Christ on a rickety sleigh, was this tough. But truth be told – it’s rarely easy. As we scramble to bang heads and attempt to assimilate, order and re-order the absolute deluge of excellence that has met our ears over the previous twelve months, it’s instantly clear that there will be some notable omissions. It’s equal parts unavoidable and unfortunate, but more significantly, it’s glowing testament to what we’re dealing with in every pocket of this island.
Of course, we can’t – nor wish to – conclusively say this is “the best year for Irish music in recent memory” (the last three, in particular, have well and truly delivered). What we can say is that, combined, these tracks represent something that no end-of-year list will likely ever come close capturing: the importance of the music communities that breed, support and propel Irish musicians – be they Cork bedroom producers, Belfast indie rock upstarts, fast-rising Dublin rappers or Derry songsmiths – toward the world-stage.
Here’s part one of our two-part Top 100 countdown for 2018. If you get the chance, endeavor to spend some time with these songs. Work your way down the listen and give each their due. Collectively, this is the sound of an island whose artists are going above and beyond to excavating incredible new territory and push forward into 2019 with a genre-spanning, unrelentingly inspired head of steam.
100. Wyvern Lingo – Maybe It’s In My Nature
99. Talos – Kansas
98. Oh Joy – Cab Sad
97. Bokotono – You’re Looking A Little Rough Around The Edges
96. Saint Sister – Twin Peaks
95. Le Galaxie – Day of the Child
94. The Wood Burning Savages – I Don’t Know Why I Do It To Myself
93. Ghost Office – Here Come The Elders!
92. Cal Folger Day – Apples + Reprise
91. Tethers – Television Dreams of Human Beings
90. Oisin O’Scolai & The Virginia Slims – Holiday Homes (feat. Neptune M)
89. Gnarkats – War Cry
88. Rebekah Fitch – Need To Feel
87. Fox Colony – Supermarkets
86. Gaze Is Ghost – Home
85. Elma Orkestra – Lithium
84. Any Joy – The Fall
83. Aul Boy – Wait
82. Joel Harkin – Old Churches
81. Problem Patterns – Allegedly
80. Meltybrains? – Horizon
79. Joshua Burnside – REarranged
78. Lunch Machine – Yellow Door
77. Hand Models – Banana
76. Catalan – Espionage
75. Sweat Threats – Hermit
74. Tribal Dance – And Then All That Was Left Was A Physician
And A Silhouette
73. Porphyry – Wounded, White Light
72. Rory Nellis – The Fear
71. Oranges – The Way You Look
70. Malojian – Let Your Weirdness Carry You Home
69. Sun Mahshene – Tales of Fiction
68. Cherym – Take It Back
67. Hiva Oa – Souvenir
66. Extravision – Repeat It
65. That Snaake – [no comment]
64. The Dreads – Know Your Name
63. Alien She – Death Sentence
62. Foolish Mortal – Girl Talk
61. Eoin Dolan – Lunar Drift
60. New Pagans – Bloody Soil
59. Dandy’s Loft – Human Dust
58. Sister Ghost – Emily
57. VerseChorusVerse – Chord (Gunn Laws)
56. Somadrone – Juniper and Lamplight
55. Spies – Ho Chi Minh
54. Tristan Da Cunha – Opa
53. Larry – WAH
52. Daithi – Lavender (feat. Tandem Felix)
51. Shrug Life – 2009
