Favorite Albums of 2018: TOP 10

People keep saying 2018 sucked for music. And I just can't totally agree. Sure, there may have been fewer earth-shifting classics, but the sheer amount of worthy goodness I sifted through this year was astounding. Albums were popping up left and right that were scratching itches I didn't know I had. It was a quantity over quality year, perhaps. But certainly not a bad one, if you knew where to look. 

There were a few trends I noticed with my listening in 2018: 

• 2016 was a year of personal emotional trauma, and the music reflected that. 2017 was a year of recovery, where my listening habits overcompensated a bit. 2018 found a return to balance. Music has always been therapy for me, but overall 2018 was a year in which I listened without reservation or unconscious restriction. I just let the music flow, and I let myself have fun again. And I think variety ended up being a result. In the grand scheme of things, the music in my life is showing more signs of peace. Which is a good thing, considering the rest of the world is going to shit kind of quick.

• Similar to 2017, instrumental/ambient tunes continue to be spiking, even nabbing 4 of the spots in my top 10. Which is probably just a matter of my tastes shifting that way, but I do think a surprising number of quality instrumental tunes have surfaced, which I find interesting.

• I've never actually counted before, but I think I saw more concerts in 2018 than I ever have before. I certainly spent more money and traveled further distances whilst checking off the bucket list with some of the best shows I've seen in my life. 

• WOMEN. KICKED. ASS. The ladies simply ruled 2018, and in genres that are all too often dominated by men. Mind you, I'm not one to listen with an agenda in that sort of way. I don't purposely single out by gender, race, etc., but I also will not pretend to like something simply out of social pressure. Naturally, if you're honest about what you truly like it may appear to skew one way or the other sometimes, but for me it's never intentional. What I'm trying to say is, I did not set out with a specific goal to "listen to more women." And yet, the amount of pure gold that reached my ears from artists or bands with a dominant female presence was impressive and refreshing. Were publications pushing it, influencing me to listen to more? Probably, and good for them. But, like I said, I'm not gonna pretend to like something to fit an agenda. If I liked something, it's because it actually kicked ass, not because it was woke to do so. So, well done, ladies.

HERE WE GO. 

PREVIEW LINKS PROVIDED IN BLUE

First off, the miscellaneousness...

FAVORITE SONGS (again)

FAVORITE CONCERTS OF 2018

1. Smashing Pumpkins w/ Metric 

@ T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
2. Smashing Pumpkins w/ Metric 

@ Vivint Arena, SLC, UT
3. Beck w/ The Voidz 

@ Maverick Center, West Valley, UT
4. Thom Yorke 

@ Union Event Center, SLC, UT
5. The Voidz w/ Priests 

@ Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY
6. Belle & Sebastian w/ Japanese Breakfast 

@ Sundance Mountain Resort, UT
7. Flaming Lips 

@ Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT
8. Beach House w/ Sounds of Ceres 

@ The Depot, SLC, UT
9. Tennis w/ Matt Costa 

@ Metro Music Hall, SLC, UT
10. Tennis

@ Ogden Theater, Denver, CO
11. Metallica 

@ Vivint Arena, SLC, UT
12. Andrea Bocelli 

@ Vivint Arena, SLC, UT
13. Marilyn Manson 

@The Complex, SLC, UT
14. Cigarettes After Sex 

@ Urban Lounge, SLC, UT
15. The Helio Sequence w/ Wild Pink & Indigo Plateau 

@ Urban Lounge, SLC, UT
16. Little Dragon w/ Com Truise 

@ Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT
17. Sylvan Esso w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 

@ Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT
18. Chromeo w/ STRFKR 

@ Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT
19. TV Girl 

@ Kilby Court, SLC, UT
20. Wild Nothing 

@ Urban Lounge, SLC, UT
21. Broken Social Scene 

@ Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT


FAVORITE FILM SCORE
Suspiria \\ Thom Yorke

Runners Up
First Man \\ Justin Hurwitz
Isle of Dogs \\ Alexander Desplat
Annihilation \\ Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury
Mission: Impossible - Fallout \\ Lorne Balfe



FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK OF ORIGINAL SONGS
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse


