
12. Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
14. Heaven And Earth — Kamasi Washington
17. Honey — Robyn
20. Cocoa Sugar — Young Fathers
