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.
Robert Plant Is Still A Golden God
20th Century Boss Part 8: '90s Bruce with Tim Showalter
20th Century Boss Part 7: "Tunnel Of Love" with John Darnielle
20th Century Boss Part 6: "Born In The U.S.A." with Patterson Hood
20th Century Boss Part 5: "Nebraska" with Phoebe Bridgers
20th Century Boss Part 4: "The River" with Patrick Stickles
20th Century Boss Part 3: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" with Julien Baker
20th Century Boss Part 2: "Born To Run" with Jeff Rosenstock
20th Century Boss Part 1: Early Boss with Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem
37: Raising A Toast To St. Joe Strummer With Craig Finn
36: Mac McCaughan Explains How Superchunk Has Stayed Great For Decades
35: Our Favorite Albums Of 2017
34: Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt on How Wilco Became Wilco
33: How To Celebrate Thanksgiving With "The Last Waltz"
32: An American's Guide To The Tragically Hip
31: How Jann Wenner Shaped Rock History In His Own Image
30: Revisiting Ancient Teenaged Feelings About Weezer
29: Julien Baker Will Make You Cry
28: The Five-Albums Test With Rob Sheffield
Season 2 Episode 27: Automatic For The People At 25
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