FAVORITE E.P.
Celebrate Life! \\ Elaquent

Runners Up
Collapse \\ Aphex Twin
Love Chanting \\ Little Dragon

See the best of the rest: 40-11

Top 10

10

Celebrate Life! EP \ 
Baker's Dozen \\ Elaquent
instrumental electronic/hip hop

Ever wanted entire albums worth of the Adult Swim interlude music? I'm sure there's plenty of that floating around, in fact I'm certain Adult Swim has released most of it themselves. But if you don't wanna dig around for that, look no further than Elaquent. I believe I first came across this Canadian beatsmith on Instagram. An artist I was following used the track "Celebrate Life!" to soundtrack a process video and - bless their heart - was decent enough to credit the music. So, I partook. And partook again. And again. It just felt right. Next up, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. 

9

 Singularity \\ Jon Hopkins
instrumental electronic/dance/ambient

Two of my favorite things lately are juicy beats and lush ambient instrumentals. Jon Hopkins captured both this year with the widescreen landscapes of Singularity. The cover is a great representation of the music inside. A wilderness rave at sunset, glued together with plenty of purple, pink and orange. Closest I got to a party like that was listening to it on a road trip through southern Utah. But if anyone wants to blare this album in the desert with me sometime, hit me up. 

8

 Hive Mind \\ The Internet

r&b/pop/funk

This is the kind of R&B that I crave. Slick, smoove, sensual and soulful. Sexy but not gratuitously sexual. Syd Bennet's understated vocals and playful lyrics lay over stealthy grooves and simple but unpredictable chord progressions, and all of it backed by quite a savory rhythm section. Throw in Steve Lacy's tasty guitar licks and, baby, you got a stew goin'. I think part of what drew me to The Internet this year was their minimalist full-band approach to a genre that gets overblown all too often. And through the lens of 2018, less ends up being more. 

7

 All Melody \\ Nils Frahm

instrumental classical/electronic

I guess Mr. Frahm is technically considered Classical music? But Mr. Hopkins (see #9) and he go hand in hand. In fact, I think they're actually buddies. Or "mates," I guess, neither being American. Frahm uses all sorts of old pianos and vintage gear combined with choral flourishes here and there to make the goodness. And what goodness it is. At an hour fourteen, it's certainly one of the longer albums in a year full of short and sweet, but it reveals more with every listen. Even as I type this, I'm experiencing the quiet beauty of "Fundamental Values" in a new light. Each movement builds on itself and swells to hypnotic perfection, standing on its own whilst contributing to the overall audio narrative. It truly is a cinematic experience (if I may wax a bit cliche), and I would love to hear him score a movie if he hasn't already. 

I just looked it up, and he has. But he should certainly do more.

6

 Bon Voyage \\ Melody's Echo Chamber
experimental psychedelic dream pop/rock

Remember how I said "less was more" before? Forget all that. Bon Voyage is one of the more beautifully eccentric releases of the year and practically bursting at the seams with manic psychedelia and personal drama. And yet, it's also a fairly brief affair at only 33 minutes. Originally slated for a 2017 release, its fate was in limbo for some time. Mastermind Melody Prochet got into a bad accident in June of 2017, just as she was about to embark on a tour to support the record. The tour was canceled and the album delayed, but thankfully, she was able to make a full recovery after months in the hospital. A year later, Bon Voyage was released into the world and proved Prochet is more than just a footnote of Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, who produced her first album and then birthed 2015's brilliant Currents as a response to the couple's failed romance (drama, amirite??). Her side of that heartache bubbles up here from beneath the fray. Needless to say, it's an album soaked in physical and emotional turmoil, which you'd think would make it a heavier listen than it ends up being. All that aside, it was well worth the wait. I'm glad she's healthy, and I'm curious to hear what she does from here. 

Someone should make a movie about this. 

  

5

 Hundred Acres \\ S. Carey
indie folk

When you listen to a lot of music, you sort of get caught daring an artist to surprise you. "What makes THIS worth my time?" you think, wearing your best pressed suit and executive tie. I either want them to show me something "new," or in the very least nail the "old" with precision. Hundred Acres fits comfortably and calmly into the latter. It's a relatively simple folk album. But, I'll be damned if it's not the prettiest thing I heard all year. Carey's last album (2014's lovely Range of Light) had a small hint of experimentation going, and the most recent release of his "other band" was far from "conventional." So, the surprise here ends up being its subtlety. And Carey's angelic voice, of course. Yeah, nothing here but an album's worth of flawless vocal harmonies, charming melody, time spent with those you love, and a quiet walk in the woods. Who knows where he'll go from here, but for now this is a brilliant repose.

