File download is hosted on Megaupload
1) ALBUMS TOP 40
1- The Rumjacks “Saints Preserve Us”
2 – Firkin “We are the Ones” Review
3 – Bastard Bearded Irishmen “Drinkin’ to the Dead” Review
4 – St. George’s Folly “Along this Road” Review
5 – Hold Fast “Black Irish Sons” Review
6 – Bastards on Parade “Cara a liberdade” Featured album
7 – Krakin’ Kellys “Promised Land” Review
8 – Medusa’s Wake “Rascals and Rogues” Review
9 – The Pikeys “The Sons of War & Whisky” Review
10 – SIR REG “The Underdogs” Bandcamp
11 – Finnegan’s Hell “Life and Death” Review
12 – Bodh’aktan “Ride Out the Storm” Review
13 – McOnak “Gure naufragioak” Free download
14 – Tempest “Thirty Little Turns” Review
15 – The Potes “Ametsak dira erabat bete aurretik” Featured album
16 – Punching Namard “First Round” Review
17 – In Search of a Rose “Horses for Courses” Review
18 – The Muckers “One More Stout” Review
19 – Kings and Boozers “Still got the Booze” Review
20 – Muirsheen Durkin and Friends “11 Pints & 3 Shots” Review
21 – Irish Moutarde “Perdition” Review
22 – Kilt the Messenger “Hellfire and Rescue” Review
23 – Lexington Field “Dreamers” Bandcamp
24 – Bleeding Hearts “The Rules of Division” Review
25 – Tir Na Nog “From the Gallows” Review
26 – Alternative Ulster “Beer, Boobies, Banjos & Bagpipes” Bandcamp
27 – Sliotar “Voyage” CDbaby
28 – East River Rats “When the Cat’s Away” Review
29 – Jolly Jackers “Out of the Blue” Review
30 – The Mahones “Love, Death, Redemption”
31 – The Langer’s Ball “Hard Time in the Country” Bandcamp
32 – Falperrys “Nova abordagem” Free download
33 – Mary’s Lane “Wild Unknown” Review
34 – Ebri Knight “Guerrilla” Free Download
35 – Airs and Graces “Voting at the Hall” Soundloud
36 – Malasañers “Footprints” Review
37 – Alternative Ulster “Pog Mo Thoin” Review
38 – The Dogs from the Grapes “In the Name of Captain Ludd” Review
It should have been a TOP 40, but some albums didn’t arrive before the deadline 🙁
2) EPs AND MINI-ALBUMS TOP 25
2 – The Grinning Barretts “The Riot EP” Bandcamp
3 – The Barley Hops “Rhymes from the Pub” Review
4 – Scotch “Last in the Bar” Free Download
5 – Mosche di Velluto Grigio “Of Pain and Glory” Video
6 – Handsome Young Strangers “The Bleeding Bridge” Featured Band
7 – Green Guard “Green Noise” Featured Band
8 – 7 Stout Clan “Alcohostility” Review
9 – Raise My Kilt “A New Tartan” Review
10 – Lexington Field “Modern Times” Bandcamp
11 – The Royal Spuds “Unforgotten Lore”
12 – Aires Bastardos “Demo” Featured EP
13 – The Dangerous Folk “EP” Featured Band
14 – The Silk Road “Justice for Daniel”
15 – Sigelpa “País de Titellaires” Free Download
16 – Bucky Lastard “EP” Featured Band
17 – Pilgrim’s “Demo” Featured Band
18 – Deiedra “Ortziren mailukada” Video
19 – Highland Bastards “Lost at Sea” Featured Band
20 – Budweis Drunken Bastards “Demos” Free Download
21 – Uptown Chiefs “Songs from a Western Pub”
22 – Clover’s Revenge “Gotta get o’raggednized” Video
23 – Drunken Shamrocks “Demo” Featured Band
24 – Anchor in Ink “Death and Salt” Bandcamp
25 – Konsumo Respeto “Los primeros días de la ley seca” Free Download
Other interesting stuff that has been issued in 2018: VA “Latinoamérica Folk Punk 2018 ” and Piñata Protest “Necio Nights“.
BTW, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! and listen to our 24/7 streaming radio Celtic Folk Punk on radionomy.
Thanks again to all the bands for sending their stuff and special thanks to my mate Phil (PaddyRock) for friendship and support.
REMARKS
1) As usual, this post is titled as “the best of”. However, this is not a competition, but a sort of game. Remember that I give neither points, nor stars to the albums that are reviewed. I’d say that, IMHO, this is the list of the most enjoyable albums of 2018. It’s a party!
2) This list is subjective, but not unfair: it covers the albums that I have enjoyed. Other lists are being posted on other sites and they’ll be different. And I feel that diversity is good.
3) Important: please remember that it’s a list of albums, not a list of bands.
4) I’ve tried to be coherent. Everybody should know that I prefer original material to over-exposed standards.
5) Please remember that I’m only a fan. Maybe some albums are technically or musically better than others. I have taken into account catchy songs, fresh approaches, innovation and maybe I’ve given priority to raucous sounds rather than to polished sounds.
6) Yes, this is a Celtic Punk e-zine. Then priority has been given to Celtic punk bands, but you’ll also find quite a few Celtic rock and folk punk bands.
7) Only the albums that have been received for review/airplay purposes and/or that have been shared for free by the bands have been rated. Other recordings were released in 2018, but unfortunately no copy was submitted or they got lost on their way to Spain.
8) This Best of 2018 covers the CDs that have been released from December 2017 to December 2018. In fact, only one EP was released in December 2017.
9) Neither live albums, nor covers albums have been taken into account. The same applies to compilations/best of albums.
10) To be at the bottom of the list doesn’t involve that an album is bad.
11) Several songs from these albums have been added to the streaming radio along the year and they are regularly played.
12) To the fans: feel free to share your comments. No trolls, please!
13) To the bands: it’s extremely difficult to rank every recording and I guess that some people won’t be happy. However, I really appreciate and respect the hard work by every single band. The quality of all of the recordings has been very high!
