2022 The Albums: League of Their Own

 

 

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time.

See List of 2022 Honorable Mentions

In the past winners have included:

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A

2001 - The Strokes - Is This It?

2002 - NERD - In Search of...

2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant

2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss

2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute

2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

2007 - Kanye West - Graduation

2008 - Santigold

2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye

2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

2011 - Bjork - Biophilia

2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

2013 - Arcade Fire - Reflektor

2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic

2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar

2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded

2019 - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest

2020 - Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

2021 - St. Vincent - Daddy's Home

...and now to add to this ever growing list is a band who is taking the sound of rock and roll that we have grown accustomed to and bending, manipulating and altering them in ways that will leave you spellbound and astonished that what they are doing is possible.

The 2022 League of Their Own winner is...

 

Black Midi - Hellfire

The young British band has been a favorite of Officially A Yuppie since they came on our radar in 2019 with their stellar debut and since have steadily released one fantastic album after another. However, their 2022 offering, their third record overall, "Hellfire" is a combination of heavy metal, prog and alternative that it is no wonder that Australia's mighty King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard asked them to open for them on a select number of shows. Musicianship aside, the tongue-in-cheek and ironic lyrics from singer Geordie Greep just add to the magic. This record is a wild experience that plays out like a horror movie but you don't want it to end. Welcome to the hellfire, indeed!

2021 The Albums: League of Their Own

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time.

See List of 2021 Honorable Mentions

In the past winners have included:

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It?
2002 - NERD - In Search of...
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation
2008 - Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
2013 - Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar
2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded
2019 - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest 
2020 - Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
 

...and now to add to this ever growing list is an artist who is constantly reinventing herself as not just a persona or style of music but in an overall package that blurs the line between pop, alternative, rock, and even in some cases, experimental. This is a category for someone just like her. 

Ladies and gents, the 2021 League of Their Own winner is... 

St. Vincent - Daddy's Home

Annie Clarke is a shapeshifter and a certifiable icon. So when she combined her love of icons like Warhol, New York City in the 1970s, her father's classic rock collection and took on the persona of Warhol Factory alum trans legend Candy Darling, the possibilities were endless. Daddy's Home is a concept record that pays homage to all of these things. A record that recorded in order to connect with her father as he emerged from a prison sentence to the era of things he enjoyed and what surrounded them. She takes us in a musical time machine back to the seedy, gritty, dangerous New York City of the mid-70s and gives us a new spin on it as she sings through a modern eye. A record that after endless listens this year gets more and more interesting with every spin.

2020 The Albums: Top 10

 

via GIPHY

What a long strange year this has been but in trying to find a silver lining in it all, the music has been amazing. Some of the best records from artists old and new arrived making it so hard to come up with not just 10 albums for this list but editing down and selecting our Honorable Mentions. We hope these albums are not just a reflection of the era in which they were born but something to carry you over if you missed anything this year because there was just oh so much to miss and overlook. 

2020 League of Their Own Album Pick 

Here are our picks for the 10 best albums of the year:

2020 Honorable Album Mentions 

10) Dreamwife - So When You Gonna
9) Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
8) Richard Russell - Friday Forever
7) Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony
6) Algiers - There is No Year
5) Greg Dulli - Random Desire
4) Thundercat - It Is What It Is
3) Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You
2) Fontaines DC - A Hero's Death
1) Run the Jewels - RTJ 4

Now, in long form:

 10) Dreamwife - So When You Gonna

 An exciting sophomore from a London garage trio that simply do not hold back or care less what you think of them. A thrashing and frolicking good album from star to finish that makes recalls the glory days of early 2000s garage rock but brings more substance than most new releases from bands from that era. A record that makes us miss live shows even more during lockdown because So When You Gonna sounds like it could seriously own on stage. 

9) Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence

The debut album from this Brooklyn trio is perfect. Simply put. Take everything you love about 1980s new and dark wave and give it a modern spin. As they work with Fab from The Strokes and Nick of Static Jacks, garage rock drummers known to pound this kits, gives them a whole new genre and space to play in as Introduction, Presence, is new for all listening. It feels familiar but is different, which is the best recipe for albums. 

8) Richard Russell - Friday Forever

The sequel to his brilliant and League of Their Own winning, Everything is Recorded, the XL Records owner comes back with a new solo record that has a whole different concept to it. Friday Forever is a concept record made to listen to at certain times of the night as you enter the weekend after a long night of work. Friday Forever is meant to be listened to if you work in a big city and instead of going home, you go out and starting the weekend off right by not rushing to be anywhere and letting it take you somewhere you didn't plan. With guest appearances from Ghostface Killah, A.K. Paul, Infinite Coles, among others, the album becomes more special the more you listen unlocking new levels and layers of sound. 

 7) Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony

The long-awaited debut from one of hip-hops biggest enigmas didn't disappoint. Jay Electronica's debut was finished as the pandemic was getting started allegedly after Jay-Z, who is prominently featured on the album, encouraged and pushed his close friend and mentor to finally get it done and release it. Jay-Z isn't the only guest as James Blake, Travis Scott, and various production from  Swizz Beatz, Hit-Boy, The Alchemist, No I.D. bring the record to life.  

6) Algiers - There is No Year

 Rock and soul are always a good combination but when they join forces to discuss impending doom, the end of the world, and time stopping, no one could have predicted that weeks after the release of There is No Year that Algiers predicted some of the future. This album is like going to Sunday church but with the best band leading the chorus as rock and soul mix with gospel and punk to bring us one of the most interesting and powerful albums of the year. 

5) Greg Dulli - Random Desire

The Afghan Whigs frontman released his second solo album and first since the band reformed in 2012 and like everything else he has done in his career, Dulli shows just how great he is at songwriting, arraigning and evoking emotions you were not expecting to feel while listening to a rock and roll record. A powerful album filled with the things that have guided him his whole career -- passion, soul, and fury. 

4) Thundercat - It is What It Is

Nobody makes albums like Thundercat and that is probably because there is no one like Thundercat. The California bassist and producer returned with his latest acid jazz / doom pop record that is filled with irreverent and comical lyrics but also epic party anthems and in a year where we could not celebrate together, here was an album that made you want to have a dance party in your own home. 

3) Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You

At 71 years old and nearly 20 albums under his belt, what more could Bruce Springsteen have to say? Turns out, a lot. Letter To You is his best album since 2002's The Rising, which was his landmark comeback record with the E-Street Band following 9/11, so that means that endorsement doesn't come lightly. Letter to You is a rip roaring rock and roll record made in just a week during the height of the pandemic and hears the iconic songwriter coming to face his own mortality and the mortality of his band as well as the legacy he hopes to leave behind. The burning fire and desire in Springsteen's heart still burns and we thank him for it. 

2) Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death

The best new band of 2019 who had last year's album of the year return with a sophomore LP just as epic as their debut. A Hero's Death is a record that feels familiar but is different in scope and sound from one of the world's finest new artists. This record, unlike Dogrel, is bigger in production and sonics which is expected for a second record but not like this. Fontaines D.C. are more than just a rock band from Ireland, they are the rock band of our era and music like another pack from Dublin which formed 40 years ago, could be the voice of this generation as this record helps make the case. 

