UPDATE 3/6/2018 — So I obviously never got around to finishing this before the new year swept in and classes started back up. I really wish I would’ve gotten my two cents in about those brilliant JPEGMAFIA and Parquet Courts records but oh shwell, I’m sure they’ll make their way into my decade list at the end of the year so I’ll be able to gush about them there. Now that I’m not the only person who knows about this account (Hey Lee! How ya been?), I figured I might as well put this out so I can have some reason for its existence. Onwards!
2018 was a year filled to the brim with great music. Why not write about it?
Before I do that however, I have a few things to get out of the way. First of all, some guidelines should be addressed. As far as the favorite tracks section goes, I’ve limited it to three per album and have them listed in order of how they’re sequenced on the album, not in order of how much I enjoy them. Also, how much I write about an album does not equate to how much I enjoyed it. Some releases I have more to say about than others, so there are cases on here where I write only a few sentences about one album and a few paragraphs for the one behind it. Reasons for these occurrences can be narrowed down to three things: 1. It is an instrumental or foreign language album, for which I typically have less to speak on; 2. I’m less familiar with the artist, so I don’t have as much context to provide; 3. I was on vacation while writing about it and just got lazy or carried away by other things. Every album on this list is deserving of its place, and are all worth checking out regardless of their placement.
For honorable mentions, here’s some EPs that I loved this year: Black Thought’s Streams of Thought, Vols. 1 & 2, Iglooghost’s Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu, and Andre 3000’s Look Ma No Hands. With all of the EP-length albums released this year, I could’ve put these on my list but it just didn’t feel right. I also have to give a massive shoutout to Frank Ocean’s Endless CDQ reissue, which would be guaranteed a spot in this year’s top 10 if it weren’t only slightly modified from the original 2016 version. It’s arguably my favorite project of his yet, but I won’t go too deep into it or else we’d be here forever. With all of that out of the way, onto the list!
35
Milo
Budding Ornithologists Are Weary of Tired Analogies
The Green Horse for Rap on his final lap… maybe? Rap retirements are weird. If this is indeed milo’s last album, it’s a pretty good note to end on. While not his best work, the wordsmith once again proves himself to be one of hip-hop’s most enigmatic lyricists, littering Budding Ornithologists with plenty of philosophical allusions, talk of futanari, and other abstract references only the madman himself could pull off. Due in part to just how obscure some of his references are, some of his lyrics may come off as aimless at times, but he has quite a bit to say when looking into them deeper. On the opening track “mythbuilding exercise no. 9”, he claims that “my style like if Langston didn’t edit”, and he spends the rest of the album backing that claim up with his poetic lyricism and free-form flows over some jazzy beats, many of which are either self-produced under the Scallops Hotel moniker or by frequent collaborator Kenny Segal, and complement his rap style quite well. Budding Ornithologists is a very satisfying swan song (maybe) from one of abstract hip-hop’s most interesting creatives.
Favorite tracks: nominy, stet, sansoucci palace (4 years later)
34
Father John Misty
On God’s Favorite Customer, Papa John Crispy comes back down to Earth, following his massive sociopolitical statement with Pure Comedy in 2017, and successfully looks inward, as his brand of meta songwriting and sense of humor remains sharp and keeps his songs compelling. The abundance of piano ballads does tend to make some moments on the album a bit formulaic, but there’s plenty of fun to be had here too. The song “Date Night” finds Tillman on one of the album’s most upbeat instrumentals as he swerves in and out of a spoken-wordesque delivery with a smooth sense of swagger. He manages to mask his troubling and self-destructive tendencies in an undeniably fun tune on “Mr. Tillman”, a song which sees that sense of humor and creative songwriting blossom as Josh details his drunken and destructive hotel exploits from the perspective of an irritated concierge. This isn’t the only time he’s speaking to himself from an outward perspective, as he dives deep into his wife’s worries about his mental health on “Please Don’t Die”. Despite being only half as long and not quite as indulgent as Pure Comedy, Josh still loads this album with a variety of different themes that gravitate slightly away from the political and towards the personal.
Favorite tracks: Mr. Tillman, Date Night, God’s Favorite Customer
33
Kero Kero Bonito
A pretty sizable departure from the primarily J-pop-inspired sounds of the band’s last album, Time ’n’ Place finds Kero Kero Bonito moving towards a bolder and edgier instrumental palette that takes inspiration from indie rock, twee pop, and a variety of other styles. Despite the rowdier instrumentals, however, Sarah Bonito’s vocals remain as delightfully adorable as ever, and her strong songwriting chops are displayed on plenty of songs here like “Dear Future Self” and “Only Acting”, easily one of my favorite singles of the year. The band struck a nice balance between experimenting and resting on their laurels on Time ’n’ Place, and the great songs here prove that to be a success.
Favorite tracks: Only Acting, Make Believe, Swimming
32
serpentwithfeet
31
Tierra Whack
Whack World, despite being a very short project at precisely 15 minutes, is a solid set of colorful pop rap vignettes that show a ton of promise from one of hip-hop’s fastest rising young creatives. With every track running for exactly a minute long, the fact that Tierra manages to sequence and flow these tracks into each other as well as she does is admirable, and she spends the time between these transitions delivering smart and heartfelt lyrics, catchy hooks, and weird yet cute beats and vocal performances.
Make sure to check out the tape’s accompanying short film too, as it pops with bold colors and cute visuals that add a whole new dynamic to Whack World.
Favorite tracks: Cable Guy, Hungry Hippo, Silly Sam
30
Brockhampton
I entered 2018 riding high off the Brockhampton hype that I had been building since the release of the first singles to the first Saturation album. All three Saturations made my top five of last year, so it’s safe to say I had high expectations for their next project. I exit 2018 not nearly as invested in the band as I was a year ago, but this has little to do with the music itself (not to be THAT bitch but their fanbase…whew chile), as even if it doesn’t quite live up to the high watermark set by last year’s efforts, Brockhampton certainly delivered with some fresh ideas on this new album.
