THE GOOD:
RETURN OF THE QUEERCORPS, HARDCORE GETS SLOWER AND WEIRDER, AUSTRALIAN BANDS, PACIFIC NW POST PUNK & NO WAVE, 90’S FAVES IN 2018
Hardcore has gotten slower and more garage punk influenced and weirder. I like it. Queercore is back in a way that feels dangerous and vital. We had overtly queer and punk releases from SPECIAL INTEREST, DICKSÜCKER, & KINKY. There are still loads of good bands from Australia. Some that made my list this year are COLD MEAT & COURTNEY BARNETT. Some of my favorite bands from the 90’s are making some of their best records. 2018 saw records by MR. AIRPLANE MAN, THE BREEDERS, and THE EMBROOKS, all at the top of their game. The Pacific Northwest is bursting with great post punk and no wave. COLLATE, LITHICS, UK GOLD, RUBY KARINTO, CONDITIONER DISCO GROUP. These bands all have my attention going into 2019!
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3514606256 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
THE BAD:
THE CHART SCENE, CORPORATE ROCK AND RAP STILL SUCK
The pop charts are a huge snooze in general like what even is the aesthetic right now? It feels really 80’s, but not in the good way. Why does every song have a bridge that tries to mimic COLDPLAY? Every fucking song sounds like some warmed over Coldplay bullshit or has a kind of rap-rock delivery with some terrible affect on the vocal. It’s bad.
RIHANNA, unfortunately, did not release an album this year, leaving me disinterested in a lot of the major label chart fare. This isn’t to say there isn’t good to be found: MITSKI, and KACEY MUSGRAVES for example. Not to mention KIM WILDE delivering an exuberant slice of pop with “Kandy Krush”, on her strongest comeback album of recent vintage, “HERE COME THE ALIENS“.
I tried to find a hip hop record to get excited about, I’m sure there is one, but I didn’t find it. I liked RICO NASTY’S “Rage” alright, and CARDI B is cool when she does a late 90’s early 2000’s vibe. I look forward to hearing more. YOUNG M.A is consistent, but I only really LOVE her when she does a vintage golden age aesthetic to the beat of “Top Billin” etc.
I’m kinda hoping the Desert festival pysch rock thing is on it’s way out, but that might be wishful thinking. If you are going to do it, and this really goes for almost everyone right now, but especially this genre, I would love to see way more overtly political and revolutionary messaging going on, and if your subtext isn’t at least revolutionary, I really don’t have much time for it. It’s a time to be about something. Especially if you are a bunch of white dudes playing festival only gigs to rich kids on acid or whatever. I can get into like hard psych with a revolutionary aesthetic, but that’s not what I’m getting from most of it.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2018
SPECIAL INTEREST “SPIRALING” (RAW SUGAR RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=913726158 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=1768704216]
DIE GROUP “DISEASE CONTROL” (SEX TAPE RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=888787006 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
MATERIAL SUPPORT “TERROR PRONE NATION” (AKLASAN RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2462695857 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=651874847]
COLLATE “LIMINAL CONCERNS”
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3424810713 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
RUBY KARINTO “RUBY KARINTO” (HOZAC RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3881637454 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
KACEY MUSGRAVES “GOLDEN HOUR” (MCA NASHVILLE)
GERM HOUSE/FAR CORNERS CS (FUZZY WARBLES)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=326469747 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3313992673]
HOOD RATS “TRASH PARTY” (GIRLSVILLE)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1908791285 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
THE EMBROOKS “WE WHO ARE” (STATE RECORDS)
MITSKI “BE THE COWBOY” (DEAD OCEANS)
MR. AIRPLANE MAN “JACARANDA BLUE” (SYMPATHY)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=739162498 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3802025264]
COURTNEY BARNETT “TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL” (MILK! RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=550432153 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=781207579]
FREAK GENES “QWAK QWAK” (DRUNKEN SAILOR)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1222460654 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
LITHICS “MATING SURFACES” (KILL ROCK STARS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3820636070 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
OH SEES “SMOTE REVERSER” (CASTLE FACE)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3765872696 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
THE BETHS “FUTURE ME HATES ME” (CARPARK RECORDS)
BEST REISSUE: YE NUNS “NUN MORE BLACK” (CROCODILE RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1259875788 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
BEST COMPILATION: VARIOUS ARTISTS: “OUR VOLTAGE” (GIRLSVILLE)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=243691170 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
BEST BOX SET: BOBBIE GENTRY “THE GIRL FROM CHICKASAW COUNTY: THE COMPLETE CAPITOL MASTERS” (CAPITOL)
BEST SINGLES OF 2018:
UBIK/COLD MEAT SPLIT 7″ (HELTA SKELTA RECORDS/LOST IN FOG RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3902359613 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
STIFF LOVE “TROUBLE” 7″ (NECK CHOP RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=288799736 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=2238104116]
ISS “ISS” 7″EP (SORRY STATE RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2872991568 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3172019691]
LYSOL “TEENAGE TRANCE” b/w “CHEMICAL REACTION” 45 (NECK CHOP RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=389533080 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
TOWANDA “FREAK OF NURTURE” CS (GIRLSVILLE)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=353762432 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
DICKSÜCKER “GAY GUERLILLA TERRORISM UNIT” CS
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=4228689243 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
BABY’S BLOOD “BABY’S BLOOD” EP (NECK CHOP RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=809405659 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=2886628762]
YE NUNS “I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN” b/w “DON”T WORRY” 7″ (STATE RECORDS)
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2617966632 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3510675365]
KINKY “EXUDE YOUR FAGGOTRY” CS
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3018102362 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=384735627]
