Punk rock band Idles top 6 Music’s list of best 2018 albums

Ian West Idles — Idles won best breakthrough act at the Q awards in October

Bristol band Idles, known for their incendiary live performances, have topped a list of 2018’s best albums, compiled by BBC 6 Music presenters.

The group’s second album Joy as an Act of Resistance is “a really powerful record but it’s still quite sly,” said DJ Steve Lamacq.

“It’s witty, it’s got fury and it’s got frustration,” he added.

US trio Khruangbin came second on the list with jazz artist Kamasi Washington in third place.

Idles, whose songs address social issues like mental health, employment and immigration, released their debut album Brutalism in 2017.

It was inspired by the death of singer Joe Talbot’s mother Christine, following a long illness.

On its follow-up, the singer tries to come to terms with the loss of his daughter and touches on themes of toxic masculinity and class inequality.

The band said their inclusion on the list was “obviously humbling”.

They added they were honoured by “the recognition from an institution that represents a huge portion of what we love in music: hard work and vibrancy towards new ideas and creative thinking”.

“Thank you to all at BBC 6 Music for helping us build our careers and our faith in the music industry,” they said.

Allow Google YouTube content?

This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Con Todo El Mundo, the album released in January by second-placed band Khruangbin, is described by presenter and film-maker Don Letts as “a beautifully executed collection of what are essentially soulful and somewhat funky psychedelic instrumentals.”

He added: “This album is one of those rare things in the 21st Century, in that it really is a complete body of work and best enjoyed that way.”

Allow Google YouTube content?

Kamasi Washington is a jazz saxophonist who has collaborated with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Lauryn Hill and rappers Nas and Snoop Dogg.

His second album, Heaven and Earth, was released in June and DJ Mary Anne Hobbs credits him as “the man who led the way in terms of turning a whole new generation onto jazz.”

The album is, she said, “a wild journey into the modern spiritual jazz sound, made with virtuoso band members that Kamasi has been playing with in Los Angeles since he was born.”

She continued: “Once you’ve been ‘Kamasi’d’, you’ll never be the same again.”