Albums of 2017

Nassim
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nassim »

bootsy wrote: Was going to respond to that didn't want to continue going back and forth but you said it best Nassim. Misogyny and braggadocio have been in hip hop since pretty much the beginning. It's just a lot more vulgar and frequent pretty much each decade.
Well, maybe my phrasing was misleading but I think misoginy is a real issue, the fact that it used to be common is not an excuse to continue it (you know like racism or putting pineapples on pizzas).
It's the bragging that I'm fine with, as long as it's fun, incontestable or witty.
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bootsy
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by bootsy »

Nassim wrote:
bootsy wrote: Was going to respond to that didn't want to continue going back and forth but you said it best Nassim. Misogyny and braggadocio have been in hip hop since pretty much the beginning. It's just a lot more vulgar and frequent pretty much each decade.
Well, maybe my phrasing was misleading but I think misoginy is a real issue, the fact that it used to be common is not an excuse to continue it (you know like racism or putting pineapples on pizzas).
It's the bragging that I'm fine with, as long as it's fun, incontestable or witty.
Oh I know it's a real issue but it's been in hip hop for as long as I've been around. It's just become a lot more frequent now. Back then it was a few rappers or groups that did it but now it is much more common unfortunately.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

To be fair, misogyny is hardly unique to hip hop. Bands like Guns N Roses and AC/DC do it too.

Ego and boasting I guess isn't an inherent negative, I guess. There's a fine line between fun self-aware ego and outright narcissism. Jay Z falls on one side of the line and Kanye West the other.

Also, none of the negatives I listed are outright dealbreakers. The more positives there are the more I tolerate the negatives. The only exception to that might be when songs normalize murder, whether it be glorifying cop-killing or just talking about a gun battle like it's the normal expected course of the day. Bands like NWA most challenge this to me where they have so many positives but they're also casually boasting about murder.
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StevieFan13
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by StevieFan13 »

Contrast your last point to Ice Cube's It Was a Good Day.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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BleuPanda
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by BleuPanda »

The Horror's V is a brilliant album. I hope people check it out.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Luciferian Towers is yet another really good Godspeed album.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

My current top 10:

1. Vagagon - Infinite Worlds
2. The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir
3. Kendrick Lamar - Damn
4. Mout Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
5. Blanck Mass - World Eater
6. Algiers - The Underside Of Power
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist
8. Colin Stetson - All This I Do For Glory
9. Perfume Genius - No Shape
10. Waxahatchee - Out In The Storm

The National and LCD Soundsystem have not had a chance to percolate up the list yet, but certainly will.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Pauler »

BleuPanda wrote:The Horror's V is a brilliant album. I hope people check it out.
Amen to this. The closer "Something To Remember Me By" is such a stunner.
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veganvalentine
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by veganvalentine »

Other than A Deeper Understanding, I haven't heard any albums this year that have really wowed me, but I think some of you might enjoy Ulver's (a Norwegian band) The Assassination of Julius Caesar. It's a synthpop album, but with an intriguing dark mood that permeates the entire album.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Maschine_Man »

I don't even know what's going on with this list, but it's my current "great albums" of 2017. It will change before the end of year when I re-listen to them all.

Lorde - Melodrama
Foxygen - Hang
EMA - The Outer Ring
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
Kesha - Rainbow
Sylvan Esso - What Now
Jungle Giants, The - Quiet Ferocity
Methyl Ethel - Everything Is Forgotten
Harry Styles - Harry Styles
Lana Del Ray - Lust For Life
Alvvays - Antisocialites
Beth Ditto - Fake Sugar
Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
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notbrianeno
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by notbrianeno »

When i finish with the rollout I'll post my updated list here, but for now, I'll just say that the "drought" of 2017 ended sometime around the beginning of August
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

1. Brand New – Science Fiction
2. The National – Sleep Well Beast
3. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
4. Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds From Another Planet
5. Laura Marling - Semper Femina
6. Sampha - Process
7. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
8. Arcade Fire – Everything Now
9. Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
10. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
11. Alvvays - Antisocialites
12. The Mountain Goats - Goths
13. Jay Som - Everybody Works
14. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
15. Grandaddy – Lost Place
16. The xx - I See You
17. Lorde – Melodrama
18. Slowdive – Slowdive
19. Susanne Sundfør - Music For People In Trouble
20. Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent
21. Big Thief - Capacity
22. Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens
23. Fleet Foxes - Crack - Up
24. Rose Elinor Dougall – Stellular
25. Thundercat – Drunk
26. Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
27. Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm
28. Allison Crutchfield - Tourist in This Town
29. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
30. Ryan Adams – Prisoner
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by prosecutorgodot »

Iglooghost's Neo Wax Bloom is a cool electronic project to check out. Iglooghost is influenced by the high-pitched sound of PC Music, but even more hyper.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nassim »

So Fever Ray is teasing... some strange thing, let's assume an album ! First hint is that she is going to care more about pleasing listeners than the Knife did with Shaking the Habitual (not that Fever Ray is the most radio friendly album, but I guess you see my point).

