Albums of the Year 2017

[slickdtc]

Another year, another calendar full of amazing new music. Don’t ever let somebody say they don’t make music like they used to... it’s better. It’s available, just look for it!

Feel free to list any new music you listened to in 2017, top lists, surprises, overrated/underrated, etc.

[slickdtc]

Albums of the Year 2017

I’m lucky and have a Spotify subscription and a job that allows me to listen to music all day (about 52 days worth of listening this year) plus I like to keep up on all the latest releases within my favorite genres, so I listened to about 50 new albums this year that I legitimately like and listen to on a regular basis:

Spoiler

Glassjaw - Material Control
Icarus the Owl - Rearm Circuits
Direct Hit/Pears - Human Movement
Sparks the Rescue - When It Thunders EP
Sleep On It - Overexposed
Hold Close - I’ll Never Go Back
ROAM - Great Heights & Nosedives
Knuckle Puck - Shapeshifter
Citizen - As You Please
Coldfront - Float Aroubd
Prawn - Run
The wonder years - Burst & Decay
Life Lessons - Best When in Motion
Such Gold - Deep in a Hole
Stellar Young - Became a Flame
Neck Deep - The Peace and the Panic
For the Win - Heavy Thoughts
Pvris - All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell
Brand New - Science Fiction
No Trigger - Adult Braces EP
Eternal Boy - Awkward Phase
311 - Mosaic
Rozwell Kid - Precious Art
Head North - The Last Living Man Alive Ever in the History of the Universe
Keep Flying - Walkabout
Rise Against - Wolves
Grayscale - Adornment
As It Is - okay.
Have Mercy - Make the Best of It
Dryjacket - For Posterity
Drake - More Life
Can’t Swim - Fail You Again
A Will Away - Here Again
Carousel Kings - Charm City
The menzingers - After the Party
Under Fire - Blackout EP
Acceptance - Colliding by Design
The Weekend Classic - More Alive EP
Super American - Disposable
Circa Survive - The Amulet

Honorable Mentions:
High Wire - Different Places. Catchy as hell Chicago rock.
Silverstein - Dead Reflections. Early 2000s screamo band releases one of my favorite melodic hardcore albums of 2017. Incredible surprise comeback, though that’s due more to my neglect of the band.
You Vandal - I Just Want to Go Back to Hell. Late surprise to 2017’s albums, this record is hook heaven.

Top 5:
Movements - Feel Something. Angst-driven, blended melodic hardcore/spoken word delivery gets the juices flowing.
Anti-Flag - American Fall. 90s political punk rockers still killin’ it, especially in these turbulent times.
Sleep in. - Tension & Release. Pretty standard thematic indie/pop punk that just hits the spot. A great end of summer album to sweat to.
Gold Route - Prosper. My finest discovery of 2017 and almost my top album of the year. Approachable punk rock from Michigan, you’ll have a new favorite song each week. Extremely strong first LP that featured evolution from their first efforts.
I the Mighty - Where the Mind Wants to Go // Where You Let It Go. My unquestioned album of the year for 2017. When a band you were obsessed with has something new coming, and then it releases and outshines your sky high expectations? Easy money. Band tells a story in every song, continues their run of best song with a featured vocalist on an album. The blend of punk, rock, electronic, and edginess is spot on. My ideal sound, done to perfection.

It’s been a great year! Still so much OLD music to check out, new stuff to discover, and classics to continue to come back to. Here’s to 2018’s musical adventure!

[Blzer]

Re: Albums of the Year 2017

I'm gonna be that guy and include Grace VanderWaal - Just the Beginning.

She is a tremendous young artist, and I thought her debut album was phenomenal. As you can see I have a thread devoted to her as well.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Albums of the Year 2017

Album - A Long Way From Your Heart - Turnpike Troubadours

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[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Albums of the Year 2017

2017 kicked my *** this year. So much great music throughout the whole year.

