Part 5 of the migration from Facebook.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
White Reaper — The World’s Greatest American Band
White Reaper gets a little bit away from their punk roots and more towards some good ol’ Rock and Roll in this one. The World’s Best American Band is just a fun record to listen to with some catchy riffs and sing-along choruses. It can sound a little same-y, but that’s partially the charm. I mean we all loved AC-DC at some point, right?
Genre: Rock
Favorite Tracks: Eagle Beach, The Stacks
For Fans of: T.Rex, The Cars, Parquet Courts
Lily Konisberg + Andrea Schiavelli — Good Time Now
Good Time Now is a comfort-filled chamber pop album replete with warm vocals and a touching horn section. The songs themselves are fairly short, only two pass the 3-minute mark, but they come across more as moody ideas than full-fleshed thoughts, which lends it self well to the conversational nature of the songs. The two singers echo each other back and forth, as they alternate tracks, and sometimes they even interrupt each other with a new thought (New Old Age Home).
Genre: Chamber Pop
Favorite Songs: Good Time, Players of the Field, Talk to Me w. Birds
For Fans of: Sondre Lerche, Frankie Cosmos
Joey Bada$$ — All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
I wanted to like this album much more than I did. Joey sounds more passionate than ever, and he branches out in ways he never has before. I was honestly surprised to hear him sing some of the hooks on this album, and do it well. The lyricism is still there, and the production on this album is solid as well. The main issue here is that Joey’s blunt approach towards the subject matter on this album does not lend itself to replay value very well. There’s nothing else to dig into after the first few listens, which is unfortunate, because throughout the album he does have very clever wordplay.
Genre: East Coast Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Land of the Free, Rockabye Baby
For Fans of: Underachievers, Mick Jenkins, J. Cole
Sufjan Stevens — The Greatest Gift Mixtape
In lieu of a Christmas album this year, Sufjan dropped a “mix-tape” of Carrie & Lowell tracks, as well as a few new ones. I loved C&L last year — it was one of my top five albums, but the sounds on The Greatest Gift almost make me wish he had been a bit more electronic on it. The remixes are fantastic and add a lot of layers to delicately crafted songs, and the new tracks are solid too.
Genre: Folktronica
Favorite Tracks: Wallowa Lake Monster, Exploding Whale Remix, The Hidden River of My Life
For Fans of: Microphones, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird
Brand New — Science Fiction
It’s can be incredibly difficult to separate the art from the artist. I loved this album completely. It was everything I wanted from Brand New at this stage in both their career and my life: 90s alternative vibes, relaxed jams, awesome tremolo and guitar riffs. Sadly, with the news about front-man Jesse Lacey coming to light, the music feels tarnished for me, and I just don’t feel comfortable with putting the album on the actual list. However, I wanted to at least (again, in an effort to separate art from the artist) mention that the music itself is incredible here.
Genre: Post-Punk, Grunge, 90’s Alternative
Favorite Tracks: Lit Me Up, Can’t Get it Out, 137, No Control
For Fans of: Manchester Orchestra, Modern Baseball
THE LIST
50. Sharon Jones + The Dap Kings — Soul of a Woman
After Sharon Jones passed away last November, Daptone Records worked hard to assemble a final album worthy of her legend and soul. Soul of a Woman is a touching final album whose music pushes itself to embody the soul of the woman who gave life to it. The album shows both sides of Jones’ personality, as there are intense ballads as well as funky live numbers that play off each other well. Her passion and vocal ferocity is evident in every syllable sung, and she will be truly missed.
Genre: Soul
Favorite Tracks: Sail On!, Pass Me By, Call On God
For Fans of: Charles Bradley, Aretha Franklin
49. The War on Drugs — A Deeper Understanding
In their major label debut, The War on Drugs don’t stray away from their signature sound, but they do get a little more upbeat. Lost in the Dream was my #1 album of 2015 a lot due to the tracks sounding exactly like the album title — the wave of sound pulls you in, tosses you around, and carries you through until the end. A Deeper Understanding does the same thing, at times, but the songs are more formulaic and played straight. Sometimes this formula hits well, like on the album’s opener, Up All Night, but after a while it can fall flat. A Deeper Understanding is still a great album, but it’s not quite the same.
