The best Russian-language albums of 2018 according to Lifehacker

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

New items from Cream Soda, GSh, Krovostok and other releases.

Some of the albums from our selection have hardly ever met on the same list. Comparing completely different releases is not entirely correct, so we chose 10 of those that were memorable, and gave each one a prize in a sometimes randomly invented nomination.

Best Pop Album of the Year: Dakooka - "Form"

Simple and light, moderately danceable and at the same time rather sad mini-album of the Ukrainian singer Katya Dakuki "Form" is not her only work in 2018. A little earlier, a more solid, serious and even just long-term "Hero" was released.

You can listen to absolutely everything: the music of Dakuka combines bright pop melodies, not always predictable chord progressions, of course, house beats and vocal refrains, periodically reminiscent of mantric readings.

"Form", according to the singer, was written in a couple of weeks. It turned out to be an excellent pop release - one that was definitely worth listening to in the past year, and one from which you can begin to get acquainted with Kati Dakuka's discography.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Best Rap Album of the Year: "Krovostok" - "ChB"

The full-length album of the main underground hip-hop project of the 2000s did not bring new hits of the level of "Kurtez" or "Biography", but still did not disappoint anyone. The cruel stories of fictional characters, dark and rocking beats, the most charismatic in Russian rap obscenities and Sheila's characteristic flow remained in place.

It is not clear whether Krovostok should be considered the musicians of the old rap school, or any school in general. But it's a fact: this album will be remembered and listened to, and most of the releases of the freshmen who have shot in recent years are unlikely.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Most talked about album of the year: Monetochka - "Coloring Pages for Adults"

2018 passed under the sign of Monetochka, including on Lifehacker. We included the still fresh album of this performer in the selection of releases in May, wrote material about her, when everyone started talking about “Coloring Pages”. We made the test “Coin or Buckwheat?”, And also chose the release as the winner in the nomination “Best Music Album of 2018 according to Lifehacker”.

Everything that could be said about the "Coloring Pages" has already been said. Just to remind you again: there is every reason to say that this is the most interesting, varied and professionally produced pop album of the year. And with its tenacious melodies and text-memes - by far the most talked about. You may not love him, but almost no one managed to listen to him.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Most Dance Album of the Year: Cream Soda - "Beautiful"

The Cream Soda group, despite its long history, began 2018 as Ivan Dorn's ward: any note or review began with the mention of the protectorate in the person of the main Ukrainian pop artist. By the end of the year, the collective became an independent musical entity with its own audience, big solo albums and serious full-length work behind the back.

"Beautiful" is 11 quite different tracks with references to the sound and aesthetics of the 80s and 90s of the last century. At the same time, the flair of nostalgia here is just a cherry on the cake: Cream Soda's music sounds uncompromisingly up-to-date, and the album is an excellent accompaniment both to lonely dances in the twilight of a room, and to large-scale parties in dance halls of nightclubs.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Most Romantic Album of the Year: Bicycles for Afghanistan - Foam Days

One of the best guitar releases of the year in Russian music. He has been composed, recorded, re-recorded, mixed and mastered over the years. This is partly why the songs on "Foam of Days" turned out to be so different: from emo-hymns of youth like "Happiness" and "Youth" to the pop-punk action movie "051" and the lyrical synthetic "We do not exist".

I would like to quote a sentence from our annotation to the album, published in the September selection: "This kind of music takes the listener a certain number of years back, making him feel young, naive and in love again." Which, in principle, is much more important than genre accessories.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

The most summer album of the year: "Komsomolsk" - "Dear Muscovites"

"Dear Muscovites" is, at first glance, a frivolous guitar-synthesizer pop, to which one wants to dance and fall in love exclusively in summer parks. The girlish duet "Komsomolsk" is like the group "Lyceum", only a little more mischievous, modern and with ironic topical lyrics hiding behind multi-colored wigs and sonorous voices. This music, of course, exists outside the seasons, and you can always listen to it, if only to regain a little summer mood.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

The most unusual album of the year: "GSh" - "Benefit"

Despite the fact that there are only six songs, “Benefit” is not a mini-album at all. The track of the same name, known from concerts, became 12-minute here, surreal and lively "Nedolzh" and almost completely built on dissonances "Something will happen" is approaching the same mark.

The main author of music and guitarist of the group Yevgeny Gorbunov has said more than once that 2018 is no longer the time for tags and genres, and it is really difficult to assign Polza a label other than the meaningless “avant-garde”. Better to listen. Having previously discarded any expectations, they will definitely be deceived.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Best Punk Album of the Year: JARS - "JRS II"

Punk is just nominally: JARS has defiant lyrics characteristic of this style and views similar to representatives of the subculture, but the music here is more interesting and closer, rather, to noise rock.

The album is perceived flat and is listened to in one gulp. At the same time, it begins with an unpretentious playing with rhythm in the opening riff "E", and ends with a long avant-garde brass solo accompanied by post-metal guitars. Specific and direct messages in the lyrics bring new colors to the already aggressive music. No vague and safe "open your eyes", and in general no moralizing, which often sins heavy and social music - just anger and a desire to loudly declare it.

If you have heard something from JARS before, we still advise you to familiarize yourself, if only because "DZhRS II" is recorded much better than previous releases.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Best emo album of the year: "Source" - "This is how I imagined everything as a child"

The genre is also indicated here only nominally. There is the same hysterical emotionality, and guitar busting, referring to the alternative rock of the midwest 90s, but at the same time "The Source" is a little closer to emo music than the same Bicycles for Afghanistan mentioned above. Sometimes the group wants to be compared with the popular Moscow band "Pasosh". And not only because of the guest participation of Petar Martic in one of the tracks, but also because of the characteristic manner of vocalist Andrey Tarasov's performance.

“This is how I imagined everything in my childhood” is a rather sad and honest youth release. It will appeal primarily to teenagers who are looking for answers in music. Teenagers of any age.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

Most nostalgic album of the year: "LAVA" - "Fatality"

When some recreate the sound of 80s drum machines, while others imitate 90s pop in their lyrics, others do it all together. There is simply no such uncompromising retro on the domestic stage. Group "LAVA" prioritizes authenticity, which manifests itself even in the choice of instruments for recording and mixing songs. The result is a very believable simulation of rave-pop music from the 90s with covers of Vetlitskaya and silly dances in the choruses. It turns out very amusing, but what's next is unclear. There is a feeling that such experiments only work once.

Listen on iTunes / Apple Music →

Play on Spotify →

Play on Deezer →

What Russian-language releases do you remember? Share your answer in the comments.