Digital Trends' Best Albums of 2018

From blockbuster releases to hidden gems, we've spent the year listening to new music from near and far, culling that massive list into our 50 favorites. Whether you like jazz, hip-hop, rock, pop, or anything in between, these are the 50 best records of the year.

Published: December 12, 2018 23:27 Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 CARE FOR ME Saba Apr-05-2018, Conscious Hip Hop
#2 Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves Mar-30-2018, Country Pop
#3 Freedom Amen Dunes Mar-30-2018, Neo-Psychedelia
#4 Lush Snail Mail Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock
#5 It's a New Day Tonight Michael Rault May-18-2018, Indie Rock
#6 Historian Lucy Dacus Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock
#7 Clean Soccer Mommy Mar-02-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#8 Freedom's Goblin Ty Segall Jan-26-2018, Garage Rock
#9 Be the Cowboy Mitski Aug-17-2018, Art Pop
#10 Vessel Frankie Cosmos Mar-30-2018, Indie Pop
#11 Room 25 noname Sep-14-2018, Jazz Rap
#12 Superorganism Superorganism Mar-02-2018, Indietronica
#13 Dirty Computer Janelle Monáe Apr-27-2018, Contemporary R&B
#14 Con Todo El Mundo Khruangbin Jan-26-2018, Psychedelic Rock
#15 DAYTONA Pusha T May-25-2018, Hardcore Hip Hop
#16 Cranberry Hovvdy Feb-09-2018, Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock
#17 I Need to Start a Garden Haley Heynderickx Mar-02-2018, Indie Folk
#18 Modern Lore Julian Lage Feb-02-2018, Jazz
#19 Forth Wanderers Forth Wanderers Apr-27-2018, Indie Rock
#20 abysskiss Adrianne Lenker Oct-05-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#21 Negro Swan Blood Orange Aug-24-2018, Alternative R&B
#22 Streams of Thought Vol. 1 Black Thought Jun-01-2018, East Coast Hip Hop
#23 7 Beach House May-11-2018, Dream Pop
#24 Bark Your Head Off, Dog Hop Along Apr-06-2018, Indie Rock
#25 Boygenius boygenius Oct-26-2018, Indie Rock
#26 Songs of the Plains Colter Wall Oct-12-2018, Outlaw Country
#27 The Horizon Just Laughed Damien Jurado Jul-06-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#28 Skylight Pinegrove Oct-05-2018, Indie Rock
#29 C’est La Vie Phosphorescent Oct-05-2018, Americana
#30 Uniform Clarity Jim James Oct-05-2018, Contemporary Folk
#31 Mother of My Children Black Belt Eagle Scout Sep-14-2018, Indie Rock
#32 Now Only Mount Eerie Mar-16-2018, Indie Folk
#33 Only Love The Armed Apr-27-2018, Post-Hardcore
#34 Isolation Kali Uchis Apr-06-2018, Neo-Soul
#35 Future Me Hates Me The Beths Aug-10-2018, Power Pop
#36 re:member Ólafur Arnalds Aug-24-2018, Ambient
#37 Tell Me How You Really Feel Courtney Barnett May-18-2018, Indie Rock
#38 Bottle It In Kurt Vile Oct-12-2018, Folk Rock
#39 The Sciences Sleep Apr-20-2018, Stoner Metal
#40 All Melody Nils Frahm Jan-26-2018, Post-Minimalism
#41 Origami Harvest Ambrose Akinmusire Oct-12-2018, Chamber Jazz
#42 God's Favorite Customer Father John Misty Jun-01-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#43 Oxnard Anderson .Paak Nov-16-2018, West Coast Hip Hop
#44 WARM Jeff Tweedy Nov-30-2018, Alt-Country
#45 Wide Awake! Parquet Courts May-18-2018,
#46 You, Forever Sam Evian Jun-01-2018, Indie Pop
#47 Chime Sandy's Apr-20-2018, Neo-Psychedelia
#48 Some Rap Songs Earl Sweatshirt Nov-30-2018, Abstract Hip Hop
#49 And Nothing Hurt Spiritualized Sep-07-2018, Neo-Psychedelia
#50 Redemption Jay Rock Jun-15-2018, West Coast Hip Hop
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CARE FOR ME | Saba | Album, Apr-05-2018, Conscious Hip Hop |
| #2 | Golden Hour | Kacey Musgraves | Album, Mar-30-2018, Country Pop |
| #3 | Freedom | Amen Dunes | Album, Mar-30-2018, Neo-Psychedelia |
