Favourite albums - 2018 edition

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings' started by pedalhead, Dec 12, 2018.

  1. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Ok, time to kick off the 2018 best-of list. It's been another pretty good year for album releases imho, and in fact some good'uns being released just this week (I may update my list in the next fortnight).

    These threads can be an excellent way to find great music we may have missed over the year, so please add your own list!


    10. Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage
    https://melodysechochamber.bandcamp.com/album/bon-voyage
    melody.jpg


    9. Nik Bärtsch's Ronin - Awase
    https://roninrhythmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/awase
    Awase.jpg


    8. Alva Noto - Unieqav
    https://soundcloud.com/noton-info/sets/alva-noto-unieqav-noton
    alva noto.jpg


    7. The Essex Green - Hardly Electronic
    https://theessexgreen.bandcamp.com/album/hardly-electronic
    essex green.jpg


    6. Daniel Brandt - Channels
    https://danielbrandt1.bandcamp.com/album/channels
    daniel brandt.jpg


    5. Mitski - Be The Cowboy
    https://mitski.bandcamp.com/album/be-the-cowboy
    mitski.jpg


    4. Leifur James - A Louder Silence
    https://latenighttales.co.uk/products/pre-order-leifur-james-a-louder-silence
    leifur james.jpg


    3. Lubomyr Melnyk - Fallen Trees
    https://lubomyrmelnyk.bandcamp.com/album/fallen-trees
    fallen treesr.jpg


    2. Floex & Tom Hodge - A Portait of John Doe
    https://tomhodge.bandcamp.com/album/a-portrait-of-john-doe
    portrait of john doe.jpg


    1. Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
    https://deafheavens.bandcamp.com/album/ordinary-corrupt-human-love
    deafheaven.jpg

    Honourable mentions (lots!):

    Apex Twin - Collapse
    BLAST - Drifting
    Cavern of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade
    Daniel Blumberg - Minus
    Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
    Dream Wife - s/t
    Fröst - Matters
    Haiku Salut - There is no Elsewhere
    Haru Nemuri - Haru to Shura
    Hiro Kone - Pure Expenditure
    Hot Snakes - Jericho Sirens
    Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
    Ill Considered - An Ill Considered Christmas
    Ital Tek - Bodied
    Jon Hopkins - Singularity
    Klaus Shulze - Silhouettes
    Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears
    MAST - Thelonious Sphere Monk
    Nils Frahm - All Melody
    Noname - Room 25
    Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy - Anchor
    Olafur Arnalds - re:member
    Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of
    Simian Mobile Disco - Murmurations
    Skee Mask - Compro
    Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
    Submotion Orchestra - Kites
    Surf Harp - Mr. Big Picture
    The Jamie Saft Band - Blue Dream
    ZOFFF - FFF
    ZOFFF - IV
     
  2. GTABeancounter

    GTABeancounter Friend

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    I'm the last person that should like this band for lots of reasons, but damn Prequelle by Ghost is the most fun I've had listening to music in a long time. Most certainly in my top 10 .
     
  3. starence

    starence Facebook Friend

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    This one stands out for me. The Sciences by Sleep.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. JoelT

    JoelT Friend

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    No particular order/ranking here, just a few songs from 2018 albums I've enjoyed:

    Low - Double Negative


    Thom Yorke - Suspirium


    Nils Frahm - All Melody


    Hammock - Universalis


    Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth



    Also getting a lot of playtime this year:

    Boygenius EP
    https://xboygeniusx.bandcamp.com/album/boygenius

    Wild Pink - Yolk In the Fur
    https://wildpink.bandcamp.com/album/yolk-in-the-fur

    Tomberlin - At Weddings
    https://tomberlin.bandcamp.com/album/at-weddings

    Masayoshi Fujita - Book of Life
    https://masayoshifujita.bandcamp.com/album/book-of-life

    S. Carey - Hundred Acres
    https://scarey.bandcamp.com/album/hundred-acres

    Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
    https://wyeoak.bandcamp.com/album/the-louder-i-call-the-faster-it-runs

    Saintseneca - Pillar of Na
    https://saintseneca.bandcamp.com/album/pillar-of-na

    Amen Dunes - Freedom
    https://amendunes.bandcamp.com/album/freedom

    Toe - Our Lates Number
    https://toe-music.bandcamp.com/album/our-latest-number-3
     
  5. marflao

    marflao Acquaintance

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    Some of my favourite´s this years:

    DJ Koze - Knock Knock
    https://pamparecords.com/products/pampacd013-knock-knock-cd