The Saturation trilogy and Iridescence are apples and oranges. The former relied heavily on sweet earworm hooks and a strict verse-hook-verse structure, while the latter often ditches both in favor of something a bit more experimental. Many of the vocals on Iridescence are slathered in effects or buried in the chaotic mix, a definite departure from the clarity featured throughout most of the Saturations. The clearest vocals and most traditional songs on Iridescence appear where the band gets really personal and has a clear message to relay (namely “WEIGHT”, “TONYA”, and “FABRIC”) and even these have their share of experimental moments. The band made clear that they wanted this to be their Kid A, and while I do sorta cringe at the thought of this comparison, I admire the sentiment and effort to branch out and make changes to their sound, especially as the Saturation formula could only work for so long before it would inevitably grow stale. In fact, the absence of the literal face of the group’s last three albums may be the least noticeable difference on display here.
So do these changes pay off? For the most part, yes. The change in direction is refreshing, and allows the group to make some bold statements about their rise to fame and subsequent roadblocks they’ve faced while completely flipping the script and subverting expectations. The band goes full into weird banger mode on numerous tracks here, and they do indeed bang. The opener “NEW ORLEANS” starts the album off on a high note, with Dom bursting in to deliver an infectiously energetic verse while keeping his lyrics focused and on point, something he does often on this record. On Iridescence, McLennon cements himself as the group’s true technically gifted MC and steals the show on almost every track he appears on. However, the group’s other members have their own moments of brilliance too, despite Kevin Abstract and Matt Champion both having a noticeably reduced presence throughout the album. Abstract does manage to deliver many of the album’s most personal moments, Merlyn Wood keeps the energy high as usual, Joba proves himself as an absolute madman and vocal chameleon on plenty of tracks here, and Bearface’s diversified contributions definitely mark a positive stylistic progression for him.
Overall, Iridescence has a lot of great things to offer, and while a few moments may come off as a bit stale here and there, they’re far outweighed by the album’s highs and come together for another solid record from America’s favorite boyband.
Favorite tracks: NEW ORLEANS, WEIGHT, J’OUVERT
29
Vince Staples
Mr. Sprite himself teams up with Kenny Beats — perhaps the hottest commodity behind the boards in 2018 — to construct a hard-hitting collection of pretty brief tracks, returning to the West Coast sounds that has defined some of his best work while updating it for 2018. Vince steps his hook game up on FM! and offers up some of his catchiest songs yet, especially on the aptly titled lead single “FUN!” and the Jay Rock-assisted “Don’t Get Chipped”. Vince rides these beats with ease, as while they vary in tempo and delivery, his flows on FM! are consistently fluid and on point. His vocal performances on a few of these tracks do come off slightly monotone, and while I do think he’s made improvements on the songwriting front, I still wish he would structure and develop his songs a bit better, a criticism I’ve had of his projects for years now and have pretty much just gotten used to at this point. Other than that, I really enjoyed this tape. His lyricism is sharp as usual, and the Big Boy radio concept that this tape is a refreshing addition and well-executed, allowing this 22-minute tape to feel complete without overstaying its welcome. It also gives some reasoning for the head-scratching inclusion of Tyga on his own interlude, although we also were blessed with Earl Sweatshirt’s first appearance on wax in two years (more on that later), so can a citch really complain?
Favorite tracks: Outside!, Relay, FUN!
28
Ski Mask the Slump God
RANDOM DISCLAIMER: I’ve been listening to the original version of the album that Ski released himself, which featured three more tracks (“SkiMeetsWorld”, “Worldwide”, “With Vengeance”) than what’s currently on streaming. Sorry.
Man, a lot of people on the interwebs do not like this mixtape. Maybe it was the horrendously messy release rollout. Maybe it was the omission of the three aforementioned tracks, leaving the tape to feel a bit too short. However, if I am to put these aside, plenty of songs on here have no right to be as fun as they are. Stokeley’s goofy personality shines on Book of Eli far more than on any of his other projects to come before or after this one, with plenty of hilariously random lyrical references and outlandish vocal inflections that keep me laffin. Adding to this tape’s playful appeal are the kooky beats featured on numerous songs, which perfectly complement how weird Ski’s vocal and lyrical performances are. The few true bangers on here go over really well too, as Ski once again proves he can make a pit-ready song without sacrificing his wild sense of humor. My only real issues with this mixtape are that most of the features are pretty underwhelming and don’t live up to Ski’s energy and hilarity (an exception being SahBabii on “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle”), and that Ski’s few attempts at melodic singing don’t go over all too well. Other than that, I really loved this tape and while his more recent Stokeley project didn’t quite live up to the standard set by Book of Eli, I’m still quite excited to see what Mr. Slump has up his sleeves for 2019.
Favorite tracks: Coolest Monkey in the Jungle, DoIHaveTheSause?, Child’s Play
27
J.I.D
BAAAAAAAARS!
Fresh off two stunning performances that made him the highlight of his XXL Freshman class (as if that actually means anything in 2018), J.I.D returns with a hard-hitting, lyrically dense set of tracks that prove that he’s easily one of the most promising voices to come up in hip-hop over the last couple years and can hang with some of the best MCs out at the moment.
“This the type of shit that have niggas in beef
Dat slick talk followed by some stick talk then sleep
Pissed off, I done took my fifth loss this week
Big dog, I can scratch that shit off like fleas”
Ah, gets me everytime. I could spend the rest of this write-up just quoting great bars from this album, but then I’d just be wasting precious time you could be spending listening to them!
Also, the final track on here is called “Despacito Too”. Do with that information what you must.
Favorite tracks: Slick Talk, Off Deez, Off da Zoinkys
26
Beach House
7 is an entirely new direction for Beach House, and I am totally here for it. After their sound had grown pretty stale and uninspired on their last two albums, they shake things up and venture into some much-needed fresh sonic territory. This change is made clear from the jump with the song “Dark Spring”, which kicks off with a bustling drum pattern and Victoria Legrand’s angelic, reverb-soaked vocals, and concludes with a beautiful guitar-led outro. The second half of “Dive” is very similar in its structure, as what initially seems like a by-the-numbers Beach House song transitions into a bold rush of energetic psych-rock instrumentation that ends the track off much better than it starts. “L’Inconnue”, another late bloomer in the tracklist, features Victoria’s hushed, washed-out vocals sung in both English and French, and the inclusion of midpaced drums and distant synths at the halfway point make for a very satisfying climax to the song. More sonic experiments include “Woo”, where the band finds themselves pulling off what feels like an ’80s synth pop tune, and “Last Ride”, a gorgeous piano ballad that serves as a great closer to the album.