Genre: Americana/Indie-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Up All Night, Thinking of a Place
For Fans of: Springsteen, Kurt Vile, the National
48. Spiral Stairs — Doris + the Daggers
Doris and the Daggers is just a solid indie-rock record, which should be unsurprising since Scott Kannberg comes from one of Indie’s greatest champions — Pavement. The melodies and beats are infectious on this record, but as a whole it takes a few listens before it truly becomes alive. Kannberg opines about middle age throughout the album, struggling to navigate society as it has evolved in the past fifteen years. His compositions pair perfectly, as they float between decades of rock, drawing inspiration from each.
Genre: Indie-Rock
Favorite Tracks: Dundee Man, No Comparison
For Fans of: Pavement, Grizzly Bear
47. Ryan Adams — Prisoner
Coming off of a divorce from Mandy Moore and refining his 80s-meets-Alt sound, Ryan Adams was poised to drop a bomb this year. The music on Prisoner is some of his best in the last 10 years — great guitar riffs, perfect mastering, and 80s Springsteen nods while staying on the Alt-Country tracks all add up to greatness. However, the album falls apart with the lyrics. Adams is obviously hurt and frustrated by his divorce with Moore, but the expression on Prisoner can come off a bit saccharine at times — “If lovin’ you is wrong/I am a criminal/I am a prisoner/for your love.” Overall, still one of his best albums to come out in the latter half of his career.
Genre: Alt-Country
Favorite Tracks: Do You Still Love Me, Shiver and Shake, Anything I Say to You Now
For Fans of: Bruce Springsteen, Whiskeytown
46. Father John Misty — Pure Comedy
Despite his status as one of the most pretentious human beings on the planet (popularized by the “reads Infinite Jest once” meme), Father John Misty manages to pull off an excellent collection of exceptional songs with Pure Comedy. The record is at once immediately ironic, as it is filled to the brim with tightly composed, lush pop-songs while at the same time it sardonically berates the idea of popular entertainment. Pure Comedy manages to walk this line well, and, while when giving interviews he sounds unbearable, here his ideas seem genuine and well thought through — the best versions of themselves.
Genre: Indie-Pop/Singer-Songwriter
Favorite Tracks: Pure Comedy, Ballad of the Dying Man, A Bigger Paper Bag
For Fans of: Fleet Foxes, Sun Kil Moon, Sufjan Stevens
45. Jlin — Black Origami
Jlin’s Dark Energy from 2015 made my top 5 for its deconstruction of the footwork genre. This time around, she has moved further from the genre’s roots and more towards her own. Black Origami plays off of African-style drum beats, and eschews traditional melodies for those implied by the rolling drums and spaces between the rhythm patterns. The result is 45 minutes of sonic landscape that forces its listener to react with results often varying based on the session.
Genre: Footwork/Electronic
Favorite Tracks: Black Origami, Holy Child
For Fans of: Laurel Halo, Visible Cloaks
44. Laurel Halo — Dust
Dust falls somewhere within the space-like pop of Quarantine and the cold minimalism of Chance of Rain. Halo uses vocals as an instrument, weaving them between electronic blips and jazz chords to create a warmth unknown by her former records. There are a few strange moments on Dust, but they add to the curiosity of the whole work — part of the enjoyment of listening comes from the strange mystery.
Genre: Art-Pop/Electronic
Favorite Tracks: Jelly, Syzygy
For Fans of: Julia Holter, Actress
43. Protomartyr — Relatives in Descent
Relatives in Descent is a monster album, filled to the brim with churning basslines and more lyrical references than you can shake your fist at. Just like Agent Intellect and Under Color… before it, Relatives does take a few listens before it finally clicks, which is not to say it’s bad at first, but it’s like an episode of 30 Rock — every moment is just so jam packed that it’s easy to gloss over the finer details.
Genre: Post-Punk
Favorite Tracks: Up the Tower, Half Sister
For Fans of: Ought, Parquet Courts
42. Mount Eerie — A Crow Looked at Me
After a long battle with cancer, Phil Elverum’s wife passed away at the age of 35, leaving him and his 2 year-old daughter behind. A Crow Looked at Me dwells solely in the unimaginable aftermath of this tragedy, and is so heart-wrenching at times that it can be unbearable as a listener, let alone as the performer. From the very first track, it’s apparent that Elverum’s sorrow is focused on the small, daily losses: “A week after you died, a package with your name on it came/And inside was a gift for our daughter you had ordered in secret/…You were thinking ahead to a future you must have known deep down would not include you.” It’s the small lines like this that hit like a truck, and the record would be even higher on my list, but the very things that make A Crow… so great are what make it so difficult to listen to.
