1. Rocket Man – Little Big Town
Restoration: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (Island; 2018)
2. Happy & Sad – Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour (MCA Nashville; 2018)
3. Loner – Margo Price
All American Made (Third Man; 2017)
4. Pay No Mind – Beach House
7 (Sub Pop; 2018)
5. Summer Pillow – Kasey Chambers
Dragonfly (Warner; 2017)
6. When the Stars Come Out – Chris Stapleton
Traveller (Mercury Nashville; 2015)
7. Oracle of the Maritimes – Neko Case
Hell-On (Anti-; 2018)
8. All of Our Time – Amaya Laucirica
Rituals (Kasumuen; 2018)
9. Why Didn’t You Stop Me? – Mitski
Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans; 2018)
10. Best Years of My Life – Pistol Annies
Interstate Gospel (RCA Nashville; 2018)
I read one of those year-end lists on slate.com and it used my two favourite albums of 2018, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour and Mitski’s Be the Cowboy, as examples of a supposed pivot towards earnestness in pop music, connecting that up with the general unpleasantness that for many has suffused 2018 (US politics, related social trends etc). I don’t know whether that’s a real thing but earnestness beats irony and detachment nearly every time, so we can only hope.
(on spotify)
Restoration: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (Island; 2018)
2. Happy & Sad – Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour (MCA Nashville; 2018)
3. Loner – Margo Price
All American Made (Third Man; 2017)
4. Pay No Mind – Beach House
7 (Sub Pop; 2018)
5. Summer Pillow – Kasey Chambers
Dragonfly (Warner; 2017)
6. When the Stars Come Out – Chris Stapleton
Traveller (Mercury Nashville; 2015)
7. Oracle of the Maritimes – Neko Case
Hell-On (Anti-; 2018)
8. All of Our Time – Amaya Laucirica
Rituals (Kasumuen; 2018)
9. Why Didn’t You Stop Me? – Mitski
Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans; 2018)
10. Best Years of My Life – Pistol Annies
Interstate Gospel (RCA Nashville; 2018)
I read one of those year-end lists on slate.com and it used my two favourite albums of 2018, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour and Mitski’s Be the Cowboy, as examples of a supposed pivot towards earnestness in pop music, connecting that up with the general unpleasantness that for many has suffused 2018 (US politics, related social trends etc). I don’t know whether that’s a real thing but earnestness beats irony and detachment nearly every time, so we can only hope.
(on spotify)
