Best of 2018: Albums

This is my list of favorite albums for 2018. I suppose the year was similar to previous years where I found some new bands to like and old bands I liked made new music. There were also a fair amount of strong reissue compilations, even though only one made my final list. In terms of what all this sounds like, I generally prefer instrumental music in the same styles as tape list, so lots of synths, drones, noise, tape loops, new age, a little indie rock, and modern takes on Krautrock. Birds chirping are much appreciated.

As always any album had to be released in the calendar year and I had to listen to it a lot. And if you are one of those types who needs a definitive album of the year, then that honor goes to both SEF III with Selling Sef III and Zaïmph with Rhizomatic Gaze. It's my list and it can end in a tie if I want it to. SEF III perfectly sums up all the ideas Alex Moskos has been working with over the years. The abstract noise, story telling/books on tape, science fiction, and deconstructed post-blues are all compiled into one cohesive record with assistance from Duncan Moore and Max Eilbacher. Marcia Bassett's long standing Zaïmph project takes full advantage of the double album format for Rhizomatic Gaze and fills the four sides with the ethereal drones, haunting bits of vocals, and cutup noise that one has come to expect in her work. It's a masterpiece.

The list goes band/album/label for those with questions of that nature.

01. Caterina Barbieri - Born Again In The Voltage - Important Records
02. Andrew Bernstein - An Exploded View of Time - Hausu Mountain
03. Lea Bertucci - Metal Aether - NNA Tapes
04. The Body - I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer - Thrill Jockey
05. Cave - Allways - Drag City
06. Container - LP - Spectrum Spools
07. Fear Of Yellow - Fear Of Yellow - Nonexistant Records
08. Forest Management - 21st Century Man - Terrible Cloud
09. Grouper - Ruins - Kranky
10. Les Halles - Zephyr - Not Not Fun
11. Himukalt - Knife Through The Spine - Malignant Records
12. i_like_dog_face - Sleepless Illusions - Hot Releases
13. Kinski - Accustomed to Your Face - Kill Rock Stars
14. Sophia Loizou - Irregular Territories - Cosmo Rhythmatic
15. Matchess - Sacracorpa - Trouble In Mind Records
16. Pod Blotz - Light Mass Body - Difficult Interactions
17. Saloli - The Deep End - Kranky
18. SEF III - Selling SEF III - Ehse Records
19. Upper Wilds - Mars - Thrill Jockey
20. Zaïmph - Rhizomatic Gaze - Drawing Room Records

Best of 2018: Cassettes

My tape collecting of 2018 continued along the same path as 2017. This meant all sorts of sounds made with synthesizers, although the guitar popped up often in a few different sonic shapes and forms. There's also tape loops, drones, noise, techno, and even rock bands such as Complainer and Empath. A bunch of this probably falls under the modern version of new age and I'm fine with that.

I capped any label at two tapes, which made it tough when selecting from Constellation Tatsu, Hausu Mountain, Not Not Fun, No Rent, and Unifactor. I was happy to see that Obsolete Units was back with new cassettes after a couple of years off.

As always any tape had to be released in the calendar year and I had to listen to it a lot. And if you are one of those types who needs a definitive cassette of the year, then that honor goes to Big Bingo by Terlu on Not Not Fun.

The list goes band/album/label for those with questions of that nature.

01. Cinchel - A Sad Study In Temporal Dissonance - Patient Sounds
02. Clear Winds - Music Of The Spheres - Lighten Up Sounds
03. Complainer - Pure Vanilla - Already Dead Tapes
04. Control Point - Another Fool's Paradise - Sprawl
05. Tashi Dorji - Live At The New Vintage - Ultra Violet Light
06. Dravier - Spirit Channels - Not Not Fun
07. Empath - Liberating Guilt & Fear - Get Better Records
08. Housefire - Electrode To Joy - Hot Releases
09. Amanda R. Howland - Spider, Milk, Batshit, Silence - No Rent
10. Lady Shame - Problem Child II - No Rent Records
11. LogarDecay - FRGL - Umor Rex
12. Long Distance Poison - Knock Magh - Hausu Mountain
13. MSHR - Phased Trance Constructions - Unifactor
14. Num - Memory Machine - Dinzu Artefacts
15. OCA - Preset Music - Constellation Tatsu
16. Pleasure Model - The Executive - 100% Silk
17. Poemme - Moments In Golden Light - Constellation Tatsu
18. Potions - Ostinato - Hausu Mountain
19. Quiet Evenings - Espions - Adversary
20. Rogue Squares - s/t - Obsolete Units
21. Matthew Ryals - Machine Memory - Oxtail Recordings
22. Shells - Another Time - Unifactor
23. Slack - Crystal Spirit - Sprawl
24. Terlu - Big Bingo - Not Not Fun
25. Wilted Woman - Trapezoid Tappers - Plastic Bags