Papa's Top Albums of the Year 2018 202-102
standout tracks included, shoutouts included, descirptions included, positive vibes included |
| 101 |  | Tommy Guerrero
Road To Knowhere
202
psych blues-rock
This album barely has anything that could be remotely considered a standout cut. But that is not what it is about. It's all about that mood, atmosphere and overall vibes that will make your day a shade brighter.
Highway Hustle |
| 100 |  | Unreqvited
Mosaic I: l'amour et l'ardeur
201
blackgaze
A cosmic journey that was supposed to be black metal (I think), but seems more like a noisy fairytale. It's interesting how the more this band distances itself from black metal, the better they are.
Dreamscape |
| 99 |  | Your End
Ghost Architecture
200
doom
Ugly-ass classic doom fuckery.
Rid of Sunlight |
| 98 |  | Zohastre
Pan And The Master Pipers
199
shoutout to Sniff
psych
Nobody is ready for a David Lynch directed space opera.
Birds Oracle |
| 97 |  | Holy Wave
Adult Fear
198
psych pop
Distantly psychedelic and very much pop-y summer album of jolly sweet rock-ish tunes.
How Was I Supposed to Know |
| 96 |  | Advance Base
Animal Companionship
197
shoutout to anatelier
This album's opener is dissonant and loud, but really misleads you into expecting more of that. The rest of the album is still pleasant serenity, but you do still want to hear that opener's coolness again, which you won't.
True Love Death Dream |
| 95 |  | DJ Koze
knock knock
196
electronic
It's a fun time, alright.
Moving in a Liquid |
| 94 |  | ANCST
Ghosts of the Timeless Void
195
death metal
Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy how relentless and hard-hitting this is, it does end up rather samey.
Quicksand |
| 93 |  | Sargeist
Unbound
194
black metal
The grandpas of 2000s black metal are still at it and still with the same thing that made them what they are and still just as skinning and crushing.
The Bosom of Wisdom and Madness |
| 92 |  | Red Lama
Motions
193
indie pop-rock
This album builds on build-ups. The choruses, even when they are clear are still a building block to be expanded upon.
Perfect Strangers |
| 91 |  | Illuminati Hotties
Kiss Yr Frenemies
192
indie rock
Probably one of the most banal albums on this list, but by god is it sweet and heartwarming. You need albums like this in your life.
Paying Off the Happiness |
| 90 |  | Zeal and Ardor
Stranger Fruit
191
black metal and more
From banal to one of the most creative. Not only is the metal component as strong as it can be, it is also spiced up with catchy and haunting soul chants.
Fire of Motion |
| 89 |  | A.A.L. (Against All Logic)
2012-2017
190
electronic
I cannot pretend as though I suddenly understand techno or electronica because of this album, but I feel somewhat closer to that.
I Never Dream |
| 88 |  | Dusk (WI)
Dusk
189
country
I don't exactly enjoy country music. I enjoyed this album. That is not the beginning of a trend.
Leaf |
| 87 |  | Prism Tats
Mamba
188
indie rock
Here's one that jumps from a little bit rock'n'roll to a little bit of indie, a little bit of folksiness and a little bit of catchiness. It's a little bit of everything. Not saying it is undercooked or run-of-the-mill, it just has its own audience that will certainly appreciate it way more than I did.
Gloom Tomb |
| 86 |  | mewithoutYou
[Untitled]
187
emo pop-punk
Way lower than even I myself expected this to land. That is probably due to the fact that it only truly has an impact on me as a whole album. I wouldn't be able to obtain the same level of enjoyment and emotional resonance listening to even the highlights separately. So for that fact that it really only works as a whole, but not necessarily track-by-track, here you have a lower spot.
Another Head for Hydra |
| 85 |  | Noise Trail Immersion
Symbology of Shelter
186
shoutout to MarsKid
black death
By no means a revelation in the world of blackened death metal, but a bloody damn solid release nonetheless. Its greatest flaw is that it get a little too repetitive and the song-writing just isn't necessarily that memorable all the time, but will I be damned if this band doesn't make it heavy as all hells.
