Top Ten Albums of 2018 (The Ringer)

I love both Rob Harvilla and Shea Serrano, so this list from The Ringer ought to be right up my alley.  AND YET we have zero overlapping albums.  What is happening in the world?  Also, they say that the #10 album could have been easily replaced by Travis Scott, and therefore all credibility becomes ZERO.

10. Action Bronson - White Bronco.  I actually also like this album.  In his usual way, Bronson is funny and silly and boastful and odd, but I like most of the sample-based beats, I dig his sense of humor, and now I want to make his bullet salami sandwich with hot peppers and honey again.

9. Pistol Annies - Interstate Gospel.  This is surprisingly good.  I had dismissed it when seeing it released, thinking that Miranda Lambert (one third of this lady-centric Nashville supergroup, also including Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley) is too Nashville country for my tastes.  But for the most part, this is more like a Dixie Chicks thing, and less of a Big & Rich thing.  Now don't get me wrong, they stick to many of the usual, current Nashville tropes like smoking dope and divorce and farming.  But the guitars and harmonies are irresistible anyway.  "Cheyenne" and "Best Years of My Life" and "Got My Name Changed Back" are all good or fun.  "Sugar Daddy" is less so.  But overall, an actual fun album.

8. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Sparkle Hard.  Yeah, all right.  Pavement never sparked my interest much back in the day, so I've never paid much attention to this guy's "solo" stuff either.  But this is a pleasant enough little mumbly jam groove.  They are correct - "Kite" is a jamfest looper.  I like this one too.  Very chill.  Here's a mash of the flavors:

7. Smino - Noir.  This is the first one I've never heard of - I was going to give these guys props for being super accessible (although its going to get even weirder in a sec).  Serrano gets all existential in discussing this album, and I'm not going that far in, but I agree with the person who called it "soothing."  Nothing on here leaves much of a mark though - it's just an hour of chilled out beats and smooth flows that just bop on by until something else comes on.  Not my strongest endorsement.  I wouldn't keep this one around, but its kinda nice.

On some Chance the Rapper sounding stuff right there...

6. Nils Frahm - All Melody.  Theeeerrrrrreeee it is.  Was waiting for one of these guys to show the depth of his musical powers, and here it is, with a neoclassical album by a German pianist no one has ever heard of.  I mean, its freaking lovely at times, very interesting (but also a little electronica-ish at other times) - great to like study to or read a book on Freudian economics or whatever, but not my bag, baby.

5. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer.  Big respect to this pick.  Love this album, and love Monae.  Got to see her play live twice this year, and she's fabulous.

4. Vince Staples - FM!  Huh.  I've given this one a few spins as 2018 drew to a close, but nothing on it struck me as especially noteworthy.  I'll have to give it a deeper dive.

3. Soccer Mommy - Clean.  Yessir.  Great album.  Almost made my top ten list and then lost out at the end.

2. Pusha T - Daytona.  Same with this one.  Great album, no filler, all good stuff.  Almost made my list.

1. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy.  WHHHAAAAA???  I reviewed this one and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it, but the top album of the whole year!?!?!  I guess I need to go back to it and try it some more, because best album of the year sounds like they're just trying to say the most popular in pop culture, instead of actual most lasting album that will stand the test of time.  Huh.

Overall, great list.  Some oddities and I have some disagreements, obviously, but in general I like the picks and hearing some of this new stuff.