âOne good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain.â
Those words, from the great Bob Marley, couldnât be more apt in the decade that was 2018. Has Trumpâs incessant whining slowed the rotation of the Earth? A friend recently reminded me the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and BeyoncĂ©âs Coachella performance happened this year, and I couldnât believe it. With the daily deluge of Very Bad News comes the daily respite. Some people drink. Some read. Some go the movies. And some listen to music.
While Iâve already drafted a list of the Top 20 Songs of 2018, the Best Albums of the Year list is very near and dear to me. Itâs my eighth consecutive year composing it for The Daily Beastâthe first edition, way back in 2011, saw The Weeknd and Drake take the top two spots. And 2018 brought with it plenty of noteworthy albums from a wide array of artists. The legend of Chicago rapper and slam poet Noname only grew with stellar debut, Room 25; Young Fathers continued to churn out nakedly-eclectic tunes; Heaven and Earth continued saxophonist Kamasi Washingtonâs stunning jazz evolution; and Kali Uchisâs Isolation was catchy as all hell.
But they all couldnât make the top 10.
Here they are:
10. Kacey Musgraves â Golden Hour
There have been times, typically after a few drinks, where Iâve lamented the state of country music, and the way itâs transmogrified into pop. But even the most hardened country cynic couldnât deny that Musgravesâ fourth studio album provides a hearty stew of soul-baring ballads and twangy pop affirmations. Stop sneerinâ and dive on in.
9. SABA â CARE FOR ME
A Chance the Rapper protĂ©gĂ©, SABA has been kicking around the scene since late 2012, popping up on several Chance projects and releasing a flurry of singles. And the care heâs taken in crafting this, his sophomore album, is evident, with the Chicago rhymesmith offering a stirring meditation on misery and resolve over minimalist production, only serving to amplify the power of his words.
8. Earl Sweatshirt â Some Rap Songs
Itâs been quite a journey for the teen-rap prodigy and ex-Odd Future memberâone thatâs taken him from L.A. to Samoa, and is filled with stops and starts. A tribute to the passing of his father, South African poet and activist Keorapetse William Kgositsile, along with that of his uncle, jazz musician Hugh Masekela, Earlâs third album is inspired chaos; a 25-minute plunge into his psyche as he wrestles with feelings of despair, buttressed by avant-garde production.
7. IDLES â Joy as an Act of Resistance
The British punk rockersâ second LP is brimming with rageâat toxic masculinity, Brexit, the tabs, xenophobia, classism, and the ways these noxious things eat away at our souls. At times devastatingly bleak, as on the dedication to singer Joseph Talbotâs daughter who passed in childbirth, and others triumphant, itâs one giant howl to the heavens that we shall overcome.
6. Robyn â Honey
Over nine tight tracks, the Swedish pop dynamo has once again, on her eighth album, reinvigorated the form. Gone are the Body Talk hooks shouted across many a caliginous dance party, replaced by razor-sharp techno grooves and power-pop lamentations. Robyn is âa human being,â as she announces hereâone who cleanses herself of heartache by setting you in motion.
5. Cardi B â Invasion of Privacy
There is a legitimate argument to be made that, with the exception of Miseducation, Cardiâs is the greatest debut album by a female rapper ever. Those that thought âBodak Yellowâ was a fluke, or laughed when her dream of rap stardom was treated as a punchline on Love & Hip-Hop, are now eating crow. Itâs Cardiâs world, and with lines and beats as infectious and penetrating as these, donât expect that to change anytime soon.
4. Christine and the Queens â Chris
It was a very big year for queer music, with hot new releases from Troye Sivan, Kevin Abstract (see: Brockhampton), Kelela, SOPHIE, Janelle MonĂĄe, and this tantalizing gem from French pop star Christine and the Queensâan album that lays bare her struggles with femininity, depression, violence, and self-love. But make no mistake about it, this is an empowering, dizzyingly fun danceathon.
3. Pusha T â Daytona
Superproducer Kanye Westâs Wyoming experimentâfive albums in five weeksâyielded decidedly mixed results, from the listless (Nas) to the impressive (Kids See Ghosts). But the cream of the crop was undoubtedly Daytona, which, exploitative cover and Kanyeâs MAGA line notwithstanding, sees the Virginia Beach MCâand GOOD Music CEOâspitting the deadliest venom of his career. Just ask Drake.
2. Janelle MonĂĄe â Dirty Computer
Itâs one of the last things that the legendary Prince worked on before he passed, and his fingerprints are all over this album, with its groovy synths, guitar riffs, and seductive choruses. Still, this is very much a MonĂĄe album, as she navigates her own sexuality via the realm of sci-fi. A gender-fluid odyssey, Dirty Computer is the work of an artist at the top of her game, in complete control of her craft. Sound like anyone?
1. Ariana Grande â Sweetener
Itâs a story so crazy it must be true: pop star survives deadly Islamic terrorist bombing of her concert, creates the best album of her careerâone so irresistibly catchy it immediately catapults her to the top of the pop-music ranks. She could always sing the lights out, this was never in doubt, but the songwriting has finally matured enough to match her four octave vocal range, leaving us with a collection of pop anthems that absolutely soar.
