It’s the middle of dead week. You’ve decided to completely tune out your professor’s lecturing, because at this point, paying attention probably won’t save your grade. You still need something to listen to during class, so here’s Limelight’s top albums of 2018 to help with the decision process.

MGMT – “Little Dark Age” 

The psychedelic pop duo, best known for tracks like “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” dip their toes into synth-pop for their latest album. They’re far from the first artist to make a shift into the genre, but they’re one of the few to nail the sound so perfectly. “Little Dark Age” covers a lot of ground, opening with an 80s workout track about phone addiction, before moving into a grim self-reflection of MGMT’s career with the title track. 

“When You Die” leans more into the psychedelic with kaleidoscopic synths and trippy sound effects layered over reverberated vocals and acoustic guitar. The anthemic “One Thing Left to Try” is the climax to “LDA,” proclaiming you have to “die just to feel alive” over epic synths. Catchy pop-hooks throughout make it easy to let your guard down as MGMT dives into some of the darkest material they’ve ever written. Listeners disappointed with the direction MGMT has taken since their “Oracular Spectacular” debut would find a lot to love in “Little Dark Age.”

Pusha-T – “Daytona”

The former half of legendary hip-hop duo Clipse and current president of GOOD Music, Pusha-T, released the tight 21 minute “Daytona” this past summer containing seven instant hip-hop classics. Despite the length Pusha-T gives the listener more to unpack than any other hip-hop release this year. The album, entirely produced by Kanye West, features production chops from West not heard since 2010’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”. Pusha-T gives a masterclass in expressive speech as he delivers gritty and articulate quotable after quotable over West’s dark, artistic, sample-heavy production. 

Pusha-T raps as a drug money rich hip-hop veteran now living a life of extravagance, but with the power and ability to make his biggest impacts in music yet. The opening track “If You Know You Know” paints an introductory picture to Pusha-T’s world with fiendish, clever lyricism on life as a cocaine cowboy turned thrilling rapper. Every word coming from Pusha-T hits hard and makes an imprint due to his demanding, devilish delivery. 

The album made headlines for it’s closer “Infrared” which takes aim at the ever popular Drake for his use of ghostwriters and pop approach to hip hop. This sparked one of the most one-sided exchanges of diss tracks in hip hop history when Drake responded with the lackluster “Duppy Freestyle”, prompting Pusha-T to counter with “The Story of Adidon”. The cover art for the track features a photo of Drake from 2007 in blackface, and puts Drake on blast for having an illegitimate child unknown to the public, among other attacks at Drake’s insecurities.

Pusha-T’s hip hop expertise and vicious nature on “Daytona” feels like he’s naturally filling a vacuum in the mainstream hip-hop world. He welcomes all challengers, unafraid to make bold statements about the industry and those in it. Even in his middle-ages, Pusha-T assembles one of the most memorable, cut-throat masterclasses of an album this year.

Muse – “Simulation Theory”

To say “Simulation Theory” is a return to form for Muse would be misleading. The English rock trio is at the best they’ve been in nearly a decade in the album, but now establishing themselves as something completely different from their roots in angsty alternative rock. Muse’s already synth-heavy discography primed the synthwave genre as a natural progression for the band to explore. The group jumps on the 80s pop culture fad, popularized by “Stranger Things” and “Ready Player One,” taking their theatrical progressive rock sound back to the future with retro synths backed by intense orchestral score. 

Muse’s front man Matt Bellamy returns with his conspiracy-fueled writing, this time offering his take on the theory that our reality is just a simulation in a computer. None of the writing is as thought-provoking as Bellamy would hope, but there’s an endearing quality to his verses about how we’ve been infected with a thought contagion, or how we’re all just slaves to machines.

The album is at its best in the experimental tracks, “Propaganda” and “Break it to Me.” Assisted by hip-hop producer, Timbaland, the band impressively distills a wide range of influences and sounds into the two tracks without losing a clear focus. While Muse shows up late to the synthwave fad, tracks like “The Dark Side” and “The Void” are near perfect attempts at the 1980s-inspired genre. “Simulation Theory” is bold and theatrical, and an addictive experience you can’t help but come back to over and over again.

Twenty One Pilots – “Trench”

Taking just over three years to write and produce, Twenty One Pilots’ fourth studio album was well worth the wait. Expanding on Tyler’s mental health issues and his concept of “Dema” that was portrayed in “Blurryface,” “Trench” offers a wide variety of sound and vocal expansion. From the disco hit “My Blood,” to the rap style of “Levitate” and rock sounds of “Cut My Lip,” Tyler and Josh continue to master and mature their lyrics and sound in correlation with modern day pop.

Earl Sweatshirt – “Some Rap Songs”

Thebe Kgositsile, known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt, released his third studio album following a tumultuous year for the enigmatic rapper. Sweatshirt’s father, whom he had not had a great relationship with until recently, died in early January. One of Sweatshirt’s best friends, Mac Miller, also died in September following an accidental overdose. “Some Rap Songs” is more than the name implies. It is a dense, highly experimental album that proves why he is one of the most popular rappers in the game. Whether it is his sad-boy lyrics, the strange-but-satisfying instrumentals, or a mixture of both, “Some Rap Song” delivers. 

Sweatshirt took over production duties as well, giving the album a genuine Earl Sweatshirt sound. Songs also feature audio of his late father’s poetry. The audio bits follow a familiar trend in Sweatshirt’s music. His music often focuses on issues with his family, his anxiety and the trouble that comes with fame. Although composed of 15 songs and lasting a brief 25 minutes, “Some Rap Songs” fits a lot of music into its tidy package. The album marks the triumphant return of a beloved artist and is a must-listen.

Vince Staples – “FM!”

Vince Staples’ latest release came in the form of an 11-song, 22-minute long album/EP/project. Including a skit and two interludes, Staples really performs on only eight songs. Don’t let this fool you. The fact that Staples lends help to only eight songs on the album only reinforces the reason it is one of the best albums of the year. “FM!” does a fantastic job of eliciting images of a warmer, less snowy environment; Staples’ hometown of Long Beach, CA.

Staples furiously raps throughout the album, along with help from hip-hop heavyweights like E-40, Tyga, Kehlani and Earl Sweatshirt. Production duties also fell upon some well-known names. Kenny Beats, Cubeatz, Hagler and Killagraham all lend a hand in the album’s phenomenal production. The skits throughout give off the vibe of hearing the album as a radio exclusive. “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” a popular Los Angeles-based radio show, is featured repeatedly throughout the album and is a welcome break from Staples’ break-neck style of rapping. “FM!” followed Staples’ smash-hit 2017 album “Big Fish Theory.” It’s safe to say that Staples has the Midas touch as of late, and “FM!” embodies that. 

Gorillaz – “The Now Now”

Gorillaz’s “The Now Now” is one of the best albums of the year. It’s been described as a “bummer summer” album, “but in a good way,” on the internet. I wholeheartedly agree with this description. “The Now Now” carries on the Gorillaz tradition of not having any coherent patterns or genres attached to the songs throughout the album.

The opening song on the album, “Humility”, is incredibly upbeat and makes it feel like summertime no matter when you listen to it. On the other hand, “Fireflies” is one of the most melancholy and beautiful songs Damon Albarn has ever written. This album has guest singers, most notably Snoop Dogg, who performs fast raps that hit hard and get stuck in your head for days. “The Now Now” is near perfection, perfect for fans or newcomers to the group alike.