A year ago today, I put together my first “best of” list and from there Vince and I launched Stille Records. 2018 has been a great year for us - many records sold, an addition to our family, and continued enjoyment of our downtime. Even though a “best of” list signifies the end of the year, the beauty of these lists is that you can continue to revisit the music from the previous year. There have been some albums that should have made my list last year (namely the Frankie Rose album) and others that could have been dropped or rearranged. The music still exists and evolves with each listen. This year, my album of the year is truly beautiful and is a reflection of my year. The vocals on Thou’s Inconsolable are breathtaking and emotional - the music fills a room and hugs the listener. I cannot get enough of Thou - thankfully they put out enough music to satisfy most listeners.
Thou - INCONSOLABLE
Windhand - ETERNAL RETURN
Super Unison - STELLA
Author & Punisher - BEASTLAND
Rhye - BLOOD
Bongripper - TERMINAL
Sleep - THE SCIENCES
St. Vincent - MASSEDUCATION
Miserable - LOVERBOY / DOG DAYS
Jeff Rosenstock - POST
Ragana/Thou - SPLIT
Courtney Barnett - TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL
Rlyr - ACTUAL EXISTENCE
Vile Creature - CAST OF STATIC AND SMOKE
Forn - RITES OF DESPAIR
Gouge Away - BURNT SUGAR
Kurt Vile - BOTTLE IT IN
Insect Ark - MARROW HYMNS
Robyn - HONEY
Electric Citizen - HELLTOWN
King Dude - MUSIC TO MAKE WAR TO
War on Women - CAPTURE THE FLAG
Chrch - LIGHT WILL CONSUME US ALL
Blood Orange - NEGRO SWAN
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastards/Slomatics - SPLIT
-ab