Lost in the annual end-of-year ranking of, well, everything, is the reality that every year is not equal. Take music. Some years you get Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Magical Mystery Tour, The Velvet Underground, Songs of Leonard Cohen, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, and The Doors. And other years you get Silent Shout by The Knife (no disrespect to The Knife).

So far as albums go, 2018 was, above all, strange. It was a year that saw the form taken to its maximalist and minimalist extremes; if a record wasn’t seven songs, it might as well be 25. The majority of pop’s biggest stars released music in 2018, and most of it was… pretty forgettable. But 2018 was also a year in which new voices emerged, in which the boundaries of genre continued to dissolve, and in which female artists in particular made work that powerfully addressed a turbulent moment.

All of which begs the question: 50 years from now, supposing for a moment that the planet is still intact and content is still in demand, what albums will our grandchildren write retrospectives on? Which of the best albums of 2018 will stand the test of time, influence how future music is made, and prove to be iconic? To find out, we surveyed 15 music writers, artists, and others in the industry. Tellingly, there wasn’t much consensus.

Lucy Dacus (musician):

Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour

I'm likely not the only one, but I think Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves will stand the test of time, not only because of the music itself, but because of the important function it played this particular year. This album is the bridge many of us hope to find between us and our families, between country and songwriter rock, between coastal culture centers and the American South. [Musgraves] never comes close to preaching, and yet her message of allowing for awestruck wonderment is clear. I think many of us are relieved to get the invitation into her mindset and her world, which is magic and flowers, love and long walks. In truth, on first listen I thought certain lyrics were corny, but I realized that was more about my occasional cynicism than her writing, and the strength of her positivity in these songs luckily won out. I reach for [Golden Hour] now when I feel myself slip out of love with the world, knowing it will guide me back.

Nile Rodgers (musician, Chic):

Anderson .Paak, Oxnard