Music is still in good shape in 2018, and this year has seen a bumper crop of fantastic releases from a huge swath of artists old and new. The expected big hitters - the Kanyes, Justins, Drakes, Nickis, etc. - all fell artistically and often commercially flat. If you somehow chose to ignore his precedent-shattering Pulitzer Prize for Music, you could say Kendrick sat out the year (not counting Black Panther): it's no coincidence there has not been a consensus pick for 2018. In an attempt to avoid adding to the deluge, I've winnowed down my list to the absolute top picks, something I could look back on in 10 years and say "this was a tight year" (or else bemoan "I missed this one? I didn't rank that! What a fool").
A top 40 is a decent number to settle on: these are great records that I believe will hold up in years to come. For me again it was electronic that ruled the roost, with a bumper crop of challenging, exciting, repeatable albums from various subgenres. Come with me.
Albums of the Year
40. Spiritualized, And Nothing Hurt |
Jason Pierce has been through so much, and has given so much to the music community, that it is a major blessing to have this (possibly) final work from him, especially when you consider that it was all personally hand-crafted in a makeshift studio - the noble attempt to reconstruct Ladies and Gentlemen without the major label budget. The effort nearly broke him; thank you for this generous and heartfelt album. | |
39. Anna Calvi, Hunter |
On her third album, Calvi set out to "explore a more subversive sexuality, which goes further than what is expected of a woman in our patriarchal heteronormative society." This didacticism was set to her uniquely passionate mix of fiery guitars and feral, coiled energy, dangerous like PJ Harvey at her peak. In a year that saw a dearth of guitar music, she held the flame bright for us. | |
38. Jlin, Autobiography |
Although Jlin's new album, commissioned as a score to a Wayne McGregor-choreographed ballet, doesn't have the same tight consistency as her 2017 masterwork Black Origami, it does prove that ballet is a close cousin of footwork, and also that Jlin is working on another level entirely. You could create an album of just the bangers, or a split side of the gorgeous ambient tracks; together they make a wonderful journey. | |
37. Blawan, Wet Will Always Dry |
Emerging fully-formed at the turn of the decade, Jamie Roberts at long last delivered his debut album, and did not disappoint: eight flawless tracks of techno, intricately designed pieces of synths, vocal samples and bass rumbles that could digested as pieces or as one satisfying gorge. | |
36. serpentwithfeet, soil |
A luminous rumination on queer love and spirituality, by the Catholic-raised, angel-voiced, pentagram-face-tatted Josiah Wise. Working with producers Katie Gately and Clams Casino, who wisely known when to strip away nearly all accessories and let Wise's gospel-trained voice shine, this debut LP is uncomfortably bare, but all the better for it. | |
35. Beach House, 7 |
If any band can be said to follow a formula, surely it is Beach House. If any band sent that formula spinning on its head this year, surely - slightly - it was Beach House. A little darker and more aggressive, but still achingly beautiful, this album represents "the beauty that arises in dealing with darkness; the empathy and love that grows from collective trauma; the place one reaches when they accept rather than deny." It sounds good. | |
34. Amnesia Scanner, Another Life |
The most prescient album of the year, everything rotten and toxic about the world is reflected here through a shattered mirror of brutal sound design and digital overload, "informed by a unique perspective on technology and the way it mediates contemporary experience." | |
33. Laurel Halo, Raw Silk Uncut Wood |
In a career of left turns and about-faces, this might be Halo's most intense yet. A simple ambient album? Slightly unsettling but ultimately as pleasant as a rainy day spent inside? A neat triptych of two long tracks bookending some fascinating short vignettes, Halo shows us that she truly has no limits. | |
32. Daniel Avery, Song for Alpha |
His strong debut now five years in the rearview, with years' worth of acclaimed DJing under his belt, Avery reigned in his po-faced thump qualities and crafted a near-shoegaze album, inspired by his endless road trips - a sort of electronic "Turn the Page". The flow and mastering is flawless, the textures deep and satisfying: we are in the presence of a master. | |
31. Nils Frahm, All Melody |
Working in his painstakingly hand-built studio at the Funkhaus in Berlin, Frahm crafts another towering classically informed electronic album that touches the heavens and plays with conventions. It is sweeping, relaxing, unwinding, all-encompassing, a single unit of music designed for rapture. | |
30. DJ Koze, knock knock |
