End of year lists are always fun and dreadful to make. Which LP’s were more enjoyable than others? Which will stand the test of time better? Why can’t I just recycle the list from the year before?
Improving on 2017’s album list; this year we’ve doubled our total! That’s 50 LPs for you to check out in total. You may find a new life long favourite, you might have a difference of opinion, you might ask why there’s no scores? You will however find a brief “synopsis”, and a horde of amazing LPs.
50. Parcels – Parcels: Uber modern indie that wishes the 60’s were now.
49. Roo Panes – Quiet Man: Charming and hauntingly piercing folk from the always formidable Roo Panes.
48. Low – Double Negative: The 12th LP from the Minnesota group, Double Negative warps their dreaded “slowcore label” into something terrifying and completely stunning.
47. Island – Feels Like Air: Indie for those whom are looking to branch out into the deep depths of indie rock with something strong and full of taste.
46. The Academic – Tales From The Backseat: THE album for indie-starters everywhere. If you’re young or a fan of bright-eyed sing alongs, the Irish group have you covered.
45. A Grave With No Name – Passover: An attempt to ensure that INHEAVEN doesn’t steal anymore of his music. No seriously, A Grave With No Name has truly surpassed himself with this LP.
44. Hookworms – Microshift: Despite recent news, this is a fantastic album.
43. DZ Deathrays – Bloodly Lovely: Self explanatory. Busy, gutter rock that says 5am is the new 5pm.
42. Hinds – I Don’t Run: A successful follow up to their debut LP, Spain’s Hinds are as consistent as ever on I Don’t Run with their sunny, reverb-loaded indie.
41. NoMBe – They Might’ve Even Loved Me: Some of the best parts of 2017 wrapped up in a beautifully presented package titled They Might’ve Even Loved Me.
40. Look Vibrant – The Up Here Place: Weird, crazy, eclectic and altogether brilliant.
39. NVDES – Vibe City Utah: If cocaine and LSD had a baby that was born at a WEHO house party.
38. St. Tropez – St. Tropez: Solid political punk from this group of lads who’s light hearted nature is not to be taken so light heartedly.
37. Bad Sounds – Get Better: An LP for the hipsters of the world and those with great music taste and an ear for clever indie-pop.
36. courtship. – Denial In Paradise: Venice Beach calls, it says start here and drive around with the roof down to arguably one of the best albums of the summer.
35. Sauna Youth – Deaths: Fast, abrasive, punk-punk-punk.
34. Black Honey – Black Honey: A solid debut with a ton of singles to keep you dancing, singing and screaming along with them across 2019’s festival season.
33. Her’s – Invitation To Her’s: Dreamy indie-pop that if you married, no one would judge you for.
32. Porches – The House: Depressing pop for the cool kids (it’s pretty rad).
31. Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar: Cool, sophisticated and way ahead of everyone else, Young Fathers are yet again, killing it.
30. Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? – Jazzbelle 1984/1988: It’s bonkers and so it should be with a name that long. Perfect to get silly and jiggy to.
29. Shame – Songs of Praise: Probably my bosses favourite LP of the year.
28. Django Django – Marble Skies: Bouncy electro that you’ll never want to end.
27. Ezra Furman – Transangelic Exodus: Potentially Furman’s finest work to date.
26. A Place To Bury Strangers – Pinned: Creepy, twisted and altogether an insanely good album. Post-punk meets industrial meets the dead of night.
25. HONNE – Love Me / Love Me Not: Undoubtedly the finest dance-electronica LP of the year. It’s filled with tracks that are made to be embraced and performed along to.
24. Suuns – Felt: Consistency is key, and Suuns consistent weirdness is the type of consistency I love to hear.
23. The Men – Drift: A case of split personality syndrome, when you realise that Rose On Top Of The World is on the same LP as Killed Someone.
