Looking back at my listening statistics for 2018, it is to my chagrin that this year only perpetuated my habit of almost exclusively listening to music that came out in the current year and ignoring everything else. I had very few discoveries this year, and when I did listen to something for the first time, usually it came with heavy recommendations, are already-established classics, or I was re-discovering after not getting back to it.

My year was defined by the ebbs and flows of releases throughout, but also my knack for themed playlists in the summer & early fall, a city-pop obsession that carried over from late last year, my progression through re-ranking the albums of the 2000s and a constant infatuation with Yo La Tengo and Grouper. Of course. Check out the 100 songs that defined my year chronologically below, along with my year-end listening stats underneath that. What you’ll find may shock you! (It won’t).

I’ve done retrospectives in the past: 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

2018 IN 100 SONGS

You can listen to most of these songs on a Spotify playlist HERE. The ones not on Spotty I have linked in the song name.

1. Charli XCX – “Roll With Me”
   Charli XCX ruled my late-2017 and early-2018 with Pop 2 and Number 1 Angel – “Roll With Me” is an insane song that I would listen to over and over while doing whatever. I mostly remember being in a crowded Trader Joe’s doing my morning grocery shopping and feeling like I was in the Matrix. Everything was slowed down around me. I cracked the code.
2. Shame – “One Rizla”
   The first record of 2018 that made me think “ok cool, music might be good in 2018”
3. Miharu Koshi – “Ryugujyo no Koibito”
   Inspired by the collection of city pop releases I had accumulated over the past few years, I made a playlist featuring my favorites – this is a BIG favorite. Being produced by Haruomi Hosono don’t hurt either!! Finding this record on wax is a white whale of mine.
4. The Avalanches – “Extra Kings”
   Since I Left You is probably my favorite record of all time and I still manage to find little folds within its multi-layered story that are new to me. In this case it’s on the closer, “Extra Kings”, which in the fictional movie that this album soundtracks, is the moment at the end of a movie that motions towards something ominous pointing towards a sequel before quickly cutting to the credits. In this case I picture a slow zoom in on a defining, nefarious item used or worn by the main villain sitting on top of a pile of rubble or washing ashore on some remote island.
5. Destroyer – “European Oils”
   Seeing Destroyer was a very impactful concert for my 2018! It was my first time seeing the band (flawless setlist, thank the lord), got to hang out with some sweet friends afterward, and inspired the Essential Oil Dimension. “What other band can be just as groovy, formless, romantic, weird, sensual and deep?” This is the question that birthed the EOD.
6. Hop Along – “Texas Funeral”
   With news of a new Hop Along album in 2018, I got way back into their previous two records, especially my favorite from 2015’s Painted Shut. “Texas Funeral” still best song.
7. The Supreme Jubilees – “It’ll All Be Over”
   I forget why I put this on my phone one morning, but I vividly remember a moment one cold Friday morning that the L train was down, so everyone in my neighborhood and along the route was taking (exorbitantly priced) cars to work. I was in a ride with a few other folks listening to this, wearing a new coat on a freezing morning, leisurely commuting to work. Highly recommended.
8. Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Behind The Mask”
   Another piece from my city pop playlist, I had a nice extended YMO phase early this year, with “Behind The Mask” taking the charge. Did y’all know Michael Jackson essentially covered this song?
9. Prefab Sprout – “Bonny”
   Had a BIG phase with Prefab’s Steve McQueen album – really great record to listen to while walking to work or around in the city. This affinity towards Steve McQueen lasted the whole year, as you’ll see a while down in this post.
10. Sun Araw – “Holodeck Blues”
    Sun Araw’s 2010 record On Patrol will always be one of my go-to’s for concentration music. The 15-minute closer “Holodeck Blues” especially so. Whenever I need to buckle down and tackle reports or data entry at my job or wherever, this is a great choice to get me into a trance.
    —
11. James Holden & The Animal Spirits – “Spinning Dance”
    There were a few late-2017 records that I really dived into in early 2018, this being one of them. Love the dynamics on this song and how all the crazy elements fuse together.
12. DJ Seinfeld – “Time Spent Away From U”
    Another late-2017 record. Another great walking-to-work record.
13. Cyril Hahn – “Slow”
    Shout out to David for this one.
14. I’m With Her – “Overland”
    Was fortunate enough to work the I’m With Her record to radio after being fans of each individual musician in the supergroup since high school. “Overland” is my fav song. Ended up seeing the band three times, and tacking on a listening party I was able to go to at the end of 2017 as well, has colored my 2018 totally I’m With Her!