Genre: Singer-Songwriter
Favorite Tracks: Real Death, Toothbrush/Trash
For Fans of: Sun Kil Moon, Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Johnston
41. The Magnetic Fields — 50 Song Memoir
With 50 Song Memoir, The Magnetic Fields drops their best album since their 1999 legendary 69 Love Songs. It’s fitting that their two most successful records follow the same format — catchy melodies, absurdist lyrics, and an insane amount of songs. 50 Song Memoir can be difficult to get through just from the sheer size of it, but it’s worth it. It’s also interesting to hear Stephin Merritt’s recollections, especially since he catalogs so much that seems unimportant, like an entire song dedicated to a cat named Dionysus.
Genre: Chamber-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Just listen to the album
For Fans of: Jens Lekman, Destroyer, The Unicorns
40. Vince Staples — Big Fish Theory
Vince Staples has never seemed comfortable with fame. On his last LP, he rapped, “all these white folks chanting when I asked ’em where my n***** at,” so it’s no surprise that he tried to distance himself from the genre on Big Fish Theory. As if to try and blend in with the crowd, Staples eschewed his trap beats for deep house and club instrumentals. It’s ironic then, that this switch made him more unique within the genre, pushing him more towards the L.A. version of the Detroit Techno pioneers in the 80s — a people’s champion who’s simultaneously the life of and the most uncomfortable person at the party.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: 745, Yeah Right
For Fans of: Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown
39. Visible Cloaks — Reassemblage
One of the challenges of working primarily with electronic sources is making the music sound natural. On Reassemblage, Visible Cloaks seem to do this effortlessly. They combine ancient instruments, such as singing bowls, with clean, electronic laptop sounds, and meld the two together — just as modern life is a mish-mash of ancient, impenetrable humanity and modern, sterile tech. It all merges together to form a soundscape that is at once jarring, but settles into comfort more and more with each listen.
Genre: Ambient/Electronic
Favorite Tracks: Valve, Terrazo, Mimesis
For Fans of: Aphex Twin, Gas, Holly Herndon
38. Avec Le Soleil Sortant De Sa Bouche — Pas Pire Pop [I Love You So Much]
Pas Pire Pop is a supercharged, futuristic train that hits full speed once it leaves the station and never slows down until it reaches its destination. The songs here are long and twisting. They push themselves forward as if bent and shaped by their own sheer will and natural progress. It’s one of the best travelling albums I’ve ever listened to, as it transforms and is transformed by the passing landscapes. The riffs are infectious, and just when things might seem to get repetitive, the band switches genres on you, drawing from any influence they can just to keep the machine chugging along on the tracks.
Genre: Kraut-Rock/Psychedelic
Favorite Tracks: Trans-pop express I & II, Tourner incessamment dans l’éclatement euphorique de soi
For Fans of: Can, Deerhoof, Jim O’Rourke
37. Rapsody — Laila’s Wisdom
Laila’s Wisdom should be a slam-dunk for any ‘backpack’ hip-hop fan. On her first LP, Rapsody follows the tradition of lyrical rappers, but plays off of the re-impassioned love for Jazz Rap that’s been embraced in the last few years. The beats are a mix between To Pimp a Butterfly and something DJ Premier would have cooked up in the early 90s, which is fitting since Rapsody’s first big feature was on Kendrick’s aforementioned 2015 album. Laila’s Wisdom isn’t perfect, but it is a monstrous debut, and the genre should be ready for what looks to be a future great.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Power, Nobody, Knock On My Door
For Fans of: Joey Bada$$, Kendrick Lamar, Digable Planets
36. King Gizzard + the Lizard Wizard with Mile High Club — Sketches of Brunswick East
In 2017, the Australian psych outfit managed to put out five albums (the final released on December 31), each with their own personality and scope. None, however, were more unique than Sketches of Brunswick East. It’s a psychedelic jazz album that sounds like a jazz combo performing in some extra-dimensional, upside down, Star-Wars-cantina-esque coffee shop. The grooves are schizoid, the melodies are crooked, and the songs themselves are mutants. It’s an endearing and unique effort that is one of the most fun records from this year.
Genre: Nu-Jazz/Psychedelic
Favorite Tracks: Tezeta, The Spider and Me, You Can Be Your Silhouette
For Fans of: Soft Machine, Thee Oh Sees
35. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
In 17 years since their indie-legend 2000 album Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, Godspeed have stepped away from the hopeful violin trills and moved more towards a droning darkness, syncopated with the “era of terrorism” that followed 2001. Then, they released the doom-named Luciferian Towers, which subverts it’s own title by being a soundtrack to the destruction of such towers — as evidenced by the first track, “Undoing a Luciferian Towers.” The sounds here are those of lightness, hope, and triumph, and they combine to create one of the band’s greatest albums yet.
