My Favorite Albums of 2018
- Allison White
- Dec 26, 2018
- 8 min read
2018 has been a stressful year in terms of political unrest and division, but music released has proven to be the saving grace of 2018. In addition to new releases from popular music’s most famous artists including Ariana Grande, Drake, and Cardi B, 2018 was also the
year for underground artists to shine. Artists in genres of indie and hip hop made their way to the mainstream, playing on talk shows and performing sold out shows across the world. With the emergence of these artists, the world heard new sounds, genres, and different ways of thinking about music that have never occurred to listeners before. You will notice that this list is overwhelmingly female, as female artists have made big names for themselves across nearly all genres of music this year. It is safe to say that 2018 is the year of the female underground musician, while also being a year for exceptional music in general.
Mitski, Be The Cowboy
The first time I encountered Mitski was watching her NPR Tiny Desk concert back in 2015. Her elegant voice hid behind her screaming stratocaster, until halfway through “Class of 2013” when she picks up her guitar and forcefully screams into its pickups. On Be the Cowboy she ditches the instrumental wall and owns the spotlight. The opener, “Geyser” is an explosion (as the title implies) of emotion with Mitski exclaiming “I will be the one you need; I just can’t be without you.” This sets the stage for the rest of the album, as Mitski explores her experience with love in her past, present, and future. The album erupts with crescendos as she attempts to understand this relationship with love, with “A Pearl” and “Remember My Name,” but also adds a necessary element of vulnerability with “Pink in the Night” “Old Friend,” and “Two Slow Dancers.” By reconciling her past experiences with love, she attempts to understand herself in the present, and create a fulfilling future for herself, all while lamenting throughout the album that she just wants to be kissed, which is something we can all relate to. This album, even without considering Mitski’s emotional journey, is a pleasant and satisfying listen, but is made so much more rewarding when understanding her experience.
Favorite track: “Remember My Name”
Florence + The Machine, High as Hope
In her fourth full-length studio album, Florence Welch tears down the metaphorical lyrical walls and grand orchestrations of sound she previously employed on her last records. Welch has gotten honest, sober, and reflective of her life on and off tour during the production of this album. She explores the drunken stupor of her twenties and her journey to discovering self love. “June,” the passionate opener, details Welch learning about the Pulse shooting in Orlando while she was on tour in Chicago. She instructs her listeners to “hold on to each other” and embrace love to overcome the hate. The album moves to “Hunger,” an anthem for lonely and the broken hearted. “South London Forever” travels through Welch’s coming of age in her hometown, and then includes a tribute to her sister and to Patti Smith in the next few tracks. Welch holds on to her dark, mysterious, and powerful themes with “Big God” and “100 Years,” while also encompassing her familiar softer side with “Sky Full of Song” and “The End of Love.” Welch’s realization of healthy self love and reflection of her past self is showcased in this record, proving it to be an intensely emotional account, both for Florence and the listener.
Favorite track: “The End of Love”
Boygenius, boygenius
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, three singer-songwriters operating in the underground indie rock sphere, have formed a supergroup. With haunting harmonies, expert lyrical expression, and alluring song form, the six song debut record proves to be one of the best of the year. Each member’s songwriting technique combines to form a fabulously unique sound unheard of in any of their solo records. boygenius takes on an indie folk and rock approach, as inspired from each group member’s influences. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus highlight themes of nostlogia with “Ketchum, ID.” and failed and distorted love with “Bite the Hand” and “Salt in the Wound” while pairing it both with soft acoustic melodies and hard hitting ones. The twenty-one minute album leaves us wanting more while we constantly put it on repeat. This is only the beginning for Boygenius, and I cannot wait to see what else they have in store.
Favorite track: “Bite the Hand”
Snail Mail, Lush
Lindsey Jordan, also known as Snail Mail, the 19 year old singer songwriter, is onto something huge here with Lush. The full length follow up to her EP released in 2016, Lush is filled with Jordan’s forceful voice exclaiming passionate lyrics paired with her expert guitar work. Jordan makes experiences of teenage heartbreak, coming of age, and self-realization pleasant to listen to as you progress through the album. In “Pristine” Jordan exclaims, “Don’t you like me for me? Is there any better feeling than coming clean? And I know myself I’ll never love anyone else.” Her expertly written tracks make the album a cathartic journey both for herself and the listener. The themes she discusses are things almost all of us have experienced at some point in our lives, and provides the listeners with an emotional connection to the album that was not to be expected from a rock record. Snail Mail’s first album attempt proves to be an artful one. At only 19 years old, the future for Snail Mail is looking up.