4

 Route One \\ Sigur Rós
Liminal \\ Various Artists
2000-2004 \\ Frakkur 
instrumental ambient/electronic

I don't usually like combining spots like this, but the Sigur Rós crew had a busy and sneakily brilliant year despite not releasing an album proper and having to let go of longtime drummer Orri Páll Dýrason amidst sexual assault allegations from an incident in 2013. The remaining members and their extended musical "family" pressed on with multiple ambient projects, all of which were truly sublime and sinfully overlooked. There was Route One, an improvised and deconstructed remix of their last single, which was officially created in 2016 but released as its own breathtaking collection this last year. That alone is a delicate wonder to behold. Then, there were the various movements of Liminal, an "endless ambient mixtape" of reworked older tunes, now sitting at three volumes and counting (listen to that Paul Corley mix of "Untitled 6" and weep). And finally, frontman Jonsi released a collection of minimalist electronic experiments from the early Aughts under the name Frakkur which is very of its time and all the better for it. 

I'll be completely honest, I'm still digging through all of this. But I have thoroughly enjoyed doing so. Route One is especially impressive being a full, cohesive album derived from the remixed pieces of a single song (!).  If you're a fan of ambient music, few groups do it better than these guys.  And if you're a fan of Sigur Rós, you have no excuse. These guys do this so well so often that it gets taken for granted, methinks. They've been quiet (so, so beautifully quiet), but busy. 

3

 Chris \\ Christine and the Queens

pop

There was no shortage of pop gold in 2018. But it's poetically appropriate that a French gal, relatively unknown in the States, would out-MJ Justin Timberlake this year. Might be time to hand over that crown, JT. Taking the form of androgynous alter ego "Chris," Héloïse Letissier has created a brave and expressive modern pop masterpiece that worships the gods of the genre's past in every bold, rule-breaking detail. The aforementioned King of Pop and his kid sister Janet are obvious spiritual guides, but there's also plenty of Madonna and even a hint of Bowie in her gender-bending cheekiness. Chris is full of authentic efforts to break down sexual politics in songs like "Damn (what must a woman do)," which finds her simultaneously mocking and reveling in masculine carnal energy, underscoring the winners and losers of playing the game. Elsewhere, the game gets too damn overwhelming in the beautifully melancholy ballad "Make some sense." Love, lust, heartache, euphoria, English, French, man, woman. It's all there. Even more impressive is the confident charisma with which it's all laid out. One of those albums that has you choosing a new favorite every time you listen. 

2

 Virtue \\ The Voidz
experimental rock/punk

Guyz, I'm a huge fan of The Strokes, ok? So bear with me. I absolutely loved their last effort, 2013's underrated Comedown Machine. But there was a lot of speculation about that one, being the last in a tumultuous contract with RCA (I mean, look at that cover). Was this the last we'd hear from them? Well, their fantastic 2016 EP answered that question...sort of. But in the meantime, Julian Casablancas had embarked on a side quest with The Voidz. Their first outing, 2014's Tyranny, was a wild, intentionally abrasive anti-Strokes statement that ended up being a little hard to swallow, even for me (beyond one or two electrifying punk bangers). The experimentation was welcome, but they were missing the songs. Needless to say, I was unsure about Virtue. Would it be more of the grimy prog of Tyranny? Or was that Strokes EP a sign that Julian hadn't completely lost his taste for the golden hooks he built a career on? To my surprise and absolute elation, it would be a glorious fusion of both.

