Top Ten Albums of 2018

Bao Ngo

2018 was...well, it was a year that happened to all of us. These writers are hesitant to say anything optimistic about 2019 for fear of cursing it, but as always, the one thing we look forward to most around these parts is arguing about our favorite records until one of us proposes a cohesive (and, might we add, impeccable) list of the albums that deserve your attention before the new year. Happy holidays, folks, and as always, thanks for reading.

Mitski

Be The Cowboy

Full disclosure: Mitski is no stranger to our list. Her last release, Puberty 2, topped our 2016 list. If that record certified Mitski's independent success, Be the Cowboy is her debut on the big screen. Similar to another record on our list (Porches' The House), Mitski applies extravagant production work to occasionally minimalist material, resulting in an incredibly unique listening experience. At times, the album feels like a love letter to both female empowerment in music and artists of the 1990s, tipping its hat to everyone from Alanis Morissette to Bjork and even The Pixies. Often composed around a piano, Mitski highlights the album's arrangements with strings, synthesizers, and horns — a fitting evolution for an album that also moves boldly away from the autobiographical writing of Mitski's past. Still, there's enough vulnerability throughout Be the Cowboy to prove that Mitski is an incredibly powerful writer, regardless of the prompt. — AM

2. Caroline Rose

Loner

It's interesting that Caroline Rose follows Mitski on our End of the Year list, because both artists succeed in similar markets while taking largely separate artistic routes. Both harness the ability to become beacons of alienation and heartbreak, but while Mitski experiments sonically and flirts with moments of high art, Rose is the everywoman, someone who wants to cheer you up as often as she needs cheering up. Loner is largely comprised of standard pop numbers, dressed to the nines with impeccable hooks, synth work, and unique songwriting to boot. As evidenced by the album's unforgettable artwork, Rose never takes herself too seriously, presenting as someone just as playful ("Soul No. 5," "Money") as she is honest ("Getting to Me," "Cry"). The result is a musical prism that blends the likes of Phoenix, Modest Mouse, and Haim into indie-pop that is both refreshingly ambitious and endlessly relatable. — AM

3. Foxing

Nearer My God

There probably isn't another album from 2018 that's as well-constructed as Nearer My God. After multiple listens, the St. Louis emo/post-rock band has seemingly succeeded on everything they set out to do. It's well-calculated, but doesn't show its seams, not for one second lacking the humanity that it also strives for. Dynamic and almost cinematically epic, it shoots for the stars and hits. Cutting from vigorously frantic sections like those in "Gameshark" and the soul-affirming singalongs fit for a cathedral in the album's titular track, it's a tour de force, and a beautiful one at that. Frontman Conor Murphy's delivery transitions from tenderness to grandiose bombast with unmitigated grace. Lofty lyrical themes and motifs dot the record and give it the just the right amount of weight and self-importance without for a moment being insincere. — NW

4. Porches

The House

The House separates itself from a hoard of electronica/R&B-influenced indie-rock by often contradicting itself. It lays luxurious horns or bass tones over otherwise bare-bones arrangements, indulging itself while also showing restraint. This effectively allows Porches to operate in two worlds. It is impressive, then, that mastermind Aaron Maine navigates both of those worlds expertly. Peer and cult figure (SANDY) Alex G lends vocals to the dry, sparse introduction, "Leave The House," moments before Maine bursts into the contagious, M83-esque single, "Find Me." But the album is riddled with eclectic genre-blending, from the sadboy club beats of "Anymore" and "By My Side" to the gorgeous, harmony-laden build of highlight "Country." From all perspectives, The House represents the next logical step for Porches, and hopefully for independent music as a whole. — AM

5. Miya Folick

Premonitions

Anearly perfect indie debut, Premonitions starts off with a whisper and proceeds to build into a lush pop masterpiece. Combining the emotional earnestness and artistic chops of the XX with the fun-loving likability of Marina and the Diamonds, Folick finds her own unique voice and is clearly having a good time doing it. Almost demanding repeated plays, it's an album that will surely inspire countless car singalongs, honest smiles, and shared moments. Addicting and refreshingly invigorating, it's one of the brightest albums of the year, from an artist worth keeping an eye on for years to come. — NW

6. The 1975

A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

It was fascinating to see so many Radiohead comparisons when The 1975 dropped their third and most-realized LP. In concept, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships isn't far from OK Computer, but sonically, it's as trendy and straightforward as anything the polarizing (and widely popular) English quartet have released before. Sandwiched between hip-hop influenced vocal processing and down-to-Earth ballads are moments of true brilliance, such as the '80s retro-pop of "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)" and the devastating bleak, occasionally optimistic "Love It If We Made It." — AM

7. Soccer Mommy

Clean

There were many utterly fantastic artists who shot for a passionate, emotionally evocative confessional this year: Snail Mail, Lucy Dacus, Free Cake For Every Creature, and The Beths to name a few. In a photo-finish, Sophie Allison manages to be perhaps the most enjoyable. It's instantly spellbinding, the 20-year-old Nashvillian's soft voice bursting with strength and fragility at the same time. Finely crafted pop songwriting allows it to sit indelibly in the listeners mind past the subtle delivery of Allison, supremely empathetic and personally affecting. — NW

8. Earl Sweatshirt

Some Rap Songs

The third studio album from Thebe Kgositsile — better known as Earl Sweatshirt — is understated, with a well-earned confidence. With a name as nonchalant as Some Rap Songs, the former Odd Future member gives a wink of false modesty to the listener. Warm and filled with jazzy vibrato, it's an effortless-sounding blend of avant garde hip-hop, the dark, jagged samples looping into a surprising comfort zone. There's a profound intimacy at work, the ever-so-trippy production lulling the listener in for a late-night conversation. — NW

9. Illuminati Hotties

Kiss Yr Frenemies

Infectious and exquisitely fun, the debut from Los Angeles sound engineer Sarah Tudzin has all the trappings of a cult-favorite record. Shifting from high-energy tracks with a novel punchline ("Paying Off the Happiness") to open-hearted emotional reflections ("Patience"), Tudzin and company have made an happily digestible collection packed with their own inside jokes and diary-like admissions. It's a welcoming record, capable of being high energy even at its most lethargic moments. There's a full spectrum of emotions here that are presented honestly. They also sound exquisite. — NW

10. IDLES

Joy As An Act of ReSISTANCE

At first glance, English post-punk phenomenon IDLES may present masculine, but "Samaritans," one of the most striking songs on the band's sophomore LP, sends a different message entirely. "This is why you never see your father cry," frontman Joe Talbot murmurs, before launching into a flipped take on Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl." The band folds progressive ideals into their tense brand of pit-ready rock and roll at every turn, resulting in Joy As An Act of Resistance playing a bit like 2018's loudest protest record. — AM

Nick's Top 10 Runners-Up: Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus, Speedy Ortiz - Twerp Verse, Christine and the Queens - Chris, Lucy Dacus - Historian, Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar, Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour, Hookworms - Microshift, Free Cake for Every Creature - The Bluest Star, DJ Koze - Knock Knock, Wild Pink - Yolk In The Fur

Aaron's Top 10 Runners-Up: Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Pusha T - DAYTONA, Brockhampton - Iridescence, The Sidekicks - Happiness Hours, Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer, Beach House - 7, American Pleasure Club - A Whole Fucking Lifetime of This, Mac Miller - Swimming, An Autumn for Crippled Children - The Light of, The Carters - Everything Is Love