God’s plan goes haywire: the best of 2018
Hope you had fun!
From the last weekend of November through December’s very end, people sardine-pack the previous 11 months into year-end lists to capture the time’s finest. Every year, I find myself overwhelmed by the passage of time, which cares not at all to document itself on its own journey.
I definitely want you to know the “best” of the year, because excellence should be celebrated. But you, dear reader, also deserve content which attempts to differentiate from its own “genre.” The genre here is “best of 2018,” a genre that remains unique to each person yet we all try to generalize best for popular consumption.
Best tracks:
Ohhyuk & CIFIKA, “Momom”:
The four famous notes that introduce Beethoven’s 5th symphony symbolize death knocking at one’s door, turning mortality into one of music’s most renowned pieces. The march of death resumes on “Momon”, a brilliant partnership between Oh Hyuk and CIFIKA. Their voices resigned to mortality, they tread as heavily as the beat, which echoes in the background. Sonically, it fails to resemble anything either artist has made before, more along the lines of the rumbling electro thump Mondo Grosso returned with this year.
Janelle Monáe: “Django Jane”
Much of Dirty Computer exists in a synth-rock celebration of sexuality and womanhood. But midway through the album “Django Jane” appears, a hip-hop battering ram of pop culture enmeshed within personal experience. Janelle Monáe’s intent comes across as clearly as her diction, which feels like a breath of fresh air among today’s mumbling rappers and mealy-mouthed pop stars. Using Transformers, #MeToo, and Van Gogh, Monáe lists off the endless ways in which women, especially Black women, shape the world. That lumbering piano in the background does so much with so little, but even that fails to eclipse Monáe. As threateningly as it enters, “Django Jane” fades out into the blissful “Pynk”, which could never celebrate had “Django Jane” not won the fight first.
Simmy “Umahlalela”
The cultured writers over at the Singles Jukebox gave this track the highest score of the year, a feat it accomplished in the final months of 2018. “Umahlalela” means ‘to live’ and the tracks many elements give rise to a sonic ecosystem where singer and instrumentation coexist. Think “Cola” but with much more warmth. Even though it clocks in at over five minutes, “Umahlalela” could easily go on forever.
Slayyyter feat. Ayesha Erotica “BFF”
Decadent partnerships appears often in music, where mutual passion results in a decay of character (think “Nuclear Seasons” or “Tyrant”). BFFs Slayyyter and Ayesha Erotica combine to form a perfect pair, a match made in hot pink and A♭ major. They traipse from party-to-party armed with their cellphones and Juicy lockets, soldiers with a mission to party hard. Touches of 2010s David Guetta pop here and Benga-dubstep there, “BFF” takes electropop to its excess, drenched in its own decadence. The first chorus launches you into euphoria, a reminder that friendship’s are always more fun than relationships.
Rosalía: DE AQUÍ NO SALES
Many people remarked on the ambitious scope of Rosalía Vila Tobella’s astounding El Mal Querer, and nothing showcases its inventiveness finer than “DE AQUÍ NO SALES”. In less than two minutes, chopped vocals, handclaps, and revving engines converge to tell the story of a woman battered but not broken. Rosalía soprano, one of the year’s most captivating instruments, sells the whole thing.
Best albums:
*the majority of these, Brol, Cocoa Sugar, and When My Heart Felt Volcanic include reviews I also composed for Pretty Much Amazing.
Angèle, Brol
Belgian-born Angèle quietly skates into the year-end rankings with Brol, a delicate and catchy collection of electropop songs. Though the term ‘brol’ means something between ‘messy’ or ‘in shambles, Angèle handles herself with a sleek sophistication, her French pop sensibilities tinged with bits dancehall and hip-hop. Instruments land as lightly as Angèle’s satin-soft voice, together creating a whimsical if slightly ominous tone. For all its sweetness, Brol maintains a slightly edge as if not to remind listeners not to mistake tenderness for weakness.
Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar
Young Fathers Cocoa SugarThe Clash, Janet Jackson, and MIA all expertly crafted political songs with catchy sensibilities – “London Calling”, “Rhythm Nation”, and “Sunshowers” are as equally poignant as they are groovy. Young Fathers, with their distinct vocal timbre and high-energy productions, achieve the same with Cocoa Sugar. Whether singing or rapping, the trio simmers with purpose as much as they do pomp. They combine musical and political movement into a propulsive method, one that drives songs such as “Toy”, “Holy Ghost”, and “In My View” to feels as much progressive sonically as they are thematically. Looking back on the record only reveals more quirks and melodies you missed during your previous listen, so expect to have your mind blown more than once.