So on the other hand of the spectrum, if you want straightforward (but witty) rock, Alex Lahey's I Love You Like a Brother is a pretty fun album
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Beck's new album is seriously impressing me.

Edit: Though, it's a very inconsistent album. A few extremely good albums, a couple bad ones. Found "Wow" almost unlistenable.
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acroamor
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by acroamor »

Finally took the time to make a list:

1. DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
2. MASSEDUCTION - St. Vincent
3. Soft Sounds from Another Planet - Japanese Breakfast
4. Semper Femina - Laura Marling
5. American Dream - LCD Soundsystem
6. Music for People in Trouble - Susanne Sundfor
7. Capacity - Big Thief
8. Culture - Migos
9. Near to the Wild Heart of Life - Japandroids
10. Out in the Storm - Waxahatchee
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notbrianeno
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by notbrianeno »

Listened to a ton of new music this year, but for brevity's sake i'll update with top 10.

1. St. Vincent | MASSEDUCTION
2. BROCKHAMPTON | SATURATION
3. The National | Sleep Well Beast
4. Fleet Foxes | Crack-Up
5. Perfume Genius | No Shape
6. Brand New Science Fiction
7. Arca | Arca
8. Grizzly Bear | Painted Ruins
9. Dirty Projectors | Dirty Projectors
10. Lorde | Melodrama
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Seeing as there are only two albums left to be released this year that I have any real interest in (the new Bjork and the new Eminem), this list is pretty much what my list is going to look like at the end of the year.

Excellent:

1. Mount Eerie- A Crow Looked at Me
2. The War on Drugs- A Deeper Understanding
3. Father John Misty- Pure Comedy

Great:

4. Lorde- Melodrama
5. Kendrick Lamar- Damn
6. Fleet Foxes- Crack-Up
7. LCD Soundsystem- American Dream
8. Brand New- Science Fiction
9. Vince Staples- Big Fish Theory
10. Kamasi Washington- Harmony of Difference (EP)
11. Jay-Z- 4:44
12. St. Vincent- MASSEDUCTION
13. Sampha- Process
14. Thundercat- Drunk
15. The xx- I See You

Good:

16. Moses Sumney- Aromanticism
17. Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett- Lotta Sea Lice
18. Brockhampton- Saturation II
19. Julien Baker- Turn Out the Lights
20. The National- Sleep Well Beast
21. Jlin- Black Origami
22. Spoon- Hot Thoughts
23. Neil Cicierega- Mouth Moods
24. King Krule- The OOZ
25. David Bowie- No Plan (EP)
26. Arcade Fire- Everything Now
27. Slowdive- Slowdive
28. PWR BTTM- Pageant
29. Tyler the Creator- Flower Boy
30. Perfume Genius- No Shape
31. Destroyer- Ken
32. Grizzly Bear- Painted Ruins
33. Queens of the Stone Age- Villains
34. Future Islands- The Far Field
35. Haim- Something to Tell You
36. Four Tet- New Energy
37. Arca- Arca
38. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Sketches of Brunswick East
39. Sun Kil Moon- Common As Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood
40. Priests- Nothing Feels Natural
41. Phoenix- Ti Amo
42. Godspeed You! Black Emperor- Luciferian Towers
43. Gas- Narkopop
44. Dirty Projectors- Dirty Projectors
45. Foxygen- Hang
46. Jens Lekman- Life Will See You Now
47. Julia Holter- In the Same Room
48. Cloud Nothings- Life Without Sound

Decent:

49. Coldplay- Kaleidoscope (EP)
50. The Shins- Heartworms
51. Nine Inch Nails- Add Violence (EP)
52. Anohni- Paradise (EP)
53. Gorillaz- Humanz
54. Visible Cloaks- Reassemblage
55. Real Estate- In Mind
56. Japandroids- Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Poor:

57. Beck- Colors
58. Foster the People- Sacred Hearts Club
59. At the Drive-In- in•ter a•li•a
60. The Flaming Lips- Oczy Mlody

Bad:

