In December, we asked music critics from across the industry to participate in a new music critics survey, in the hope of bridging together the community to see how our tastes overlap and differ. The response we received was staggering, with nearly 200 critics participating and selecting more than 600 different albums. The expected choices were there, but also so much more, reflecting the writers’ interests in hip-hop, electronic, metal, pop, rock, and country. It revealed musical interests as idiosyncratic as the personalities that participated, where massive commercial successes from Cardi B and Ariana Grande can live comfortably next to ascending critical darlings like Mitski and Saba as well as still emerging artists like The Beths and Tierra Whack. But mostly it affirmed the vitality present in the current music world, both in the artists that create it and the people who’ve dedicated their lives to discussing it.
Uproxx Music Critics Poll 2018: Albums
1
395 points
2
306 points
3
299 points
4
276 points
5
186 points
6
156 points
7
150 points
8
148 points
9
145 points
10
143 points
Albums with additional votes
51
FM!
36 pts
52
Iridescence
36 pts
53
Hive Mind
35 pts
54
Redemption
35 pts
55
Kids See Ghosts (Album)
35 pts
56
Con Todo El Mundo
34 pts
57
Singularity
34 pts
58
Record
33 pts
59
The Future and The Past
33 pts
60
Championships (Album)
33 pts
61
Swimming
33 pts
62
Ventriloquism
32 pts
63
Ephorize
32 pts
64
Mudboy
32 pts
65
66
Dying Star
29 pts
67
Bottle It In
29 pts
68
Cocoa Sugar
28 pts
69
Devotion
28 pts
70
By the Way, I Forgive You
28 pts
71
Magus
27 pts
72
Beyondless
27 pts
73
Sparkle Hard
25 pts
74
The Sciences
25 pts
75
Im All Ears
25 pts
76
Us
25 pts
77
TA13OO
25 pts
78
Loner
25 pts
79
Twin Fantasy
25 pts
80
Freedom
25 pts
81
Heaven (2018)
24 pts
82
LP5000
24 pts
83
Lavender
24 pts
84
Negro Swan
24 pts
85
And Nothing Hurt
23 pts
86
El Mal Querer
23 pts
87
Negative Capability
23 pts
88
Joy As An Act Of Resistance
23 pts
89
Errorzone
22 pts
90
Only Love
22 pts
91
Songs Of Praise
22 pts
92
MITH
22 pts
93
Wanderer
22 pts
95
Dose Your Dreams
21 pts
96
Scorpion
21 pts
97
May Your Kindness Remain
21 pts
98
Love Is Dead
21 pts
99
Voicenotes
21 pts
100
Starfire
21 pts
101
102
Universal Beings
20 pts
103
Desperate Man (Album)
20 pts
104
Time & Space
19 pts
105
Blood
19 pts
106
There’s A Riot Going On
18 pts
107
Konoyo
18 pts
108
All At Once
18 pts
109
Victory Lap
18 pts
110
Now Only (Album)
18 pts
111
Boarding House Reach
18 pts
112
You Won’t Get What You Want
18 pts
113
Dirty Pictures (Volume 2)
17 pts
114
The Wake
17 pts
115
The Midnight Hour
17 pts
116
No News Is Good News
17 pts
117
Little Dark Age
17 pts
118
Good Thing
17 pts
119
Golden (Album)
17 pts
120
777
17 pts
121
Hippo Lite
17 pts
122
Cheer
17 pts
123
The Horizon Just Laughed
17 pts
124
Sparrow
17 pts
125
Last Man Standing
16 pts
126
127
Noir
16 pts
128
Wasteland
16 pts
129
Ye (Album)
16 pts
130
Springtime and Blind
16 pts
131
Stranger Fruit
15 pts
132
All Nerve
15 pts
133
Superorganism
15 pts
134
Piano + A Microphone, 1983
15 pts
135
Veteran
15 pts
136
KOD
15 pts
137
The Pains Of Growing
15 pts
138
Youngblood
15 pts
139
Sex & Food
14 pts
140
Twerp Verse
14 pts
141
No Shame
14 pts
142
Ultraviolet
14 pts
143
WARM
14 pts
144
God Level
14 pts
145
Songs You Make At Night
13 pts
146
Love In Shadow
13 pts
147
Landfall
13 pts
148
Le Kov
13 pts
149
Thank You For Today
13 pts
150
Harlan & Alondra
13 pts
151
Drank
12 pts
152
On Watch
12 pts
153
Where We Were Together
12 pts
154
155
Die Lit
12 pts
156
Pieces Of A Man
12 pts
157
Caution
12 pts
158
Firepower
12 pts
159
Vessel
12 pts
160
High As Hope
12 pts
161
Remain in Light
12 pts
162
Pillars
11 pts
163
K.T.S.E.
