2018 Albums • Page 8

February in Review:
This month in music was hectic because I participated in the Music Writers Exercise, a daily challenge to listen to one album that I've personally overlooked and write a tweet about it. That's 28 new-to-me albums (check out my list here). My favorites from #MWE were classics like Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, Joni Mitchell's Hejira (finally!), Steely Dan's Katy Lied, The Fugees' The Score, and Daft Punk's Discovery. Definitely felt like a lot to take on, but I heard some incredible music that I've missed out on and expanded my knowledge. On the other hand, I listened to ~50 albums this month; wayyyy more than usual and makes it difficult to retain anything. Luckily, some truly indelible records sunk their teeth into me and wouldn't let go.

My first possible-AOTY find of the year was Brian Fallon's Sleepwalkers, a stunningly confident set of songs from a man who's written a ton of them already... songs like "Proof of Life" and "Watson" derive so much power from the weight of his personal history and catalog. Some of my highly-anticipated 2018 albums delivered, such as Caroline Rose's LONER (anthems like "Jeannie Becomes A Mom" should go OFF on the summer festival circuit) and Rhye's Blood (their first album in five years feels like they spent the whole time stewing on a stovetop). At the same time, projects like Burna Boy and American Pleasure Club snuck up and hit me over the head with brilliant, inventive sound.

Saw my first great show in 2018 at World Cafe Live with Phoebe Bridgers... her stunning voice had me going back to her project from last year and re-evaluating how great the songwriting is. (Technically, I haven't finished my 2017 EOTY list yet lol.) The show opener, Soccer Mommy, came off a bit sleepy on stage, but her new album Clean has been on repeat ever since. That record and the new Camp Cope album both have this great feminist venom that bleeds through on almost every track. I would love to put together an updated Lilith Fair-type festival with all of the incredible female musicians that are out right now.

Hopefully I can slow down a little bit next month and just jam some of this February stuff some more. (Spoiler alert: I'm writing this a few days into March and that doesn't seem likely. The journey continues!)

Top 2018 albums of the month:
Soccer Mommy, Caroline Rose, Brian Fallon, Camp Cope

Recommended Songs I discovered this month:
Jade Bird - "Lottery"
MGMT - "Me and Michael"
Soccer Mommy - "Last Girl"
Burna Boy - "Sekkle Down"
Kim Petras - "I Don't Want It At All"
Brian Fallon - "Proof of Life"

 

update

 

if you cant tell ive been listening to a lot of extreme metal lately

 

Update:

23. Great Wight - The Suburbs Have Ruined My Life (2017) ++
24. Mannequin Pussy - Romantic (2016) ++
25. SOB X RBE - GANGIN ++
26. Prezi - Do Better +
27. Philthy Rich & Peezy - East Side +
28. Mozzy - Spiritual Conversations +
29. Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It +++
30. Cold Years - Northern Blue ++
31. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends +
32. Gulfer - Dog Bless +
33. Drawstring - Four(Heaven, Hell and a Small House in Between) +
34. Iron Reagan/Gatecreeper - Split +
35. Turnstile - Time & Space +

 

86. Amber Mark - 3:33am (2017)
87. SYML - Hurt For Me (2016)
88. SYML - In My Body (2018)
89. of Montreal - White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood (2018)
90. Son Lux - Brighter Wounds (2018)
91. Flogging Molly - Life Is Good (2017)

 

Making some real progress this year. Recently I've done 30-35 albums a year. I'd like to hit 50 this year.

 

February

20. Ai Otsuka - aio piano +
21. BAND-MAID - world domination ++
22. Ling tosite sigure - #5 ++
23. Caravela - ski +
24. Lucy, Too - lucky (mini album) ++
25. SCANDAL - honey ++
26. GIRLFRIEND - chocolate ++

March

27. kankaku piero - iroiro toiro ++
28. Yasutaka Nakata - digital native +
29. WANIMA - everybody!! +
30. Animal Hack - gift +
31. Tacoyaki Rainbow - double rainbow +
32. rem time rem time - episode ++
33. SpecialThanks - heart light +
34. Fuyu no Dobutsuen - the zoo in winter +
35. Chihei Hatakeyama - Void XV ++
36. HAG - Ao Iro Film ++

 

update

 

92. The Naked And Famous - A Still Heart (2018)
93. Brendan Maclean - funbang1 (2016)
94. Janet Jackson - All For You (2001)
95. The Neighbourhood - The Neighbourhood (2018)

 

Realize I'm late to the party, but here's everything new I listened to in February...

(I tend to listen to albums at the gym and usually in chunks of 3 songs at a time. Also tend to go through an artist's catalog chronologically, which explains some recurring names.)