Virtue is a masterwork of Strokesian rapture soaked in the gritty exhilaration of carefree exploration. The Strokes had dabbled in sounds like this a few times over the years with varying results. But it became clear Julian wanted to branch out and was in the wrong vehicle to properly do so. Much of that frustration seems to be at the center of Virtue (in fact, check out this long, mystique shattering Stereogum essay, one of the best music write-ups I've seen in ages. Seriously, read the whole thing.). First of all, he removed his name from the band title. And throughout the album, he sings about breaking from expectation, escaping those long shadows ("I don't wanna be a puppet that the ghost of my young self still controls"), and false truths. Much of which brilliantly doubles down into a scathing commentary of western society in general. Suddenly, artistic and personal freedom seems like a world shattering dilemma.


This record didn't get the attention it deserved in 2018. It's a beautifully bonkers listen, that's for sure. But would it have been a bigger deal if it wasn't THE Stroke at the helm? Maybe. I get the feeling Jules has always preferred it this way ("I wanna be forgotten/and I don't wanna be reminded"). Many a rock legend have come and gone feeling the same way. He claims he's not done with his "main gig." As a Strokes fan, I'd like to believe that's true. But, if Casablancas keeps making music like this, I actually wouldn't mind if he finally did quit his day job.

1

 Double Negative \\ Low
dream pop/noise rock


Every single year I wonder if I'm getting too old for this stuff. And by "stuff" I mean the obsessive search for new tunes that ignite my soul. I wonder if this will be the year that I just don't care anymore, that I fail to notice the power of music to shift the earth. Kinda like the bell on Polar Express. At this point, it certainly takes a lot to truly "wow" me. And that is why albums like this are so vital. A pleasant reminder that I can still hear the euphoric sounds of that ringing bell.


Upon first experiencing Double Negative, I knew it was my album of the year. That was it. I couldn't fathom the possibility that the universe would grant me anything better than this sonic behemoth, and I felt greedy even asking. I knew the band had been around for awhile, and I'd dabbled here and there, but I never expected this. It reminded me of a certain band in the early 2000's who had also hit me over the head with a life changer despite me thinking very little of them at the time. If you know me, you know that comparison is high praise. In fact, there are many similarities between the two: both eschewed their traditional guitar based sounds for distorted electronics, both manipulated their vocals to a point of near disintegration, both destroyed the old to make way for the new, finding beauty in the chaos. And both looked upon the world around them, horrified with what they saw, and documented it in sound. But something that makes Low's point of view all the more interesting is that Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Rogers, the married nucleus of the group, are Mormon. Just like me. And apparently also just like me, they're seeing a lot of turmoil through that particular lens. Opening track "Quorum" starts things off speaking pretty directly of hypocrisy and accountability from a very Latter Day Saint point of view, and themes of temptation, the sting of death, light, fire, and "apocryphal verse" abound throughout the album's turbulent journey. Although the Mormon perspective adds a few layers, these are generally universal themes. It's an album of sonic decay and deconstruction that profoundly mirrors the chaos of our current world. There are, however, mantras of belief, meditative silence, and contemplative change between moments of despair, as if taking a breath before diving back into the emotional deluge. The record even finishes with self reflection, hoping to find a different way before it falls into total disarray. Perhaps "Double Negative" refers to a canceling out. An eventual equilibrium beyond the flames. Sometimes all you can do is close your eyes and wait to find out. In the meantime, we get this masterpiece.


2018 marked Low's 25th year as a band. If they aren't too old to make this grim glory, surely I'm not too old to listen to it right? RIGHT.


The end.

Favorite Albums of 2018: 40-11

40

 Sun Machine \\ Rubblebucket

indie pop

39

 I'll Be Your Girl \\ The Decemberists

indie rock

38
 Loner \\ Caroline Rose

indie pop

37

 Isolation \\ Kali Uchis
latin pop/r&b

36

 Let's Make Love \\ Brazilian Girls
indie pop

35

 Sex & Food \\ Unknown Mortal Orchestra

indie pop/rock/psychedelic

34

 No One Defeats Us  \\ DREAMS

synth pop

33

 SEMICIRCLE \\ The Go! Team

indie pop/dance/rock/dream pop/hip hop

32

 Distancing \\ Twist

indie pop/rock

31

 Fall Into the Sun \\ Swearin'

alt rock/punk

30

 Pink \\ Chai

japanese punk/rock

29

 Dance on the Blacktop \\ Nothing

alt rock/shoegaze/dream pop

28

 2012 - 2017 \\ Against All Logic
instrumental dance/electronic

27

 Lotus Flower \\ Origami Girl
Love You Like Anything \\ Origami Girl
Spirit Bomb \\ Origami Girl
Even the Gods May Cry \\ Origami Girl
Too Cute to Die \\ Origami Girl
See the Sadness Around My Eyes \\ Origami Girl & Sangam
Empty Inside \\ Origami Girl & Sangam
instrumental ambient/electronic/dance/new age