11 pts
164
Shawn Mendes
11 pts
165
Broken Politics
11 pts
166
Rifles & Rosary Beads
11 pts
167
Fine But Dying
11 pts
168
Tha Carter V
11 pts
169
Colt
11 pts
170
Grid of Points
11 pts
171
The Thread That Keeps Us
11 pts
172
Paraffin
11 pts
173
Basement Beehive
10 pts
174
Negro Swan
10 pts
176
Ecstatic Arrow
10 pts
177
Manor Of Infinite Forms
10 pts
178
Split
10 pts
179
Sister Cities
10 pts
180
Hypnic Jerks
10 pts
181
Never Stop II
10 pts
182
Almost Persuaded
10 pts
183
I’ll Sing
10 pts
184
Saturn (Album)
10 pts
185
Book Of Ryan
10 pts
186
A Matter Of Time
10 pts
187
Ouch
10 pts
188
Bellowing Sun
10 pts
189
Aviary
10 pts
190
Mutual Horse
10 pts
191
Prequelle
10 pts
192
Slide
10 pts
193
Be More Kind
10 pts
194
Constant Image
10 pts
195
Twin Cities Mix No. 11
10 pts
196
Look Now
10 pts
197
Riddles
10 pts
198
Still Trippin
10 pts
199
200
Songs of the Plains
10 pts
201
YRU Still Here?
10 pts
202
Quiet & Peace
10 pts
203
Automata II
10 pts
204
Arbiter
10 pts
205
Abysskiss
10 pts
206
It Took the Shape of a Bird
10 pts
207
Indigo
9 pts
208
Left Hand
9 pts
209
Bloom (Troye Album)
9 pts
210
Sex & Cigarettes
9 pts
211
Fury
9 pts
212
Suspiria
9 pts
213
Merrie Land
9 pts
214
Tantabara
9 pts
215
No Dogs Allowed
9 pts
216
Onion
9 pts
217
Cannonball! (Album)
9 pts
218
Dreamers & Runaways
9 pts
219
Hope Dawns
9 pts
221
The Drought
9 pts
222
C’est La Vie
9 pts
223
Radio Siwèl
9 pts
224
225
Code Girl
9 pts
226
A Star Is Born OST
9 pts
227
Listening to Pictures
9 pts
228
DiCaprio 2
9 pts
229
Essential Mix
9 pts
230
Everythings Fine
9 pts
231
Pirouette EP
9 pts
232
Electric Light
9 pts
233
4275
9 pts
234
Bambi (Album)
9 pts
235
The Now Now
9 pts
236
Goat Girl
9 pts
237
Theres Always Glimmer
9 pts
238
Forth Wanderers
9 pts
239
12 Little Spells
9 pts
240
Putting on Airs
9 pts
241
The Insulated World
9 pts
242
243
Longwave
9 pts
244
Prisma Tropical
9 pts
245
Here Come the Runts
9 pts
246
Songs From The Lodge
9 pts
247
Omid
9 pts
248
Sweet Bunch
9 pts
249
The Crossing
9 pts
250
Lord of the Desert
9 pts
251
252
Casual High Technology
8 pts
253
Freedom’s Goblin
8 pts
255
Dude, The Obscure
8 pts
256
In Celebration Of Us
8 pts
257
The Official Body
8 pts
258
All I See Is War
8 pts
259
Nasty
8 pts
260
Infernal
8 pts
261
Magic Ship
8 pts
262
Gangland Landlord
8 pts
263
Megative
8 pts
264
Hundreds of Days
8 pts
265
Nudes
8 pts
266
Paranoid Fiction
8 pts
267
Childqueen
8 pts
268
Goodbye & Good Riddance
