* = seen live in 2018
20. Will Hoge – "Nikki's a Republican Now" (from My American Dream)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
There's been an encouraging trend lately of erstwhile country/Americana musicians from red states speaking out against Trump. Jason Isbell is, of course, at the forefront of that trend, but Nashville's Will Hoge isn't too far behind with this acerbic stomper from his latest EP. It's about as subtle as a Trump tweet ("She says that all lives matter and the media's a scam / The only gun control that she supports is usin' both hands"), but that's about the only way you can satirize the modern Republican party (see also: Saturday Night Live). The whole EP is full of pissed-off screeds on current events distilled through whiskey barrels and six strings ("Still a Southern Man," "Thoughts & Prayers"), but "Nikki's a Republican Now" is the rollicking highlight.
19. Ruston Kelly – "Mockingbird" (from Dying Star)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
I don't remember if it was my Release Radar or the "Pulse of Americana" playlist, but I definitely first heard this one on Spotify (almost certainly while grading at a coffee shop). It's got this amazing, slow-building intro, starting with simple acoustic guitar and then adding pedal steel, banjo, tinkling keys, and finally crescendoing harmonica before Kelly delivers a instantly memorable opening line: "Pretty wings, you’re the prettiest thing / You’re like Parker Posey in a magazine." The song that follows is a bittersweet ballad of the kind that Ryan Adams might write if he were less jaded or Cory Branan if he were less impish. I hadn't heard of Kelly (also from Nashville) before this year myself, but I have a feeling more people will be taking note in 2019—not only is he a talented songwriter, but he's married to the artist down at #13.
18. American Aquarium – "Crooked+Straight" (from Things Change)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
We're three-for-three on Americana artists so far. I promise we'll move onto another genre soon. But it was a good year for a genre I've been turning more and more to in recent years as I approach true middle-aged Whiteness. American Aquarium aren't from Nashville like the previous two artists; instead, they're from about 500 miles to the east in Raleigh, North Carolina. But like Hoge, they aren't afraid to take on what's happening in America (especially the South) today, and while their instrumentation isn't quite as lush as Kelly's, they definitely lean on pedal steel as well. If anything, they have more in common with Isbell's everyman-ness in their paeans to the struggles of everyday Americans ("Tough Folks," "Work Conquers All"). "Crooked+Straight" especially seems like it would fit right in on a Drive-By Truckers record—"I wandered through my twenties uninspired / I got my education at the end of the bar / And I traded in my youth for three chords and the truth / And the ring of an electric guitar." This is an album that would've landed in my top-10 if I had made one.
17. Frank Turner – "Blackout" (from Be More Kind)*
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Frank Turner can't be Americana because he's British, but his folksy-punk aesthetic isn't too different from a lot of Americana, I suppose. At least, it used to be that way—Be More Kind embraces a poppier sound and production than I'd been used to hearing from him. "Blackout" is a perfect example, from its jaunty riff and bouncy bass line to the electronic flourishes and resounding chorus—"Are you afraid of the darkness? / I'm afraid of the darkness too." The song isn't as obviously about 2018 as, say, "Make America Great Again," but that sentiment is certainly valid these days. Unfortunately, that studio sheen tends to magnify Turner's overly sentimental tendencies on several songs, resulting in an album that suffers from a bit of mawkishness. That said, I saw Turner live after both The Menzingers and Lucero—two of my favorite recent bands—opened for him, and I'd be lying if I said Turner didn't put on the best set. And "Blackout" was, of course, the high point of the set.
16. Elvis Costello and The Imposters – "Suspect My Tears" (from Look Now)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
I'm probably not as familiar with Elvis Costello as I should be (especially his stuff from the last 30ish years), but I'm glad I gave Look Now a cursory spin when I was catching up on 2018 releases a month or so ago. It's probably the most immaculately produced album of the year, with a brassy, big-band-esque sound that fits Costello's trademark nasally vocals much better than I thought it would. The album sounds like a lost collection of pop standards—which makes sense, given that Costello worked with Burt Bacharach and Carole King on several songs. One that especially seems like it it could have been an AM radio hit is "Suspect My Tears," a half-ironic (duh, it's Costello) ballad where he croons over a gorgeous string arrangement with female backing vocals and note-perfect keys and horns. It's a beautiful song, and I hope that, somewhere, Bill Murray is singing it in a karaoke bar.