Acrimonious |
| 84 |  | In Twilight's Embrace
Lawa
185
death metal
Even though thte year itself has been rather fruitful on great metal records, I have largely skipped many Polish releases. Judging from this album, I did wrong.
Dziś wzywają mnie podziemia |
| 83 |  | Bird Streets
Bird Streets
184
singer-songwriter
There is always free space for a decent singer-songwriter easiness.
Spaceship |
| 82 |  | Iceage
Beyondless
183
art-punk
Barely a mindblowing album, but it'd be foolish to pretend, as though it is anything but consistently great.
Catch It |
| 81 |  | Ambrose Akinmusire
Origami Harvest
182
shoutout to bgillesp
neo-classical jazz hip-hop
Not exactly a listen I'd put on because "why not", but rather something you need to dress up for, bust out a beret and and a pipe and contemplate about cosmos.
A Blooming Bloodfruit in a Hoodie |
| 80 |  | Gevurah
Sulphur Soul
181
black metal
This mini-album's biggest flaw is its samey song-writing. It's biggest strength is its production and relentlessly crushing atmosphere.
Across the Primordial Sea |
| 79 |  | Uada
Cult of a Dying Sun
180
black death
This is going to be a quickie: it's heavy and epic, don't miss out.
Sphere (Imprisonment) |
| 78 |  | Murs
A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable
179
hip-hop
Could this be considered the original emo rapper? I mean, his lyrics are a high-level woke and emotionally charged and he delivers them with all the urgency of an emo record. So it technically could be emo rap.
The Unimaginable |
| 77 |  | The Bamboos
Night Time People
178
shoutout to Conmaniac
blues-soul-funk-pop
Thought Connor's gonna rec me some low-grade emo. Bamboosled again. |
| 76 |  | Malthusian
Across Deaths
177
doom death
Maybe just a little too samey at times, but what does that matter, when the whole thing is just so damn heavy and diabolical.
Sublunar Hex |
| 75 |  | Coldworld and Farsot
Toteninsel
176
black metal
There's been a lot of great splits this year, but I don't recall many being conceptual. Admittedly, the concept of this album is rather vague, Coldworld writes two songs about water and Farsot two about earth. What is that supposed to mean other than a few banal references to horizon above water and dirt is beyond me, but it sounds pretty damn great.
Seaghouls |
| 74 |  | Hookworms
Microshift
175
psych pop
A little odd, a little glitchy, a little out there, a little cute.
Negative Space |
| 73 |  | Svalbard
It's Hard To Have Hope
174
hardcore
This is political. Very political. And if there is a lick of conservatism in you, you might find this album as cringy as I did. But if you like some hard-hitting, wild craze of hardcore, you will love the music as much as I did.
For the Sake of the Breed |
| 72 |  | Arabrot
Who Do You Love
173
hard rock
Perhaps they went a little too flat on the production and the instrumentation this time around, but the atmosphere of diabolical fun is still there.
Pygmalion |
| 71 |  | Ars Magna Umbrae
Lunar Ascension
172
black metal
Another by-the-numbers atmospheric black metal record. But do you really care that it is not reinventing anything, if it's so goddamn good?
Chthonic Torches Of Gnosis |
| 70 |  | Odious Devotion
Odious Devotion
171
black metal
It's good to know that there is still raw black metal out there that doesn't hurt the ear, but shreds you to pieces anyway.
Pure |
| 69 |  | Murder by Death
The Other Shore
170
indie folk
Watch (or listen) and learn, Typhoon, how one makes tuneful, but grandiose folk songs.
True Dark |
| 68 |  | Erland Cooper
Solan Goose
169
neoclassical folk stuff
Solan Goose is technically a folk album, but I keep thinking, whether or not it is actually soft ambient post-rock (or post-folk, whatever).
Tammie Norie |
| 67 |  | Chapel of Disease
...And As We Have Seen The Storm
168
death metal
Not necessarily the most innovative death metal record out there, but a textbook definition of solid.
Song of the Gods |
| 66 |  | Turnstile
Time and Space
167
hardcore pop-punk
A mixed bag of all sorts of things that sounds like a mathematically calculated formula of "how to make yourselves sound like we're punks, but still live a lavish lifestyle", but is still an outstanding batch of fun tunes.
