From the grand returns of Janelle Monáe and Neko Case to the compelling storytelling of Mitski and Alejandro Escovedo to the exuberance of Kids See Ghosts and Low Cut Connie, 2018 gave us a tremendous amount of attention-worthy music to explore. We begin with our overall best-of list, and will explore a different genre each weekday until the new year.
Alejandro Escovedo
The Crossing
The singer/songwriter teams with Italian rockers Don Antonio for a song cycle of two young men chasing a dream of America.
Alice Bag
Blueprint
The L.A. punk pioneer's second solo album is intelligent, eclectic, and impassioned music by a gifted songwriter and vocalist.
Autechre
NTS Sessions
Sprawling, eight-hour set of material Autechre recorded for NTS Radio, ranging from intense hyper-glitch to tranquil yet abrasive drone.
Billy Gibbons
The Big Bad Blues
A down and dirty blues album that's looser than the average ZZ Top platter.
Blood Orange
Negro Swan
Dev Hynes' most touching LP mixes and bounds between bedsit post-punk, desolate dream pop, chillwave-coated quiet storm, and low-profile hip-hop soul.
Carolyn Sampson / Joseph Middleton
A Soprano's Schubertiade
Superb interpretations of Schubert, technically flawless, intimate, and deeply felt.
Christine and the Queens
Chris
The singer/songwriter's triumphant second album borrows from '80s R&B and questions gender roles, engaging minds, hearts, and bodies along the way.
Damien Jurado
The Horizon Just Laughed
The singer/songwriter's first entirely self-produced album blends Rockwellian portraiture and personal remembrances for a deeply affecting set.
Draco Rosa
Monte Sagrado
After two prolonged battles with cancer, the artist returns with his first studio album in nine years and it's a rocker.
Field Music
Open Here
The Brewis brothers show no signs of running out of ideas, crafting (yet) another brilliant album of smart and shiny pop.
Fred Thomas
Aftering
Fred Thomas vividly describes his life experiences through energetic rock songs as well as sprawling experimental pieces.
Ghost
Prequelle
After a tumultuous 2017, the Swedish ghouls emerge with new personnel, a new fictional frontman, and the best music of their career thus far.
Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan
Working with producer Ethan Johns, Gilbert O'Sullivan delivers one of his very best records.
Gustavo Gimeno
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Funeral Song; Game of Cards; Concerto in D "Basel"; Agon
Gustavo Gimeno and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg present key works from Stravinsky's Russian, neoclassical, and serial periods.
Janelle Monáe
Dirty Computer
Artful resistance and pop music aren't mutually exclusive on the multihyphenate's first album in five years.
John Prine
The Tree of Forgiveness
The venerable songwriter sounds like a smart and rascally old man on this album, and it suits him perfectly.
Jon Hopkins
Singularity
The proper follow-up to Jon Hopkins' 2013 breakthrough Immunity is more intense, reflecting a deeper spiritual quest.
Julia Holter
Aviary
The multifaceted artist's sixth album responds to the chaos of 21st century life with some of her most challenging and beguiling music.
Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour
An emotionally candid, blissfully soft blend of classic country composition and modern pop.
Kadhja Bonet
Childqueen
Enchanting and exceptional folk-soul from the multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer, only her second release.
Kali Uchis
Isolation
The singer and songwriter's wonderful debut fulfills the promise of (and continues) her shrewd collaborative work with Tyler, The Creator, Gorillaz, and Bootsy Collins.
Kamasi Washington
Heaven & Earth
On his sophomore full-length, the Los Angeles-based saxophonist, arranger, and bandleader retains his maximalist aesthetic to excellent effect.
Kid Cudi / Kids See Ghosts / Kanye West
Kids See Ghosts
This eponymous debut from Kanye West and Kid Cudi is a compact, lushly produced, and thrilling collaboration.
Lotic
Power
The Berlin-based artist's long-awaited debut album confronts racism and gender conformity while standing strong and fearless.
Low Cut Connie
Dirty Pictures, Pt. 2
Deepening their attack without abandoning their signature, Low Cut Connie deliver their most complete album to date.
Luluc
Sculptor
The Australian folk duo turn a bold corner on their more cinematic and neatly crafted third album.