15. Matthew Logan Vasquez – "Ladonna" (from Texas Murder Ballads)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | *lyrics not available*
When you come across an album (technically an EP) called Texas Murder Ballads on Spotify, you're not *not* going to listen to it, right? That's exactly what I did, and it was as advertised—5 songs and 17+ minutes of delightfully dark story-songs about meth cooks, crooked cops, and other assorted vagrants and outcasts strewn across the shadiest corners of the Lone Star State. The music is as rough and dirty as the lyrics, equal parts Texas rockabilly and California surf rock (with a splash of psychedelic rock as well), rife with incendiary guitar riffs wailing over propulsive rhythms. It's the kind of stuff I imagine being played at the bars in the first season of True Detective. My favorite is "Ladonna," a dingy haunted house dirge with an absolutely scintillating riff that sounds like ZZ Top by way of Rob Zombie. If you like either of those things, or anything in between, give the EP a try.
14. CHVRCHES – "Deliverance" (from Love Is Dead)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
It's been a bit of a sausage fest so far, but here's our first female (or female-led) artist. (And just wait until you see my top-3.) CHVRCHES is always a band I've liked more than loved, and while I don't expect that to change after this year, "Deliverance" is an absolute BANGER. I've always found Lauren Mayberry's voice to be beautiful, and the massive chorus of "Deliverance" is a perhaps the most perfect showcase for it yet devised. She breaks through the icy synth lines and cool, low delivery of the verses with a soaring "You better hold on, hold on, hold on" that dovetails into a mesmerizing "Is it deliver-iver-iverance?" The vocals are just *pristine*, and the album as a whole is perhaps their most straightforwardly poppy release yet. More like this, please.
13. Kacey Musgraves – "High Horse" (from Golden Hour)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Speaking of erstwhile country and straightforwardly poppy, we have Kacey Musgraves and her slinky, country-gone-disco number "High Horse." I can't claim to have listened to her debut album, but I did quite like 2015's Pageant Material, especially "Biscuits." Golden Hour (another one that likely would've made my top-10) keeps the country trappings of her first two albums (twangy guitar, pedal steel again, vaguely western imagery) but blends it with a pop sensibility and brings her wry wit more to the forefront. Songs like "Slow Burn," "Lonely Weekend," and "Space Cowboy" seem like a natural progression, but "High Horse" seems a potential paradigm shift for her—audacious yet assured, glossy yet genuine. This may be the song that catapults her into the mainstream stratosphere—and her next album might just seal her as the next big thing.
12. Red City Radio – "In the Shadows" (from SkyTigers)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Oklahoma City's Red City Radio just know how to fuckin' shred, man. Their 5-song EP (it was a strong year for EPs, apparently), the questionably titled SkyTigers, is a step forward in technical prowess from their previous tough-guy Midwest pop-punk stylings. Each of the 5 songs showcases blistering guitarwork, including several string-shredding solos, and some songs surprisingly have keys and horns as well. There are two absolute monster jams here—the uber-anthemic "Rebels," which made my (unpublished) best songs of 2017 list, and "In the Shadows," a near-five-minute scorcher on battling one's demons, figuratively and, perhaps, literally. It's got an insane build that doesn't let up until singer Garrett Dale's final exhalation after guitarist Ryan Donovan's fingers have, presumably, melted away. I missed these guys when they came to PHX back in May (with The Lawrence Arms no less), and I've been kicking myself ever since. Hopefully they'll come back in 2019.
11. Strung Out – "Town of Corazon" (from Black Out the Sky)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
If you attended the Warped Tour in the '90s or listened to any of the various punk compilations that were out at the time, you're undoubtedly familiar with Strung Out. (If you're not, and you like SoCal punk, go listen to Twisted By Design right now.) But it's probably been 15 years since I listened to a new Strung Out record. So what are they doing on this list? Well, in 2018, they did what I think all punk bands should do: they put out an acoustic album (also technically an EP). Like Alkaline Trio, Dustin Kensrue, Yellowcard, and so many others before them, going acoustic allowed the band's songwriting chops and musicianship to really shine. Strung Out has always been a bit more naturally talented than most other '90s punk bands, which Black Out the Sky shows, especially "Town of Corazon." It might sound strange for a punk band, but it's a really pretty song, with gentle strumming, a nifty riff, lovely harmonies, and an uplifting chorus. It's a perfect sing-along song, whether alone in your car or (I imagine) around a campfire with your best friends.
