2018 Studio Album Releases

This poll again comes in three sections plus an other:

The first eight are taken from the unfiltered, except by year, Prog Archives Top Album Chart. The second eight is taken from the Collab Album of the Year for 2018 topic, but if an album of that was already listed, then I omit it from that section. The third eight is from my top 20 list at Awesome Prog for 2018. "Other" as a voting option is intended to use if none of the listed options have much appeal. That said, I would ask people to mention their favourites on and off the list. If your favourite on the list is Far Corner's Risk, but your actual favourite is Galahad's Sea of Change, then I suggest voting for and mentioning Risk in a post while mentioning Galahad's Sea of Change being your actual favourite.

Sharing is caring and detailed posts are welcome (that can help with conversation). Mention as many of your favourites as you like, both and off the list. And feel free to mention what you don't like that is listed too.

PA's Top Prog Albums Chart

1. All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light (Symphonic Prog)
2. Hypno5e - Alba - Les ombres errantes (Exp./Post Metal)
3. Dewa Budjana - Mahandini (Jazz-Rock/ Fusion)
4. Keor - Petrichor (Eclectic Prog)
5. Daal - Decalogue of Darkness (Eclectic Prog)
6. Roz Vitalis - The Hidden Man (RIO/Avant Prog)
7. Hackberry - Hackberry (Heavy Prog)
8. Koenji Hyakkei - Dhorimviskha (Zeuhl)

Collaborators Top Albums of 2018

All Traps On Earth - A Drop Of Light (Collab album of the year removed from second poll section to avoid duplication)
1. Far Corner - Risk (RIO/Avant Prog)
2. Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic (Crossover Prog)
3. Piniol - Bran Coucou (RIO/Avant Prog)
Koenji Hyakkei Dhorimviskha (actual fifth place collab album removed as listed earlier)
4. The Tangent - Proxy (Eclectic Prog)
5. Elephant9 - Greatest Show on Earth (Jazz Rock/Fusion)
6. Phideaux - Infernal (Crossover Prog)
7. Cheer Accident - Fades (RIO/Avant-Prog)
8. Haken - Vector (Heavy Prog)

Eight of my top nine, Prog or not, at Awesome Prog for 2018.

Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic (my number one removed from my poll section as it is number 2 in the collab list)
1. Julia Holter - Aviary (not in PA, experimental art/progressive pop)
2. Mid-Air Thief - 무너지기 [Crumbling] (not in PA, Neo-Psychedelia, Folktronica)
3. Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want (not in PA, Noise Rock, Industrial Rock)
4. Kosmischer Läufer - Volume Four (Krautrock in PA)
5. Cages - Inside a Ringing Chord (not in PA, Neoclassical Darkwave, Post-Industrial)
6. Kikagaku Moyo - Masana Temples (Psych/Space in PA)
7. Beach House - 7 (Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia)
8. The Necks - Body (not in PA, Post-Rock, Avant-Garde Jazz)

These are time-consuming to make and I would not expect them to be of much interest to many people here, especially as a third of this is devoted to my favourites most of which are not even included in PA. I would like to get to 2016 at least before taking a long break because that is a favourite year of mine, but then so is 1996...

Cracking year for music!

Far Corner > Koenjihyakkei, Anna von Hausswolff, Piniol, The Necks

Far Corner – Risk

2018 was a great year. Voted for All Traps on Earth. Far Corner and Koenjihyakkei are my 2nd and 3rd picks. One last sandwich before the Earth turns into a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.

I don't know that many of these albums, I like a few, but none of these is really high on my list. There would be, for example, Sonar & David Torn - Vortex, Stephan Thelen (which PA has as 2019 but bandcamp says it's Dec 2018), Soft Machine - Hidden Details, Barbara Morgenstern - Unschuld und Verwuestung.

Your list, Greg, reminds me of what a great year 2018 was! While A Drop of Light stands head and shoulders above everything else from that year--even KoenjiHyakkei's crazy wizardry--my favorite album from this year is UNAKA PRONG's Salinty Now!

This was a great year, and lots of amazing albums here.
I went with Dewa Budjana, but honestly I'm more into the Red Hot Chili Pepper guy on here, as well as bassist Mohini Dey, than Budjana's guitar. Love this record.

All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light 

Thanks for the responses.

Here is my AP top 20:

1. Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic
    Somber Atmospheric Nordic Non-Prog Drone Pop/Independent
2. Julia Holter - Aviary
    Ethereal Lush Exp Prog Art Pop/Jazz
3. Mid-Air Thief - 무너지기 (Crumbling)
    Warm Melodic Neo Prog Folk Electronic/Psychedelia
4. Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
    Anxious Noisy Exp Non-Prog Post Hardcore/Punk
5. Kosmischer Läufer - Volume Four
    Psych Prog Krautrock/Rock
6. Cages - Inside a Ringing Chord
    Ominous Nocturnal Exp Prog-Adj Post Industrial/Blues
7. Kikagaku Moyo - Masana Temples
    Warm Psych Japanese Non-Prog Folk Raga/Krautrock
8. Beach House - 7
    Dreamy Lush Neo Non-Prog Alt Pop/Shoegaze
9. The Necks - Body
    Hypnotic Minimalistic Exp Prog Post Electronic/Krautrock
10. Cosmo Sheldrake - The Much Much How How and I
11. Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses
    Melancholic Melodic Exp Prog Post Singer Songwriter/Shoegaze
12. Uboa - The Sky May Be
13. Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon voyage
    Warm Eclectic Neo Prog Alt Psychedelia/Pop
14. KoenjiHyakkei - Dhorimviskha
    Energetic Tech Non-Prog Zeuhl/Fusion
15. Far Corner - RisK
    Ominous Complex Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
16. Qujaku - Qujaku
    Ominous Noisy Exp Japanese Prog Post Krautrock/Doom
17. MGMT - Little Dark Age
    Playful Melodic Neo Non-Prog Electronic/Rock
18. Thee Oh Sees - Smote Reverser
    Warm Psych Prog Space Krautrock
19. John Zorn - The Book Beri'ah
20. PinioL - Bran Coucou
    Brutal Rhythmic Prog Avant Zeuhl/RIO

^ So much great music and so much for me to discover and re-discover still from this year and many other years. I need more time and spins with Fractal Sextet and related, but I really like the music.

King of Loss wrote: Honestly out of these, I like the Beach House record.

Well I of course approve. I love Beach House. It's one of my favourite bands that I got into over the past two years (was youtube recommended after I had been listening to some Weyes Blood and/or St. Vincent). My favourite Beach House albums are Bloom (2012) and Once Twice Melody (2022), but I like all of the 2010 up albums, including the EP Become from 2023.