My favorites of 2018 so far

From last time, here’s a short intro to this:

All year long, I keep a playlist of music released this year that I love. I feel like I’m pretty selective and have varied interests. I tend to like Americana, vaporwave synth, emotional hip-hop, electronica, classic rock, and a few other things. I’m a sucker for catchy repetitive hooks, horns, doubled vocals, and strong drops. I keep separate lists for songs I discover for the first time that were released in past years.

Usually at the end of the year, I end up with like 35–40 songs that I want to take away. This year I have 42 songs and it’s only June! I figured that was worth a halfway collection.

One reason is that I’ve been a little looser with when a song was released. If a song was technically released in 2017, I let myself put it in the 2018 playlist if I discovered it this year. So some of the below songs are actually from 2017 — so sorry about that. There’s also just been a lot of awesome pop this year (the list below is pretty pop-heavy), and I’m listening to a lotmore new music this year owing to (1) some new music discovery avenues, and (2) more time coding.

Here’s the list this year (Amazon Music link).

My favorites from the above:

• All The Way Live by Semicircle: This big-band throwback is horn-heavy and amazing.
• Everybody Knows by Partner: Pop-punk hilarity with a great drop.
• The Story of OJ by Jay-Z: Shouldn’t need an intro. “I’m not black, I’m OJ… OK.” The beat is insane — rapping over it must have been so hard.
• It Goes On by Slow Dancer: Doubled vocals and distorted highs with a great crescendo. This whole album works for work, driving, bath time, whatever.
• Hard to Say Goodbye by Washed Out: Similar kind of vibe to the above, but with strings and piano and a repetitive hook.
• Curious by Hayley Kiyoko: If you haven’t heard this infectious pop song, you’re missing out. Someone on NPR described her songs as “dripping with queer love” and I love the spin she puts on gender roles in the most accessible of music formats. Music video includes bonus 90s-esque dance routine!
• Moments Passed by Dermot Kennedy: I really hope this guy makes it. I think it’s a sure thing at this point but he’s going to be awesome.
• I Don’t Believe in Us by Overcoats: An opposite-love song in the spirit of Odesza, electronic and processed with a strong vocal melody.
• Rebel Heart by First Aid Kit: I couldn’t get into their sophomore effort, but this latest is fantastic. It’s a small stretch from their first album but different enough for me to love them again.
• Roll On Slow by Glen Hansard: Horns, a classic-rock-meets-Americana sound.
• High Horse by Kacey Musgraves: I love Kacey so much, and this latest album is just fantastic. This is the poppiest track off it — the title track is also fantastic. It’s part Americana and part… Disco?
• Good Boys by Josie Dunne: I can’t actually believe that this song hasn’t charted. Her voice is fantastic, love the horns, and the video is a fun reversal of normal music video gender roles.
• Double Ferrari by Double Ferrari: Off their self-titled album, this self-titled guitar riff-rock track has no vocals and, importantly, doesn’t sound like it needs them.
• Everybody Wants to be Famous by Superorganism: Is “slacker electronic pop” a thing? It is now. This whole album is pretty unique, but this track is next-level good with its deliberate beat, fantastic drop, and well-incorporated effects.
• Once in my Life by the Decemberists: Usually songs with fewer than 10 total words are electronic, but this isn’t. The Decemberists went in a totally new direction with their latest album and it’s amazing. We saw an absolutely terrible show by them at Marymoor a while ago and since then I’ve been hesitant to dig into their stuff, but it’s hard to ignore this latest.
• Bodak Yellow by Cardi B: Smash gangsta rap hit. Gangsta rap has always been about power, but has been primarily dominated by men. Cardi goes all-in taking it over with her “Gangsta Bitch” genre.
• Paranoiac Intervals/Body Dysmorphia by of Montreal: I have only the vaguest notion what this 7+ minute song is about, and it doesn’t fit neatly into any particular genre. It’s crazy, imperfect, and entrancing.
• Margaret Sands by Laura Veirs: I’m new to Laura Veirs, but so far her music, a scotch, and a warm evening is one of my favorite experiences.
• Chasing Stars by Alice Ivy: This dreamy, wall-of-sound track gives me great hope for her self-described “soul electronic” in the future. You have also got to love her website.
• Salton Sea by Josh Rouse: Lots of the above songs are around 50–60k views on YouTube, but I always like it when I find one under 10k. I love these driven-beat with slow vocals, and this is vaguely synthwave too.
• Providence Canyon by Brent Cobb: Classic Americana sound but released just months ago. I heard country music as “music for adults” this year — it’s about the things that come with adulthood: marriage, kids, money, the worries of life. This song is a refreshing step back into fires outdoors and time away from civilization, things I loved from my childhood that still seem within reach.
• All My Life by WILD: Great indie big-chorus sound. These guys would be awesome to see live. This is also an example of when the music video totally changed my interpretation of the song in a way that brought me to tears.
• Pyscho Star by King Tuff: The rest of this album sounds decidedly under-produced, as thought he’s still learning what sound he wants to make, but this track is amazingly complete. I love it when the chorus has multiple parts, one low and one high, so we get a break every time. Also, this video. I mean, WTF?
• Don’t Worry by Frank Turner: This whole album is called “Be More Kind” and that tells you everything you need to know. His older stuff is fun, but it’s totally different — kind of a “big band Irish indie rock” thing.
• Adam and Eve by Nas: Nas is so good.
• Miles Away by Phil Cook: I can probably count on one hand the number of duets that I think are good, but this is a fantastic track. It’s like Americana-jazz and wonderful.

There were many more that I didn’t bother with. They’re on the list linked above.