2018 in Music

Anything music related. Latest songs, good new bands, and blasts from the past.

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silversurfer19
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by silversurfer19 »

Album 7. Lucy Dacus, “Historian”

Since Matador signed her up and subsequently reissued “No Burden” a couple of years ago, I have been a little obsessed with Lucy Dacus. Songs like “I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore” found themselves being on replay day after day, so when Historian was announced and released earlier this year I was highly anticipating it. And to be honest, this may just be a better record than “No Burden” if indeed that is possible. It is certainly a more comprehensive effort with no real weak points on the record at all. Maintaining the rich melodies and inventive arrangements of her debut, she has taken it a little further this time around, whilst her songwriting, which focuses on grief and the emotional impact it can have upon you, has taken on greater sophistication. Taking heartache to the its zenith, this is a powerful record.



Album 6. Cloud Nothings , “Last Building Burning”

I dont believe a year goes by when a Cloud Nothings record does not make it into my top ten records of the year. Probably my favourite band out at the moment, each of their releases are unique in their own way, while still maintaining the ferocity of how I fell in love with their sound in the first place. Coming quickly after the release of “Life Without Sound”, “Last Building Burning” feels like a natural response to what came before. The previous record felt like a moments breathe, making the effort to slow things down a little to allow the melodies to shine through the aggression. And while some didnt appreciate this, I actually really love that record and its 80s alt rock feel. However, this record is a different beast entirely. It feels like the band wanted to truly capture their live sound, and if that was indeed the case, they have hit it out of the park. The speed is back, the anger is back, but the intricate melodies and catchy riffs remain. An addictive record which despite only being released a couple of months ago, is one of my most played albums of the year. Always great to have them back.


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Leestu
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by Leestu »

Song #5
Labrador - WAAX




Some grungey riot grrrl punk rock. Only have a couple of EPs out so far. Hopefully there is an album coming next year.

Album #5
A Laughing Death In Meatspace - Tropical Fuck Storm




Best punk blues art punk album of the year. Gareth Liddiard from The Drones is an underrated musical genius. Everything he does is amazing from all The Drones albums, to his solo stuff, and now his new project Tropical Fuck Storm. This is a fantastic album. Noisy, chaotic, but rhythmic, well structured songs. Even all the B-sides to the single releases, none of which are on the album are awesome. I mean check out them having fun on this B-side to Rubber Bullies, a cover of The Bee-Gees Staying Alive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdrip6k3g74. I missed seeing them live earlier on in the year but I've got my tickets to see them in March so looking forward to that!

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numbersix
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album #4
Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!




These guys rarely put a foot wrong, and once again they have surpassed expectations with a new record and a new sound. With Danger Mouse at the mixing desk the band explore a slightly poppier sound, even if it’s a dusty 70s one. But damn if they aren’t catchy as hell, almost like Sesame Street anthems at times. And of course there are great post-punk rockers like opener Total Football and the cowbell-heavy title track.


Song #4
David Byrne: Everybody’s Coming to My House




This is arguably Byrne’s best song since “Road To Nowhere” (okay, more like Blind but that’s not as big a statement). It captures Byrne’s ability to say beautiful things in the simpliest of ways. And it’s made all the better from his live show, which was just jaw-dropping.

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JohnErle
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by JohnErle »

When I wasn't doing a deep dive into the Sparks back catalogue, I did find a little time for new music from artists I already followed this year.

Ray Lamontagne - Part Of The Light

This latest album didn't grab me like his last couple, maybe because it seems like he's repeating himself with another album full of hippy-dippy, psych-folk, but there are a couple of standout tracks, especially the single, Such A Simple Thing.



Great Lake Swimmers - The Waves, The Wake

Another band that doesn't stray too far from what's worked for them in the past, although the wind instruments in The Talking Wind add a new wrinkle to their gentle, melodic folk full of natural reverb.

Last edited by JohnErle on December 21st, 2018, 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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numbersix
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Posting another as I'll be travelling all day tomorrow:

Album #3
Snail Mail: Lush




This album works in two ways. In the most direct way, this is about a teenager writing about her own experiences in a very honest and direct way, dealing with breakups and loneliness and friends etc. Its directness is what gives it an edge over, say, many pop tunes which hide in lazy metaphors. But for me it works in a very different way. It’s a conduit to nostalgia, reminding me of the passion of being a teenager as all these new emotions, of longing, of love, swirled around. It also helps that the sound borrows a lot for 90s slowcore acts like Red House Painters. So as the kids flock to hear this new, fresh sound, I can join them, knowing that this records means something else to me, something just as powerful.