I kept a running 2017 playlist on Spotify with all the albums I got into:https://open.spotify.com/user/chand2...58uAomewIKPYXJ


Top 10 for me would be:

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator

Spoiler

A concept album revolving around the gentrification movements and the displacement of unrepresented groups of people. The album as a whole is emotional and packs several haymakers throughout, but culminates in the stunning Pa'lante. A fantastic album ranging from roots music to pop laments.
Pa'lante, Rican Beach, Living in the City

St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION

Spoiler

A nearly flawless electric pop album which seems to be par for the course for St. Vincent across her discography. Slinky seductive tracks intertwine with societal critiques and introspective uneasiness as Annie navigates a modern aesthetic with 80s electric nostalgia. Mesmerizing hooks and catchy rhythms abound, but never seem to wear thin.
Los Ageless, Savior, New York

Benjamin Booker - Witness

Spoiler

Searching and soulful with a subtle angst basis that features Booker crooning critiques of long-established oppression and resentment. Comfortably at home crossing the line between punk and soul Booker finds a range that hits powerfully throughout the whole of the album. Witness is as much an eulogy for all those lost due to militant police violence as it is an anthem for awareness. An introspective questioning of himself and his beliefs projects onto society as a whole and comes away with uncertainty for the future. Amazing and powerful.
Witness, Believe, Motivation

Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference

Spoiler

A fantastic collection of instrumentation that ranges from funky-swagger to sorrowful soliloquy via Kamasi's amazing saxophone. The instrumentation throughout is masterclass, but Kamasi is the one that shines throughout as expected. The melody of each preceding song is intertwined and swirled together in an emotionally powered Truth that continues to amaze with each listen. Drawing similarities to Pharaoh Sanders and his sprawling The Creator Has A Master Plan Truth simultaneously breaks the world around you while molding a fresh one from clay.
Truth, Perspective

Lee Bains & the Glory Fires - Youth Detention

Spoiler

Continuing to build on the scorching, Marshall stack shattering punk of Dereconstructed Lee Bains & the Glory Fires manage to produce a sprawling, epic snapshot of modern life in The South. A blistering critique of "good ol boys" and traditionalized, systematic injustice Lee Bains molds together an album that tears down vanity while finding pride in all the right areas. At home in the mosh pit as well as the protest Lee Bains acts as a much needed voice for a better, more diverse generation of the South.
Whitewash, Underneath the Sheets of White Noise, Nail My Feet Down to the Southside of Town

Spoon - Hot Thoughts

Spoiler

Spoon continues to shine and impress as they again retexture their signature catchy-funk-pop style. Seductive, suggestive, and alluring each song creates a mood and atmosphere for pleasure. Britt Daniel croons with swagger and enough grit to be smoky. Another crown jewel from a band that can't stop finding new ones.
Do I Have To Talk You Into It, Can I Sit Next to You, Hot Thoughts

Strand of Oaks - Hard Love

Spoiler

An under-the-radar love song to 80s radio and arena rock, but lacking the shallow triteness and replacing it with introspective soul. Hard Love feels both like a nostalgic trip to 80s FM while approaching the style with a personal, modern angle. A rock n roll album straight through to its heart the album embraces its style with a large grin and Reebok pumps on its feet. Bouncing and rollicking the album rocks for those of us who grew up taping songs off of the radio onto an overused cassette tape.
Radio Kids, Rest of It, Everything

Son Little - New Magic

Spoiler

Refining the broadness of his self-titled debut album soulful singer/songwriter Son Little finds success with a mixture of slower soul and uptempo roots R&B. Ranging from laments to charging swagger Son Little etches out a nice little niche for the softer side of soul and R&B. His vocals shine with smoothness as his guitar melts and mixes with it. The album is at home as a nightcap after-party or for a chill affair with close friends and significant others.
Blue Magic, Charging Blue, Bread & Butter

Sean Rowe - New Lore

Spoiler

The quintessential dead of winter album New Lore is a small turn away from the more jaunting, upbeat Madman, but continues Sean's excellent songwriting ability and showcases his deep, gruff vocals. Emotionally driven this album is not for the faint of spirit as it will certainly not cure seasonal depression, but somewhat wallows in it like a warm, comforting blanket. A beautiful landscape of music like the fresh sheen of unbroken snow Rowe dives inward to exercise his demons for the benefit of the listener who is rewarded fantastically.
I'll Follow Your Trail, The Very First Snow, Newton's Cradle

Nikki Lane - Highway Queen

Spoiler

Rollicking, seductive country meandering between roots rock and lowdown country blues. Nikki Lane shines throughout as she compiles a tightly packed album full of punches. From the swagger of Highway Queen to the mouth-busting Big Mouth Lane manages to hit a broad spectrum without spreading herself thin on style. At times tongue-in-cheek and witty while others are soulful inner monologues Lane showcases her cleverness and knack for catchy hooks and toe-tappers.
Highway Queen, Jackpot, Big Mouth