Koze makes you wait a long time, but always regards your patience. After a five year wait, the follow-up to Amygdala is a similarly omnivorous pastoral techno album that tests the boundaries of the compact disc format, content to shamble along at its own unhurried pace while roping in a motley crew of collaborators and an ancient man talking about his teeth. It's Koze's world. | |
29. Shinichi Atobe, Heat |
Is this man even real? At this point, nothing much is known about the man: he posted this album, full mixed and ready to go, to Demdike Stare's offices with nary a note. All the better for us, as this is an ingenious house album with unique, bright mixing that allows the midrange to shine and the feet to move. | |
28. Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour |
My token pop concession of the year, Musgraves has hovered on my periphery since her debut but really struck out on this merely country-adjacent offering of immaculate pop sounds and lush textures, informed by her usual strong lyricism about being content and in love. Sentiments just reach you sometimes. | |
27. The Field, Infinite Moment |
Six albums deep, you know what you're getting with Axel Willner's looping techno project. Six tracks clocking in at an hour, a mesmerizing mix of subtle shifts that only become apparent after they've passed, a steady and calm hypnosis that offers some serenity in a manic world. Now, what color scheme will he choose going forward? | |
26. Deafheaven, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love |
The best Smashing Pumpkins album of the year. The black metal poets make their most accessible album to date: Grammy comes calling with nominations. The overwhelming guitar textures roar; the obtuse lyrics are as much sung as shrieked; pianos tickle your heartstrings. Have they gone...soft? | |
25. Jon Hopkins, Singularity |
Constructed to reflect the ebbs and flows of a psychedelic experience, Hopkins has yet again topped his previous achievement for a new career high. Utterly professional and approachable, he could easily make the leap into movie soundtracking. | |
24. Sleep, The Sciences |
If this album doesn't represent a step forward for the legendary stoner metal band, that's because they have nowhere left to go. Dopesmoker is a once-in-a-lifetime triumph, and The Sciences is content to be a mere summation of all their strengths in an easily digestible package. From bong rip to riffs, this hit satisfies. | |
23. IDLES, Joy as an Act of Resistance |
What could feel like the token "guitar band" slot of the year was much more with IDLES' sophomore album of charging beats and joyous racket. Tackling any number of current issues, from Brexit to toxic masculinity to immigration, few albums felt as urgently "2018" as this one, and few could get the pulse pounding as quick. It's been classified as post-punk, straight-up punk, even metal: whatever it is, it is urgently alive. | |
22. Pendant, Make Me Know You Sweet |
Ambient with an edge. Huerco S started a new label and stormed out of the gate with this mildly off-setting album full of dense textures that could be alternately soothing or terrifying, depending on any number of circumstances. Was it the constant roar of the motorway, or a gathering mob? Hard to tell, but in such an uncertain year, it was pleasant to have. | |
21. Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar |
Cementing their place in the upper echelon of contemporary artists, the Scottish trio casually drops yet another masterpiece, their most melodic and beefiest statement yet. They have not gone full pop: they still favor unconventional rap schemes and their bedrock is way too rhythmic to slot neatly on pop radio, but the sounds are easier on the ears, and the overtly political statements have been reigned in. Whatever they do next, there's no doubt it will only sound like Young Fathers. | |
20. Galcher Lustwerk, 200% Galcher |
Returning to the __% Galcher format that provided him with a huge breakthrough in 2014, the mysterious Mr. Lustwerk dropped a follow-up to his overlooked debut album and captured inspiration yet again. A double disc of his inimitable deep house (disc 1 featuring his dusty, unhurried raps; disc 2 all instrumental magic) made for some deep listening this year, whether at the clubs or on the running tracks, sneakily melodic and thoroughly fantastic. | |
19. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Hope Downs |
Life needs a little jingle-jangle, and few acts did it better than this Aussie outfit. Three guitars interplaying on top of a rock-solid motorik rhythm section, with whimsical lyrics and melodies shared by three primary songwriters and singers: it would be a shambles were it not so incredibly tight and concise. Some of the sunniest and most enjoyable 35 minutes of the year. | |
18. Christine and the Queens, Chris |