26

 Haru to Shura \\ Harunemuri
japanese pop/rock

25

 Big Red Machine \\ Big Red Machine

experimental pop/rock/folk

24

 Little Dark Age \\ MGMT

synth pop/psychedelic/rock

23

 Lilac Everything \\ Emma Louise

indie pop

22

 The Future and the Past \\ Natalie Prass

indie pop

21

 Mulberry Violence \\ Trevor Powers
experimental pop

20

 Blood \\ Rhye

indie r&b/pop

19

 Yolk In the Fur \\ Wild Pink
indie folk/rock/americana

18

Merrie Land \\ The Good the Bad and the Queen

rock/pop/dub

17

 Sundays \\ Tanukichan

shoegaze/dream pop/rock

16

 The Now Now \\ Gorillaz

synth pop

15

 Suspiria \\ Thom Yorke

soundtrack/instrumental electronic

14

 Slow Air \\ Still Corners

dream pop/synth pop/psychedelic

13

 Memory Sketches \\ Tim Linghaus

instrumental/classical/ambient/piano

12

 7 \\ Beach House

dream pop/rock/shoegaze

11

 Beat Tape \\ Benny Sings

instrumental experimental pop/dance


GO TO TOP 10

Favorite Songs of 2018: Top 25

So, the last two years of music listening were pretty heavily influenced by the trauma and recovery of some major life events. It would be an understatement and a cliche to call it an emotional rollercoaster but, well, there it is. But that's what music is for, right? The soundtrack of the times both good and bad. This year, things were much more stable. Not that there weren't big changes or hard times but if my music listening is any indication, it was comparatively "balanced." With that in mind, here are the tunes that did me right in 2018.

Each song links to a video or stream of it when available. Dig in.

Deep cuts for you nerds: 

50-26

25\\Desert Horse\\by Melody's Echo Chamber"So much blood \\ on my hands \\ And not much left to destroy \\ I know I am better alone"A striking, psychedelic, melancholy song of regret and perseverance. And a wicked bass intro. 

24\\Stay Safe\\by Rhye

"I'm coming in a phase \\ Feeling how we'll keep you safe \\ I will keep you safe"

Milosh's quiet croon is always good for exploring love's uncertain in-betweens.

23\\Pay No Mind\\by Beach House

"Not dumber, just a little bit older \\ Kiss of love couldn't be much colder"

Interesting tidbit: One reason I absolutely love this slow-motion burner is because it follows the exact chord progression of a song my dad wrote when I was kid. I can still hear his as I listen to this.

22\\Hunnybee\\by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

"Age of paranoia \\ Don't be such a modern stranger \\ Oh, angel"

Sweet song with a sweet groove, sweet video, and sweet to see performed live. Tha sweetness!

21\\Future Hell\\by Swearin'

"I've seen the shape of it myself  \\ The night I fell into a mushroom cloud \\ Twice"

That fuzzy 90's goodness is part of why I've long waited for these guys to return. Be sure to check out that video. Anyone have some extra 3D glasses...?

20\\Sunflower\\by Post Malone and Swae Lee

"You don't wanna be alone \\ I know I always come and go \\ but it's out of my control"

100% admit that I love this song because of its slick use in Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse. But it also has a dandy Toro y Moi vibe to it, so it's not like I'm ashamed or anything. Fantastic pop song.

19\\Filthy\\by Justin Timberlake

"Baby, don't you mind if I do \\ exactly what you like, times two \\ Got me singin' Oooh-hooh"

Man of the Woods wasn't quite what I'd hoped from JT, but this song was. Mmm, dat bass.

18\\Little Dark Age\\by MGMT

"I grieve in stereo \\ The stereo sounds strange \\ I know that if you hide \\ it doesn't go away"

This synthy doozer convinced me to once again pay attention to a band I'd nearly written off. I think it rivals the best of anything they've done. Welcome back, boys.

