Here’s the list you’ve all been waiting for. As always, there are so many good albums out every year that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. Here are my top thirty.
#30: The Dunes (self-titled) – A great return for the Dunes, this album of Australian psychedelic rock is full of reverb, fuzz, and even surf touches.
#29: Underworld and Iggy Pop – Teatime Dub Encounters – This EP was made during lunch meetings at a hotel and blends great stories from Pop with Underworld’s masterful beats.
#28: Avis: Sova – Shampoo You – This Chicago’s three-piece’s newest garage rock-psych record gets better with each listen.
#27: Windhand – Eternal Return – This doom metal album became one of my favorites of the year as soon as I heard it. I immediately began recommending them to anyone and even bought it as a birthday gift for a pal.
#26: Makeness – Loud Patterns – This electro album wasn’t on my radar until Makeness’ label sent it to me for review. It turned out to be a solid record with interesting structures to it.
We’re into the top 25 tomorrow. Come back for more!
Keep your mind open.
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#5: “Limp Wrist” by Bev Rage and the Drinks – This queercore punk delivers a wallop in under two minutes. This song floored me when I heard it, and I started telling everyone I knew about Ms. Rage and her band.
#4: “How Did This Happen!? by BODEGA – The return of post-punk continues with this great NYC band and this single that trashes hipsters. I couldn’t stop listening to this once I heard it.
#3: “Blinded by the LEDs” by Lindstrom – If you need an amazing EDM track, floor-filler, workout playlist topper, or just something to be stunned by, look no further.
#2: “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae – Easily the sexiest song of the year. I can’t describe it any better than that.
#1: “Always Elsewhere” by Ron Gallo – This Zen-punk jam became my mantra after hearing it. It was a much-needed crack with a Zen master’s stick during months of chaos both local and domestic. Gallo‘s suggestion that we embrace presence instead of the willful scattering of our attention is a battle call.
Thanks for reading. Up next, the top 30 live acts I saw in 2018.
#10: “Never Coming Back” by A Place to Bury Strangers – I was excited to learn that Lea Braswell was the new drummer for APTBS. I thought she’d match the powerhouse duo of Oliver Ackermann and Dion Lunadon well, and this single not only proved me right, but it also heralded a new sound for the band that was outstanding.
#9: “Asia (Adrenaline)” by Hprizm – This single, and really the whole album, reveals more and more with each listen. Plus, the beats on it are great (That referee’s whistle used for timing!). It’s a song that makes you want to explore more of Hprizm‘s catalogue (as you should).
#8: “Fighting” by Here Lies Man – I was sent this by HLM‘s label, Riding Easy Records, in a clever scheme to make me fascinated with HLM’s heavy Afrobeat jams. The scheme worked, because this single was not only all over my earbuds, I even heard it on BBC 6 Music.
#7: “Great Job” by CHAI – These post-punks from Japan are fully committed to the DIY life and have serious musical chops. You can’t help but love them, especially when they make music as good as this single from their new record due later this year.
#6: “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” by Neko Case – Stunningly beautiful, this song is a prime example of Case‘s vocal wonders and songwriting skill. Few artists nowadays can write and sing a song like her, and even fewer could write and sing something like this.
Who made the top 5? That will be revealed tomorrow!
#15: “Christmas Time Is Here” by Khruangbin – Seriously, their cover of the Vince Guaraldi Trio classic is a pure delight and a lovely oasis during the crazy Christmas season.
#14: “I Came Back to Bitch” by L7 – The exact opposite of the above track, this tune is a kick in the junk from these punk legends who have been simmering with aggression and fire for a few years now. It was a welcome comeback for them and a great example of what to expect on their upcoming album this year.
#13: “Black Habit” by MIEN – Possibly the creepiest track on my top 20 list. This song was the first single release by this psychedelic supergroup, and it instantly got under your skin and crawled around in there.
#12: “Fresh” by D-Tension – Full disclosure, D-Tension and I knew each other in middle school. He grew up to be a major player in the Boston hip-hop scene and on Boston radio and this year he put out one of the best hip-hop singles of 2018. My jaw dropped when I heard this.
