I spent ALL of 2018 preparing for this series of lists. I printed out a bunch of blank lists for each medium I was experiencing, stuck it on the back of the door, noting it down and rating it all. Needless to say, I LOVE LISTS.
This has been a pretty dire year for me and music, I spent the majority of this year just disinterested in listening to anything, including bands I love and enjoy. As I used the podcast worked as my driving force while working away, this past 2-3 months of the year has been dedicated to listening to as much as I can that I missed. Because of all this it seems I didn't listen to many differing genres, mainly my Hip-Hop love from last year only went to only two albums, and my need from last year to get more great Rock albums has now reared it's head this year. To the point where my TOP 5, is all Rock skewed. Anyway, I'm really happy with my top 5 even though they aren't very varied.
As a self-proclaimed metal fan, it would come as a shock to you that I hadn't listened to much of the influential metal band from my home country. But it is true, I knew only two big hits from Priest before listening to this album. This is my first Priest album, and it is fucking awesome. These past few years has felt like metal and rock music has slowly been dying off, there hasn't been that one big band with that one amazing album in a long time. But here is the gate keepers to the genre putting out one of the best metal albums of the past few years like they were still in their prime. The most notable parts of this album is the refreshing mix of metal styles throughout the album, we go from thrashy, powerful, high octane metal in songs like Firepower, Lightning Strike and Traitor's Gate, to some soulful power metal ballads like Never The Heroes and Rising From Ruins, but then you also have chugging grungy heavy cuts like Evil Never Dies and Spectre. I haven't even mentioned some of the catchy later half of the album like No Surrender and Lone Wolf. Rob Halford puts out a performance that is outstanding for someone who's been doing this for so long, especially when his peers have voices that are slowly deteriorating at the same age. But lets not give the most popular member all of the credit, some of these guitar riffs are absolutely superb, Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, the guitarists of Priest, come up with just some amazing guitar sections that stay with you. Basically what I'm saying to you is that this LP has it all when it comes to Metal of the past 5 to 10 years, it almost feels like this is apex, the pinnacle of this style of metal we've had for a while, and it's time for someone else to come in and take mainstream metal music in a new refreshing direction.
Although Slaves is the, what's the best phrase, cheesiest band on this list, at least when it comes to lyrics, I still love their sound, and after a pretty poor second album this record gets back on track to how the Are You Satisfied? felt. Sure this thing isn't better than their debut, but it is the follow-up that I wanted initially. This album just hits a lot of right notes for me, catchy punk with a mainstream appeal. If it's the strong abrasive but simple tracks like Cut and Run and Bugs, or if it's just the catchy but swelling cuts like Chokehold and Photo Opportunity, the songs on this albums just hit every note perfectly for me. I really love Isaac story telling here too, again, the lyrics of Slaves may come off a bit kitsch, but I really enjoy it for the music they are trying to make. I think a major helper in this though is the tight track count, with only 9 tracks with a total run time of roughly half an hour, it's really hard to go wrong. Unlike their previous record which had 16 tracks that felt messy in comparison. It feels like the two lads really put their heads together and knuckled down to give the fans the most concise pleasing album and it works really well.
The first album of the year I listened to and said 'early contender for my favourite album' and it stayed here all year to now sit as my third favourite of the year. The Voidz is an new band I've been introduced to and I'm very happy I was. This was the first album I listened to and realised 'yeah, this is where rock is going'. The surreal and bizarre sounds of the initial listen is intriguing, but over time you get really tied into the unconventional nature of the music and you find the catchy songs within. After each listen through of the album it felt like it just made more and more sense. I love the Art Rock direction, this isn't something I have ever really listened to and it honestly opened my mind to future LPs I listened to later on in the year. Julian Casablancas is the spear head to this whole album, with vocals that screech is the best way, shifting is pitch up and down, but then also having textured rock moments and softer more sombre parts. Also using different voice effects throughout the album allows for his sections to combine really fluidly with the amazing and off-the-wall guitar and keyboard. To all you Strokes fans out there, I'm sure you already know about all this anyway, but I'd say you'd be super into this, you definitely feel the same vibe, albeit with the art rock edge. This whole album is just well put together, all the songs manage to take you through a journey with it's different layers and vibes throughout. I think anybody who believes they are a rock fan, should listen to this, it feels like a turning point along with a couple other examples (foreshadowing).
Is there a more perfectly titled album than this, Joy as an Act of Resistance. It is what it says on the fucking tin. IDLES have come back just one year after their debut record and blown everyone out of the water. The band feel as aggressive as ever with this absolute brutal tracklist all about loving each other and yourself in front of adversity. The ever present 'FUCK TORIES' message is still here, but contained in well written lyrics and tension building, ear blistering guitars. Last years effort Brutalism had me saying 'some tracks can drag and blend into each other', which didn't bother me so much just because I loved their sound and Joe's vocals so much, now this is completely gone, the songwriting has come leaps and bounds, and almost every track on this album is in the same category as my favourite songs from the previous album. And although I straight up don't like some of the cuts on here, the rest I do love, really hit me in the right way at this point in my life, it feels like an album that understands what I'm feeling and thinking about this country I'm living in, and this current political climate, that's why it is one of my favourite albums of my lifetime, even with its faults. Great is a song that feels like it's talking about the environment I've grown up around, while Samaritans talks about masculinity, a topic I have recently made a very strong opinion on, and this happens throughout the whole record. I feel like this is the anthem of RIGHT NOW for me personally.
The debut record for the new project led by two members from The Drones, I have never listened to any Drones music, so I don't know how this differs from that work, but for me Tropical Fuck Storm, similarly to what I said about The Voidz, feels like the cusp of what Rock music is about to be, and also like IDLES, in some of its lyrics encapsulates what I'm feeling and thinking currently in 2018. TFS feels like the rock epiphany that has been accumulating all this time and it explodes in this cacophony of heavy, gritty guitars combined with the eccentric vocals of Gareth Liddiard and the clean harmonies of Fiona and Erica, who also play bass and guitar respectively. The experimentation of this whole album is what I've been looking for so long and I feel like it was just given to me on a beautifully disgusting platter to enjoy over and over again.
Honourable Mentions: Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts (this shit fuckin rules, I need to listen to more kanye), Brockhampton - iridescence (the boy band went through a lot of shit this year, and unfortunately I wasn't ecstatic about this record), Jack White - Boarding House Reach (My favourite Jack White solo record so far, but still a little messy for my liking, still some great experimental stuff tho), Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want (this is here cause I've only listened to it once as of writing and I plan on listening to it a couple more times! Seems p good man), Marc Rebillet (in general, he did release an album and an EP, but the man also makes YouTube videos, and most of his music is improv anyway, he's just so damn catchy and funny, he's great).
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