So, I've been maintaining this "CoolDad's Favorite Songs of 2018 (So Far)" playlist over on Spotify. Maybe you've checked it out. Maybe you haven't. I adhere to a weird and arbitrary set of rules over there:
1. The song has to be available on Spotify.
2. A song goes on once I hear it and like it. It stays all year.
3. One entry per artist.
Below, those rules are out the window. I've kept the one song per artist thing I guess, but I've allowed myself to deviate from the Spotify list in the cases where artists have released new stuff or I've just changed my mind. Both lists are my favorites of the year. This list is just the one that I spit out over the last couple of days.
Why 22? That's just how many came up this time around.
Same caveats as I always have for these types of things: I'm just one person, with pretty specific tastes; and I'm not trying to show my deep knowledge of all the music released in 2018. There are clearly some genre-wide gaping holes in my listening. If your tastes are similar to mine, you will probably like this. If your tastes are very different from mine, maybe you'll find something new to check out. Also, if your tastes are very different from mine, maybe shoot me a note; and we can see about having you write here once in a while about what you love.
It has been interesting to see the themes that run through this for me this year. Lots of subtly (and overtly, I guess) political stuff. And I feel like I typed the words "tense," "stress," or "jittery" more than a few times. Those are the times we live in, I guess.
Anyway.
In no particular order...
Dentist, "Figure-Four"
From Dentist's third full-length, Night Swimming, "Figure-Four" is probably the track that I saw quoted most often in reviews. The lyric, "The world has gone to shit / And I am over it," neatly captures the album's contrast between a sunny, care-free presentation and an underlying sense of nail-biting, almost unbearable stress. The song also keeps up Dentist's streak of having a wrestling-themed song title on each of their albums.
The RockNRoll Hi-Fives, "Hold On"
I was present in the studio during some of the recording of "Hold On." The song would eventually end up on The RockNRoll Hi-Fives' first full-length, Re-Introducing The RockNRoll Hi-Fives. I remember thinking then that The RockNRoll Hi-Fives had truly found their sound. The finished product, the result of the band's continued collaboration with Mike Moebius at Moonlight Mile Recording, is the proof. Vocalist, Eilee Centeno, sneers and pleads for attention. The entire band grabs it with this big, bouncing, glammy punch to the gut.
Lost Boy ?, "Never Left You"
I don't know how many times I can say it, but Lost Boy ?'s Davey Jones is a pop / rock genius. On Paranoid Fiction, he also proves that he's a chameleon, sliding his way into different characters, voices, and genres to put together one of the best rock and roll albums of 2018. "Never Left You" finds one of his characters lying among scorpions and tumbleweeds in the desert and regretting past decisions.
Superchunk, "Erasure"
"Everybody says, 'Ooo, this album is so angry!' or whatever. I'm starting to think that it isn't fucking angry enough." That was Superchunk's Mac McCaughan during the band's show at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City this year. There are several songs on What a Time To Be Alive that get me fired up; but, to me, the biggest emotional punch comes from "Erasure." Like the rest of the album, the song's anger is tempered by hope and a will to keep up the fight. "Hate so graceless and so cavalier / We don't just disappear / Shifting shapes you're just an auctioneer / But we're still here."
Alexander Orange Drink, "Normalize"
So So Glos' bassist and frontman, Alex Levine, released his first solo album, Babel On, under the name Alexander Orange Drink in 2018. Levine hits on some familiar themes for him on Babel On like technology and its effects on human interaction. On "Normalize," he turns to those human connections as a way to cope with the current state of our political discourse. As what used to be out-of-bounds becomes normal, we have to turn to those closest to us for some grounding, to make sure that we aren't the ones going crazy.
Big Bliss, "Constants"
This Brooklyn trio are open about their influences, striving to meld 80s post-punk with 21st century indie rock and pop. With this year's release of At Middle Distance, Big Bliss have honed and sharpened their formula. "Constants" features some of the same atmosphere as the songs on 2016's Keep Near, but things are just a little more edgy and tense here. The bass is the constant, driving everything and holding it all together amid stabs of guitar noise and little moments of dissonance.
Childish Gambino, "This Is America"
This song cannot be separated from its video. The moment when Childish Gambino first pulls the trigger about 50 seconds into this is jarring and upsetting; but we immediately move on to the next thing, and the next. There's a whole helluva lot to unpack here as it pertains to capitalism, entertainment, violence, oppression, exploitation, cultural appropriation, and participation / complicity in all of that. Donald Glover and director Hiro Murai have created a work dense with symbolism that demands repeated (and repeated, and repeated) viewing.
Titus Andronicus, "Above the Bodega"
Back when this song was released in February, Patrick Stickles said, "More and more, we are defined by the things which we consume, and those who facilitate that consumption may glimpse a more truthful view of ourselves than the carefully curated image we share with our loved ones. No one knows the depths of my vice better than they who oversee the transactions which make it possible -- in this way, the deli clerk knows me better than my own mother." Like the rest of A Productive Cough, this one is a bit of a departure for the band; but it still rocks.
Bat Fangs, "Boy of Summer"
I'm a sucker for rock and roll theatrics -- high kicks, jumps, guitarists and bassists playing back-to-back. The self-titled debut from Bat Fangs conjures all of those images plus big hair and stage pyrotechnics. Bat Fangs, though, are the very normal-sized hair duo of Betsy Wright and Laura King; and, whenever I've seen them, there has been plenty of high kicking but no actual fire. But they've managed to harness all of the arena-sized, pop metal feel in one of this year's most fun rock records. This song is just a taste of the awesomeness.
