A good list should read like a story, with all the surprises and reassurances that might entail. With the FACT list this year, we’ve attempted to distill our story of 2018 in music through a diverse selection of records that highlight the most arresting moments in our world. In dance music, the rave got faster and unashamedly more queer as throwback house stagnated and electro continued to repeat itself. On the fringes, artists took control of their identities in powerful new ways, platforming their new-found confidence and pushing the narrative relentlessly forward. Elsewhere, ambient music moved into near-popularity as it hit its 40th birthday, and rap settled into a new phase, one led assuredly by women’s voices. Now it’s time to listen. The best albums of 2018 that are not on Bandcamp: Mariah Carey - Caution Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E. U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited H. Takahashi - Low Power Playboi Carti - Die Lit Kali Uchis - Isolation City Girls - PERIOD Young Nudy - Slimeball 3 Kelman Duran - 13th Month SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides CupcakKe - Ephorize Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy Yves Tumor - Safe In The Hands Of Love Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs Tierra Whack - Whack World Gabor Lazar - Unfold Rico Nasty - Nasty Barker - Debiasing Rosalía - El Mal Querer