10. Lucero – "Long Way Back Home" (from Among the Ghosts)*
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
A new Lucero album is always a big deal for me. As mentioned above, they're one of my very favorite recent bands. Ben Nichols is an incredible songwriter (and quite good singer when he's not sloshed), and the rest of the band are underappreciated musicians, especially guitarist Brian Venable and keyboardist (among other instruments) Rick Steff. Among the Ghosts is another collection of mostly downtempo sad bastard songs, similar to 2015's (slightly superior) All a Man Should Do in its reliance on more autobiographical songwriting and more optimistic (for Lucero) worldview on several songs. It's a great record—my second favorite of the year, actually. But I just haven't latched onto that one standout song yet, hence the #10 ranking here. I'm sure it'll come to me the more time I spend with the record. In the meantime, I included "Long Way Back Home" on this list because it's 1) a kickass jam, and 2) it's got a great music video directed by Ben's brother Jeff (of Take Shelter and Mud fame) and starring Michael Shannon, Garrett Hedlund, and Scoot McNairy. Here's hoping for more Nichols brothers collaborations in the future.
9. The Decemberists – "Rusalka, Rusalka / The Wild Rushes" (from I'll Be Your Girl)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
The Decemberists can be a hard band to pin down sometimes—but that also makes them one of the most interesting bands out there. Consider the stylistic gulf between 2009's prog-folk freakout concept album The Hazards of Love and 2011's quiet, Neil Young-tinged folk suite The King Is Dead (perhaps their best). Next, 2015 brought their poppiest, most polished record yet, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. What did they follow that up with? A darkly poppy record influenced by '80s new wave and synthpop, of course. Songs like "Severed" and "Cutting Stone" sound like they were recorded with the band wearing shoulder pads. But it wouldn't be a Decemberists album without an 8-minute, multi-part, mythology-influenced jam. "Rusalka, Rusalka / The Wild Rushes" is the album's penultimate song, a massive, macabre epic that must be awesome live—towering vocals, enchanting harmonies, orchestral instrumentation, thunderous percussion. But, unfortunately, I missed them when they came through PHX this year. Maybe next time. I just hope this one makes their permanent live rotation.
8. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – "Keep a Little Soul" (from Tom Petty: An American Treasure)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
I'm cheating a little bit here, as this obviously wasn't written or recorded in this century, much less this year. But it was actually released this year, so I have no problem including it on this list. "Keep a Little Soul," the first single from this year's Tom Petty boxed set, was originally recorded during the Long After Dark sessions, and I can confidently say it is better than anything on that album, except for maybe "Change of Heart." (Although "Straight into Darkness" is also pretty great.) I am convinced "Keep a Little Soul" would have been a huge hit if it had been released in 1982. I'm not sure why it wasn't included on the album, but I'm glad we get to hear it now. It's the band at their most upbeat, with Benmont Tench's jangly keys taking center stage and Tom almost seeming to channel Van Morrison in the jubilant chorus. It's fucking great. The rest of American Treasure is well worth the listen, with other great outtakes (I also like "Walkin' from the Fire" from 1984) and alternate versions of Petty classics (I'm partial to the new version of Wildflowers' "Wake Up Time"). I hope it's not the last we'll ever hear from Tom, but if it is, it'll at least keep fans occupied for a long time (it's 63 songs). R.I.P., Tom.
7. Courtney Barnett – "Sunday Roast" (from Tell Me How You Really Feel)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Now we're getting into rare territory—all the songs from here on out garnered consideration for #1. On the whole, Tell Me How You Really Feel didn't grab me the way Barnett's previous two albums did—although that's probably due more to my music listening habits than any particular issue with the album. But album closer "Sunday Roast"—a charming ode to the people you keep closest—seized me something fierce when I first heard it, and it hasn't let go ever since. The atmospheric guitarwork (backed by subtle keys) just envelops you, priming you for Barnett's soft, vulnerable delivery—a big departure from her often acerbic songwriting persona and singing voice. But what makes the song is the sensational extended outro: "Keep on keepin' on, y'know you're not alone / And I know all your stories but I'll listen to them again / And if you move away y'know I'll miss your face / It's all the same to me, y'know it's all the same to me." It's an unexpectedly buoyant note to end the album on, and a much-needed shot of warmth here in the cold of 2018.
