Best of: Top 50 of 2018: My favourite songs of 2018

I had a great time in 2018, in spite of the negativity that was flowing so heavily from so many sources. The music and the bands and the friends that surround them were my salvation. The positive energy and empowering messages coming from stage and speakers did a lot to help me from spiralling into the despair that politics, and the ugliness it emboldened, encouraged.

Please check out my other "best of" posts. My 20 Favourite Albums of 2018 list is here and I'll link my Favourite Concert Photos of 2018 when I have that finalized.

The hyperlinks in the song titles will take you to the tune itself if you want to check it out, the hyperlinks below each song link to my coverage of the artists, including my photos from those particular performances.

As always, thanks so much to the promoters, publicists, bands, management, festivals and venues that allow me to do this thing that I love to do. 

All the best as we sail into 2019, whatever it happens to hold for us. Let's be positive, encouraging, empowering and above all, kind and understanding. It will go a long way to making the world a better place.

50. Calpurnia "City Boy"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Royal Mountain Records Festival

49. The Beaches "T-Shirt"

Riverfest Elora

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

The Ex

Field Trip

The Bovine Sex Club

Harbourfront Centre

Riot Fest

48. King Tuff "Psycho Star"

47. Ash "Annabel"

The Opera House

46. Hatchie "Sure"

45. Inheaven "Sweet Dreams Baby"

Velvet Underground

44. Casper Skulls "O My Enemy"

The Baby G

The Horseshoe Tavern

The Rec Room

Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace

The Garrison

43. The Joy Formidable "The Wrong Side"

The Horseshoe Tavern

The Danforth Music Hall

The Opera House

42. Soccer Mommy "Your Dog"

Longboat Hall

41. Meg Myers "Numb"

40. Blood Red Shoes "God Complex"

The Danforth Music Hall

The Garrison

39. Middle Kids "Mistake"

Field Trip

38. Snail Mail "Pristine"

Lee's Palace

37. Hop Along "How Simple"

TURF

36. Art d'Ecco "Never Tell"

35. Cloud Nothings "Another Way Of Life"

The Opera House

Field Trip

34. The Dirty Nil "Bathed In Light"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Riverfest Elora

33. Young Fathers "Toy"

32. Restorations "The Red Door"

The Horseshoe Tavern

TURF

31. Fatherson "Charm School"

30. The Interrupters "She's Kerosene"

29. Ellevator "Voices"

The Danforth Music Hall

Riverfest Elora

Field Trip

Riverfest Elora

28. Dinosaur Jr. "Hold Unknown"

The Opera House

27. The Zolas "Bombs Away"

The Danforth Music Hall

The Ex
The Opera House
Riverfest Elora

The Portlands

Lee's Palace

26. Dream Wife "Fire"

The Horseshoe Tavern

25. Ought "Disgraced in America"

Royal Mountain Records Festival

The Horseshoe Tavern

Lee's Palace

Hillside Festival

24. Johnny Marr "Hi Hello"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Velvet Underground

23. Frank Turner "Be More Kind"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Massey Hall

The Danforth Music Hall

TURF

22. Marlon Chaplin "Elevation"

The Piston

Cherry Cola's

Cherry Cola's

Lee's Palace

21. Yuno "No Going Back"

20. Weakened Friends "Blue Again"

The Horseshoe Tavern

19. The Wombats "Turn"

The Danforth Music Hall

Bestival

18. Screaming Females "Step Outside"

Hard Luck

The Garrison

The Silver Dollar Room
The Garrison

17. Tancred "Queen of New York"

The Horseshoe Tavern

16. Yungblud "I Love You, Will You Marry Me"

The Rivoli

Yonge-Dundas Square

15. Culture Abuse "Bee Kind To The Bugs"

14. Little Junior "Denial"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Royal Mountain Records Festival

Hillside Festival

Lee's Palace

13. Chvrches "Get Out"

Yonge-Dundas Square

The Danforth Music Hall
Wayhome Festival

The Danforth Music Hall

12. Bob Mould "Sunshine Rock"

The Horseshoe Tavern
Riot Fest
The Horseshoe Tavern
The Mod Club

11. An Horse "Get Out Somehow"

Hard Luck

10. Charly Bliss "Heaven"

The Horseshoe Tavern

The Rec Room

9. King Princess "1950"