Genre: Post-Rock
Favorite Tracks: Undoing a Luciferian Towers, Anthem for No State
For Fans of: Mogwai, A Silver Mt. Zion, Do Make Say Think
34. Chelsea Wolfe — Hiss Spun
Hiss Spun is Chelsea Wolfe’s most abrasive album yet. The subtlety of Apokalypsis is gone, and in its place is a dark monolithic wave of guitar and noise. Despite its darkness, Hiss Spun exists a cathartic album that winds its way around Wolfe’s brain as she comments on her struggle between her ailments and her creature comforts.
Genre: Doom-Folk/Gothic-Rock
Favorite Tracks: 16 Psyche, The Culling
For Fans of: Ulver, Marissa Nadler
33. Julie Byrne — Not Even Happiness
The most immediate thing on Not Even Happiness is its beauty. Byrne’s songwriting, much like Marissa Nadler or Julia Holter, wanders into the ethereal and otherwordly, punctuated by her soft, comforting voice. Her topics exist in the everyday, but her delivery and instrumentation carry the ordinary into the sublime. It’s the feeling that matters here, not the substance, though lyrically there is beauty in Byrne’s simplicity. It’s like reading a Willa Cather novel — sometimes the most simple things are to be treasured.
Genre: Singer-Songwriter/Art-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Follow My Voice, Melting Grid, Morning Dove
For Fans of: Waxahatchee, Father John Misty, Laura Marling
32. Colleen — A Flame my Love, a Frequency
Mortality is always brought into humanity’s viewfinder in the wake of tragedy. A Flame… is a recognition of this mortality as a response to the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Schott approaches mortality with a fleeting beauty, outlined and given shape by texture and light. Each note contains multiple meanings, just as in life each moment is multi-faceted — each time we look back on our life, we derive different meaning grounded in our current perspective. It’s Schrodinger’s album.
Genre: Minimalist Pop
Favorite Tracks: November, Another World
For Fans of: Tycho, William Basinski
31. IDLES — Brutalism
Brutalism has an incredibly apt title. It’s filled to the brim with destructive drums and guttural guitars and vicious vocals. Talbot’s lyrics are both personal and political without pulling any punches. He speaks plainly about feminism, modernism, and his own emotions while churning out hooks that will be stuck in your head for days. Brutalism drags you through the mud, only to have you come out celebratory, ready for another ride.
Genre: Post-Punk
Favorite Tracks: Mother, 1049 Gotho, Slow Savage
For Fans of: Ice Age, Priests
30. Ariel Pink — Dedicated to Bobby Johnson
Despite his indie icon status, perhaps it’s his deliberately lo-fi production or his goofy persona, Ariel Pink has always seemed like the underdog somehow. It’s this perspective which makes his music so enjoyable and innocent. Going back to his Haunted Graffiti ‘roots’ of pop, Pink delivers some of his most infectious songs yet. At its very least, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson is just a fun album.
Genre: Psychedelic Pop
Favorite Tracks: Feels Like Heaven, Another Weekend, Bubblegum Dreams
For Fans of: Animal Collective, Mac DeMarco
29. Tangible Rays — Seance
Released on January 1, Seance kicked off 2017 with a ridiculously catchy album. Swirling guitars and floating vocals punctuate this record, which sounds like a sweet-spot mix between Loveless and Souvlaki. Seance is at it’s best in the cold — a wonderful rainy day record — as its textures will drive the chill from your bones with their warmth.
Genre: Shoegaze/Dream-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Dizzyspells, Wilt
For Fans of: Candy Claws, My Bloody Valentine, Pinkshinyultrablast
28. Forest Swords — Compassion
In order to understand Compassion, one need look no farther than the artwork. A man being crushed under the weight of a boulder, and yet he doesn’t look uncomfortable. Compassion is felt for the man, but that compassion only exists as a result of his being crushed. It’s this tension that runs throughout the album, that sparks it and transforms it from electronic blips into emotion and feeling — into Compassion.
Genre: Electronic/Ambient
Favorite Tracks: The Highest Flood, Vandalism, Knife Edge
For Fans of: Blanck Mass, Ben Frost
27. Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.