 1) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 4

Much of America and the world woke up to the Black Lives Matter movement as they sat home to finally pay attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. As unemployment shot through the roof, a financial crisis that was supposed to happen once in a generation in 2008 happened again this year. There was much to be afraid of and much to understand and learn and take action to change. In all of that was the rally cry and anthems provided by Run the Jewels on their spectacular fourth album proving that they are the most important music artists of this generation. RTJ4 is as powerful as one would expect in size, sound, sonic, style and substance. Some of these songs were written between Run the Jewels 3 release in 2016 and present day but feel like they were written just days before the records release. As Killer Mike and El-P take headlines and history lessons from the past and prove we have not learned anything and the time to educate is long overdue but needed. They are giving today's audience what their friend Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine did to his audience in the 90's, and informing with a powerful rhythm and an in-your-face lesson you cannot avoid. Featuring guests like 2 Chainz, de la Rocha, Pharrell, Mavis Staples, Greg Nice, DJ Premier, and among others, RTJ 4 is 2020 in 39 minutes. A time capsule for future generations and a new form of punk rock for the current one.

2020 The Albums: League of Their Own

 

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time.

2020 Honorable Album Mentions 

In the past winners have included:

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It?
2002 - NERD - In Search of...
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation
2008 - Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
2013 - Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar
2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded
2019 - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest

...and now to add to this ever growing list is an artist that never played by the rules and someone who rewrote them as they went along. Rules to this artist are about as important as the color of someone else's car. Rules to this artist are not only made to be broken and not followed but encourages others to do the same and follow their own path. 

Ladies and gents, the 2020 League of Their Own winner is....

 Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

In her first record in eight years and fifth as an artist, Fiona Apple knocked down every barrier, glass ceiling, stereotype, musical limit and crafted her greatest album since Tidal. Proving she is still one of the greatest songwriters of all time, what she did with such minimal instruments -- her voice, drums, piano, bass, and samples of her dog, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the force of a wrecking ball. Clocking in at just under an hour, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is a tour de force and testament to an artist who never backed down even went she was discounted by so many, only to prove everyone wrong.

100 Best Albums of the Decade

via GIPHY


This list has been 10 years in the making. Here are my picks for the 100 best albums of the decade.