17\\Doesn't Matter\\by Christine and the Queens

"Loud whispers in my back \\ as if I couldn't hear \\ Thought I left ghosts behind \\ but they're just coming near"

An introspective and addictive dance ballad. Check out this breakdown in her Sound Exploder episode. Powerful stuff. 

16\\Dreams\\by DREAMS

"I am my own institution \\ I go when I want \\ and make up my own time" 

The only song that truly feels as big as a project between Daniel Johns (Silverchair) and Luke Steele (Empire of the Sun) should.  Guess they knew that as well, being the title track and all.

15\\Lazy Boy\\by The Voidz

"I don't wanna be a puppet that \\ the ghost of my young self still controls \\ Jackets are the eyes to the soul"

A very Strokes-y song ("Under Control" anyone?) that sounds an awful lot like THE Stroke maybe not wanting to be A Stroke anymore...? More generally, it sounds like wanting to break free from the expectations one sets for themselves as a youth, which perhaps we can all relate to. "Jackets are the eyes to the soul," he sings, blessing us with one of my favorite lines of the year. Coming from a man who quite literally shaped modern fashion with many a jacket in the early 00's, it packs an unusual amount of poetic punch. Which Julian has always been good at, when he's at his best. And this year, he has been.

14\\Pray Everyday\\by Pink Siifu (feat. Ahwlee & LIVE)

"It's all about the mind how we gettin' it \\ and all about the time how we givin' it  \\ You know you be divine when you feelin' it"

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this piece of jazz-soaked gold, but it's pure dinner. The rest of the album didn't do a ton for me, but I'll be bumpin' this one for a long time. Maybe I should give the album another shot...

13\\Disarray\\by Low

"This evil spirit, man, it's bringin' me down \\ It tells me not to do the things that I should"

Knowing Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are Mormon (or whatever the "proper" term is now) added some extra umph to the lyrics on this one. There's a connection there, like "Aha. I feel ya." One of the more straight forward tunes of the impeccable Double Negative, and as the grand finale it wraps things up in a deceptively "upbeat" manner.

12\\A Place\\by Nils Frahm

I'm not sure what "place" is being referred to in the title to this choral highlight of All Melody. Maybe it doesn't matter, hence the ambiguity. But if you ask me, the place is underwater. Just like in dreams, where you are able to breathe just fine and "fly" beneath the waves in slow motion, admiring the fractal light and exotic serenades of merfolk. Yep. That's the place.

11\\True North\\by S. Carey

"The rest you can write in books \\ And we'll build a home on the overlook \\ And we came back a circle \\ And let the black night point us north"

Sort of hard to choose a favorite from this album. I went back and forth with it. Every song has a similarly melancholy but hopeful intimacy, like they were written next to a winter campfire on the spot. "True North" takes the cake for feeling like a song I might have written myself, if I had any sort of ability to do so.

TOP 10 

10\\Celebrate Life!\\by Elaquent

This is a very visual instrumental tune for me. When I hear it I see the bumpers between vibrant cartoons, the bustle of busy Tokyo streets, cool summer drives, stargazing on a trampoline after purple sunsets, and the electric glow of Sega Genesis. I see myself sitting in a theater with my Breet, or sitting by myself and listening to great tunes. It's a simple song that doesn't go anywhere big, but it lives up to the title and that exclamation mark.

It's not the song we wanted................... it is the one we needed. ピース✌

9\\Pink Ocean\\by The Voidz

"I don't believe it \\ Don't overthink it \\ I won't believe it \\ I want out of this world"

This song already stood out from the fascinating chaos of Virtue. It's low-key and effortlessly cool in a smokey, hangover sort of way, and Julian maintains an impressive falsetto camouflage throughout most of the track. You almost forget he's the man behind the mic until about 3/4 through. Since it's hard to fully understand him and they never released "official" lyrics, it's hard to tell exactly what it's about. It feels like falling for someone (something?) that is obviously no good. The line "Don't over think it" actually appears a couple times throughout the album, which is interesting. A lot of meaning could be packed in there, which makes it a fascinatingly cryptic tune. Anyway...point is it's pretty fantastic on its own. But, when I saw them in Brooklyn, and they opened with this sucker.... sheeeeeeeeyit. It was one of my favorite concert moments in one of the best years of concert going of my life. You still got it, Jules. STRAIGHT FIRE.