After dropping two instant classics, Kendrick took a step backwards with DAMN. and made just a rap record. And that’s okay. He’s really good at rapping. This fact is evident from the reaction that every fan had when they turned the record on and heard DNA for the first time — we all lost our minds. DAMN. covers racism, the duality between fame and privacy, love, guilt, and everything in between. It’s not quite the classic that GKMC or TPAB were, but it is DAMN good.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: DNA, Feel, Element, Fear
For Fans of: A$AP Rocky, Jay Z, Run The Jewels
26. Bell Witch — Mirror Reaper
In the wake of their drummer and founding member, Adrian Guerra, passing away, Bell Witch created an ominous, monster album that serves as both a tribute and a eulogy to him. Mirror Reaper is one long song, 83 minutes to be exact, that pulverizes its listener, not with loudness, but just intensity. Every snare hit sounds like a tree falling, and every guitar strum like its own dirge. It’s difficult to get through, but it is worth it. Mirror Reaper is an experience, one likely not ever to be duplicated.
Genre: Doom Metal
Favorite Tracks: ???
For Fans of: Thou, YOB
25. The National — Sleep Well Beast
Indie darlings The National’s seventh album finds the band injecting their standard formula with a bit of chaos. The tracks here aren’t as white collar as usual, and that’s a good thing. This record is indeed beast-like with shuddering claws ripping across electronic drumlines and swirling guitar riffs. Maybe its a sign that The National aren’t quite ready to slog off to sleep just yet — they’re still ready to party.
Genre: Indie-Rock
Favorite Tracks: Nobody Else Will Be There, I’ll Still Destroy You
For Fans of: Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Interpol
24. Algiers — The Underside of Power
The Underside of Power is a socially charged punk album that draws its power from within. The band fuses the traditional punk (oxymoron, much?) sound with southern gospel — an homage to heritage and the power that comes from tradition — to tell their side of the story. Algiers presents a scattered psyche, as each song seems somehow incomplete yet whole. They are glimpses into the soul of something much larger, a voice that can’t be drowned out. They show the frustration of being on the underside of power, yet the music itself could be described the same way — we’re shown just the smallest bit of the power bubbling within its creators.
Genre: Post-Punk
Favorite Tracks: The Underside of Power, A Hymn for an Average Man
For Fans of: Savages, Sleaford Mods
23. Alvvays — Antisocialites
Again Alvvays delivers a solid indie-pop album, this time with even better songwriting. The tracks are much tighter here than on their self-titled debut, ranging from Earth Angel style pop to shoegaze and back again. The star here is Molly Rankin’s voice which is hauntingly beautiful, and will be stuck in your ears for days. Antisocialites, despite its title, is a comfy album, born for sharing with a close group of friends around a few drinks.
Genre: Indie-Pop
Favorite Tracks: In Undertow, Plimsoll Punks, Already Gone
For Fans of: Beach House, Angel Olsen
21. Jay Som — Everybody Works
Everybody Works is an ironic title; Melina Duterte wrote all of the material and recorded all of the instruments herself. It’s the classic indie album that’s been made a thousand times — extremely talented musician creating the whole thing in a bedroom. Times have changed since the 90s when people like Mason Jennings were recording in their closet with lo-fi gear, as Everybody Works sounds as clean as any studio record. Despite this, the record maintains intimacy, mostly due to Duterte’s clever lyricism and airy vocals.
Genre: Shoegaze/Dream-Pop
Favorite Tracks: The Bus Song, Baybee, Everybody Works
For Fans of: Slowdive, Wild Nothing
21. Brockhampton — Saturation II
Brockhampton is to Hip-Hop what Odd Future was in 2010, but with more polish. The collective jumped out in 2017 with SATURATION, which was instantly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. They followed up with two more albums, with the second being the best in terms of beats, lyrics, and maturity. While their first record exploded with energy and swagger, the second exudes confidence without being obnoxious. It’s a party record first and foremost, but it’s an interesting party record — much in the same way Das Racist used to function. Seven years down the road, and we may see that Brockhampton had the same effect on Hip-Hop that Tyler and Co. did.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Gummy, Jello, Junky
For Fans of: Odd Future, Vince Staples
20. Hundred Waters — Communicating
Throughout their existence, Hundred Waters has been described as Folktronica, but on Communicating, they’re firmly on the electronic side. However, their songwriting has never been better. Miglis deftly weaves her melodies in the spaces between the electronic and natural, and she steals the show. Her warmth is the key behind the band’s ability to still stay so warm and yet stray further into the digital world.
