Greer's Ears

Today, we finally finish the 2018 Albumpalooza with the Top 50 Albums of 2018. If you haven't checked out Parts 1 & 2, here are the links! Part One - Top 5 Albums by Genre Part Two - 2018 Report Card For those of you who saw my Top 50 Projects of 2018 (So Far) list back in November, this list is very similar—but I've made around 10 adjustments. Hopefully, this draws your attention to some great projects you might have overlooked. I've also included a few EPs on here because they're just that good. Enjoy! 50. Szun Waves - New Hymn to Freedom New Hymn to Freedom is an excellent collection of tracks from the talented UK jazz trio. Using nothing but synths, drums, and saxophone, the group breaks new ground. This experimental and psychedelic record feel so meticulously arranged, you'll be surprised to learn it's made up entirely of unedited improvisations. This is certainly worthwhile for anyone interested in contemporary jazz. 49. Ashley Mon

Before releasing Part 3 of my 2018 Albumpalooza, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate what I thought were the best SONGS of 2018. There were SO many factors to consider as I curated this list. Some songs were chosen because of their relevance and cultural significance.  Some songs were chosen because of their potent lyricism and/or story-telling.  Some songs were chosen because of their ingenious production and instrumentation. But many were chosen because they had  all of those things.  I'm going to breeze through most of these—but once I get to the Top 10, I'll expound a bit on my choices. I've created a Spotify playlist featuring all of the songs on this list. Feel free to follow it and give them a listen!  Without further ado, here are my Top 50 Songs of 2018: 50. Hookworms - Negative Space Album: Microshift Genre: Psychedelic Indie Rock 49. Hop Along- How Simple Album: Bark Your Head Off, Dog Genre: Indie Folk Rock

Los Angeles rapper and record producer Earl Sweatshirt has finally returned with his third studio album entitled  Some Rap Songs— but don't be fooled by the record's seemingly arbitrary title and album art; this is one of the bleakest, heaviest, and densest projects you will hear this year. In Some Rap Songs , Earl paints a somber and heartrending picture of grief and loss. His struggles are existential in nature, stemming from traumatic life experiences—namely the recent death of his father, Keorapetse Kgositsile. Earl aims for and successfully maintains a distinct aesthetic throughout the entire project. The album is predominantly comprised of chopped-up vocal and instrumental samples that sound grainy, stripped down, and lo-fi. The bass and vocal stems are both mixed low, making the production feel less layered and more two-dimensional. This is likely intended, as it aptly complements Earl's melancholic lyricism and tone. There are some tracks on the record that

Today, we continue our 2018 Albumpalooza with Part Two: The 2018 Report Card. If you missed Part One (2018's Top 5 Albums by Genre), you can check it out here ! For this next segment, I've divided 175+ albums from 2018 into four different categories: Great (I love these; Score of 80+) Good (I like these; Score of 65-79) Meh (These aren't bad... but they aren't good; Score of 50-64) Bad (These are trash; Score of 49 or lower) The albums in each category are listed in alphabetic order by artist name. Please don't be offended if your opinions on an album differ from mine. That just means that your taste in music sucks. That was a joke. Like whatever you want to like! Music taste is subjective. But if you want to know why I feel a certain way about an album, feel free to ask me in the comment section below or on social media! I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. Unfortunately, time just does not permit me to elaborate on all ~175 albums