In between Love Island, The World Cup, holiday season and an actual summer heatwave, many in the music industry could be forgiven for forgetting that vital mid-year tradition of rating the best releases of the past six months.
Well, Music Week remembered, and to celebrate we gathered a slew of big names to find out what’s been rocking our readers so far in 2018.
Feast your ears on the following, and look out for the best albums of 2018 and Music Week’s staff picks later in the week.
Sigrid – Strangers
“It’s absolute pop brilliance and she’s a really interesting artist. I have two young daughters and she’s just an amazing role model. It’s a great track.” Nicola Spokes (UK label head, Caroline International)
Gabe Gurnsey - Ultra Clear Sound
"The best early ‘80s (Northern) UK electronic sounds rolled up into 2018." Adam Webb (Campaign manager, FanFair Alliance)
Lo Moon – Real Love
“I heard this on the radio for the first time when I was in LA earlier this year. I Shazam’d it and immediately fell in love with Matt Lowell’s voice. I saw them play last month in London and they’re my new favourite band!” Peter Loraine (Fascination Management)
Portugal The Man – Feel It Still
“Probably a shocker to people who know me – but sunny, sing-along pop with Northern Soul sensibilities. Love it!” Julie Weir(label head, Music For Nations)
Mormor – Heaven’s Only Wistful
“It’s an interesting evocative track in the way it’s arranged. It starts like usual indie fodder, then you have a massive scream and the track starts. It’s got a filmic element to it, great melodies and a great video too. I’m obsessed with it, I keep listening to it because it’s got a lot of different elements to it and I love his voice. It’s a complete aesthetic experience.” Stefano Anselmetti, (Co-founder, Prolifica Management)
Childish Gambino – This Is America
“Do I really have to explain? Simply a brilliant song and video by an exceptional artist at exactly the right moment. Genius.” Tom Corson (co-chairman/COO, Warner Bros Records)
“It’s fucking amazing. Everything about it is what America needed and it was No.1 out there, which is so sick. It’s a really important record.” Raye (artist)
Westerman – Confirmation
“What I love about him is, lyrically and rhythmically, he’s just a brilliantly intuitive new songwriter. Live, it really resonated with me, it’s just a fantastic piece of songwriting.” Colin Schaverien, (Co-founder, Prolifica Management)
Møl – Jord
“My favourite is the title track from Møl’s new album Jord. It’s shoegaze and has awesome cinematic guitar lines and black metal vocals. It’s awesome.” Justine Jones (Employed To Serve)
Amyl And The Sniffers - Cup Of Destiny
“I strongly suspected that Amyl And The Sniffers would be punk rock excellence and seeing them live confirmed that. It made me want to pogo. In fact I did! Amy Taylor has a voice that could shatter the Death Star. Marvellous!” Russell Lewis Warby (WME)
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All The Stars
“All The Stars is probably my favourite, although I love the Kamasi Washington track Street Fighter Mas.” Mike Smith, (MD, Warner/Chappell UK)
MGMT – When You Die
“This could happily live on MGMT’s first album, Oracular Spectacular, which is one of my favourite records ever!” Fraser T Smith (producer/songwriter)
Christine And The Queens (Feat. Dâm-Funk) – Girlfriend
“I like that it’s a beautiful song that sounds very contemporary, whilst also sounding classically ‘80s. It’s one of those tracks where, on first listening, you have the sense you’ve heard it before even though it’s completely new. That’s a rarity and very smart to pull off.” Mark Mitchell (co-president, Parlophone)
Subscibers can find the full list online here.
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