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I want to open by addressing two things. If you are an EOY (End-of-Year) list watcher, and you frequent this blog, you might wonder: “Hey, is he just fucking aggregating from other lists?” You’d be justified in that suspicion, but–especially if you look back across my posts in ’18–you’d be wrong. For whatever reason–coincidence, politics, the law–women simply made the most direct, from-the-gut, punch-to-the-jaw records this year, and all year long. It’s almost as if they give a shit, as well we all ought. Dudes distinguished themselves: Parquet Courts, Makaya McCraven, and Superchunk, to variously explicit and subtle degrees, seemed to acknowledge the shit that’s coming down around our ears, and if Zeal & Ardor didn’t qualify for either explicit or subtle, at least their dark roar–their sharp shtick (if it’s shtick, let it be sharp)–seemed to fit well with mornings where reading the news was like drinking from a fire hose (props to the great cartoonist John Darkow).

Looking down through my list, well–Tracey Thorn’s held the top spot for me all year. That’s especially significant in that I wasn’t previously a huge fan, nor did I know much about her 30+-year career. I’d written her off in the ’80s as being Brit-pop, which I couldn’t connect with, but, on a tip, I quickly learned that Record was euphonious, danceable, and of the moment, with its politics so personal that they never tripped up the album’s momentum. It was two things I really love: human, and whole. I’ve not gotten tired of it. Rosalia’s record has yet to be released in the States, but its combo of flamenco conventions, top-of-the-line dance-pop production, and the artist’s confident vocal exhortations are addictive. CupcaKe: I don’t blush much, but her record forces me to understand what a Puritan I still am while immersing me in pleasure as the epiphany sinks in. I’ve been a confirmed Dylanophile since ’75, and at first I overreacted to LaVette’s cover album gambit as too easy, but once her wrestling of the songs’ content into her experience became clear to my ear, I was all in. She still oversings, but not so much that she distracts from the pretty spiffy material. McCraven: I’m honestly impressed with his mix method, his style of percussion synchronizes with my personal rhythms (an achievement that I don’t take lightly), and he’s a workaholic. Sometimes I wonder whether it seduces me so well as to be a sedative, but I don’t think so. The pure beat-pleasure he produces reminds me of Tony Williams, so…yeah. A wonderful student named Juniper forced me to listen to Noname (I don’t have time to listen to everything–come on!), and as a result that artist became a daily touchstone in my comp/pop music class. Oh, and a final thing? Jazz is not dead, not by a long shot, and though I wish Nate Chinen’s great “new” book were the reason I feel that way, in actuality, Chinen’s just hit a triple off the wall rather than an upper-deck homer.

To close: while it might be fairly easy to argue that 2018 did not bring us that may iconic albums, it did bring us a dazzling array of very, very good albums shot across the bow from all directions. At no time this year did I ever feel that music was “over”–that’s such an absurd idea on its face, but there’s no shortage of adepts (even) who might make the argument. Now–if this damn country would just snap to, and live up to its aural art. I’m not holding my breath.

In Bold: THE TESTED-BY-HEAVY-REPS TOP 25 (after those, all bets are off)

Listen to a YouTube Playlist of selections from the below via a previous post.

