Our Annual Orgy of Self-Congratulation, Grandstanding & Overconsumption : Matador Artists & Staff Select Their 2018 Favorites

December 18th, 2018 at 3:33 pm by Gerard

(Matador's 2018 Person Of The Year Jered Thretin wants you to know that by reading these lists, you're part of the illusion)

Around this time every year, your long-suffering editor attempts to coax a list of favorite recordings, books, television programs, life events, etc. out of the label’s artist roster and our show business friends. In the past, the exercise has been an exacting process, fraught with nagging, teeth-gnashing and no shortage of reluctant participants, some of whom actually changed labels or places of employment or their identities/physical appearances to avoid the chore. Even worse, we sometimes overlook persons currently recording for or working for the record label (either that or they’ve saving their lists for a website people actually read).

For some historical perspective, here’s last year’s selections. Questions or comments about our crap taste and/or inexplicable omissions are welcome (but NOT THAT WELCOME) . And without further ado, let the coronation of Mitski commence – GC)

Britt Daniel, Spoon

Top 18 NYC Shows, 2018
The Byrds + Marty Stuart - Town Hall, Sept 24
Gerald Clayton - Village Vanguard, Aug 1
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas - Connollys, Jan 26
Heart Bones - Brooklyn Bazaar, Nov 30
Thee Oh Sees - Warsaw, Oct 19
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, June 20
Nine Inch Nails - Radio City, Oct 13
Hamilton Leithauser - Cafe Carlyle, Jan 25
!!! - Industry City, Sept 22
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Bowery Ballroom, Sept 15
Alejandro Escovedo - Knitting Factory, Sept 9
Paul Simon - MSG, Sept 21
Bodega - Elsewhere, Aug 23
Morris Day + The Time - Sony Hall, Aug 11
Nick Cave - Barclays, Oct 26
Jon Batiste - Village Vanguard, Nov 3
JD McPherson - Brooklyn Bowl, Dec 4
Elton John - MSG, Nov 8

top 12 NYC margaritas, 2018:
El Camion, Ave A
Chilos, Franklin Ave Brooklyn
Castros, Myrtle Ave Brooklyn
La Esquina, Kenmare
Chela, 5th Ave Brooklyn


Don Chignon, Flatbush Ave Brooklyn
Tacombi, Lafayette Ave Brooklyn
Agave, 7th Ave
Vida Verde, 55th St
Cafe Habana, Prince St
La Contenta Oeste, 11th St
Sweet & Vicious, Spring St

Alex Fishel, Spoon

best shows:
guerilla toss - zebulon
roger waters - laxness arena
ethan gruska - bootleg theater
fell runner - zebulon
david byrne - shrine auditorium
sparks - palace theatre
moaning - best kept secret
olivia kaplan - zebulon

best recordings:
blake mills - look



adrianne lenker - abysskiss
alessandro cortini / lawrence english - immediate horizon
wand - perfume
julian cubillos - in heaven
lala lala - the lamb
dur-dur band - dur dur of somalia vol 1, vol 2
underworld / iggy pop - teatime dub encounters

Steve Gunn
2018
Daniel Carter, Hamid Drake, William Parker set at Troost
Marc Morgan last solo show in NYC for a while at Union Pool
Joshua Abrahms Natural Information Society at the Hideout, Chicago
Drinking wine with Roy Montgomery in ChristChurch
Jessica Pratt
Richard Thompson
Coolio coming to my show in LA and saying what’s up after my set.
Yo La Tengo
Loren Connors & Alan Licht Duo
Mathew Shipp
Tom Carter /Pat Murano Duo at Luncheonette
Heron Oblivion
Bob Dylan doing a 15 minute band melt version of Blowing in The Wind at the Met in Philadelphia. I rushed the stage
Ka Baird
Body Head
Sun Ra Arkestra



Flying in two seater biplane with no windows around New Zealand with a fan who offered to take me on a flight the morning after my show.
Jennifer Castle
World of Echo record store London
Watching Dave Burrell play piano while sitting directly above him from the balcony


Andrew Katz, Car Seat Headrest

1 Trait Danger, 1 Trait High

Ryan Mahan, Algiers

Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy
Gazelle  - Twin Pastoral


Bambara  - Shadow on Everything
Harrga - La Mer
Wetware  - Automatic Drawing
Albedo Fantastica  - Culvert and Starry Night
Hiro Kone -  Pure Expenditure
Uniform - The Long Walk
Daughters -  You Won’t Get What You Want
Krimewatch Krimewatch