The band does include songs on here that are more reminiscent of their signature style that had started to wear thin, but they fit in with the more adventurous songs and are often executed well enough to keep them from disappointing me. The album’s lead single “Lemon Glow” is one of these songs, and while I had mixed feelings about it at first, I eventually came to really enjoy the song when hearing it within the context of the album. While the band doesn’t do anything particulaly revolutionary with “Drunk In LA” and “Black Car”, they are definitely two major highlights on the album for their serene, ethereal instrumentals and entrancing vocal performances. These two traits embody 7’s best moments, and make it the best Beach House record since 2012’s Bloom, as well as arguably being their most daring one yet.
Favorite tracks: Dark Spring, Drunk In LA, Black Car
25
Playboi Carti
I had quite a difficult time wrapping my head around this album for quite awhile, and understandably so if we’re being honest. From Playboi Carti’s lyrics and delivery to Pi’erre Bourne’s beats, these songs are mind-numbingly simple, which was a major turnoff for me initially. However, upon revisiting the album numerous times throughout the year, I began to realize what makes this record so captivating: that damn simplicity.
What makes songs like “R.I.P.” so great typically boils down to two things: a minimal yet fantastic beat (seriously, this beat is easily one of the year’s best) and Carti’s insanely infectious repetitions. This is basically the musical premise of most of this album, yet somehow Carti and Pi’erre manage to make it work for the most part. Die Lit has a number of mostly solid features thrown into the mix to break up the monotony, including the likes of Travis Scott, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert and a pretty great verse from Nicki Minaj on “Poke It Out”, which may be the only thing she’s done this year that didn’t have me rolling my eyes.
Die Lit feels to me like the “mumble rap” generation’s spiritual successor to Waka Flocka’s 2010 tape Flockaveli, which would come to serve as a defining moment for trap in the years that would follow. Much like Waka and Lex Luger did at the beginning of the decade, the dynamic duo of Carti and Pi’erre come together to create a simple yet effective culmination of the trap trends of its time, and while both records are a bit bloated and could use some trimming, they also offer up entrancing hooks and punchy beats that make Die Lit an ultimately pleasing listen.
Tyler said it best: “when carti says ‘bought a crib for mama off that mumbling shit’ my eyes water up everytime its beautiful thats black excellence”.
Favorite tracks: R.I.P., Shoota, R.I.P. Fredo (Notice Me)
24
Hop Along
Bark Your Head Off, Dog boasts plenty of beautifully sung and well-written choruses all over this album too that are so very catchy and I love them so very much. Add to that crisp instrumentation, wonderful songwriting and cute, passionate vocals from frontwoman Frances Quinlan, which all come together to make this an adorably sweet and fun indie rock record.
Favorite tracks: How Simple, Not Abel, What the Writer Meant
23
Anderson .Paak
22
Sons of Kemet
21
Yves Tumor
Safe in the Hands of Love is a beautifully weird electronic record with some art pop influence thrown into the mix for good measure. Many of the tracks here feature an array of sounds crashing together to form something truly great, and when Yves Tumor steps in to contribute vocals on this album, he often strikes gold. “Noid” is a prime example of this, as he illustrates the fear and paranoia that many black Americans face in light of the police brutality epidemic in a song that is both haunting and irresistibly catchy. “Licking An Orchid” features a gorgeous chorus from James K and great bellowing vocals from Mr. Tumor, a quality that carries over onto the next track “Lifetime”. “Recognizing the Enemy” boasts a wonderful string section that transitions into a rush of instrumentation that is so well executed I just can’t help but bust a big fat nut. “Let the Lioness In You Flow Freely” is an insane closer to the album, instantly bursting in with pulsating electronic drums and never letting up on their intensity until the very end of the song. Sean Bowie crafts some beautiful moments and great songs on here, making it an electronic album totally worth checking out.
Favorite tracks: Noid, Licking an Orchid, Recognizing the Enemy
20
Mount Eerie
The follow-up to Phil Elverum’s heartbreaking 2017 album A Crow Looked At Me, which detailed his mental and emotional state directly following the loss of his wife to cancer, Now Only is a continuation of the harrowing reflection into his psyche as the dust settles and Phil is faced with the troubles of moving forward with life while being burdened with the weight of life’s worst tragedy still fresh in his mind. His lyrics are just as gripping this time around, again starting the album off on “Tintin In Tibet” with one of its most crushing moments: “I sing to you, I sing to you Genevieve, I sing to you, you don’t exist, I sing to you though.” Moments like these show up in spades on Now Only, and they give me chills every time. Phil doesn’t mince words on here, even describing the image of her weathered bones on a few occasions. This album is not to be taken lightly.
With that said, the album’s musical compositions on Now Only are very pretty and serve as a pleasant backdrop to Phil’s soft voice. He experiments with sound and structure considerably more on this album than his last, with distorted electric guitars and bold percussion popping up on a couple songs and longer track lengths throughout, which leave more room for expansion upon his mindstate but also result in some moments on here feeling a bit rambly. With that one complaint out of the way, I must say that despite being a pretty challenging listen at times, Now Only is a very good album.
I recommend experiencing A Crow Looked At Me before this, however, as the two albums exist on the same timeline and detail his thoughts at two separate stages of grief. Do be warned though, both are unbelievably heavy on the heart.
Favorite tracks: Tintin In Tibet, Now Only, Earth
19
Rosalía
Spanish singer Rosalía returned after grabbing my attention with her Los Ángeles LP last year to embark on a completely different musical path this go around. I was pretty excited to finally listen to this album, as I loved Los Ángeles and found myself absolutely enamored with lead single “MALAMENTE” and its accompanying music video, released in late May. After a few more great singles and months of anticipation, El Mal Querer came out and I was pleasantly surprised by the change of pace she takes on this album, even if the singles did hint towards a pretty drastic change. Gone is the stark minimalism of her last album, as on El Mal Querer, she embraces the sounds of modern flamenco pop, complete with abundant hand claps and all. Her more mainstream pop aspirations couldn’t be more apparent: “MALDICIÓN” shares a sample with Kanye’s “30 Hours”, and she even prominently samples Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” on “BAGDAD”, which is a crossover I never would’ve expected from her but am quite glad came to be. These inclusions of more popular sounds and styles seem to have worked in her favor — considering she’s gained quite a bit of international recognition since the release of the first couple singles — and they fit the singer like a glove.