8. The Dirty Nil "That's What Heaven Feels Like"

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Riverfest Elora

7. The Twilight Sad "I/m Not Here [missing face]"

Bestival

6. Sunflower Bean "Crisis Fest"

Rebel

The Horseshoe Tavern

5. Dream Wife "Let's Make Out"

The Horseshoe Tavern

4. Ellevator "St. Cecilia"

The Danforth Music Hall

Riverfest Elora

Field Trip

Riverfest Elora

3. Screaming Females "I'll Make You Sorry"

Hard Luck

The Garrison

The Silver Dollar Room
The Garrison

2. Pale Waves "Heavenly"

The Opera House

Velvet Underground

The Baby G

1. Dizzy "In Time"

Royal Mountain Records Festival

Album Release Party at Ildsjel Collective

Field Trip

Hillside Festival

Best of: Top 20 of 2018: My favourite albums of 2018

2018 was a pretty damn cool year in music. There were so many beautiful souls trying their best to fill the world with beauty, empowerment, kindness and positive strength. While looking at the ugliness, racism, intolerance and just plain outright stupidity that so many people were trying, and unfortunately succeeding, in promoting, I loved the positive messages that I was hearing from the stage and from my speakers. The list below is the 20 albums, plus 2, that hit me the hardest, in the best way, in 2018.

And I guess I should explain the "top 20, plus 2" thing. It's because there were two albums that really only came to my attention in the past year, even though they were released in 2017. They're just so amazing that I had to recognize them; to put them on this list, kinda, sorta.

Check out my other "best of" posts of 2018. My Top 50 Favourite Songs of 2018 list is right here. And I'll link my Favourite Concert Photos of 2018 when I have that finalized.

The hyperlinks below each artist and album name link to my coverage of the artists, including my photos from those particular performances.

Here's to hoping we can all make 2019 a kinder, more empowering and inclusive year.

20. Lykke Li So Sad So Sexy

19. Restorations LP5000

The Horseshoe Tavern

TURF

18. Frank Turner Be More Kind

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Massey Hall

The Danforth Music Hall

TURF

17. Cloud Nothings Last Burning Buildings

The Opera House

Field Trip

16. Culture Abuse Bay Dream

15. The Wombats Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

The Danforth Music Hall

Bestival

14. Ought Room Inside the World

Royal Mountain Records Festival

The Horseshoe Tavern

Lee's Palace

Hillside Festival

13. Weakened Friends Common Blah

The Horseshoe Tavern

12. Tancred Nightstand

The Horseshoe Tavern

11. Sunflower Bean Twentytwo in Blue

Rebel

The Horseshoe Tavern

10. Marlon Chaplin The Circle

The Piston

Cherry Cola's

Cherry Cola's

Lee's Palace

*. Alex Lahey I Love You Like A Brother

9. King Princess Make My Bed

8. The Dirty Nil Master Volume

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Riverfest Elora

7. Little Junior Hi

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Royal Mountain Records Festival

Hillside Festival

Lee's Palace

6. Chvrches Love is Dead

Yonge-Dundas Square

The Danforth Music Hall
Wayhome Festival

The Danforth Music Hall

5. Pale Waves My Mind Makes Noises

The Opera House

Velvet Underground

The Baby G

*. Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs

The Phoenix Concert Theatre

Riverfest Elora

4. Dream Wife Dream Wife

The Horseshoe Tavern

3. Ellevator Ellevator

The Danforth Music Hall

Riverfest Elora

Field Trip

Riverfest Elora

2. Dizzy Baby Teeth

Royal Mountain Records Festival

Record release party at Ildsjel Collective
Field Trip
Hillside Festival

1. Screaming Females All At Once

Hard Luck

The Garrison

The Silver Dollar Room
The Garrison

Casper Skulls at The Baby G - Concert Photos

We’ve covered Casper Skulls a whole bunch here on one in ten words. I’ve always been impressed with their tunes and performances, and I’ve loved watching them grow along with their sound and presence. This band is just on the cusp of greater and greater things. Their older tunes sound as solid as ever and their new music continues to push into new territories.