6. Brandi Carlile – "Party of One" (from By the Way, I Forgive You)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
This song has a lot in common with the Barnett song—they're both resonant album closers (and track #10s) written by one of the best songwriters we have (and who both happen to be lesbian). And, like the Barnett album, the Carlile album didn't have quite the same impact on me as her previous album from 2015. Freaky, right? But whereas "Sunday Roast" lifts your spirits and warms your heart, "Party of One" threatens to break it. And I'd be lying if I said that it didn't do just that to me a couple times this year. It's a slow, sad, painful song about the sometimes heartrending difficulties that come with being in—staying in, really—a relationship. Lines like "you know I love you still / but I am tired" and references to "your eggshells and your 'I' statements and your weaponized words" can just level you if they catch you in the wrong headspace. But the song isn't without hope, as the outro of Carlile singing "I am yours" over an elegant arrangement of strings and keys can attest. It's just a stunning, stunning song.
5. Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (released as a single)*
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
As everyone knows, the music video for this song is absolutely incredible, rife with symbolism, social commentary, and undeniably hypnotic dancing. It's a true breakthrough for an artist I've been a fan of for a long, long time (fan since "Bro Rape," yo!). But I also heard a lot of, "Yeah, the song is good, but the video is way better." And that's true to a point—the video is transcendent, a cultural touchstone, perhaps the (not exaggerating here) pinnacle of the form—but that shouldn't diminish the quality of the song. It's a songwriting marvel, with its bifurcated structure that (almost) seamlessly fuses Gambino's most mature rap verses yet with a pointedly Kanye-esque soul/gospel refrain. (Note that Gambino himself guns down the choir in the video.) Gone is the posturing, try-hard Gambino, whose rhymes and albums were at times as clumsy as they were catchy. In his place is a swaggering, sexual R&B/funk demigod who can boldly proclaim "This Is America" and be *right*. His next evolution—after leaving the Childish Gambino moniker behind—should be fascinating.
4. Kanye West – "Ghost Town" (from ye)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Unlike Childish Gambino, Kanye West did not have a good 2018. Between his MAGA-hat-wearing nonsense, his slavery comments, and middling reviews for ye, Kanye is closer than ever to losing his place atop the zeitgeist and his once-unimpeachable standing as a critical darling. We'll see what Yandhi brings in (hopefully) 2019, but in the meantime, I'm here to say that ye, which does have its missteps (notably "Violent Crimes"), is actually pretty decent. (As is its companion piece, Kids See Ghosts.) "I Thought About Killing You" and "Yikes" show Kanye candidly discussing his well-publicized mental health issues, and are solid tracks in their own right. But the climax of album is "Ghost Town," an urgent, brooding opus featuring Kanye's best verse of the album, a profoundly affecting chorus from Kid Cudi, and a magnificent outro from 070 Shake. The last minute and a half or so of this song might be the most powerful musical moment of the year. If you don't get chills on her first "I feel kind of freeeeeee!", you might be some kind of musical sociopath. The ending is just *perfect*. It's the kind of song that demands you replay it as soon as it's over—and I have several times this year and will continue to do so as the years go on, whatever happens to Kanye's standing in the culture.
3. Hop Along – "Prior Things" (from Bark Your Head Off, Dog)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Hop Along's Frances Quinlan has one of the most distinctive, acrobatic voices I've ever heard, and it's on full display in "Prior Things," the song I listened to the most in 2018. Nearly six minutes long, "Prior Things" is built on an insistent string arrangement, with acoustic strumming providing texture and slide guitar adding melancholy accents. But Quinlan's dexterous voice shimmies, glides, and tumbles over it all, as impressive a display of vocal gymnastics as anyone not named Björk. Within the first two lines, she explores more vocal topography than most singers do on an entire record. Throughout the song (and the whole record), she stretches words, inflects counterintuitively, and adds unusual emphasis on certain syllables—but it's all done with a sense of purpose, like it was the only way to sing that particular line to impart that particular emotion. On "Prior Things," she sings about struggling with her self worth—a universal sentiment delivered in an utterly singular way. We'll be hearing a lot more from Quinlan and her band, I suspect. (Note: There is no video for "Prior Things," but "How Simple" is nearly as good of a song, and the video is phenomenal. Check it out.)