15. Beach House – “Lemon Glow”
    First single from the Beach House record is a DOOZY. Very obsessed with this song when it came out. I knew it was good when previous Beach House haters were into it.
16. Djeli Moussa Diawara – “Haidara”
    This album from Guinea came highly recommended from a trusted source of mine on the internet, and it’s clear why. If you’re looking for some great West African music with hypnotic kora & balafon, I recommend this wholeheartedly.
17. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) – “Some Kind Of Game”
    “Hallelujah!”
18. Peggy Gou – “Han Jan”
    My roommate at the time told me this translates to “One Shot”. Makes sense as to why this is a perfect party banger.
19. Daniel Avery – “Need Electric”
    The new Daniel Avery got me back into the old Daniel Avery, which was perfect for the dark, frigid start to the year.
20. Smerz – “Half life”
    This song technically came out last year as a single, but I’ll be damned if I don’t include it in this year marking the release of Smerz’s Have fun EP.
    —
21. Everything But The Girl – “Before Today”
    Got WAY back into Everything But The Girl’s Walking Wounded in March, especially opener “Before Today”. This came with the extreme delight of two of my coworkers, who rate this album among their all-time favorites.
22. IDLES – “Mother”
    The best band I saw at SXSW!! And also one of the best bands I saw not at SXSW. I saw the entire staff of a South Carolina radio station get ground to dust by moshers at this show.
23. Caroline Rose – “Getting To Me”
    Really love this Caroline Rose record, especially “Getting To Me”. Got to see this live and meet some friends for the first time IRL at the same time. DOPE.
24. G Flip – “About You”
    The second best act I saw at SXSW! I wasn’t completely sold on this song on first listen, but seeing her live: hoo buddy. A MASSIVE talent. It almost feels unfair that she only has two songs out in the world. Nearly every song she played was a superfun blast. I saw her once with her family going wild in front of me, which was great, but the real treat was when I brought some other friends to another show of hers and watching their reaction when she jumps on the drums at the end of this song.
25. Four Tet – “Morning Side”
    Seeing Four Tet for the first time this year was another thing off my bucket list, but seeing him at National Sawdust, enshrouded in his light canopy. I’ve never experienced an audio-visual combination like that. “Morning Side” was the longest portion of the set, resulting in a trance-like state on my part.
26. Amen Dunes – “Believe”
    I was on the phone at my job when this song came on the radio and I actually stopped thinking about whatever the person on the line was saying and instead thought about how “Believe” sounded. Then I couldn’t stop listening to it, then it became my favorite song of the year. That’s how we got here today, ladies & gentlemen.
27. Swearin’ – “Just”
    FINALLY got to see Swearin’ after six years of waiting. Hearing songs from their (at the time) upcoming album was cool, but hearing classics from their self-titled was boss.
28. Kacey Musgraves – “Space Cowboy”
    I got wrapped up in Kacey Musgraves fever, okay?? And I’m still sick!! Somebody help!
29. Caroline Says – “I Tried”
    Dropped down a deep, dreamy hole with this Caroline Says record, a big backbone to the playlist that would eventually become the Essential Oil Dimension. Shout out to Eric.
30. Young Galaxy – “Pretty Boy”
31. U.S. Girls – “Rosebud”
    One night I saw three different shows in one night. First, Waxahatchee at Warsaw, then Young Galaxy at Knitting Factory, then U.S. Girls at Baby’s All Right. I was somehow able to see the full sets of all three of those acts and what a whirlwind it was. No offense to Waxahatchee, but I had been waiting to see Young Galaxy and U.S. Girls for a long time and they both delivered. U.S. Girls are one of the best live bands around, and Young Galaxy was emotional for me after being a fan for so long. Great night.
    —
32. Friendly Fires – “Blue Cassette”
    The return of Friendly Fires got me back into the band, especially their 2011 album.
33. Yo La Tengo – “Today Is The Day” (EP Version)
    How is Yo La Tengo one of the best bands? They take one of their best songs and make it better somehow.
34. Hop Along – “What The Writer Meant”
    I didn’t connect with the Hop Along record from this year immediately, but the second half eventually won me over with some of their all-time best songs.
35. Simian Mobile Disco – “Caught In A Wave”
    Auditory bliss! So much depth and nuance. Need to get really good headphones and try this out.
36. Kisses – “Bermuda”
    In early May I made my first themed playlist of the year, Beach Ball Hell, a chillwave playlist. This led me to re-discover a great cuts from the early 10s golden age, like Kisses’ “Bermuda”, a super lovely and dreamy track. This whole album it’s off of is a dream, too.
