Favorite Local Songs of 2018

Wetter – "Truth Song"

Melissa Jones' distinctive warble cuts through the din to deliver one of the most poignant songs of the year. In just four minutes, she captures the bone-deep ache of coming of age: "My love, my love like the moon," she sighs, "reflecting to become."

Dirt Train – "Leave Me Alone"

This song just builds and builds. It sounds like the moment in the movie when the main character is just running, running, running, past all the cars and parks and storefronts on their way to becoming someone new. Lydia Liza and Laura Hugo's chorus of backing vocals is just icing on the cake.

Rachel Kurtz – "I Like It"

I want this song to be my walk-on music. How great would it be if every time a door swung open, those trombones sauntered across the room like they owned the place? And then comes Rachel Kurtz's voice: velvety and pure, capable of ratcheting from a purr to a howl in a single breath. That's power. That's bliss.

Dwynell Roland – "Down"

The man with the cutest giggle and most effervescent presence in rap music turns in a two-minute-and-45-second meditation on the dark side of the creative process, getting real about depression, ennui, and the exhaustion that comes with constantly pushing yourself out onto the stage.

Hippo Campus – "Bambi"

Ah, ha, ah ha. Even Hippo Campus's more introspective, vulnerable songs come varnished with the shiniest of hooks. My biggest earworm of 2018.

Fauna and Flora – "Signs"

This relatively unknown indie-pop group from Rochester, Minn. released one of my favorite songs of the year. I think this track made it onto pretty much every playlist I made in 2018, regardless of the mood. Get them an opening slot on a Sylvan Esso tour, stat.

Genital Panic – "Misogyny Is Coming To Get Me"

Tina Schlieske's no-holds-barred political punk band made an incredibly satisfying debut EP. Play it loud enough to blast the breaking-news push notifications off your phone.

The Lioness – "Chosen Ones"

Perennially underrated rapper the Lioness put out a great album this year, and it was hard to choose just one track — but I had to go with "Chosen Ones" for its absolutely chilling video, which expands on the song's lyrics about the realities facing young black men in America.

Gully Boys – "Dizzy Romantics"

Gully Boys were the breakthrough band from Minnesota this year. They were the Picked to Click champs, one of First Avenue's Best New Bands, and are sure to be on every summer block party lineup next year, and for good reason: their raw, back-to-basics approach to making rock music strikes just the right chord in these overstimulated times.

J.S. Ondara – "American Dream"

I've been eagerly awaiting J.S. Ondara's debut album since first hearing his voice two years ago, and "American Dream" hints at what's to come in 2019.

astralblak feat. Trelly Mo – "Feels"

The first time I saw astralblak (then known as ZULUZULUU) perform this live, it felt like they had sliced a hole in the space-time continuum, with Trelly Mo's chorus breaking the band's rhythms apart and leaving us floating between the minutes and hours. I've been eager to take home a recorded version of "Feels" ever since, and this track does not disappoint — just listen to those synths. It's no wonder Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis tapped this band to play their Super Bowl showcase.

Kari Arnett – "This American Life"

Beautiful, sweeping Americana that tackles the gigantic question of what it means to live in this country. Pair it with the J.S. Ondara single "American Dream" for two different takes on the same uniquely American feeling of heartbreak.

Static Panic – "Lose You to the Night"

Few local artists (outside of Jellybean Johnson and the Monday-night Bunker's crew) are making pop music this funky, this sugar-rush satisfying, this free.

Longshot and Lazerbeak – "Just Dance"

According to my programming software, I kicked off the Local Show with this song more than any other. Which makes sense: It's such a groove! Instant mood-lifter.

Favorite Local Albums of 2018

Chance York and Big Cats – Deep Dark Hope
Matt Latterell – People You May Know
Mina Moore – Amongst Ourselves
Low – Double Negative
Dizzy Fae – Free Form
Scrunchies – Stunner
Now, Now – Saved
astralblak – Seeds
Maria Isa – Sasa
Dessa – Chime

Favorite Global Albums of 2018

Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
boygenius – boygenius
Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy
Mountain Man – Magic Ship
Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
Robyn – Honey
Mitski – Be the Cowboy
Leon Bridges – Good Thing
Noname – Room 25
Swamp Dogg – Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune