2018 in the world of Music: Purple Prose, Spleen, Ideal, Love, Cancer, Hope, Despair and two-cents

THE AESTHETICS AT THE ROCK CRITIC’S FUNERAL

My self-identified role as a curator of popular music is one that I’ve gradually been shedding, part from changed perspective, part from failure to sustain a meaningful audience. That’s a fancy way of saying that when so many people don’t give a shit, they start to seem convincing after a spell.

I ran out of gas. I felt tapped for maintaining blogs and that kind of shit. For years I had some tangible connection to the ‘industry’ that made me feel, I dunno – active? relevant? I ran a really good record store. I wrote for a major metropolitan newspaper. I wrote for various reasonably high circulation periodicals. I appeared frequently on public radio stations. But when my record store died after 52 years (I was there for 39 of them) and the newspaper gave the axe to freelancers, I lost my base, if you will.

Sure, people tell me they miss the store. Or my reviews. And it’s nice. But these ripples of awareness are drowned in waves of apathy. I don’t think anyone’s picking on me. I had a good run. No rock writer really amounts to a shit now, anyway. There are no Christgaus or Marcuses. Pitchfork is good to have around, but it’s all end games and hipster poses. Everyone’s a playlist master. Spotify knights your tastes. Apple music too. Gatekeepers are passé.

 I’m not going to write fifty fucking reviews and rattle off my awesome picks for 2018. Honestly, for whatever reasons, I find my relationship to the music changing. I still like to keep up, but no longer standing flatfooted in a record store listening to music all damn day, and now finding myself distracted or depressed half the time - I don’t listen to as much shit as I once did. I still like to keep up, so here’s what happens: I listen to music for signs and signifiers, to see what’s what, what’s ‘good,’ but good doesn’t mean anymore that I need to hear it ever again, necessarily. I make mental notes of what I find worthwhile and not-so. The other thing is … I still have sixty years-worth of music sensibility that hasn’t gone anywhere. In other words, I still have to listen to Exile on Main Street and In a Silent Way as often, sometimes more than I ever did – less time for today’s ephemera (and most of it is).

My right as editor and sole give-a-crap proprietor to amend this list from time to time will maintain. For now, I’m going to present a big list of records that I found entertainment, joy, comfort or challenge in during 2018. Most of these titles are current, maybe 10% are things I got caught up on or got fixated with, released before 2018 – but they’re 2018 to me, so I’m lumping them together. I also have a breakout list from that master list that’s got a handful of records that I found some special appreciation for, that I actually spun front to back 2, 3, 4, or more times.

Here’s that list first:

Fatoumata Diawara – Fenfo

Adrianne Lenker – abysskiss

Boygenius – ep

Janelle Monae - Human Computer

Alejandro Escovedo – The Crossing

Spiritualized – And Nothing Hurt

Mitski – Be the Cowboy

House of Love – Live at the Lexington

Denzel Curry – TA1300

Molochs – Flowers in the Spring

Let’s eat Grandma – I’m all Ears

Culture Abuse – Bay Dream

Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth

Parquet Courts - Wide Awaaaake

Flasher – Constant Image

Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Goat Girl – s/t

Marianne Faithfull – Negative Capability

Playboi Carti – Die Lit

Breeders – All Nerve

Beatles – s/t (White)

Goon Sax - We're Not Talking

Fantastic Negrito - Please, Don't be Dead

And these got my attention more than once:

Steve Kilbey – Sydney Rococo

Carbonas – Your Moral Superiors

Lubomyr Melnyk – Fallen Trees

Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance

Imarhan – Temet

Lorkin O’Reilly – Heaven Depends

Justin Trouble- old videos on YouTube

Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs

Mary Halvorson – Code Girl

Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings

Makaya McCraven - Music

Sons of Kemet – Your Queen is a Reptile

Kurt Vile – Bottle it In

Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy

Cat Power – Wanderer

Paul McCartney – Egypt Station

Ultra-Orange & Emmanuelle – s/t

Dream Wife – s/t

Bodega – Endless Scroll

Laura Marling/LUMP

Snail  Mail – Lush

Vince Staples – FM!

