Hey, 2018 sure was thing. After almost a year away, I brought this blog back a few months ago. I plan on actually updating on a more regular schedule in 2019. But, that is a problem for 2019 Joe. Anyway, here are my top records of 2018. In alphabetical order, because it just makes sense.
BEST RECORDS:
- Dessa – “Chime”
- Dogbite – “True Lofi Will Find You In The End”
- Drug Church – “Cheer”
- Gouge Away – “Burnt Sugar”
- Headlines – “MMXVII”
- Heavy Mantle – “Weights & Measures”
- Hop Along – “Bark Your Head Off, Dog”
- Krimewatch – “Krimewatch”
- La Luz – “Floating Feature”
- Lala Lala – “The Lamb”
- Late Bloomer – “Waiting”
- Lilith – “I’ll Come Over B/W In Real Life”
- Miranda Winters – “Xobeci, What Grows Here?”
- Miserable – “Loverboy”
- Mitski – “Be The Cowboy”
- Mothers – “Render Another Ugly Method”
- Nectar – “Knocking At The Door”
- Ogikubo Station – “We Can Pretend Like”
- Open Mike Eagle – “What Happens When I Try To Relax”
- Restorations – “LP5000”
- Tancred – “Nightstand”
- Tanukichan – “Sundays”
- There’s Talk – “Bathed Water Moon”
- V.V. Lightbody – “Bathing Peach”
- Worlds Greatest Dad – “Get Well Soon”
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Absinthe Father – “Jane”
- Ivy Sole – “Overgrown”
- Petal – “Magic Gone”
- Roy Kinsey – “Blackie: A Story By Roy Kinsey”
- Smol Data – “Smol Data: An EP”
- Snail Mail – “Lush”
- Steady Holiday – “Nobody’s Watching”
- Swearin’ – “Fall In The Sun”
- Tony Molina – “Kill The Light”
- Young Animals – “Disposition”
All things considered, Be The Cowboy was my favorite record this year. Or, at the very least, the one I listened to the most.
So, yeah. There you go. Here’s a Spotify playlist
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
Shit, so Late Bloomer. There is a lot going on with them. They’ve taken influence from a wide array of places, and they have compressed it down to a cohesive sound that is theirs. Their sophomore full length, Things Change, find them squarely rooted in that indie/punk sweet spot that bands like Dinosaur Jr. or Hüsker Dü were doing in the late 80s/early 90s. Maybe some grunge thrown in there too. But, they have managed to do it in a way that avoids being some shitty throwback band. It is them playing with those influences, not ripping them off.
Team Reasonable 