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Brendan Kelly picks his favourite albums of 2018

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It's been quite the year for music, from Ariana Grande's rise to super-stardom to the release of Coeur de pirate's fifth studio album, En cas de tempête, ce jardin sera fermé.

Keeping a close eye on the scene is Montreal Gazette columnist Brendan Kelly.

Brendan does music and entertainment columns on CBC Montreal's Daybreak. He's compiled a list of his favourite albums of 2018.

"What we want is for people to listen to the choices and say, 'Hey, you're completely nuts. That's not a top 10 album,'" he said.

In no particular order, here are Brendan's top ten albums of 2018.

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

Monae worked very closely with Prince when creating Dirty Computer, her third studio album. It came out in April.

Dans le noir by Safia Nolin

This is the Quebec City native's second album, and first album that includes original material.

In the song Miroir, Nolin sings "I am apologizing for my body… I know I'm the ugliest."

Chris by Christine and the Queens

This album by the French singer explores questions of sexuality and gender. Chris also comes with two full-length albums: one in French, and one in English.

Be the Cowboy by Mitski

This Japanese-American singer-songwriter has been catching critics' ears since her fifth studio album came out in August.

All 14 songs on Be the Cowboy are very short, with interesting lyrics that explore the intricacies of love.

Midnight, Let's Get A Hot Dog by The Seasons

This album by the Québécois foursome The Seasons came out in November, even though it was recorded in July 2017.

The band formed in Beauport, Que., and moved from a folk-pop sound on their first album, PULP, to rock and punk sounds in Midnight, Let's Get A Hot Dog.

Darlène by Hubert Lenoir

Hubert Lenoir is the stage name of Hubert Chiasson, who is a member of The Seasons. The album was released in February and made the shortlist for the 2018 Polaris music prize.

Foxwarren by Foxwarren

This Manitoba group's debut album came out in November. The band features lead singer and songwriter Andy Shauf and his childhood friends Dallas Bryson and brothers Avery and Darryl Kissick.

They got their start in the Kissick family farmhouse, in a Manitoba village called Foxwarren.

Negative Capability by Marianne Faithfull

Faithfull debuted in the music industry over 50 years ago, in the 1960s. At 71 years old, the British singer's 21st studio album has 11 tracks that deal with themes of love, death, terrorism and loneliness.

Lost & Found by Jorja Smith

This is the English singer's debut solo album. It came out in June, and has since received critical acclaim, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart.

Room Inside the World by Ought

This is the third studio album by the Montreal post-punk band, Ought. It came out in February.

Comment below and let us know what your favourite album of 2018 was.