Best Albums of 2017

Well it was a good year. Musically, at least. Plenty of exciting debuts and breakthrough acts, some great albums by already established artists, a few dissappointments along the way, and of course a lot of promise and excitement about records yet to be released in 2018. Here’s a quick roundup of albums I loved this year. Keep in mind it’s all pretty subjective and I also might have missed something along the way.

Honorable mentions:

25. QTY – QTY

24. Bastard Disco – Warsaw Wasted Youth

23. Algiers – The Unerside of Power

22. Jaden Smith – SYRE

21. At the Drive-In – in•ter a•li•a 

20. Ride – Weather Diaries

19. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

18. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

17. Spoon – Hot Thoughts

16. Lee Ranaldo – Electric Trim

15. N*E*R*D – No_One Ever Really Dies

14. Sparks – Hippopotamus

13. U2 – Songs of Experience

12. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Polygondwanaland

11. Beck – Colors

Aaaaand here’s the top 10:

10. Slowdive – Slowdive

The year marked two comeback albums from important shoegaze bands. While Ride’s record had somewhat lukewarm reception, this one was universally praised, and deservedly so. It shows that the band’s sound hasn’t aged at all, and is a great addition to thier stellar discography.

9. Wolf Alice – Visions of A Life

It certainly has its flaws, and I still think that the band really should develop their signature style by now, but Wolf Alice’s second full-lenght album is a beautifully crafted mixture of various styles and moods. Indie, shoegaze, punk – it doesn’t matter what genre they play, they sound great anyway.

8. Brand New – Science Fiction

Haunting, powerful and moving, this is more than an album -it’s an experience. Its lenght may make it a bit overwhelming at times, but it fully engages with the listener and creates a unique, depressive feel. It takes a certain mood to fully appreciate it, but it’s well worth it.

7. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon?

A brave move from Noel, it seems like he finally is ready to reject all the expectations of people who are still stuck in the Oasis era, and blossom as an ambitious musician that knows no boundaries. It’s still a cautious attempt, but most of it is very impressive nonetheless.

6. Queens of the Stone Age – Villains

This one received a lot of negative press, in my opinion unfairly. I fell in love with Mark Ronson’s production on this album, and the band’s sound getting “lighter” is not a bad thing at all. While not perfect, this record is full of extremely well-written and brilliantly performed tracks.

5. Alexandra Savior – Belladonna of Sadness

I said it before, I’ll say it a million times – this is the best debut of the year. Wonderfully moody, it combines brilliant production and instrumentals with even better songwriting, fully showcasing just how great of an artist Savior can be in the future. Instantly rewarding, it gets better with every listen.

4. Liam Gallagher – As You Were

Who would have guessed that the younger of the Gallagher brothers would be the one to release the better albums this year? As You Were is everything you would expect from our kid, not experimental in any way, but gorgeously triumphant and melodic all the way. I did not expect this to be good, but instead I got the most pleasant of surprises.

3. Big K.R.I.T. – 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time

A double album filled with all kinds of brilliant songs, from explosive bangers to introspective songs and some experimental sounds, this is an eclectic collection of everything great about modern hip hop. Risks were taken, but it has well and truly paid off – a complete record.

2. Brockhampton – Saturation III

These guys owned the year, period. Every single album they dropped was straight fire, but this one just blew my mind – passionate, energetic and eclectic, this is the definitive rap record of the year. However, I do believe that Brockhampton can do even better, so expect to see them here next year

1. The Horrors – V

No album has impressed me more this year – it sounds like a band at the peak of their creative power, full of new ideas and inspirations. The Horrors showed everybody how to bounce back after a mediocre album. V is just so amazing and colorful (even though the colours are mostly shades of black) that I just could’t put any other abum here.

And that’s pretty much it. If you want, share your hopes and predictions for 2018 in the comments. I have a feeling it will be a very satisfying year when it comes to music. Happy New Year everybody!

Eight Best Albums of 2017 So Far

In just six months, 2017 managed to produce more memorable albums than entire 2016, and it seems like the best is yet to come. Anyway, here’s eight of my favourite records from the first half of the year:

1. Alexandra Savior – Belladonna of Sadness

Great songwriting, unique voice and memorable arrangements make it hard to believe this is Alexandra’s debut album. Mysterious and dreamy, it bears many similarities to Arctic Monkeys’ Humbug – not suprising at all, given that Alex Turner has his fingerprints all over this record – he played most of the instrument, produced the whole thing and did a bit of songwriting too – but he stays somewhat in the shadows, allowing Savior’s personality to be the main focal point here. It’s not flawless, but no debuts are, and I’m seriously excited what we will hear from her in the future.

2. Slowdive – Slowdive

The first single, Star Roving, really did hype me up for the release of the band first record since over 20 years – and they lived up to the hype, too. Dominated by beautiful, ethereal songs, bordering the line between dream pop and ambient, Slowdive’s forth album is a wonderful, almost spiritual experience.

3. Spoon – Hot Thoughts

Spoon never really dissapoint – every three years or so they release another solid indie album, this time with a dance-y twist to it. Excellent production, great guitar tones and a couple of really surprising tracks account for an exciting listen and one of the most fun albums of the year.

4. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

Despite Gorillaz’ Humanz being a rather mediocre album, I have to give it credit for introducing me to this Californian rapper. His second studio album may be short, but it’s an intense one, bursting with agresiveness, creativity and passion. Crystal clear production  makes it even better, with experimental electronica giving Big Fish Theory an extra, avant-garde flavour

5. At the Drive-In – in•ter a•li•a

Surprise, surprise! Turns out a post-hardcore band can return after 17 years and still sound fresh, convincing and passionate. Of course, Omar and Cedric were constantly playing with each other on countless side projects, but still – in•ter a•li•a doesn’t sound outdated or misplaced in the slightest. Not quite the level of Relationship of Command, but a great return to form neverthless.

6. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

All aboard the hype train! Yeah, I got caught too, and I won’t hide it – if it wasn’t for the amount of media buzz before the release I probably wouln’t care about this album. I’m glad I did though, cause DAMN. is a perfect illustration of how a modern rap record should sound like. Effortlessly mixing all kinds of moods and emotions Kendrick created a multi-layered masterpiece that has room even for a U2 cameo, and makes it sound good.

7. Bastard Disco – Warsaw Wasted Youth

Oh, this is a good one. Blending together elements of Sonic Youth (the ever-present noise), Nirvana (energy and a natural sense of catchiness) and post-hardcore (screaming vocals), this quartet from Warsaw hasn’t really gotten as much attention as they deserve. Give it a listen, it’s one of the most promising debuts of the year.

8. Ride – Weather Diaries

It’s been a good year for shoegaze – two classic bands releasing long-awaited comeback albums (fingers still crossed for MBV). Ride’s fifth studio record didn’t really receive universal acclaim like Slowdive earlier this year. Weather Diaries certainly has its flaws, but Ride were always leaning towards more conventional alternative/pop-rock sound, and they execute that formula really good here. Most of all, it captures the essence of the band enjoying playing together, bringing some excellent songs along the way.