1. Tracy Thorn: Record
2. Rosalia: El Mal Querer
3. CupcaKe: Ephorize
4. Bettye LaVette: Things Have Changed
5. Zeal & Ardor: Stranger Fruit
6. Noname: Room 25
7. Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings
8. Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel
9. Sly & Robbie and Nils Petter Molvaer: Nordub
10. Orquesta Akokan: Orquesta Akokan
11. Pusha T: Daytona
12. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!
13. Elza Soares: Deus É Mulher
14. John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness
15. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer
16. JD Allen: Love Stone
17. Superchunk: What A Time to Be Alive
18. Mary Gauthier and Songwriting with Soldiers: Rifles and Rosary Beads
19. Toni Braxton: Sex & Cigarettes
20. Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning
21. Joe McPhee: Imaginary Numbers
22. Tierra Whack: Whack World
23. Michot’s Melody Makers: Blood Moon
24. JLin: Autobiography (Music from Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography)
25. Chloe x Halle: The Kids are Alright
26. Nidia: Nídia É Má, Nídia É Fudida
27. Fat Tony: 10,000 Hours
28. Blood Orange: Negro Swan
29. The Internet: Hive Mind
30. Swamp Dogg: Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune
31. SOPHIE: The Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides
32. Maria Muldaur: Don’t You Feel My Leg—The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blu Lu Barker
33. Subtle Degrees: A Dance That Empties
34. Daniel Carter: Seraphic Light
35. The Necks: Body
36. Hamell on Trial: The Night Guy
37. Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar
38. James Brandon Lewis: Radiant Imprints
39. Berry: Everything, Compromised
40. boygenius: EP
41. Peter Brotzmann and Heather Leigh: Sparrow Nights
42. Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is a Reptile
43. Lisbon Freedom Unit: Praise of Our Folly
44. Doctor Nativo: Guatemaya
45. The Goon Sax: We’re Not Talking
46. Lyrics Born: Quite a Life
47. Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism
48. Mandy Barnett: Strange Conversation
49. Grupo Mono Blanco: ¡Fandango! Sones Jarochos from Veracruz
50. Chhoti Maa: Agua Corre
51. Tallowit Timbouctou: Hali Diallo
52. Knife Knights: 1 Time Mirage
53. Angelika Niescier: The Berlin Concert
54. No Age: Snares Like a Haircut
55. Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts
56. Robyn: Honey
57. Tyshawn Sorey: Pillars
58. Chhoti Maa: Caldo de Hueso
59. Jonghyun: Poet / Artist
60. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Hope Downs
61. Halu Mergia: Lalu Balu
62. Teyana Taylor: S.E.
63. Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs
64. Rapsody: Laila’s Wisdom
65. Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt: Brace Up!
66. Jinx Lennon: Grow a Pair
67. Quelle Chris & Jean Grae: Everything’s Fine
68. Lori McKenna: The Tree
69. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel
70. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy
71. Makaya McCraven: Where We Come From (Chicago x London Mixtape)
72. MAST: Thelonious Sphere Monk
73. Wussy: What Heaven is Like
74. Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba
75. Ken Vandermark / Klaus Kugel / Mark Tokar: No-Exit Corner
76. Tal National: Tantabara
77. Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty
78. Neneh Cherry: Broken Politics
79. Evan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton: Music for David Mossman
80. Charge It to The Game: House with a Pool
81. JPEGMAFIA: Veteran
82. Myra Melford: The Other Side of Air
83. Tropical Fuck Storm: A Laughing Death in Meatspace
84. The Beths: The Future Hates Me
85. Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave
86. Sidi Toure: Toubalbero
87. Apolo: Live in Stockholm
88. Heather Leigh: Throne
89. Alice Bag: Blue Print
90. Becky Warren: Undesirable
91. Michael White: Tricentennial Rag
92. Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild!
93. Chief Keef: The Kozart
94. Mitski: Be the Cowboy
95. The Thing: Again
96. Young Mothers: Morose
97. The Carters: Everything is Love
98. Sleep: The Sciences
99. Serengeti: Dennis 6e
100. Various Artists: A Day in the Life–Impressions of Pepper
101. Kelela: Take Me Apart—The Remixes
102. Wynton Marsalis & Friends: United We Swing–Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas
103. La Maison Noir: The Black House
104. Dave Holland: Uncharted Territories
105. Ahmoudou Madassane: Zerzura (Original Soundtrack Recording)
106. Full Blast: Live in Rio
107. Mekons 77: It Is Twice Blessed
108. Jeffrey Lewis: Works by Tuli Kupferberg
109. Bombino: Deran
110. Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: An Angel Fell
111. Sarayah: Feel the Vibe
112. Nas: Nasir
113. Speedy Ortiz: Twerp Verse
114. Salim Washington: Dogon Revisited
115. Jon Hassell: Listening To Pictures (Pentimento, Vol. One)
116. Various Artists: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…and Rights!!!
117. Mdou Moctar & Elite Beat: Mdou Moctar meets Elite Beat In a Budget Dancehall
118. Willie Nelson: Last Man Standing
119. Mudhoney: Digital Garbage
120. Kiefer: happysad
121. Freddie Gibbs: Freddie
122. Don Flemons: Black Cowboy
123. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy
124. Shopping: The Official Body
125. Cypress Hill: Elephants on Acid
126. Dana Murray: Negro Manifesto
127. Shame: Songs of Praise
128. Henry Threadgill: .and More Dirt
129. Ceramic Dog: YRU Still Here?
130. Marc Ribot: Songs of Resistance 1942-2018
131. The Coup: Soundtrack to the Film Sorry to Bother You
132. ALLBLACK & Kenny Beats: Two-Minute Drills
133. Van Morrison & Joey DeFrancesco: You’re Driving Me Crazy
134. Various Artists/Sahel Sounds: Field Recordings
135. Kendrick Lamar, et al: Black Panther—Music from and Inspired by the Film
136. Rodrigo Amado (with Joe McPhee): History of Nothing
137. Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog
138. Tirzah: Devotion
139. The Chills: Snowbound
140. Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest
141. Eddie Daniels: Heart of Brazil
142. Big Freedia: Third Ward Bounce
143. Amy Rigby: The Old Guys
144. Busdriver: Electricity Is On Our Side
145. Lonnie Holley: MITH
146. Del McCoury Band: Del McCoury Still Plays Bluegrass
147. Migos: Culture II
148. La Luz: Floating Features
149. Yo La Tengo: There’s a Riot Goin’ On
150. The English Beat: Here We Go Love
151. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red
152. Santigold: I Don’t Want—The Gold Fire Sessions
153. Kasey Musgraves: Golden Hour
154. Meek Mill: Championships
155. DJ Juan Data: Ritmos Crotos, Volume 1

