What's your AOTY 2018?
 

Even though there's still a couple months to go, the year is drawing to a close, so what do you guys think the best album of the year has been so far? Personally I think it has been a bit of weak year, but despite that there's been a handful of great stuff. Honestly I think I'd say Ripped to Shreds 埋葬 is my AOTY atm. Thanks to Mondo for introducing me to this awesome old school-sounding death metal band:


I'm sure many people here may understandably say Daughters, as that's certainly an album that's been receiving a lot of praise on the site it seems.

Let me know if this thread is too similar to the 2018 Albums You're Digging thread, I just thought this might be more specific.

Definitely not a weak year for me. So many good albums! I've got about 25 CDs from 2018 so far, and ~60-70 more that I'd buy if I was made of money.

I've gotten a lot of those 2018 albums pretty recently, so I don't know yet which are the best, but it's gonna probably be some kind of songwriter or indie pop album.

Possibly the new Alela Diane album, but I really can't say yet.

https://static.metacritic.com/images...eab261f8d3.jpg

You're good.

I think that this year started off a little bit shaky but came into stride around April or May and has turned out to be pretty awesome. I don't have a clear frontrunner apart from the new Coltrane album. I'll try doing it by genre.

Metal:
Esoctrilihum - Inhüma

Hip hop:
Armand Hammer - Paraffin

Free improvisation:
Konstrukt + Keiji Haino - A Philosophy Warping, Little by Little That Way Lies a Quagmire

Pop:
Clarence Clarity - Think: Peace

(Experimental) Rock:
Mamaleek - Out of Time

Electronic:
Drew Daniel & John Wiese -Continuous Hole

Classical:
Actress x London Contemporary Orchestra - LAGEOS

Ambient:
The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time: Stage 4

Folk:
Anna & Elizabeth The Invisible Comes to Us

Punk:
S.B.S.M. - Leave Your Body

I still think it's too early to call. Stuff like Yandhi, Heir to Despair and Salem 1692 have yet to drop. But if we're talking my current AOTY, it's definitely Crumbling.

Crumbling is awesome, not at all what I expected to hear out of South Korea. Check out his 2015 album, too!

I do enjoy the self titled but I think Crumbling is an overall better release. Summer Soul is just such a great addition- the male/female vocal blend works so perfectly. What's your favorite track, Zhanteimi?

Cool that you already knew about his other release. :)

Favorite track? Hard to say, since I've only listened to it twice, but the second track is pretty weird, and weird is good in my book.

Nice! I think it's called 'Ahh! These Chains' or something. Great track, second favorite after Protector (track 6). As for the self-titled, yeah I checked it out shortly after listening to Crumbling. It has a similar atmosphere and is a lot more folk-oriented but it's missing the oomph that the electronics and neo-psych/dream pop influences gave Crumbling.

I'm placing bets now though that Mid-Air Thief's next album will be better than the first two combined. :laughing:

I listened. This is really ****ing great death metal.

Dope ****. You should check this (whole series) out.

Eh I like the Caretaker but nothing will surpass Empty Bliss in my mind. That album changed my entire psyche dude.

Stage 4 and 5 are really something else. Otherwise Empty Bliss is my favey.

Truthfully I haven't gotten around to Stage 5. I thought Stage 4 was alright though but again inferior to Empty Bliss. On the flipside I do think it's the best of the EATEOT series I've heard insofar.

I have a four-way tie right now and can't decide.

Contender #1 (full)

Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik - Hugsjá
(Norway, dark folk / Nordic folk)

Like Wardruna, obviously, but with guitars, thus keeping us grounded in our reality even as we take to viking ship back to the nights of savage Europe.



Contender #2 (sample)

Koenji Hyakkei - Dhorimviskha
(Japan, zeuhl / jazz fusion / brutal prog)

Though still brutal in spots, it seems like Tatsuya Yoshida has replaced some of his youthful frantic songwriting with more jazz fusion elements, which suits me just fine. It's been 13 years since their last release, and I like the progression I am hearing.



Contender #3 (full)

공중도둑 [Mid-Air Thief] - 무너지기
(South Korea, folktronica / neo-Psychedelia / psychedelic pop)

Not only touches of Animal Collective but a strong Kishi Bashi feel in parts, too. And of course there's a strong Hundred Waters element present, but what I love about this album is the fact that something that's not **** K-Pop has come out of South Korea. What a relief!



Contender #4 (sample)

Mutual Benefit - Thunder Follows the Light
(USA, indie folk / chamber folk)

I've had a rough year, so this wholesome album really helps.

I am a big fan of this. Definitely will listen to more of it later.

This is very, very cool. I'm only a couple of tracks in and I'm really looking forward to giving this a full listen tomorrow. Thanks for sharing, reminds me a little bit of the kind of textures that I go to Secede for, check out some of his albums if you're not familiar (When Can, Vega Libre, and Tryshasla are all great).

I like you more and more.

I would say Sigrid. Young new artist from Norway

dropping a big Trouble Salad album to make up for the lack of releases thus far in the year. One for the ages tbh. If I were you I wouldn't laminate my AOTY list just yet.

jk like anyone would really be hyped

You're the only artist here people have any kind of hype for.

I dunno about hype per se

Interest might be a better word for it.

there might be interest in the music in general but I dunno if anyone's gonna be like on the edge of their seat in heart stopping anticipation if I announce an album

Gis a link, Mondo.

No one has mentioned Dirty Computer smh

Haven't bought the CD yet, so I've resisted listening to the whole album. There's still a possibility that it would make my top 10 or something.

Omg WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?

There's like 50-70 albums left on my wanted list for 2018 alone (got one for several previous years as well), so it's gonna have to wait until I run out of things that I'm more excited about. Gotta admit that it's not super close to the top of that list.

I do want the album, even if the singles didn't quite make me feel super hyped.

But her two previous albums had some immortal tracks, so I wanna give her the benefit of the doubt.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1xaya28by4


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25a8wN6yWmE

It's super fun, and it's got some AMAZING songs, but I don't feel like the whole album is worth AOTY.

But damn "Make Me Feel" is the ****ing jam that my bi heart needed this year.

Julia Holter's new album blew me the **** away and is my current frontrunner. I'm expecting the new JID album to make some waves on my list too. This album is in some serious need of some dicksucking from MB.

https://www.residentadvisor.net/imag...lter-cover.jpg
Julia Holter - Aviary

^ I listened to it and was underwhelmed, naturally.

Shaggy 2 Dope
https://em.wattpad.com/62f02b41315e9...3731372e676966

And Violent J
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nqWRu8WOBLw/s...pg#404_is_fine

and their masterpiece.

Great Milenko.

I mentioned a while ago in the last bought/listened to thread how I bought the previous album of hers to set me up for getting into this one, so I'm gonna get around to buying it if I like her style at all.

I'm honestly leaning towards Drogas Wave by Lupe Fiasco.

now here's the aoty we've all been waiting for:

I need a lot more time to decide which one is my favorite, but here's the 30 albums that are in the running by virtue of being new albums that I've actually bothered buying this year:

https://i.imgur.com/YTmENuYh.png

Full size: https://i.imgur.com/YTmENuY.png