Bill Nace, Body/Head

Madison Palffy, SCDT, Northampton MA
Mountain Movers, Ortlieb's ,Philadelphia PA
Bill Orcutt, Johnny Brenda's ,Philadlephia PA
Gunn/Truscinski Duo, Great Scott, Boston MA
Simone Forti /Charlamagne Palestine,  LA CA
RP BOO, Philamoca, Phiadlephia PA
Wheatie Mattiasich, Caroline's Place, Baltimore MD
Jana Rush, Cropped Out Fest, Louisville KY
Pengo, The Liquor Store, Rochester NY
Angst Hase Pfeffer Nase,  The Lab SF

Mike Hadreas, Perfume Genius

Albums:
Amen Dunes - Freedom



Tierra Whack - Whack World
Julia Holter - Aviary

Books:
“Elmet” by Fiona Mozley
“Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik
“Eileen” by Ottessa Moshfegh

Movies:
Suspiria
Annihilation
Roma
Hereditary

TV:
Succession
The Terror
The Americans

Most of My Listening Went To:
Anita Baker - Rapture
The Sundays - Reading, Writing & Arithmetic
Low - Secret Name
Sade

Elias Rønnenfelt, Iceage
Lee Tesche, Algiers

Top 5 staff 2018, in order
1. Gerard
2. Lombardi
3. Patrick
4. Josh
5. Shira
Honorable Mention: Natalie


Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest

Milton Nascimento - A Festa (Acústico)
Of montreal - White is Relic/Irrealis Mood



kendall : ) - hey
Jandek - Los Angeles Friday



12 Ensemble - Resurrection https://youtu.be/kcPl34KMufg


Matthew Tong, Algiers

SHOW:
GAS - Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville TN

RECORDS:
Marie Davidson - "Working Class Woman"


Hiro Kone - "Pure Expenditure"

TELLY:
The Handmaid's Tale, Season 2: The travails of Offred beyond the original novel had no reason to be this compelling, yet they were.
Atlanta, Season 2: Ageing out in the music industry so beautifully portrayed here.
My Beautiful Friend: obvs.

FILM:
Nico, 1988

FOOTBALL:

AFC Bournemouth 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd, Dean Court, 24th February: The plucky Cherries scored twice in the last 10 minutes to tie things up and leave Ryan Mahan with a whole lot of egg on his face.

BEST CELEBRITY BEEF:
Lana Del Rey vs Azalea Banks

BEST VIEW:
Castelmola, Sicily

MOST PENIS PARAPHERNALIA GATHERED IN ONE PLACE:
Caffe Bar Turrisi, Castelmola, Sicily
(honourable mention to the Air BnB in Chinatown NYC for the suitcase full of dildos hidden beneath the couch)

BEST RAVE:
Mouth Your Body, Show Nightclub, NYC, April 27-28

WORST AFTERS:
Bushwick A/V, NYC, April 28

BEST FANCY MEAL:
Kachka, Portland OR

BEST BAR FOOD:
Cheesesteak @ Old Pink, Buffalo NY

BEST GOTH CLUB:
Rebound, Athens, Greece

MOST PUNCHABLE BORDER CONTROL GUARDS:
Greece, Croatia

Kurt Vile

Nepotismic Reticulum: 10 faves 2018
“Solid Silk” - Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
“Need A Little Time” - Courtney Barnett
“Blue From the Dark” - DRINKS
“Sleeping Volcanoes” - Cass McCombs
“Summer’s End” - John Prine
“Elk River Blues” - Nathan Bowles
“Thanksgiving Song” - Grouper
“Shortwave” - Yo La Tengo



“This Time Around” - Jessica Pratt
“New Moon” - Steve Gunn

Patrick Amory, Matador Records



1. Ned Collette - Old Chestnut (it records/Feeding Tube)
2. The Goon Sax - We're Not Talking (Chapter Music/Wichita)
3. Charlie Tweddle - The Unseen Sound of Music(Mighty Mouth)
4.Jon Hopkins - Singularity (Domino)
5. Spiritualized - "Let's Dance" from And Nothing Hurt (Bella Union/Fat Possum)
6. Kali Malone - Organ Dirges 2016-2017 (Ascetic House)
7. The continuing incredible restoration work being done by RS3D
8. Music of Northern Laos (Akuphone)
9. Kikagaku Moyo - Masana Temples (Guruguru Brain)
10.Against All Logic – 2012-2017 (Other People)
11. DJ Lilocox - Paz & Amor (Principe)
12. Fucked Up - Dose Your Dreams (Merge)
13. Mr. Fingers - Cerebral Hemispheres (Alleviated)
14. serpentwithfeet - Soil (Tri-Angle/Secretly Canadian)
15. Theo Parrish - Preacher's Comin/Gullah Geechee (Sound Signature)
16. Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace (Joyful Noise)

