Our favourite 50 albums of 2018 20-11
20. Robyn - Honey
It's been a long wait for another Robyn release. Its release is fairly late in the year means I'm not all that familiar with it yet, so who knows where it would be in this list with a bit more time. Dark dance floor grooves about love and pain. It's a grown-up Robyn on display here, beats and synths falling like the small hurts and reconciliations of the years.
19. Laura Gibson - Goners
Gibson has a fantastically expressive voice. It sits at the heart of her alt-pop, light rock, symphonic songs. Polished arrangements sit on top forceful beats.
18. Julia Holter - Aviary
Explorative and orchestral. I feel like I'll be coming back to this one for years to come. Some of it is obtuse, maybe even impenetrable, but like all of her work, a rewarding listen.
17. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts
The usual roller-coaster ride of a year for Kanye. He keeps making good music though, this time with Kid Cudi. Fun, thrilling and intriguing.
16. Gwenno - Le Kov
The best Cornish Language Psych record of the year. An exploration of Cornish identity wrapped in inviting and savvy psych-pop.
15. Low - Double Negative
Slowcore royalty return for their 12th album. It's an atmospheric doozy with songs that ghost out of a standard format, reverberating away with special energy.
14. Saba - CARE FOR ME
Grief and loneliness, Saba's free-flowing writing is tender and insistent at the same time, much like the capitalised title of the album. The compositions match perfectly, building from smooth grooves to break-out drum beats and powerful bass riffs.
13. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
Veteran emerges from twisted and warped samples. It's a cyclone of clever inventiveness and then, when you're just maybe starting to feel disoriented, JPEGMAFIA bring in some flows or melodies to guide you through. It's masterful.
12. Mitski - Be the Cowboy
Geyser is such a good song, maybe my favourite of the year. Be the Cowboy is a collection of muscular, A-symmetrical songs. Mitski makes music like the rules don't apply to her, and the world is better for it.
11. Marlon Williams - Make Way for Love
A crooner of the most heart-broken, lovelorn kind. The recordings are seeped in warmth and tenderness, making all the heartache sound beautiful.