Genre: Art-Pop/Electronic
Favorite Tracks: Particle, Parade
For Fans of: Caribou, Julia Holter
19. Miguel Zenón — Tipico
Tipico is the sound of a band that has had 15 years to gel and learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses inexorably. It’s like playing basketball with the same group of friends over and over again until you know exactly what the other person is going to do. Except with Zenon’s band, they exploit this. Each piece is perfectly synchronized between the four members, with Zenon’s saxophone leading them all, winding and weaving through each track, lending his unique voice and stamping the music with cultural flavor.
Genre: Jazz
Favorite Tracks: Cantor, Sangre De Mi Sangre
For Fans of: David Virelles, Ravi Coltrane
18. billy woods — Known Unknowns
Known Unknowns is probably the most realized Billy Woods has ever been as an artist. It’s the perfect marriage between his usual off-kilter beats and his dense, plodding lyricism. Woods has never been an artist who’s easy to analyze. He’s not quite Aesop Rock level when it comes to vocabulary, but he can be just as mysterious. It’s like watching a Lynch film — it can be incredibly intense and seemingly unintelligible, but there’s always a deep feeling lurking underneath. Woods can be better understood than Lynch, as he spouts about racism at comedy clubs, personal relationships, etc., but it always seems as if something is missing. All of that is represented well on his 2017 album, backed by some of the best production he’s ever had.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Unstuck, Superpredator, Police Came to My Show
For Fans of: Busdriver, Mr. Exquire, Aesop Rock
17. Kelly Lee Owens — S/T
Never has ambient music been so catchy. The songs on Kelly Lee Owens’ self-titled debut are incredibly simple, yet they’re beautifully layered with unique melodies that will stick in your head. This is one of the greatest accomplishments of songwriting: to write something so simple that stays with its listener for so long. It’s impressive that Owens has such a great command of her craft to combine with a unique vision and voice this early in her career.
Genre: Ambient/Electropop
Favorite Tracks: Arthur, Lucid, 8
For Fans of: Jenny Hval, Kelala, Brian Eno
16. Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner +James McAlister — Planetarium
imply put: Planetarium is Age of Adz on steroids about space. It’s a maximalist’s dream, as the instrumentation is lush and full, sometimes sickly so, and the ideas presented are fully explored. In fact, if there was one flaw in the album, it’s that the tracks are so dense that it can be difficult to slog through multiple listens. However, it has some incredible moments as reward for the work of listening — Jupiter is the loneliest planet.
Genre: Indietronica/Art-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Jupiter, Black Energy, Saturn
For Fans of: Age of Adz, Perfume Genius
15. Slowdive — S/T
For their first album in 22 years, shoegaze giants Slowdive have not lost a step. Their self-titled album sounds like the appropriate step after Pygmalion — their songs still sound like good dreams given shape. There is more aggression here too, and in hindsight it makes Souvlaki feel tame (though it is still clearly their best record). Guitars drive more, the drumming seems more bombastic, but they never lose the otherworldly feel. It’s a wonderfully mastered record that does much to highlight its masterful songwriting.
Genre: Shoegaze/Dream-Pop
Favorite Tracks: Star-Roving, Sugar for the Pill, Falling Ashes
For Fans of: Cocteau Twins, Ride, Lush
14. Japanese Breakfast — Soft Sounds from Another Planet
Shoegaze is often otherworldy sounding, but not often does it actual focus on other worlds, or at least their perspective on Earth. In her sophomore album, Zauner examines life on Earth, relationships, mortality, and daily life through a sci-fi lens. For example, in ‘Machinist,’ she talks about falling in love with a robotic entity, comparing this with dating in the 21st century. It’s an album that is haunting, unsettling, and aesthetic at the same time.
Genre: Shoegaze/Indie-Rock
Favorite Tracks: Diving Woman, Machinist, This House
For Fans of: Slowdive, Mitski
13. Big K.R.I.T. — 4eva is a Mighty Long Time
We’ve been waiting a mighty long time for KRIT to drop an LP as good as his mixtapes, but it’s finally arrived. KRIT became a huge name in hip-hop (he was one of the elite few mentioned on Kendrick’s infamous Control verse) through his tapes, but his first two albums were inconsequential and uninspired in comparison. A lot of the blame lay in his inability to clear samples, but it just seemed he was too worried about making the hit single rather than channeling his southern charm that brought him fame in the first place. On 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, KRIT finally uses his own voice to speak, and it works masterfully. There are huge southern beats on here, as well as bars for other rappers to envy. It’s good to see one of the most talented people in modern hip-hop finally get his due with a record that is bound to be a southern classic.
