The Best Music of 2018

I feel like in 2018, I stepped back into my online-writing roots of musical criticism. It's been nice. Since I stopped writing music reviews for other people and websites, I've got to explore music I personally enjoy a lot more, and found some new and really exciting artists. I've also dabbled in some genres I never thought I could listen to without my ears bleeding. Naturally, I've taken to the blog throughout the year to spill the beans on the great music I've been head over heels for, so it only felt right to do a big round up of my favourite music of the year - which, despite what my Spotify Wrapped told me, won't include any of the Harry Potter soundtracks, promise. 

BEST ALBUM - Trench by twenty one pilots

Like The Brits, I'd usually leave the big 'best album' award revelation at the end, but I feel like this was a bit of an obvious one. There hasn't been anything this year - or since Blurryface tbh - that compares to twenty one pilots' Trench. For a more in-depth review, check out my song-by-song rating I did when back when the album dropped. But in summary, from the amazing world and backstory the band have meticulously put together for this incredible album, to the beautiful, genre-blurring songs themselves, Trench is an absolute masterpiece. No song seems out of place, whether it finds grounding in warm reggae or thunderous, bass-y rock. Once again, they provide poignant messages to either infectious and gutsy or simplistic and sombre backing tracks. Twenty one pilots can never disappoint; if you listen to anything from this list, make sure it's this album.

Honourable Mentions:

• High as Hope by Florence and the Machine  
• Technology by Don Broco 
• A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships by The 1975 
• Staying at Tamara's by George Ezra

BEST SINGLE: when the party's over by Billie Eilish

I heard Billie's Ocean Eyes way back in 2016, really enjoyed it, but never delved deeper into the rest of her material. Fast forward to 2018, and I'm pretty sure we can certify this year as the year of Billie Eilish. It's difficult to pick one of her singles as my favourite of the year - lovely is gorgeous, you should see me in a crown is explosive - but I settled on when the party's over. This is mostly due to the fact that I couldn't stop crying when I first heard it. Billie packs so much emotion into this song. While it sounds instrumentally amateurish, it let's her delicate but powerful vocals take centre stage. I also think the kind of child-like, stripped back instrumentals and structure add to the vulnerability of the song.  I just think it's a work of art, and at just 17 years old?!!! She completely blows me away. While there have been so many amazing songs released this year, the dreamy/helpless when the party's over is a stroke of  empathetic song-writing genius and a no-brainer for 2018's best single.

Honourable Mentions:

• Love It If We Made It by The 1975
• Big God by Florence and the Machine 
• Unrequited by Madi Sipes & The Painted Blue 

BEST ARTIST: Lana del Rey

This is something Spotify Wrapped definitely got spot on - four of my five top songs were by the one and only Lana del Rey, and she was my most listened to artist of the year (I spent 410 hours of 2018 listening to her dulcet tones, pat on the back Ellie). Of course, I've been aware of Lana since Video Games, but haven't properly sought her out until early this year. I just can't get enough. Each song is so beautifully textured, and I think both her themes and voice bring something completely unique to the table. I can't tell you my favourite album - I think it's between Honeymoon because of the cinematic tones, and Ultraviolence, the most painstakingly beautiful compilation of songs - but I think my top song is Young and Beautiful from The Great Gatsby soundtrack; it's been one of my favourite songs of all time since I heard it when the film was released. When I first came to deciding on this list, 'best artist' was a difficult toss up between Lana, twenty one pilots and Florence and the Machine, but I think the Spotify stats speak for themselves. 

Honourable Mentions: 

• twenty one pilots
• Florence and the Machine 
• The 1975

BEST ARTIST I DISCOVERED IN 2018 - Don Broco

Had it not been for Trench, Don Broco's Technology could have very well made it as my favourite album of the year. It's definitely not as meaningful or thought-provoking, but it's hella fun and has something for everyone on there. I first heard Don Broco around February and, from there, discovered the brilliant album, and their not-so-great-but-still-pretty-fab back catalogue - You Wanna Know from their second album is incred. Their amalgamation of punchy rock with slick pop sensibilities just makes them such a satisfying listen. Unfortunately, my efforts to see them live haven't worked out as planned this year (you can read more about that here), but that hasn't stopped me having my own little Don Broco gig in my room, screaming the lyrics to myself, much to my flatmates delight I'm sure. 

Honourable Mentions

•  grandson
• Only the Poets 
• TesseracT

MY TOP 3 FAVOURITE SONGS FROM 2018 

So while I originally planned on narrowing it down to just the one song for this category - released as a single, a song only on an album, or a song from a movie score - I just couldn't. So instead, in no particular order, we have my top three starting with...

 Jaws by Sleep Token

My rockiest entry for this year comes courtesy of Sleep Token with their stunning single Jaws. The evocative lyrics are sang with such grit, not to mention the roaring guitars and sizzling bass line. There's so much about this song to adore, whether you're a rock fan or not. The touching lyrics contrasting the sometimes viscous instrumentals makes for a roller-coaster of a listen; it's a song that stays with you for a long time. 

This is America by Childish Gambino

Not only is this song so contagiously catchy, has any other song had such cultural relevance in 2018? Childish Gambino is my number 1 hip hop artist, and has mastered a very brazen song. The bold statement highlighted in the lyrics is paired with standout instrumentals, blending choral tinges with valiant bass. The video for this, too, is easily the best of the year, with shocking imagery to match the single's sentiment. No other song has had the impact This is America has had this year, and I am going to be gutted when Gambino does eventually retire, as he said he would in the near future. His messages, however, will live on in this incredible song. 

I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) by The 1975 

FINALLY, after being an honourable mention throughout this post, The 1975 are getting the recognition they deserve. After hearing A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships for the first time, I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) quickly became my pick of the lot. While it is quite instrumentally simplistic, it draws correspondence with their debut album (which is still their best imo, but their latest attempt makes a great bid for the title). Matty's falsetto vocals are the focus here, backed by the eruption of guitars; the lyrical themes of the whole album come to fruition in this song, which concludes the album, but using fairly traditional instrumentals takes a step back from the technological themes drawn elsewhere on the track list, and also hinted at in the album's title surrounding the internet - it's a climatic finale, but also quite refreshing. I'll probably always think indie rock is what The 1975 do best, and this song is the perfect example of that. 

Honourable Mentions: 

• Shotgun by George Ezra 
• Morph by twenty one pilots 
• Luminary by TesseracT

2018 has been a pretty darn amazing year for music, with so many of my faves bringing out great material. If you want to see the round up of all the gigs I've been to, be sure to check out this post!

From, 

Eleanor