Chris Bithell, Beggars
Favourite Trax of 2018 (not all released this year)



CCFX - The One To Wait [DFA]
Nickodemus - Night Blooming Jasmines [Wonderwheel]
Theophilus London feat. Giggs - Bebey (SN1 Road Mix) [My Bebey]
Amadou & Mariam - Filaou Bessame (Cerrone Remix) [Because]
Insecure Men - Subaru Nights [Fat Possum]
The Fall - Telephone Dub [Fontana/Cog Sinister]
Soulwax - Essential Three [DEEWEE]
Brockhampton - 1997 DIANA [Question Everything]
Dita Von Teese & Sebastien Tellier - Bird of Prey (Bullion Remix) [Record Makers]
The Staple Singers - If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) [Stax]
Petite Noir - Blame Fire [Roya]
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Body Move (Bag Raiders Remix) [Nice Age]
N.E.R.D feat. Ed Sheeran - Lifting You [Columbia]
Red Axes - Musica Electronique [!K7]
The Chats - Smoko [Hot Wax]
Errorsmith - I'm Interesting, Cheerful & Sociable [PAN]
Q Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses (Demo 2) [Mon Amie]

Sebastian Bollet, Beggars Group


ALBUMS
THEE OH SEES - Smote Reverser
FLAVIEN BERGER - Contre-Temps



SABA - Care For Me
BEAK> - >>>
OUGHT - Room Inside The World
YVES TUMOR - Safe In The Hands of Love
AMEN DUNES - Freedom
BODEGA - Endless Scroll
LOW - Double Negative

MOVIES
THE GUILTY by Gustav Möller
WOMAN AT WAR by Benedikt Erlingsson
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT by Lars Von Trier
GIRL by Lukas Dhont

CONCERTS
DAVID BYRNE at The Paris Philharmonie
RYLEY WALKER at Point Ephémère
KAMAAL WILLIAMS at New Morning
ARCADE FIRE at Bercy
JON HOPKINS at Trianon

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE



Cycling through the Apuseni natural park in Transylvania

Nick Boyd, b4 Sounds / Beggars Group

Dance:
Unknown To The Unknown’s demolition of 2018:
? X-Coast - XTC EP [Hot Haus Recs / UTTU]
? Kornél Kovács - Metropolis EP [UTTU]
? Vin Sol - Dance Trax Vol. 14 [Dance Trax / UTTU]
? SE62 - Good Days EP [Hot Haus Recs / UTTU]
? Lauren Flax - Dance Trax, Vol. 16 [Dance Trax / UTTU]
? Addison Groove & Bim Sanga Present: Bags Inc. - Dance Trax Vol. 17 [Dance Trax / UTTU]
? Contactless - Static EP [UTTU]
? Bell Towers - My Body is a Temple [UTTU]
? DJ Steaw - Heaven EP [Hot Haus Recs / UTTU]

Róisín Murphy and Maurice Fulton’s legend making 2018 four killer twelve inch run on Vinyl Factory. Beautiful design by Bráulio Amado as well:
? Plaything / Like
? The Rumble / World’s Crazy
? Jacuzzi Rollercoaster / Can’t Hang On (feat. Ali Love)
? All My Dreams / Innocence

Krystal Klear’s blockbuster twelve inches:
? Club Studies [Hot Haus Recs / UTTU]
? The Division [Running Back]

The fantastic debut year of Murlo’s Coil Records:
? Sharda - Sharda EP // Huge release, big time favorite
? Murlo & Conducta - “Together”
? Shara - “One Kiss Refix”
? Murlo & S-Type - “Make Believe”
? Sharda & Bassboy - “Drifting”

Luca Lozano - Boss Moves [Running Back]
Eris Drew / Octo Octa - Devotion [Naive]
Malik Hendricks - Introducing Malik Hendricks EP [Bumpin’ Somethin’]