Speaking of fire...

8\\The Fire\\by Natalie Prass

"Resurrection is within our clutch \\ But our imagination keeps leading us \\ into the fire"

It took me a bit to catch what this one was laying down. Initially, I was just obsessed with the Fleetwood Mac of it all. Made me wish Haim would've put something half this good on their most recent album. A fantastic pop song about an manipulative, destructive lover. Then I saw the video. And then I looked up a couple interviews. And suddenly it hit me that this isn't a song about an manipulative and destructive lover. It's about our manipulative and destructive government. Natalie Prass wrote the letter of a woman scorned and desperate to the President. And, while her rage is certainly aimed at a specific one, her message seems directed at the office of President in general. "Elation, sadness, we mend then destroy." Our relationship to those that lead us likened unto an abusive one we can't seem to fix until the fire goes out, or it burns us alive. Whichever comes first, I guess.

7\\Tempest\\by Low

"Forgive \\ Forget \\ Live and let \\ Even when you won't"

I can't think of a song who's title better described its sonic content this year. With almost completely unintelligible lyrics (I'm guessing at those above), we're left with the visceral desolation of a sonic storm. The abrasive winds start up early, as singer Alan Sparhawk's distorted vocals cling to anything they can. The first chorus leads to a moment of respite, Mimi Parker's distant call signaling the brief and unsettling beauty within the eye. But it's not long before the winds pick back up, and another chorus braces for destruction. The vocals are all but drowned out by the sound of the angry squall and suddenly, there is nothing left to hold on to. I'd suggest following this track with it's companion, "Always Up" and decide for yourself whether or not our heroes actually survived the tempest.

6\\Lemon Glow\\by Beach House

"See this state I'm in \\ Is crawling in my skin \\ Fevers took me back \\ and turned me inside out"

When this single dropped, a friend of mine shared his first experience with it. Apparently, he was a bit "under the influence" of a certain plant that may or may not have had my fellow Utahns in a tizzy this most recent voting season. I asked him what he thought of the track, and he admitted that he wasn't able to finish it yet. He had tried, mind you. But it simply freaked him the hell out. Now, I've never been high, but this made complete sense to me. As humorous as it was to imagine my friend curled up in the fetal position trying his best to replace it with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," I was impressed that "Lemon Glow" put him there. Because, even though I first listened to it in complete control of my faculties, I was also somewhat surprised by how sinister it sounded. Beach House had been dark before, but this was the sound of a mischievous devourer. It freaked me the hell out, too. But in a very good way.

5\\Don't Miss It\\by James Blake

"I could leave in the middle of the night \\ But I'd miss it \\ Don't miss it \\ like I did"

It's almost become a cliche to say that James Blake makes music to cry to. His emotive minimalism always goes for the jugular and squeezes life out of even the coldest of auto-tuned machines. Like an android overwhelmed with emotion it can't quite understand. Even the video projects the lyrics as a lonely note on a phone, complete with a laundry list of avoidance that leads to "missing it." I'm still unsure if "missing" equates to a "failure to witness" or a "longing" for something. I think it could be either. In fact, I sort of suspect it means both. Don't miss out on life while wasting time missing the painful past. "Don't miss it" ends up being some great advice, and wouldn't be that sad at all, if it wasn't for that mournful "like I did" that follows. Easier said than done, I suppose. Wonder if this gem will be on his upcoming album.

4\\Suspirium\\by Thom Yorke

"This is a waltz \\ thinking about our bodies \\ What they mean \\ for our salvation"
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suspirium: a deep and prolonged audible inspiration or respiration of air, as when fatigued, frustrated, or grieved; the act of sighing.
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In the last couple decades of popular music, few souls have captured the delicate melancholy of a piano quite as perfectly as Mr. Yorke. And few of his songs have represented that ability quite as perfectly as "Suspirium." As a soundtrack piece to the surreal horror experience that is Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria remake, it's simultaneously beautiful and deceptively unsettling, even for Thom. The film, about a German dance troupe in the 70's run by a coven of witches, adds a few layers of ominous foreshadowing to the seemingly innocent track. "All is well, as long as we keep spinning," he sings, portraying a sense of dangerous naivete in its subject. Thankfully, Thom handles the song in a manner that gives it life beyond the movie it was made for. Regardless, it should be cataloged among his very best and deserves some Oscar attention. Even if there's no way it'll win...sigh...