61. Shamir- Hope
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nassim »

Solid top 25, great top 10 :

Excellent (the order of those 4 might vary)

1) LCD Soundsystem - american dream
2) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3
3) Blanck Mass - World Eater
4) Orelsan - La Fête est Finie

Very good (order of the first 4 might vary too)

5) Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
6) Sorority Noise - You're Not As _____ As You Think
7) Fever Ray - Plunge
8) Lorde - Melodrama
9) Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
10) Vagabon - Infinite Worlds
11) Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
12) Alex Lahey - I Love You Like a Brother

Good :

13) Julian Baker - Turn Out the Lights
14) St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
15) Sampha - Process
16) Jlin - Black Origami
17) Dizzee Rascal - Raskitt
18) Queens of the Stone Age - Villains
19) The National - Sleep Well Beast
20) Afghan Whigs - In Spades
21) Rose Elinor Dougall - Stellular
22) Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice
23) Four Tet - New Energy
24) Arcade Fire – Half of Everything Now
25) Migos – Culture

I doubt the Orelsan album could appeal much to non French speakers, but for those who get this beautiful language, it’s worth a spin even if you didn’t like his previous albums that much.
For those who don’t know him, he probably deserves a proper introduction as of why he is that successful and can’t compare to many other : for many he is either the French Mike Skinner or the French Eminem ; while his early outputs had some of the crass, acidic and, at times, sexist humor of Eminem (there are still hints of that for sure, but he outgrew that), the Mike Skinner comparison seems more relevant : there is a lot of electronic touch in his music, a lot of his music is about losers and more importantly he talks about the same kind of middle class boredom.
There isn’t a lot of media to relate too if you are a middle class young person from small sized French cities : hip-hop talks about lower classes, movies are made, in a big part, by well educated Parisian and while comedians do talk about subjects that might speak more to those people, they remain on the funny subjects. Orelsan is one of the few who speaks to those people, who often feel lost, going nowhere, but are often suggested they shouldn’t complain because well, they are not in the worst situation, notably by a president who has the same age as Orelsan and comes from the same kind of city (I come from the same city as Macron by the way, for what it’s worth). So while Orelsan burts out thanks to his brilliant punchlines, he endures, imo, because of how much people that usually can’t relate to much, can identify themselves to his music, and how he can put words on modern boredoms, lame night outs, pregnancy scares, infedility, regrets, not finding any sense in your work… And that’s true for his music, but also for his pretty good movie Comment C’est Loin.

Anyway, La Fête est Finie is probably his best album yet, both showing textbooks Orelsan and a lot of things you would never expect from him.
On the textbook side, the opener San is a reminder to “Raelsan” from the previous album, posing the main themes of the album. “Défaite de Famille” is a throwback to his funniest song, where he tears through his family, punchline after punchline, though the final “Mamie je t’aime” (Grandma I love you) is somehow even more touching after all that remorseless outburst. “Basique” reminds me of “Bloqué”, a fun song based on a silly concept… not as silly as “Bonne Meuf”, but while a song like “Bloqué” was fun but didn’t have a lot of meaning behind, “Bonne Meuf” is, surprisingly, a kind of mea culpa about how he used to talk about girls in his songs, realizing that now that he is famous people are treating him like he used to treat hot girls. Finally the impeccably produced Zone kinda sums up why he sticks out and another reason of his success : he shares the song with another French rapper, Nekfeu, and UK Dizzee Rascal. On a technical point of view, Nekfeu’s verse is way better : the rhymes are richer and longer, there are more musical gimmicks and he uses alliterations. Same for Dizzee, his flow goes way faster and the repetitive consonants hits hard. But still, you’re more likely to go singing Orelsan’s verse afterwards, as approximate as some rhymes might be, he is still the one who got his point through, the ones whose lines you’ll remember and the one you’re most likely to be able to sing.
I’ll make a stop here to also praise the production, pretty much all the songs have some great melodies and the sound is crystal clear. In particular, “Quand Est-ce que ça s’arrête”, produite par Guillaume Brière from the Shoes, is wonderful with its relentless piano, beautiful chords and crazy rhythms… it feels both fun, hectic and nostalgic. Plus some lines are awesome “T’aimais mieux quand j’étais moins connu, sauf que tu me connaissais pas non plus » (you liked it better when I was less famous, except you didn’t know me either).
Of to the less expected side : first the 3 parter “Dans ma ville on traîne” that starts like classic Orelsan, goes to a dance interlude before morphing into one of the most beautiful odes to a French city ever written. Orelsan takes you through a trip through Caen, not hiding its bad sides but clearly claiming his love for the city. It’s gorgeous. Also gorgeous, and seriously unexpected, a love song ! “Paradis”’ chorus could appear in any classic “chanson française” song and nobody would say anything. Orelsan asks why he would want to go to Heaven, when he can instead fall asleep next to her, and while the verses are not devoid of some of his humor, they are really touching : “I don’t understand why you worry when you weight weight, for me that’s great, that’s more of you”.
Stromae appears in a song, “La Pluie”, but his influence (and production skills) is way more obvious in “Tout Va Bien”, which is basically Orelsan outStromaeing Stromae. The lyrics are those of a father lying to his kid about how everything is fine, explain away wars, dometic abuse and homelessness as positive things. That’s the one song you probably should listen to if you normally don’t like Orelsan.
The real masterpiece in the album is its last song though, “Notes pour Trop Tard” has been called by les Inrocks “Demain c’est Loin for the Z generation” and there’s something of it, painting a vivid image of the 2010s middle class, instead of the 90s suburbs (keeping in mind “suburb” has a very different meaning in France than in the US… from a US perspective, Orelsan would be the suburban one). Orelsan gives pieces of advice to his teenage self, going from girls and school to parties, career and mourning. The instrumental is simple, maybe the most sober of the album, but the sisters from Ibeyi adds beauty and poignancy to it. A song that should take its place in French hip-hop pantheon.
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BleuPanda
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by BleuPanda »