Off The Meds - The Meds Are Kicking In esp. “No B No E”
Niles Cooper - House Gospel EP [Super Tuff]
Dirty Channels vs. Danny Russell / Frazelle - Watchin Out [Athens of The North]
Minimal Violence - MVX / U41A [Technicolour]
AceMo - AceMo EP [Vanity Press] esp. “Get It From The Sound”
VA - Gemišt Part I [House Is OK] esp. Kornél Kovács’ massive “House Is OK”
Shan - Run Tings EP [Running Back]
Sully / FaltyDL - 2 Bad Mice Remixes [Sneaker Social Club]
Asquith - The Conditioning Track [Asquith]
Strategy - Future Shock [The Nite Owl Diner]
Abby Echiverri - Ab Initio [The Bunker New York]
Pangaea - Bone Sucka [Hessle Audio]
Giant Swan - Whities 016 [Whities]
Finn - Dance Music Has Betrayed Us All [Local Action]
Girls of the Internet - Remember My Name [Drab Queen]
Conny - Song For Eva [Cold Tonic]
Local Artist - Dancer / Dreamer [Mood Hut]
Missing Channel - FJAAK 002 // “Onslaught (FJAAK Remix)” is massive
aamourocean - Enjoy The Silence [Casual Gabberz]
Jayda G - Sacred Spaces [JMG Recordings]
Jayda G / Alexa Dash - Diva Bitch [Freakout Cult]
Syclops - Pink Rose [Running Back]
Peggy Gou - Once [Ninja Tune]
DJ Sprinkles / Hardrock Striker - Skylax House Explosion (Under The Loft) / Skylax House Explosion (Under The Ballroom) ?/ Skylax House Explosion (Under The Garage) [Skylax]
Tony G - Onto/Off One [Sorry Records]
Tony G - ACID TONY [Sorry Records]
Jachary - The Virus Continues… B-Sides and Remixes
Cranklin - City Slicker [Sorry Records]
Stick Figure - FIGUR01 / FIGUR02 [Sorry Records]
Lanlord Lance - Night Sweats Box Set [Sorry Records]
DJ Lag - Stampit EP [Goon Club Allstars]
Clapman - Clapman [Party Central] esp. “Clapman (Kane West Original Mix)”
Danvers - Interludes [WotNot] esp. “Aye Ata”
Another Alias - Creep On The Couch [White of My Eyes]
V/A - Fatherhood Presents Bad Advice, Vol. 1 [Nervous]
V/A - Jubilee Presents: Magic City Vol. 4 esp. Lauren Flax’s “Work Dat” and AceMo’s “Just Waiting 4 U, Tonight (Ann Marie)”
Soundbwoy Killah - “Oh Baby” [Warehouse Rave]
Darling - “Estimu” [Safe Trip]
Alfie Casanova - “Urchin” [CALM]
DJ Lag / DJ Vumar / Biggie - “Jika” [Ice Drop]
Yaeji - “One More”
MOONOVERSUN - “GIRLS/BOYS (Jennifer Walton Remix)”
DJ Boo Man - “Jess H Bmore Anthem”
DJ E-Clyps - “Pancakes” [Classic Music Company]
Basside - “QLCL (DRUMMy's Endless Torment Megamix)” [Sorry Records]
Sharda / Shanique Marie - “Wanna Know” [Swing Ting]

Mixes
Eris Drew's 'Thundering Goddess Mix' [Mixmag]
HER DAMIT Podcast #28 / Eris Drew (Motherbeat)
RA.604 Eris Drew [Resident Advisor]
DJ Haus Enters The Unknown Vol. 2 [UTTU]
DISCWOMAN 40 x Octo Octa (Polyglamorous Year 3)
Frendzone with Octo Octa & Eris Drew @ The Lot Radio 07/26/2018
Octo Octa | Boiler Room x Is Burning ADE
Geoffrey LaRue - Gay Interest (1962-1981)
Crack Mix 207 – Sharda
Wrecked @ CDA August 2018 (Main Room) 12 - 4
Hunee Boiler Room BUDx Seoul DJ Set
Gerd Janson Boiler Room x Sugar Mountain 2018 DJ Set

Parties/DJ Sets/Shows:
Love Injection Universal Love 001 - 004
Frendzone! // Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa - Good Room
Octo Octa All Night - Good Room
Eris Drew - Sustain-Release
SHYBOI - Sustain-Release
Minimal Violence - Sustain-Release
Legowelt - Sustain-Release
Honey Dijon - Mister Sunday - Nowadays
Noncompliant - Technofeminism - Bossa Nova Civic Club
Soul Summit - Fort Greene Park
Octo Octa - All Nighter - Nowadays
SOPHIE - Elsewhere
Danny L Harle - HARLECOR3 - Sunnyvale
The Lot Radio 2 Year Anniversary
Wrecked (Ron Like Hell/Ryan Smith) w/ Jeffrey Sfire
Wrecked w/ Matrixxman


Emma Buchanan, Matador Records

The Goon Sax - We're Not Talking
Ned Collette - Old Chestnut
Roy Montgomery - Suffuse
Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman


Guttersnipe - My Mother the Vent
Miranda Winters - Xobeci, What Grows Here?
Julia Holter - Aviary
Girl Pusher - 911
Demdike Stare - Passion
Mitski - Be the Cowboy
U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited
ANMLPLNET - Fall Asleep
SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES
Low - Double Negative
Caroline Says - No Fool Like an Old Fool
Not For You - Drown



Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake

Martin Collins, Beggars Group

10. Melody’s Echo Chamber - ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’
It took six years, a cancelled tour, and an unspecified “serious accident”, but we finally got another album from Melody Prochet.

9. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - ‘Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays’
For the longest time I was convinced this was a Steely Dan track.

8. Anderson .Paak - ‘Tints (feat. Kendrick Lamar)’
Because even as a feature to Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar had to sneak his way into another end-of-year list.

7. HMLTD - ‘Proxy Love’
Honestly, I have no idea. This one sounds like schlager.

6. The Babe Rainbow - ‘Eureka’
Who is Greggo? Where did he go?

5. Parcels - ‘Lightenup’
I imagine this is what happens if you listen to Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ on loop until you pass out.

4. Khruangbin - ‘Maria También’
Wig-wearing Texans making Thai Funk. Obviously.

3. Tempesst - ‘A Little Bit of Trouble’
I really do wonder what possessed Tempesst to move from Australia to the cold of London, but I’m glad they did.

2. Post Animal - ‘Ralphie’
Remember Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) from Stranger Things? Well, he’s in a band and they’re pretty great.

1. Goat - ‘Let It Burn’
“The Gävle Goat is a Christmas display erected annually in Gävle, Sweden. It is a giant goat figure made of straw. It has become famous for being destroyed in arson attacks, and despite security measures, the goat has been burned to the ground thirty-seven times since its first appearance in 1966.” The song is good too.

Gerard Cosloy, Matador Records

Yuzo Iwata - Daylight Moon ?(Siltbreeze)



Rosali ?- Trouble Anyway (Scissor Tail / Spinster Sounds)
Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt - Brace Up! (Palilalia Records)
David Nance Group - Peaced & Slightly Pulverized (Trouble In Mind)



Lena Hessels - Billow (Terp)
Deaf Wish - Lithium Zion (Sub Pop)
Uniform - The Long Walk (Sacred Bones)
Marlowe - s/t (Mello Music Group)
Armand Hammer - Paraffin (Backwoodz Studio)
Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death In Meat Space (Joyful Noise)
Heather Leigh - Throne (Editions Mego)
Counter Intuits - "Vietnamese Lighter" (Total Punk)
Obnox - Bang Messiah (Smog Veil)
Träden, s/t (Subliminal Sounds/Gåshud)
Rattle - Sequence (Upset The Rhythm)
The Goon Sax - We're Not Talking (Wichita)
Thalia Zedek - Fighting Season ?(Thrill Jockey)
Salad Boys - This Is Glue (Trouble In Mind)
Civic - New Vietnam (Anti-Fade)
Jon Spencer - Spencer Sings The Hits (In The Red)
Various Artists - Wound (Carbon)



ISS - s/t EP (Sorry State)
Midnight Mines - Invisible Insurrection Of A Million Minds (Loki)
Charalambides: Tom And Christina Carter (Drawing Room)
Wingtip Sloat - Purge and Swell/Lost Decade (VHF)
Fuck - The Band (Vampire Blues)



Lewsberg - s/t LP

The Kids  / The Real Kids ?– 1974 Demos / 1977/78 Demos/Live (Crypt)
Wet Tuna - Livin The Die (Feeding Tube)
Bad Sports - Constant Stimulation (Dirtnap)
Mazoma - Stark Joy (Feeding Tube)
Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore - Ghost Forests (Three Lobed)
F.U.K - “Roadkill” b/w “I Got A Head”  7" (Hozac)
Heavy Metal EP  - (Total Punk)
Wax Chattels - s/t (Captured Tracks)
Kuzu - Hiljaisuus (Astral Spirits)



Eyelids - Maybe More (Jealous Butcher)

live


Mdou Moctar, PhillyMOCA
Deaf Wish, Slim's /Hopscotch Fest Raleigh NC, Murphy's/Goner Fest, Memphis, Barracuda Austin
Vampire Belt, Union Pool, Brooklyn


The Scientists, Beerland, Austin
Wire, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa Myths
This Is Not This Heat, Union Park, Chicago



ExEk, Hotel Vegas, Austin



Matthew Lux's Communications Arts Quartet, Barracuda, Austin
Xylouris White, Beerland, Austin
S.H.I.T., Mohawk, Austin
Loren Connors, Wonders Of Nature, Brooklyn
too many times / most times : Chronophage, Temple Of Angels



"Milford Graves Full Mantis" (dir - Jake Meginsky)

Steve Cross, Remote Control
Melbourne 2018 :



Tropical Fuck Storm: You Let My Tyres Down
Cash Savage & the Last Drinks: Pack Animals
Gena Rose Bruce: The Way You Make Love
Laura Jean: Girls On The TV
Grand Salvo: All Those Stars
Lowtide: Alibi
Winternationale: Eulogies
Moon Rituals: Sky Dance
HTRK Mentions
Mildlife: The Magnificent Moon (Tornado Wallace Remix)

Giulia Distaso, Spin-Go!

