2018
pinnacles of human achievement:
- Lala Lala – “Copycat” – The Lamb (Hardly Art)
- Ovlov – “The Best of You” – Tru (Exploding in Sound)
- Stove – “Animortal” – ‘s Favorite Friend (Exploding in Sound)
like fistfuls of medicine shoved down your throat:
- awakebutstillinbed – “Life” – What People Call Low Self-Esteem Is Really Just Seeing Yourself The Way That Other People See You (Tiny Engines)
- Wimps – “Giant Brain” – Garbage People (Kill Rock Stars)
- Idles – “Colossus” – Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan)
- Frankie Cosmos – “Apathy” – Vessel (Sub Pop)
- Anmlplnet – “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” – Fall Asleep (Ba Da Bing)
- Bernice – “Passenger Plane” – Puff: In the Air Without a Shape (Arts & Crafts)
- Moaning – “Close” – Moaning (Sub Pop)
- Deeper – “Pavement” – Deeper (Fire Talk)
- Ross From Friends – “Thank God I’m A Lizard” (Brainfeeder)
- Fit of Body – “Eighty One” – Black Box No Cops (2MR)
- Peggy Gou – “It Makes You Forget” – Once (Ninja Tune)
- Underworld & Iggy Pop – “Bells & Circles” – Teatime Dub Encounters (Caroline)
Songs That Made Radio Great Again in 2018
- Beach Day – “Runaway With You” – Run Away With You – (Chocolate Covered)
- Jesse Daniel – “Soft Spot For The Hard Stuff” – Jesse Daniel – (Die True)
- Josh T Pearson – “A Love Song (Set Me Straight)” – The Straight Hits! – (Mute)
- Whateverglades – “I Do I Did I Don’t” – Knock Knock – (No Egrets Records)
- Kacey Musgraves – “Kansas City Star” – King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller – (BMG)
- The Muddy Roses – “Long Black Veil” – KALX Live! – (KALX)
- Illuminati Hotties – “Paying Off The Happiness” – Kiss Yr Frenemies – (Tiny Engines)
- Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas – “Sorry I Stole Your Man” – Secret Evil – (Instant)
- Bon Bon Vivant – “Gone Gone Gone” – Live At The New Orleans Jazz Museum – (Gallatin Street)
- Belly – “Human Child” – Dove – (Belly Inc)
- Lindi Ortega – “You Ain’t Fooling Me” – Liberty – (Shadowbox)
- Mike Beck and The Bohemian Saints – “I Wanna Find Out” – Alta California – (Reata)
- Secret Emchy Society – “Bears” – Mark’s Yard (The Campfire Covers) – (S/R)
- Underworld and Iggy Pop – “Bells and Circles” – Teatime Dub Encounters – (Caroline)
- I See Hawks In L.A. – “Poour Me” – Live and Never Learn – (S/R)
- Amy Rigby – “One Off” – The Old Guys – (S/R)
- Eleanor Friedberger – “Make Me A Song” – Rebound – (Frenchkiss)
- Bettye Lavette – “Things Have Changed” – Things Have Changed – (Verve)
- Lump – “Curse of the Contemporary” – Lump – (Dead Oceans)
- Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore – “Downey to Lubbock” – Downey to Lubbock – (Yep Rock)
- Robbie Fulks and Linda Gail Lewis – “I Just Lived a Country Song” – Wild! Wild! Wild! – (Bloodshot)
- Fast Heart Mart – “So Many Problems” – KALX Live! – (KALX)
- Hollie Cook – “Stay Alive” – Vessel of Love – (Merge)
- Neil Young and the Promise of the Real – “Carnival” – The Visitor – (Reprise)
- Reverend Beat-Man – “I’ll Do It For You” – Blues Trash – (Voodoo Rhythm)
- Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands – “Twirl” – KALX Live! – (KALX)
- Moonshine Maybeline – “Champaign and Cocaine” – End Of The Road – (Spitfire)
- Hillstomp – “I’ll Be Around” – Monster Receiver – (Fluff & Gravy)
- Trouble In The Wind – “Orion” – Hammer On – (S/R)
- We Banjo 3 – “Good Time Old Time” – String Theory – (Sonas)
- Bay Station – “Baja Blues” – Other Desert Cities – (S/R)
- Laura Benitez and Heartache – “The Fool I Am Right Now ” – With All Its Thorns – (Copperhead)
- Crying Time – “You’re Still Gone” – Last Saturday Night – (S/R)
- Crooked Jades – “Ryland and Spencer” – Empathy Moves the Water – (Jade Note)
- Guts Club – “Bad Aim” – Trench Foot – (S/R)
- Lucero – “For The Lonely Ones” – Among The Ghosts – (Liberty and Lament Records)
- John Prine – “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door” – The Tree of Forgiveness – (Oh Boy)
- Zoe Speaks – “There’s A Hole Where Your Soul’s Supposed To Be” – Wings – (Redbird)
- Tina and Her Pony – “Good Man” – Champion – (S/R)
- Victoria Vox – “Out On The Rails” – Colorful Heart – (Obus)
- Calexico – “Music Box” – The Thread That Keeps Us – (Anti-)
- H.C. McEntire – “Baby’s Got The Blues” – Lionheart – (Merge)
- Charlie Parr – “HoBo” – Dog – (Red House)
- Caroline Rose – “More Of The Same” – Loner – (New West)
- Jenn Champion – “O.M.G. (I’m All Over It)” – Single Rider – (Hardly Art)
- Grimskunk – “Sick Bastards” – Unreason In The Age of Madness – (Indica)
- Killer Kaya – “Gypsy” – KALX Live! – (KALX)
- Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio – “Something Smells Funky Round Here” – Big Fun Trio – (Alligator)
- Todd Novak And The Benny Hillbillez – “Sons Of Beaches” – Goats Head Surf – (S/R)
- Country Joe McDonald – “Era Of Guns” – 50 – (Rag Baby)
- Alanis Obomsawin – “Bush Lady” – Bush Lady – (Constellation)
Compilations that made the GREAT state of Berkeley proud!
