Yesterday we revealed our favourite 2018 local releases from Australia (and NZ). Today we go global with our 40 favourite albums of 2018. We were going to make it a list that excluded the local albums, seeing as we’ve already published those favourites, but as with previous years we decided we don’t want to separate them out, we want Australian music to stand shoulder to shoulder with albums released by artists from overseas. They’re obviously equals and as shown below they make up 60% of the top ten and 42.5% overall.

Click on the album titles to read our reviews of most of the releases. Here’s to more exceptional music from the world of alt-country, folk, blues, rock ‘n’ roll and Americana in 2019.

Suicide Swans are seemingly a band on a mission. The dust has barely settled on the release cycle for their excellent Augusta album of last year and they’re already releasing it’s followup – the sprawling, psych, rock and cosmic country double album that is La Jungla.

1. Suicide Swans – La Jungla

2. Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love

3. Halfway – Rain Lover

4. Cash Savage & The Last Drinks – Good Citizens

5. Phosphorescent – C’est La Vie

6. Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It

7. Kyle Craft – Full Circle Nightmare

8. Colter Wall – Songs Of The Plains

9. Roadhouses – Roadhouses

10. John Prine – Tree Of Forgiveness

11. Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain
12. Kyle Jenkins – Meltdown
13. Jeff Tweedy – Warm
14. Ben Leece – No Wonder The World Is Exhausted
15. Davey Craddock – One Punch
16. Matt Joe Gow – Break, Rattle & Roll
17. Lucero – Among The Ghosts
18. Tony Molina – Kill The Lights
19. Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Years
20. Ryley Walker – The Lillywhite Sessions
21. Alejandro Escovedo – The Crossing
22. Ryley Walker – Deafman Glance
23. Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams – Vanished Gardens
24. Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed
25. Richmond Fontaine – Don’t Skip Out On Me
26. Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son
27. Perry Keyes – Jim Salmon’s Lament
28. Mark Sholtez & Jen Mize – Twilight On The Trail
29. The San Sebastian – Alive On The Black Sea
30. Magpie Diaries – Sanctuary
31. Kevin Welch – Dust Devil
32. Jim Lauderdale – Time Flies
33. Joshua Hedley – Mr Jukebox
34. Laura Merrimen – This Time & From Now On
35. Jo Meares – Back To The World
36. Kurt Vile – Bottle It In
37. Sam Newton – Stare Into The Dark
38. Kristen Lee Morris – Hillbilly Blues
39. Anna & Elizabeth – The Invisible Comes To Us
40. Howlin’ Rain – Alligator Bride