December 14, 2018

music recs

Lena's Top 30 Albums of 2018!

This year has been an extremely good one for music, and there's still things coming out every day that I'll likely listen to but unfortunately I had to draw the line somewhere, so! Here are my top 30 albums of the year, things that have inspired me in all their varied ways. I've included cover art and links to streaming sites--Spotify if possible, if not then unfortunately I've had to use unofficial uploads to YouTube, but I would highly recommend finding these albums where available and giving them a purchase! I've given blurbs to just my top 10, as there just wasn't enough time to describe all 30. Here goes!

24 - Yasunori Mitsuda, ACE, Kenji Hiramatsu, Manami Kiyota - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Original Soundtrack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOEsZMm6LrI

23 - haruka nakamura - アイル / I'll

https://open.spotify.com/album/1dOgFP65sSxMncWqJ8FADo

22 - Reol - 虚構集 / Kyokō-shū

https://open.spotify.com/album/1LTktMZYZun8v2115EGO8s

21 - Jon Hopkins - Singularity

https://open.spotify.com/album/1nvzBC1M3dlCMIxfUCBhlO

20 - Nils Frahm - All Melody

https://open.spotify.com/album/3MH77JVM17CEdDLz374t1e

19 - The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices - BooCheeMish

https://open.spotify.com/album/0r31v5rfV8aiSkknfUP7dU

18 - Simian Mobile Disco - Murmurations

https://open.spotify.com/album/0NCP8UEuZSVctOy9TCF8Ht

17 - Spencer Brown - Illusion of Perfection

https://open.spotify.com/album/26medpL8stPGWfE0xRuJT2

16 - Justice - Woman Worldwide

https://open.spotify.com/album/7E3c9dmZ1KnZOQLZTgRqWx

15 - KOAN Sound - Polychrome

https://open.spotify.com/album/3xCM8RQVfjQMCU0AemetvO

14 - Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of

https://open.spotify.com/album/05A41BF3z2E5F0tnTyWRNh

13 - fingerspit - The Red Strings Club Original Soundtrack

https://open.spotify.com/album/0WcpjFcx3GSZWnIzrxhak6

12 - Toby Fox - DELTARUNE Chapter 1 Original Soundtrack

https://open.spotify.com/album/6putGW0KxGMrgTZzplp2pF

11 - Jan Blomqvist - Disconnected

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Aq2fCmHIW0vICUIh3YpE9

10 - Suiyoubi no Campanella - Galapagos

SnC have been one of my favourite groups for a number of years now, and 2018 saw them release a large number of amazing singles. I had been wondering if they were going to culminate in an album release, which eventually became Galapagos.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2HyzFrcb9QMQfFIQcE9hfe

9 - Reol - 事実上 / Jijitsujō

Reol has been doing nothing but amazing work ever since going solo, and her first full album as her own artist is seriously impressive, ranging between her usual style with producer giga p, to a bunch of really interesting new directions.

https://open.spotify.com/album/56wJa8429dW2miEyvDb04e

8 - Snail's House - L'été

Ujico as Snail's House has been one of the most prolific producers over the past two years, and yet you can really tell when he puts in a special touch. L'été is totally one of those albums, and each song really conveys its theme wonderfully for a soothing and playful album.

https://0101.bandcamp.com/album/l-t

7 - Chrome Sparks - Chrome Sparks

This album and artist took me totally by surprise. What an amazing electronic album that just, is hard to talk about because it just encompasses every single kind of sound I love to hear. I could listen to this forever.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Y0yPA0zZetcpimqsegK1i

6 - Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer

A beautiful album by a beautiful human/cyborg. The emotion picture that accompanies it is even more tremendous and gives context to the thematically autobiographical album. Really, really worth a listen.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2PjlaxlMunGOUvcRzlTbtE

5 - Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Original Soundtrack

While technically Breath of the Wild released last year, it wasn't until 2018 that they released the official 5-disc soundtrack set, which brilliantly compiles all the music into such a wonderful collection that I could get lost in for its duration. What a perfect minimalist score to such an atmospheric game.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq9z3GmD3R9OwrvO9ZkdDbPCzH-jTC4br

4 - Ólafur Arnalds - re:member

I had the pleasure of seeing Olafur Arnalds play live this year, and I relate to him so much as both a composer and a performer. He lets his music speak for itself, and his latest album re:member does so much to communicate an expanding comfort sharing musical influences.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6JpQGIi2he6iskzR4aLwPG

3 - Yasunori Nishiki - Octopath Traveler Original Soundtrack

In a completely different realm than #2, Octopath Traveler is the most joyous soundtrack I've had the pleasure of listening to in so long. Each theme, whether it's area BGM or a character theme, is packed with so much charm and wonderful playing from its live orchestra and soloists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdxbRJx4JFk

2 - Kensuke Ushio / Agraph - Devilman Crybaby Original Soundtrack

Devilman Crybaby is a difficult show to watch. It's unchained in a lot of ways, and works for me as a very messy depiction of all the themes it wrestles with. The music, similarly, captures that messy struggle in an amazing score full of chaotic synths and tragic orchestration. The track Judgement alone is worth listening to if anything. It's such a mood, and kills me every time it's played in and out of context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKdmzriKsic

1 - Henry Saiz & Band - Human

From the first moments of the Overture track, Henry Saiz captures your attention. It is a statement of intent, a worldwide effort to explore musical inspirations and reference them in the moment. I love Human because it expresses so much in such a varied sound reflecting the diversity of the human experience.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1pkdxSox494UFELmweXnOG

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And that's it for 2018! There's already AMAZING new things coming out every day, and I couldn't get to everything to listen, but I hope you found something new in these 30 albums!

💛 Lena