Top 25 Best Albums of 2018

At long last...

25. serpentwithfeet - soil

Genres: Alternative R&B, Art Pop

Release Date: 6/8

Label: Secretly Canadian

serpentwithfeet has one of the most captivating voices in R&B right now - it’s fragile, delicate as a feather. Backed by intimate, vulnerably romantic lyrics and organically-grown production, the man and his voice are truly a power to be reckoned with.

24. Jeff Rosenstock - POST-

Genres: Power Pop, Indie Rock

Release Date: 1/1

Label: Polyvinyl

“We’re tired, we’re poor.” Jeff Rosenstock’s bleak desperation-punk sound made quite the comeback in 2018, and for good reason. Things aren’t exactly looking up for us right now, especially considering our toxic political climate that seems to be getting more hostile by the second. Rosenstock tackles it all here with his signature self-deprecating lyricism and passionate vocal performances, exemplified best on the depressingly relatable “Beating My Head Against a Wall”. POST- was released without warning on January 1, for better or for worse starting the year off on a (fittingly) gloomy note.

23. Jon Hopkins - Singularity

Genres: Tech House, Microhouse

Release Date: 5/4

Label: Domino

Singularity is probably an amazing album to stargaze to. Now, I’ve personally never went stargazing - but I can imagine the soothing, nocturnal ambiance present throughout the entire album could only lead to an absolutely otherworldly experience under a navy blue sky in the middle of July.

22. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine

Genres: Abstract Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop

Release Date: 3/30

Label: Mello Music Group

Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine. We tell lies to ourselves to keep us happy, and we put on a smile so our friends can’t tell there’s something wrong. Newly-engaged hip-hop gurus Jean Grae and Quelle Chris let it all out in 55 minutes, treating the listener as their therapist and pulling no punches. If you crave brutally honest hip-hop that feels anxiously satirical, Everything’s Fine is the album for you.

21. Saba - CARE FOR ME

Genre: Conscious Hip Hop

Release Date: 4/5

Label: Saba Pivot, LLC

CARE FOR ME is one of the most tragic, heartbreaking hip-hop albums I’ve heard in a very long time. Chicago rapper Saba reflects on the horrifying death of his cousin Walter and his life leading up to it (excellently displayed on the aptly titled “LIFE”) - finally reaching a tragic climax on “PROM / KING” where we see how close the pair truly was at the time of Walter’s passing and the exact events that lead to the untimely death. The following track, “HEAVEN ALL AROUND ME”, is performed from the perspective of the recently deceased, detailing the beautiful afterlife he finds himself in. If the one-two punch of the last two songs alone doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what will.

20. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar

Genres: Neo-Soul, Indietronica

Release Date: 3/9

Label: Ninja Tune

I couldn’t not put Cocoa Sugar on this list - for such an abstract and eclectic project, it’s oddly irresistible and compelling. The sunburnt melodies of “In My View” and the mechanical rhythms of “Toy” (no pun intended) were blaring through my speakers for a good chunk of the year, and I think that fact itself earns it a spot here.

19. Noname - Room 25

Genres: Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip Hop

Release Date: 9/14

Label: Self-released

I already wrote a full review for this album, so I’ll keep it brief here. Room 25 is a natural evolution in the life of Noname, looking both outside and inside herself. Smooth, jazzy production, thoughtful lyricism and fantastic guest features make for one of the best debut hip-hop albums we’ve seen in quite a while.

18. Clarence Clarity - THINK: PEACE

Genres: Glitch Pop, Alternative R&B

Release Date: 10/4

Label: Deluxe Pain

THINK: PEACE is such a strange album to dissect. Although the vocal performances are insanely catchy and much of the production is very playful, it’s chock-full with abstractly glitchy soundscapes. “Adam & the Evil*” in particular is a hypnotizingly addictive track - so much so that it feels almost legitimately mind-altering in a way. The project is just as accessible as it is odd and complex, which I think is what draws me to it so much. I think.

17. Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place

Genres: Twee Pop, Synthpop

Release Date: 10/1

Label: Polyvinyl

Sure, Time ‘n’ Place is relatively sugary and poppy - in the way that a casual listener would not realize “Time Today” is actually about mental illness upon first spin. Underneath the cute and glitzy aesthetics of the instrumentals, KKB explore cryptic, existential themes such as death, mental health and personal identity. It’s that kind of album that you can dance to on one day and cry to on the next.

16. SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES

Genres: Bubblegum Bass, Deconstructed Club

Release Date: 6/15

Label: MSMSMSM

OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES is a transcendent, otherworldly celebration of SOPHIE’s identity - a deeply personal exploration of self-image. From the glossy, vulnerable ballad “It’s Okay to Cry” to the industrial plastic surgery anthem “Faceshopping”, SOPHIE’s debut album is stunningly intimate and refreshingly honest.

15. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!

