With the year winding down, we at The Most Radicalist wanted to take this opportunity to look back on the wonderful year of music we’ve just had with a ‘Best Of’ list. We asked our writers to pick out their top emerging artists of the last 12 months and needless to say we were presented with both an exceptional and deliciously eclectic group of artists.

We’ll be unveiling this list over the course of the next few days so stay tuned!

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BLACK MIDI



London’s Black Midi have been arguably the most hyped band of 2018, but with very good reason. Graduating from The Brit School and exploding onto the underground scene with a quiet confidence and a mind-blowing new sound, the young quartet quickly garnered the attention they deserve. With their residency at The Brixton Windmill triggering a tsunami of industry interest and string of live shows that new bands could only dream of, the rising foursome have already supported the likes of Shame, Preoccupations and Ought as well as delivering some of the most exciting performances at both the Green Man and End of the Road festivals this year. Pulling together Morgan Simpson’s insane drumming capabilities with Cameron Picton’s thundering bass lines, Matt Kelvin’s angular guitar work and Geordie Greep’s idiosyncratic vocal style, their debut single ‘bmbmbm’, produced by Dan Carey, sold out in a flash as well as destroying its rivals on Steve Lamcq’s infamous Roundtable show. With 2019 fast approaching there’s still time to catch Black Midi in a relatively small venue, playing alongside Blanck Mass at Peckham’s Bussey Building this Wednesday (19th of December), but be quick because who knows what they’ll achieve next year. -Holly Mullineaux



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MORMOR



This year, Toronto musician, songwriter and producer Seth Nyquist - also known as MorMor - has released his debut song, debut EP and already a follow-up single in an attempt to placate our aching hearts with his deft touch to production, earnest lyrics, and artful handling of emotive movement. Whether that’s the uplifting spike of synth power-pop in ‘Waiting on the Warmth’ compared to the laidback verses, the dreamy rhythmics of ‘Heaven’s Only Wishful’, or most recently, the nostalgic nineties feel of ‘Pass The Hours’. Unquestionably, MorMor makes brilliant tracks, but it’s those small moments of genius that had us coming back for more each time, such as the blood-curdling scream at the opening of ‘Heaven’s Only Wishful’. There appears to be no bounds to Nyquist’s ability to stitch together various elements of different genres from across recent decades and still make each track sound distinctly like MorMor. We’re incredibly excited to hear what this emerging Canadian talent will treat us to next. -Hannah Thacker



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FONTAINES D.C.



Few live shows in 2018 have compared to those of Fontaines D.C.. The Dublin punks’ scratched-up, noisy post-punk is a masterclass in gloomy, doomy atmospherics, frontman Grian Chatten barking his evermore twisted poetry over the top. Alongside a who’s who of promising punk prospects (check out Just Mustard, The Murder Capital and Silverbacks if this isn’t enough for you), Fontaines D.C. have made Ireland the go-to destination for those seeking something to shake the rafters. -Tom Connick



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LYDIAN COLLECTIVE



Having dropped their phenomenal debut album Adventure in March this year, things have only been going up for London-based fusion band Lydian Collective. Standout tracks include the rhythmically mind-bending ‘Thirty-One’ and their latest release, ‘High 555’ which sees bassist Ida Hollis’ hands furiously jump around the neck. One of London’s most in demand drummers Sophie Alloway joins them, while principal songwriters Aaron Wheeler and Todd Baker front the group. After a few successful headline shows around London, Lydian Collective joined legendary jazz drummer Billy Cobham at the Jazz Café in early December, cementing their place as one of the best jazz groups around at the moment. -Dan Peeke



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-Check in tomorrow for four more picks from TMR's Top 20 of 2018.