#11: “The Hype” by Shopping – I knew this song by these British post-punks was going to be in my top singles list as soon as I heard it. The bass groove is wicked and the track feels and sounds like a good time.
Who makes the top 10? Come back tomorrow to find out, amigos.
Keep your mind open.
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2018 was the first year I started keeping track of my favorite singles of the year. It’s probably because there were so many good ones, including some that were just released as singles and others that stuck in my head for days. Who made the top 20? Read on and find out.
#20: “Sleepers” by Exploded View – This dreamy psych / synth track is a trippy mix of Velvet Underground and 80’s synthwave. It’s the kind of track that makes you wonder, “Who is this?” as soon as you hear it.
#19: “Nocturnal” by Magic Wands – Easily one of the best synthwave tracks of the year, this lush song is great for make-out sessions and has just enough of a dark edge to keep it dangerous.
#18: “You Are Dinner” by Constant Lovers – Good grief, does this thing have power. It’s a wild rock track with punk guitars and spat lyrics that the lead singer almost screws up but uses the moment to push his vocals even further.
#17: “Wheel of Fortune” by Protomartyr – The video of this shows one of the band members punching himself in the face. That’s apt, because this songs hits you just like that (especially when the chorus kicks in).
#16: “Singularity” by Jon Hopkins – The build of this electronic track is stunning to behold. It almost takes you by surprise like a big wave you didn’t see coming while standing hip-deep in the ocean. It’s over far too soon.
Who made the top 15? Come back tomorrow to find out.
Chicago shoegazers Diagonal were already high on my list of favorite new bands for 2018 with their LP Tomorrow released back in July. Apparently bursting with energy, they released a new EP of material, You Are Free, just a couple weeks ago. It’s five tracks of mind-bending riffs mixed with fuzz, psychedelic touches, and enough reverb to power an eighteen-wheeler.
The LP opens with the bass-heavy “Spending Time,” which blends psychedelic riffs with buzzsaw guitars that remind me of early RIDE tracks. “Wise Mary” has a great fade-in that is like a swarm of bees glide toward you across a field. It then swirls and buzzes around you like those same bees, but it keeps a comfortable distance without overwhelming you. “Sines” is a mesmerizing track of instrumental shoegaze rock that is perfect for escaping gravity. I love when bands are brave or carefree enough to include instrumental tracks on records, and this one is top notch.
The opening guitars on “Can’t Be Real” sound not unlike a warning klaxon, heeding you to the massive bass and drums coming your way in just a few seconds. Those later give the floor to a shredding guitar solo that almost turns singer Andy Ryan’s vocals into backing vocals. The EP closes with “Send for Me,” which contains the clearest vocals on the record and sounds like an Oasis track if Oasis fully embraced their shoegaze love and stayed away from petty squabbles.
It’s another solid record from Diagonal. You need to get on their bandwagon now. They’ll become Riot Fest headliners in no time (which would be great).
I am severely late to the Khruangbin party. I’d heard snippets of their gorgeous album, Con Todo El Mundo, but the full album somehow escaped me nearly the entire year. I’m glad to have caught up, however, because their third record is a lovely mix of jazz, psychedelia, and Iranian / Middle Eastern funk grooves.
Starting with the soulful “Como Me Quieres” (“How Much Do You Love Me”), guitarist Mark Speer produces such clear, beautiful tones that the general vibe around you instantly changes upon hearing them. It slows down everything and gets your mind to notice how fast everyone else is whizzing by you. “Lady and Man” is just as nice, with Speer’s love of Middle Eastern guitar riffs coming to the fore, and drummer Donald Johnson puts on a clinic in solid backing grooves (and does so through the whole record). “Maria Tambien” sizzles from the first chord and doesn’t let up for the next three minutes. You’ll swear you’re riding in a taxi through Marrakesh while you’re listening to it.
“August 10” is a blissful, laid-back track with a bass groove so subtle by Laura Lee that it’s almost like a lover’s whisper across your pillow. “Como Te Quiero” brings in psychedelic reverb on Lee’s vocal sounds to nice effect. You could set your watch to Johnson’s beats on “Shades of Man.” They’re so precise that they almost sound like they were created in the Matrix, but he’s just that good.