    Groeni - Nihx
    https://projectmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/nihx

    1954 - A Part of Me
    https://projectmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/a-part-of-me

    A.A.L. (Against All Logic) - 2012-2017
    https://soundcloud.com/aal-sc/sets/2012-2017-1

    Long Arm - Darkly
    https://projectmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/darkly

    Recondite - Daemmerlicht
    https://bleep.com/release/94822-recondite-daemmerlicht

    Robot Koch - Sphere
    https://therealrobotkoch.bandcamp.com/album/sphere

    Thanks again to @Schopenhauer who pointed me to the "Project Mooncircle" label (I could also mention their other 2018 releases such as Mitch von Arx & Takeleave) ;-)
     
  6. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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  7. GTABeancounter

    GTABeancounter Friend

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    From rollingstone... "With freight-train heavy riffs so indebted to Sabbath's Tony Iommi that he should get royalties, trippy lyrics about diverse subjects such as weed, ganja and pot,..." :D
     
  8. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

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  9. Highfilter

    Highfilter New

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    Heavy/Dark Goodness

    Author & Punisher - Beastland
    https://authorandpunisher.bandcamp.com/album/beastland

    Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch
    https://nin.lnk.to/BadWitch

    Jesus Piece - Only Self
    https://jesuspiecesl.bandcamp.com/releases

    Death Grips - Year Of The Snitch
    https://soundcloud.com/deathgrips/sets/year-of-the-snitch-1

    Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
    https://deafheavens.bandcamp.com/album/ordinary-corrupt-human-love


    Electronica

    Rival Consoles - Persona
    https://rivalconsoles.bandcamp.com/album/persona

    Richard Devine - Sort\Lave
    https://richarddevine.bandcamp.com/album/sort-lave

    Current Value - Consequences
    https://methlabagency.bandcamp.com/album/consequences-ep

    Lorn - Remnant
    https://lorn.bandcamp.com/album/remnant

    Arp - ZEBRA
    https://arpetc.bandcamp.com/album/zebra

    Jóhann Jóhannsson - Mandy (OST)
    https://mandysoundtrack.bandcamp.com/

    Tim Hecker - Konoyo
    https://timhecker.bandcamp.com/album/konoyo


    Rock/Indie

    Protomartyr - Consolation
    https://protomartyr.bandcamp.com/album/consolation-e-p

    Preoccupations - New Material
    https://preoccupations.bandcamp.com/album/new-material

    Idles - Joy As An Act Of Resistance
    https://idlesband.bandcamp.com/album/joy-as-an-act-of-resistance

    A Place To Bury Strangers - Pinned
    https://aplacetoburystrangers.bandcamp.com/album/pinned

    Mogwai - Kin (OST)
    https://temporaryresidence.bandcamp.com/album/kin

    Beach House - 7
    https://beachhouse.bandcamp.com/album/7

    Suuns - Felt
    https://suuns.bandcamp.com/album/felt

    Low - Double Negative
    https://lowtheband.bandcamp.com/album/double-negative
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2018
  10. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    This year has been a mixed bag.

    Janelle Monae's "Dirty Computer" is a really good album this year.

    A lot of Tycho lately. I play his albums (old and new) when studying or during my train commute.
     
  11. Schopenhauer

    Schopenhauer Big Boobs, Big Grin

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    Glad to be of service, @marflao ! I was listening to Long Arm's Darkly just last night. "Sleepy Bird" is a standout track. 1954's A Part of Me is one of the better albums I've heard this year.

    I also enjoyed:

    Matmos's Wide Open Spaces;

    Tristan De Liege's Kosame;

    Submotion Orchestra's Kites;

    Feverkin's Calendar Project;

    and Dahlia's Tear's Through the Nightfall Grandeur.
     
  12. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    A.A.L (Against All Logic)- 2002-2017
    J. Mascis- Elastic days
    Floex & Tom Hodge - A Portait of John Doe
    How to Dress Well- The Anteroom
    Saåad- Présence Absente
    Tim Hecker- Konoyo
    Good Luck In Death- They Promised Us a Bright Future, We Were Content with an Obscure Past
    J. Cole- KOD
    Aphex Twin- Collapse
    Aaron Martin- Touches dissolves
    Grouper- Grid of points
    DJ Healer- Nothing 2 lose
    Rival Consoles - Persona
    Ben Rath- Anything is possible
    Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever- Hope downs
    Low- Double negative
     
  13. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Excellent, this is exactly the purpose of this thread. Enjoy! :)

    Great list! Thanks for the Rival Consoles reminder, I forgot to put that on my list. Great stuff, quite a different direction for him but all the better for it imho.

