Top 89 of 2018: Cecilia Johnson, digital producer
December 04, 2018
Every year, I start prepping for this in October. I love interviewing artists, assembling features, and hey, even attending certain meetings — but dedicating quality time to music is the best part of my job. Thank you, members and other readers, for supporting The Current.
Top 10 songs of 2018
Parliament – "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me (feat. Scarface)"
Funk spins off this song like sludge off tires. The late Junie Morrison hawks up an incredible bass line, and George Clinton rasps through Parliament's first new music in 38 years.
Ariana Grande – "No Tears Left To Cry"
As far as play counts go, this floodlit single ruled my 2018.
Cardi B – "I Like It (feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin) [Dillon Francis Remix]"
The Cardi B original weaves Nuyorican boogaloo into Latin trap. In this remix, producer Dillon Francis is a cyclist pedalling as fast as he can, pushing "I Like It" through a rigorous course of bass drops and swirling trumpet.
The Carters – "BOSS"
"BOSS" ostensibly covers the subject of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's bajillion dollars, but it sounds like a love song to me. Beyoncé croons about her family, while a choir (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) vocalizes oohs and ahhs.
Chaka Khan – "Like Sugar"
You thought that Chaka Khan's best work lay in her past. I thought so, too. But then I heard "Like Sugar," the sped-up carousel ride of triangle, djembe, electric bass, and hearty vocals from the Queen of Funk.
Tacky Annie – "Renegade Energy"
As I wrote for The Current's 10 Notable Local Albums of 2018:
The spirit of Tacky Annie's music jumps out of headphones, spilling into open space to form legs and leap. That "Renegade Energy" springs from tight songwriting and hooky melodies; singer/songwriter/cellist Rachelle LaNae aces her vocals, and producer/musician Andrew Frederick supports her with guitar, synths, and more.
Childish Gambino – "This Is America"
Like many others, I first came to this song via the music video. Like Donald Glover's FX show Atlanta, it's brutal and mesmerizing, with a unhinged sort of glint in its eye.
Wafia – "I'm Good"
She's good, but this song is fantastic. Expert-level production underpins a satisfying kiss-off.
Astralblak – "Sand Houses"
This is just one song from a great album, but I picked "Sand Houses" because I listened to it 10 times in a row and only got more engaged. This is feel-good music with a message.
Sims x Air Credits x Icetep – "Eye In The Sky"
As a highkey fan of Icetep's production, I felt primed for Artería Verité the moment I heard about it. I pre-ordered the CD and played it driving around Minneapolis, and I kept finding myself nudging the skip button toward this one (and "Bitchin Technology").
Top 10 albums of 2018 (in chronological order)
Charli XCX – Pop 2
If I wasn't a Charli XCX fan before Pop 2 came out, I don't think this mixtape would've won me over. It's full of cold sounds and stubborn choices ("Yes, I'm going to sample a 'Boom Clap' ringtone in the middle of 'Delicious,' and those 'Unlock It' chipmunk voices are staying"). But I was a fan, so I approached this project with curiosity and felt rewarded by all the curious choices. With all its layers and bizarre sound design, this project earns my nomination for Most Worthy of Being Listened to Through Expensive Headphones.
Kimbra – Primal Heart
Listening to Primal Heart is like facing a hearth. A jumping "Top Of The World" burns down to "Real Life" coals; blue and orange give way to amber. But no matter how high or low the flames, it's warm, and it's home.
Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
Janelle Monáe is finally a household name. Her fame partly arrived through roles in Moonlight and Hidden Figures but also due to this Princely take on love, rebellion, and Americanism. While "Pynk" and "Make Me Feel" earned global attention for their daring music videos, "Don't Judge Me" reclines in the same spaced-out zone as 2010 album The ArchAndroid. My favorite track is the warped, "sex-crazy" "Screwed (feat. Zoë Kravitz)."
Your Smith – Bad Habit EP
I got wrapped up in Your Smith this year. I'd long been aware of Caroline Smith, but it took the Bad Habit EP for me to "get" her soft, vulnerable new persona. When I think of this EP in future years, I hope I'll remember dancing alone in my narrow, warm kitchen.
Troye Sivan – Bloom
After hearing lead single "My My My!," I expected Troye Sivan's second album to lean Top 40. Instead, this Blue Neighborhood follow-up sounds warm and whispered – and like its title suggests, it takes a bit of time to reveal itself. As Alexis Patridis notes for The Guardian, "Bloom is done and dusted in 35 crisp minutes — a time at which some pop albums are reaching their mid-point — and feels like a coherent, artist-led album rather than a bet-spreading collection of songs designed to hit every popular musical base." Meanwhile, it's charged with just enough electricity to raise the hairs on your arm.
Swamp Dogg – Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune
I dare you to play me anything that's ever sounded like this. Aged soul singer Swamp Dogg entrusted producer Ryan Olson with his latest album's vocal stems; the results sound wild. Yes, Swamp Dogg has got a reputation for being too hot to handle (see: "Sex With Your Ex"). But there's also a heart-achy Nat King Cole cover ("Answer Me, My Love") and a bleak song called "I'll Pretend," written about Swamp's late wife. Talk about surprising emotional breadth from a notorious horndog.
Christine & The Queens – Chris
Christine & The Queens' second album is creepier than I expected it be. I loved her debut from the drop, but it's been a slower process with Chris. Maybe it's due to the more masculine sensibilities of this music (fewer flourishes, more forceful synths); maybe it's the eerie sound that echoes through "What's-her-face." Whatever the case, I'm coming around, especially to "The walker," "Follarse" (which reminds me of my French former roommates speaking Spanish) and the baroque pomp of "L'étranger (voleur d'eau)."
Empress Of – Us
The week that "Trust Me Baby" came out, I was on vacation in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, wandering the National Museum of Mexican Art and soaking in Spanish. Lorely Rodriguez met me in that bilingual space, begging, "Confía en mí," alongside the English equivalent, "Trust me." I'd been obsessed with Rodriguez's 2015 album Me, but in the photography exhibit of that modest museum, I hit a new level of appreciation for the Honduran-American artist. She returned later this year with a polished, catchy album; if you're new to Empress Of, start with "I Don't Even Smoke Weed" or "When I'm With Him."
Florence + the Machine – High As Hope
I'd sort of written off Florence Welch's new music, figuring her 2009 album Lungs would always come first in my heart. But High As Hope has proved a worthy challenger, from the mighty "Big God" (perpetually stuck in my head during lap swimming) to the surprisingly relatable "No Choir."
Four Fists – 6666
This is an album that just gets better the louder it is. P.O.S and Astronautalis's long-awaited Four Fists debut exceeded my expectations, thanks in part to the work Dutch producer Subp Yao invested in breaking it down and building it up. Check out the contemplative "Fjortis," unexpected "6666," and anthemic "Sid Vishis."