Best Albums of 2018

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Listed below are the best albums of 2018 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 6 hours ago).

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2018 year summaryThe best artists of 2018 were Car Seat Headrest, Kids See Ghosts, Idles, Beach House, Parquet Courts, Daughters, MGMT, Arctic Monkeys, Kacey Musgraves and Mitski.

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Twin Fantasy (2018)

Car Seat Headrest

"I never thought I'd being saying this, but this might be better than the original. I mean, they're both 10/10 albums, but, in addition to the better production, this one has the extended version of Famous Prophets and the different/more optimistic monologue at the end of Twin Fantasy going for it..." [More]
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Onater | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (6 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

544 charts

Rank Score:

5,605

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

292

Average Rating:

82 (844 votes)

Comments:

Kids See Ghosts

"I just want to point out that Melon gave this album a 10/10. I love the album a lot but not that much."
- Luigii | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

540 charts

Rank Score:

4,169

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

397

Average Rating:

82 (840 votes)

Comments:

Joy As An Act Of Resistance.

Idles

"This album channels male rage otherwise commonly found in punk and directs it at dismantling patriarchy / opposing hate / and resisting apathy. Aggressive and enlightening and ready to mosh."
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ghosttomost | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

469 charts

Rank Score:

3,284

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

532

Average Rating:

80 (494 votes)

Comments:

Beach House

"This record is exactly what I've been waiting for from Beach House. Their past few records (Bloom, Depression Cherry, TYLS) have been excellent, particularly Bloom, but I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they would truly go all in on the weird bits of experimentation we've gotten on ...""This record is exactly what I've been waiting for from Beach House. Their past few records (Bloom, Depression Cherry, TYLS) have been excellent, particularly Bloom, but I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they would truly go all in on the weird bits of experimentation we've gotten on these past few releases. Tracks like Elegy to the Void, Days of Candy, New Year, and Sparks have left me yearning for them to really cut loose and make a wild record of roaring guitars and entrancing psychedelia. And here were are. 7 is the culmination of all of these ideas, and what we've gotten is quite possibly Beach House's best record and what will almost surely be my AOTY barring a huge surprise. This record is a trifecta of shoegaze, neo-psychedelia, and surrealist dream pop. The noisy/electrifying guitar melodies and entrancing synths co-exist with each other very well instead of simply washing each other out into a blur. Last Ride and Woo are sterling examples of this; the guitar exists in a different section of the mix (almost a different ear, entirely) than the synths and the two play off each other like a conversation. I will say that Beach House fans who were pulled to the band specifically by the Depression Cherry era might have a hard time enjoying this one as much as I -- whereas their previous records have slammed you in the face with clear and straightforward celestial melodies, this record is a much more challenging listen. Many of the beautiful ideas here (particularly on tracks like Drunk in LA, Dark Spring, Dive, and Last Ride) are buried in the mix waiting to be deciphered out of the dark trance-like abyss of this record. Think less Cocteau Twins and more Slowdive. It's not often that I can hear an album this diverse from song-to-song still come together as a totally coherent whole. There is a hypnotic dark texture that runs through the entire record, but there are so many ideas explored here...like the dreamy noir (almost Blade Runner-like) chimes of Black Car, the noisy yet introspective Drunk in LA, the sunny acoustic guitar-driven Lose Your Smile, the surreal and blissful L'Inconnue, or the sheer heavyhanded darkness of Dark Spring. The end product is a thrilling record that manages to be aggressive, strange, tender, and blissful all at once. Not only that, but it's a record that has grown on me after several listens. Like an MBV or Slowdive record, it has many hidden depths that add something new to each listen. This album hit many of my individual tastes of music in the right spot and is an instant classic for my listening. The album is a beautiful progression from beginning to end, ordered almost cinematically -- the "Teen Dream" has come to a bitter end and in the first half of the record we are faced with bleak, intoxicating nostalgia both lyrically and musically. Black Car is the climax of this idea, before the record suddenly opens up into sheer dreamy bliss with the final 4 tracks, where we see the soft, tender Beach House we know and love break through. The layered guitar-wailing chime ending to Last Ride is unreal and is probably the most powerful and overwhelming way they've ended a record thus far. Favorite Tracks: L'Inconnue, Black Car, Girl of the Year, Last Ride, Dark Spring" [More]
- Cosmo | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

508 charts

Rank Score:

3,158

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"This album is so catchy but at the same time interesting. I really liked the "shout" kind of singing like in violence and also liked the funky approach in the song wide awake. Total football is a great opener (although it's youtube clip was boring but this has nothing to do with the music). I wou..." [More]
- LordPotato73 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

443 charts

Rank Score:

2,961

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

572

Average Rating:

80 (536 votes)

Comments:

You Won't Get What You Want

Daughters

"Oh my god! This is trauma encapsulated in album form. This is when all the monsters come out and try to kill you. And for me, top 10 for 2018 as well as going into the decade charts. Also though I heard snippets from this album, when Melon decided to fuck over No Nut November with his 10, I neede..." [More]
- Luigii | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

352 charts

Rank Score:

2,836

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

594

Average Rating:

80 (475 votes)

Comments:

Little Dark Age

MGMT

"MGMT back on form, as they present us with a series of catchy, weird, synth-tinged tunes. This album may be kind of weird, but this is their most accessible outing since their 2008 debut. Best Songs: Little Dark Age, When You Die, One Thing Left to Try, When You're Small, Hand It Over"
- lukeberrie | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

461 charts

Rank Score:

2,575

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

674

Average Rating:

80 (781 votes)

Comments:

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Arctic Monkeys

"Would either ThiagoLucas or SaulCortes like to share with us where they managed to find this album? I was under the impression that it’s not to be released for another two weeks, but considered they’ve both given it such extreme ratings, they must’ve listened to it enough to make an informed deci..." [More]
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Christovskee | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +25 votes (25 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

385 charts

Rank Score:

2,239

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"Kacey bestows country hometown charm on her two previous albums, the quirky, down-the-road girl who tells it like she sees it. "Pagaent Material" seemed like an attempt to copy the success of her debut. But on "golden hour", our girl has grown up, taking on a more serious tone losing none of the ..." [More]
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paladisiac | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

357 charts

Rank Score:

2,180

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

114

Overall Rank:

787

Average Rating:

76 (386 votes)

Comments:

10.

Be The Cowboy

Mitski

"i'll have to admit, this album took me a few spins to actually digest. this is mitski realizing her pop-stardom and taking the best elements from Puberty 2 and creating a brand new aura. excellent record that's sure to rise in score."
- IanHKatz | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2018

Appears in:

369 charts

Rank Score:

2,061

Rank in 2018:

Rank in 2010s:

119

Overall Rank:

835

Average Rating:

76 (373 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2018 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	5	1%
David Bowie	3	0%
Unknown Mortal Orchestra	2	0%
Iglooghost	2	0%
Makaya McCraven	2	0%
Logic	2	0%
Between The Buried And Me	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	474	47%
	189	19%
	40	4%
	37	4%
	36	4%
	28	3%
	22	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	985	99%
Yes	15	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	976	98%
Yes	24	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	988	99%
Yes	12	1%

« View best albums of 2017View best albums of 2019 »

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