Genres: Art Punk, Indie Rock

Release Date: 5/18

Label: Rough Trade Records

Parquet Courts pulled off the rare feat of making a playful, danceable and overall enjoyable political album. Funky basslines and guitars compliment lyrics about American oppression, violence and even climate change (“Before the Water Gets Too High”). Wide Awake! takes the form of a punk manifesto, spitting in the faces of corrupt politicians and having a great time doing it.

14. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

Genres: Contemporary R&B, Art Pop

Release Date: 4/27

Label: Wondaland

Dirty Computer is a vibrant celebration of feminism and queer culture - a.k.a. the album that 2018 desperately needed. “Americans” is the song that this screwed-up country needs, “Django Jane” is the song that any woman oppressed by our unforgivingly sexist society needs, and “Don’t Judge Me” is the song that anybody struggling with acceptance in this cruel, cruel world needs.

13. The Voidz - Virtue

Genres: Art Rock, Hypnagogic Pop

Release Date: 3/30

Label: Cult

The Julian Casablancas-fronted group released one of the most colorful, electrifying and unique rock albums of 2018. The laidback, yet steamy “Pink Ocean” is easily one of my favorite feel-good tracks of the year, along with the sunshine-tinged opener “Leave It In My Dreams”. Another notable standout, “Pyramid of Bones”, is comparatively heavier, featuring scalding guitars and infernal vocals. Virtue is all-around fresh and imaginative, which easily earns it a spot this high.

12. Lupe Fiasco - DROGAS WAVE

Genre: Conscious Hip Hop

Release Date: 9/21

Label: 1st & 15th

DROGAS WAVE is one of the most captivating albums of the year, even if it runs nearly 100 minutes long. The project’s 2 discs explore 2 completely different stories - the first of which involves a fictional slave ship capsizing in a storm, miraculously giving the slaves on the ship the ability to live underwater and to sink other slave ships. The second disc is much more socially conscious and grounded in the real world, although Lupe still brings insanely creative wordplay and storytelling into the mix. It’s a project best listened to front-to-back - if you tune out for ten seconds you’ll end up lost in the roaring sea of words.

11. Mount Eerie - Now Only

Genres: Indie Folk, Singer/Songwriter

Release Date: 3/16

Label: P.W. Elverum & Sun

I don’t want to talk about this album in too much detail, because it legitimately makes me THAT uncomfortable, but I will say that this album is an amazing and fitting successor to Phil’s 2017 masterpiece A Crow Looked at Me. Please don’t listen to either if you’re not ready to bawl your eyes out.

10. Beach House - 7

Release Date: 5/11 Genres: Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia Label: Sub Pop

When I first listened to 7, I jokingly wrote that it was “the album that plays as you ascend to heaven.” The more spins I gave it, the more I realized how accurate that statement was. Victoria Legrand’s majestic, airy vocals that float like clouds over soaring synths and dreamlike guitars never fail to bubble up a euphoric feeling in my veins.

9. Kali Uchis - Isolation

Release Date: 4/6 Genres: Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B Label: Rinse Recordings

Isolation sounds like what silk sheets feel like. Warm, lush, smooth and all-around refreshing. Best known for her extensive work with Tyler, the Creator and Gorillaz, the Colombian singer easily delivered the best debut album of the year in a gorgeous, satin-wrapped package. Although Uchis’ buttery voice and the album’s sultry production blow me away on every listen - much of Isolation’s enjoyability comes from its sheer replayability. I’m not much of a singer, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t belted out the lyrics to “Just a Stranger”, “After the Storm” and “Dead to Me” on several occasions.

8. Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch

Release Date: 6/22 Genres: Industrial Rock, Experimental Rock Label: The Null Corporation

Industrial rock gods Nine Inch Nails paint another apocalyptic portrait with even darker palettes. Bad Witch features aspects of dark jazz much more than the band has in the past - notably the use of soaring saxophones on “Play the Goddamned Part” and “God Break Down the Door”. The Bowie comparisons are inevitable once you hear frontman Trent Reznor desperately croon “time is running out” on the final track “Over and Out”, almost like he’s channeling the spirit of Ziggy Stardust himself. Bad Witch is only half an hour - but that doesn’t make it any less gloomy.

7. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

Release Date: 11/30 Genres: Abstract Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop Label: Columbia Records

Some Rap Songs is a claustrophobic, uncomfortable album. It’s lo-fi, cryptic and deeply depressive. But it’s important. A lot happened in the life of Earl Sweatshirt over the course of three years - his father, South African poet and activist Keorapetse Kgositsile, died. His best friend and close collaborator, Mac Miller, died. His uncle, South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela, died. Some Rap Songs serves as a 24-minute vent session, anxiously lifting everything off his chest in hopes to not feel isolated any longer. Did it work? We may have to wait another three years to find out.

6. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) - 2012 - 2017

Release Date: 2/17 Genre: Deep House Label: Other People

I’ll admit I’m quite a stranger to house music - but even I can recognize the sheer genius in house super-producer Nicholas Jaar’s side project Against All Logic. Released seemingly out of nowhere in the middle of February, 2012 - 2017 is an atmospheric and nocturnal project largely based around 70s soul samples - many of which, specifically “Know You” and “You Are Going to Love Me and Scream”, are almost guaranteed to stick around in your head for weeks at a time. Even more impressive are the instrumentals - “Cityfade” features rolling pianos and stomping percussion that sounds straight out of a European street festival. The album’s opener “This Old House Is All I Have” starts out as an absolute monster of a track, with booming horns and muted percussion - until it seamlessly transitions into an infectiously funky tune, sporting sleek guitars and bouncy piano lines. Considering how much I ended up enjoying 2012 - 2017, it’s no surprise it took 5 years to record.

5. KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

Release Date: 6/8 Genres: Pop Rap, Experimental Hip Hop, Alternative R&B Label: GOOD Music

Two of the most creative minds in hip-hop came together this summer for a psychedelic, spiritual therapy session in the middle of Wyoming. Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s debut project under the moniker KIDS SEE GHOSTS is a vivid, profound dive into each artist’s psyche - all in less than 24 minutes. “Fire” and “Cudi Montage” see the pair at their lowest and calling on higher powers to take them out of their respective situations, but the true beauty of KIDS SEE GHOSTS lies in the fact that every depressive moment is equally matched with an ethereal moment of hopefulness. “Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)” and “Reborn” are glowing, triumphant tracks that feel truly therapeutic both to the artist and the listener. This album was the win than Kanye needed in a tumultuous 2018, and for that matter - Cudi’s first outstanding project since 2010.

4. MGMT - Little Dark Age

Release Date: 2/9 Genres: Synthpop, Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop Label: Columbia Records

Little Dark Age lives up to its name - whether the band are morbidly exploring mortality on “When You Die” and “One Thing Left to Try” or reflecting on the anxiety caused by cellphone addiction on “TSLAMP” (an acronym for ‘time spent looking at my phone’). It’s definitely a bleak listen, made even more twisted by the psychedelic, disturbingly upbeat synths and guitars found all over the album. The title track was my favorite single of 2017, so it’s no wonder that this ended up so high up on my list.

3. Death Grips - Year of the Snitch

Release Date: 6/22 Genres: Experimental Hip Hop, Abstract Hip Hop Label: Third Worlds

Death Grips has always blurred the lines between hip-hop, electronic and pure noise, but the band’s hotly-anticipated Year of the Snitch pushed more boundaries than I even knew existed. The album is easily the band’s most experimental yet - fuzzy guitars line tracks like “Death Grips is Online” and “Hahaha” and wonky electronic rhythms drive “Flies”. The fact that the minimalist infectiousness of “Streaky” and the ominous, brooding noise rock track “Black Paint” coexist on the same album is frankly mind-blowing. Death Grips is one of those rare bands that is truly unpredictable - every new album is a new evolution of their sound and Year of the Snitch is the biggest leap of faith they’ve taken so far. What a successful leap it was.

2. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran

Release Date: 1/19 Genres: Glitch Hop, Industrial Hip Hop Label: Deathbomb Arc

JPEGMAFIA is one of the most interesting characters in hip-hop right now, and a single listen of “Veteran” will show you why. He’s brash, in-your-face and unforgiving - he says what’s on his mind and he couldn’t care less if you don’t like it. The lyrical content of the album itself couldn’t be more off-the-walls if it tried, constantly switching in between pop culture-infused braggadocio and politically conscious takedowns of sexual abusers and the alt-right. I couldn’t not mention “Panic Emoji”, one of the most unsettling songs of the year, which was written and recorded while the artist was having a panic attack in the shower. Production-wise, Veteran is eclectic, glitchy and raw - going as far to sample Ol Dirty Bastard’s primal screams on the second track. Veteran is the last album you’d want to show your Trump-voting grandpa, and I’m 100% sure JPEGMAFIA is proud of that fact.

1. Pusha T - DAYTONA

Release Date: 5/25 Genre: Hardcore Hip Hop Label: GOOD Music

Pusha T’s “DAYTONA” is, without a doubt in my mind, the best album of the year. We see the rapper at his coldest, most heartless - whether it be detailing street fantasies on “If You Know You Know”, “The Games We Play” and “Come Back Baby”, celebrating his success with a bottle of champagne on “Hard Piano”, mourning death (black-tie style) on “Santeria”, viciously dismissing critics on “What Would Meek Do?” or fearlessly and messily dissecting his nameless enemy on the insidious “Infrared”. Kanye West’s hard-hitting, yet luscious and layered production fits like a velvet cloth draped over an immaculately sculpted marble statue. DAYTONA is high art, a truly flawless piece of work that I see myself constantly returning to for years to come.