Urban75 Album of the Year 2018 - the Results

[Buddy Bradley]

Happy to see #1, I've listened to Janelle Monae a lot this year, it's a great album, almost as good as Beyonce's from 2016.

My full list, the usual collection of indie rock mixed with a bit of hip-hop and pop:

Screaming Females - All At Once
Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
Black Foxxes - Reidi
Iglooghost - Clear Tamei/Steel Mogu EPs
Tune-Yards - I can feel you creep into my private life
Shame - Songs of Praise
The Go! Team - SEMICIRCLE
The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want
Tiny Moving Parts - Swell
Soccer Mommy - Clean
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Mastersystem - Dance Music
IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance
MGMT - Little Dark Age
Everything Is Recorded - Everything Is Recorded
Nas - NASIR
Kanye West - ye
Let’s Eat Grandma - I’m All Ears

4 in the top 30. Really surprised not to see IDLES in there; less surprised but disappointed Shame didn't make it either, that was a really great debut.

 

[Red Cat]

Thanks for doing this again belboid - I usually get quite a bit of new listening out of this every year although I had given most of the top 30 a checking out at some point this time around. My top four are pretty interchangeable as my favourites for the year and I thought the Khruangbin one might have snuck in.

1: Park Jiha - Communion
2: Dreamers' Circus - Rooftop Sessions
3: Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
4: Maarja Nuut and Ruum - Muunduja
5: Afrika Mamas - Iphupho
6: Dur Dur Band - Dur Dur of Somalia Vol 1, Vol 2
7: Various Artists - Gradients Volume 2 (Astrophonica Records)
8: Tirzah - Devotion
9: Odeon - Galaxies
10: Sleep - The Sciences
11: Proc Fiskal - Insula
12: Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch
13: Kamaal Williams - The Return
14: Blood Orange - Negro Swan
15: Issam Rafea and Gao Hong - Life as Is

Been going through your list, love it Maarja Nuut is amazing.

 

[killer b]

Maarja Nuut is amazing

crikey. isn't it.

 

[stavros]

My list:

1. Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace
2. Aphex Twin - Collapse EP
3. DMBQ - Keeenly
4. Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
5. Drew Daniel and John Wiese - Continuous Hole
6. Black Dog - Black Daisy Wheel
7. Cat Power - Wanderer
8. Venetian Snares and Daniel Lanois - Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois
9. Venetian Snares - She Began to Cry Tears of Blood Which Became Little Brick Houses When They Hit the Ground
10. CupcakKe - Ephorize
11. Half Man Half Biscuit - No-one Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get You Fuckin Hedge Cut
12. Mogwai - Kin
13. Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On
14. Somatic Responses - Pattern Finding
15. Andrew WK - You're Not Alone
16. Pinkshinyultrablast - Miserable Miracles
17. Gruff Rhys - Babelsberg
18. Mudhoney - Digital Garbage
19. Grouper - Grid of Points

I'm not wild about Gruff's solo stuff, but I am a bit surprised he didn't make the top 30. Ditto Aphex, although some may have discounted what was an EP.

 

[sankara]

Been going through your list, love it Maarja Nuut is amazing.

Yeah, it’s a great isn’t it. Her previous records are more fiddle-y folk type stuff but she absolutely nailed it with all of the synth work from Ruum on this album. I saw them play live a few weeks back and that was really powerful too. Glad you’re enjoying the list

 

[killer b]

Where do you guys go the rest of the year? You should be updating the recommend an album thread as we go along...

 

[sankara]

That DJ Khalab is great!

I’m only just listening to it now. It really is an absolute smasher!

 

[Nanker Phelge]

This could well be Janelle Monae's greatest ever achievement.....reaching no 1 in the Urban75 Album of the year....

She's gonna struggle to top that...

 

[belboid]

This could well be Janelle Monae's greatest ever achievement.....reaching no 1 in the Urban75 Album of the year....

She's gonna struggle to top that...

ArchAndroid was a much better album

 

[May Kasahara]

It's a shame I didn't hear this earlier or it would have featured in my list: Mucha - Misc. Works

 

[rutabowa]

Another dj khalab late comer fan here.... oof

 

[Spandex]

I'm a bit late coming back to this thread - I seem to have been busy the last week with some bizarre mash up of paganism, Christianity, Victoriana and hyper-capitalism.

Anyway, thanks to belboid for running this. It's the first time for ages an album I like has won - so well done everybody.

And thanks to Indeliblelink for bringing the L'Impératrice album to my attention. The title track is a killer:



Anyway, here's my votes:

Perel – Hermetica
Vive La Void - Vive La Void
Emika - Falling in Love With Sadness
Frost – Matters
Hollie Cook - Vessel of Love
Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage
Odeon - Galaxies
Christine & the Queens - Chris
Gwenno – Le Kov
Ebo Taylor - Yen Ara
Sink Ya Teeth - Sink Ya Teeth
Gabe Gurnsey – Phantasy

No numbers OR quotation marks

 

[stavros]

Will we be having an Album of the Decade vote this time next year, along with the AOTY?

 

[clandestino]

I'm a bit late coming back to this thread - I seem to have been busy the last week with some bizarre mash up of paganism, Christianity, Victoriana and hyper-capitalism.