22. Superorganism – Superorganism: Take a Xanax, smoke a joint, lean back in your chair and enjoy.
21. Preoccupations – New Material: If their next LP isn’t titled #4 or the fourth LP then Preoccupations may finally not make our end of year list. Until then, it’s f***ing insane post punk that Joy Division would be in awe of.
20. The Joy Formidable – AARTH: A grand return to form for the Welsh group, AARTH is their best work for years and has reignited the weird, yet equally awesome rock sound that so many fell in love.
19. Gengahr – Where Wildness Grows: A second LP that arguably could be better than their stunning debut. Now that’s something to get excited about.
18. Jo Passed – Their Prime: One of SubPop’s finest album’s of the year, Jo Passed made chaos and screaming guitars sound like utter heaven.
17. Leyya – Sauna: You want to dance to this album and you don’t know why, but really it’s because it’s insanely catchy and filled with a plethora of monster dance-alongs. Keep feeling the heat!
16. Jungle – For Ever: The group that started a new wave of smart, sophisticated indie-poppers that mixed R’n’B with everything, their second LP is, well, here to stay “For Ever”.
15. SALES – Forever & Ever: The perfect LP for the most chilled of days/afternoons/evening/birthdays etc. Best chilled LP of the year.
14. Kraus – Path: There’s a buzz about Kraus’ Path. Oh wait no, that’s the actual LP. A buzzy, fuzzy, reverb monster that is one magnificent explosion after the other.
13. Fickle Friends – You Are Someone Else: The. Catchiest. God. Damn. Album. Of. The. Year.
12. Chvrches – Love Is Dead: Love isn’t actually dead, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to express how strongly I feel about Chvrches third LP; a wonderland of dark-pop/electronica that is powerful and a must listen.
11. Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!: Scattered as per usual and masterfully crafted, Parquet Courts got wavey and it worked amazingly.
10. Barbarossa – Lier: Broken Beauty and Don’t Enter Fear are reason enough to check out Lier and that still leaves 8 songs to listen to!
9. Meg Myers- Take Me to the Disco: Meg Myers continues to sound like she’s just been beaten within an inch of her life with a chair, while being broken up with, yet screams her lungs out while you stare in total awe of her power. A definite must listen.
8. Spring King – A Better Life: A sad final hurrah from the Manchester boys. A Better Life is fast, boisterous punk-rock that was arguably far from being finished, but it was a great place to mark the finish line.
7. Wild Nothing – Indigo: Grooves, grooves and dollhouses. Wild Nothing is a complete joy on Indigo, and almost impossible to put down.
6. Cloud Nothings – Last Building Burning: Cloud Nothings surprised me with how much I enjoyed this album. So surprised in fact, that it made it all the way to #6!
5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food: If the New Zealand band ever make a bad album, then I’ll know that I’ve died.
4. Christine and the Queens – Chris: A masterpiece in the art of pop. My favourite LP of the year undoubtedly. Spotify told me so. My friends told me so. And the fact that I sing along in French even though I speak zero French, is possibly bringing you to question why it’s not #1?
3. Idles – Joy As An Act Of Resistance: If you hadn’t of guessed that Idles would have made an appearance than clearly you haven’t seen how well they’ve done on all of the end of year lists currently. It’s simple a fantastic punk album, possibly the best I’ve ever heard in many years.
2. Moaning – Moaning: So #2 and #1 were horrendously close (I’ve been debating this to myself for the past month roughly). But our #2 spot, is how a debut LP should be done. Moaning doesn’t have the stench of a debut. It has the stench of an LP that surpasses expectations, squashes them down and marks itself as the level that any album whether it be a debut or 12th LP, should reach.
1. Rendez Vous – Superior State: Aggressive, brutish post-punk that is far from screaming, but is five steps away from making you join the revolution and burn down everything around you. Superior State is the finest points of modern post-punk. Brash and bold. Daring and dark. Then more pairings of alliteration. It’s sublime, a masterpiece, and our #1 for 2018.
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