The Aces, When My Heart Felt Volcanic
Brimming with the dramatic allowances of youth, When My Heart Felt Volcanic uses grand theatrics to leave a lasting impact. Clear-as-bell vocals from ride along pop-rock confections that draw from the ‘80s and Paramore in the very best ways. Not much for wallowing, the Aces prefer to resist against obstacles – both “Stuck” and “Holiday” demand answers from partners rather than waiting, whereas “Strong Enough” challenges said partners’ ability to keep their attention. And few things felt more enjoyable cathartic in 2018 than “Lovin’ Is Bible”, a blast of pop rock that demands to be listened to on the PCH with the windows down. Praise be to positive music, and praise be to the Aces.
J Balvin, Vibras
I spent a lot of my year dancing to songs off of Vibras, which arrived chock full of hits perfect for dancing the day away. The familiar reggaeton turns up on “Mi Gente” and “Machika” alongside Afrobeat and trap-inspired collaborations with with some of the globe’s most popular acts. His duet with Rosalía, “Brillo”, shimmers with an understated intensity hot enough to bring out your most sensual moves on the dancefloor.
Kali Uchis, Isolation
With a clear aesthetic, sensual melodies, and a slightly dissonant timbre, Kali Uchis lulled listeners into her joyously jaded world. Isolation indulges in danger and daydreams told through Uchis’ relaxed yet committed artistic vision. She shares this vision with a massive and diverse set of collaborators, from members of Brockhampton to Thundercat to Greg Kurstin. True to its name, Isolation maintains a healthy distance, something Uchis says she learned from being in the music industry: “Not to trust anybody.” Those she does get close to on “Tyrant” or “Nuestro Planeta” only make her feel agitated and a bit delirious. Otherwise, she’s singing at your funeral (“Dead to Me”) or putting off her problems for later (“Tomorrow”). As album highlight “Your Teeth In My Neck” puts it, enjoyment leads to complacency and, as a result, stagnation. Trust no one, especially the things that make you happy. They also have the potential to hurt you the most.
Best lyrics:
Junglepussy: “I want your mind, your soul, your hole”
A million times more thoughtful, romantic, honest, or altogether charming than anything Bruno Mars has ever put to paper. Fin.
Christine and the Queens: “Every absent-minded day/I let myself carried away”
Héloïse Letissier loses herself her own daydreams as she recounts them, muddling the lyric’s intention. Do her musings make her more reckless or imaginative? Probably both, but in order to live as freely as Letissier does, you need each in spades.
Amber Mark: “I give you the keys and while you gladly take them you don’t use them”
With such brilliant and candid metaphors, Amber Mark crafts songs that don’t so much demand respect as they do teach it. The so-called “light in your life” deserves to be treated as such, and Mark would rather help redeem a partner than leave them as a lost cause. Though her primary motivation is not to wound, her disappointment is enough to leave a scar, one that should teach you your lesson.
Bali Baby: “Be on alert like your name Amber”
Bali Baby decimates everyone in her path on “Amber Alert”, but she gives you proper notice in the opening chorus. On its own, this line offers a distillation of Bali’s tongue-in-cheek takedowns. Other lyrics on a technical level may even surpass this, but none of them quite encapsulates all the different reasons (her humor, relatability, and toughness) Bali Baby should be on everyone’s radar. Definitely an overlooked presence in 2018.
Kero Kero Bonito: “As long as I shall wake up in the morning/I got plans”
All of 2018’s anxieties and tribulations put aside to make room for your plans, the one thing you always have. The time to complete them (taking up a language, cleaning the gutters, making your Year-End list) is never guaranteed. Yet, as long as you’re alive, there’s all this time waiting for to fill it with what you consider fulfilling. It overwhelms us like the universe’s immensity, but linear chronology is all we have for better or worse.
Best live shows:
- Christine and the Queens at the Wiltern
- Charli XCX presents Pop 2 at the El Rey
- Little Boots at El Cid
- ESG at the Regent
- INNA at the Fonda