The production on El Mal Querer ranges from being grand and orchestral to spacey and pristine to even quite strange at times, notably on the track “DE AQUÍ NO SALES”, with loud revving motors and police sirens marking the first half of the track. Rosalía’s voice is just as angelic here as it was on her last album, even it is being used in a different musical context, and while the language barrier makes it more difficult to appreciate her lyrics and themes throughout the album and gives me slightly less to write about, in no way does it hinder my enjoyment of the music here. Also, I’ve mentioned it already but every music video that has been released in tandem with El Mal Querer has been fantastic and totally worth checking out.
All hail Queen Rosalía.
Favorite tracks: MALAMENTE, PIENSO EN TU MIRÁ, DI MI NOMBRE
18
Against All Logic
In a collection of songs released under the once-anonymous Against All Logic name, electronic producer Nicolas Jaar creates a deep house experience full of chopped samples, which range from police sirens to Kanye’s “I Am a God” and are all executed perfectly, giving the album an irresistibly fun feel. Combine this with the album’s bustling electronic drums and groove-heavy bass to make for one of the most enjoyable electronic releases I’ve come across this year.
Favorite tracks: This Old House Is All I Have, Now U Got Me Hooked, Such a Bad Way
17
Blood Orange
16
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris
Abstract hip-hop heavyweights and newlyweds Jean Grae and Quelle Chris join forces for a wonderfully hilarious and smart collaborative hip-hop record, taking aim at the current state of sociopolitical complacency with deadly precision. First off, I don’t usually bring these up but it feels necessary: Everything’s Fine features the best skits/interludes of the year by far. Every one is so awkward and unsettling yet painfully true that I can’t help but laugh and also ponder my role in society, much like the rest of this album does. Chris’ weird delivery and lines on this album make for some of the funniest and most outlandish I’ve heard this year while being able to tackle serious subjects with ease, while Jean delivers really sharp lyricism and tight flows while managing to maintain a witty sense of humor. This dynamic makes Everything’s Fine a very fun and thought-provoking listen, and definitely one of the smartest musical statements I’ve come across this year.
Favorite tracks: My Contribution to This Scam, Gold Purple Orange, Waiting for the Moon
15
Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis’ long-awaited debut album Isolation is stylistically a bit of a mixed bag, taking lots of influence from neo-soul, hip-hop, reggaeton and funk, but her wild ambitions never sacrifice or get in the way of great songwriting and strong vocals throughout this record. She possesses a very unique and instantly recognizable voice that carries her to great success on Isolation. The hooks on here are equally great, with catchy highlights including “Just a Stranger” and “Tyrant” among many others. There is no shortage of fantastic beats on here either, as I don’t think I’ve been this impressed with the production on an R&B album in quite some time — but with credits from the likes of BadBadNotGood, Damon Albarn, Thundercat and Romil Hemnani, can I be surprised? Kali gets just about everything right on this album, and the positive results on display here have me anticipating whatever she decides to do next.
Favorite tracks: Just a Stranger, Your Teeth In My Neck, Dead To Me
14
Denzel Curry
Released in three separate parts that each embody a different mood, TA13OO finds Denzel at his most emotionally conflicted as he addresses the trappings of fame, drug culture, the political climate and plenty more with deadly precision. TA13OO starts off on an optimistic note and gets progressively darker as the album moves along, with brighter beats throughout and the album’s opening tracks “TABOO” and “BLACK BALLOONS” showcasing some solid singing from Denzel on the hooks, and even if this artistic direction results in some of his questionable lyrical choices feeling exposed on tracks like “CASH MANIAC”, it’s certainly a solid start to the record. The second act is the album’s most topically focused and is measurably better than the first, with the unbelievably catchy hook on “SWITCH IT UP” taking a bipolar angle and Denzel’s vocals and flow switching up plenty of times, Zel and J.I.D working in tandem on “SIRENS” to aim their sights at the President and America’s neglect of the black community, and “Clout Cobain” sees the rapper calling out fans and artists who glorify suicide over a trippy, ominous instrumental. In TA13OO’s final act, Denzel ventures into the deep end and comes together with some of his most aggressive songs yet. “THE BLACKEST BALLOON” and “PERCS” both attack the prominence of drug abuse in hip-hop culture with some sharp and hilarious bars. Penultimate track “VENGEANCE” boasts killer features from JPEGMAFIA and Zillakami, on which they sound ferocious as hell over the song’s rabid beat, which seamlessly transitions into a beautifully sung outro. “BLACK METAL TERRORIST” sees Zel follow up the two insane verses I named on the previous track with his own stunningly animalistic and cutthroat performance, with his repetitions of “Finish ’em Zel” on the hook serving as a fitting conclusion to the album. Not only may TA13OO be his best work yet, but it also shows a lot of upward momentum and potential for Denzel that I hope he can hone on his next effort to push his sound even farther.
Favorite tracks: SWITCH IT UP, CLOUT COBAIN, VENGEANCE
13
Pusha T
King Push and everyone’s favorite Kardashian team up on Daytona for one of the grittiest rap albums I’ve heard in awhile. I’ve always thought Push to be one of hip-hop’s most underappreciated MCs, but also one who had yet to realize his full potential over the course of an entire project, and he proves both right on here. Daytona finds Pusha T at his very best, finding fresh and original ways to deliver his typical brand of lyrical braggadocio and cocaine raps over some of the best Kanye beats I’ve heard since Dark Fantasy. This should come as no surprise, as the two have made magic together before on songs like “Numbers on the Boards”, “Nosetalgia”, and plenty more, but they come together in peak form to create something really great here. “Come Back Baby” features a very Kanyesque soul sample and serves as a simple yet effective backdrop to Push’s rapping and the twangy beat on “The Games We Play” sounds like the soundtrack to the Wild West. Ye even pops up for a solid verse on “What Would Meek Do?” that boasts some pretty funny bars and a poop-scoop intro that I just can’t help but chuckle at. On that very song, Push spits a gem in the form of “Angel on my shoulder, what should we do?/Devil on the other, what would Meek do?/ Pop a wheelie, tell the judge to Akinyele/Middle fingers out the ghost screamin’ Makaveli”, which is easily one of my favorite couplets on the record. “Santeria” and “Infrared” contain some smart but thinly veiled disses towards Birdman, Lil Wayne and, most importantly, Drizzy Drake himself, which would go on to unearth perhaps the greatest diss track since Jay and Nas went at it in 2001. Context aside, there are a lot of gems packed into these 21 minutes, and they’re all delivered over punchy production and tight flows, making this an easy and necessary repeated listen.
