And we’re back, baby!
After taking a break from these album roundups to prove that I can write just as prolifically about my true loves, theatre and film (I still kept updating 2018’s Veins List, cuz I’m an addict), I’ve decided to rejoin the record fray once more. As always, check the bottom of this post for my updated power rankings of every album I’ve listened to this year.
Still Run — Wet
This was actually released a few months ago; I’m only getting around to it now after my girlfriend…”gently” recommended it (incessantly; there’s nothing wrong with passion!). Hopefully she doesn’t break up with me for writing that it’s a bit too tame, tepid, and, truthfully, generic for my taste (who am I kidding; to get mad at me, she’d have to care enough about me to take the time to actually read this website LOL). For a similar, superior offering, check out Florence + the Machine’s High as Hope, one of my favorite albums of 2018 that I listened to during my hiatus from being a music scribe.
Rico — Berner
Berner’s second outing of the year after his superior The Big Pescado needs less, well, Berner. The highlights of this excessive, 24-track song, 90+-minute extravaganza are the group affairs, scattered mostly around the album’s mid-section, with laidback, recessive beats that free up each participant to bring their own pace to the proceedings. The form’s an endangered species in this solo-dominant era predominantly featuring solo features. Whenever Berner goes off on his own, the album lags and sags. But when he invites his hodgepodge friends to join, it’s a joy.
4Loyalty — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Releasing what I imagine will be four EPs over four consecutive weeks, each of which includes 4 in the title (the first two: 4Respect and 4Freedom), each boasting four tracks, is the sort of galaxy-brained idea I usually take to. Four problems: 1) Kanye got there first this year. 2) YoungBoy ain’t Kanye. 3) In fact, he’s one of my least favorite popular rappers in the game today. 4) As much as I’d like to believe my previously-posited theory that Mr. Again would no longer be artistically Broke if he calmed down his unparalleled prolificacy — this is his sixth collection of the year! — nothing here backs up this blind faith. In fairness, I dug the chill vibes of 4Freedom, the second installment, but relative only to his usual diarrhea of the mouth.
YBN: The Mixtape — YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Cordae & YBN Nahmir
Stick to gaming.
That’s my Twitter-reductive response. For some more empathetic nuance, which is in dangerously-short supply in that social media hellscape: I will always support people from other vocations flexing their artistic muscles…but nothing stands out here that this gaming group could even build into something of their own. The streaming numbers seem to be less a testament to the album’s quality, and more a reminder that Twitchers are even more devoted to their obsessions than tweakers.
2018 Albums, Ranked
- Black Panther — Kendrick Lamar
- Dirty Computer — Janelle Monáe
- Kamikaze — Eminem
- NASIR — Kanye West & Nas
- DAYTONA — Kanye West & Pusha T
- Queen — Nicki Minaj
- High As Hope — Florence + The Machine
- Milky Way — Bas
- KIDS SEE GHOSTS — Kanye West & Kid Cudi
- ye — Kanye West
- The Color of You — Alina Baraz
- Redemption — Jay Rock
- Light of Mine — KYLE
- Man of the Woods — Justin Timberlake
- beerbongs & bentleys — Post Malone
- Swimming — Mac Miller
- Treehouse — Sofi Tukker
- Scorpion — Drake
- Shawn Mendes — Shawn Mendes
- DAY69 — 6ix9ine
- Testing — A$AP Rocky
- EVERYTHING IS LOVE — The Carters
- ? — XXXTENTACION
- Culture 2 — Migos
- Sorry To Bother You: The Soundtrack — The Coup
- Head in the Clouds — 88rising
- Survive the Summer — Iggy Azalea
- LIFE’S A TRIP — Trippie Redd
- K.T.S.E. — Kanye West & Teyana Taylor
- SR3MM — Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee & Slim Jxmmi
- The Now Now — Gorillaz
- Hive Mind — The Internet
- My Dear Melancholy, — The Weeknd
- Bobby Tarantino II — Logic
- Vacation in Hell — Flatbush Zombies
- GANGIN — SOB X RBE
- Sex & Cigarettes — Toni Braxton
- ONEPOINTFIVE — Aminé
- Isolation — Kali Uchs
- Blindspotting: The Collin EP — Daveed Diggs
- D6: Reloaded — Lil Wayne
- KOD — J. Cole
- For My Fans — Fetty Wap
- Little Dark Age — MGMT
- Blue Madonna — BØRNS
- TA1300 — Denzel Curry
- How We React and How We Recover — Jason Robert Brown
- ASTROWORLD — Travis Scott
- 44/876 — Sting & Shaggy
- Amen — Rich Brian
- Five Five — Pouya
- It’s Complicated — Wale
- Beach House 3 Bonus Tracks — Ty Dolla $ign
- STAY DANGEROUS — YG
- I Used to Know Her: The Prelude — H.E.R.