| #4 | Lush | Snail Mail | Album, Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock |
| #5 | It's a New Day Tonight | Michael Rault | Album, May-18-2018, Indie Rock |
| #6 | Historian | Lucy Dacus | Album, Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock |
| #7 | Clean | Soccer Mommy | Album, Mar-02-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #8 | Freedom's Goblin | Ty Segall | Album, Jan-26-2018, Garage Rock |
| #9 | Be the Cowboy | Mitski | Album, Aug-17-2018, Art Pop |
| #10 | Vessel | Frankie Cosmos | Album, Mar-30-2018, Indie Pop |
| #11 | Room 25 | noname | Album, Sep-14-2018, Jazz Rap |
| #12 | Superorganism | Superorganism | Album, Mar-02-2018, Indietronica |
| #13 | Dirty Computer | Janelle Monáe | Album, Apr-27-2018, Contemporary R&B |
| #14 | Con Todo El Mundo | Khruangbin | Album, Jan-26-2018, Psychedelic Rock |
| #15 | DAYTONA | Pusha T | Album, May-25-2018, Hardcore Hip Hop |
| #16 | Cranberry | Hovvdy | Album, Feb-09-2018, Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock |
| #17 | I Need to Start a Garden | Haley Heynderickx | Album, Mar-02-2018, Indie Folk |
| #18 | Modern Lore | Julian Lage | Album, Feb-02-2018, Jazz |
| #19 | Forth Wanderers | Forth Wanderers | Album, Apr-27-2018, Indie Rock |
| #20 | abysskiss | Adrianne Lenker | Album, Oct-05-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #21 | Negro Swan | Blood Orange | Album, Aug-24-2018, Alternative R&B |
| #22 | Streams of Thought Vol. 1 | Black Thought | EP, Jun-01-2018, East Coast Hip Hop |
| #23 | 7 | Beach House | Album, May-11-2018, Dream Pop |
| #24 | Bark Your Head Off, Dog | Hop Along | Album, Apr-06-2018, Indie Rock |
| #25 | Boygenius | boygenius | EP, Oct-26-2018, Indie Rock |
| #26 | Songs of the Plains | Colter Wall | Album, Oct-12-2018, Outlaw Country |
| #27 | The Horizon Just Laughed | Damien Jurado | Album, Jul-06-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #28 | Skylight | Pinegrove | Album, Oct-05-2018, Indie Rock |
| #29 | C’est La Vie | Phosphorescent | Album, Oct-05-2018, Americana |
| #30 | Uniform Clarity | Jim James | Album, Oct-05-2018, Contemporary Folk |
| #31 | Mother of My Children | Black Belt Eagle Scout | Album, Sep-14-2018, Indie Rock |
| #32 | Now Only | Mount Eerie | Album, Mar-16-2018, Indie Folk |
| #33 | Only Love | The Armed | Album, Apr-27-2018, Post-Hardcore |
| #34 | Isolation | Kali Uchis | Album, Apr-06-2018, Neo-Soul |
| #35 | Future Me Hates Me | The Beths | Album, Aug-10-2018, Power Pop |
| #36 | re:member | Ólafur Arnalds | Album, Aug-24-2018, Ambient |
| #37 | Tell Me How You Really Feel | Courtney Barnett | Album, May-18-2018, Indie Rock |
| #38 | Bottle It In | Kurt Vile | Album, Oct-12-2018, Folk Rock |
| #39 | The Sciences | Sleep | Album, Apr-20-2018, Stoner Metal |
| #40 | All Melody | Nils Frahm | Album, Jan-26-2018, Post-Minimalism |
| #41 | Origami Harvest | Ambrose Akinmusire | Album, Oct-12-2018, Chamber Jazz |
| #42 | God's Favorite Customer | Father John Misty | Album, Jun-01-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #43 | Oxnard | Anderson .Paak | Album, Nov-16-2018, West Coast Hip Hop |
| #44 | WARM | Jeff Tweedy | Album, Nov-30-2018, Alt-Country |
| #45 | Wide Awake! | Parquet Courts | Album, May-18-2018,  |
| #46 | You, Forever | Sam Evian | Album, Jun-01-2018, Indie Pop |
| #47 | Chime | Sandy's | EP, Apr-20-2018, Neo-Psychedelia |
| #48 | Some Rap Songs | Earl Sweatshirt | Album, Nov-30-2018, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #49 | And Nothing Hurt | Spiritualized | Album, Sep-07-2018, Neo-Psychedelia |
| #50 | Redemption | Jay Rock | Album, Jun-15-2018, West Coast Hip Hop |