Moon |
| 65 |  | The Pineapple Thief
Dissolution
166
prog
The soft side of prog music this year, but emotionally and melodically maybe much, much more potent than many of its contemporaries.
Uncovering Your Tracks |
| 64 |  | The TeleVibes
Major Drones
165
psych pop-rock
If only this band could have sorted out their song-writing, which doesn't always hit home, I would have really loved this. It is this close to being a truly outstanding debut record.
Phases |
| 63 |  | serpentwithfeet
soil
164
neo-soul
I had some disagreements with people over his voice, because I will still insist that his vocals are too rusty and undertrained and the high moments he just doesn't handle. However, I cannot deny that there is a charm in those [insert vocal quality of your preference] vocals.
cherubim |
| 62 |  | Underoath
Erase Me
163
post-metalcore
Full disclosure, I haven't heard their records before, so any disappointment from this record missed me. I actually enjoyed the cheesy over-the-top metalcore inclinations of the record and its relentless attempts at sounding deep and gargantuan.
Hold Your Breath |
| 61 |  | Denzel Curry
TA13OO
162
hip-hop
I admit, I initially loved this much more, but with time it became sort of the victim of 'too much good music' and got consistently pushed down by albums I was more interested in and ones that were just plain better.
Sirens |
| 60 |  | Rad Horror
Anti Teenage Sensation - Part 1
161
shoutout to SowingSeason
pop-punk
This is the cheesy kind of pop-punk I like to hear.
Teenage Love |
| 59 |  | Frog Eyes
Violet Psalms
160
indie rock
My interest in indie rock is at this point somewhat depleted. The genre doesn't really offer anything all that exciting and its already established bands that once have shown promise are now descending into softness and musical rut. But every now and then comes a band like Frog Eyes and reinvigorates my hopes for the genre. By no means are they a unique project, but a certainly admirable one.
Don't Sleep Under Stars |
| 58 |  | Dead!
The Golden Age of Not Even Trying
159
hard pop-rock
A group of yougsters with youngster angst, youngster musical taste, youngster skill and youngster lyricism.
Enough Enough Enough |
| 57 |  | Charles Bradley
Black Velvet
158
soul
One last ride of a grandiose performer who got truly big only towards the last years of his life.
Heart of Gold |
| 56 |  | Failure
In The Future Your Body Will Be The Furthest Thing From Your Mind
157
prog grunge
As a multitude of extended plays this was pretty good. As a full-length this is way too long, but still pretty good.
No One Left |
| 55 |  | Yashira
Shrine
156
shoutout to suppatime
death metal
The good side of deathcore. (It's deathcore, right?)
Surmise (Descend) |
| 54 |  | Netherlands
HOPE PORN
155
noisy-punk-insanity
Not a full album, but more of a taster of what is actually to come in their full length (see a few entries higher), a heavy jelly of noise and harshness.
Deathless |
| 53 |  | The Vaccines
Combat Sports
154
indie rock
The Vaccines are to me what one might condsider a guilty pleasure, though that would constitute realising people's general dislike of that what you enjoy. With The Vaccines, I don't necessarily get people's lukewarm reception of the band. In my view they are a bit banal, sure, but also with instantly memorable song-writing and fun-loving energy.
Surfing in the Sky |
| 52 |  | They Might Be Giants
I Like Fun
153
fun pop
How many times I've been accused of not liking fun. Well, here's a proof that I do. Meanwhile, it seems like majority of other people over here have difficulty understanding what fun is.
I Like Fun |
| 51 |  | Fan
Barton's Den
152
electropop
Probably not something that'll amaze anyone at all, but a decent and pleasant enough electronica-induced pop record.
OMD |
| 50 |  | Forest Mysticism
Hearken
151
black metal
A Woods of Desolation side-project and much like WoD this also suffers from its overly lo-fi production. It certainly does add to the grandiosity and feels like you're hearing the music in echo in some ginormous cave, but I'd still love to hear the details better. Still, the gargantuan scale of the music is overwhelming and the atmosphere is undeniable. It is a musical atrocity to behold, but in a good way.