- Dr. Demento Covered In Punk – (Demented Punk)
- Gunsmoke Volume 1 & 2 – (Stag-O-Lee)
- King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller – (BMG)
- Something Weird: Greatest Hits! – (Modern Harmonic)
Special Thanks to all the artists who appeared LIVE on the air with me, here on the Left Coast
- Brian Belknap and Erma
- Patsy Cline Tribute Show (with Margaret Belton)
- Collisionville
- Crying Time
- Fast Heart Mart
- Nate Jones and the Sloe Sippers
- Lavender Country
- Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands (and Maurice Tani)
- Loretta Lynn Tribute Show (with Margaret Belton, Laura Benitez, Lisa Marie Johnson and Michelle Kappel)
- Moonshine Jelly
- The Muddy Roses
- Penny Opry
- Secret Emchy Society
- Trouble In The Wind
- Whateverglades
- Wormfarmer
Favorite Albums of 2018
- A Place To Bury Strangers – Pinned (Dead Oceans)
- Actress x London Contemporary Orchestra – Lageos (Ninja Tune)
- Bart & The Bedazzled – Blue Motel (Lovemonk)
- Beak> – >>> (Invada)
- Cut Worms – Hollow Ground (Jagjaguwar)
- Earth Girl Helen Brown – Four Satellites Vol. 1 (In The Red)
- Exit Group – Adverse Habitat (Castle Face)
- Exploded View – Obey (Sacred Bones)
- Gabe Gurnsey – Physical (Phantasy)
- Holy Wave – Adult Fear (The Reverberation Appreciation Society)
- IE – Pome (Moon Glyph)
- Instant Music – S/T (Dark Entries)
- Julien Boulier – A Film Not Yet Made (Time Released Sound)
- Kikagaku Moyo – Masana Temples (Guruguru Brain)
- Klaus Johann Grobe – Du Bist So Symmetrisch (Trouble In Mind)
- Leon Vynehall – Nothing Still (Ninja Tune)
- Les Halles – Zephyr (Not Not Fun)
- Lithics – Mating Surfaces (Kill Rock Stars)
- Lotic – Power (Tri Angle)
- Maarja Nuut & Ruum – Muunduja (Fat Cat)
- Martial Canterel – Lost At Sea (Dais)
- Motoko & Myers – Basis Keys (Open Hand Real Flames)
- Nonpareils – Scented Pictures (Mute)
- Paint – S/T (Mexican Summer)
- Papercuts – Parallel Universe Blues (Slumberland)
- Peel Dream Magazine – Modern Meta Physic (Slumberland)
- Skee Mask – Compro (Ilian Tape)
- Smerz – Have Fun (XL)
- Suuns – Felt (Secretly Canadian)
- Various Artists – The Bedroom Tapes (Minimal Wave)
- Yo La Tengo – There’s A Riot Going On (Matador)
Velvet Einstein – Best Albums/EPs of 2018
- Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet – Landfall (Nonesuch)
- Big Freedia – 3rd Ward Bounce (Asylum)
- 카코포니(cacophony) – 和(Harmony) (Fluxus)
- Camille – OUÏ (Balulalo)
- Coeur De Pirate – en cas de tempête, ce jardin sera fermé. (Dare to Care)
- Philip Glass – Distant Figure (performed by Anton Batagov) (Orange Mountain)
- Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed (Secretly Canadian)
- New Music Detroit – Smoke (Innova)
- Les Poules A Colin – Morose (Famgroup)
- Saintseneca – Pillar of Na (Anti)
- Shannon and the Clams – Onion (Easy Eye Sound)
- Shannon Shaw – Shannon in Nashville (Easy Eye Sound)
FILM CLOSE-UPS’ FAVORITE FILMS OF 2018 (alphabetical)
Esme’s picks:
- At Eternity’s Gate
- Annihilation
- Avengers: Infinity War
- BlacKKKlansman
- Black Panther
- Blindspotting
- Burning
- Destroyer
- Eighth Grade
- The Favourite
- Hereditary
- If Beale Street Could Talk
- Madeline’s Madeline
- Mandy
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- Paddington 2
- The Rider
- Roma
- Shirkers
- Shoplifters
- Sorry to Bother You
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- A Star is Born
- Support the Girls
- Suspiria
- Three Identical Strangers
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Widows
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor
- You Were Never Really Here
Geralyn’s picks:
- American Animals, USA, Bart Layton
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, USA, Joel Coen
- Bohemian Rhapsody, USA, Bryan Singer
- A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantastica), USA, Sebastian Lelio
- Green Book, USA, Peter Farrelly
- Hostiles, USA, Scott Cooper
- The Insult, Lebanon, Ziad Doveiri
- Rodents of Unusual Size, (Documentary), USA, Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer
- Shoplifters, Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda
- You Were Never Really Here, USA, Lynne Ramsay
Greg’s picks:
- American Animals
- Annihilation
- Beast
- Blindspotting
- Death Of Stalin
- The Favourite
- First Reformed
- Ghost Stories
- Hereditary
- Sorry To Bother You
- Three Identical Strangers
Sonia’s picks:
- Ben is Back
- Blindspotting
- Eighth Grade
- A Fantastic Woman
- The Favourite
- If Beale Street Could Talk
- Isle of Dogs
- McQueen
- Roma
- Shoplifters
- Sorry to Bother You
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?