37. serpentwithfeet – “bless ur heart”
    Incredibly lovely album. I got to see serpent perform in an old hotel’s dining room and Björk was there. Her security guard nudged me out of the way so she could exit. I lost my mind! Bless serpentwithfeet!
38. DJ Koze – “Illumination (feat. Roisin Murphy)”
    Unsure how many times I listened to this song while on the move this Spring/Summer. The whole DJ Koze album is prime summer listening – can’t wait to revisit next year.
39. Ana Caprix – “Blood Moon”
    Unsure why I revisited this song, but I enjoyed listening to this guy again. Big EP for me in 2014. I think I was going to put this into the EOD but it missed the cut. And yeah, unfortunately it’s one of those things where a dude uses a female pseudonym for a project. C’mon guy, you’re better than that!
40. Mr Twin Sister – “Gene Ciampi”
    “You would like his moooovieeees” – my and my partner, over and over.
    —
41. Skee Mask – “Kozmic Flush”
    I was listening to this album at least once a day for the entire spring and most of the summer. Just so easy to plow through.
42. Oneohetrix Point Never – “We’ll Take It”
    I was fortunate enough to attend one of Oneohtrix Point Never’s MYRIAD shows here in NYC, held in the giant Armory. It was an elaborate production that left me grasping at meaning for a bit after, with the visuals in the back, to the 16-page program each audience member got explaining the show’s lore. My first OPN live experience was really something else.
43. Jamie xx – “Loud Places (feat. Romy)”
    Definitely added this in here on the first really nice day of the 2018. Pretty sure it was a Friday or Thursday, I got ice cream, and started a blog post on Summer Albums that is still sitting in my drafts folder.
44. The Style Council – “My Ever Changing Moods”
    This summer’s listening was dominated by my Essential Oil Dimension playlist, a steamy, romantic, low-lit creation meant to inspire feelings of euphoria, much like when you come across a fantastic smell along with enjoyable visual stimulation: a sunset with a great herbal/incense smell wafting around you, perhaps.. A lot of the playlist is just indie rock songs from the past decade that I’ve enjoyed & fit into the mold, but I also ventured out into sophisti-pop territories to get some variation in there. Enter The Style Council, a group my mom listened to in college (she told me about it often – you’re cool mom!). I love this track’s loose, breezy, summery feel. The guitar solo also gets major props. Hope to make another EOD someday.
45. Oneohtrix Point Never – “Age Of”
    Now usually when I have a big moment with a certain artist or album, I group them directly together, but in the case of these two close OPN songs, they were for different events. My first listen of Age Of was also my first visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art. I could not have picked a more perfect companion to my trip through the museum, especially through the Grant Wood exhibition. It was truly uncanny, the parallels being made on all levels of sensory input. If you’re unfamiliar with Grant Wood, he’s famous for American Gothic and great landscapes & portraits of the midwest. It was one of my top moments of the year, wandering around the exhibit and getting freaked out by how perfect the music synced up with everything.
46. Natalie Prass – “Never Too Late”
    Natalie Prass did the city pop thing on her new record and I am all for it.
47. Wished Bone – “Hubbub”
    What a delightful little record. Very cozy walking around in the city after shows to this.
48. SOPHIE – “Immaterial”
    The big handclap in the chorus is what got me through the spring & summer.
49. Gang Gang Dance – “Glass Jar”
    Had a stint back with Gang Gang Dance’s 2011 album Eye Contact, which further cemented “Glass Jar” as one of the best songs of the decade. Got to see this song live in June and it was lovely.
50. Wayfarer – “Animal Crown”
    Very appropriate listening immediately after watching Hereditary.
    —
51. David Bowie – “Boys Keep Swinging”
    Got the chance to go to the David Bowie exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum and loved it – lots of killer memorabilia and moments in there. One song I either forgot about or didn’t know altogether was “Boys Keep Swinging”, a tune they played often in the headsets as you walked around the exhibit.
52. Beck – “Hotwax”
    Beck’s Odelay is a perfect companion to brutally hot days in the summer. Walked down the high line in NYC to this and it fit perfectly.
53. Dusk – “Eyes In Dark Corners”
    Blasted this thing out my car windows while driving around this summer.
54. Iggy Pop – “The Passenger”
    Decided to revisit some Iggy after the Bowie exhibit and have decided that Lust For Life is my favorite. A boring choice maybe, but a very good one nonetheless.
55. Dirty Projectors – “That’s A Lifestyle”
    Don’t connect with a lot of the new Dirty Projectors album, but this song is a big jam.
56. Denzel Curry – “Clout Cobain”