Favorite tracks: If You Know You Know, The Games We Play, What Would Meek Do?
12
Hermit and the Recluse
Brownsville MC Ka, in tandem with producer Animoss, delivers an absolute barfest over a set of skeletal beats that perfectly suit his methodical flows. He starts the album off with this gem:
“I think it’s fine to relinquish mine for the life of our seeds
From weak moves these dudes eat your food like harpies
Not just car thieves, large pleas, came home hardened murderers
By the death toll, would’ve thought the threshold was guarded by Cerberus”
and spends the rest of the album living up to that high bar, waxing poetic with plenty of references to Greek mythology and the story of Orpheus. Ka’s lyrical skills are on full display on Orpheus vs. the Sirens, and Animoss deserves all the credit in the world for stringing together some perfectly executed instrumentals that not only complement Ka’s rapping but stand alone as excellent earworms. The album’s concept, along with its technical proficiency, places it in a league of its own and makes for a stellar rap release that’s easily one of the year’s best.
Favorite tracks: Atlas, Golden Fleece, Oedipus
11
Death Grips
Death Grips. Need I say more?
10
Natalia Lafourcade
Before I get into this, I must disclose that I just very recently started paying closer attention to this album. In fact, from February up until somewhat recently, I had Vol. 1 of this album — released in 2017 — not realizing that there were two, and that I had downloaded the wrong album. Classic Devin move. Having listened to the correct album, I now realize what I’ve been missing out on for the entire year.
Musas VOLUME 2/TWO/DOS is an absolutely gorgeous tribute to Latin folk music, comprised of Natalia Lafourcade’s beautifully soothing soprano vocals and wonderful acoustic guitar work from collaborators Los Macorinos, which combine to make for one of the most sweet and pleasant experiences I’ve had with any album this year. As with Rosalia’s El Mal Querer, “while the language barrier makes it more difficult to appreciate lyrics and themes throughout the album and gives me slightly less to write about, in no way does it hinder my enjoyment of the music here.” Much unlike the albums this one is sandwiched between on this list, I would recommend this album to just about anyone regardless of language, cultural background or music taste because there’s truly nothing not to like about Musas; it’s just that good.
Listening to it also reminds me of a scene in Moonlight and being able to make that connection makes me smile. I really adore that film. Anyways, great record.
Favorite tracks: Danza de Gardenias, Derecho de Nacimiento, Gavota
9
Daughters
This album is terrifying.
I read somewhere that frontman Alexis Marshall sounds like “Elvis Presley being tortured” and I can’t help but agree. The sheer intensity of his vocals on this album keep me up at night. These songs are HEAVY. Filled with thunderous drums and loud guitars, this album rarely ever lets up on its insanity; when it does, however, the band conjures up some shockingly pretty sounds, such as during the chorus of “Satan in the Wait” and in the album’s final moments on “Guest House”. These moments provide a slight bit of serenity to an otherwise brooding experience, but the vast majority of this album is a seemingly never-ending assault on the senses. The vocals are manic, the instrumentation is enveloping, the lyrics are dark and tortured. Few records have ever made me feel the way this one has. You Won’t Get What You Want is pure hell, but damn do I love it.
Favorite tracks: City Song, Satan in the Wait, Guest House
8
Earl Sweatshirt
Up until early November, Earl’s silence on the matter of new music was deafening. It had been nearing four years since he released I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside and two years since we last heard anything at all from him, with his show-stealing closing verse on Danny Brown’s “Really Doe” in September 2016. He announced at the tail-end of 2017 that he had new chunes coming this year, but the wait got longer and more patience-testing with each passing day. The tragic passing of his father mere days after this announcement had me questioning whether or not he’d pull through on his statement, but most importantly, I was just hoping he would find solace in these hard times. His situation was made even more unfortunate following the shocking death of close friend and collaborator Mac Miller in early September, at which point I figured the album may never come but had come to terms with that, knowing that Thebe’s mental health was far more important than releasing new music. Besides, I returned to and came to appreciate IDLSIDGO and its follow-up Solace EP far more this year, so while I may have been starving for anything new, I had quite a bit of material to spend time with in its place. Then, out of nowhere, he popped his head in for a brief interlude (aptly titled “New earlsweatshirt”) on Vince Staples’ FM! project and a week later, Earl released “Nowhere2go”, a dark yet somewhat optimistic track with a wonky beat that had my mouth watering. Upon the release of second single “The Mint” and an official album announcement two weeks later, I knew we were in for something special.
Thankfully, I was right: Some Rap Songs is everything I wanted and so much more. The fifteen tracks here, despite the vast majority of them not exceeding two minutes in length, are filled to the brim with vivid, stream-of-consciousness bars that demand repeat listens. Earl’s lyrics are just as dark and desolate on here as on his past couple efforts, but this album definitely stands out from the rest for a variety of reasons. Most of the songs here forgo a hook or anything indicative of an orthodox song structure, leaving Earl to simply rap like his live depends on it. Another drastic change on display here is the difference in his voice: the gruff tone of Thebe’s voice makes him sounds like he’s aged about two decades since his last album. This vocal change was hinted at on his “Really Doe” verse but it really comes full force on this album. I guess he really is “the youngest old man you’ve ever heard.”
“Nowhere2go”, like many other songs here, finds Earl in reflective territory as he raps “I think I spent most of my life depressed/only thing on my mind was death/didn’t know if my time was next” and while I could list out all of the poignant bars on SRS, they hit hardest when you’re hearing them come from Thebe’s jaded voice. His lyrical style has become considerably more blunt on this album, which allows him to convey his messages easier while maintaining much of the technical skill that made him a child prodigy all those years ago.