Lee keeps repeating “Yes” on “Evan Finds the Third Room,” a funky cut that gets you dancing and features one of her phattest bass grooves. She and Speer just cut loose while Johnson keeps them rooted enough to not go over the cliff. “A Hymn” is suitably mellow and meditative. By the time “Rules” arrives, you realize that Con Todo El Mundo is possibly the best make-out album of 2018. In fact, “Friday Morning” is a perfect song to play while fixing breakfast for your lover after a great Thursday night.
This album is one of the prettiest I’ve heard all year, and a better cure for a hectic day than Netflix and chill.
Following last year’s cover of “O Holy Night,” Texas space-psych rockers Dayluta Means Kindness have released their version of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” for 2018. It’s an instrumental jam that keeps the core of the song and sends it into orbit. It’s only a buck to download it, so drop them some change while you’re in the Christmas spirit.
Keep your mind open.
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Chicago power-punks Axis: Sova tighten up but still keep plenty of live-to-tape fuzz and fury on their newest record – Shampoo You.
The opening riffs of “Terminal Holiday” are a great example of that. The guitar fuzz is almost funky and then almost psychedelic while the Peter Hook-inspired bass keeps you from free-floating beyond gravity.
The guitars are pure new wave on “New Disguise.” The skronks and squeaks are great, and the drum beat is like something from an early Knack record. “Crystal Predictor” is one of the sharpest post-punk tracks of 2018 with a catchy chorus and guitar chords that shred one moment and then ooze the next.
The dual vocals on “Dodger” are a great touch to an already keen track that is louder than you realize at first. “Stale Green” slows down the tempo but ups the power and grooves. The bass groove on “Shock Recognition” could be from a Cure B-side, while the guitar solos border on noise rock cacophony and the electric drums are so precise that they might cut you.
The album ends with the Black Angels-like “Same Person Twice,” which might be about reincarnation or being stuck in repetitive relationships. I like that they decided to end the record on a slightly mellow note. It’s like a cool-down after a high-intensity spin bike workout.
This is one of those records that gets better with each listen.
You know you’re in for a psychedelic music treat when an album opens with a track entitled “The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-1.” Recorded between the Dunes‘ home land of Australia and their part-time homeland of Texas, the psych-giants’ newest (and self-titled) record is a welcome addition to 2018 releases. I’m a longtime fan of the band, and learning this record was coming out this year was like getting an early birthday present.
The opening track mixes shoegaze guitar droning with desert wind synths and didgeridoo tones to put you in the right frame of mind without the need for any kind of of, ahem, enhancements. It will do the work for you. “When You Wake Up” then bursts into your brain like the sun coming through the window after a long night of partying. The reverbed vocals speak of either sleeping off a bad trip, putting the past behind you, or reincarnation (“When you wake up, it’ll be all right.”). It could be all three for all I know. Just let the wall of distortion wash over you.
Psychedelic surf guitars step up front and center on “Making Friends with Codeine.” It’s appropriately trippy and catchy as all get-out. The cleverly titled “(Just Because You’re Not Being Followed Doesn’t Mean You’re Not) Paranoid” reminds me of Black Angels‘ tracks in that it’s creepy, rocking, and mind-melting all at the same time.
“Mountain” is something the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would’ve created if they’d become a psychedelic rock band instead of an art-punk band. The tribal of drums of “New Old” drive the track for over seven minutes of powerful psychedelic rock complete with vintage keys and guitars that stomp their fuzz pedals into submission.
“It feels like the bottom of the sea,” Stacie Reeves sings on “WKNDS” – a track heavy and weird enough to be on your playlist while doing deep sea research on bioluminescent fish or color-shifting cephalopods. “Pariah” is nearly nine minutes and it’s a fine journey toward a desert sunset while walking alongside an Aboriginal shaman.
“The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-II” closes the record, letting us know that our tour of the cosmos has come to a conclusion. The Dunes have taken you on a journey that is difficult to describe, but you know it was mind-altering while you were on it. Thankfully, you can take the journey anytime you want and will probably notice something different every time.
Keep your mind open.
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