    Oh man, the hook on this song is undeniable. So stoked to have worked this to radio.
57. Rosalía – “Pienso en tu mirá (Cap.3 Celos)”
    Thanks to a recommendation from Nite Jewel, I checked this song & video out and was instantly hooked. Rosalía has become THE hot name of late-2018, so getting on board before everything got SUPER hot felt good. This song is also just so good.
58. Ross From Friends – “Wear Me Down”
    Emotional in the club!!!
59. Daniel Bachman – “Sycamore City”
    An incredible portrait of summer heat & guitar improvisation. Super zen & calming.
60. Lonnie Holley – “I Woke Up In A Fucked-Up America”
    This is one of them songs that knocks you down after almost every listen. It’s fierce.
    —
61. Channel Tres – “Topdown”
    Perfect song for the summer. How does nearly everything Godmode puts out makes me feel so cool while listening?
62. Yuno – “No Going Back”
    All the praise this dude has been getting for this EP is well-warranted.
63. Jamila Woods – “LSD (feat. Chance The Rapper)”
    I got the chance to see Jamila Woods perform on a stage with Carly Rae Jepsen, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers and I’m With Her for NPR’s “Turning The Tables” event. Seeing all these powerful women perform on a huge stage in coordination was a great moment. I’ll likely never forget it!
64. Jenny Hval – “That Battle Is Over”
    One song featured on NPR’s list of “Best Songs from Women” is Jenny Hval’s smooth-riding
65. Julia Holter – “Maxim’s I”
66. Julia Holter – “Feel You”
    The heat of the midsummer got me back into a Julia Holter phase, a bountiful one at that. I don’t think I can confidently choose a favorite between Loud City Song and Have You In My Wilderness, but I think I’d give an edge to the latter.
67. Empress Of – “When I’m With Him”
    First new taste of Empress Of was a good one!!
68. Tirzah – “Basic Need”
    The sonic equivalent of burying your face in a super cozy pillow. Can’t ask for more than that, honestly.
69. Steady Holiday – “Nobody’s Watching”
    Had a great time blasting this song at my parents’ house while baking cookies.
70. Mitski – “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?”
    The second song on Be The Cowboy was where I knew this was gonna be a boss-ass album. We’ve all heard the opener, “Geyser”, so what follows it? Catchy, weird, hooky and wistful all in one breath. That’s when I was full go on Mitski ruling my 2018.
    —
71. Mitski – “Blue Light”
    And rule my 2018 she did. Certain songs made me ponder if this album is a rare “all-killer, no-filler” record, despite having some slower, quieter, and shorter moments. This was one of those songs, as it turns on a dime from being another upbeat cut like the first half and decomposes into a wash of dreamy, yearning ambiance, like exiting a party and wandering out into the moonlit backyard on a cloudless night. This song and others gave Be The Cowboy LORE, if you can call it that. Where the first half had the bangers, the second half had the backstories, the character arcs, the b-plots. So good.
72. The Beths – “Little Death”
    Another song that absolutely dominated my 2018. I would play this song over and over at dangerous volumes in my car whenever I’d come back home, I would fist pump the lead up to the chorus in private and in public, I would air drum the chorus (only in private), I anxiously asked someone at The Beths’ gig if they had played this song yet when I arrived late (they hadn’t), it ties my insides into knots and releases them like balloon animals into the surf every time. This song is pure magic, there aren’t many like it that turn me into toast AND jelly in the same turn. Bravo, The Beths.
73. Dilly Dally – “Doom”
    Had a really good moment with this song, listening to it really loud while making my way through the Union Square farmer’s market. Felt like everything was moving in slow motion.
74. Yves Tumor – “Recognizing The Enemy”
    The whole Yves Tumor record is powerful, but this one struck me the most.
75. Yo La Tengo – “I Heard You Looking”
    I saw YLT perform this at an outdoor festival in the rain, AKA a guitar-based experience I’ll never forget. Watching Ira flail his body around the stage as the audience cheer him on in the pouring rain was surreal and very cold. Shout out to the mad umbrella man, may he stop being an asshole somewhere in this world.
76. Grouper – “Cover The Windows And The Walls”
    Had the privilege to see Grouper TWICE within a week’s span this year. Did she perform roughly the same set both times? Yes. Does that matter? No. What does matter is that I got bathed in the most holy of noise and shed tears at pure chaos in both a hot theater and in a hot, sweaty church. I am forever in her debt. This is a song I wasn’t familiar with, but really loved how she worked it into her set.
77. Christine & The Queens – “Girlfriend (ft. Dam-Funk)”
    The amount of times I’ve showered to this song… a whole lot.
78. Cocteau Twins – “Persephone”
    A classic Cocteau obsession. Gonna need a VH1 Behind The Music on this one, guys.