8 pts
269
Angels of Death
8 pts
270
Burst Into Flame (Album)
8 pts
271
All That Must Be
8 pts
272
Live In Europe
8 pts
273
Spirit Crusher
8 pts
274
275
New York United
8 pts
276
Poschiavo
8 pts
277
In Rounds
8 pts
278
Feeding Frenzy
8 pts
279
Look
8 pts
280
Expectations (Rexha)
8 pts
281
BbyShoe (EP)
8 pts
282
Quit The Curse
8 pts
283
Warrior
8 pts
284
Summertime Songs
7 pts
285
Question Mark
7 pts
286
Hɪðəˈtu
7 pts
287
288
Morose
7 pts
289
Hardly Electronic
7 pts
290
With Doom We Come
7 pts
291
The Kicking Mule
7 pts
292
The Pact
7 pts
293
America’s Child
7 pts
294
Samurai Japon
7 pts
296
Hex
7 pts
297
Forever
7 pts
298
re: member
7 pts
299
Parts
7 pts
300
The Weeknd
7 pts
301
Premonitions
7 pts
302
303
Tina Snow
7 pts
304
Call the Comet
7 pts
305
QUARTERTHING
7 pts
306
Everythangs Corrupt
7 pts
307
Burnt Sugar
7 pts
308
309
310
Starebaby
7 pts
311
312
Channel Tres EP
7 pts
313
Providence Canyon
7 pts
314
Endless Scroll
7 pts
315
Mother Of My Children
7 pts
316
Alive In The East?
7 pts
317
Big Red Machine
7 pts
318
Hunter (Album)
7 pts
319
320
Upside Down Flowers
7 pts
321
Pinned
7 pts
322
Eat the Elephant
7 pts
323
Aura
7 pts
324
3X4
6 pts
325
Grapetooth
6 pts
326
Care
6 pts
327
Kill The Lights
6 pts
328
I Like Fun
6 pts
329
Silver Dollar Moment
6 pts
330
Utopia Teased
6 pts
331
Dime Bag
6 pts
332
Compro
6 pts
333
Fully Loaded
6 pts
334
335
Empty Pool to No One
6 pts
336
My Mind Makes Noises
6 pts
337
338
339
Crack Mix 220 (July 20)
6 pts
340
Sister Orchid
6 pts
341
Simulation Theory
6 pts
342
Untitled
6 pts
343
Working Class Woman
6 pts
344
Cosmic Crypt
6 pts
345
The Tree
6 pts
346
Rare Birds
6 pts
347
Invisible Threads
6 pts
348
Both Directions at Once
6 pts
349
Jumping Over Rocks
6 pts
350
Darlène
6 pts
351
Rausch
6 pts
352
Pastoral
6 pts
353
Before U I Didnt Exist
6 pts
354
Gone Away WIth A Friend
6 pts
355
Former Member
6 pts
357
Yene Alem
6 pts
358
The Kids Are Alright
6 pts
359
Private Stock
6 pts
360
Lush Life
6 pts
361
Arthur Buck
6 pts
362
363
364
Queen Of Time
6 pts
365
I’m Dreaming
6 pts
366
Awaken
6 pts
367
Leikeli 47
6 pts
368
Focus
6 pts
369
See You Around
5 pts
370
Getting Better
5 pts
371
Emanon
5 pts
372
Capture The Flag
5 pts
373
Hollie Cook
5 pts
374
Cast Of Static And Smoke
5 pts
375
Rhododendron
5 pts
377
Chrome Neon Jesus
5 pts
378
Follow Them True
5 pts
379
Captured
5 pts
380
Willow
5 pts
381
November
5 pts
382
383
Wild! Wild! Wild!