    Great to see someone else enjoyed this one. I've not seen much chatter out there about it, but it's a real gem.

    Cheers!
     
  14. winterfog

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    Really appreciate all the recommendations in this thread. Here's some stuff I liked this year that hasn't been mentioned yet:

    All Them Witches - ATW
    https://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/album/atw

    Blues-inflected desert rock. After their (IMO unsuccessful) experiment with larger-scale production and a lighter mood in last year's Sleeping Through The War, this album saw All Them Witches stripping back down to basics. The result is an album that's bluesier than anything they've recorded before, with some songs (like 1st vs. 2nd) sounding like homages to the psychedelic blues of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. There's an improvisational feel to this album, but this is still a band that cares deeply about the tone of their instruments and the clarity of their recordings. Favorite tracks: Workhorse, Diamond, Harvest Feast.

    King Buffalo - Longing To Be The Mountain
    https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/longing-to-be-the-mountain

    Space/psychedelic rock. The sophomore LP following 2016's Orion... this album is better. A key addition is production by Ben McLeod of All Them Witches, who is likely responsible for a big improvement in the tone of the recorded instruments. Unfortunately something about the mastering of this album still makes the dynamics sound somewhat squashed to me. Nevertheless, impressive and transporting stuff. Favorite tracks: Cosmonaut, Eye Of The Storm, Sun Shivers, Longing To Be The Mountain.

    S U R V I V E - RR7400 : LA041717
    https://survive.bandcamp.com/album/rr7400-la041717

    Live analog synth mastery from the guys behind the Stranger Things soundtrack. This album is a live-in-studio performance in the vein of the Peel Sessions. It started out as a Record Store Day limited release, but apparently someone realized it was too good to keep limited, so it's available as a "name your price" download on Bandcamp. Their sound on this live recording is more direct, rougher, and more "real" than the too-clean sound on their previous studio release, RR7349, and I much prefer this album. Favorite tracks: Floating Cube, Cutthroat, Copter.

    Mitch Murder - Hardwired
    https://mitchmurder.bandcamp.com/album/hardwired

    Short EP of cyberpunk synthwave jams. The heavier tracks can be a perfect soundtrack for DOOM, as seen above. Other tracks have "that Blade Runner feeling." Nothing much more to say... if you like that, it's for you.

    OGRE - Ballard (DATA068)
    https://ogresound.bandcamp.com/album/ballard-data068

    Synthwave soundtracks to two 80's sci-fi films that never existed. OGRE has taken two earlier EPs based on two short stories by J.G. Ballard and condensed/reworked them into a single two-side LP. Ominous mood music made with analog synths. Reminiscent of the work of John Carpenter or Tangerine Dream.
     
  15. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Good stuff! I also enjoyed that OGRE release
     
  16. iFi audio

    iFi audio MOT iFi Audio

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  17. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    A Perfect Circle "Eat The Elephant" is my album of the year for 2018.

     
  18. Lasollor

    Lasollor Friend

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    My favorites from 2018 without any particular order:

    Bill Friselle - Music IS
    Amanda Ginsburg - Jag har funderat pa en sak
    Caroline Davis - Heart Tonic
    Blast - Drifting
    Chromatics - Camera
    Fatoumata Diawara - Fenfo
    Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow - Ejdeha
    Lera Lynn - Plays well with Others
    Mary Halvorson - The Maid with the Flaxen Hair
    Tommy Emmanuel - Accomplice One
    Tryve Seim - Helsinki Songs
    Aruan Ortiz Trio Live in Zurich
    Melody Gardot - Live in Europe
    Glen Hansard - Between Two Shores
    Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret - Other Side of Air
     
  19. Sounds Major

    Sounds Major New

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    There is a lot of quality music to discover in these lists; thanks a lot, folks.

    My two favorite releases of the year have been two albums by Moog genius Mort Garson by Rubellan Remasters. The fellow running the label found the master tapes and did an amazing digitization of the albums. I've listened to them on vinyl for nearly thirty years but the sound quality of the CDs is spectacular.

    Ataraxia, the Unexplained


    Black Mass by Lucifer
     
  20. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    ill add

    36- circuit bloom
    bvdub-drowning in daylight
    earth house hold never forget us
    Anna Von Hausswolff – Dead Magic
    Siavash Amini & Matt Finney – Gospel
     

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