Good Lord, what have we done? We didn’t want to torture ourselves by shaving the Best Music of 2018 down to just 40 songs, so instead we’re torturing ourselves by trying to sort it into a list of the top 100! Have at it and if you’d care to engage us in fisticuffs please reserve it for the end of the list.
TUNS – When You’re Ready
TUNS, the supergroup featuring members of The Inbreds, Sloan and The Super Friendz, can’t exactly be called prolific, but what they have mustered has had its impact, which we’d attribute to the band’s Beatles-esque harmonies.
Kellie Loder – Butterfly
Kellie Loder made it big at this years MusicNL Awards, and it seems to be justified by the slow build of “Butterfly” and Loder’s ode to music.
Moonwake – Peace of Mind
From Moonwake’s Phonetic Limbo EP, “Peace of Mind” belongs in a jazz club specifically for the telekinetic drifters and is reminiscent of a frenzied version French House legends AIR.
Ultrasvede – Fever
Forged in the fires of necessity, “Fever” has Ultrasvede crafting tunes in a hurry, which apparently sounds a lot like Tears for Fears and Talking Heads getting dragged through a couple decades of musical evolution.
Rick Sparkes + The Enablers – Prince County Fair
From Rick Sparkes + The Enabler’s The Trouble With The Light comes “Prince County Fair,” Sparkes reflections on a place, and a feeling that’s been hard to shake.
The Once – Any Other Way
The Once’s “Any Other Way” is just a simple reminder to stop and smell the flowers… and spend some time after that trying to remember what the flowers smell like.
Matt Mays – Ola Volo (Acoustic)
When Matt Mays released Once Upon a Hell of a Time… and the acoustic counterpart, Twice Upon a Hell of a Time…, naturally he needed album art. Enter Ola Volo, the Vancouver-based mural artist who created the original album art for both records and inspired two versions of this song.
Quiet Parade – Thunder
Quiet Parade’s first new song to be released in three years (with the exception of a French album), “Thunder” is a song about questions left unasked.
Tachichi – No Comparison
Chico’s 90s Project was our introduction to Halifax rapper Tachichi, and if there’s anything this year has taught us it’s that we desperately miss the 90s (for reference, please see the rest of this list).
DenMother – Face
The standout track from DenMother’s Past Life album, reviewer Charlotte Simmons likens it to the most epic Nintendo startup music ever created.
Motherhood – Pick of the Pugs
Motherhood, Fredericton’s favourite circus rockers riff on an appearance by Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band on German television, while singing about passive-aggressively painting your ex’s house while they’re out of town.
Braden Lam – Dawson City
“Dawson City,” the second single from Braden Lam’s sophomore EP Driftwood People, is all about Lam’s time in the Yukon on an album appropriately about the trouble people seem to have putting down roots.
Shadow – Moon
Bethany Fulde started the process of recording her concept double-album two years ago and teases us with the early release of auditory existential crisis, “Moon.”
Miller | MacDonald | Cormier – The High Bass Set
Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald are joined by Zakk Cormier to prey on our weakness: bagpipes.
Dennis Ellsworth – She’s Never Wrong
From Dennis Ellsworth‘s Things Change is “She’s Never Wrong,” a cheeky tribute to a strong-headed lovere.
Pretty Archie – This Whole Town
Small town struggles might be hampering Pretty Archie‘s dating pool, but they’re not in any hurry to get away.
Steele Fox – My Church is at the Bottom of This Bottle
Steele Fox let us know that their “church is at the bottom of this bottle,” but they’re just preaching to the choir.
Kids Losing Sleep – In Love No More
Kids Losing Sleep took the long way around to tell us they’re not feeling it, despite catchy summer vibes.
Wangled Teb – Stalactites/\Stalagmites\/ feat. Chris Giles
Wangled Teb is currently one of Fredericton, New Brunswick’s most talked about artists, which, as they say, is better than not being talked about. And if you go in for electronically fashioned audioscapes, you’ve probably already had this conversation.
The Stanfields – Afraid of the World
Ditto, Stanfields. Ditto.
Matt Mays – Dark Promises (Acoustic)
While not released as a single, Matt Mays‘ “Dark Promises” stood out from his Twice Upon A Hell Of A Time…, the acoustic counterpart to his prior release Once Upon A Hell Of A Time…..
The Town Heroes – Everything
The Town Heroes made their foray into the of four-piece arrangements, giving the unique sound of Mike Ryan’s voice a proper platform to stand on.
Little Cities – These Days
Little Cities‘ “These Days” is their own pop punk equivalent to “Working for the Weekend.”
Nap Eyes – Every Time the Feeling
Nap Eyes, the east coast’s answer to Lou Reed, managed a few gems from their album I’m Bad Now released back in March. There’s no sorting this one out, as Nigel Chapman sings to us, “Oh, I can’t tell what’s worse: the meaninglessness or the negative meaning.”
The Galpines – Visa Bill Blues
The Galpines are wonderfully ridiculous in every way you can imagine them to be. They sing like they’ve got their hearts on their sleeves and their banking statements in the liner notes.