Almost Mainstream: Favourite Songs From 2018

As is my tradition, I’ve once again made a mixtape of my favourite songs of the past year. I definitely spent a lot less time listening to a wide range of tracks in 2018, instead putting a few favourite albums on repeat, or getting into artist discographies (notable discoveries for me this year were Lee Hazelwood, the songwriting of Nile Rodgers and the compositions of João Gilberto).

On the album side, my three favourites of the year were Cadence Weapon‘s Cadence Weapon, the Arkells‘ Rally Cry and Jessie Reyez‘s Being Human in Public. Other albums I put on repeat came from Shad, Shy Kids, Fucked Up and Saltwater Hank, as well as the re-issue/remix of the Beatles‘ White Album, and I suspect I’ll be going back to Kacy Musgraves and Jeremy Dutcher in years to come, though I haven’t listened to them as deeply as the others this year.

On the concert side, my favourite performance of the year that I saw (via livestream) was Beyoncé headlining Coachella which, had it come out as a live album, would also have been my favourite of the year. Locally, good times were had seeing Kym Gouchie, Danny Bell, Children of the Wave, Saltwater Hank and Flying Machine— all of whom are connected with a brand-new record label in town, Good Egg Records— and represented with tracks on my mixtape.

As always, I have followed the Said the Gramophone rules for year-end lists which is that these are songs I heard for the first time in 2018, and no artist is to appear more than once with the exception of guest appearances (which is why Cardi B and Chance the Rapper show up twice).

There are some songs that didn’t quite make the cut that are still good, and many more that I probably didn’t hear that are even better, but these are the ones that I spent time with and mark memories from the year that was.

You can stream on Mixcloud, listen to the Spotify playlist (none of the local artists are available there, though– find them on Bandcamp) and download the mp3.

Previous years: 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

Track list:

The Fool Pt 1 (Get it Got it Good) – Shad
Missing U – Robyn
City Looks Pretty – Courtney Barnett
Finesse (Remix) [feat. Cardi B] – Bruno Mars
Happy Man – Jungle
thank u, next – Ariana Grande
Body Count – Jessie Reyez
High Horse – Kacey Musgraves
High Rise – Cadence Weapon
FACES – The Blaze
Love It If We Made It – The 1975
I Like It – Cardi B
No Brainer – DJ Khaled
Night Shift – Lucy Dacus
Returning – Paul White
GTFO – Mariah Carey
Nevermore – Milk & Bone
Paper – Danny Bell
Jealousy – Macy Gray
Shirtsleeves to Shirtsleeves- Flying Machine
High Hopes – Panic! At The Disco
Party For One – Carly Rae Jepsen
Make Me Feel – Janelle Monáe
Body – Loud Luxury
X – Nicky Jam
Solo (feat. Demi Lovato) – Clean Bandit
Lost In Japan – Shawn Mendes
This Is America – Childish Gambino
Rabbit’s Revenge (feat. Bassnectar, Big Boi, and Killer Mike) – Tom Morello
The Warriors – Snotty Nose Rez Kids
APESHIT – The Carters
Majesty (feat. Waisu) – Apashe
Killmonger – Ludwig Goransson
I Feel Like a Failure – shy kids
Catahoula Man – Generationals
My Own Thing (feat. Joey Purp) – Chance the Rapper
Nice For What – Drake
Better Now- Post Malone
My My My! – Troye Sivan
Relentless – Arkells
Raise Your Voice Joyce – Fucked Up
Lord of This World – Children of the Wave
If You Know You Know – Pusha T
PROM / KING – Saba
Waniska – Kym Gouchie and Northern Sky
Mehcinut – Jeremy Dutcher
Lay Low – Dan Mangan
liability (demo) – Tove Styrke
Mexico Sunrise – La Dante
Fish Cannery – Saltwater Hank