79. Sam Wilkes – “Hug (feat. Sam Gendel, Christian Euman & Ian Wurfl)”
    Sometimes I hear a song that will make me throw my head back and open my mouth slacked a bit, but emit no sound. My eyes will bug out at certain parts in astonishment. This is one of those songs. The Sam + Sam combo is just too potent here.
80. The Blow – “True Affection”
    A great find that I had peripherally known for a while, but came into clear view as I was stalking out new albums for my Best of the 2000s list. Paper Television is a great album as a whole, but there’s no beating this song.
    —
81. The Babies – “Get Lost”
    I forget what sparked it, but getting into The Babies again was a damn good decision. Their 2012 album is one of the best of this decade without a doubt. Can’t ask for power pop / indie rock better than this.
82. Marie Davidson – “Work It”
    This song made us all subs whether we wanted to or not.
83. Connan Mockasin – “Con Conn Was Impatient”
    Listened to this album (Jassbusters), on a train at night alone and it was the closest I’ll ever be to starring in a film about a loner in NYC.
84. Mountain Man – “Guilt”
    I spent a week working alone and one day this song unexpectedly came on the office speakers, causing me to burst into tears all over my desk.
85. Sonic Youth – “The Empty Page”
    Dove back into the 00s-era Sonic Youth releases and boy howdy are they good. Murray Street is mad overlooked and Rather Ripped is mad underrated.
86. Boris – “Just Abandoned Myself”
    The holiest fire. A pure destruction tour for the first third of the song, and the last two thirds being an observation of the damage naturally expanding on itself. A house burning down and licking up everything in its path.
87. Teyana Taylor – “Gonna Love Me”
    Returned to this record late in the year – great for folding clothes and chores in general, something I find myself doing often.
88. Mr Twin Sister – “Echo Arms”
    Wish this song was on their full-length! I’d probably like it a whole lot more!
89. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Jubilee Street (Live In Copenhagen)”
    Seeing Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds live for the first time was an experience I won’t likely ever forget. You gotta check the live version – it’s incredible.
90. Daughters – “Guest House”
    Intense goosebumps at the end of this song. Gorgeous!! First time I listened to it I was awash in feelings.
    —
91. Jessica Pratt – “This Time Around”
    Wrap me up in this song forever, please.
92. Joanna Newsom – “In California”
    Had a real nice weekend with my partner in mid-November that was very warm and cozy. We’re big fans of Joanna and for some reason “In California” was the song that I was really zoning in on for that weekend. For good reason, though, since it’s achingly beautiful and the line “my heart is as yellow as an ear of corn” is a great line.
93. Earl Sweatshirt – “Peanut”
    Most devastating track of 2018. Peace be to Earl.
94. Felt – “Caspian See”
    Went down a big Felt hole this year thanks to the recent reissues and I think Ignite The Seven Cannons is my favorite of the bunch. Produced by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie, the band thought the initial recording was too shrouded and cloudy in guitar noise. I still need to listen to the original, but the guitars sound pretty good here. Walked around the flagship Macy’s location and the surrounding Times Square area listening to this album and a dub reggae playlist I’m making, which was a trip.
95. Palms Trax – “Equation”
    Started making a playlist called “Locked In”, a house-leaning playlist directed towards working & productivity. This was a vital addition that was new to me, thanks to the Spotty algorithm.
96. Tatsuro Yamashita – “Mirai No Theme”
    City pop legend comes back to the do the opening theme to a ravenously popular anime film that I wasn’t too hot on, but hoo boy this song is city pop perfection. The man has not lost his touch.
97. Marvin Gaye – “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”
    Decided to listen to What’s Going On for the first time EVER and boy howdy, it’s incredible. I know I’m late and this message will impact no one but listen to this classic if you haven’t already!
98. Patsy Cline – “I Fall To Pieces”
    Decided to listen to the Best of Patsy Cline once list season was over with. It was a very good decision.
99. Jordan De La Sierra – “Temple of Aesthetic Action”
    Took a day by myself after I was done with work to see the Hilma af Klint exhibit at the Guggenheim. Paired the incredibly selection of paintings with the Jordan De La Sierra’s Gymnoshere. Very good combo for new age paintings! Entering the higher plane of existence, brb. BTW – anyone else reminded of Undertale when they listen to this?
100. Frank Sinatra – “Theme From New York, New York”
     Spent my first New Year’s Eve in NYC as a New Yorker with my sweet partner. We had a lovely, quiet night with lots of cooking, games, painting and dancing. New York, baby! We out here!

