End of Year 2018

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Hey look it's December again, let's discuss the great things 2018 gave us musically!

I went to 0 festivals this year sadly, which I'm hoping to rectify in 2019. Still managed to see 60 bands this year, discovering plenty of new favourites!

I'm genuinely struggling to pick my favourite gigs for the year, I loved every gig I went to except the first to (The Hunna and Paramore, both in January). Foo Fighters and The Rolling Stones in June were both incredible; Frank Turner was great again; Don Broco, Marmozets, State Champs, Arkells, Nothing But Thieves, and Biffy Clyro all helped make the year incredible gig-wise. Loads of good memories this year. Lower Than Atlantis were brilliant again and I'm genuinely very sad that they're breaking up next year.

Albums! Easy AOTY for me is Living Proof by State Champs, closely followed by Knowing What You Know Now by Marmozets. Don Broco's Technology, Panic at the Disco's Pray for the Wicked and The Xcerts' Hold On To Your Heart probably round out the top five in some order, Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES just outside it. Been a very good year again though, I'm struggling to decide on a full top ten.

Share what you loved, EWB!

[GoGo Yubari]

I think I'm basically at an okay place with my top ten albums of the year. Something like this:

1. Janelle Monae, Dirty Computer

2. Gorillaz, The Now Now

3. Art Brut, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!

4. Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour

5. Anna Burch, Quit the Curse

6. Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel

7. Idles, Joy as an Act of Resistance.

8. Mirah, Understanding

9. Kali Uchis, Isolation

10. Mitski, Be the Cowboy

That's like ten out of... thirteen or so, though? That's still pretty good by my standards, though.

I guess the best shows I saw were Janelle Monae and Mirah, who's always an incredibly reliable live show. I didn't really go to much concerts.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I think the only live music I saw this year was small local bands. 

As far as albums go, Sleep's The Sciences and YOB's Our Raw Heart were phenomenal. I'm late on both of them - Sleep's album came out on 4/20, and Our Raw Heart was out in June - but they're both absolutely fantastic metal albums. Especially if stoner metal/doom is your thing (like it is mine).
 

 

 

[Benjamin]

@GoGo Yubari's got it right, Dirty Computer was the album of the year, definitely.

Well, either that or Black Panther: The Album. Both were amazing.

[tristy]

1. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett
2. Astroworld by Travi$ Scott
3. YE/Self-Titled by Kanye West/Kids See Ghosts
4. Pinned by A Place To Bury Strangers
5. TESTING by A$AP Rocky
6. Quavo Huncho by Quavo
7. Heaven & Earth by Kamasi Washington
8. Everything Is Love by JAY Z & Beyoncé
9. Not All Heroes Wear Capes by Metro Boomin
10. Year Of The Snitch by Death Grips
11. Negro Swan by Blood Orange
12. Bad Witch by Nine Inch Nails
13. Sweetener by Ariana Grande
14. Beyondless by Iceage
15. Post Traumatic by Mike Shinoda

Other stuff I enjoyed, but didn't really stay with me like the above albums did...

Quote

Mudboy by Sheck Wes, NASIR by Nas, 7 by Beach House, Veteran by JPEGMAFIA, Culture II by Migos, Czarface Meets Metalface by MF DOOM & Czarface, Daytona by Pusha T, Vacation In Hell by Flatbush ZOMBiES, Glitter EP by 070 Shake, Moosebumps by Dr. Octagon, Queen by Nicki Minaj, beerbongs & bentleys by Post Malone, Redemption by Jay Rock, Anthem Of The Peaceful Army by Greta Van Fleet, FM! by Vince Staples, Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by tristy

[Tyrone]

Didn't listen to enough music this year for a top 10/15, but TA13OO by Denzel Curry, Saturn by Nao and Negro Swan by Blood Orange were my favorite albums.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Tyrone

[Rich]

If your number one record isn't Spanish Love Songs - Schmaltz, then you are dead wrong, dead wrong.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Oh, I totally spaced and forgot High On Fire's Electric Messiah was this year too. Also a great album. 

Quote

"When Lemmy was still alive I always got compared to Lemmy, so I had this dream where he got pissed at me,“ Pike says via a press release. "He gave me a bunch of s***, basically, and was hazing me. Not that he didn’t approve of me, but like I was being hazed. The song is me telling the world that I could never fill Lemmy’s shoes, because Lemmy’s Lemmy. I wanted to pay homage to him in a great way. And it turned out to be such a good title that the guys said we should call the album Electric Messiah. Although at first the working title was Insect Workout With Lemmy."

 

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

2 hours ago, Rich said:

If your number one record isn't Spanish Love Songs - Schmaltz, then you are dead wrong, dead wrong.

Maybe I just haven't heard it yet?

[Kyle]

I don't listen to new music as much as I should, but top two albums I've listened to that have come out this year are Living Proof by State Champs and Glory Sound Prep by Jon Bellion.

