The best pop CDs of 2018
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 pop CDs of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.
(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2018 here.)
Wide Awake! by Parquet Courts
With Wide Awake!, New York’s Parquet Courts have given us a lively punk masterpiece that is just as at home in a dive bar as it is on the dance floor. This politically conscious album is a classic in the making, with basslines and melodies that won’t leave your head for days.
Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe is one of the most original performers making music today. In this album, Monáe pits elements of pop, R&B and funk against themes of being a queer, black woman living in a world that others her constantly. Once you listen to this album, it’s impossible not to have it on heavy rotation.
13 Rivers by Richard Thompson
For almost fifty years, Richard Thompson has been a pioneer of British folk-rock. The songs of 13 Rivers are driven by his skilful guitar playing, which recalls many different genres, and are underpinned by almost mechanical sounding drums. This is Thompson’s eighteenth studio album, and it’s accomplished, explorative, and has a lot of swagger.
God’s Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
Like his previous offerings, Father John Misty’s latest album is both highly amusing and beautifully performed. Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) has the voice of an angel, and uses it to harmonise about psychic terrorists, hallucinating in a hotel room, or being in the ‘Poem Zone’. Excellent stuff.
Good Citizens by Cash Savage and The Last Drinks
Cash Savage’s raw vocals and her band’s relentless, stomping rhythm get under the skin of that very trying time that was the 2017 postal plebiscite for marriage equality, and questions whether the damage it caused can be undone. This is a scorchingly good album with an important message.
Timeless by Nico Niquo (vinyl only)
Nico Nicquo’s music brings together elements of many genres – jazz fusion, ambient, and other electronic styles. This kind of music is quite the listening experience: Timeless is a dreamy soundscape to lose yourself in, and a great example of the amazing talent Melbourne’s music scene has to offer.
Wanderer by Cat Power
There is something very magical about the music that Cat Power produces. Wanderer is no exception. In this album, her first in six years, Power’s voice echoes beneath warm-sounding pianos, acoustic guitars and percussion. These songs all have a gentle strength to them, and as with Power’s previous releases, Wanderer leaves a deep impression.
Heaven and Earth by Kamasi Washington
Bandleader and saxophonist Kamasi Washington has completely blown it out of the water with Heaven and Earth. This epic album is mostly instrumental, and features an orchestra that soars over the top of Washington’s more traditional, core jazz band. This album has the ability to transport you to amazing places.
The Other Side by Tord Gustavsen Trio
Norwegian jazz musicians Tord Gustavsen, Jarle Vespestad and Harald Johnsen are three artists who work together perfectly. The Other Side is a playful, warm collection of tracks, and is a brilliant example of a band where each musician highlights the best of the others’ playing.
Vanished Gardens by Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams
Jazz master Charles Lloyd and gritty Americana singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams make for an excellent duo in Vanished Gardens. Together with Lloyd’s band, the Marvels, Williams’ and Lloyd’s distinctive styles intersect over their shared southern roots. This is an excellent, bluesy album with an effortlessly smooth improvisational bent to it.