3\\It Gets Better (With Time)\\by The Internet

"Throw on your darker shades and smile for the camera \\ I want you to know \\ that it gets better with time"

A silky smooth R&B jam that gets right to the point. The last few years I've held close to the mantra that time heals all wounds. It may not heal completely, but it's one of the only things that heals consistently. With this one, The Internet connect us to that mantra in three parts: Syd's tough but loyal love ("Quit cryin', ease your pain/Gon' be here either way/Nowhere to place the blame"), some spoken word wisdom from the lone album guest, Big Rube ("The easy path rarely leads to what our heart truly desires/In this life we must face many a worthy challenge for the outcome to satisfy us"), and a personal outro rap by bassist Patrick Paige II ("My ground is solid and no earthquake could not shake it/Ain't waiting on nothing, not even no reparations"). Did I mention it was silky smoooove? There's really not a ton more I can say about it other than I couldn't get enough of this song in 2018. The name says it all.

2\\Dancing and Blood\\by Low

"Pierce in the side \\ Keepin' the note \\ Throwing me off \\ Dancing and blood "

Just after you pass the halfway point of "Dancing and Blood," something very simple but startling happens. As it reaches an inevitable crescendo, suddenly every musical element gives way to about two minutes of hypnotic OM chanting. "Om" or "Aum" is the sacred sound and symbol of existence in the ancient religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. When I first listened to this track, I was immediately sucked into this seemingly insignificant moment. I even drifted in and out of sleep, waking up as the tracks shifted, wondering just how long that moment had been. It's about as minimalist as minimalism gets in its retreat to the sacred sounds that many consider the basis for sound in general. The more I thought about the song's end, the more powerful the entire thing became. Bolstered by a muffled rhythm that literally sounds like the slowed ultrasound heartbeat of a baby in the womb, woven together by the sparse vocal threads of married couple Alan and Mimi (hard to tell who's singing where, which I think is the point), and dressed with haunting lyrical phrases, appropriately distorted and cryptically abstract. Like the rest of the songs on Double Negative, it's meant to be digested with the whole in mind, further evidenced by the mesmerizing video triptych Low produced of the opening three movements. "Dancing and Blood" serves as the spiritual connector of the trio; a spellbinding piece, void of color, featuring an old man defying his age that leads somberly into another documenting the fragility of age. Ultimately, I think it's a song of balance. Fear and contentment, birth and destruction. Dancing and blood. It's damn existential, is what it is.

1\\Girlfriend\\by Christine and the Queens (feat. Dâm-Funk)

"Those who used to pass by me \\ think they are baffling a liar \\ F-fuck is you? You don't even taste much better!"

And at the end of the year, sometimes it's a perfectly executed bubblegum jam that ends up sticking to your soul. One that fuses the best parts of prime MJ, Janet, and Madonna (in song and in the gloriously old school dance video). One that kicks gender stereotypes with style and wit, without being obnoxious about it. And one who's opening word happens to be my own name. That never hurts, right? French songstress Héloïse Letissier bounces about playfully as "Chris," her androgynous alter ego, calling out both men and women and the games they play. "Girlfriend?" she ponders, "Don't feel like a 'girlfriend.' But 'lover?' Damn, I'd be your lover!"  Despite English being her second language, she has a quirky charisma to her control of it (not unlike madame Björk), grafting the words to the rhythm in place. It might come across as clunky to some, and if that's the case you're welcome to the equally entrancing French original (but you'll miss out on some creatively placed F-bombs). There's nothing else particularly life altering about this tune. I just simply couldn't get enough of it. I would go to bed humming it, I would wake up dancing to it. I would catch myself in public singing "F-fuck is you" way too loudly. I can't think of another song that got my white ass so completely TURNT in 2018.

Touché, Chris. Touché.