I just updated my top album list, so here's my top albums for the year so far and their current rank in my all-time list.
1. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (#61 all-time)
2. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (#62)
3. The xx - I See You (#162)
4. Fever Ray - Plunge (#283)
5. Perfume Genius - No Shape (#311)
6. Lorde - Melodrama (#429)
7. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory (#446)
8. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (#451)
9. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding (#462)
10. The Horrors - V (#477)
11. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me (#508)
12. Arca - Arca (#509)
13. Jlin - Black Origami (#598)
14. The National - Sleep Well Beast (#604)
15. Algiers - The Underside of Power (#693)
16. Laurel Halo - Dust (#853)
17. Thundercat - Drunk (#901)
18. The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir (#942)
19. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins (#955)
20. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up (#956)
21. Brand New - Science Fiction (#968)
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Rob
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Rob »

Nick wrote:Seeing as there are only two albums left to be released this year that I have any real interest in (the new Bjork and the new Eminem), this list is pretty much what my list is going to look like at the end of the year.
You quit writing about all the albums you listen to? Too bad, as I enjoyed your pieces.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Rob wrote:
Nick wrote:Seeing as there are only two albums left to be released this year that I have any real interest in (the new Bjork and the new Eminem), this list is pretty much what my list is going to look like at the end of the year.
You quit writing about all the albums you listen to? Too bad, as I enjoyed your pieces.
I really didn't mean to quit, but after a year and a half of writing the reviews I started to feel like I was repeating myself too often and I was starting to fall behind on writing them. I'm glad that you liked reading them though! I think I'll probably start up again in 2018, as it was a great writing exercise and really helped me remember what an album was like come EOY time.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Interesting, you only listen to albums by artists you already know? How do you know some random unknown won't release the greatest album ever?

Half my favorite albums in the average year are usually from people I had no knowledge or expectations for, so I could never say nothing else will be on my year end list.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Jirin wrote:Interesting, you only listen to albums by artists you already know? How do you know some random unknown won't release the greatest album ever?

Half my favorite albums in the average year are usually from people I had no knowledge or expectations for, so I could never say nothing else will be on my year end list.
I probably didn't explain myself all too well. The albums that I listen to can fall into one of three categories...

1. Albums by artists that I know and like a good deal
2. Albums by artists I don't know or have little interest in that have massive critical acclaim
3. Albums by artists I don't know or have little interest in but were recommended to me by a friend

However, the overwhelming majority of albums that I listen to fall into the first category, hence why I expected my list to be more or less finalized.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Ahh, got it. I guess I just have the luxury of being able to cast a wider net because I have a job I can listen to Spotify all day. :)

What I do is I go over everyone's list and take anything in their top three or so, and go to various critic websites and take anything that gets the highest ratings they give to new albums. (So like 9 for Popmatters, because they only give 10s to rereleases). Each I'll listen to once, then the ones that stand out to me in some special way I'll add to my ranking program. Typcially in a year 80-100 get into my ranking program.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Romain »