Magdalena Kožená / Robin Ticciati
Ravel, Duparc: Aimer et mourir - Danses et mélodies
This exquisite album of music by Ravel and Duparc features Magdalena Kozena with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, conducted by Robin Ticciati.
Makaya McCraven
Universal Beings
The drummer's "organic beat music" is articulated brilliantly by editing the music of four different ensembles improvising live in four cities.
Marc Ribot
Songs of Resistance 1942-2018
With an all-star cast of vocalists, the guitarist delivers an album of angry, inspired topical songs to inspire political unity in a dark, difficult era.
Melody's Echo Chamber
Bon Voyage
Free-flowing prog-psych made under the imaginative direction of Melody Prochet with help from members of Dungen and the Amazing.
Mitski
Be the Cowboy
The follow-up to Puberty 2 switches to a fictional perspective with equally compelling results.
Mount Eerie
Now Only
Written shortly after the heartbreaking A Crow Looked at Me, Phil Elverum explores the inevitably changing nature of loss.
Nathan Salsburg
Third
The Louisville guitarist's gorgeous and earthy third outing features nothing but a solo acoustic guitar.
Neko Case
Hell-On
Lush but intimate, the Canadian vocalist and songwriter delivers a grand-scale triumph with her first solo effort in five years.
Noname
Room 25
Remarkable debut album from Chicagoan rapper/poet Noname, effortlessly blending introspection with humor over lush, jazzy arrangements.
Old Crow Medicine Show
Volunteer
Working with producer Dave Cobb, Old Crow Medicine Show expand their sonic horizons and sharpen their focus.
Oneohtrix Point Never
Age Of
The producer scorns existing musical genres and invents android folk, mutant R&B, and futuristic opera along the way.
Ovlov
TRU
The re-formed band overload the speakers with guitar noise and pluck heartstrings with melancholy songs on this instant classic indie rock album
Pistol Annies
Interstate Gospel
Pistol Annies return from a hiatus with a fully realized, resonant record that's their best to date.
Robyn
Honey
Returning from years of grief and healing, the pop mastermind delivers some of her most satisfying and innovative music.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Hope Downs
The band's debut album surpasses the jangle pop potential of their previous EPs to become an instant, hit-packed classic of the genre.
Rosalía
El Mal Querer
The Barcelona-based singer, songwriter, and actress delivers her sophomore outing that weds flamenco and copla to R&B and urban pop.
Shopping
The Official Body
The trio's frequently dazzling third album is a joyous celebration of post-punk's outsider status.
Shy Layers
Midnight Marker
The Atlanta-based musician's follow-up is a mesmerizing oddity of organic/electronic grooves and quirky composition.
Sons of Kemet
Your Queen Is a Reptile
The ensemble led by Shabaka Hutchings debuts on Impulse! with a political album that sounds like a street party in the making.
SOPHIE
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
The producer's debut album is a bold and affecting exploration of imagination and reinvention.
Superchunk
What a Time to Be Alive
Written and recorded in a burst of passion after the 2016 elections, the album is full of fire and powerful, political punk-pop anthems.
Superorganism
Superorganism
Fresh and fun sample-heavy pop jams from a London collective that sounds like the house band on a Pee-wee's Playhouse reboot.
The Midnight Hour / Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge
The Midnight Hour
Double shot of vivid orchestral soul and jazz from Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and a cast including Raphael Saadiq and Marsha Ambrosius.
The Orielles
Silver Dollar Moment
Stunning debut by a young U.K. trio that gives the baggy indie dance sound of the early '90s a serious upgrade.
Travis Scott
Astroworld
The Houstonian's third solo album, titled after his hometown's demolished theme park, contains some of his most vivid and vulnerable material.
Viktoria Mullova / Paavo Järvi
Arvo Pärt
A superb fresh take on Pärt from Russian violinist Mullova, approved by the composer.
Vince Staples
FM!
Brisk third LP from the Long Beach emcee that overflows with addictive beats and thrilling bars.
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
Dirt
The third effort from the Canadian-Asian collective whips myth and sci-fi with psych and prog metal in a thrilling sonic squall.
YOB
Our Raw Heart
After guitarist Mike Scheidt suffered a life-threatening illness and surgery, YOB emerged with the most innovative, poetic album in their career.