Never Again Seen |
| 49 |  | Remete (AUS)
The Winter Silence
150
black metal
Another WoD side-project, but much folkier and a little cozier.
III |
| 48 |  | Mind Spiders
Furies
149
electrorock
Fate to say that this will not blow your mind, but vibing with a half-hour long danceable, pulsating electrorock is a great way to kill time anyway.
Furies |
| 47 |  | Erdve
Vaitojimas
148
post-sludge
I am still not entirely sure, whether this album even actually deserves to be on this list, because I did not find it groundbreaking in any way, nor was it a particularly stand-out moment in metal music this year. It was merely an immensly enjoyable record. So I suppose it does actually deserve a spot here. I did enjyo myself with it, after all.
Vaitojimas |
| 46 |  | Media Jeweler
1-800-SUCCEED
147
instrumental art-punk
Not for everybody, but an instrumental treat of weirdness and uplifting easiness (wrapped in complex instrumentation).
Warning Shots |
| 45 |  | Ain
Stance I
146
black metal
It would have been a regular plain black metal, but these crazies actually tuned it up a mile by adding choir vocals and that orgasmic double-bass drumming (nothing special, really, but it really popped up nicely here).
I-III |
| 44 |  | No Problem
Let God Sort Em Out
145
punk
Who let these fuckers make good punk in 2018? Who do they think they are, a good band or something?
Isolation |
| 43 |  | Damagers
Victory
144
punk
No Problem, but fun-loving.
Who Decides? |
| 42 |  | Glacial Tomb
Glacial Tomb
143
death metal
Khemmis band members have designated a side-project for expressing their purely classical death metal urges.
Of Flesh and Worship |
| 41 |  | Saintseneca
Pillar of Na
142
indie folk
It is the more instrumentally rich Murder of Death and song-writingly intriguing Typhoon. For the fans of folk in its most beautiful form, do not miss out.
Ladder to the Sun |
| 40 |  | Teleman
Family of Aliens
141
indie pop
Teleman is one of those bands that is probably insufferable to anyone who finds Modest Mouse too soft. This is softness galore, nothing but pillowy, sparkly, tender, plush, blanket-wrapped kindness and careful happy-go-lucky niceness. I also pussy-out every now and then.
Somebody's Island |
| 39 |  | Julia Holter
Aviary
140
dream pop
This is gorgeous, utterly and mind-bogglingly beautiful. The only possible gripe I have with it is that it goes on for a little too long. But so far it might be Julia's most ambitious and triumphant record yet.
Les Jeux to You |
| 38 |  | Traps PS
New Chants
139
shoutout to Sniff
post-punk
Old-school Gang of Four-isms. What's not to love?
Kotel Knit |
| 37 |  | Tomberlin
At Weddings
138
shoutout to SowingSeason
singer-songwriter
And I thought that Damien Jurado would be the only bittersweet guitar-wielder to crack me this year.
Untitled 1 |
| 36 |  | Anthroprophh
Omegaville
137
shoutout to Sniff
insane punk
It is so easy to see this album turning people off. After all, it has barely any structure, barely any catchy tunes, barely anything likeable. What it has is an hour and a half of absolute sonic insanity.
Housing Act 1980 |
| 35 |  | Various Artists
Our Voltage
136
punk
For those of you who demand new punk music to sound like anger and harshness (i.e. like punk), do not miss out on this feature of a dozen artists to look out for.
What Did You Say? |
| 34 |  | Ghostface Killah
The Brown Tape
135
hip-hop
I really do not understand people's disregard for this album and its quality. Ghostface Killah has lately been on a streak of quality and everyone's sleeping on it. For shame!
Beware of the Stare |
| 33 |  | Datarock
Face the Brutality
134
pop-rock
They just, just move between extremely catchy and moderately decent. Just, just.
Laugh in the Face of Darkness |
| 32 |  | Notches
Almost Ruined Everything
133
shoutout to Dewinged
pop-punk
Although it does carry the tag of pop-punk, it is somewhat heavy and instrumentally intriguing. Not to mention catchy as hell.
History |
| 31 |  | Vreid
Lifehunger
132
black metal
There was a time, when this album sat higher on my list, but unfortunately it dropped a little, because it just isn't that tight. The banging songs it has are fantastic, but it is just too short.