Song #3
Protomartyr: Wheel of Fortune




Just when I thought I had a year without being lost in awe of this Detroit act, they decide to release some more stunning material, this time as a 4-track EP. This is by far the best track, utilising Joe Casey’s shouty vocals with guitarist Greg Ahee’s powerful picking. But there’s the added element of Kelley Deal of The Breeders, who not only produces but adds backing vocals to this track, softening Joe’s harshness without diluting the intensity. It’s a perfect post-punk duet.

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silversurfer19
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album 5. Remember Sports, “Slow Buzz”

Crashing into my top 5, and its always great to have Sports back, now re-titled Remember Sports. If ever there was a suggestion that a band could mature on a new record, this is it. It has been a while since "All Of Something" was released, and in that time the band almost split, but to come back with a set of songs that not only recapture the magic of what came before, but to also redefine their sound a little thanks to a little more confidence in what they are doing, it has made for a record full of killer hooks and exciting riffs. Tackling the uncertainty of life and dealing with what is thrown at you, “Slow Buzz” sounds euphoric, as if the band have been through turmoil and come out of it stronger. And they sound all the better for it.


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Leestu
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Song #4
Social Candy - Psychedelic Porn Crumpets




One of my current favourite local live bands...saw them live three times this year. Heavy psych with a prog influence.

Album #4
Superorganism - Superorganism




Best Indietronica, Neo-Psychedelia, Glitch Pop, Electropop, Indie Pop, Psychedelic Pop album of the year. Yes that's right, it needs that many genre tags to define it. Great album for those that like their pop weird and strange.

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Leestu
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by Leestu »

Song #3
Tell Them Where To Go - Cable Ties




Punk is not dead!

Album #3
Freedom's Goblin - Ty Segall




Best glam garage rock album of the year. Don't be put off by the length of this double album. It is all consistent quality with a lot of variety and it just flies by until the closer which is one of the best songs on the album and a perfect way to finish. I like that in today's times of streaming this still plays like 4 unique sides, each with their own influences and sound, but all of it still distinctively, recognisably, Ty Segall's psych, glam, garage rock. There are elements of disco, singer/songwriter, jazz, and hard rock (from Black Sabbath to Hawkwind to The Who). Including all his side projects he must have over 30 albums to his credit already (I haven't counted), but Freedom's Goblin deserves to be alongside Manipulator, Slaughterhouse (by The Ty Segall Band), and Fuzz (by Fuzz - where he puts away his guitar and picks up the drumsticks) as some of the best work he has been involved in so far.

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numbersix
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album #2
Iceage: Beyondless




Glad to see this appear not just on my list. The Danes have done it again, releasing an album that once again pushes their sound in new directions. Delving more into the holy trinity of David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop, this album is broader, even using a horn section in the brilliant duet (with actress/singer/lover Sky Ferreira) Painkiller. The songwriting is superb, as in key single Catch It (which is either about sex or drug addiction, I can’t decide) with its nod to the Velvets, or the more carefree, dreamy Take it All. These kids never stop impressing.


Song #2
Ought: Disgraced in America




Ought returned this year with a third album and, most surprisingly, an entirely different vocal performance from lead singer Tim Darcy. Unfortunately the second half of their album doesn’t quite hold one’s attention. But this song is one of the best they’ve ever released, a sort of angry protest that becomes a sad lament against arbitrary differences. It’s beautiful.

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silversurfer19
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by silversurfer19 »

Catching up:

Album 4. Kal Marks, “Universal Care”

Catching up with the first of a double bill today, first of who belongs to Kal Marks, hailing from the always fantastic Exploding In Sound label. This record finds Kal Marks expanding their sound a little more than previously, adding textures and density to their already abrasive and tormented music. Whilst not an overtly political band, this record does see them take on loftier issues, from global warming and death. However, there is undoubtedly some light within this darkness, most notably with the injection of some humour in their lyrics. They also take time to develop a more delicate side to their sound, and accenting the heavier side of their music with this new introspective direction makes Universal Care all the more interesting.



