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Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday I was writing about my top twenty albums of 2017 and preparing to post that list. Now, 2018 is already about to come to a close and I’m going to talk about my favorite albums from this year. Without further ado, here are my top twenty favorite albums of 2018. 20. BLESSTHEFALL “HARD FEELINGS”“Hard Feelings” is a different release from post-hardcore band blessthefall. There are definitely bits and pieces of aggression here and there throughout the record, whether vocally or instrumentally, (with the single “Cutthroat” being a perfect example), but for the most part, we see the band going in a much more melodic direction this time around. This more melodic approach shows through incredible hooks and choruses on energetic tracks like “Melodramatic” and “Find Yourself,” but also on some of the slower and softer ones such as “Sleepless In Phoenix” and “Sakura Blues.” While this record shows some major experimenration within the band’s sound, it worked really well and made the album a pretty memorable release that stands out in their discography. 19. CATCH FIRE “KARMA OWES ME A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS”I became a fan of Catch Fire because of their last release, their 2017 EP “A Love That I Still Miss.” “Karma Owes Me A Lifetime Of Happiness” picks up right where that EP left off, continuing to show the raw emotion in the band’s music even more than ever before, while still portraying a very polished and mature sound as well. There’s a good balance of slower tracks that really show that emotion (“Petrifaction,” “Malignance” and fantastic closer “Third Person”) and more energetic ones that may show a bit more aggression, whether through the vocals, instrumentals, or both (“Bad Behaviour,” “How Heavily I Breathe,” “Heist”). With “Karma Owes Me A Lifetime Of Happiness,” Catch Fire continues to show how their sound has evolved and why they stand out so much in the pop punk genre. 18. SENSES FAIL “IF THERE IS LIGHT, IT WILL FIND YOU”Senses Fail are one of those bands who continuously evolve their sound with each new release, and their latest effort, “If There Is Light, It Will Find You,” is further proof of that. The album opens with the one-two punch of “Double Cross” and Elevator To The Gallows,” both of which bring a ton of energy and show the band’s more aggressive tendencies, and the following two tracks (“New Jersey Makes, The World Takes” and “Gold Jacket, Green Jacket...”) show more of the pop punk influences that make up the overall sound of the majority of this record. The band’s more pop punk/emo leaning and generally much more melodic approach works really well, with each and every song on here being as memorable as the rest, making the album one of their strongest and overall best releases to date. 17. BEARINGS “BLUE IN THE DARK”Bearings released their debut full-length, “Blue In The Dark” in the fall of 2018 and while I initially had mixed feelings on it (at least with some of the tracks) it grew on me a lot over time. Tracks like the dark opener “Where You Are” and lead single “Aforementioned” instantly impressed me and are two of many captivating tracks that will keep the listener interested. “Stuck In A Doorframe,” “Hear Me Say,” “Careless Clarity” and “Goodbye (To All Of Our Friends)” are all filled with catchy hooks and melodies that’ll have you putting the songs on repeat for days on end, and even the softer moments (“Tide” and the title track) shine just as bright. While this record did take many listens for me to really get into it, I think it’s a fantastic debut with so many songs worth coming back to. 16. ABANDONED BY BEARS “HEADSTORM”Following up a handful of EPs and a successful debut record, Abandoned By Bears returned with their sophomore effort, which I absolutely loved. For fans of the easycore sound that makes up the band’s previous material, “Drowned Out” and “Strangers” both show the band returning to their roots. Many of these tracks show them experimenting and branching out quite a bit with their sound, with “So Far Gone,” “Held Against You,” and the title track focusing on the more pop punk elements, “Borderline” being a lot darker with the composition and “Greyscale” being a lot more aggressive. “Headstorm” overall is a great sophomore album that not only shows the band polishing and perfecting their easycore sound, but exploring some new territory and expanding on it a bit. 15. MODERN MAPS “HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY.”After hearing “Nightfall” and “Autopilot” I was immediately hooked on this band’s sound, and ended up really enjoying a lot of the other tracks that their debut album “hope you’re happy.” had to offer. The album is full of tracks that show off the various different elements and influences that make up the band’s unique pop rock sound. There are other upbeat moments on the record similar to those two singles, like the track “Heatwave,” for example. As well as the band knows how to bring a ton of energy with some of these tracks, there are also quite few on here that slow things down a bit, but still bring a lot of emotion, especially in the vocal department (“Reflective Glass,” “Ahold Of Me,”). Some of the tracks on here don’t quite lean more towards the pop or rock side of the spectrum, but moreso land somewhere in the middle, with “Bite My Lip” showing more ambient instrumentals and “One More Night” being acoustically driven. As a whole, “hope you’re happy.” is a great debut record that perfectly shows off this band’s sound and how much potential they have. 14. TONIGHT ALIVE “UNDERWORLD”Tonight Alive’s last record, “Limitless,” showed the band going towards the more pop side of pop rock, but on “Underworld,” they return back to their roots, shown right away from the opening track “Book Of Love,” as well as many other anthems in their discography, like “Just For Now” and lead single “Temple.” While tracks like those have hard hitting instrumentals providing the energy, the band also take some time to slow things down for a bit in ballads such as “Last Light” and “Looking For Heaven,” with the much softer instrumentation allowing the vocals to take the spotlight. “Underworld” is a triumphant return from Tonight Alive and another great record in their discography. 