BEST ALBUMS - in no particular order

AUTECHRE NTS Sessions 1-4 (Warp)
ZULI Terminal (UIQ)
LOW Double Negative (Sub Pop)
BODY/HEAD The Switch (Matador)
GAZELLE TWIN Pastoral (Anti-Ghost Moon Ray)
GUTTERSNIPE My Mother The Vent (Upset The Rhythm)
700 BLISS Spa 700 (Don Giovanni Records)
JPEGMAFIA Veteran (Deathbomb Arc)
YOUNG ECHO Young Echo (Young Echo Records)
CONDUIT Drowning World (Kitschy Spirit)
HANK WOOD & THE HAMMERHEAD Hank Wood & The Hammerheads (Toxic State)
IDIOTA CIVILIZZATO Idiota Civilizzato (Static Shock Records)

BEST OF ITALIAN UNDERGROUND

SABA SABA Saba Saba (Maple Death Records)



HOLIDAY INN Torbido (Maple Death Records)
HEROIN IN TAHITI Casilina Tapes 2010-2017 (Boring Machines)
LUCTA Black Magic Punk (Occult Punk Gang)
HEITH Laguna (Haunter Records)

Malcolm Donaldson, Matador Records







Marissa Esposito, Beggars Group
Albums:
Shame – Songs of Praise
Mitski- Be The Cowboy
The Goon Sax- We’re Not Talking
Earl Sweatshirt- Some Rap Songs
Let’s Eat Grandma- I’m All Ears
Parquet Courts- Wide Awake!
Ty Segall and White Fence – Joy
Vince Staples- FM!
Flasher- Constant Image


Swearin’- Fall into the Sun
Noname- Room 25
John Maus- Addendum
Snail Mail- Lush
Saba- CARE FOR ME
Iceage- Beyondless
IDLES- Joy as an Act of Resistance.

 Songs:
(no particular order or from albums listed above)
Sorry- Starstruck
Ovlov- Spright
Lala Lala- Destroyer
Goat Girl- The Man
Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Hunnybee
Courtney Barnett- Need A Little Time
Frank Ocean- Moon River
BODEGA- Name Escape
Yellow Days- What’s It All For?
Porches- Find Me
Joey Purp- Elastic
boygenius- Me & My Dog
Sneaks- Money Don’t Grow on Trees

Live Shows:
Homeshake @ Market Hotel
SXSW in Austin, TX
Ty Segall @ Brooklyn Steel
Mount Kimbie @ Brooklyn Steel
King Krule @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Parquet Courts @ Elsewhere
Radiohead @ MSG
BROCKHAMPTON @ Terminal 5
Iceage @ Secret Project Robot
Shame @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mitski @ Brooklyn Steel

Rian Fossett, Matador Records

Amen Dunes -- Freedom
Tirzah -- Devotion
Adriane Lenker -- abysskiss
Earl Sweatshirt -- Some Rap Songs
Mark Renner -- Few Traces
Olden Yolk -- s/t
Damien Durado -- The Horizon Just Laughed
Sunshine EP -- s/t
Against All Logic -- s/t
Jenny Hval EP --  The Long Sleep
A$AP Rocky -- Testing
Yves Tumor -- Safe In The Hands of Love


 

Matt Harmon, Beggars Group
Shira Knishkowy, Matador Records
Noam Klar, Matador Records

Amen Dunes - Believe
Baby Jayy - Out The Rain
Boothroyd - Pure Country
Chrystal - 2 Real
DJ Healer - The Interview
DJ Oblong - Speed Your Rage To Me
Drake - Nice For What
Ella Mai - Boo'd Up
The Garden - :(
Gucci Mane feat. Migos - I Got The Bag
Ikonika - Assisted Retweet
The Internet - Come Over
John T Gast - Club Version
Kadhja Bonet - Delphine
Kanye West - Ghost Town
Kids See Ghosts - Reborn
Mary Lattimore - It Feels Like Floating
Playboi Carti feat. Lil Uzi Vert - Shoota
Raar - Le Sacrifice Moral
Skee Mask - Vli

Andy Larsen, Matador Direct

 



Sarah Davachi - Let Night Come On Bells End The Day (Recital) / Gave In Rest (Ba Da Bing!) - Albums refreshingly produced by an atheist woman conjuring a non-secular sound with an evocation of architecture and place rather than of personal spirituality. Beautiful, non-deceptive odes to religious moments, spaces, and influences from a non-believer.
Demdike Stare - Passion (Modern Love)
Lavender Hex - Lavender Hex
Gas - Rausch (Kompakt)
Jlin - Autobiography (Music From Wayne McGregor's Autobiography) (Planet Mu)
S.H.I.T. - What Do You Stand For? (Iron Lung Records)
Drew McDowall - The Third Helix (Dais Records)