The beats on Some Rap Songs are consistently great, taking a ton of J Dilla influence in the brilliantly executed sample loops, creating a immersive sound palette for him to wax poetic over. Many of the beats here have a considerably more upbeat tone than on his past few projects, which perfectly contrast Earl’s despondent lyricism. A prime example of this contrast can be found on “Eclipse”, which boasts a beat which I can only describe as the musical equivalent of a carnival, yet contains bars like “say goodbye to my openness, total eclipse/of my shine that I’ve grown to miss when holding shit in”, detailing his desire to close himself off from the outside world and really live up to that last album title. “Riot!”, the album’s closing track, is entirely instrumental but still manages to be possibly my favorite song on the entire record. The song, while basically just a reconstruction of the Hugh Masekela (Earl’s “uncle”/father’s close friend, who passed mere weeks after his father) song of the same name, gives the album new life and closes the album off on a high note, not just quality-wise but in mood as well. When the first notes of this track come in following “Peanut”, one of the album’s most forlorn moments, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders and a glimmer of light has been revealed at the end of the tunnel. This is easily the most hopeful moment on the entire album, and the master wordsmith didn’t even need to say a single word. When he is saying words, however, he doesn’t waste a single one.
Favorite tracks: Shattered Dreams, December 24, Riot!
7
Noname
“Already fried the chicken but leftovers was my inner thigh/Nah I’m lyin’, I’m just playin’, you can read this book with me” — “Forever”, 2016
At the time of her 2016 debut Telefone, Fatimah Warner was 24 years old and had not yet shared her body with anyone else, which she cites as being due to her own physical insecurities. This youth and innocence translates over to the music on Telefone: while she was able to address a number of mature topics on certain tracks, she did so with a voice and flows that were considerably more cheery as well as brighter, more polished and upbeat production. If I were to personify Telefone, she would be an adorable toddler in a lavender onesie with the most squeezable little cheeks in the world.
“I bought you Game 5 tickets, made my pussy the sequel” — “Window”, 2018
Two years have passed and this has all changed. While many of the charming qualities that made her music so enjoyable on Telefone, such as her soft and subdued voice as well as a knack for witty lyricism, carry over onto Room 25, she has evolved with them to create something much more grounded in her own reality. Much of this change can be attributed to her first experience with sex at 25 and a subsequent breakup, with her stating in the album’s excellent closer “no name” that the “only room that I died in was 25”, thus showing the profound impact this period has had on her emotional state. If I were to personify Room 25, she would simply be Fatimah Warner, a young black woman wise beyond her years.
Noname has truly blossomed into a top-notch storyteller on this album, piecing together poetic lyrics that paint a vivid picture of the highs and lows of her personal life over the past two years, including her interactions with struggling fans, financial obligations to her family, and getting plastic surgery… all in “Don’t Forget About Me” alone. Tales of her newfound sexual confidence appears in spades on Room 25, with plenty of references to her pussy and its capabilities throughout the album, detailing her desire to find a lover in the islands on “Montego Bae”, and even bragging that she “fucked your rapper homie, now his ass is making better music” on “Self”. However, these tales don’t all have a happy ending, as she finds herself reflecting upon a broken relationship marred by empty sex on “Window”. She also incorporates broader social issues into quite a few songs, such as the exploitation of black artists on “no name” and “Blaxploitation” and the connection between gentrification and police brutality on “Prayer Song”, all of which are perfectly executed, with every word being delivered with urgency and passion.
The production on Room 25 is immaculate, featuring tons of organic drums and bass along with gorgeous orchestral strings that are not only a very welcome change in sonic direction, but give these songs the serene beauty they need to perfectly complement Noname’s pillowy vocals. Her reference to D’Angelo on “Don’t Forget About Me” is a rather fitting one, considering that the live instrumentation throughout this album eerily reminds me of his excellent 2014 album Black Messiah at times, albeit slightly more stripped back. The neo-soul influence doesn’t stop there though, as guest vocalists Phoelix and Adam Ness contribute soulful vocals to numerous tracks, adding a lot to the beauty to the album and enhancing the message of their respective songs. The features from Smino and Saba on “Ace”, as well as Benjamin Earl Turner on “Part of Me” are very enjoyable as well, and showcase solid flows and lyricism from all three.
It was recently announced that Noname is the first woman to receive the highest yearly album score on aggregate review site Metacritic, and while it wasn’t placed the highest on this here list (although #7 clearly ain’t bad), and I wouldn’t argue against any album in my top 10 nabbing a #1 spot elsewhere, I don’t think there has been a single album released this year that I would be happier to see receive such a high honor. For a truly independent hip-hop artist to be recognized the way Noname has over the past few months is absolutely phenomenal, and it’s all due to her unrelenting determination and undeniable talent that she has made the most of throughout her career thus far. I recently wrote an essay discussing the presence and promotion of women participating in hip-hop, and while in the writing process, I couldn’t stop referencing Noname’s music for inspiration and ideas — even using “Don’t Forget About Me” as a working title — because what she’s doing right now is something very special. She’s easily one of the best rappers in the game at the moment, the amount of hard work she puts into her independent hustle is rivaled by none, and, during a time in which women are still largely kept out of the conversation, is proving that there is ample space for more than one woman in the collective mind of the hip-hop community. For these things alone, Fatimah deserves every bit of the acclaim she’s received and more, and it helps that the album itself happens to be quite wonderful.
Y’all really thought a bitch couldn’t rap, huh?
Favorite tracks: Window, Don’t Forget About Me, no name
6
SOPHIE
OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES
There are two personalities to this excellent record: one where SOPHIE provides an ambient backdrop for her stunningly delicate voice to create a blissful array of sounds, on which she details her struggles with revealing herself not only as a public figure within the electronic music scene — having been notoriously camera-shy for her entire career up until this point — but also as a trans woman to a world that formerly misgendered and criticized her for “feminine appropriation”. While this came years before she went public with her transition in late 2017 with the release of the music video for “It’s Okay to Cry” (marking the first public display of her face and voice), it’s made clear in numerous songs throughout this album that such perception of transgender identity has left a mark on her psyche. Songs like “Is It Cold In the Water?” see SOPHIE hesitating to step into the public eye, while “It’s Okay to Cry” reads to me like a comforting response to the aforementioned track (despite preceding it in the tracklist) by presenting an accepting perspective and extending a hand to the fearful part of herself. The penultimate track “Immaterial”, SOPHIE’s unique take on an insanely bouncy and fun pop tune, is the sole outlier to this album’s sonic dichotomy, but continues the thematic narrative by proposing a world free of physical or material identity, with her repetitions of “I could be anything I want” and “I can’t be held down” displaying an unbound sense of freedom.