LISTENING STATS:

These stats are pulled from my last.fm account. This is probably the least interesting portion of this retrospective, since the things I listened to most were overwhelmingly albums and artists from 2018. I somehow got even more boring and predictable with my listening habits this year. Non-2018 trends sees Yo La Tengo nearly clinch the most-listened to artist spot, along with big phases of Cocteau Twins, Gorillaz, Julia Holter (even though she had an album this year) and Prefab Sprout. Mainstays Laurel Halo, Grouper and The Avalanches are of course all present.

ARTISTS:

1. Charli XCX [462 plays]
2. Yo La Tengo [431 plays]
3. Smerz [413 plays]
4. Grouper [356 plays]
5. U.S. Girls [343 plays]
6. Mr Twin Sister [335 plays]
7. Skee Mask [329 plays]
8. The Avalanches [315 plays]
9. Julia Holter [301 plays]
10. Amen Dunes [292 plays]
11. Tirzah [285 plays]
12. Hop Along [271 plays]
13. Mitski [263 plays]
14. Beach House [242 plays]
15. Oneohtrix Point Never [241 plays]
16. Kacey Musgraves [222 plays]
17. DJ Koze [221 plays]
18. Mountain Man [202 plays]
19. Earl Sweatshirt [197 plays]
20. Rosalía [195 plays]
21. Cocteau Twins [193 plays]
22. Sun Araw [193 plays]
23. Gorillaz [187 plays]
24. SASSY 009 [184 plays]
25. Caroline Rose [180 plays]