After stints of touring physically transformed Héloïse Letissier, she discovered her freedom and crafted a pop masterpiece (twice over!). Leering on the cover like a slick 50's greaser, her deconstruction of machismo could be deeply analyzed in the light of her coming out as a politically informed pansexual, or simply enjoyed as a Prince-level collection of 80's throwback synth-pop, with all the trimmings. A generous and repeatable thrill. | |
17. Mac Miller, Swimming |
It feels cruel to speak of Miller in the past tense, considering the wide range and huge growth he had exhibited in his short lifetime, going from irritating gimmick-rapper to tasteful curator and collaborator. His death in September unleashed a torrent of heartfelt tributes for his generosity and musical adventurousness, all of which is in full force on this unintended swan song: selfless, downcast but hopeful, always looking to a better day to come. I hope he found it. | |
16. Blood Orange, Negro Swan |
Dialing back the sprawl of Freetown Sound for a warm, rich and inclusive sound, Dev Hynes reflects on the status of being black and queer in a world that treats neither class kindly. His production has reached world-class level and he is operating at the peak of his powers: a modern classic from a true iconoclast. | |
15. Silent Servant, Shadows of Death and Desire |
A slice of old-school EBM brutality from Juan Mendez, the follow-up to 2012's Negative Fascination doesn't overstay its welcome and shows that even years after Sandwell District split, the darkness is still alive and well in the techno world. | |
14. Pusha T, DAYTONA |
For about 35 seconds, you delight in anticipation: after years of false starts and delays, finally you hear Push rhyming over some skeletal hi-hat. Then pause... and BOOM, that Air (not French band) sample bulldozes the door and the next 20 minutes are spent in cold rapture as two of rap's greatest elder statesmen flex like never before - Push's clinical flow over some of Kanye's finest production work. If you know, you know. | |
13. Vessel, Queen of the Golden Dogs |
Sebastian Gainsborough continues his hot streak with a third album that reaches back in time, a bold and scattered concept album of eclectic electronic ideas as performed in a Renaissance-era royal ballroom, clipped vocal samples and bass layered with acoustic chamber instruments. It can be dizzying, and the concept is certainly lost at some point, but there were few more thrilling journeys to undertake this year: wherever he goes next, we will follow. | |
12. Prime Minister of Doom, Mudshadow Propaganda / |
When is it too much? The mysterious entity behind the Traumprinz/Prince of Denmark/DJ Metatron et al monikers has an answer: never. Two new triple-LP's under two new disguises, then a three-hour "mixtape" (but, really, an album) thrown on Soundcloud meant a lot of unpacking - but also meant that much more joy in techno. Your tolerance for bald-faced spirituality will be tested by Loose's spoken-word sections about God and hymnals even as your ears are caressed by pillowy pads and heavenly synths; Mudshadow is clean propulsive techno in the vein of 2016's triumphant 8; and Planet is simply divinity, an amalgamation of the two albums stretched over a leisurely rainy afternoon. The whole project has an air of finality about it - it was released on Easter Sunday in reference to the resurrection - but we can't complain about being shortchanged. | |
11. Yves Tumor, Safe in the Hands of Love |
In which Tumor takes the hazy atmospheres of his past works and pushes everything into blinding hi-def; wherein Tumor throws Aphex, Bjork, Siouxie, and Eno into a blender, and hits liquefy; in which another iconoclastic Bowie comes into his own as a star. Experimental pop's pinnacle in 2018. | |
10. Nine Inch Nails, Bad Witch |
The informal completion of their trilogy of EP's, but reclassified as a full-length to avoid it being lost in the ubiquitous streaming shuffle, Trent needn't have worried. There is no mistaking this snarling, dark beast as anything other than a NIN work, 30 minutes short be damned. That Reznor has been doing this for over three decades, and is still making career-highlight music so far removed from his 90's alt-rock peak, is a testament to his genius. | |
9. Tirzah, Devotion |
Working together with old friend Mica Levi (the Oscar-nominated composer also known as Micachu), Tirzah's carefully plotted path to this debut (sowed when they were both in high school at the turn of the century) belies what a quiet triumph it is. Never flashy, this is leftfield pop at its most elegant and tuneful, the slightly off-kilter production never overwhelming the tender coo. | |
8. Julia Holter, Aviary |
A magnificent, maddening sprawl of ideas that forever tiptoed the line of deletion from the overall chaos, Aviary nevertheless carved a space for itself through its small mercies: the clearings of melody and space within the dark forest; the repeated mantras of love and joy; the mazes of sound that lead to understanding. The frenzy and clarity of the year in miniature. | |
7. Let's Eat Grandma, I'm All Ears |