Razorlight – Olympus Sleeping

Sloan – 12

Manic Street Preachers – Resistance is Futile

Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

Superchunk – 2018

Soccer Mommy – Clean

Lucy Dacus – Historian
Simone Felice - The Projector
Ry Cooder - Prodigal Son

And there were this lot, pretty good stuff:

Amy Rigby – the Old Guys

Jon Spencer – Sings the Hits

Richard Lloyd – the Countdown

Surgeon – Luminosity Device

Wave Pictures – Look Inside Your Heart

Tallawit Timbuoctou – Hali Diallo

Laura Jane Grace – Bought to Rot

Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore – Ghost

Vines – In Miracle Land

Pistol Annies – Interstate Gospel

Bill Ryder-Jones – Yawn

Sun Kil Moon – This is my Dinner

JD McPherson – Socks

Hiss Golden Messenger – Virgo Pool

Andrew Cyrille – Lebrora

Skiffle Players – Skiff

Ar-Kaics – In This Time

Kinks – We are the Village Green Preservation Society

Ty Segall – Fudge Sandwich
Ty Segall - Freedom Goblin

Beths – Future Me Hates Me

Viagra Boys – Street Worms

Satan’s Satyrs – the Lucky Ones

Laura Jean Anderson – Lonesome No More

Bas Jan – Yes I Jan

Elvis Costello – Look Now

Marissa Nadler – For my Crimes

Sam Phillips – World on Sticks

Molly Burch – First Flower

Kristin Hersh – Possible Dust Clouds

Waldos – Wacka Lacka Loom Bop a Loom Bam Boo

Goggs – Pre Strike Sweep

Dave Hause – Bury Me in Philly

Beak – L.A. Playback

Cedric Burnside – Benton County Relic

Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers

First Aid Kit – Tender Offerings

First Aid Kit - Ruins

Adam’s House Cat – Town Burned Down

Toby Hay – The Longest Day

Toby Hay – the Gathering

Low – Double Negative

Tequila Sunrise – Super American

6lack – East Atlanta Love Letter

Marc Ribot – Songs of Resistance

Honey Hahs – Dear Someone, Happy Something

Devil Makes Three – Chains are Broken

Blood Orange – Negro Swan

Glenn Jones – The Giant Who Ate Himself

Lemon Twigs – Go to School

Necks – The Body

Fleshtones – Budget Buster

Drakes Hotel – Let Our Hoax Eclipse

Chief Keef – Mansion Musick

Ron Gallo – Really Nice Guys

Laura Cannell – Quick Sparrows Over the Earth

Tony Molina – Kill the Lights

Erland Cooper – Solan Goose

Santigold – I Don’t Want

Jarekus Singleton – the Bridge

Pearl Charles – Sleepless Dreamer

Clientele – Music for the Age of Miracles

Baxter Ragland – Wide Awake

Jeff Parker – the New Breed

Mr. Airplane Man – Jacaranda Blue

Immersion – Sleepless

Protomartyr – Consolation

Arthur Buck – s/t

Ty Segall & White Fence – Joy

Jack Cades – Music for Children

Carters – Everything is Love

Lykke Li – So Sad

Stella Donnelly – Thrush Metal

Ryley Walker – Deafman Glance

Kississippi – Sunset Blush

Cowboys – 4

Bettye Lavette – things Have Changed

Joan Shelley – Rivers & Vessels

Pere Ubu – 20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo

Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain

Guided by Voices – Space Gun

Camp Cope – How to Socialize

Mary Gauthier – Rifles and Rosary Beads

Haley Heynderickx – s/t

Cedric Burnside – Descendants of Hill Country

Public Access T.V. – Street Safari

Graham Coxon – The End of the Fucking World

If any of this amused you or illuminated anything in the slightest, I’m happy. Merry Christmas, travelers!