- Punken — Maxo Kream
- Expectations — Bebe Rexha
- 4275 — Jacquees
- Common Ground — Above & Beyond
- California — Diplo
- When We (Remix) — Tank
- 2.23 — Blac Youngsta
- Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B
- That’s A Girl’s Name — DRAM
- Life of a Dark Rose — Lil Skies
- Love Yourself Tear — BTS
- Trapholizay — Zaytoven
- Cosmic — Bazzi
- As She Pleases — Madison Beer
- Lost & Found — Jorja Smith
- Still Run — Wet
- Legends of the Summer— Meek Mill
- Youngblood — 5 Seconds of Summer
- Ready — Ella Mai
- BEWARE THE BOOK OF ELI — Ski Mask the Slump God
- Activated — Tee Grizzley
- God’s Favorite Customer — Father John Misty
- Vibras — J Balvin
- By the Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile
- The Big Pescado — Berner
- Rico — Berner
- Play — Dave Grohl
- Hoodwolf 2 — HoodRich Pablo Juan & Danny Wolf
- Rolling Papers 2 — Wiz Khalifa
- P2 — Dave East
- Camila — Camila Cabello
- I Like It Loud — Tiesto
- M A N I A — Fall Out Boy
- Victory Lap — Nipsey Hussle
- MEMORIES DON’T DIE — Tory Lanez
- Human — Steve Angello
- International Artist — A Boogie wit da Hoodie
- Fuck Everybody 2 — Blac Youngsta
- Bless Yo Trap — Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz
- Goodbye & Good Riddance — Juice WRLD
- Reckless — NAV
- The Longshot — The Longshot
- Fate — Tammy Rivera
- The World is Yours — Rich the Kid
- 23 — Jaydayoungan
- Kolorblind — DJ ESCO
- Edgewood — Trouble & Mike WiLL Made-It
- Hurtin’ Me — Stefflon Don
- F.A.M.E. — Maluma
- Rearview Town — Jason Aldean
- This One’s For You Too — Luke Combs
- Obsessed: Hedwig and the Angry Inch — Lena Hall
- November — SiR
- The Chocolate Box — Jeremih
- Sweetener — Ariana Grande
- Voicenotes — Charlie Puth
- The Vault — G-Eazy
- Dan + Shay — Dan + Shay
- Heart Break Kodak — Kodak Black
- Die Lit — Playboi Carti
- Ottopsy — Chief Keef
- Lil Boat 2 — Lil Yachty
- Glock Bond — Key Glock
- Drip Season 3 — Gunna
- Spiritual Conversations — Mozzy
- SUPERFLY — Future & Co.
- Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
- We Beefin? — at Wendys
- Until Death Call My Name Reloaded — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Harder Than Ever — Lil Baby
- The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It — 2 Chainz
- Real Hasta la Muerte — Anuel AA
- Bad Witch — Nine Inch Nails
- Mansion Musick — Chief Keef
- Humble Beast (Deluxe) — G Herbo
- 4Freedom — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Rich As In Spirit — Rich Homie Quan
- Pain and Pleasure — Tink
- Ray Ray from Summerhill — YFN Lucci
- Freda’s Son — YFN Lucci
- Dex Meets Dexter — Famous Dex
- Swervo — G Herbo & Southside
- Forever — Popcaan
- Age Of — Oneohtrix Point Never
- Queen Naija — Queen Naija
- Just Cause Y’all Waited — Lil Durk
- Apart — Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
- Karma 2 — Dave East
- Slime Language — Young Thug & Young Stoner Life Records
- The Marina — Curren$y & Harry Fraud
- BEASTMODE 2 — Future
- Aura — Ozuna
- Sick Boy…Everybody Hates Me — The Chainsmokers
- Hear No Evil — Young Thug
- First Time — Liam Payne
- Chained to the City — Kevin Gates
- Master the Day of Judgement — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Until Death Call My Name — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- 2 Heartless — Moneybagg Yo
- Don Season 2 — Don Q
- Grow God — Money Man
- Don Talk — Don Q
- N****S Get Shot — Young Dolph
- Rich Hood — HoodRich Pablo Juan
- The Leek 4 — Chief Keef
- Bet On Me — Moneybagg Yo
- 4Respect — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- 4Loyalty — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Pray For The Wicked — Panic! At the Disco
WRITE ALL NITE 