bgillesp's 2018 Albums of the Year pt. 1
First 61 are loosely ranked (3.75+), the rest is stuff that just deserves a mention. Top 101 to come soon. **Format** rating.score (description) number-of-listens |
| 101 |  | VOLA
Applause of a Distant Crowd
Applause (not the greatest modern prog metal band, but at least this was a lot better than Haken's self indulgence) 1 |
| 100 |  | Lupe Fiasco
DROGAS Wave
(had this been trimmed to an hour it would've been pushing for rap AOTY) 1 |
| 99 |  | Lil Wayne
Tha Carter V
(some killer bangers but even more props for the emotional tracks, a bit too long to keep interesting throughout but a great release nonetheless) 2 |
| 98 |  | Black Tusk
TCBT
(heavy post hardcore from a Dewi list) 1 |
| 97 |  | Zevious
Lowlands
(super awesome concept of sound, but something is off in recording or production that leaves it a little too flat, really nice genre-bending going on though) 1 |
| 96 |  | Peter Bjorn and John
Darker Days
(just some simple but good h*ckin fun) 4 |
| 95 |  | Avatar
Avatar Country
(yeah they went too overboard on the antics and neglected the songwriting a bit here but I still love their sounds and there are some gems still here) 5 |
| 94 |  | Sithu Aye
Homebound
(really close to a 4 because it's all quite good, but absolutely none of it felt new or innovative) 1 |
| 93 |  | Mazzy Star
Still
(dream pop EP that's quite calming and underrated) 1 |
| 92 |  | Low
Double Negative
(really chill and fuzzy sound but beyond the sound I didn't get too much out of it) 1 |
| 91 |  | Thou
Inconsolable
(I really like the acoustic sound switch up) 1 |
| 90 |  | Un
Sentiment
(really nice funeral doom, but the vibe from the vox wasn't quite in my direction) 1 |
| 89 |  | Kingnomad
The Great Nothing
(a sort of Ghost style doom that rivals Prequelle pretty well) 1 |
| 88 |  | Zeal and Ardor
Stranger Fruit
(blackened blues rock?, was pretty cool but some of the songwriting choices just didn't work, these guys are onto something though) 1 |
| 87 |  | Black Milk
Fever
(nice rap album with a bunch of jazzy bass) 1 |
| 86 |  | Kamelot
The Shadow Theory
(really nice symphonic power metal, they've still got it even if it isn't another Epica) 1 |
| 85 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Prequelle
(none of the awesome anthems of Meliora but still a solid release) 2 |
| 84 |  | Sojourner
The Shadowed Road
(one of the better atmospheric black metal acts I've listened to with an improvement on their debut) 1 |
| 83 |  | Lydia
Liquor
(I just love these vox so much) 1 |
| 82 |  | Mike Shinoda
Post Traumatic
(both album and EP, glad he's staying strong) 2ea |
| 81 |  | The Absence
A Gift for the Obsessed
(like In Flames' early days..... almost) 1 |
| 80 |  | Meshell Ndegeocello
Ventriloquism
(some dream poppy soul music that is really quite an interesting combination, unfortunately the songwriting isn't quite as amazing but definitely isn't bad) 1 |
| 79 |  | Senses Fail
If There Is Light, It Will Find You
(t/t absolutely slays and the rest is good but not quite as much) 2 |
| 78 |  | Umphrey's McGee
It's Not Us
(both included, another one of those really close ones, some awesome songs, some not so much, still has double album syndrome in that regard even though they tried to pass it off as truly separate releases) 1/1 |
| 77 |  | GoGo Penguin
A Humdrum Star
(really pretty atmosphere that made me love the album, but I still recognize it is a bit formulaic) 1 |
| 76 |  | No Age
Snares Like A Haircut
(just short of that 4, liked it pretty consistent) 1 |
| 75 |  | A Perfect Circle
Eat the Elephant
(a little boring at times but surprisingly not in others) 1 |
| 74 |  | Thievery Corporation
Treasures from the Temple
(yeah they've done better but this is an improvement over last year and pretty enjoyable, despite and maybe because of its simplicity) 1 |
| 73 |  | Soundtrack (Film)
Black Panther
(some great songs from the better performers but some weak ones from some of the less skilled ones) 2 |
| 72 |  | blessthefall
Hard Feelings
(one of the Rise-core bands that actually had some good music comes in with a slight sound shift that keeps them relevant and respectable) 2 |
| 71 |  | Robert Lowe
I Was Sober
(acoustic emo stuff from our own staffer Treb, great guitar work) 1 |
| 70 |  | Boring Bathtimes
Pillar of Earth
(transitioning to a heavier neofolk with much of the same atmosphere of previous releases brings a new life to this project that I really enjoyed, Sput-OTY) 1 |
| 69 |  | TesseracT
Sonder
(best thing they've done since One and a logical progression) 2 |
| 68 |  | Corrosion of Conformity
No Cross No Crown
(as close to modern day sabbath as we can get probably) 1 |
| 67 |  | Between the Buried and Me
Automata I
(both included, am I the only one who thought Coma was way better than this? they phoned it in a bit on this one but it's still pretty good, part II better than I) 2ea |
| 66 |  | Hot Snakes
Jericho Sirens
(really short but really cool noisy punk stuff, t/t rules) 2 |
| 65 |  | Underoath
Erase Me
(really close to being really great, but just a bit too generic in some spots for the 4, shut up haters) 1 |
| 64 |  | Turnstile
Time and Space
(am angery, gonna screm about it, in a fun way) 2 |
| 63 |  | Iceage
Beyondless
(unshaven and drunken [post]punk, thanks butcherboy) 2 |
| 62 |  | Polyphia
New Levels New Devils
(still super obnoxious and cocky but also drastically more mature than anything they've put out so far, some amazing jams but it gets a little samey by the end) 2 |
| 61 |  | The Beths
Future Me Hates Me
3.75 (some female fronted pop-punk, one of the few NPR got kinda right this year) 1 |
| 60 |  | Balun
Prisma tropical
3.75 (pretty little Spanish electronic dream/indie pop) 1 |
| 59 |  | Brandi Carlile
By the Way, I Forgive You
3.75 (impressive songwriting and lyrics of a strong independent country woman) 2 |
| 58 |  | Saxon
Thunderbolt
3.75 (better than Iron Maiden's recent output, *gasp*, blasphemous I know) 1 |
| 57 |  | Haley Heynderickx
I Need to Start a Garden
3.75 (indie folk with an almost Punk attitude and country flair, real nice) 1 |
| 56 |  | Ought
Room Inside The World
3.75 (Papi-core with unique vox, not immediately evident to me what makes this blow your mind, but it is good) 2 |
| 55 |  | A.A.L. (Against All Logic)
2012-2017
3.75 (I loved the funky elements in this, didn't demand my attention throughout though, but that may be my own fault) 1 |
| 54 |  | Infected Mushroom
Head of NASA and the 2 Amish Boys
3.75 (super Mario takes some psychedelic shrooms and hits up the dance club) 1 |
| 53 |  | Lambsbreath
Drama
3.75 (Potsy is gone from here, at least until recently, and gone from this band but they still do okay without him,..... just not as good) 2 |
| 52 |  | Alice in Chains
Rainier Fog
3.75 (such a freaking consistent band, nothing to blow you away but no dull moment either) 2 |
| 51 |  | Harakiri for the Sky
Arson
3.75 (they've always been limited a bit by their own sound having a repetitive quality but they work through that into something more here, especially in the back half) 1 |
| 50 |  | Omnium Gatherum
The Burning Cold
3.75 (super overblown and cheesy but it's still really good for what it is) 1 |
