[Best of 2018, Episode 2 / 5]
In many ways, 2018 was the year I discovered the album. As my love for music intensified, I realised that more often than not artists display their most meaningful messages in the scope of a 40 minute album, rather than a three minute song. With plenty of time to listen (especially during revision periods in May and November), I could properly delve into grander masterpieces and finally experience albums as they were intended to be experienced, rather than picking out the popular highlights like many people in the modern, streaming-dominated music world. With this fresh discovery, those highlights became all the more anticipated and enjoyed, and opening and closing songs are given extra significance. So I encourage you: put aside some time to listen to a full album from start to finish, and – providing you can resist all distractions – you’ll realise the album easily beats the single in terms of depth, quality and enjoyment.
Before I get into my top 10 albums I discovered this year, here are some honorable mentions:
14. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel (1998) – twenty years after its release, I became aware of Jeff Mangum’s surreal cult classic, which takes you on a psychedelic journey into his Anne Frank-obsessed mind
13. Best Buds by Mom Jeans. (2016) – Austin Carango are a constant joy in the album that opened my eyes to the wonderful world of American emo rock
12. Heartbreak Hits by Theo Katzman (2017) – Vulfpeck member Katzman’s most recent release came to define the revision-heavy first half of summer, as his attention switches from funk to classic rock and roll
11. Apricot Princess by Rex Orange County (2017) – Alex O’Connor reaches a career high on his most ambitious project to date, beautifully combining jazz, pop and rock
10. Bark Your Head Off, Dog
| Artist | Hop Along |
| Released | 6 April 2018 |
| Highlights | How Simple, The Fox in Motion |
| Lowlights | How You Got Your Limp, What the Writer Meant |
| Undertone rating | 4/5 |
Hop Along’s Bark Your Head Off, Dog is no stranger to recent best-of-2018 lists, having adorned lists from the likes of Rolling Stone and The Needle Drop. Bark Your Head Off works as an intriguing collection of surreal stories and tales delivered through Frances Quinlan’s dynamic vocals that define Hop Along’s style. Every song shows Hope Along’s refreshing approach to songwriting: repetition is largely limited (aside from the occasional, fabulous riff like the ones that close How Simple or The Fox in Motion), rhyme schemes are non-existent and song structures are loose and rarely sticking to the modern pop standard. Despite these quirks, the whole album is still hugely memorable (in fact, How Simple turned out to be a massive, instant hit for me, and is on track to becoming the most listen-to song of the whole year, with over 100 plays). Bark succeeds in giving itself a very distinctive theme, with stories that get all the more compelling after every listen.
9. Hill Climber
| Artist | Vulfpeck |
| Released | 7 December 2018 |
| Highlights | Half of the Way, Disco Ulysses (Instrumental), It Gets Funkier IV |
| Lowlight | For Survival |
| Undertone rating | 4/5 |
Despite arriving later than usual, Vulfpeck’s yearly release once again delivered retro funk gold in December. The opener Half of the Way is comparable to some of the best songs the Michigan funksters have ever produced, and the subsequent nine songs are largely very enjoyable. The decision to split the album into two parts (one instrumental and one largely featuring Theo Katzman’s vocals) is a new move for Vulfpeck, and despite leading to a slight lull in momentum towards the middle of the album, will be a welcome change for vinyl collectors who will now be able to choose the style of Vulf they want by selecting a side to play. A lack of soul legend Antwaun Stanley is tough to deal with, but Hill Climber is nonetheless packed with virtuosic playing, mostly from ultra-cool bassist Joe Dart. Rest assured – Vulfpeck have not lost any of their original magic this year. If anything, they’ve only got better.
For a more detailed review of Hill Climber click here.
8. Parcels
| Artist | Parcels |
| Released | 12 October 2018 |
| Highlights | Tieduprightnow, Lightenup, Everyroad |
| Lowlights | Exotica, Bemyself |
| Undertone rating | 4/5 |
I’ll admit: on first listen Parcels’ self-titled debut album didn’t sound like an release worthy of featuring on this list. I first discovered the Australian-German five-piece through their scintillating single Tieduprightnow, so perhaps my expectations were simply too high for this album. But, having seen the band live in November, I found my love for this album only grew and grew. Characterised by smooth five-part harmonies and ultra-tight guitar and synth worth, Parcels are kings of repetition. Whilst this may sound monotonous – especially for someone largely trained in the classical and jazz styles – Parcels’ endlessly looping chord sequences really did change my mind about musical repetition. It gave me a strange sense of enjoying the moment, and time to fully appreciate all the subtleties it takes to build up such a funky groove. Only a few months from the album’s release, the album’s well chosen melodies – like the one starring in Comedown – have found a special place in my heart. In fact, Comedown works as the first half of the conjoined double-song that opens the album is fantastic style. The central nine-minute epic Everyroad is also has song that has grown on me, with the sounds of the band members describing their personal paradise perfectly suited to the glorious groove. Around seven minutes in comes the most shocking moment in perhaps any song I’ve heard this year: after a giant buildup, Parcels launch into a belting electronic groove that you won’t want to stop. The debut album is cheeky, charming and timeless, leaving every cell in your body dancing to the disco. Turn it up loud enough and your neighbour will be dancing too.
7. Lost Friends
| Artist | Middle Kids |
| Released | 4 May 2018 |
| Highlights | Never Start, Please, Mistake, Bought It |
| Lowlights | Maryland, Lost Friends |
| Undertone rating | 4.5/5 |
Australian indie rock band Middle Kids’ Lost Friends is the album that first showed me the power of the format. It was one of the first albums that I profoundly enjoyed in its entirety, from the opening strings drone to the final clanging guitar chord. In many ways Lost Friends is more of a feeling to me than a collection of good songs; a hallmark of an amazing album. The inexplicably powerful Never Start proved to be my favourite of the lot, currently sixth in the race for most listened-to song of the year. The extraordinary, emotionally charged closer So Long Farewell I’m Gone is also worth a mention. The tragic lyrics feel all the more gut-wrenching as distorted guitars and cymbals crash around you, bringing the entire album into perspective. Middle Kids will certainly improve on Lost Friends, but this is an album I will never forget.
6. Melophobia
| Artist | Cage the Elephant |
| Released | 3 October 2013 |
| Highlights | Come a Little Closer, Black Widow, Cigarette Daydreams |
| Lowlights | Halo, Teeth, Hypocrite |
| Undertone rating | 4.5/5 |
After hearing their breakout single, Melophobia soon proved to me that there’s far more to the Kentucky rock band than Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked. Melophobia marks the peak of their career, featuring the indie classic Come a Little Closer that you’ll love from first listen. The whole album is a refreshing, modern re-imagining of sixties blues with a dark, distorted twist best displayed on tracks like It’s Just Forever (featuring vocalist Alison Mosshart) and the thumping Black Widow. But Melophobia‘s standout moment comes at the very end when the veil of dark rock is lifted to reveal the melancholy, folk-inspired Cigarette Daydreams. It’s has a cinematic feel to it, perfectly suited for a rainy day, and is the heartfelt icing on the cake for Cage the Elephant’s third outing.
Ranks 5 to 1 will be revealed in the next episode of ‘Best of 2018’.
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