These teen troublemakers from England are unconcerned with the strictures of "genre" and tribal lines: their lane is all of them. With assists from SOPHIE and Faris Badwan, all styles of pop are fair game, even the mewling of the studio cat. If a song needs to be 11 minutes long, it damn well will stretch out. The future of pop is in good hands. | |
6. Earl Sweatshirt, Some Rap Songs |
Hip-hop in 2018 vacillated between the jumbo size (Migos, Drake) and the microchip - by this point in the list, it should be apparent which won out. Earl's third album may have clocked in at a slight 25 minutes, but he made every second count: rap albums have rarely been so dense with ideas and broken sound design, a laissez-faire affair that features no choruses, no features, and no mercy. When he wasn't musing about anxiety and mortality, he was crafting a beautiful sound collage of his parents' voices in an effort to make amends with his poet father - who passed away before he could hear it. Life is a frightening and beautiful responsibility, and albums like this add so much to it. | |
5. Objekt, Cocoon Crush |
Even within TJ Hertz's already formidable body of work, Cocoon Crush reaches ecstatic new heights, sounding like nothing less than a living and breathing organism, stalking the grooves and shimmering with mischief. What he's given up in the electro thump, he regains three-fold with cinematic sound design. | |
4. Autechre, NTS Sessions 1-4 |
With all the noise of the year, it was an immense relief to have this uncanny valley monolith to get lost in. Booth and Brown have long been practitioners of giving you more than you can handle: eight hours of music debuted over a month-long residency, then released as 8 CDs? Lay it on me. For well over two decades you either got it or you didn't: for fans, this was manna. Melancholy, carefully measured, a complete 8-hour sonic journey from highs to lows: you really didn't need any other album this year. Whether "all end" is a prophecy for the duo's general career or not, this generous heap of music will tide us over until the next data dump. | |
3. Skee Mask, Compro |
For the second LP in a row, Skee Mask absolutely slays the lush sound, finding the perfect balance between driving breakbeats and floating ambiance. It is his ability to synthesize the best of ambient, electro, jazzy jungle and stark dub, and create a distinct sound all of his own, that makes this an exceptional album not only for 2018, but for many years to come. A warm bath in the middle of a snowstorm. | |
2. Robyn, Honey |
She won't give you want you need, but you will get what you want. After eight long years, and only mild trickles of new music, Robyn quietly snuck back with another masterwork of heartache and joy – a freeform album informed by the steady 4/4 of the club, an after-hours comedown of epic proportions. It feels unfinished, it leaves you craving so much more: come get your honey. | |
1. SOPHIE, OIL OF EVERY PEARL's UN-INSIDES |
The funhouse mirror of our artificial post-gender world was the debut album from hyperkinetic pop savant SOPHIE, she of the plastic fantastic sound that has been co-opted into the mainstream in the five years since she arrived on the scene. Her fingerprints have been all over pop music, and she pulls out all the stops on her own album, balancing the future shock blasts of "Ponyboy" with the industrial clang of "Whole New World/Pretend World", the queer sugar rush of "Immaterial" with the heart-stopping balladry of "Is It Cold in the Water?" - 40 minutes of pop perfection. You can be anything you want in her world. |
Honorable Mentions
Christop de Babalon, If You're Into It, I'm Out of It - technically a re-release of a 1997 album of EBM/gabber madness and creepily soothing ambient tones, this corrosive album feels like it's been luxuriating in a vat of toxic waste, ripening for an age of madness that can truly accommodate it: welcome to 2018.
Aphex Twin, Collapse - another triumphant late-career EP from the Welsh wizard.
Oneohtrix Point Never, Age Of - Daniel Lopatin's descent into the rabbit hole continues with this slab of 8-bit orchestral trickery.
Ty Segall, Freedom's Goblin - the first of Segall's six albums this year was a must-have, a massive 18-track everything-goes mess where most of it worked.
Janelle Monae, Dirty Computer - a pop masterpiece, and merely that. Monae has become a ubiquitous pop figure, and her embrace of loud pansexuality gave voice to millions, but she has done better work.
Fucked Up, Dose Your Dreams - F'd Up go full monty with their disparate influences and craft a wild 82-minute ride that was sometimes too much.
Matthew Dear, Bunny - Detroit master returns after six years with a hook-heavy, brighter album.
The 1975, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships - the Manchester band took the route to superstardom the old fashioned way: strong albums, relentless touring, a bit of heroin and redemption. Their strongest, most overwhelming album yet.
