December 2, 2018
Here are QRO’s top-rated album reviews of the year:
Lily Allen – No Shame Lily Allen is often very misunderstood because she is bold lyrically, but underneath the catchy pop-indie is usually someone who is really and genuinely bold, but yes, also offensive at times. Read more… |
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Atmosphere – Mi Vida Local Atmosphere, or rapper and beats producer Slug and Ant, are well known in 2018 for touching, old school, rhymes. Read more… |
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Michael Azerrad – Rock Critic Law Famed rock critic Michael Azerrad skewers his own field in Rock Critic Law, 101 Unbreakable Rules for Writing Badly About Music. Read more… |
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Azure Ray – Waves The dream-pop beauty of Orenda Fink & Maria Taylor, a.k.a. Azure Ray, is always welcome. Read more… |
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Bart & The Bedazzled – Blue Motel Bart Davenport has been on the scene for while now, sort of as the savant of L.A. indie. Read more… |
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Big Bliss – At Middle Distance Big Bliss don’t feel like a retread, but another strong step onward. Read more… |
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Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us You should really start listening to Calexico. Read more… |
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Neko Case – Hell-On It’s been a long five years since Neko Case’s last record, and we’ve never needed her back more. Read more… |
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Chest High Fires – Chest High Fires Husband-and-wife Jeff Berrall & Carrie Ashley Hill team up for a sweet country Honeymoon. Read more… |
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Death Cab for Cutie – Thank You For Today It has become easy to forget how good Death Cab for Cutie have been, and for how long. Read more… |
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The Decemberists – I’ll Be Your Girl The Decemberists have a reputation that they both earned and was put upon them – basically a musical Portlandia before Portlandia. Read more… |
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Elbow – The Best Of One of Britain’s finest bands of the last couple of decades, Elbow, offer their first retrospective collection. Read more… |
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Greta Van Fleet – Anthem of the Peaceful Army Greta Van Fleet has owned their rock and their angst. Read more… |
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Greta Van Fleet – Black Smoke Rising & From the Fires EPs Brand new Greta Van Fleet are awesome, loud, crooning, rock. Read more… |
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Guided By Voices – Space Gun Sometimes a brilliantly designed album is more than a melody or the energy it gives you. Read more… |
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Interpol – Marauder After reestablishing their sound, Interpol have now successfully grown it, without losing what they had in the first place. Read more… |
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The Love Language – Baby Grand It’s great to have The Love Language back. Read more… |
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Lykke Li – so sad so sexy New album so sad so sexy is just that, with Lykke Li on full display. Read more… |
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Metallica – …And Justice For All (Remastered) Metallica have been on a reissue bender for a while now and with their first three albums. Read more… |
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Moby – Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt Back before electronic dance music was shortened to “EDM”, when DJs were only big in Europe, Moby was practically the face of electronica. Read more… |
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The Monochrome Set – Maisieworld They are always awesome and inspiring, but Maisieworld is the best Monochrome Set yet in a long line of great. Read more… |
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Kate Nash – Yesterday Was Forever Kate Nash marries her two styles for some of her best songs to date. Read more… |
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No Age – Snares Like a Haircut It is at least somewhat fair to say that No Age are typically defined by two things, their drums, and their efforts largely to be a ‘fun’ band. Read more… |
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Okkervil River – In the Rainbow Rain Folk act Okkervil River are really nothing if not emotional. Read more… |
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Grant-Lee Phillips – Widdershins Grant-Lee Phillips returns to his political commentary on Widdershins. Read more… |
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John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Some albums arrive bearing the threat of disappointment heavy in their saddlebags, particularly if they’re by someone you’ve loved for years, someone who matters. Read more… |
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R.E.M. – R.E.M. at the BBC In today’s hyperspeed musical world, it’s easy to forget how remarkable R.E.M. were. Read more… |
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Rubblebucket – Sun Machine Rubblebucket have long been an odd but accessible, or just oddly accessible, act. Read more… |
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Say Hi – Caterpillar Centipede Say Hi returns! Read more… |
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Slighter – Cause and Effect EP You never know what you are going to get with a Slighter release, mood-wise. Read more… |
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St. Vincent – MassEducation St. Vincent strips down MASSEDUCATION as MassEducation. Read more… |
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Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots Beginning with the slightly obvious, Stone Temple Pilots played a particular role in the ‘90s grunge phenomena, and they did so with a wide array of styles album to album. Read more… |
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Superchunk – What a Time To Be Alive There are musical acts where just on first listen, you can tell how much they enjoy what they’re doing – acts like Superchunk. Read more… |
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Sharon Van Etten – (it was) because i was in love A Sharon Van Etten reissue, while only somewhat old and somewhat well known, is still somewhat interesting, as her songs are always haunting and sentimentally vicious. Read more… |
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Wax Idols – Happy Endings Wax Idols have done many artistic ideas. Read more… |
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We Were Promised Jetpacks – The More I Sleep The Less I Dream Edinburgh’s We Were Promised Jetpacks have been best known for their quintessentially Scottish tragedy, albeit situated alongside other similar Scottish acts. Read more… |
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Young the Giant – Mirror Master Young the Giant has long been one of those indie-ish bands that are easy to like, but does anyone really love them? Read more… |