2018 was a great year for the music world and to confirm it I decided to end it with a blog sharing some of the best music I got introduced to during those 12 months. I have talked about many artists who put out new tracks, albums, and EPs this year, but I don’t want to be annoying and repetitive so I will only focus on musicians I haven’t talked about before. I also really wanted to do another “Lame Blogger Music Awards”, but honestly this year was just too good for the music world and I have no idea how to divide my awards between all the great artists.
So instead, I decided to do something simpler, quicker, and less intrusive – feel free to check the videos I will provide under each artist and I hope you find something you will enjoy. Rock, punk, acoustic, jazz, I have it all worry not.

Billie Eilish is one of the awesome performers I will recommend

I will include some of my favorite discoveries and I will divide them into two categories.  Artists – bands and individuals who have impressed me with the majority of their discography and I highly recommend checking out their repertoire in full. The second one – some more awesome songs – individual tunes that touched me but I haven’t check the artist in detail or I just found that particular song to be exceptional. In any case,  I hope you find something you like and as usual, please feel free to hit me up with suggestions of great music you discovered this year. I am really curious and I am always happy to find new good music.

I haven’t put the artists or songs in any particular order, they are all awesome.

This guy is just exceptionally good!

Artists

1. Palaye Royale – Indie rock, punk-rock

   Honestly, sometimes I feel like I have been living under a rock, those guys have been destroying the rock scene this year and I just found them a month ago. I discovered this magnificent trio thanks to an article in Rocksound which I bought for the Twenty One Pilots story (surprise, surprise) – I loved their style and way of expression and I thought it will be worth checking them out. It is and they present their art in an amazing punk-rock hyper-energetic way which will make you hum their songs for weeks. A great band to get into which I am sure will only get better. Check them out – this is the first song I heard and still my favorite.

2. Billie Eilish – I guess it’s pop, but it’s damn good

   I am almost sure most of you have heard Billie at some point, I can confidently say she is the most popular new artist this year and it’s for a reason. For a 17-years-old girl, she has more to say than most people I know and her songs are some of the most heartfelt and well-executed musical pieces I have heard. She has a huge talent and I am sure she will keep creating amazing stuff. And oh my God her music videos are pure aesthetics. Thank’s for introducing me to her art.

3.  Jimmy Sax – Jazz

   This guy has incredible energy and vibe. And even though he is mostly playing the saxophone (he also plays other instruments, check out Kiss My Sax) he is transmitting energy on another level and it just makes you feel alive. One of the discoveries I am most grateful about and it’s all thanks to an awesome friend of mine (if you are reading this, once again, thank you so much). Jazz is addictive.

4. Still Corners – Synthpop
   
   Those guys are not really popular and are relatively new in the music world, but I am sure this will change very soon. They have diverse music and its all magical. I really love their energy and their music just takes me to another place. Worth following them, I’m sure they will come up with some great stuff in the future as well.
5. Cigarettes After Sex – Ambient pop?

   As I said, sometimes I feel like I have been living under a rock. I’m suspecting most of you already know about this amazing band, but it was just this year that I really got into their music and got addicted. They give me the chilly The Neighbourhood vibes and I love that – melancholic vibes with thought-provoking and relatable lyrics with great and catchy melodies, what else can you wish for?

6. NX Zero – Alternative rock

   
   NX Zero is a Brazilian rock band which I fell in love with thank to another amazing friend of mine. Truth be told I hardly understand any words from their lyrics (unless I use translate that is. I did check the translations and the lyrics are, as I expected, really good) but I love their vitality and passion – it is obvious even if you don’t speak the language. And they strongly remind me of Linkin Park in their Hybrid Theory era which might be another reason I am so attracted to them.

7. Trevor Hall – Acoustic, folk music

   
   Trevor Hall is an artist I discovered thank to a live performance of another amazing musician – Nahko Bear. I knew about Nahko from a friend of mine (damn, my friends are awesome) and I went to see his concert where he was supported by Trevor. I feel in love with the heartfelt, honest, positive, and super inspiring lyrics and energy. His songs really help me get a more positive outlook on things and clear my mind.

Some more awesome songs

This is one of those songs you only listen to when you are in a specific mood where you feel lost and confused and the song fits it perfectly.

Another song which I don’t understand but I love. Again discovered thanks to two amazing friends, and it will always remind of one amazing, cozy morning.

First of all, this woman doesn’t age at all. Second of all, her music only gets better with time – this one is a really inspiring song, in case you missed it.

Another great song which fits the mood of being lost and confused. Actually, I did check one full album of Meiko – The Bright Side – and it’s definitely worth the listen.

Just in case you missed it, for all my neighbors under my rock!

No words are necessary for this one, trust me.

Looking back at my saved music I realize being lost, confused, and melancholic has been my thing this year. But at least I got some good music out of it. This one is one of my favorites! 

Cheers! Another one for the cozy morning and family breakfasts! And I really have to say this song is perfect in all aspects. I really don’t know why I am putting my boy Tom here instead of in the artists category but I strongly recommend you check out his entire discorpraphy – it is so damn worth it. 

Okay, I will end this here since it is getting a bit too long (which was not my intention, trust me). I really hope I managed to give you some good music to listen to for a while, I have lots more to share and I am considering making more blogs like this where I just spam you with links to interesting songs. Let me know if you would like me to do it. Also, if you have something you believe everyone should hear let me know, as you might have noticed I love discovering new music and I am more than happy to spread the word about it! Thanks a lot for reading and I hope you have a great holiday!

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