THEN THERE’S THE FUTURISTIC INDUSTRIAL BANGERS PERSONALITY OF THIS ALBUM, NAMELY “PONYBOY”, “FACESHOPPING”, “WHOLE NEW WORLD/PRETEND WORLD” AND KINDA “NOT OKAY” TOO. I REALLY CAN’T HELP BUT DO ALL CAPS ON THIS PART, SORRY IF THAT’S A PROBLEM. THESE SONGS SOUND LIKE IF YOU HAD YOUR GUTS RIPPED OUT OF YOUR BODY AND YOU’RE FORCED TO WATCH AS THEY’RE THROWN INTO A SHREDDER WHILE THEY STILL HANG ONTO YOUR BODY BY A SINGLE ARTERY. THAT’S PROBABLY NOT ANATOMICALLY CORRECT BUT I DON’T CARE, THESE SONGS ARE INTENSE AND MAKE ME WANT TO CHOKE SOMEONE OR START PARTAKING IN BDSM ACTIVITIES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I LOVE THESE SONGS SO MUCH. THE TRANSITION FROM THE SLOW AND BLISSFUL “IT’S OKAY TO CRY” TO THE IMMEDIATELY INSANE “PONYBOY” TO THE “FACESHOPPING” INTRO WHICH IS KINDA SUBDUED BUT THEN THE BEAT DROPS AND THE SONG GOES CRAZY AND BACK INTO SLOW TERRITORY WITH “IS IT COLD IN THE WATER?” MAKES THE FIRST HALF OF THIS ALBUM FEEL LIKE I’M IN THE FRONT ROW OF SHEIKRA AND I LOVE IT. “WNW/PW” CLOSES THIS ALBUM AND IS NINE MINUTES AND SIX SECONDS OF UNADULTERATED HELL BUT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT THIS SONG AND “FACESHOPPING” BOTH EXPAND UPON THE LYRICAL SENTIMENT OF “IMMATERIAL”, WITH THE FORMER IMAGINING A PROGRESSIVE NEW WORLD THAT TURNS OUT TO BE A FACADE, AND THE LATTER EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF VISIBILITY AND SELLING ONESELF THROUGH THEIR OWN FACE AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE. SO LIKE….THE BANGERS HAVE MEANING TOO. REALLY GREAT ELECTRONIC RECORD.
Favorite tracks: Ponyboy, Faceshopping, Immaterial
5
Parquet Courts
In a modern musical landscape full of albums that would fit perfectly on r/im14andthisisdeep, Wide Awake! is a refreshing exception, as its smart and nuanced look at the modern sociopolitical climate is one that we very much needed. The album kicks off with “Total Football”, an excellent look at (cliffhanger!)
4
JPEGMAFIA
3
Janelle Monáe
Before the rollout of this album began, I knew Janelle for her excellent acting roles in both 2016’s Hidden Figures and Moonlight more than I did her music, which she had built her career on for the past decade or so. Despite enjoying quite a few songs from her 2010 album The ArchAndroid, I never dove all too deep into her somewhat short discography; yet when I caught word that she released two lead singles (“Make Me Feel” and “Django Jane”) to build towards her upcoming album earlier this year, I immediately gave them a listen and was blown away. The former was a funky and unbelievably catchy pop tune with a TON of Prince influence and the latter featured her….. rapping? This stylistic change initially caught me off guard, but it didn’t take long at all for me to fall in love with her bars and flow on the track. The next single “Pynk” was released a couple months later and I was hooked. The morning of the album’s release a few weeks later, I immediately bought myself a digital copy (in 2018? What a novel idea.) and didn’t regret a single penny.
There’s a lot to love about Dirty Computer. The album offers up plenty of variety in its tracklist, with some excellent emotional ballads at the end of the record to provide a cool-down from the energetic and catchy tunes that preceded them, as well as a few more great rap verses peppered throughout the first half of the album to add to the mix. Janelle’s lyrics throughout Dirty Computer detail her journey through sexual self-discovery, love, and empowerment, but also themes of fear and prejudice towards the end of the record. Every chorus on this album is insanely catchy, the instrumentals are funky fun, and the verses are consistently sharp and ooze of an infectious sense of swagger. Many of the record’s deep cuts live up to the high standard set by the excellent singles, including “Screwed”, which boasts one of the album’s best hooks, and ballads “Don’t Judge Me” and “So Afraid”, both featuring powerful vocal performances from Monáe and embodying their titles. The closing track “Americans” targets the hypocrisy of racist and misogynistic traditions within the US of A and concludes with an uplifting speech promoting inclusion and progress.
Dirty Computer proves Monáe as a true Jane-of-all-trades and is an album that 2018 needed, a beautiful artistic statement from an admirably powerful queer black woman that has a lot to say, yet doesn’t sacrifice being an irresistibly fun experience.
Favorite tracks: Screwed, Django Jane, Make Me Feel
2
Kids See Ghosts
I had honestly never expected to hate an album so much. The scars left from the complete dumpster fire that was Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven less than three years earlier seemed irreparable. Kanye’s solo album, released just a week before, was an utter disappointment. While the pair’s chemistry had always been undeniable, something just seemed off. Their collaboration on ye’s “Ghost Town” (which has admittedly grown on me since its release) was even overshadowed by an excellent performance from newcomer 070 Shake. With these factors in mind, I had very little desire to go out of my way, while in the middle of a family vacation, to listen to this album. Then a little birdie swooped by and told me this album was very good. So despite my doubts, I had to try this thing out. Boy howdy, I was wrong.
