Top Albums of 2018 (Consensus Collected by Rob Mitchum)

I've spent years banging the drum of this cool spreadsheet that collects all of the albums of the year lists (well, not all of them but a large number of the most, uh, reputable?) and determines the actual best albums of the year through consensus (or as it was called several years ago in an article, the Hive Mind).  But, as I've mentioned before, with the proliferation of styles and super easy access to new music, I think the Hive Mind is dead. 

Only five of the albums on Mitchum's spreadsheet received more than one number 1 vote (out of thirty-two different top ten lists).  Mitski's album received four number ones, Pusha T, Low, The 1975, and something called SOPHIE each received two number ones a piece.  Using the ratings system in the spreadsheet, which gives value for high rankings, Pusha T's Daytona is the top album of the year.  Which I don't entirely disagree with, I just wish there was more to it.  But you also end up with a bunch of albums in the consensus top ten that are fully out of left field.

1.  Pusha-T - Daytona.  Yeah, I'm on board.  Hopefully this means he'll be at ACL this year.

2.  Mitski - Be The Cowboy.  Sure, this one got a lot of love.  I like ti well enough, but it couldn't crack my personal top ten.

3.  Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer.  Awesome.  Love that this one got the critical love, as its a great album and she's an excellent performer.  I hope more people go out and see her do it up.

4.  Low - Double Negative.  God, this album is horrible.  I tried it, I really did, but no thanks.  Discordant noise hell is not for me.

5.  Robyn - Honey.  I tried this one too, and it was just fine.  But that brand of 90's pop is best left behind for me, personally.

6.  Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour.  Travesty that its this low.  My favorite of the year.

7.  Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy.  Still fascinated that this one is so high, although I genuinely enjoy some of the tunes.  I've been listening to it more over the past two weeks, and its good.

8.  Noname - Room 25.  Another good one, although I'm shocked that it has done this well.  No radio play that I know of, no big collaborations.  I'm glad for her, she seemed genuinely pleased to just be there at ACL this year.

9.  SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES.  What is this?  No, I mean, I'm currently listening to it and WTF is happening to my ears right now?  Her bio says she is a "hyperreal pop star, blending U.K. dance music rhythms with maximalist cotton-candy synthesizers and helium-inflated high pitched vocals."  Freaking weird stuff, man.  Those number ones came from something called Tiny Mix Tapes and something called Crack Magazine.  And those two sources included some other highly weird stuff in their top tens, so I'll take this ranking with a grain of salt.

10.  Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance.  Never heard of this one either, although strangely enough YouTube keeps wanting me to watch a video of their in-studio performance at some radio station.  So, now I get a chance to check them out...  And, you know what?  pretty good punk rock/post-punk.  Sometimes it gets a little strident for me, but overall I enjoyed it a few times.