The 15 Best Albums I Listened to in 2018

15.       Big Boat, by Phish (2016)

Phish is one of the better bands out there. They've been around since the late 80s and have been highly consistent in their songwriting and performances. Their albums Junta, Rift, and Billy Breathes are in my Top 50. This album is very good and probably their best since either Farmhouse or The Story of the Ghost. Top Songs: “Home”, “Tide Turns”, and “Waking Up Dead”.

14.       Muswell Hillbillies, by The Kinks (1971)

           

            Probably the most underrated pop band of all time. The Kinks are exceptional and have produced some amazing albums and wonderful songs. This particular album is quite good. Some good tunes. Top Songs: “20^th Century Man” and “Have a Cuppa Tea”.

13.       Song Cycle, by Van Dyke Parks (1967)

            Odd. A very odd, experimental album by a musical wunderkind. The album is an odd duck but quite enjoyable the more you listen to it. You can see the influence it had on Joanna Newsom. Top Songs: “Public Domain”, “Donovan’s Colours”, and “The Attic”.

12.       Happy Sad, by Tim Buckley (1969)

            I have been a fan of Jeff Buckley for a number of years, but his father’s early albums are quite good. Happy Sad is his best. It has a definite Astral Weeks feel to it. Very enjoyable. Top Songs: “Strange Feelin’” and “Buzzin’ Fly”.

11.       Solid Gold Heart, by Danielson (2014)

            I love Danielson! He is probably the most original Christian musician since Bach. Albums like Ships and Best of Gloucester County are phenomenal albums of eccentric originality. His most recent album, a collaboration with Jad Fair, continues his exceptional work. Just love it. Top Songs: “Go Ahead”, “Ready Steady”, “Solid Gold Heart”, and “You Got Me in a Spin”.

10.       Return to Olympus, by Malfunkshun (1995)

A great album for Seattle grunge fans. A good sound understandably like Mother Love Bone and other late 80s-early 90s Seattle bands. Top Songs: “My Only Fan”, “Jezebel Woman”, “Until the Ocean”, and “I Wanna Be Your Daddy”

9.         Stone Temple Pilots, by Stone Temple Pilots (2018)

STP is still my favorite 90s rock group and I’m happy to have seen them live twice. This is another excellent album to their oeuvre. "Thought She'd Be Mine" is one of the best songs they’ve ever done.

8.         The Psychedelic Swamp, by Dr. Dog (2016)

I discovered Dr. Dog about seven years ago. They were one of the more unique sounding bands of recent years. Their sound is like a combination of Abbey Road-era Beatles, Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, Badfinger, and The Band. While perhaps other albums like Fate or We All Belong may have a couple of stronger songs on them, this album is more consistently good. It’s like their Exile on Main St. Probably their best album to date. Top Songs: “Golden Hind”, “Swampadelic Pop”, “Fire on My Back”, and “Good Grief”.

7.         The Desaturating Seven, by Primus (2017)

I’ve been a Primus fan for a long while. One of the more unique bands in rock history and with one the greatest bass players ever. Always fun, always experimental, this is definitely their best album since 1997s Brown Album. The album is really good prog-punk-rock. The sound of the album is like it could have come in between Pork Soda and Tales from the Punchbowl. Top Songs: “The Seven”, “The Trek”, and “The Scheme”.

6.         A Trick of the Tail, by Genesis (1976)

I’m a semi-fan on Genesis. I tend to like their post-Gabriel stuff (Invisible Touch and We Can’t Dance). I prefer their pop to their prog. However, this particular post-Gabriel prog rock album is excellent. Top Songs: “Dance on a Volcano”, “Entangled”, “Squonk”, and “A Trick of the Tail”.

5.         Rainier Fog, by Alice in Chains (2018)

AIC is another favorite band. They have been consistently good for decades now. They’ve always been a band that can carry the listener along in a flow with their vocals, instrumentation, and songwriting. This is even more the case with Rainier Fog. Naturally, the album sounds quite like their recent albums, but there are also many hints of their eponymous album. The songs seem a tad more complex, too. And while there is really one standout track (“Fly”) while the previous albums had several, Rainier Fog as a whole is far more consistently good and interesting than any other Alice in Chains album. In this regard, again, it’s like Exile on Main St., by the Rolling Stones. It’s just a great album to turn on from the beginning and allow to take you along for the ride. I seem to appreciate the album more with each listen. Top Songs: “The One You Know”, “Rainier Fog”, “Fly”, “Drone”, and “Maybe”.

4.         Chocolate & Cheese, by Ween (1994)

            I’m just discovering Ween. This is an absolutely fabulous album. I’ve listened to it numerous times this year. Great sound and great songs. Top Songs: “A Tear for Eddie”, “Roses are Free”, “Baby”, and “Buenas Tardes Amigo”.

3.          Anthem of the Peaceful Army, by Greta Van Fleet (2018)

A great album. The freshman outing of this new group (apart from their two EPs) is wonderful. Though often understandably compared to Led Zeppelin, this first album helps to shake them from that. Their sound is much like an early Aerosmith, blues-ish rock n’ roll with a hint of Queen and Rush prog rock. Top Songs: “Age of Man”, “When the Curtain Falls”, “Mountain of the Sun”, and “Brave New World”.

2.         Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct, by Metallica (2016)

Metallica is a classic group; one of the best ever. Even after the Lulu debacle, this latest album proves they still have it. This is one of their best if not the best. It’s definitely their best since Load in 1996. Top Songs: "Atlas, Rise!", “Now That We’re Dead”, “Halo on Fire”, “Confusion”, “Here Comes Revenge”, and “Murder One.”

1.         Coming Up, by Suede (1996)

            Picking a top album of the year wasn’t difficult. Hands down it was Coming Up, by Suede. This group is probably unknown to most people (they were unknown to me!), but they deserve more notice. Outside of Radiohead, if you look at 90s Britpop, the best albums are Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, Blur’s albums Blur and 13, and The Verve’s Urban Hymns.  Suede’s album tops them all. The sound is like a cross between Brian Eno’s Here Come the Warm Jets and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. I’ve listened to this album every week for months now and it just an album of fantastic songwriting and dazzling recorded performances. Start with the first song, “Trash”, and you are hooked. The second track, “Filmstar”, is shockingly good. By the time you get to the third song, “Lazy”, you have to admit this is one of the best Britpop albums ever. Just sublime. By the close of “Saturday Night” you know you are in the realm of Primus’ Tales from the Punchbowl and Alice in Chains’ eponymous album in terms of greatness. This one definitely goes into my Top 50.