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OLD MUSIC NICELY REPACKAGED OR SIMPLY REISSUED

1. Various Artists: The Savory Collection 1935-1940
2. Various Artists: The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions
3. Dead Moon (2LPs, 1 book)
4. The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles
5. Sonny Rollins: Way Out West (Deluxe Reissue)
6. Various Artists: Feelin’ Right Saturday Night–The Ric & Ron Anthology
7. Lee Dorsey: Night People
8. Danny Barker: “Tootie Ma Was Big Fine Thing” / “Corrinne Died on the Battlefield” and “Indian Red” / “Chocko Mo Feendo Hey”
9. Willie Nelson: Things to Remember—The Pamper Demos
10. Erroll Garner: Nightconcert
11. Various Artists: Voices of Mississippi—Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris
12. Charles Mingus: Jazz in Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden
13. Joan Jett: Bad Reputation (Music from the Original Motion Picture)
14. Various Artists: Amarcord Nino Rota
15. Various Artists: Listen All Around: The Golden Age of Central and East African Music
16. Gary Stewart: “Baby I Need Your Loving” / “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yester-Day”
17. Peter Brotzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm: Ouroboros
18. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms
19. Joe McPhee: Nation Time
20. Bruce Springsteen: 1978/07/07 West Hollywood, CA
21. Neil Young: Roxy—Tonight’s the Night
22. Prince: A Piano and a Microphone
23. Various Artists: Oxford American, North Carolina Music Issue, 2018
24. The Revelators: In which the Revelators perform live renditions of selections from the Billy Childish songbook
25. Against All Logic: 2012-2017
26. Grant Green: Live at Oil Can Harry’s
27. Entourage: Ceremony of Dreams—Studio Sessions & Outtakes 1972-1977
28. Various Artists: Africa Scream Contest, Volume 2
29. Wussy: Getting Better
30. Bob Dylan: More Blood, More Tracks—The Bootleg Series, Volume 14
31. Milford Graves: Babi
32. Power Trip: Opening Fire–2008-2014
33. David Bowie: Santa Monica ‘72
34. Various Artists: The Beginning of the End
35. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet: Afro-Latin Soul, Vols. 1 & 2
36. Various Artists: Two Niles to Sing a Melody—The Violins & Synths of Sudan
37. Neil Young: Songs for Judy
38. Joe McPhee: One Day…A Lightning Storm
39. Dur Dur of Somalia: 1, Vol. 2
40. Camarao: The Imaginary Soundtrack to a Brazilian Western Movie 1964-1974
41. Feeling Kreyol: Las Pale
42. Various Artists: Hillbillies in Hell
43. Bruce Springsteen: No Nukes Concert
44. John Prine: Live in Asheville ’86
45. Various Artists: The Contempo Story