Peter Margasak's jazz list is geared toward the modern/experimental side of things. https://www.petermargasak.com/nowhere-street/my-favorite-jazz-albums-of-2018 He ranks Tyshawn Sorey #1, which is a sound choice IMO. He mentions several that I like, including JD Allen and the new Andrew Cyrille/Bill Frisell on ECM, plus a lot more to explore. This is his NPR poll ballot, so that will be coming out soon
Our good friend @jonahpwll may not be posting his Bird is the Worm list until the new year (as he mentioned on his site), but his Bandcamp-specific list (which is still quite wide ranging, stylistically) is now up at Bandcamp and well worth reading:
I think Musicisgood is officially a corpse at this point. I
was the only one still writing and I have managed, I think, about three posts in
the last two years. Any page-view momentum we had is long gone. Time to call it
what it is: done.
Which means that instead of wrestling in Wordpress with my annual top 20 post
there for nobody to read, I am just going to post it here. That frees me to do
it a little differently. I started with a playlist of every album I bought this
year and deleted candidates until I didn’t feel like deleting any more. That
leaves me with a Top 33 of 2018. So be it.
Now that it's done I like this list. It's a good representation of what I have been liking this year, and if I could only keep these albums from the year I'd be happy.
Also, instead of sweating over exact placement I have split it into tiers, which was easier. Lists are in alphabetical order within each tier. Links go to bandcamp for streaming where possible, otherwise to amazon for samples.
Tier 1 – Things that
I could have argued myself into placing first overall and expect to be listening
to for years to come. These are albums I instinctively reach for over and over again when I want to
play something I know I will really like.
Tier 2 – Things that impressed
me almost as much as the first tier, and might still creep upward in my estimation in the long
term. These are albums that when I do think to play them I remember how seriously
good they are.
Tier 3 – There are
albums that leave me with a little awe at what they
achieved (everything above here) and then there are those I just really enjoy. These
are those.
Tier 5 - This is not the weak tier – after all they
are still in my favorite 33 albums of the year. So, also very rewarding but in less frequent rotation were…
JPEGMAFIA is a rap album that made a lot of lists this year; if Craig was still here I bet he’d recommend it; when I got it it was nyop on Bandcamp; I can’t tell how much it is now because it just says “you own this” but it’s worth a listen.
Kacey Musgraves is another one that I have that’s on a lot of lists (#2 on Pitchfork!) music any old person could love. She’s pretty much the only musician I like that my wife will listen to on purpose, although she likes the album before this better.
Those two are the only ones I have on Pitchfork, which I think might be a new low.
My favorite list is still Tiny Mix Tapes; good for keeping up with a younger set although their probably all aging now too. I haven’t counted what I have from that yet (ok, it’s five), but lots I’m at least interested in.
You know, I am beginning to wonder why, since nobody buys jazz records, there are so many jazz lists. Anyway, here's one from the LA Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-ms-year-in-review-jazz-20181220-story.html? Some kind of consensus has emerged on the more mainstream end of things at least. Glad to see Walter Smith III's "Twio" mentioned here, I've enjoyed that a lot
Are any of the albums on all these best of 2018 lists available on eMusic?
I know it may seem unlikely but I did manage to find four from the Progarchives 2018 Best of Prog Rock (see above) that are available (remarkably!) on eMusic.
@Doofy, I think there are end of year lists, even for lesser-selling genres, simply because people like making them and people like reading them. I know I use it as a "discovery" tool, but also am interested what others think about music with which I am already familiar.
Speaking of familiar, a longtime champion of jazz, John Fordham @ the Guardian, has posted his list, and it's both keeping in line with some of the trends this year and also plucking a couple really nice indie releases:
This list of the best ambient of 2018 is the closest I have seen yet to a list out there that I can relate to. Even better, you can download it as a mix!
Once again we have had a very productive year: We released 25
longplayers in 2018 — 10 new albums and 15 reissues. To show our love
for the friends of our label, we would like to offer you a present: a
playlist with 25 tracks to download, absolutely free! One song from each
release. Arranged in a smooth running order for your listening
pleasure. Thank you for supporting us!
Musicweb International has posted their annual list of best classical recordings. The link takes you to a page of further links. Click "2018" and it will display (or download) a PDF file with their extensive list from all their primary contributors, etc.
Here is a cut and paste of their opening teaser/explanation... (I won't give spoilers). ;-)
MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL Recordings Of The Year 2018
This is the fifteenth year that MusicWeb International has asked its reviewing team to nominate their recordings of the year. Reviewers are not restricted to discs they had reviewed, but the choices must have been reviewed on MWI in the last 12 months (December 2017-November 2018).
The 130 selections have come from 25 members of the team and 70 different labels, the choices reflecting as usual, the great diversity of music and sources - I say that every year, but still the spread of choices surprises and pleases me.
Of the selections, 8 have received two nominations:
Mahler and Strauss with Sergiu Celibidache on the Munich Phil
Choral music by Pavel Chesnokov on Reference Recordings
Shostakovich symphonies with Andris Nelsons on DG
The Gluepot Connection from the Londinium Choir on Somm
The John Adams Edition on the Berlin Phil’s own label
Historic recordings of Carlo Zecchi on APR
Pärt symphonies on ECM
Works for two pianos by Stravinsky on Hyperion
Chandos was this year’s leading label with 11 nominations, significantly more than any other label.
Over on Tom Hull's site, where the ballots get displayed, he's made mention of some server/site issues and maybe also a health problem (soreness), so that's probably why the delay. He mentions on a 12/31/18 post that he thinks the results will be up soon.
That said, this is really all you need for your year-end list cravings...