On this night at The Baby G, they were preceded by The Spirit of the Beehive and Horse Jumper of Love. Click through to check out my coverage of those artists as well.

For my previous Casper Skulls coverage, click on the venue names: Horseshoe Tavern, Rec Room, Lee's Palace, Lee's Palace and The Garrison.

And let your ears spend some time with Casper Skulls' music:

"O My Enemy"

"Lingua Franca"

"Colour of the Outside"

The Spirit Of The Beehive at The Baby G - Concert Photos

Philadelphia's The Spirit of the Beehive played Toronto's Baby G smack-dab between headliners Casper Skulls and openers Horse Jumper of Love. Click through to check out my coverage of those acts, too.

The Spirit of the Beehive present elaborate soundscapes with huge dynamic swings, ambitious instrumental interplay, creative melodies and rhythmic shifts.

Check out some of their music:

"Hypnic Jerks"

"Cops Come Looking"

"Twenty First Road Trip"

"ricky (caught me tryin')"

Horse Jumper of Love at The Baby G - Concert Photos

Boston Massachusetts rock band Horse Jumper of Love were first up on stage at The Baby G, warming things up for The Spirit of the Beehive and Casper Skulls. Click through to check out my coverage of those bands, too.

Horse Jumper of Love's music is deep, dark, moody, introspective, droning, emotional, tortured and  brooding. Not exactly a cure for the dark foreboding feelings I’ve had over this extraordinarily dark and oppressive fall full of clouds and rain and darkness. Or maybe I'm projecting.

Check out some of their tunes:

"Ugly Brunette", "Spaceman", "Bagel Breath", "Poison", "Volcano", and "Cops"

Charly Bliss at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern - Concert Photos

Grolsch Spaces presented a free show by Brooklyn NY power pop band Charly Bliss along with amazing opening acts Pony and The Effens at The Horseshoe Tavern. Click through to my pics of the two openers.

Charly Bliss spent a long time on the “bands I want to see” list before they became a band I’d seen. I loved their show at The RecRoom and was excited for this Horseshoe Tavern show.

In short, we got a fantastic Charly Bliss show. Highlights of the high-energy set were a cover of Cindy Lauper's "All Through the Night", a bunch of very cool sounding new songs and so many great tunes from the rest of the band's catalog, focused on their most recent full-length, Guppy.

You could feel the energy bouncing back and forth between the crowd down front and the band on stage; getting higher and higher and higher as the set went on. Sadly, it couldn't go on forever, although somehow I think we missed out on an encore tune.

I know I'm not alone when I say that I can't wait for the band to record and release new music, and for them to swing back through Toronto on tour.

Here's a bunch of tunes from the band's setlist:

"Heaven"

"Percolator"

"DQ"

"Black Hole"

"Glitter"

"Love Me"

Pony at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern - Concert Photos

Some bands that I love, I have never experienced live. Some bands that I love, I get to see many times and experience their progress and growth over the years. Pony falls into the latter group. This was the fourth time I’ve experienced a live Pony show and they never fail to impress with their hook-filled power pop tunes, and infectious energy and stage presence.

They told us that they just finished recording their first full-length and I can't wait to hear their light and bouncy power pop tunes emanating from all my speakers. The new songs sound great and I can’t wait to spend more time with them.

On this particular night, I caught Pony smack dab in the middle of The Effens, who opened up the night, and Charly Bliss, who were headlining. Click through to see those photos.

For my other pics of Pony click through the links to see shots from last time at The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee's Palace and The Silver Dollar Room.

Check out Pony's awesome music and don't miss them next time you have a chance to catch their live show.

"Small Things"

"Alone Tonight"

"DIY"