Every year of my professional life as a music critic, I've made year-end lists. Sometimes it was because I simply had to do it, but more often (especially when I was younger) I did it because I thought it was fun. Making a year-end list was like saying, "Here I am, this is what I think, and here's why I believe you should actually care." But now that I'm a little older and wiser, list-making feels more like work. In 2018, it was practically a job.
I don't know if that has to do with my age or the fact that, to me, 2018 felt like a "good, not great" year for music. As always, there were scores of albums that I really enjoyed. But in terms of records that felt like instant classics, or at least inspired me to get obsessed for a good week or two, 2018 seemed a little fallow.
Nevertheless, the 10 albums on my year-end list did manage to strike a chord with me, and I was excited to talk about them with my friend Ian Cohen, who shared his own top 10 list. Surprisingly, there's not a ton of overlap on our lists –- listen to us debate the merits of the 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Boygenius, Father John Misty, and Kacey Musgraves in this special "best of 2018" episode.
Celebration Rock: Best Albums of the Decade with Ian Cohen
Contrarian's Canon: Joni Mitchell's "Night Ride Home"
Fantasy A&R: The Ultimate Mid-'90s Oasis Album
The 2nd Annual "Last Waltz" Holiday Special
Fantasy A&R: How To Make a 12-Track Version of the Beatles' "White Album"
Contrarian's Canon: Dave Matthews Band's "The Lillywhite Sessions"
October's Top Indie Albums by Kurt Vile, Cat Power, and Pinegrove
Twenty One Pilots vs. Greta Van Fleet
Contrarian Canon: Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell"
A Tribute To The Stills and Other Overlooked Bands of the Post-Strokes Boom
The Status of Tom Petty's Legacy
How Michael Beinhorn Shepherded "Superunknown" and "Celebrity Skin"
Recent "Under The Radar" faves by Low, the Lemon Twigs, Ruston Kelly, and more.
Can Liberals and Conservatives Still Bond Over Music?
DC Talk's "Jesus Freak" and The Peak of '90s Christian Rock
New Albums By Interpol, Death Cab For Cutie, Mitski, and Foxing
Former Pitchfork Editor Mark Richardson Discusses The Site's Rise
Robbie Robertson On 50 Years of "Music From Big Pink"
Favorite Sleeper Albums of 2018 So Far
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