13. TINY MOVING PARTS “SWELL”Tiny Moving Parts are a band whose music I enjoyed in the past and considered myself a casual fan of, but the moment I heard “Swell,” I was completely blown away and fell head over heels for this band’s music. Though a lot of these songs do sound similar, the band’s sound is very unique, combining impressive instrumentals, emotional vocals and incorporating various different influences and styles to create something uniquely theirs. From huge singles like “Caution” and “Applause” to some of the deeper, more underrated cuts like “Feel Alive,” “It’s Too Cold Tonight,” and “Malfunction,” this record had me hooked from beginning to end and with each song on it, this band continued to impress me over and over and over again. 12. THRILLCHASER “A LOT LIKE LOve”THRILLCHASER came onto the scene with their intriguing debut single “Emptiness,” which opens this record up pretty well. Throughout the remaining roughly twenty-three and a half minutes of the record, you’ll find a balance of relatively upbeat tracks similar to the opener (“Hold On To The Night,” a personal favorite of mine, and album closer “Juliet”) as well as some slower and more laid back ones, where the band still delivers some incredible hooks that make those tracks just as good (“Like That,” “Out Of Our Minds,” “Invisible”). Put all ten of these songs together and you’ve got a great indie pop release where each song is as memorable as the rest. 11. BEARTOOTH “DISEASE”While this record got a lot of mixed reviews, I personally found myself really enjoying it. What I think made me come back to this record so much is not only the variety on it, but also how they’ve incorporated elements from the material they’ve done in the past while also experimenting and trying new things a little bit. Songs like “Bad Listener,” “Fire”, and “Enemy” remind me a lot of the aggression and energy on “Digusting,” while “Disease,” “Manipulation” and the incredible opener “Greatness Or Death” combine that aggression with a lot more melodic elements like a lot of the album “Aggressive” did. Some of the biggest standouts on here for me are “You Never Know,” “Afterall,” and “Believe,” all of which are the most melodic tracks on here by far, showing the band going further in that direction, and it works really well for them. 10. LOVELYTHEBAND “FINDING IT HARD TO SMILE”With a platinum single, a lot of exposure and a headlining tour with multiple sold out shows, it’s safe to say that 2018 has been a huge year for lovelytheband. This year, the band also unveiled their debut album, “finding it hard to smile,” and what a great debut it was. There are some very upbeat and catchy tracks on here, like “Make You Feel Pretty” and the smash single “Broken,” but even some of the more underrated ones, such as “Alone Time,” “Pity Party” and “Stupid Mistakes” are equally as memorable. Altogether, this makes a great debut record, showing the potential this band has. 9. TRASH BOAT “CROWN shYNESS”When I first heard Trash Boat’s sophomore album, “Crown Shyness,” I was impressed from the minute I pressed play on the first track. Songs like “Inside Out,” “Controlled Burn,” and “Silence” (one of my personal favorites on the record) all show the energy and aggression that’s been a major part of the band’s sound, while still delivering catchy hooks and melodies you‘ll be singing along to in no time. The title track slows things down a bit and is easily the softest and most melodic offering on the record, but still shows as much emotion as the rest of these tracks do. That emotion, the way the lyrics tell a story and the way the performances portray it all so well make this record such a great one. 8. TROPHY EYES “THE AMERICAN DREAM”Trophy Eyes’ latest record, “The American Dream,” showed a pretty big shift in the band’s sound, while still containing traces of their previous material. While the record overall does go in a softer direction, there are still moments of aggression here and there, primarily in the vocals during certain sections of songs like “You Can Count On Me,” “More Like You,” and “Something Bigger Than This.” Anthemic tracks like those show a lot of emotion, and so do some of the slightly less upbeat ones, such as “Broken” and the acoustically driven “Tip Toe.” Although this album is definitely different, it’s still a fantastic release from Trophy Eyes and will make fans curious as to what they’ll be doing next. 7. AMOR “LOVE VS. LOGIC”This is another debut album, from a band that I had just discovered this year, and I’m so glad I checked it out. Not only are so many of these songs so catchy, but the lyrics hit just as hard as the instrumentals and the vocals absolutely blew me away. This band has a pretty unique post-hardcore