| 49 |  | Sun June
Years
3.75 (super relaxing indie folk) 1 |
| 48 |  | Fragments of Unbecoming
The Everhaunting Past: Chapter IV A Splendid Retro
3.75 (nothing new but some well done melodeath for sure) 1 |
| 47 |  | Rosehall
The First Requisite Is Life
3.75 (really didn't like this at first but it grew on me big time, thanks Sowing) 2 |
| 46 |  | Nightmares On Wax
Shape the Future
3.75 (some beautifully chill trip-hop, Citizen Kane is a killer track) 2 |
| 45 |  | They Might Be Giants
I Like Fun
3.75 (It starts off pretty rough, going a bit too far on the obnoxiously ironic humor, but it comes around to make a ridiculously fun album overall) 1 |
| 44 |  | Car Seat Headrest
Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
3.75 (very good sound and writing, but overbearing at times) 1 |
| 43 |  | Augury
Illusive Golden Age
3.75 (just some good ol metal) 1 |
| 42 |  | Black Fast
Spectre of Ruin
3.75 (Vektor lite but not a bad replacement, thanks Dewi) 1 |
| 41 |  | Okkervil River
In The Rainbow Rain
3.8 (really fun indie folk record with all the feelz good vibezzz) 2 |
| 40 |  | Snail's House
L'été
3.8 (just some super pretty jazzy kinda stuff) 1 |
| 39 |  | Exterminatus
Laniakea
3.8 (super cheesy DM but it does its job really well) 1 |
| 38 |  | Tash Sultana
Flow State
3.8 (a one-person band with some incredibly interesting sounds and production, they have an interesting story and tons of potential, but the songwriting could use a little more development which leads me to really look forward to their future work) 1 |
| 37 |  | Laurel Halo
Raw Silk Uncut Wood
3.8 (I'm not normally an ambient fan but this was rather engaging if that can be said of an album like this) 1 |
| 36 |  | Conjurer
Mire
3.8 (blackened everything) 1 |
| 35 |  | Violet Cold
Sommermorgen (Pt. I) - Innocence
3.8 (all 3 combined cuz screw the alternative, background music OTY, forreal though this is some pretty stuff) 1 each |
| 34 |  | Foxing
Nearer My God
3.8 (nice and intense, but nothing all that different in my opinion) 2 |
| 33 |  | Alkaloid
Liquid Anatomy
3.8 (great songwriting, great instrumentation, cool solos, but somehow it feels a bit tired) 1 |
| 32 |  | Earl Sweatshirt
Some Rap Songs
3.8 (really hazy sound that works well for the most part but kinda comes off as tired in spots) 1 |
| 31 |  | Night Verses
From the Gallery of Sleep
3.85 (so Djent elements done at an okay level in an instrumental mathy album are cool now?, anyways, the majority of this is still real good but it overstays it's welcome and there's been better) 2 |
| 30 |  | serpentwithfeet
soil
3.85 (creative RnB from a great vocalist, thanks Papi) 1 |
| 29 |  | Allelic
The Smoke of Atavistic Fires
3.85 (really freaking good sound and blend of folk and metal but I never could get the opener to click with me at all) 1 |
| 28 |  | Niño de Elche
Antología Del Cante Flamenco Heterodoxo
3.85 (more from the new flamenco legend, great stuff but way too long) 1 |
| 27 |  | Evoken
Hypnagogia
3.85 (creepy yet calming funeral doom is a vibe I can hang with) 1 |
| 26 |  | The Voidz
Virtue
3.85 (idk if this is anything too special but it does sound pretty unique in the realm of indie rock at least) 1 |
| 25 |  | Black Thought
Streams Of Thought, Vol. 2
3.85 (flows and beats in the first half were a little too samey, but the production was great for the whole thing and the last 2 tracks were killer all around, better than Vol. 1 which also had sameyness issues, I now realize this was an EP but I already posted that) 1 |
| 24 |  | All The Luck In The World