Genre: Southern Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Big K.R.I.T., Get Up 2 Come Down, Keep the Devil Off, The Light
For Fans of: UGK, Ludacris, Young Jeezy
12. Elder — Reflections of a Floating World
Very few metal bands can pull off what basically amounts to a post-rock record. Throughout Reflections of a Floating World, Elder creates soundscapes that sound both space-age and Tolkein-esque. The tracks are long and bend and twist into one another, often switching gears whenever necessary to keep things from getting stale. The guitar tones are both edgy and comfortable at the same time, guiding you as if a magical spaceship made just for your ears. The journey is sometimes frenetic and violent, but it’s always fun.
Genre: Stoner Metal/Post-Rock
Favorite Tracks: The Falling Veil, Thousand Hands
For Fans of: The Sword, Pallbearer, Electric Wizard
11. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma — On the Echoing Green
Before M83 turned into straight synthpop, they made electronic shoegaze records that were genre-defining and exciting. With his 2017 album, Cantu-Ledesma picks up their abandoned thread and makes one of the genre’s best records. A Song of Summer is up there for song of the year; it might be the best song Cantu-Ledesma has ever written, and the vibe it creates lives on through the rest of the record. The record immediately places you into the late 80s with its synthetic pulsations and waves of sound, and it sounds legitimate — an exercise in nostalgic beauty.
Genre: Electrogaze
Favorite Tracks: A Song of Summer, Autumn
For Fans of: Early M83, Darkside
10. Wild Pink — S/T
A few years ago, Ian Cohen bemoaned the lack of respect for the good ol’ indie-rock record — a jettison swing of culture from indie to corporate pop, yet here in 2017 Wild Pink has delivered that record. A small trio from New York, Wild Pink bring the energy of small bar performances to life in their self-titled debut. Their songs sound like recollections of both happiness and defeat (sometimes personal) pontificated over a craft beer or two. They’ve also mastered the art of the bridge. Just when one idea seems stale, they change gears and push the song into a different direction. The result is a fresh meditation on a seemingly stale genre.
Genre: Indie-Rock/Emo
Favorite Tracks: Great Apes, Playing Through a Dip Related Injury, The Battle of Bedford Falls
For Fans of: Turnover, The Rocketboys, Big Thief
9. Tyler, the Creator — Flower Boy
Tyler, the Creator has been known for his over-the-top, abrasive, and extreme personality, and not for his candid intimacy. However, after embracing the latter, he’s created his best album. When Tyler created (ha, get it?) the Odd Future music collective at just 15, it was understood that their music wasn’t meant for a mature audience. It seemed like it would stay that way forever, as Tyler continued to be the silly one, even when his colleagues (see Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt) began delving deeper lyrically. On Flower Boy, Tyler follows their trend, rapping about himself in a way his audience has never experienced. He’s not as good lyrically as someone like Earl, but he still oozes with talent, and the production is top notch. Flower Boy is a phenomenal album that, if nothing else, still solidifies Tyler as one of the top talents of the genre — Odd Future, though defunct, is still not going anywhere.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Who Dat Boy, Pot Hole, Garden Shed, I Ain’t Got Time!
For Fans of: Vince Staples, Kanye West, Mac Miller
8. King Krule — The Ooz
Again King Krule has created a genre defying album that is so simple yet inexplicably complex in delivery. On 6 Feet Under the Moon, Marshall was armed only with a earth shattering howl and his guitar. This time around, he’s beefed up his arsenal, and consequently the music is more chaotic. His compositions shift between blues, to rockabilly, to jazz, to punk and back again on a dime. It just depends on which genre he needs to channel his mood. The result is an incredibly catchy hodgepodge of material that gets better with each listen.
Genre: Art-Rock
Favorite Tracks: Dum Surfer, Cadet Limbo, Half Man Half Shark, The Ooz
For Fans of: Destroyer, Tom Waits, St. Vincent
7. Iglooghost — Neō Wax Bloom
Irish musician Seamus Malliagh’s music is controlled, maximalist chaos. Each millisecond is packed with a drum going off, or an electronic blip, or a flurry of synth arpeggios that can be incredibly overwhelming, but at the same time Malliagh is able to somehow create space in all of this. There are moments to breathe, but the music never stops. Which makes Neo Wax Bloom a great record for multiple listens — you can discover something new every time. The album is a surreal journey through a never-ending galaxy of supernovas.
