You won’t find any obvious pattern to the albums I chose for this list – the common thread for me is that all of these artists show a willingness to experiment and break musical boundaries in order to establish a unique vision. I highly recommend every project on this list to any avid music listener with an open mind.
10. Aphex Twin – Collapse
Any new music from the reclusive legend Richard D. James is guaranteed to stir up buzz, even when it’s only an EP. Under Aphex Twin and a handful of other aliases, James has been redefining the boundaries of electronic music for over twenty-five years now. This new EP doesn’t have the jolting effect of his very best material, but it still manages to accomplish quite a lot in just under thirty minutes.
The first three tracks, especially “1st 44,” are mind-blowing in their rhythmic complexity and propulsive energy. The last two tracks sound more like older Aphex in a way that feels nostalgic and refreshing rather than boring or repetitive. Overall, I wouldn’t call this top-tier Aphex Twin – however, it serves as a clear and effective reminder that the master still has plenty more to say.
9. George Clanton – Slide
I wasn’t aware of George Clanton’s music before this year, but I’m quickly becoming a fan. Though not quite as strong as his first album, Slide combines elements of pop, rock, and electronic music into a unique listening experience.
Clanton is a solid producer, but what makes his music stand out for me is the songwriting. There are some genuinely great hooks on this record that begin to lodge in your head the more you listen. While no individual track really blows me away, it’s consistent all the way through and flows well top to bottom.
8. Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs
This was unquestionably the biggest surprise of the year for me. I like Earl Sweatshirt and I really enjoyed his last album, but I always felt like he wasn’t reaching his true potential. I think he finally showed us a glimpse of that here with a disorienting collage of tracks that feels indebted to J Dilla’s Donuts.
The production on this album, most of which is done by Earl himself, is absolutely fantastic. Well-chosen samples and smooth transitions help maintain a hazy, stoned atmosphere from start to finish as Earl delivers rhyme after rhyme. The whole project feels more personal and emotional than anything he’s done before, even sampling his parents near the end of the album. Despite a runtime of only twenty-five minutes, this project is a massive leap forward for Earl that has me eager to hear what he does next.
7. Blood Orange – Negro Swan
I’ve enjoyed all three albums that Dev Hynes has released as Blood Orange, but I’ve been waiting for him to pull it all together into a truly impactful record. Combining the emotional nakedness of Coastal Grooves, the stylistic diversity of Cupid Deluxe, and the cohesive flow of Freetown Sound, Hynes has finally created his masterpiece with Negro Swan.
Everything about this album is a step up for him – the melodies are strong, the production is lush, the guest features enhance without overshadowing and the lyrics are sensitive without sounding cheesy (as they did at times on Freetown Sound). My only complaint is the track “Holy Will,” which features shrieking gospel vocals from Ian Isiah that I find painful to listen to. Otherwise, Hynes really knocked it out of the park with this one.
6. Tim Hecker – Konoyo
The undisputed king of drone has returned with another auditory journey to immerse yourself in. The new angle for this album is that he worked with live musicians for the first time, more specifically a gagaku ensemble. Gagaku is a form of Japanese classical music that has been played at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for centuries.
If this description catches your interest, strap on your headphones and block out all outside stimuli. As always with Tim Hecker, the strength of this album is the way it slowly lulls you into a trance and creates a cinematic world inside your mind. Though I wouldn’t rank this alongside his very best work (such as Virgins, Love Streams and Harmony in Ultraviolet), Konoyo is another great album from an artist who seems incapable of making a bad one.
5. IGLOOGHOST – Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu (EPs)
Probably my favorite artist to debut in the last 5 years, IGLOOGHOST has melted my brain once again on this pair of new EPs. Utilizing production every bit as colorful and manic as last year’s Neo Wax Bloom, if not even more so, he continues to develop the bizarrely entrancing world of witches and flying eyeballs known as Mamu.
Beyond his insane production skills, IGLOOGHOST is a genuinely talented composer. The more you listen to these tracks, you’ll start to notice all the beautifully infectious melodies hiding under layers of explosive bass and squelchy synths. It’s hard to imagine how he’ll continue to improve from here, yet I have no doubt he will.
4. Animal Collective – Tangerine Reef
This is really a special audio-visual project rather than an official studio album, but the boys have created yet another gem. Paired with stunningly beautiful visuals shot by Coral Morphologic, listening to Tangerine Reef feels like slowly sinking into the ocean and becoming immersed in a coral reef, observing and interacting with all the strange life forms that occupy it.
This is probably the most ambient release Animal Collective has put out – as a result, many fans found it underwhelming or overlooked it. I think that’s a shame, because this album has an emotional power that’s truly staggering if you’re in the right headspace for it. When I listen to this album on headphones in a dark room with the visuals playing, I genuinely forget where I am sometimes – that’s probably the highest compliment I can give to music.
3. Knife Knights – 1 Time Mirage
I’m a big fan of Shabazz Palaces, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from this new side project consisting of Ishmael Butler and Erik Blood. As it turns out, I like it even more than some of the Shabazz records, which is saying a lot. My only complaint is it left me wanting more.
1 Time Mirage offers just over thirty minutes of some of the most psychedelic, free-spirited music I’ve ever heard. The whole album sounds raw and improvised in a way that makes it feel alive, while still retaining a level of sonic detail to the point where you notice new sounds in the mix every listen. Tracks such as Light Up Ahead, Seven Wheel Motion, and especially My Dreams Never Sleep are among the most jaw-dropping musical moments in recent memory.
2. Death Grips – Year Of The Snitch
How in the hell do these guys keep making such great albums? Every time they announce a new project, I worry that they’ll finally fail to meet the hype. Not only do they deliver every time, but they’ve continued to grow more experimental and expand their sonic palette with each release.
Year of the Snitch is arguably their weirdest, most difficult to describe album so far. No two tracks on here exhibit even remotely similar styles, yet they somehow pull it all together into one of the smoothest-flowing records they’ve ever done. It took me a few listens just to wrap my head around what Death Grips achieved with this album, but each member of the band is at full strength and this is among the most insanely inventive music I’ve ever experienced.
1. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Panic Blooms
We’ve finally arrived at my number one album of 2018, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me (or even anyone who’s looked at my Twitter handle and profile pic). I’ve been waiting six long years for a new Black Moth Super Rainbow album – long enough to the point I was worried nothing could possibly meet my expectations. However, I’m thrilled to say any amount of time would’ve been worth it for an album this impactful.
Even though I adore every release in the BMSR/TOBACCO universe, I believe Tom Fec has created his best work to date with Panic Blooms. Not a second is wasted over the course of sixteen tracks and forty-two minutes. The experience feels equivalent to slowly melting into a pool of phosphorescent colors, as all of nature’s strangest creatures watch over you and sing in harmony.
There’s a texture to this music you can feel, like Sour Patch Kids soaked in blotter acid. The lyrics conjure up the usual otherworldly imagery while also capturing a newfound openness, uniquely addressing universal emotions such as depression and nostalgia. I seriously can’t say enough good things about this album and I could go on forever, so I’ll wrap it up here. Overall, Panic Blooms is a perfect album that I consider the crown jewel of a strong crop for 2018.