All the Luck in the World
3.85 (Typhoon and Ben Howard worshipers write some great material, but the energy and dynamics aren't, well, dynamic enough, holding a relatively constant level throughout that they are very good at but isn't sustainable for an entire album successfully, thanks Sowing) 2 |
| 23 |  | Seun Kuti
Black Times
3.85 (a poppier version of the afrobeat originated by his father(?) but an excellent display of funk and jazz infused pop sensibilities) 1 |
| 22 |  | Femi Kuti
One People One World
3.85 (jazzy, funky, and socially charged, tracks like the t/t and Equal Opportunity maybe to didactic in their social commentary, but when the music is allowed to reign supreme in Na Their Way Be That or Corruption Na Stealing Kuti shows his true strengths) 2 |
| 21 |  | Kids See Ghosts
Kids See Ghosts
3.85 (guess ye is still competent if he has others to reign him in) 2 |
| 20 |  | Silent Planet
When the End Began
3.85 (yeah there's some genericore in here but it's super well executed throughout, these guys definitely aren't talentless) 1 |
| 19 |  | Get Well Soon
The Horror
3.85 (a bit whimsical but always tasteful, thanks Papi) 1 |
| 18 |  | Haester
All Anchors No Sails
3.85 (most-fitting-album-title-OTY?, this is some nice 'n' heavy post-metal, thanks Sniff) 1 |
| 17 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
POST-
3.85 (really fun rock record with some emo/punk influence, first album dropped in 2018 and my first Rosenstock experience, but it won't be my last) 2 |
| 16 |  | the Collection
Entropy
3.85 (not their best work but still some nice big group indie folk a la Typhoon) 2 |
| 15 |  | Lucy Dacus
Historian
3.85 (I don't really get the Julien Baker comparisons but this is real good) 1 |
| 14 |  | Frontierer
Unloved
3.85 (music was way better than the lyrical structure here, some killer vibes from this metalcore behemoth, too dense to want to jam it often though and that's not a plus) 2 |
| 13 |  | Spaceslug
Eye the Tide
3.85 (really nice stoner doom with the perfect vox to fit the atmosphere) 1 |
| 12 |  | Vein
Errorzone
3.85 (metalcore of the modern days I guess) 2 |
| 11 |  | The Skull Eclipses
The Skull Eclipses
3.85 (flows are pretty one dimensional, but the lyrics are good and the production is seriously top notch) 1 |
| 10 |  | Charles Bradley
Black Velvet
3.85 (that is one soulful, soulful voice) 1 |
| 9 |  | Black Peaks
All That Divides
3.85 (in a year with a ton of generic prog metal, this does just enough differently to be worthwhile) 1 |
| 8 |  | Antarctigo Vespucci
Love in the Time of E-Mail
3.9 (yeah it was fun, don't listen to Sowing, jk) 1 |
| 7 |  | Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour
3.9 (she's got a freaking beautiful voice for country, but the songwriting wasn't aoty quality for me, still very good though) 2 |
| 6 |  | Screaming Females
All At Once
3.9 (a few songs/moments were a bit worn out, but overall a really great effort) 2 |
| 5 |  | Holy Esque
Television / Sweet
3.9 (vox can be just a little off-putting but the songwriting and energy on this one is pretty fun and interesting, thanks Papi) 2 |
| 4 |  | The Onyx Collective
Lower East Suite Part Three
3.9 (jazz album that starts out slow but gets wild by the closer) 1 |
| 3 |  | Hammock
Universalis
3.9 (I just really love Hammock) 2 |
| 2 |  | Drudkh
They Often See Dreams About The Spring
3.9 (my first real exposure to yet another classic band on this list and I definitely enjoyed it enough to want to check out more) 2 |
| 1 |  | Kalmah
Palo
3.9 (best since Black Waltz easily, great power death) 3 |
|