ALBUMS:

1. Skee Mask – Compro (2018) [329 plays]
2. Charli XCX – Pop 2 (2017) [289 plays]
3. Smerz – Have fun (2018) [269 plays]
4. Tirzah – Devotion (2018) [241 plays]
5. U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited (2018) [233 plays]
6. Mitski – Be The Cowboy (2018) [231 plays]
7. The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2000) [219 plays]
8. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour (2018) [210 plays]
9. Amen Dunes – Freedom (2018) [208 plays]
10. Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs (2018) [197 plays]
11. DJ Koze – Knock Knock (2018) [191 plays]
12. Mountain Man – Magic Ship (2018) [189 plays]
13. Rosalía – El mal querer (2018) [180 plays]
14. SASSY 009 – Do you mind EP (2017) [177 plays]
15. Caroline Rose – Loner (2018) [163 plays]
16. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2018) [162 plays]
17. Dusk – Dusk (2018) [160 plays]
18. Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen (1985) [160 plays]
19. Kali Uchis – Isolation (2018) [159 plays]
20. Christine & The Queens – Chris (2018) [157 plays]
21. The Beths – Future Me Hates Me (2018) [156 plays]
22. Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands Of Love (2018) [155 plays]
23. Beach House – 7 (2018) [150 plays]
24. Laurel Halo – Quarantine (2012) [138 plays]
25. Jamie xx – In Colour (2015) [136 plays]

SONGS:

1. U.S. Girls – “Rosebud” [72 plays]
2. Amen Dunes – “Believe” [66 plays]
3. Smerz – “Half life” [66 plays]
4. Skee Mask – “Rev8617” [65 plays]
5. Charli XCX – “Out Of My Head (feat. Tove Lo & ALMA)” [59 plays]
6. SASSY 009 – “Feel Me” [58 plays]
7. Rosalía – “Pienso En Tu Mirá (Cap:3 – Celos)” [57 plays]
8. Charli XCX – “Roll With Me” [53 plays]
9. Beach House – “Lemon Glow” [49 plays]
10. The Beths – “Little Death” [47 plays]
11. Hop Along – “Bark Your Head Off, Dog” [45 plays]
12. Smerz – “No harm” [44 plays]
13. Peggy Gou – “Han Jan” [43 plays]
14. Dusk – “Eyes In Dark Corners” [42 plays]
15. Charli XCX – “Backseat (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen)” [41 plays]
16. Mr Twin Sister – “Sensitive” [41 plays]
17. Skee Mask – “50 Euro To Break Boost” [41 plays]
18. Smerz – “Oh my my ” [41 plays]
19. 2814 – “恢复” [40 plays]
20. Charli XCX – “Tears (feat. Caroline Polachek)” [37 plays]
21. Kacey Musgraves – “Space Cowboy” [37 plays]
22. Smerz – “Worth it” [37 plays]
23. Cocteau Twins – “Persephone” [36 plays]
24. Skee Mask – “Via Sub Mids” [36 plays]
25. Tirzah – “Basic Need” [36 plays]

MONTH DISTRIBUTION:

• January [3,126 plays]
• February [1,836 plays]
• March [2,712 plays]
• April [2,424 plays]
• May [3,012 plays]
• June [3,099 plays]
• July [3,596 plays]
• August [2,482 plays]
• September [2,937 plays]
• October [3,367 plays]
• November [3,246 plays]
• December [2,692 plays]

TOTALS:

• 34,529 overall plays
• 1,644 different artists
• 2,699 different albums (or album groups: singles, EPs, etc.)
• 12,286 different songs

NON-MUSIC MEDIA CONSUMPTION:

It turns out that I’m able to consume media other than music in a calendar year. Granted it’s likely not that much compared to other people, but it’s a nice figure nonetheless. Less across the board compared to last year, but I’d say I enjoyed the bulk of it. Got lucky in my selections. Take a peek in each section to see what I thought of it all.