5 pts
384
Friendship
5 pts
385
Old Ghost
5 pts
386
Odds And Ends
5 pts
387
Saved
5 pts
388
Cerebral Hemispheres
5 pts
389
Bad Contestant
5 pts
390
Loma
5 pts
391
Black Ego
5 pts
392
Beautiful You
5 pts
393
Gang Gang Dance
5 pts
394
Kin Sonic
5 pts
395
Lost & Found
5 pts
396
Sissel
5 pts
397
Dog Bless
5 pts
398
Freddie
5 pts
399
Vacation In Hell
5 pts
400
Made an American
5 pts
401
Mania
5 pts
402
Transangelic Exodus
5 pts
403
Ex:Re
5 pts
404
Nothing to Loose
5 pts
405
Lamp Lit Prose
5 pts
406
Hovvdy
5 pts
407
Living In Reverse
5 pts
408
That Santa Fe Channel
5 pts
409
Death Lust
5 pts
410
Vanished Gardens
5 pts
411
Cry Pretty (Album)
5 pts
412
Return Of The Trill
5 pts
413
Sleepwalkers
5 pts
414
AFTER BACH
5 pts
415
The Switch
5 pts
416
Thrice (EP)
5 pts
417
418
Dove
5 pts
419
Blue Motel
5 pts
420
Moon 2
5 pts
421
Find the Right Place
5 pts
422
Bimini Twist
5 pts
423
424
In Heaven (2018)
4 pts
426
427
Trench
4 pts
428
429
Charalambides
4 pts
430
Everything Here
4 pts
431
The Nude Party
4 pts
432
We’re Not Talking
4 pts
433
Here We Go Love
4 pts
434
Heavy the Eclipse
4 pts
435
Love, Loss And Auto-Tune
4 pts
436
It’s Hard To Have Hope
4 pts
437
The Blue Hour
4 pts
438
Killer Machine
4 pts
439
Civilisation
4 pts
440
Years
4 pts
441
The Optimist
4 pts
442
Ethereality
4 pts
443
Pass If Music
4 pts
444
She Remembers Everything
4 pts
445
Somewhat Literate
4 pts
446
There You Have It
4 pts
447
Skylight
4 pts
448
Medicaid Fraud Dogg
4 pts
449
Sparrow Nights
4 pts
451
Lost Friends
4 pts
452
Art of Doubt
4 pts
453
Bunny
4 pts
454
455
Quite A Life
4 pts
456
Contraband Love
4 pts
457
Birds of America
4 pts
458
Path
4 pts
459
Luca Brasi 3
4 pts
460
Exorcism
4 pts
461
Müntzers Stern / Solo II
4 pts
462
Temet
4 pts
463
Bloodgrass Vol. I & II
4 pts
464
Expectations (Kiyoko)
4 pts
465
Genocidal Majesty
4 pts
466
Skinless X-1
4 pts
467
Please Don’t Be Dead
4 pts
468
Obey
4 pts
469
Eve
4 pts
470
Cumbia City
4 pts
471
472
Year of the Snitch
4 pts
473
Donut County OST
4 pts
474
Outside
4 pts
475
Things Have Changed
4 pts
476
477
moon
4 pts
478
Oil Change
3 pts
479
Tommy Genesis
3 pts
480
Go To School
3 pts
481
Master Volume
3 pts
482
Eli Keszler
3 pts
483
Starcrawler
3 pts
485
486
487
In Another Life
3 pts
488
Cruel Magic
3 pts
489
New Pocket
3 pts
491
Sixth House
3 pts
492
Soft Hell
3 pts
493
ION
3 pts
494
Egypt Station
3 pts
495
All Melody
3 pts
496
Bad Witch
3 pts
497
498
Sings His Sad Heart
3 pts
499
Drip Harder
3 pts
500
Bought To Rot
3 pts
501
Goners
3 pts
502
Black Noise 2084
3 pts
503
Kelly Lee Owens
3 pts
504
Being Human in Public
3 pts
505
Corpse Fortress
3 pts
506
KISS YR FRENEMIES
3 pts
507
Crush Crusher
3 pts
508
Jericho Sirens
3 pts
509
Lionheart
3 pts
510
200% Galcher
3 pts
511
H.E.R.