It didn’t take long for me to hear what I had been missing out on. This album, despite sticking to the 7-track formula that the Wyoming rap projects abided by, manages to fit in some of Kanye’s best verses and performances of his entire career. He delivers many of his bars on here with a refreshing sense of urgency and honesty, take these for instance:
“I was off the chain, I was often drained
I was off the meds,I was called insane
What an awesome thing, engulfed in shame
I want all the rain, I want all the pain”
Of course, it’s not always this personal: he dishes out his fair share of ridiculous shouts, ad-libs and other Kanyeisms that have plagued a number of his songs as of late, but on here they come off much more energetic than obnoxious. His production on this album is top-notch throughout, with every instrumental having its own unique flavor to it, whether it be the roaring guitars on “Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)”, the more subdued, acoustic guitar on “Cudi Montage”, or the classic soul sample chops on “4th Dimension”. Kanye’s singing on this album may be one of the biggest surprises up his sleeve however, as while he doesn’t put it on display often, he seems to have made some major improvements in the vocal department. While he’s no closer to having Frank Ocean’s voice as someone higher on this list may be, Ye certainly holds his own and comes through with a passionate performance to conclude the album on “Cudi Montage”.
While I admittedly don’t have quite as much to say about Cudi’s contributions to this album, as 1. I’ve been following Kanye much closer for a much longer time and 2. he only takes the role of a performer and not a producer, I should note that this is basically his album. He really steals the show here, and leaves me wondering how this is the same guy who made “The Return of Chip Douglas”. Scott delivers his usual brand of signature hums throughout much of this album, but keeps things fresh with a set of rap verses ranging from fiery on “Fire” to ghostly on “Kids See Ghosts” and wonderfully serene and heartfelt vocal performances on every track here. There’s some meme floating around the interwebs somewhere that depicts a child being comforted by Kermit the Frog and Kermit represents Cudi’s hums. That’s basically how I feel whenever I listen to “Reborn”. After years of disappointments, Scott Mescudi has finally fully realized his artistic potential.
There isn’t much room for guests on the seven tracks here, but those who manage to make it in definitely deliver some solid performances. Pusha T’s verse to open the album is simply Push doing what Push does best, Yasiin Bey pops up to deliver a solid chorus and bridge on the title track, and Ty Dolla $ign proves why he’s one of the premier feature artists in hip-hop with some orgasmic harmonies on “Freeee”.
This is a really great collection of songs. The combination of emotional highs and lows on display give this album a complete feel despite its short runtime, and like Daytona and the many other relatively brief albums on this list, Kids See Ghosts makes repeat listens easy and even more fun with each listen. Kanye and Cudi prove once again that they have the best chemistry of just about any duo in hip-hop, as the two truly brought the best out of each other here, and while it still shocks me that this album managed to be this good — especially considering how the music Kanye has been involved with since has ranged from mediocre to embarrassing — you won’t find me complaining.
Favorite tracks: 4th Dimension, Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2), Reborn
1
Car Seat Headrest
Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
In the numerous long drives I took going from Tallahassee to St. Pete throughout this semester, I made it a mission to finally get around to some of the longer albums that I had been meaning to give a listen to, but was putting off due to their daunting length and my diminishing attention span. Twin Fantasy was one of these albums, and much like when I held off on watching my VHS copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey to experience the restored 70mm version of the film at an IMAX theater this past summer, there was no better setting in which I could’ve listened to this for the first time. The feelings of existential dread and loneliness that came with enduring the first two months of college, as well as the solace of knowing that I would soon reunite with the people I love most, made this the perfect album to accompany my reflective stares into the passing wilderness.
As the majority of frontman Will Toledo’s raw, youthful lyrics from the 2011 version of the album remain in their original state, their poignancy and emotional weight is maintained to create a depressing yet beautiful portrait of the tail end of his adolescence. There are so many lyrical moments on this album that I’ve fallen in love with:
“I am almost completely soulless/I am incapable of being human/I am incapable of being inhuman/I am living uncontrollably”
“It should be called anti-depression/As a friend of mine suggested/Because its not the sadness that hurts you/It’s the brain’s reaction against it”
“We said we hated humans/We wanted to be humans”
“The ocean washed over your grave/The ocean washed open your grave”
and those are just from one song. Typing them out doesn’t do them any justice however, as it’s the emotion that goes into how the lines are delivered that make them even better.
This is a thematically dense album with lyrics detailing Will’s experiences with depression, queer love, humanity, loneliness, and so much more. There’s a lot to take in with this album, but it never feels overbearing, as the band strikes a perfect balance between emotional highs and lows throughout the tracklist and delivers a ton of undeniably infectious moments even when the lyrics are at their most anxious and dejected. Never before would I have thought that “I don’t want to go insane/I don’t want to have schizophrenia” would be one of the most fun musical moments of 2018 on an album so personal, but therein lies the magic of Will Toledo.
As for the music itself, this album sounds amazing. It maintains much of the lo-fi aesthetic of the original album without actually sounding all that lo-fi, having gotten rid of the distracting muddy mixes in favor of some really crisp instrumentation as well as a consistently strong vocal presence by Toledo. As far as his performances on this album go…..damn. His voice, while may not have the youthfulness at 25 that it did at 19, is just as raw and so much clearer, which allows him to showcase the beauty of his voice on every track here, whether he’s delivering his vocals in a softer register or really testing his chords. That’s another thing: the range with which he delivers his lines is astounding. One second, he’ll be yelling his brains out and the next he’s on his spoken word shit. So much passion goes into what he’s saying on this album, to the point where I feel like I’m being immersed in his emotions on many of these songs.
Many of the tracks here reach at least one massive crescendo, and they are done to absolute perfection just about every single time. The vocal and instrumental climaxes are what kept bringing me back to this album upon my first few listens, and they keep getting better and better and better and better and better. Forgive me for this ridiculous comparison, but the way some of these tracks are structured, especially the multi-faceted ones which go well over the 10-minute mark, give me slight shades of GY!BE, specifically Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! The different movements and highs-lows within many tracks on Twin Fantasy often complement each other extremely well, and the spoken word outros featured on numerous tracks here would also snugly fit on a Godspeed record. Much like LYSFLATH, Twin Fantasy is one of the rare albums I come across that I can legitimately describe as being so immersive that it becomes transcendental. (UPDATE 3/6/2019 — I asked Will at the Orlando concert if he happened to be a Godspeed fan and he said no. Sadness.)
So yes, this album is fantastic. I don’t think I need to make a somewhat baseless comparison to one of my favorite albums in order to prove that point, as I would hope that everything I’ve already written can speak for itself, but there ya go. This is the greatest experience I’ve had with an album in a very long time, and is easily my favorite album of 2018.
Favorite tracks: Beach Life-in-Death, Bodys, Cute Thing