Anyway, thanks to belboid for running this. It's the first time for ages an album I like has won - so well done everybody.

And thanks to Indeliblelink for bringing the L'Impératrice album to my attention. The title track is a killer:



Anyway, here's my votes:

Perel – Hermetica
Vive La Void - Vive La Void
Emika - Falling in Love With Sadness
Frost – Matters
Hollie Cook - Vessel of Love
Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage
Odeon - Galaxies
Christine & the Queens - Chris
Gwenno – Le Kov
Ebo Taylor - Yen Ara
Sink Ya Teeth - Sink Ya Teeth
Gabe Gurnsey – Phantasy

No numbers OR quotation marks

Must check out that Melody's Echo Chamber album.

 

[May Kasahara]

Also annoyed that I didn't get round to listening to the Robyn album until now, cos that would have also got my vote.

 

[sankara]

It’s a shame I missed this as it would definitely made my list this year. Nothing groundbreaking but an excellent bluegrass record with a few other Americana-y bits in there that is ridiculously listenable. Stupid Mountain Too Big by the Hot Seats

 

[MBV]

Tirzah would have been in my list I reckon - so good

 

[Favelado]

Tirzah would have been in my list I reckon - so good

Great album but she seemed terrified of being on stage when I saw her. She will have to overcome that. It half-ruined the gig

 

[sim667]

The top 25 from what I'd been listening to..

K-orse & Basshound - Black & White
Phatworld - Pure Live-0
Rawkid - Grum, Vol.1
Smiley Maxx - Cloud$
Venz - A Few Venz Riddims
Various - Off Me Nut Allstars Vol. 3
Martyn - Voids
X-Altera - X-Altera
J69 - Bootlegs Vol.1
East Man - Red, White & Zero
Blawen - Wet Will Always Dry
Proc Fiskal - Insula
Ocean Wisdom - Wizville
B-Movie Millionaires - Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds From Outer Space
Gabor Lazar - Unfold
Blocks & Escher - Something Blue
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine
Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman
Djrum - Portrait With Firewood
DJ Taye Still Trippin
Mouse on Mars - Dimensional People
Ruby My Dear - Brame
Skee Mask - Compro
Kaamal Williams - The Return
Vessel - Queen of the Golden Dogs
Low Entropy - Acidcore Collection 2000-2017

Your top 5 is just an Off Me Nut circlejerk

 

[sim667]

1. Little Big - Antipositive, Pt. 1
2. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - Poor until payday
3. The Smashing Pumpkins - SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, VOL. 1/NO PAST. NO FUTURE. NO SUN.
4. The Satan - Hell On Earth LP
5. SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES
6. Marco Polo - A Breukelen Story
7. Jorja Smith - The One
8. Gentlemen’s Dub Club - Pound for Pound
9. AURORA - Infections Of A Different Kind - Step 1
10. Parly B - Lyrics Spree
11. Milo - budding ornithologists are weary of tired analogies
12. Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
13. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
14. Skee Mask - Compro

Except after submitting, I realised I'd put smashing pumpkins in twice.

I think 3 of mine made it in.

 

[Favelado]

I was sceptical about Rosalía but it's been worth the repeat listenings, and getting better all the time. No doubt cultural appropriation police will have a warrant out for her soon (not gypsy - not even Andalúz - despite her use of form, accent, and dialect), but I am a fan. I didn't see her in anyone's lists here, might have missed it.

Dressed as Britney, referencing Justin/Timbaland, and mixing beats with Flamenco in a way that doesn't sound forced is an impressive feat.

Here she's crying someone a river.

 

[May Kasahara]

This was my list:

Slow Mass - On Watch
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Soccer Mommy - Clean
Low - Double Negative
Telpor Nexus - Neverend
Junglepussy - JP3
Stick In The Wheel - Follow Them True

Had I got round to listening to Mucha and Robyn before the cut off, Robyn might well have been at number one instead of Slow Mass, and Mucha somewhere in the middle.

 

[Threshers_Flail]

I was sceptical about Rosalía but it's been worth the repeat listenings, and getting better all the time. No doubt cultural appropriation police will have a warrant out for her soon (not gypsy - not even Andalúz - despite her use of form, accent, and dialect), but I am a fan. I didn't see her in anyone's lists here, might have missed it.

Dressed as Britney, referencing Justin/Timbaland, and mixing beats with Flamenco in a way that doesn't sound forced is an impressive feat.

Here she's crying someone a river.

I've tried 'getting it,' this post might make me give it another go! The cultural appropriation is jokes, proper naughty that.

 

[ska invita]

12 Hailu Mergia - Lala Belu.

The Ethiopian keyboard maestro releases his first album in fifteen years, and it's 'like a Bedouin farce in the desert' - which I'm guessing is a good thing.

14 Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids - An Angel Fell.

Cosmic jazz that uses folklore, fantasy and drama as a warning bell (Not on the Spotify playlist, sadly)

I'm a year late to this but just to say these two jazz records are brilliant. More often than not I like my jazz to have a solid groove and these two both do that, but yeah, both really innovative whilst staying accessible.