Lifehunger |
| 30 |  | Antlers (DE)
Beneath.Below.Behold
131
black metal
A little lo-fi, a little grainy and a little standard black metal. It is as solid as black metal tapes come.
Heal |
| 29 |  | Black Thought
Streams of Thought, Vol. 1
130
hip-hop
This'll be short: 5 solid-ass tracks. Wish that solid quality translated into a longer project (I was mildly lukewarm towards Vol. 2).
Dostoyevsky |
| 28 |  | The Lion's Daughter
Future Cult
129
black death and such
This thing is just a goddamn travesty of sound, but it is never all-over-the-place. You can hear stoner doom, you can hear death metal, you can hear black metal and even some electronica and it is all produced with the glossiness of a pop album and it sounds fantastic and fun.
Grease Infant |
| 27 |  | Shopping
The Official Body
128
post-punk
A cause of some disputes, I still hold my ground on loving this record. The guitar work and the zany song-writing are too charming.
Shave Your Head |
| 26 |  | Silent Planet
When the End Began
127
prog metalcore
What a surprise, I enjoyed this record, even though I should have by all means hated it. Indeed, the song-writing is not necessarily the most memorable and in the long run the tunes feel rather samey and I guess it barely stands out as the best of the year, but by god is it powerful.
Depths III |
| 25 |  | Golden Dawn Arkestra
Children Of The Sun
126
shoutout to Dewinged
psychedelic
Not a lot in psychedelic music can surprise me nowadays, but this record had song-writing unmatched by many today.
o One Like You |
| 24 |  | Saba
Care For Me
125
hip-hop
This is one of those times an album tries to sound thoughtful and somewhat serious, but still presents itself as really calm and pleasant to listen to. Everything here is just so mild and easy-going, even when it tackles something harder, it manages to be pleasant.
Calligraphy |
| 23 |  | The Yossarians
Ambition will Eat itself
124
post-punk
A short, but striking release that barely provides anything innovative, but serves as an example of a well-executed project by people obviously passionate about this sort of music. It is atmospheric and catchy.
Caramelised |
| 22 |  | The Rock*A*Teens
Sixth House
123
bluegrass indie rock
This type of music is rarely my cup of tea. I usually find it rather tapid and forgettable. But if this album was anything like its contemporaries, it wouldn't have landed here. A song, a hit. Really, the vocals might put some off, but ultimately it is nothing you can't get used to. Tunes are a delight to listen to, while the instrumentation, while samey, softly caresses you.
Count in Odd Numbers |
| 21 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Prequelle
122
pop-doom
They put 'fun' back into satanic fanatic.
Faith |
| 20 |  | Clutch
Book of Bad Decisions
121
dirty punk-rock
It's great to know that there still is a band out there that doesn't really try to pry on people's emotions too much, doesn't try to become a hawk of social commentary or be in with the excessive trends of the times, and just does what they feel is good and fun music.
In Walks Barbarella |
| 19 |  | In the Woods...
Cease the Day
120
hardcore black metal
I guess, what happened to post-hardcore is now happening to black metal. I mean, post-hardcore went from an amateur-centric underground dirty-sounding genre to a bloated, overproduced yelp-fest. Now In the Woods are more or less trying to do the same thing with black metal. It is only a matter of time before it annoys me, but as of right now (probably because I am not over-exposed to this kind of stuff yet), I enjoy what I'm hearing.
Substance Vortex |
| 18 |  | Half Man Half Biscuit
No One Cares About Your Creative Hub so Get Your F
119
cocky art-punk
The kings of sassy lyrics, the godfathers of UK musical snark and the grandmasters of UK underground punk scene. It is their usual dose of good enough tunes and Nigel's rants on everything he encounters on a day-to-day basis. Don't expect any surprises, it is just solid.
Knobheads on Quiz Shows |
| 17 |  | Horna
Kuolleiden Kuu
118
black metal
A little too much muddy noise to really enjoy it in its pureblooded corniness, but at least this isn't their only release this year.
Tähdet Tähdet |
| 16 |  | J.I.D
DiCaprio 2
117
hip-hop
Would you look at that, I said he has room to grow and he has indeed grown.