sound, with some songs being a little more aggressive than others (“Living Lies,” “The Exit”), but a majority of this album being pretty melodic, especially on tracks like “Frequency,” “Look Alive,” and “Collisions.” Every single song on here is memorable, but they’re all memorable and unique in their own ways, making me constantly come back to them for many repeated listens throughout the year. 6. BOYS OF FALL “BETTER MOMENTS”I loved “Chasing Lonely,” the EP that Boys Of Fall released in early 2018. It definitely showed a lot more of the pop influences in their pop rock sound, and several months later, the band followed it up with “Better Moments,” which continued that pattern a little bit. There are plenty of catchy hooks and choruses reminiscent of the pop leaning elements on that EP (shown in songs like “Bad Company,” “Giving Up,” and the title track - three of my personal favorites from the record), but the band also shows traces of the aggression that was a part of their much earlier material, with “Arson” and “Time Bomb” incorporating a few screams here and there in the vocal department. The more I listened to this record, the more these songs stuck with me and made me come back to them frequently. 5. STAND ATLANTIC “SKINNY DIPPING”I absolutely loved the lead single from this album, and I ended up feeling the same about the rest of these tracks as well. Every single song on here, especially songs like “Lavender Bones,” “Lost My Cool,” as well as the title track and “Bullfrog,” brings plenty of catchy melodies that will inevitably get stuck in your head, and even the slower tracks, such as “Speak Slow” and “Cigarette Kiss,” are just as memorable. That’s honestly one of the best words to describe the album overall, which is a great debut for the band. 4. WATERPARKS “ENTERTAINMENT”I’ll be honest - when I initially listened to and reviewed “Entertainment,” I was a bit critical of some of these tracks, but it wasn’t long before those tracks grew on me and I ended up loving this entire record. Something I love about the album as a whole is the variety on it. There are quite a few tracks on here like the opener “11:11,” lead single “Blonde,” and standout “Rare,” that perfectly portray the band’s unique pop rock sound. This time around, they experiment a little bit, whether incorporating some more aggression (specifically throughout “TANTRUM”) or going towards the polar opposite side of that spectrum and focusing on the pop leaning elements (“Not Warriors,” “Peach (Lobotomy),” “Lucky People”), and that experimentation creates a sense of variety that made me love and come back to this record so much. 3. FROM ASHES TO NEW “THE FUTURE”From Ashes To New’s “The Future” was one of my most anticipated records of the entire year, and it didn’t let me down or disappoint in the slightest. The band did go in a bit of a different direction and experimented with their sound, with a few of the tracks on here showing more pop leaning influences (“Forgotten,” “Gone Forever,” “Nowhere To Run”). However, there are still moments on here that are a bit more reminiscent of the band’s early material, leaning much more to the rock side of the spectrum, like the singles “Broken” and “Crazy” and the anthemic opener “Wake Up.” All throughout the record, you hear bits and pieces of everything that makes up this band’s sound and it shows what exactly makes them stand out. With the experimentation and variety that they brought this time around, there’s something that pretty much any fan of rock might be interested in. 2. 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER “YOUNGBLOOD”“Youngblood” is an album that I feel took many people by surprise, even those who might not have been the biggest 5SOS fans in the past. It shows not only a more mature sound from the band, but also shows them changing up their sound quite a bit and trying out something different. Each song is very memorable, from the many upbeat tracks like “Talk Fast,” “Babylon,” “Moving Along,” and the title track to slower ones like ”Lie To Me”, lead single “Want You Back” and emotional ballad “Ghost Of You.” All of these tracks stand out on their own and the overall sound of this album as a whole is a bit harder to pinpoint, but nonetheless, makes a very enjoyable listen. 1. AS IT IS “THE GREAT DEPRESSION”After releasing their excellent sophomore full-length “Okay,” in early 2017, As It Is have returned with their third, “The Great Depression.” Shown early on from lead singles “The Wounded World,” “The Stigma (Boys Don’t Cry),” and “The Fire, The Dark” it’s clear that the band went for a much darker approach this time around in terms of the composition and overall musicality of a lot of these songs, while still bringing catchy melodies and choruses, especially in songs like those. While that is the overall sound of a lot of the record, there is a track that shows them going back to their pop punk roots for a few minutes (“The Handwritten Letter”), and the band slows things down a bit for “The Question, The Answer” and even the final two tracks, “The Hurt The Hope,” and the fantastic album closer “The End.” The musicality isn’t the only thing that makes “The Great Depression” stand out, however. The album as a whole is a concept record, telling the story about a character called The Poet and many different situations he’s faced with throughout his life. As It Is are one of several bands who continue to impress me with each piece of music they release, and this album is no different.
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