Genre: UK Bass/Electronic
Favorite Tracks: Super Ink Burst, Bug Thief, Purity Shards
For Fans of: Flying Lotus, Arca
6. Richard Dawson — Peasant
There was a joke going around on the internet a few years ago in which someone asked for a band that sounds like “Weezer but it’s really from the 1440s or something.” Peasant is that album. On his latest effort, Richard Dawson presents something like Canterbury Tales: The Album, as each track is narrated by a person defined by his or her profession. These stories are presented as meditations on life through moments and emotions, sewn together by striking imagery. Peasant is a beautiful album, but at the same time repulsive in the human sense. Life isn’t perfect, but it can be beautiful.
Genre: Experimental Folk
Favorite Tracks: Ogre, Prostitute, Beggar
For Fans of: Sun Kil Moon, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
5. Gang of Youths — Go Farther in Lightness
After just listening to the first track, Fear and Trembling, it’s apparent that Go Farther in Lightness is going to be epic. The songwriting moves from Billy Joel to Bruce Springsteen only to transcend both in moments of modernity, much in the same way that bands like The Gaslight Anthem had shown before becoming uninspired. It’s a testament to the power of a rock album, and while it is long (77 minutes), everyone should find themselves pumping their fist several times to these songs.
Genre: Indie-Rock/Heartland
Favorite Tracks: Fear and Trembling, What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?, The Heart is a Muscle, Say Yes to Life
For Fans of: The National, The Hold Steady
4. Open Mike Eagle — Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
On Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, Open Mike Eagle celebrates 90s hip-hop while at the same time dismantling the romanticism which permeates much of that era’s music. This idea isn’t necessarily new; Eagle has often been classified as an ‘anti-rapper,’ but this time around it all seems much more personal. His lyricism here is borne of past memories and, at times, nostalgia, speaking of concrete and brick homes he spent his childhood in. It’s also about the person shaped, almost physically, by these homes. The lush production which surrounds Eagle’s musings serves as the perfection piece for the album, capping the elaborate house he’s constructed with a red bow roof.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Legendary Iron Hood, Brick Body Complex, My Auntie’s Building
For Fans of: Kendrick Lamar, Wiki, Isaiah Rashad
3. Converge — The Dusk in Us
Converge is a legend in the genre, releasing their first LP in 1994. 20 years later and they’re still going strong with Bannon screaming his guts out at 40, celebrating, or cursing, the dusk within him. This is an incredibly introspective record, with all of the songs referring to the indemnible ‘I.’ It fits them well, as each breakdown and jarring chord feels like it’s an extension of our own humanity, the dark water beneath the surface, however now instead of embracing this discord, Converge is using it to deliberate on how to overcome.
Genre: Metalcore
Favorite Tracks: Eye of the Quarrel, Arkhipov Calm, The Dusk in Us, Trigger
For Fans of: Norma Jean, Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die
2. Milo — Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?!
On his latest album, Milo has perfected his style. He’s often been criticized from seeming too pretentious and being verbose for verbosity’s sake. It’s not so here. Though he does still make an insane amount of references (Salazar Slytherin, Nabokov, Jay Z, Zadie Smith etc.), they’re always aimed at a purpose, whether that be lambasting too big to fail pop-stars or simply pontificating about poetry. Milo’s laid-back flow is juxtaposed here by jazzy schizoid beeps replete with electronic glitches and voice warping. It seems like a strange mixture, but the rapper gets everything to mix together in a giant smorgasbord of sound.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Landscaping, Call + Form, Rapper
For Fans of: Open Mike Eagle, Elucid, Billy Woods
- Fleet Foxes — Crack-Up
After taking 6 years off, Fleet Foxes return with an album that at first was disappointing. Crack-Up only has glimpses of the jovial melodies that were ubiquitous on Helplessness Blues, and in its place are melancholy songs packed with layer after layer to unravel. After several listens though, things start to come into focus and the album’s brilliance unfolds. Pecknold’s songwriting has never been better at capturing both mood and imagination, and the production on the record magnificently lends itself to the album’s enigmatic nature. Sounds of Pecknold singing while in a stairwell are spliced with the mastered tracks, and samples of choirs and jazz musicians make their way into the mix as well. There are some of Fleet Foxes best moments on this record as well (see On Another Ocean), but nothing is up-front anymore, and yet it’s all right in your face, hidden under all those beautiful layers, waiting to be discovered.
Genre: Indie-Folk
Favorite Tracks: I Am All That I Need/Arroyo Seco/Thumbprint Scar, Kept Woman, On Another Ocean
For Fans of: Father John Misty, Bon Iver