Off Deez |
| 15 |  | Vowws
Under the World
116
coldwave
Not a lot in modern coldwave or darkwave or any post-1980s -wave surprises me anymore, but Vowws managed to. It's not like it is anything particularly new or outstanding, but it has charisma, atmosphere and catchiness I cannot deny.
Inside Out |
| 14 |  | Ancestors
Suspended in Reflections
115
doom
My big problem with doom has usually been that it only focuses on being gargantuan in sound and heavy in execution, but its substance (song-writing and such) is virtually non-existent. Ancestors found a great balance in between. It could use being slightly longer and it does have unnecessary moments, but it is a fantastic beauty.
Through a Window |
| 13 |  | Dave Matthews Band
Come Tomorrow
114
pop-rock
I suppose this definitively confirms me as a dad. I don't have kids, but I enjoyed a new Dave Matthews album. I am a dad.
Virginia in the Rain |
| 12 |  | Szun Waves
New Hymn to Freedom
113
jazz
One of the more accessible jazz records of the year. Or at least certainly one of the more serene and pleasant ones.
Temple |
| 11 |  | Oxblood
Michael
112
emo
Did not expect this at all. Who could've guessed a Sputnik user project will end up this striking? But it really is, it is a heart-breaking three-tracker.
Part Three |
| 10 |  | Netherlands
Black Gaia
111
metallic noise punky rock or something
Between Tropical Fuck Storm and The Armed, this is another messed up noisy insanity-rock.
-TON |
| 9 |  | St. Vincent
MassEducation
110
acoustic pop
It's very surprising to see an acoustic rendition of an album end up sounding better than the actual album. But yeah, Masseduction was probably her attempt at turning a little more linear and simple. This is an attempt at making it more soulful and even more personal.
Happy Birthday, Johnny |
| 8 |  | Holy Esque
Television / Sweet
109
odd goth pop-rock
I warn you, you might be put off by the froggish vocals, but once you get used to that barricade, everything else is oddly beautiful and powerful. The album occasionally gets a little too mellow, but it is all part of the charm.
House of Hounds |
| 7 |  | The Wonder Years
Sister Cities
108
emo pop-punk
What a surprise this was. I was honestly only vaguely familiar with this band's music, having heard them a long time ago, and so I expected some heavier Brand New (which is never good), but I actually got a really emotional and instantly memorable slap of heaviness, both instrumental and topical.
We Look Like Lightning |
| 6 |  | The Vivids
999&13
107
noisy darkwave
Fusing flare and flamboyancy with aggression and angst. Delightful.
Trembling Bells |
| 5 |  | The Underachievers
After The Rain
106
hip-hop
I am really sad that most of 2018 hip-hop failed to wow me beyond a 4/5 rating, but this album came pretty damn close. It is probably some of the catchiest hip-hop of the year, as well as the album that managed to present heavyweight issues and themes with ease and extremely smooth production. Some incredible talent flowing here, shame people largely ignore this group. Guess they live up to their name.
Location Nowhere |
| 4 |  | King Dude
Music To Make War To
105
noir-rock
This new King Dude album is maybe not as stylistically scattered as his previous record, but at the same time doesn't contain as many outstanding tracks. It is as solid as a King Dude album can be, but maybe just a few hits away from being one of his best.
I Don't Write Love Songs Anymore |
| 3 |  | Vanhelgd
Deimos Sanktuarium
104
black death
I don't always go for metal that is only brutal and heavy and doesn't really go into much melodic depth, but Vanhelgd managed to surprise even me. Listening to this record I just feel the need to go into the woods and burn something… that is normal, right?
Vi Föddes I Samma Grav |
| 2 |  | Man with a Mission
Chasing the Horizon
103
shoutout to ZombieToyDuck
pop-rock nu-metal
Don't judge. Listen for yourselves.
My Hero |
| 1 |  | Drug Church
CHEER
102
hardcore pop-punk
In a short timespan, this record is a punk atrocity. I can forgive the slight corniness, because the album was just oh too catchy and wild. Cheerfully angry and melodic.
Dollar Story |
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