Albums
of the year
2018
This was a strange year, in the sense that without even planning it I ended up listening to more new releases than any past year. I think it was a subconscious thing, being in the middle of a "oh yeah I'll just build my own house and it will go perfectly with no hiccups whatsoever" type of situation. I was looking for something new and perfect to replace the new home which has yet to arrive. Luckily all this listening paid off as there were some really excellent albums this year. It started off slowly, only for some of the best output to come out towards the end. Killer climax, man.
This year I have not put together a playlist, but instead included a song or video for each review as a taste for the rest. And even though these are numbered as you can see, they are not in any order whatsoever. Except for #1 - that one truly rises above all else this year.
1
Airiel
Molten Young Lovers
First things first - this album came out in late 2017, and only entered my radar this year. So like in previous top albums posts, the tops list for 2018 is based on LPs that were new to ME this year. And thank goodness this did make itself known to me, despite having heard of the band for many years prior, because to me it's a new shoegaze classic, right up there with the best of Ride, Slowdive, Lush, and Adorable. Like a long lost album finally seeing the light of day 25 years later, it almost feels criminal these guys weren't in the right place at the right time so this album could get all the attention it deserves. So I'm doing my part here to say you must listen to this album if shoegaze is a godsend of a genre to you. It's crisp, catchy, with "chiming, swirling guitars" and ace songwriting. You simply can't go wrong .... shoegaze perfection.
Label
Shelflife Records
Released
12 October 2017
Running time
62:00
Tracklist
This Is Permanent
Cloudburst
Your Lips My Mouth
Molten Young Lovers
Mind Furnace
Sharron Apple
Song Of You
Inside Out
Keep You
Red Car
You Sweet Talker
The Painkillers