1	To Pimp A Butterfly	Kendrick Lamar	2015
2	DAMN.	Kendrick Lamar	2017
3	Run The Jewels 2	Run The Jewels	2014
4	Transgender Dysphoria Blues	Against Me!	2014
5	Black Star	David Bowie	2017
6	Body Talk	Robyn	2010
7	James Blake	James Blake	2010
8	Plastic Beach	Gorillaz	2010
9	The Epic	Kamasi Washington	2015
10	We Got it From Here…	A Tribe Called Quest	2016
11	Suck It and See	Arctic Monkeys	2011
12	Overgrown	James Blake	2013
13	21	Adele	2011
14	Ceremonials	Florence & The Machine	2011
15	In Spades	The Afghan Whigs	2016
16	Until the Quiet Comes	Flying Lotus	2012
17	The Suburbs	Arcade Fire	2010
18	Beyonce	Beyonce	2013
19	Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City	Kendrick Lamar	2013
20	The Far Field	Future Islands	2017
21	Recovery	Eminem	2010
22	4:44	Jay Z	2017
23	High Violet	The National	2010
24	A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings	Beach Slang	2016
25	The Magic Whip	Blur	2015
26	Post Pop Depression	Iggy Pop	2016
27	Adore Life	Savages	2016
28	Channel Orange	Frank Ocean	2012
29	Wasting Light	Foo Fighters	2011
30	AM	Arctic Monkeys	2013
31	Everything is Love	The Carters	2018
32	Everything is Recorded	Richard Russell	2018
33	LP1	FKA Twigs	2014
34	Dogrel	Fontaines D.C.	2019
35	Remind Me Tomorrow	Sharon Van Etten	2019
36	Songs of Innocence	U2	2014
37	DAYTONA	Pusha-T	2018
38	The King of Limbs	Radiohead	2011
39	Koi No Yokan	Deftones	2012
40	Biophilia	Bjork	2011
41	Well Done	Action Bronson	2011
42	Life Is Good	Nas	2012
43	Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds	Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds	2011
44	My Beatiful Dark Twisted Fantasy	Kanye West	2010
45	Reflektor	Arcade Fire	2013
46	Ghosteen	Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds	2019
47	III	BADBADNOTGOOD	2014
48	MASSEDUCATION	St. Vincent	2017
49	The Skeleton Tree	Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds	2016
50	Do to the Beast	The Afghan Whigs	2013
51	Vulnicura	Bjork	2015
52	Cuz I Love You	Lizzo	2019
53	Hamilton	The Cast of Hamilton	2015
54	This Is Happening	LCD Soundsystem	2010
55	El Pintor	Interpol	2014
56	Cocoa Beware	Young Fathers	2018
57	Run The Jewels	Run The Jewels	2013
58	Nightmare Logic	Power Trip	2017
59	Everybody	Logic	2017
60	Kill For Love	Chromatics	2012
61	Sweet Heart, Sweet Light	Spiritualized	2012
62	Otta	Solstafir	2014
63	The Monitor	Titus Andronicus	2011
64	CTRL	SZA	2017
65	Awaken, My Love	Childish Gambino	2016
66	House of Balloons	The Weeknd	2011
67	St. Vincent	St. Vincent	2014
68	Chasing Yesterday	Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds	2016
69	IV	BADBADNOTGOOD	2016
70	Skying	The Horrors	2011
71	In Colour	Jamie xx	2015
72	David Comes to Life	Fucked Up	2011
73	Royal Blood	Royal Blood	2014
74	El Camino	The Black Keys	2011
75	Infest the Rats Nest	King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard	2019
76	… Like Clockwork	Queens of the Stone Age	2012
77	What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?	The Vaccines	2011
78	American Ghetto	Portual. The Man	2010
79	Apocalypse	Thundercat	2013
80	We're New Here	Jamie xx & Gil Scot Heron	2011
81	Czarface	Czarface	2013
82	Black Messiah	D'Angelo	2014
83	2014 Forest Hills Drive	J. Cole	2014
84	Diamond Eyes	Deftones	2010
85	Coloring Book	Chance the Rapper	2016
86	Go	Jonsi	2010
87	Hurry Up, We're Dreaming	M83	2011
88	Handwritten	The Gaslight Anthem	2012
89	Coexist	The xx	2012
90	Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2	Beastie Boys	2011
91	Gang Signs and Prayer	Stormzy	2017
92	12 Reasons to Die	Ghostface Killah	2013
93	Bloodsports	Suede	2013
94	The Hunter	Mastodon	2011
95	Everyday Robots	Damon Albarn	2014
96	You're Dead	Flying Lotus	2014
97	Ukulele Songs	Eddie Vedder	2011
98	The Last Days of Oakland	Fantastic Negrito	2016
99	R.A.P. Music	Killer Mike	2012
100	The 1975	The 1975	2013

2019 The Albums: Top 10

via GIPHY


It is that time of the year again, our favorite time actually, as we look back on the year in music and select the 10 best albums of the year.

See Our 2019 Honorable Album Mentions 

 Here are our 10 best albums of the year:

2019's League of Their Own Winner

10) The Twilight Sad - It Won't Be Like This All the Time

9) Blu - A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night

8) Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin?

7) The Chemical Brothers - No Geography

6) Africa Express - Egoli

5) Lizzo - Cuz I Love You

4) FKA Twigs - Magdalene 

3) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen

2) Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow

1) Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel

Now, in Long Form:

10) The Twilight Sad - It Won't Be Like This All the Time

Robert Smith's favorite band from Scotland returned this year with their best record. Sonically, The Twilight Sad have never sounded bigger. After years of touring with The Cure maybe they learned how to take what they have done well for so long and up the ante and do it larger. Each of these songs belongs to be heard in a festival field or stadium with tens of thousands of people chanting the lyrics back. A powerful achievement. 

9) Blu - A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night

Blu is L.A. all day and the rapper should be up there with Kendrick and Top Dawg crew who are part of the new school of West Coast rappers but his name never reaches the summit. Blu has been doing this for so long and so better than many of his contemporaries that maybe he has lost the feel of competing and embracing what he is and loves which is why A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night is one of his finest efforts. The record takes you to the corner then to the stoop then the block party as you meet a cast of characters that sounds like the audio version of a Fellini film. 

8) Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin?

Danny Brown has been one of the finest rappers to emerge this decade and his schizophrenic style is finally getting the recognition it deserves as he works with heavy weights like Q-Tip, Run the Jewels to newcomer JPEGMAFIA. The Detroit emcee is finding a clever way to appeal to various ears and generations and did it such profound fashion it is hard to not love the crap out of him and this album. His greatest album to date and it feels like he is just getting started. 

7) The Chemical Brothers - No Geography

The Chemical Brothers are one of those acts that doesn't actually need to make new music but they do and since 2004's Push the Button, it has felt like hit or miss, sadly, with more misses. Yet, the legacy DJs still gained attention with their groundbreaking and dazzling live shows then they unleashed No Geography to the world. The 9th album from the British electronica icons shows they can still test the walls and limits of sound and take us on an audio safari around the globe and universe while never having to leave the comforts of home. 

6) Africa Express - Egoli

Damon Albarn's traveling circus of musicians across the African continent found its way to South Africa for their latest installment. Albarn along with Blue May, Gruff Rhys, Georgia, Ghetts, Mr Jukes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nick Zinner, Remi Kabaka, Otim Alpha join forces to create one of the most beautiful albums of the year. Taking traditional South African sounds and mixing it with R&B, jazz, hi-hop it is a cornucopia of music for your soul. 

5) Lizzo - Cuz I Love You

No one artist had a bigger impact in music this year than Lizzo. From her talents to stance on body positivity, Lizzo crafted what could be considered the definitive album of 2019. Her mix of pop, R&B, and jazz showcased that she isn't going anywhere quietly and has an arsenal of talents that will be hard to write her off as a pop phenom that will go away any time soon and the music world should not let her go away at all -- ever. They need her. We need her. Cuz I Love You is the ultimate breakup to makeup album about finding yourself and growing with each day. A lesson we can all use at any age. Lizzo is so damn fun and so damn talented that this is a record we will be talking about for ages. 

4) FKA Twigs - Magdalene 

There can only be one Bjork and everyone knows that. Yet, what is the Icelandic princess had a spiritual apprentice? It would hands down be FKA Twigs. Following the success and acclaim of her near perfect debut, LP1, Twigs went away for a while. She battled serious health issues only to climb back with a lush record about female empowerment, sexuality, and love over some of the best production of the year, it truly became an album to admire. Even teaming up with Bjork's recent production muse, Arca, Twigs is showcasing the new generation that she is ready to carry the torch and make it shine just as bright.

3) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen

It would have been impossible to think that after 2016's Skelton Tree, Nick Cave would have found a way to not only top himself but take such dark subject matter and make light of it. Skeleton Tree was the first album the singer and his band released following his son's tragic death and heard the icon question his own mortality and fragility. This year he gave us the double album Ghosteen which takes those questions and looks at them deeper. One half of the record is delivered from the perspective of a child and the second half is from the child's parent. It is a memorizing opus that is haunting as it is beautiful.

2) Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow

Sharon Van Etten has been kicking the indie rock scene for nearly 20 years and after being a critical favorite for years, the singer / songwriter has now seen the biggest credit to her career thanks to the flawless Remind Me Tomorrow. The record is a coming of age record that shows we can come of age at any time and must deal with the ghosts of our past, present, and future in order to grow and learn. Remind Me Tomorrow feels like the songs from the soundtrack of our life that has been playing in the background of our own little movie. Like characters in a film, we don't know the songs that are played on screen but they move to the emotions of what is happening in each scene, this is a real life version of that and it is brought to us by one of our greatest talents. 

1) Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel

 The album of the year from the best new artist of 2019. Dublin's Fontaines D.C. are the best band to come from Ireland in ages. They are also the best punk band to arrive in decades. Dogrel lives in the same ethos as Nevermind the Bullocks, The Clash and Ramones debuts, as well as the DIY asthetic of Is This It? and Wolf Songs for Lambs. As singer Grian Chatten screams in his thick accent "I am gonna be big!" it is evident that this band has a swagger and aspirations that are not modest. They want the world and the want it all now and nothing is going to stand in their way. Dogrel is a testament to that and not since Oasis has there been an band with such guts to do it and do it well. One of the greatest debuts of all time, you just hope the band doesn't implode because of it.

2019 The Albums: League of Their Own

via GIPHY

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time. 

See Our 2019 Honorable Album Mentions

In the past winners have included: 

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A 
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It? 
2002 - NERD - In Search of... 
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant 
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss 
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute 
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain 
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation 
2008 - Santogold / Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye 
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia 
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes 
2013 -  Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2  
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic 
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar 

2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

2018 - Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded

...and now to add to the growing list is a band that is constantly putting forth various efforts that blow away both fans and critics. They break all the rules of what conventional rock and roll should be and what heavy metal should be and what psychedelic should be and as we enter an age where we move away from labels and genres, they are the perfect takers of this award. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2019 League of Their Own winner is...

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest

Since forming 9 years ago, this Australian seven-piece has released 15 albums including two this year and each record is like a star in the sky -- far different than the one next to it. Most bands do not even make 15 albums during their entire career. Earlier in 2019, the band gave us the psychedelic prog album, Fishing for Fishes, then months later they followed it up with the abrasive and diabolical Infest the Rats Nest. This album hands down might be the heavy metal album of the year for us and many others and it comes from a band who do not wish to identify with any one type of sound. While it might always be quantity of music for King Gizzard it also means quality and if they keep going at the pace they are, the sky is the limit.

2018 The Albums: League of Their Own

This award started long before the site was even a thought, in one publication, radio show or another. Since 2000, I have handed out a "League of Their Own" Award to an album that is made by an artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. The choices for "League of Their Own" have become more than just the best album of the year but the most important record to be released at that time. 

See Our List of 2018's Honorable Album Mentions

In the past winners have included: 

2000 - Radiohead - Kid A 
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It? 
2002 - NERD - In Search of... 
2003 - The White Stripes - Elephant 
2004 - The Killers - Hot Fuss 
2005 - The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute 
2006 - TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain 
2007 - Kanye West - Graduation 
2008 - Santogold / Santigold
2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye 
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 
2011 - Bjork - Biophilia 
2012 - Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes 
2013 -  Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2  
2015 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic 
2016 - David Bowie - Blackstar 

2017 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 

...and know to add to this growing list of talent is someone who stepped out from the business office and the decks to fully assemble himself as an artist on his own. The man behind the signings of one of the greatest and most influential indie labels in music history picked 2018 to flex his own muscle and prove that he not only has a great ear for talent but is also talented enough to craft one of the best albums of the year. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2018 League of Their Own winner is...

Richard Russell - Everything is Recorded

Russell, the head of Britain's XL Records, the label responsible for discovering Adele and releasing records from Thom Yorke, The xx, Frank Ocean, Sigur Ros, King Krule, The White Stripes, FKA Twigs, MIA, among others, turned heads with his solo debut. "Everything is Recorded" is a record that took many by surprise as the producer and label head has dabbled working with icons like Gil Scott-Heron and Bobby Womack along with others from XL but never put anything out on his own. "Everything is Recorded" is a statement record that takes a subtle jab at what music will look like in years to come. XL has always been a label full of taste makers so it shouldn't be that alarming that the label head would craft a delicacy of sound alone and with some friends. Calling in help from Sampha, Kamasi Washington, Ibeyi, Russell takes the subdue and relaxed sounds coming from younger artists today and injects them with the maturity and craftsmanship that an architect would when building a high rise.