PUSHA-T- DAYTONA EP
A near perfect EP produced by Kanye West in the midst of his epic political Trump-suck up meltdown. Luckily Kanye still knows his way around top-shelf beats and Pusha’s raps are his most satisfying since Clipse/Hell Hath No Fury way back in 2006. All seven tracks are bangers and this doesn’t even include the single track Drake-diss “The Story Of Aldidon” which was released a few weeks later.
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SNAIL MAIL- LUSH
In a year in which indie-rock is somewhat dominated by young females, Snail Mail’s kick-ass debut album “Lush” may just be one of 2018’s best. Snail Mail is eighteen year old, Lindsay Jordan, a gay D.C. native, who is indebted to nineties indie-rock and who was taught guitar by the great Mary Timony. Her music is gritty, spare & sad but nearly every song builds to a soaring chorus with ripping’ guitar riffs for some of the most satisfying rock songs of the year; especially “Heatwave”, “Pristine” and the truly great “Full Control”.
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YUNO- MOODIE EP
Debut EP by talented Jacksonville, Florida musician, which genre-hops across it’s six tracks encompassing R&B, rap, pop, reggae, chill wave & psychedelic indie-rock ala Animal Collective. “No Going Back”, “Why For” & “So Sl0w” are all gems, but the entire EP is a worthwhile listen and leaves me wanting more and dying to see what Yuno will do next.
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DIRTY PROJECTORS- LAMP LIT PROSE
Coming a just a year behind his 2017 self-titled break-up album about Dirty Projector’s leader Dave Longstreth’s longterm bandmate and partner Amber Coffman, “Lamp Lit Prose” has flown a bit under the radar this year. “Lamp Lit Prose” is a lovestruck, optimistic album about finding that earthquaking romance after a long period of depression. With track titles like “Break-Thru”, “I Feel Energy”, “I Found It In U”, “You’re The One” and “(I Wanna) Feel It All”, Longstreth’s joy is palpable and the buoyancy of the music here matches the lyrics. In a year and a time filled with anger and often despair, “Lamp Lit Prose” is a light in the dark.
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DEAFHEAVEN- ORDINARY CORRUPT HUMAN LOVE
My favorite current metal band just keeps getting better with every album. “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love”, Deafheaven’s fourth album, is its third classic in a row. The group continues to tweak its singular sound of Death Metal, Thrash & Shoegaze by adding more moments of quiet & beauty; repetitive piano lines and ambient ocean swells, which make the juxtaposition of their thunderous guitar riffs and demonic vocals that much more powerful. The entire album is a thing of beauty but “Glint”, “Canary Yellow” and “Honeycomb” are three of Deafheaven’s very best songs yet.
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