Top 10 Songs & Albums Of 2018 (So Far)

In all the years that SOTO has been going, I’ve never really bothered with mid-year lists.  Why?  I have no idea.  It’s just never been a thing for me.  At any rate, here’s a couple so-far lists for 2018.  Enjoy.

TOP 10 SONGS OF 2018 (in no particular order)

Screaming Females – I’ll Make You Sorry

If kids still liked guitars, this Screaming Females tune would be a huge hit.

Protomartyr -Wheel Of Fortune

I’ll never tire of yelling “I decide who lives and who dies!” in my car.

Iceage – Catch It

This song from Iceage is pure rock n’ roll.

Jeff Rosenstock – 9/10

Jeff is great at bringing the heat, but this soft one from him bowls me over.

El Ten Eleven – Phenomenal Problems

A total post-rock beauty right here from El Ten Eleven.

Kacey Musgraves – High Horse

I saw Kacey live recently, and during this song I turned to my girlfriend and said: “High Horse is a jam. It’s a jam that you jam when you feel like jamming.”  I stand by this.

The Beths – Happy Unhappy

Clever and oh so very catchy.

Hinds – New For You

By far my favorite song off of Hinds’ pretty solid I Don’t Run.

Hop Along – Prior Things

Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan sings her whole heart out here.

Mitski – Geyser

I 100% love how dramatic this song is.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2018 (in no particular order)

Jeff Rosenstock – POST-

This album has made me a Jeff Rosenstock fan for life.

Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Certainly a heavy album, but every song just moves so well.

Screaming Females – All At Once

Not quite as stellar as Rose Mountain, but still a great set of tunes from my faves Screaming Females.

Iceage – Beyondless

Definitely the best album that Iceage has ever released.

Caroline Rose – Loner

Every single song on this one from Caroline Rose is catchy and charming, and I love them all equally.

Black Panther: The Album

This is Kendrick Lamar just having fun with his friends, and I’m all about it.

MGMT – Little Dark Age

I haven’t paid much attention to MGMT over the years, so this album really surprised me.  It’s a very weird, very clever effort that I’ve listened to a lot.

Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

I still think that songs like Space Cowboy and Velvet Elvis are too silly, but overall this album is just about perfect.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Sparkle Hard

To be honest, just hearing Malmus’ voice makes me happy.  Granted, it certainly helps when the songs are as good as the ones on Sparkle Hard.

Anna Burch – Quit The Curse

I haven’t seen a ton of people talking about this one from Anna Burch, but they should be – it’s one of the finer indie rock albums I’ve come across this year.

RANDOM NOTES:

If I catch even a tiny bit of Childish Gambino’s video for This Is America, I have to watch the whole thing.  Definitely the vid of the year!  On another note, I think the song doesn’t quite work as well without the visual component.

I think Cardi B’s Invasion Of Privacy is good, but I listened to it a few times and then just felt done with it.

I still need to spend some time with Beach House’s 7 and Snail Mail’s Lush.

If I’m in the right mood,  both Lucy Dacus’ Historian and Soccer Mommy’s Clean really work for me.

Yesterday I got to hear all of El Ten Eleven’s upcoming Banker’s Hill, and it’s so good that I almost put it on the album list up above.

The following two covers have been in steady rotation for me.

Smash Mouth – Something Soon (Car Seat Headrest Cover)

Weezer – Africa (Toto Cover)