Album 3. Idles, “Joy As An Act Of Resistance”

Probably the most important band in the UK right now, its great to see the band go on to build a greater audience while at the same time their music seems to be getting even better. Recognised as political act, I can only agree with this to an extent. As while indeed the band do tackle many important political issues, I feel they are more directly attempting to address issues that are more personal to themselves rather than act as a figurehead for a movement. Tackling parental expectations and fear of manhood head on, its a harsh and brutal record. Yet this is balanced with a keen sense of humour too, ensuring the record is not a slog. The riffs come thick and fast, resembling some kind of hybrid between The Fall and Fugazi, while there is never a lack of emphasis on melody, ensuring the songs remain imprinted in memory. I wont lie either, but this is easily Harpers favourite album of the year. Who would have thought a socialist punk band could have such an impression on a 6 year old? But I guess that is credit to the band, that their sound is not just restricted to a certain audience, but that the crushing melodies work even for children. A record for the people, indeed!


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numbersix
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album #1
Idles: Joy As an Act of Resistance




Song #1
Idles: Samaritans




What a year for the Bristol band. They only just released their first album, Brutalism, last year and they came back again, with the even stronger Joy as an Act of Resistance. They toured like madmen, and went from small venues to packing out massive theatres, a transition I was lucky enough to see when I caught them twice, once in August in a small nightclub, and then later in the sold-out O2 Forum in London.

They’ve honed the themes of their earlier work, opting to make angry music about facing hardship and conflict with positivity. Key single Danny Nedelko (named after the singer in band Heavy Lungs) is about supporting immigration. Samaritans, my song of the year, is about the “mask of masculinity” and how it’s used to make men cover up their feelings to detrimental effect. G.R.E.A.T. is an anti-Brexit song (“Islam didn’t eat your hamster” sings Joe Talbot).

Musically they’re trying different things. There’s Oi in I’m Scum, alt-metal in opener Colossus, dance-punk in Never Fight A Man With A Perm, and they even cover a soul song in Cry To Me. And then there’s the dirge of June, an ode to lead singer Joe’s daughter who died at birth, which is simply heart-breaking.

It is an enormous feat, both musically and lyrically, and what’s great is that people are responding. They’re getting more popular (the US still needs to embrace them fully), their fans have mobilised into a group (AF Gang) who go out of their way to support each other, and ultimately the band’s message is breaking through all the crap, fake news, cultural wars, and other divisions that are plaguing out existence. These guys have the power to change people, and in a time when guitar music has been less popular than possible ever before, that’s pretty amazing to me.

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silversurfer19
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album 2. Superchunk, “What A Time To Be Alive”

What a return from the Merge guys! It has been about five years since their last release, but rather than this being the sound of a fading rock band clawing back at any possible success long past, this is instead a highly relavent record, a definitive document of the Trump era, while at no point coming across as anything other than powerful and full of purpose. The band have survived 25 years and the experience gained from this feels like it has been channelled forcefully right into this record. The familiar hooks and choruses are not lost in the political drive, however. This is as urgent as a record the band have put out, ranking right up alongside the likes of Foolish and No Pocky For Kitty. This is an angry record, but an entirely cohesive and fun record as well. Long live Superchunk!



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silversurfer19
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Re: 2018 in Music

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Album No. 1 Screaming Females, “All At Once”

To finish off my countdown, I will announce my favourite record of the year. It hasnt turned up on many year end lists which I find scandalous, but this record was astonishing. The band have had some killer songs over the past few years, and Rose Mountain and Ugly have previously featured on my year end lists, but All At Once is the most cohesive they have ever sounded, the band have found greater focus despite creating a monster double album. From the opening bars of the Sabbath-esque Glass House, each song is absolutely essential and generates a powerful show of intent from Marissa and co. I have listened to this record more than any other album this year, it has had a ridiculous amount of plays and yet I never get even a little bored of it. Touching on themes of control in both a personal and political sense, the record is interesting, but never at the expense of being full throttle entertainment. THE BEST RECORD OF THE YEAR!


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Brockster
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by Brockster »

Took a break for the Holidays! Phew, trying to plow through these songs this morning. Still have barely heard of any of these artists, but it's cool...I like discovering new music!

Album #4 - Belle Mt - Vol. I EP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNrkg958ZYM

One of my favorite artists I discovered last year. Hoping we get a full length album soon!

Album #3 - Mumford and Sons - Delta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nOB_2DQi9U

Pretty sure this will get panned, but oh well. This is getting critically trashed and upon my first listen I was right there. Yet as I listen to it more and more I'm finding I really like it a lot!

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Brockster
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Re: 2018 in Music

Post by Brockster »

Song #4 - Belle Mt. - "Hydra"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3lwjbCMP1c

Very relaxing and calming. Really am excited to see more from him.


Song #3 - Lumineers - "Scotland"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1fGkB9B0eQ

I love this fucking song. Gets me pumped up towards the end. Love the strings in it too. Just a great composition from beginning to end.

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