Favorite Track: “Pristine”
Father John Misty, God’s Favorite Customer
Josh Tillman, better known as Father John Misty, has exhibited himself as the self-centered, egotistical, witty, and sarcastic songwriter that is either deeply loved or absolutely resented. Tillman himself has been critical of his past work, even calling his last album Pure Comedy pretentious. Tillman’s fourth full length album released this year peels back his self-centered nature and exposes his empathetic side. In “Please Don’t Die” he sings, “Oh, and honey, I'm worried 'bout you / You're too much to lose / You're all that I have.” Tillman hasn’t lost his wit, ego and lyrical humor, as is present in “Just Dumb Enough to Try.” While admitting that he needs the love and affection of another, he dedicates two verses to talking about the things he knows and the things he can do. “Mr. Tillman” is an account of a hotel employee talking to an erratic Josh Tillman, showcasing Tillman’s sense of humor as he shamelessly pokes fun at himself. If you’re looking for laughs, cries, and foot-tapping tunes, look no further than God’s Favorite Customer.
Favorite track: “Just Dumb Enough to Try”
Adrianne Lenker, abysskiss
The frontwoman of indie folk band Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker has become the subgenre’s most recent sensation. The album’s greatness is conveyed entirely through its subtlety, as it consists solely of Lenker’s vocals accompanied by her acoustic guitar, an approach that was also used by folk greats, such as Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. During a podcast for NPR’s “All Songs Considered” Lenker describes her inspiration for writing the album, recounting memories and emotions from childhood and also illustrating her take on identity, origin, and love. However, she also allows the meaning of the lyrics to be open to different types of interpretation, relative to the listener’s experience. During the interview she even realizes a new meaning to one of her songs, demonstrating that even she set no concrete meaning to her music. This album acts as a statement of Lenker’s personal experience, but opens her music to her listeners, and allows them to find themselves in her experience. Adrianne Lenker’s artistry can be easily lost when comparing her to other big name artists, but she absolutely deserves a spot on this list.
Favorite Track: “symbol”
Noname, Room 25
Hip hop has taken a new direction with Noname’s Room 25. This album is a follow up to her 2016 mixtape Telefone. Noname’s new release blends her coming of age as a newly successful musician as she explores her new life in LA, recent sexual experiences, and responses to politics. She specifically discusses gentrification, poverty, and corrupt politicians throughout this record. In “Blaxploitation” she raps, "My people started running a long time ago and they are still fighting / Revolution was never meant to be easy / This is not your fight, black man / What is this to you? / It's not a matter of color / Freedom is everybody's business." Noname’s focus on racism throughout the modern world is the most important part of this album, as it demands that the listener conjure their own thoughts about what is happening in their world. Furthermore, the record is clearly directed towards the listener, as on the first track of the album Noname says in the first line: “Maybe this is the album you listen to in your car when you driving home late at night.” In addition to the lyrical potency of this record, the blend of hip hop, funk, jazz, and R&B is proven to be sonic genius, especially since Noname uses her voice as an instrument itself. This album is a phenomenal listen, and maybe should really be listened to when one is driving home late into the night, or during any time when one can commit their full attention to this record.
Favorite track: “With You”
Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel
Courtney Barnett proves through her latest release that rock isn’t dead. Barnett first made her name known to the rock and indie sphere upon release of her last record Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit which she produced under her own record label. That album made her unique lyrical phrasing, humorous narratives, grunge-like, Australian accent heavy voice, and explosive chord progressions known to the world. Tell Me How You Really Feel incorporates that hard hitting punch Barnett achieves in her last record, but toned down a few notches. “Hopefulessness,” “Sunday Roast,” and “Walkin’ On Eggshells” function as Barnett’s versions of rock ballads, in which her voice really shines through over the rest of the instruments. “I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch” is the hardest hitting song we have seen from Barnett yet and offers a nice balance to the softer approach she takes on this album. Barnett’s unique narratives aren’t absent from this record, as seen with “Nameless, Faceless.” This song explores domestic violence and violence towards women in general. She sings in the chorus, “Men are scared the women will laugh at them; women are scared the men will kill them.” Courtney Barnett produces a piece of art with this album, as she explores different types of songwriting, dynamics, and vocal melodies. With this record, she rises to the top of the modern rock world.
Favorite Track: “Charity”
Lucy Dacus, Historian
Lucy Dacus’ name gets mentioned once again on this list because of the 2018 release of her sophomore album Historian. Before this year, I had never even heard of Lucy Dacus, but over the last few months I have found myself always returning to this album to listen to it over and over again. This record, without even considering lyrics or themes, just sounds good. The production, song form, and melodies are unique with each track, and are catchy and beautifully constructed. Dacus addresses the most difficult tragedies of life including messy breakups, depression, grief, and regret in an attempt to heal from them. In addition to this being an enjoyable listen, it is also a deeply personal album, which meaning could be lost in the catchy melodies if one does not listen carefully enough. This album is overlooked across the popular music sphere, but it is absolutely one of the most beautiful pieces of music to come out this year.
Favorite track: “Addictions”
Honorable Mentions:
Beach House, 7
The Internet, Hive Mind
Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps
St. Vincent, MassEducation
Thom Yorke, Suspiria
Sources:
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