3 pts
512
Soyuz
3 pts
513
Beast Mode 2
3 pts
514
Euringer
3 pts
515
Wishing On The Moon
3 pts
516
Cry No More
3 pts
517
Fetti
3 pts
518
Destellos
3 pts
519
Period
3 pts
520
521
Stone Woman
3 pts
522
Camila
3 pts
523
Drowning In Daylight
3 pts
524
Port Saint Joe
3 pts
525
Panic Blooms
3 pts
526
15
3 pts
527
Collapse EP
3 pts
528
OnePointFive
3 pts
529
What Heaven Is Like
2 pts
530
Towards The Shadow
2 pts
531
Orients
2 pts
532
Warm Drag
2 pts
533
Do Or Die
2 pts
534
MihTy
2 pts
535
Down Below
2 pts
536
Black Light
2 pts
537
Love In The Wind
2 pts
538
539
Pink Eye
2 pts
540
TrapStar
2 pts
541
Discwoman 52 (August 22)
2 pts
542
Lo Improvisado
2 pts
543
PRhyme 2
2 pts
544
Pressure Cracks
2 pts
545
2042
2 pts
546
Kasvot Växt: í rokk
2 pts
547
Bloom (Parisalexa Album)
2 pts
548
Rock Island
2 pts
549
In The Rainbow Rain
2 pts
550
Mr. Jukebox
2 pts
551
Displaced Diaspora
2 pts
552
Its a New Day Tonight
2 pts
553
If All I Was Was Black
2 pts
554
Shiroi
2 pts
555
Perfect Shapes
2 pts
556
DROGAS Wave
2 pts
557
Vide Noir
2 pts
558
Yesterday Was Forever
2 pts
559
Universal Care
2 pts
560
AMR
2 pts
561
The Terror End of Beauty
2 pts
562
Aru Otoko No Densetsu
2 pts
563
High on Fire
2 pts
564
Volume 2
2 pts
565
566
Siblings
2 pts
567
568
Two Parts Together
2 pts
569
Quebra Cabeça
2 pts
570
Tell No One
2 pts
571
Blueprint
2 pts
572
Latinoamericana
2 pts
573
Green Ways
2 pts
574
TESTING
2 pts
575
Girl Code
1 pts
576
Galapagos
1 pts
577
GOOD Job, You Found Me
1 pts
578
Silk Canvas
1 pts
579
580
Healing Tide
1 pts
581
Currents, Constellations
1 pts
582
583
While We’re At It
1 pts
584
Schmaltz
1 pts
585
Inferno Deathpassion
1 pts
586
Shooter
1 pts
588
589
Phoenix
1 pts
590
Dear Annie
1 pts
591
Wait For Love
1 pts
592
Once
1 pts
593
Magic Gone
1 pts
594
Nyctophilia
1 pts
595
Snares Like a Haircut
1 pts
596
Nice Try
1 pts
597
2 Heartless
1 pts
598
AmeriKKKant
1 pts
599
Pasar De Las Luces
1 pts
600
Body Of Work
1 pts
601
Mariachi Static
1 pts
602
People of the Sun
1 pts
603
Taika Tapahtuu
1 pts
604
The Return
1 pts
605
Halloween
1 pts
606
Ecce Homo (Touch)
1 pts
607
Dillon Carmichael
1 pts
608
Vector
1 pts
609
I Need To Start a Garden
1 pts
610
611
Sensitive G
1 pts
612
BloodCrush
1 pts
613
The Fuzz EP
1 pts
614
Dream Wife (Album)
1 pts
615
616
617
Chime
1 pts
618
Super Silver
1 pts
619
620
What Is Love?
1 pts
621
Hormone Lemonade
1 pts
622
Hellions of Fire
1 pts
623
624
625
626
Find a Light
1 pts
627
Oxnard
1 pts
628
East Atlanta Love Letter
1 pts
Critic List
Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.