Miss Red - K.O. (Pressure)
Vile Gash - Nightmare In A Troubled Brain (Youth Attack)
Tirzah - Devotion (Domino)
Helena Hauff - Qualm (Ninja Tune)
Albums:
GOAT GIRL “Goat Girl”
VILLAGERS “The Art Of Pretending To Swim”



MOUNT EERIE “Now Only”
EVERYTHING IS RECORDED “Everything Is Recorded”
ICEAGE “ Beyondless”
MARIANNE FAITHFULL “Negative Capability”

Songs:
SALMO “90MIN”
DAUGHTER “All I Wanted – Live At Asylum Chapel”
THE KILLS “List Of Demands (Reparations)”
MOSES SUMNEY “Rank & File”
CHILDISH GAMBINO “This is America”
BEIRUT “Gallipoli”
IDLES “Colossus”
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE “Hunger”
BALTHAZAR “Fever”
JACK WHITE “Why Walk A Dog?”
THOM YORKE “Suspirium”
SHARON VAN ETTEN “Jupiter”
MARK RONSON feat. Miley Cyrus “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart”

Concerts:
Beyonce & Jay Z @San Siro

Laura Lyons, Beggars Group

albums:
ariana grande - sweetener
bad gyal - worldwide angel
teyana taylor - ktse
jorja smith - lost & found
hana vu - how many times have you driven by
miya folick - premonitions
mac miller - swimming
mitski - be the cowboy
asap rocky - testing
peggy gou - once
tirzah - devotion
deji okeze - so sorry



against all logic - 2012-2017
empress of - us
channel tres - s/t
octavian - spaceman
tierra whack - whack world
cardi b - invasion of privacy
natalie prass - the future & the past

Vinnie Martini, Matador Direct

BEST REPERTORY FILM SCREENINGS OF 2018

1) The Other Side Of The Wind (1976/2018, Orson Welles) - Film Society
of Lincoln Center and MoMA - 35mm



2) Eight Hours Don't Make A Day (1972, Rainer Werner Fassbinder) -
MoMA and Film Forum - DCP

3) Lola Montes (1955, Max Ophuls) - Metrograph - 35mm



4) Laughing Anne (1953, Herbert Wilcox) - MoMA - DCP
5) Remember My Name (1978, Alan Rudolph) - Quad Cinema - 35mm



6) Taking Off (1971, Milos Forman) - Anthology Film Archives - 35mm



7) A Moment Of Innocence (1996, Mohsen Makhmalbaf) - Metrograph and MoMA - 35mm



8) Canyon Passage (1946, Jacques Tourneur) - Film Society of Lincoln
Center - 35mm



9) Come Back To The Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982, Robert
Altman) - Museum of the Moving Image - 35mm
10) Amazing Grace (1972/2018, Sydney Pollack) - Film Forum - DCP

MOST HONORABLE MENTION TO:



The Leopard (1963, Luchino Visconti) which I viewed theatrically 3
times in 2018.

Ryan Naideau, Rough Trade

sarah davachi - gave in rest
julee cruise - the voice of love
adrienne lenker - abysskiss
earl sweatshirt - some rap songs
amen dunes - freedom
lisa o’neill - heard a long gone song
teyana taylor - ktse
mount eerie - now only
tozcos - sueños deceptivos
mike - renaissance man
idris ackamoor & the pyramids -an angel fell
twisted thing - lucky 7s demo
asap rocky - testing
mark renner - few traces
idiota civilizzato -st
nines - crop circle
innumerable forms - punishment in flesh

Øyvind Rones, Playground Music

10 AMAZING ALBUMS
Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
Abby Rubin, Beggars Group

Albums/EPs/Songs
Tirzah - Devotion
Amen Dunes - Freedom
Against All Logic - 2012 - 2017
Tierra Whack - Whack World


Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow
Oneotrix Point Never - Love In The Time of Lexapro
Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy
Jenny Hval - Spells
Hollie Cook - Vessel of Love
Westerman - Confirmation, Ark EP
Low - Double Negative
Helena Deland - Claudion
Adrianne Lenker - abysskiss
Kali Uchis - Isolation
Mark Renner - Few Traces (Reissue)
Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman
Viagra Boys - Street Worms
MorMor - Heaven’s Only Wishful
Beach House - 7
Serpentwithfeet - Soil
Okay Kaya - Habitual Love
Julia Holter - Aviary
Empress Of - When I’m With Him
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Nils Frahm - Spells
Amyl and the Sniffers - Cup Of Destiny
A$AP Rocky - Fukk Sleep (feat. FKA Twigs)
Mitski - Nobody
Channel Tres - Controller
Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake (album)
US Girls - In a Poem Unlimited
Smerz - Have Fun EP
Iceage - Beyondless
Liz Phair - Girly Sound to Guyville 25th Anniversary Release
Melanie Sheehan, Rough Trade
Top Karaoke Moments of 2018