The Beths, "Future Me Hates Me"
I'm also a sucker -- as this list should make clear -- for expertly-crafted power pop. This is the title track from The Beths' devastatingly awesome, debut LP. This Auckland, NZ band fronted by Elizabeth Stokes combine excellent pop lyricism with a sound that sways between pop and pop punk. This song is a fantastic take on a tried-and-true theme in pop music: pursuing a relationship against all of your better judgment.
Well Wisher, "Right as Rain"
We all go through tough times. It's important, therefore, to maintain some perspective and to be thankful for the good things we do have in our lives. Well Wisher singer, guitarist, and songwriter Natalie Newbold spends a good chunk of This Is Fine detailing and dealing with some tough times from the past. On "Right as Rain," she's able to -- kind of triumphantly, even -- recognize that, currently, things are "certainly better than okay." That ain't nothing.
Sarah Shook and The Disarmers, "Good as Gold"
It was an interview that Matt Chrystal did with Sarah Shook right after Sidelong got its Bloodshot Records release that turned me onto Sarah Shook and The Disarmers. Once Years came out this year, I was already a fan. Shook's songwriting appears pretty straightforward at first, but her delivery and a strategic turn of phrase here and there transform "Good as Gold" from a simple break-up song to a song about standing your ground and hanging onto your dignity.
Lowlight, "Nights & Weekends"
New Jersey's Lowlight were busy in 2018, touring with Pretenders, releasing their EP Born to Run and the live album It's Later Than You Think. But, even after all that, the members of the band still have their day jobs. A few times a month, though, -- whether it's out on the road with rock royalty or squeezing onto the stage at some boardwalk, seaside bar -- they're all right where they want to be. And the rest of us in the crowd are right there with them.
Screaming Females, "I'll Make You Sorry"
Screaming Females can do the wild, rocked out jams, and they can do the tight pop songs. "I'll Make You Sorry" is All at Once's entry into the band's tight pop song category, joining jagged earworms like "Rotten Apple," "It All Means Nothing," and "Wishing Well." Marissa Paternoster howls and shreds, while King Mike and Jarrett D keep things rocking and bouncing.
Snail Mail, "Heat Wave"
Ever since the release of Lush, Snail Mail have toured the globe behind a marketing push from Matador Records the likes of which I've never seen in indie rock. Good on that label, because Lindsey Jordan's talent justifies every cent Matador have spent trying to help get her music out to the world. And good on Jordan for writing such a great record and working like a champ herself to get it out there. "Heat Wave" is a standout for its melodrama and romanticism and its musical sophistication. And it comes complete with a badass music video.
Janelle Monáe, "Make Me Feel"
Janelle Monáe's latest, Dirty Computer, will be at or near the top of lots and lots of year-end lists in 2018. I'm not going to pretend here that I've spent a great deal of time with the record; but, damn, "Make Me Feel" is a bop. Its slinky sexuality, the guitars, the synths are more than reminiscent of Prince who, according to Monáe, "was actually working on the album with me before he passed on to another frequency." That's cool, but it shouldn't take away anything from the fact that this is Monáe's song; and she absolutely sticks it.
Weakened Friends, "Good Friend"
Portland, ME trio Weakened Friends released their debut LP Common Blah back in October. Album-closer "Good Friend" is a pledge to a departed companion to be present and to live life, to try and be there for other friends who may need it. Singer, guitarist Sonia Sturino's distinctive wail anchor's the song -- and the whole album, for that matter. You either love it or you don't, I'd guess. I do.
Secretary Legs, "Windblown and Well Versed"
Secretary Legs' Cool Myths is a short burst of swirling, noisy pop. "Windblown and Well Versed" is just over 2 minutes of that swirling, noisy pop perfected. I have listened to this song hundreds and hundreds of times this year and never tired of it. The understated vocals, the weird guitar explorations, the whole package. What else can I say?
Culture Abuse, "Dip"
Gentleman Jim Norton texted me from one of the shows he was working -- as will happen from time to time -- that he thought I may enjoy the band who were currently onstage at House of Independents. That band was Culture Abuse. When I heard "Dip" from the band's Bay Dream earlier this year, I had to hand it to Gentleman Jim. He knows me. The band's surfy vibe is reminiscent of bands like Wavves or Mrs. Magician who I always enjoy. And, yeah, "It's been a long year."
Hinds, "The Club"
Hinds played, maybe (MAYBE), my favorite show of 2018 when they hit a sold-out Warsaw in Brooklyn back in May. Recently self-taught musicians from Spain, a country that doesn't export a lot of rock acts, Hinds are kind of inspiring in both their work ethic and their commitment to making sure everyone has a great time. "The Club" captures all of their charm from the dual, heavily-accented vocals of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote to the scarily simple yet totally infectious guitar riff.
Flasher, "Who's Got Time?"
I came to Flasher's Constant Image pretty late this year, and it quickly grew into one of my favorite albums of 2018. Taylor Mulitz, Daniel Saperstein, and Emma Baker collectively craft sounds that fall somewhere in the space between pop and post punk, between modern and retro. There's a jittery anxiety to almost all of the songs that shouldn't be surprising from a band who's right in the thick of it in DC. "Who's Got Time?" -- about hanging onto a relationship in its final throes -- is the catchiest entry on the album, but features the subtle complexity that comes across in all the songs.
Bad Moves, "Spirit FM"
"Get Slow" from Bad Moves' 2016, self-titled EP was one of my favorite songs of that year. This year, the band released their relentless debut LP, Tell No One. "Spirit FM" is a standout from among a collection of pop masterpieces. Like a lot of Bad Moves songs it deals with growing up and finding your place, this time in the form of loving who you love despite the pressures of a strict religious upbringing.
No comments :
Post a Comment