MOVIES:

Letterboxd Account

Overwhelmingly basic anime this year. Didn’t find the time to watch as many movies this year since I was playing so much damn Binding Of Isaac. However I may have found my new all-time favorite Ghibli (Castle In The Sky), got my consciousness lifted to new heights by Phantom Thread (I felt warm the entire film) and reaffirmed my love for Moonrise Kingdom. I’d say the only two movies I wouldn’t heartily recommend on this list would be Person To Person and Mirai. They’re fine; check them out if they interest you, but they weren’t for me.

• Golden Boy (OVA)
• Phantom Thread [dir. Paul Thomas Anderson]
• Your Name (@ MoMA) [dir. Makoto Shinkai]
• The Florida Project [dir. Sean Baker]
• Tangerine [dir. Sean Baker]
• 20th Century Women [dir. Mike Mills]
• Person To Person [dir. Dustin Guy Defa]
• Howl’s Moving Castle [dir. Hayao Miyazaki]
• Castle In The Sky [dir. Hayao Miyazaki]
• Hereditary [dir. Ari Aster]
• Lupin III: Castle Of Cagliostro [dir. Hayao Miyazaki]
• Won’t You Be My Neighbor [dir. Morgan Neville]
• Castle In The Sky (Theater viewing) [dir. Hayao Miyazaki]
• Night Is Short; Walk On Girl [dir. Masaaki Yuasa]
• Millenium Actress [dir. Satoshi Kon]
• Mirai [dir. Mamoru Hosoda]
• Moonrise Kingdom [dir. Wes Anderson]

BOOKS:

Goodreads Account

More bigger guys this year. Started the year off with smaller tastes, but did the damn thing and did One Hundred Years Of Solitude, along with my first books from Toni Morrison and Zadie Smith. Lots of graphic novels of course. Pachinko was so good!

• Notes Of A Crocodile – Qiu Miaojin
• Fever Dream – Samanta Schweblin
• Golden Kamuy, Vol. 1 – Satoru Noda
• The Legend Of Korra: Turf Wars, Vol. 2 – Michael Dante DiMartino, Irene Koh & Bryan Konietzko
• City Of Thieves – David Benioff
• Golden Kamuy, Vol. 2 – Satoru Noda
• Jazz – Toni Morrison
• One Hundred Years Of Solitude – Gabriel García-Márquez
• Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
• This One Summer – Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
• The Human Stain – Philip Roth
• White Teeth – Zadie Smith
• The Legend Of Korra: Turf Wars, Vol. 3 – Michael Dante DiMartino, Irene Koh & Bryan Konietzko
• Golden Kamuy, Vol. 3 – Satoru Noda
• The Orphan Master’s Son – Adam Johnson (in progress)
• The Prince & The Dressmaker – Jen Wang (in progress)

GAMES:

The big story in 2018 on the games from is that The Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth once again dominated my life after a three year hiatus. I played the game at least once a week from the middle of summer to the end of the year, gaining about 100 new achievements and almost 100% completing the game. There is some DLC that’s out there so I’m not as close as I think, but after hitting a wall in 2015, crushing it in 2018 felt GOOD. Elsewhere, going through all my Castlevania games for the first time since high school was a treat, finally picked up a Switch and new Smash at the end of the year and Donut County is a lovely, charming, hilarious indie game everyone should play!

• Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic [PC]
• Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow [DS]
• Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia [DS]
• Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin [DS]
• Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow [GBA]
• The Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth [PC]
• Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones [GBA]
• Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night [PS]
• Fire Emblem: The Sealed Sword [GBA]
• Donut County [PC]
• Smash Ultimate [Switch]

Woah thanks for getting to the end of this!