1.) "The Movielife Has a Gambling Problem" by The Movielife
2.) "Hello, Rockview" by Less Than Jake
3.) "Airplane Conversations" by Waterparks
4.) "Blacklight" by Waterparks
5.) "Hombre Lobo" by Eels
6.) "Split" by Summer Wars
7.) "Cluster" by Waterparks
8.) "Forty Hour Train Back to Penn" by The Movielife
9.) "Songs of The Story So Far" by The Story So Far
10.) "Phantom Thread" by Jonny Greenwood
11.) "Anthem" by Less Than Jake
12.) "Cities in Search of a Heart" by The Movielife
13.) "End Times" by Eels
14.) "See the Light" by Less Than Jake
15.) "A G.C. Christmas, Pt. 1" by Good Charlotte
16.) "Sleepwalkers" by Brian Fallon
17.) "Late" by Tone Royal
18.) "Tomorrow Morning" by Eels
19.) "Beautiful Death" by Slaves
20.) "Borrowed Time" by Summer Wars
21.) "As Cruel as School Children" by Gym Class Heroes
22.) "If There is Light It Will Find You" by Senses Fail
23.) "The Open Door" by Evanescence
24.) "Semicircle" by The Go! Team
25.) "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division
26.) "Wonderful, Glorious" by Eels
27.) "The Dark, Dark Bright" by There Will Be Fireworks
28.) "Evanescence" by Evanescence
29.) "Time & Space" by Turnstile
30.) "Black Panther: The Album" by Kendrick Lamar
31.) "While the City Sleeps We Rule the Streets" by Cobra Starship

 

Updated! Now up to 79 albums from 2018. Oddly, I still don't have a clear frontrunner for AOTY though...

 

Two weeks into March. Been heavily rotating Rolo Tomassi, Turnstile, Slugdge and BTBAM.

Looking forward to Casey, Marijannah, Rivers of Nihil, Failure, Of Feather & Bone, Will Haven and Barren Earth

 

Update:

36. Nervus - Everything Dies +++
37. 03 Greedo - The Wolf of Grape Street ++
38. Line of Sight - Dissent ++
39. Soul Power - The Low End Fury ++
40. Conjurer - Mire ++
41. Climate of Fear - Holy Terror +

 

96. What So Not - Not All The Beautiful Things (2018)
97. Fickle Friends - You Are Someone Else (2018)
98. Matt Costa - Orange Sunshine (Music From The Motion Picture) (2016)
99. MGMT - Little Dark Age (2018)
100. The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl (2018)
101. Theresa Andersson - Street Parade (2012)
102. Shlohmo - Dark Red (2015)

 

Terrible start to my year, including losing my mom in January. So I guess I'm getting a late start...

Bold = Love; ++ = Really Like; + = Like; / = Indifferent; - = Dislike; * = Listen more
2018 releases only

March
1. Dessa - Chime
2. Lucy Dacus - Historian +
3. Brian Fallon - Sleepwalkers
4. Frankie Cosmos - Vessel +

April
5. Goat Girl - Goat Girl +
6. Laura Veirs - The Lookout +
7. David Bazan & Sean Lane - Rare Coins +
8. The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl ++
9. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

May
10. Frank Turner - Be More Kind +
11. Mastersystem - Dance Music +
12. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel ++
13. Now, Now - Saved ++
14. Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs +

June
15. The Pauses - Unbuilding

August
16. Lydia - Liquor /
17. Dashboard Confessional - Crooked Shadows /
18. Phantastic Ferniture - Phantastic Ferniture
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Thank You For Today +
20. Mitski - Be the Cowboy +

September
21. Alkaline Trio - Is This Thing Cursed? +
22. Beach House - 7
23. Metric - Art of Doubt +
24. Christine and the Queens - Chris

October
25. Cloud Nothings - Last Building Burning +
26. Saves The Day - 9 ++
27. Azure Ray - Waves EP
28. boygenius - boygenius ++

-----
Favorite songs of 2018:

Saves The Day - Rendezvous
boygenius - Me & My Dog
Brian Fallon - If Your Prayers Don't Get to Heaven
Brian Fallon - Silence (cover)
Saves The Day - 29
The Pauses - The Beginnings of Things
Dessa - Half of You
Metric - Now or Never Now
The Decemberists - Sucker's Prayer
Frank Turner - Be More Kind

 

That's absolutely awful. So sorry to hear that

 

update

 

So sorry to hear that, can't fathom how that feels. Much love to you!

 

103. Ocean Park Standoff - Ocean Park Standoff (2017)
104. Diplo - California (2018)
105. THE FEVER 333 - Made An America (2018)

 

I'm really sorry. Can't imagine how difficult life must be right now.

 

Thanks guys. It's been pretty rough. Your kind words are much appreciated. ❤

 

1-100.) The Republic of Wolves - shrine (2018)

 

I think this is it for March, I've already listened to more albums this year than all of last year which is a good sign maybe

 

106. Jack White - Boarding House Reach (2018)
107. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (2018)
108. The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy, (2018)

 

Here's through March. Top 10 for the quarter are bolded.