Month: December 2018

The 2018 Album of the Year

Ghost, Prequelle (Loma Vista) The potential for Ghost to metamorphose into a major headlining rock/metal act was always there, which is why Loma Vista signed the Swedes to a lucrative deal in 2012. Since the 2010 cult favorite Opus Eponymous it’s been a slow build, but over time more and more curious listeners have been […]

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The 2018 Track of the Year

Ghost, “Dance Macabre” Lurking sneakily on side two of Ghost’s revelatory fourth album, “Dance Macabre” is not only a raucous depiction of dancing the night away in the face of impeding doom, but a pitch-perfect celebration of classic pop metal from the 1980s. Fitting somewhere between Also Nova’s “Fantasy” and Blue Öyster Cult’s “Dancing in […]

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The Best Tracks of 2018, #2

2. Robyn, “Missing U” “Can’t make sense of all of the pieces of my own delusions,” Robyn sings on her masterful comeback single, “Can’t take all these memories / Don’t know how to use ‘em.” In one sense, it’s the classic Robyn narrative that permeated such classic singles as “Dancing on My Own” and “Call […]

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The Best Albums of 2018, #2

2. Christine and the Queens, Chris (Because) Back in 2015, I was at the Osheaga fest in Montreal and went to check out a new artist called Christine and the Queens on one of the side stages. Because she was French and had achieved some trans-Atlantic success in Quebec, she drew a sizable crowd, and […]

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The Best Tracks of 2018, #3

3. Billie Eilish, “You Should See Me in a Crown” After releasing a pair of viral pop singles, teenager Billie Eilish sent listeners’ jaws straight to the floor with the minimalist “You Should See Me in a Crown”. Equal parts hip-hop and avant-garde electronic, the track is dominated by producer (and Eilish’s brother) Finneas O’Connell’s […]

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The Best Albums of 2018, #3

3. Sleep, The Sciences (Third Man) It was admittedly cute seeing Sleep reunite after a long dormancy, and their headlining performance at Roadburn 2012 was the stuff of legend. Seriously, that show in Holland was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever attended. But it was a good novelty, a seemingly quick diversion […]

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