Rosemont Bar, Brooklyn NY : Crystal Mesh presents a delightfully intimate karaoke-ki hosted by DJ Paradise. On this particular evening, a young lithe gentleman performed the classically coy 1986 hit “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” by Jermaine Stewart. As the song progressed, said gentleman slowly started removing ALL of his layers (it was March brrRRrr) until he reached the end of the song, and the end of his wardrobe. He finished the number completely nude, holding the mic in one hand, and his bravery in the other.

The Cat’s Meow, New Orleans LA : There’s a tender balance when traveling, to avoid the obvious and embrace the peculiar. But proximity and a Why Not attitude can tip the scales sometimes and lead you to a Bourbon Street (GASP) karaoke bar. Twas the weekend before Halloween, my two favorite things coming together, a time when people can embarrass publically preen visually and audibly in a mélange of chaos. Sexy Jesus was my bartender, a skull masked man sang Thriller like a pro, the staff broke into a line dancing rendition of Footloose, and our favorite socially awkward slasher Michael Myers was spotted waving his machete in glee to the Friends Theme Song. A friend watched the video I took of him, and aptly noted “He’s such a RACHEL”.



The Karaoke Hole (K-Hole to all the clever darlings out there), London UK : I trekked out to this basement haunt by myself one night, because my quest to always find the next best spot is unyielding. When I walked in, a young unassuming man was singing Mariah Carey “Fantasy” and I knew I was in the right place. The scantily clad drag queen host Rhys’ Pieces brought the vibes and an insanely accurate version of Missy Elliott “Work It”, with backwards lyrics and matching choreo to boot.



Celtica Pub, Newport RI : On the heels of my first Newport Folk Festival came a splendiferous night of ‘Roke in a dark Irish bar with a KJ who was deaf in one ear. Walking up to the door of the place, I met my future ex-husband, Cowboy Doug, who had taken the cordless mic outside and was singing on the sidewalk, staring at the crowd through the window. Later on he wowed me with his rendition of Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” , closing with “But do I really feel the way I feel? YEAH I DO, Im really feelin that shit tonight, Bro.”  And yes, he did make that hat.

Emma Strickland, Beggars Group

Gouge Away – Burnt Sugar
Vein – Errorzone
Skee Mask – Compro
Lil Peep – Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2
Nothing – Dance on the Blacktop
Dedekind Cut – Tahoe
Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Fog Lake – Captain
Hovvdy – Cranberry
Touche Amore – Green (Single)
Grouper – Grid of Points
Daniel Avery – Songs for Alpha
Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
6lack – East Atlanta Love Letter
Jacques Greene – Fever Focus
Single Mothers – Through a Wall
GAS – Rausch
Harrison BDP – Confusion of Sound
Shygirl – Cruel Practice
Rich Brian – Amen

Jake Whitener, Matador Records

LP's



Kikagaku Moyo- Masana Temples
Ned Collette- Old Chestnut
Parquet Courts- Wide Awake
The Goon Sax- We're Not Talking
The Cowboy- The Cowboy Album
Aaberg- Albatross
Marlowe- Marlowe
Vera Ellen- Beat Yr Name
Haley Heynderickx- I Need To Start A Garden
Jon Hopkins- Singularity
Illuminati Hotties- Kiss Yr Frenemies
Mourn- Surpresa Familia
Viagra Boys- Street Worms
Marbled Eye- Leisure
JPEGMAFIA- Veteran
Value Void- Sentimental
Lawn- Blood on the Tracks
Daniel Brandt- Channels
Rays- You Can Get There From Here
Olden Yolk- Olden Yolk
Matt Dorrien- In the Key of Grey

EP's



Duval Timothy- 2 Sim
Puma Blue- Blood Loss
Ultra Beauty- Ultra Beauty
Westerman- Ark
MIKE- Black Soap
Public Practice- Distance is a Mirror
Gasper Nali- Zoona Malawi
Draag- Nontoxic Process
Pinch Points- Mechanical Injury
SLUGS- Cool World

Compilations :



Laura Spiegel- The Expanding Universe
Technicolor Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Other Exotic Delights
We Out Here: The Sound of London Jazz
Voyager Gold Record Box Set