Ariana Grande, Sweetener - a truly tumultuous couple of years have lead to Grande's most personal statement.
Vince Staples, FM! - a 22-minute sorta-album that plays like a snatch of radio on a sunny California afternoon; great, but feels incomplete.
Pariah, Here From Where We Are - aside from a bodied intro to get your attention, this is calming ambient at its best.
Death Grips, Year of the Snitch - Death Grips will never die.
Striker, Play to Win - Edmonton's finest dial up the cheese and make a melt on your face with their shredding prowess.
Leon Vynehall, Nothing is Still - a fully-formed concept album, supplemented with videos and a novella, based on Vynehall's grandparents' emigration to New York in the 60's. Not the house music he made his name on, but an excellent achievement.
Travis Scott, ASTROWORLD - Houston's son gets to a new level with this well-curated and uncredited rap odyssey.
Hunee, Hunchin' All Night - An expertly-mixed collection of house tracks from Senegal, Ghana, South Africa and beyond, this was an absolute delight through the year.
Demdike Stare, Passion - listen to it as charred samples from tomorrow, or some sort of archaeological discovery: this was another triumph from the Manchester production duo.
Sons of Kemet, Your Queen is a Reptile - it's been heartening to see Kamasi Washington continue to rack up accolades for all of jazz, but for my money this was the jazz album to hear in 2018: intensely politicized, a virtuosic poison arrow set for the heart of the colonizing royal matriarchy.
Martyn, Voids - a near-death scare in recent years lead to one of Martyn's most introspective works yet, a nostalgia trip for a past sound.
Tim Hecker, Konoyo - Hecker never ceases to amaze. After albums of unsettling noise, he turns to the traditional Japanese court music of gagaku for sport. Can't wait to see what comes next.
Bruce, Sonder Somatic - stripped-down club music that's never fussy, but never less than fascinating.
R.I.P. fabric / FABRICLIVE
Since 2001, the Farringdon club's monthly series of mix CDs has been one of the most consistent things in music, a fairly accurate barometer of the cutting edge in a genre notorious for rapid shifts in direction. The club survived a threatened closure in 2015, and the mix series has carried on dauntlessly. Now, 17 years into their existence, they hit the fabled number 100 in both series; FABRICLIVE's Friday-night-based explorations of bass music, and fabric's Saturday-night big room techno and house series. In an age where the mix CD has long been rendered redundant by millions of hours of mixes available for free online, Fabric's series managed to stay relevant behind its licensing prowess and sheer heft: the monthly mixes were special dispatches from the forefront, tangible documents with the air of "status-builder" attached to it, always with great artwork. I currently have 59 of the 200 mixes, and have heard the majority of the rest: there are far too many great ones to count, and if some earlier ones are dated - that's just the price of the game.
The final mixes in the series were provided by Kode9 & Burial (the slap-dash and frenetic FABRICLIVE.100) and the tag team of Craig Richards, Terry Francis, and club founder Keith Reilly (the triple-disc cosmic bang of fabric 100) - neither could be considered anywhere near the best in their respective series, but they will become essential documents of a lost time. What the club decides to do going forward - and they have promised some sort of continuation of the mixes, in spirit if not format - will be interesting to see.
Compilations / Reissues
David Bowie, Loving the Alien: 1983-1988 / Glastonbury 2000
Parlophone's on-going reissue series of Bowie's works finally hits the jackpot for me: this is Bowie's most maligned and overlooked period, and I was glad to see they did not skip over it - it was part of his most successful as well! Let's Dance is of course a mega-selling, mega-front-loaded bit of cheese, Tonight is pleasantly slight island rock, while Never Let Me Down is the dark horse of his entire discography. It gets a 2018 reworking here: all new backing band recordings, oftentimes different lead vocal takes, a couple of drastic rewrites. For the most part it acquits itself well, and could make a case for being a good album. Although some great soundtrack work is overlooked, this is a box well worth your time.
On the other hand, his set from Glastonbury in 2000 is a rare treat: probably hyper-inflated due to his passing, but there is no doubt his return to the Glasto stage after 31 years was a major event two decades ago and remains so today for its subsequent rarity. My only qualm is the subpar DVD included in the package, really not up to snuff if you're seeking good sound and video quality. The performance itself is serviceable and generous, with a good selection of cuts and a fine performance from the lamented Mr. Bowie.
