How is it possible that 2018 felt longer than 2017? The political and social queasiness that defined the year is undeniably present in the year's music. Unpredictable, genre-busting, and present as hell. Identity and art are intertwined in 2018's music more than ever before. Half of the top ten are debut albums, and it's no coincidence that fifteen of the top 20 albums are fronted by women. The chaos and corruption that has become quotidian has also birthed some of the best music of the decade.
I expanded the scope of review and of the number of albums listened to in 2018. See how my selections match up to the
NYTimes,
Pitchfork,
NPR,
Consequence Of Sound,
Stereogum, and
Paste Magazine.