[LittleDaniel]

16 hours ago, Jerippon Marathon said:

State Champs

I saw them in Chicago this year!  I've never listened to their stuff, but it was a very fun show.

 

I meant to keep a spreadsheet of all the new (as in, released this year) music I listened to in order to make this easier, but that lasted like three days.  So, this is probably forgetting stuff that I was really into, but this year has lasted at least five years.

1. Graduating Life - Grad Life
2. Denzel Curry - TA13OO
3. Mom Jeans. - Puppy Love
4. awakebutstillinbed - what people call low self-esteem is really just seeing yourself the way that other people see you
5. Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try To Relax
6. Noname - Room 25
7. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
8. Black Thought - Streams of Thought Vol 1
9. Jeff Rosenstock - POST-
10. Cloud District - Don't Give Up, Skeleton
11. Lil Wayne - C5
12. Curren$y x Freddie Gibbs - Fetti
13. Just Friends - Nothing But Love
14. Pusha T - Daytona
15. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

 

In terms of concerts, I haven't gone to much, but my highlight is definitely being in the circle pit for Jerry Lee Lewis at Riot Fest!

[Benjamin]

1. Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By by Various Artists
2. Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae
3. The Kids Are Alright by Chloe x Halle
4. ASTROWORLD by Travis Scott
5. Queen by Nicki Minaj
6. My Dear Melancholy by The Weeknd
7. East Atlanta Love Letter by 6LACK
8. Suncity by Khalid
9. Bobby Tarantino II by Logic
10. KOD by J. Cole

That's what I got so far. Can't think of what else I listened to. I guess Testing, Narcos II, Quavo Huncho need to be relistened to? Also I really need to listen to Saba. 

 

[LittleDaniel]

1 hour ago, Benjamin said:

Saba

fuuuuuuuck I knew I was gonna forget people, that was a great album, PROM/KING is so damn good

[Gorka]

Urgh, I have such a backlog and a bunch of albums to re-listen to. But if I had to make a top ten (and in no particular order):

• Gwenno - "Le Kov"
• Insecure Men - "Insecure Men"
• Low - "Double Negative"
• IDLES - "Joy as an Act of Resistance"
• SOPHIE - "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides"
• Khruangbin - "Con Todo El Mundo"
• Parquet Courts - "Wide Awake!"
• Pusha T - "Daytona"
• Yves Tumor - "Safe in the Hands of Love"
• Haley Heynderickx - "I Need to Start a Garden"

Gig-wise, I saw Manic Street Preachers for the third time, Japanese Breakfast in Birmingham, My Bloody Valentine perform their first gig in five years and Public Service Broadcasting play parts of their mining-based album 'Every Valley' in a small South Wales town.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Gorka

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I've managed to miss Manics at least 3 times so I'm glad I finally get to tick them off next year.

[tristy]

3 hours ago, Gorka said:

Haley Heynderickx - "I Need to Start a Garden"

Super underrated. I only listened to this album a few times, but it's pretty good.

[Rich]

16 hours ago, Jerippon Marathon said:

Maybe I just haven't heard it yet?

I am sorry for your loss

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I am sorry for your loss

I listened to it last night and it was okay. Good, but not gonna top my list.

[Jimmy]

1. Snail Mail, Lush
2. Charli XCX, Pop 2
3. Soccer Mommy, Clean
4. Don Broco, Technology
5. Princess Nokia, A Girl Cried Red
6. Tirzah, Devotion
7. Black Honey, Black Honey
8. Arctic Monkeys, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
9. Lets Eat Grandma, I'm All Ears
10. Saba, Care For Me
11. Cloud Nothings, Last Building Burning
12. US Girls, In a Poem Unlimited
13. Iceage, Beyondless
14. Tommy Cash, Y£$
15. Kids See Ghosts, Kids See Ghosts

Listened to way more albums this year than in the last few years, went to way more gigs, kinda re-discovered my love for listening to new music and going out and seeing it. Definitely a few common themes in my fav albums, definitely have a weakness for indie-ish / electronic stuff with female singers. Including the Charli XCX album cos it technically came out just under a year ago and it's so good.

Fav gig was the Los Campesinos 10th Anniversary Tour they did, probably followed by Haim at Ally Pally, which was fucking great. Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy also killed it & Don Broco were great fun to see. 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Jimmy

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

2018 gave us my band's album. We were pleased with it.

 

My favourite 2018 album was probably....

 

 

That said, I don't think I bought any other 2018 albums. 

 

 

Gig-wise plenty of local gigs of course including gigs we played and gigs we didn't. I don't think I went to see any "big" bands this year though. Aside from the usual local bands I have much love for (Exoskeletons, Punching Swans, Frau Pouch etc) my favourite bands to play with or see were Sweet Deals on Surgery and USA Nails.