Parlophone's on-going reissue series of Bowie's works finally hits the jackpot for me: this is Bowie's most maligned and overlooked period, and I was glad to see they did not skip over it - it was part of his most successful as well! Let's Dance is of course a mega-selling, mega-front-loaded bit of cheese, Tonight is pleasantly slight island rock, while Never Let Me Down is the dark horse of his entire discography. It gets a 2018 reworking here: all new backing band recordings, oftentimes different lead vocal takes, a couple of drastic rewrites. For the most part it acquits itself well, and could make a case for being a good album. Although some great soundtrack work is overlooked, this is a box well worth your time.
On the other hand, his set from Glastonbury in 2000 is a rare treat: probably hyper-inflated due to his passing, but there is no doubt his return to the Glasto stage after 31 years was a major event two decades ago and remains so today for its subsequent rarity. My only qualm is the subpar DVD included in the package, really not up to snuff if you're seeking good sound and video quality. The performance itself is serviceable and generous, with a good selection of cuts and a fine performance from the lamented Mr. Bowie.
The Beatles, The Beatles
The White Album is 50! Much as has been the case since 2009, a huge reissue is called for. The new mono mix from Giles Martin sparkles and reveals new depths, the Esher demos could have been a wonderful release on their own at the time (Unplugged three decades in advance!), and the Super Deluxe's additional discs of demos are a worthy one-and-done listen. Unless you're a diehard. Which, let's face it, you are.
Liz Phair, Girly-Sound to Guyville
One of the truly subversive albums of the lamented 1990's gets the deluxe treatment, a triple-disc reissue containing remasters of her three original "Girly-Sound" tapes. Phair tried to go full pop in the early Aughts and I've resented that for years, but this debut deserves a careful reappraisal. Still incredible after all these years.
Wire, Pink Flag / Chairs Missing / 154
You know the deal with these albums. Three years, three albums, three undeniable leaps of faith, handsomely packaged in a 7x7 box with hardcover liner notes, bonus tracks, etc. One of the most incredible three years in music history.
John Coltrane, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album
Yes, an entire lost album from the group that recorded A Love Supreme. Sonny Rollings wasn't lying when he compared it to finding an entire lost room in King Tut's pyramid.
Kate Bush, Remastered Pt. I / Remastered Pt. II
One of the great musical iconoclasts of the past 30 years was finally done right with this loving, careful remaster of her discography, wonderful packaging and all.
Roxy Music, Roxy Music
Let the Roxy reissues come forth! Their debut is an all-time great, one of two they recorded with Brian Eno as a member, and the deluxe reissues freshens up the future-sound while adding curios: some BBC sessions, unreleased alternative studio outtakes, and the demo that got them signed. I am salivating for the rest of their output.
Death
This has become my least favorite section of the yearly page. 2018 took some big names.
Dolores O'Riordan (January 15) - The Cranberries signer was a huge presence on the radio in my youth; she died of accidental drowning due to intoxication.
Mark E. Smith (January 24) - The Fall's eternal caustic and hilarious frontman lived three times his 60 years.
Lovebug Starski (February 8) - the influential rapper was 57.
Johann Johannson (February 9) - a certain future Oscar winner, the classical composer died of an accidental overdose at 48.
Craig Mack (March 12) - one of Bad Boy Records' first signings was waylaid by other rappers' success, but we'll always have "Flava In Ya Ear".
Cecil Taylor (April 5) - the prolific jazz pianist was 89.
Avicii (April 20) - he was responsible for some of my most loathed music, but no young musician should be so burned out as to commit suicide at 28.
Scott Hutchinson (May 10) - the Frightened Rabbits singer/songwriter had been reported missing before his body was found.
Glenn Branca (May 13) - a hugely influential guitar player, he was 69.
XXXTentacion (June 18) - meteorically ascending SoundCloud rapper with horrifying domestic abuse allegations (personally confessed to) was gunned down in Florida at age 20.
Vinnie Paul (June 22) - Pantera drummer was 54 and was predeceased by his brother Dimebag Darrell.
Aretha Franklin (August 16) - the 76-year-old living legend had transcended music.
Mac Miller (September 7) - the promising Pittsburgh rapper died of an accidental overdose at age 26.
Pete Shelley (December 6) - the Buzzcocks' singer, the first romantic punk, was 63.
Thanks for reading, see you in 2019!