This special "Name Your Price" compilation album features over an hour of creative and fun music throughout the course of 12 tracks all of which was released by Cuneiform Records in 2018
Comments
Nomination Round Open
Voting round will begin December 26th
I think Musicisgood is officially a corpse at this point. I was the only one still writing and I have managed, I think, about three posts in the last two years. Any page-view momentum we had is long gone. Time to call it what it is: done.
Which means that instead of wrestling in Wordpress with my annual top 20 post there for nobody to read, I am just going to post it here. That frees me to do it a little differently. I started with a playlist of every album I bought this year and deleted candidates until I didn’t feel like deleting any more. That leaves me with a Top 33 of 2018. So be it.
Now that it's done I like this list. It's a good representation of what I have been liking this year, and if I could only keep these albums from the year I'd be happy.
Also, instead of sweating over exact placement I have split it into tiers, which was easier. Lists are in alphabetical order within each tier. Links go to bandcamp for streaming where possible, otherwise to amazon for samples.
Tier 1 – Things that I could have argued myself into placing first overall and expect to be listening to for years to come. These are albums I instinctively reach for over and over again when I want to play something I know I will really like.
Bill Frisell - Music IS (Jazz)
Bluetech - Liquid Geometries (Electronic)
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - Live (Jazz)
Nils Frahm - All Melody (Electronic)
Riverside - Wasteland (Progressive Rock)
Taylor Deupree - Fallen (Ambient)
Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Other Side (Jazz)
Tier 2 – Things that impressed me almost as much as the first tier, and might still creep upward in my estimation in the long term. These are albums that when I do think to play them I remember how seriously good they are.
Alva Noto - Unieqav (Electronic)
Phronesis - We Are All (Jazz)
Rudy Royston - Flatbed Buggy (Jazz)
Tunng - Songs You Make at Night (Folktronica)
Vincent Peirani - Living Being II (Jazz)
Wil Bolton - Viridian Loops (Ambient)
Tier 3 – There are albums that leave me with a little awe at what they achieved (everything above here) and then there are those I just really enjoy. These are those.
Various - We out Here (Jazz)
H.Takahashi - Low Power (Ambient)
Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart - Toy Tunes (Jazz)
M. Geddes Gengras - Hawaiki Tapes (Electronic/Ambient)
Node - Node Live (Electronic)
Tilman Hoppstock - Bach: Cello Suites for Guitar (Classical)
Tier 4 – These are still great stuff that I will return to, just maybe not quite as intensively as the others. Really good though.
Angelique Kidjo - Remain in Light (Rock)
Egyptology - Sur les autres mondes (Electronic)
Ensemble d’oscillateurs - 4 compositions (Experimental)
Kosmischer Läufer - The Secret Cosmic Music of the East German Olympic Program 1972-83, Vol. 4 (Electronic)
Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet - Landfall (Classical)
offthesky - Enfolding (Ambient)
Pjusk - Sakne verda (Electronic/Ambient)
Tier 5 - This is not the weak tier – after all they are still in my favorite 33 albums of the year. So, also very rewarding but in less frequent rotation were…
Arovane & Porya Hatami - Organism_Evolution (Experimental)
Colin Currie Group - Steve Reich: Drumming (Classical)
Dinosaur - Wonder Trail (Jazz)
Julian Lage - Modern Lore (Jazz)
Matthewdavid's Mindflight - Marimbza (Ambient)
Sonar - Vortex (Progressive Rock??)
Tigue - Strange Paradise (Post Rock??)
Kacey Musgraves is another one that I have that’s on a lot of lists (#2 on Pitchfork!) music any old person could love. She’s pretty much the only musician I like that my wife will listen to on purpose, although she likes the album before this better.
Those two are the only ones I have on Pitchfork, which I think might be a new low.
My favorite list is still Tiny Mix Tapes; good for keeping up with a younger set although their probably all aging now too. I haven’t counted what I have from that yet (ok, it’s five), but lots I’m at least interested in.
I like to point out this AOTY aggregation at year end time: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/lists.php
@GP, nice list, but at 33 a 1/3 entry is really called for; whether that’s an album you 1/3 liked or liked 1/3 is an interesting call
Finally another thing that keeps me from feeling too old is that my 6th grade son’s favorite song right now is “Africa” by Toto!
I know it may seem unlikely but I did manage to find four from the Progarchives 2018 Best of Prog Rock (see above) that are available (remarkably!) on eMusic.
Speaking of familiar, a longtime champion of jazz, John Fordham @ the Guardian, has posted his list, and it's both keeping in line with some of the trends this year and also plucking a couple really nice indie releases:
Best Classical Albums Of 2018
Future Me Hates Me- The Beths (Alt/Power Pop)
Pedra do EspiaItiberê Orquestra - Família (Funk/Psych from Brazil)
Rasif Amaro - Freitas (Gorgeous piano jazz from Brazil)
WILKES - Sam Wilkes (Spiritual jazz)
Several Afropop-type recommendations to be found there as well
but they are only individual tracks and not a mix?
Recordings Of The Year 2018
This is the fifteenth year that MusicWeb International has asked its reviewing team to nominate their recordings of the year. Reviewers are not restricted to discs they had reviewed, but the choices must have been reviewed on MWI in the last 12 months (December 2017-November 2018).
Of the selections, 8 have received two nominations:
Chandos was this year’s leading label with 11 nominations, significantly more than any other label.
https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2018/
2018 Contemporary Classical Music Albums: Editor’s Picks
https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/jazzblog/a-long-list-of-2018s-best-canadian-jazz
Headphone Commute’s Best of 2018
- Full Album list