2. Soccer Mommy – "Scorpio Rising" (from Clean)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
"Scorpio Rising" starts deceptively simply—the first verse is 20-year-old Sophie Allison plaintively singing about kissing in parked cars over wispy guitar and spare keys. This is a sad song about young lovers, yes, but that's not all that's going on here. The percussion kicks in just before the second verse starts, and the vocals and guitar kick up an octave as Allison sings about Coca Cola and her crush's new flame. Again, more seemingly juvenile stuff, but it's suffused with a wistfulness that's instantly familiar to anyone who's had a failed relationship (that is, just about everybody). Then the chorus hits you like an ice pick to the heart: "I don't think of my life / Anywhere but in your arms tonight / Won't say it this time / Can't even look back in your eyes." But it's all just a setup for the truly devastating third verse, when Allison goes way bigger than summer flings and losing your crush: "And I'm just a victim of changing planets / My Scorpio rising and my parents." Sometimes, things just don't fucking work and there's nothing you can do about it. It's no one's fault—genetics, fate, whatever. That's the hardest thing to grapple with, to understand. "What could I have done differently?" Nothing. It's gutting. And Allison is writing songs about that feeling at just 20. I'd be jealous if I weren't too busy being stunned into slack-jawed submission. The rest of the album—which builds musically and thematically to "Scorpio Rising"—is one of the best of the year. Oh yeah, and Allison is from—you guessed it—Nashville as well. What a year for the Music City. Maybe I'll finally visit it in 2019.
1. Metric – "Now or Never Now" (from Art of Doubt)
Spotify Link | YouTube Video | Lyrics
Mental health issues, gun violence, failed relationships—man, these past few songs have been downers. Brilliant songs, but downers. Fortunately, Emily Haines and Metric are here to make sure we don't end 2018 on a down note. "Now or Never Now" is is a glittery, gleeful gem of a song, a synth-laden salute to putting all the bullshit in the rearview and and moving forward with positivity. Clocking in at over six minutes (at least the obviously superior non-radio-edit), it starts with a simple synth line that immediately worms its way into your head, making your head bob reflexively. More synth and percussion are slowly added until Haines's perfect voice slithers in around the 1:30 mark. From there, it's more slow, beautiful, uplifting build for five minutes. There's no chorus here (unless you count a particularly marvelous repeating guitar line), no rising intensity then release, just a constant thrum of euphoria that ends with the affirming repetition of "Because it's now or never now." It's a perfect song, and the centerpiece of the best album of the year, an amazingly accomplished rumination on fame, fear, and femininity. I didn't get to see Metric this year, but I already have tickets for their show in PHX in March. So not only did they give us the best album of 2018, but a reason to look forward to 2019 as well. That's more than enough to get me through the end of this very trying year. Maybe the album isn't dead after all.
Bonus: Top 5 Albums
Speaking of which, here are those five albums I mentioned at the top (with a one-sentence summary).
5. The Decemberists – I'll Be Your Girl. New Decemberists is always a good thing, even if they'll probably never reach the highs of The Crane Wife or The King Is Dead again.
4. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog – I would listen to Frances Quinlan sing about anything, even if I don't always understand her lyrics.
3. Soccer Mommy – Clean. The first part of the above statement applies to Sophie Allison as well—even if I understand the lyrics all too well sometimes.
2. Lucero – Among the Ghosts. This was my #1 until Metric came along—Ben Nichols practically rents space in my aesthetic wheelhouse (it's a pretty nice one bedroom with a built-in bar).
1. Metric – Art of Doubt. It took me a bit to come around to Pagans in Vegas; not so Art of Doubt, which floored me from the first listen.
Even if I didn't fall in love with a ton of albums, 2018 was a strong year for music—probably even stronger than 2017. I look forward to hearing what 2019 has to offer, even if my listening habits are ever-changing.