Calvin HarrriiiisAutotuuuunnnnneee - 1
Foster The People - Sacred Hearts Club 4 Another band that has fallen well below this year. Automaticmuzac.
Andrew Bird - Echolocations River 7 Beautiful introspetive music, for the long cold winter nights.
Benjamin Biolay - Volver 8 As usual, very good production, good text, supermelodic… I love this guy.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist 9,5
Elbow - Little Fictions 9
M - Lamomali 8,5
Temples - Volcano 8,5
The Pigeon Detectives - Broken Glances 8,5
Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel - When The Morning Greets You 8,5

Benjamin Biolay - Volver 8
Alt-J - Relaxer 8
Birkin-Gainsbourg - Le Symphonique 8
Depeche Mode - Spirit 8
Chilly Gonzales & Jarvis Cocker - Room 29 8
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Women 7
Andrew Bird - Echolocations River 7
Max Richter - Three Worlds Music From Woolf Works 7
Jamiroquai - Automaton 6,5
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5
Arcade Fire - Everything Now 6,5
Aimee Mann - Mental Illness 6
Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
The XX - I See You 5
Bonobo - Migration 4,5
Foster The People - Sacred Hearts Club 4
Gorillaz - Humanz 3
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prosecutorgodot
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by prosecutorgodot »

Hiya, here's my top 15 so far. I'm still planning to hear a few more projects before the EOY poll. Besides my top 5, anything can happen.

1 | Paramore | After Laughter
2 | Feist | Pleasure
3 | Kendrick Lamar | DAMN.
4 | IDLES | Brutalism
5 | Neil Cicierega | Mouth Moods
6 | Lorde | Melodrama
7 | Algiers | The Underside of Power
8 | Brockhampton | SATURATION
9 | Jay-Z | 4:44
10 | The Mountain Goats | Goths
11 | Sun Kil Moon | Common as Light...
12 | Iglooghost | Neo Wax Bloom
13 | St. Vincent | MASSEDUCTION
14 | Ibibio Sound Machine | Uyai
15 | Fever Ray | Plunge
Future Critic
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Future Critic »

I expect lists to start coming from publications within a couple weeks, so I better get my top 10 together. A lot of regulars on my list:

10. A Crow Looked at Me, Mount Eerie
09. American Dream, LCD Soundsystem
08. Sleep Well Beast, The National
07. Rainbow, Kesha
06. I See You,, The xx
05. Damn., Kendrick Lamar
04. Pure Comedy, Father John Misty
03. A Deeper Understanding, The War on Drugs
02. Masseduction, St. Vincent
01. Melodrama, Lorde
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by dumbangel »

My favourites of the year so far :

1. Slowdive - Slowdive
2. Ariel Pink - Dedicated to Bobby Jameson
3. Timber Timbre - Sincerely, Future Pollution
4. Kelley Stoltz - Que Aura
5. Foxygen - Hang
6. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
7. The Clientele - Music for the Age of Miracles
8. The Horrors - V
9. Rose Elinor Dougall - Stellular
10.Michael Nau - Some Twist
11.Flotation Toy Warning - The Machine That Made Us
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by BleuPanda »

I rearranged my album list a bit; Drunk and Process both jumped a bit, and I bumped Life Will See You Now into my 8+ range. Villains, Crack-Up, and Narkopop all fell out. Here are all the albums I've given an 8/10 or higher this year:
1. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
2. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
3. The xx - I See You
4. Fever Ray - Plunge
5. Perfume Genius - No Shape
6. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
7. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
8. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
9. Lorde - Melodrama
10. Thundercat - Drunk
11. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
12. Arca - Arca
13. The Horrors - V
14. Jlin - Black Origami
15. The National - Sleep Well Beast
16. Laurel Halo - Dust
17. Sampha - Process
18. Brand New - Science Fiction
19. Slowdive - Slowdive
20. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
21. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator
22. Mogwai - Every Country's Sun
23. Algiers - The Underside of Power
24. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
25. Laura Marling - Semper Femina
26. The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir
27. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
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bonnielaurel
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by bonnielaurel »

My current top 15:

1. Laura Marling - Semper Femina
2. London Grammar - Truth Is a Beautiful Thing
3. Natalia Lafourcade - Musas
4. Hidden Orchestra - Dawn Chorus
5. Jo Harman - People We Become
6. Slowdive - Slowdive
7. Lorde - Melodrama
8. Paramore - After Laughter
9. Elbow - Little Fictions
10. Zola Jesus - Okovi
11. St. Vincent - Masseduction
12. Portico Quartet - Art in the Age of Automation
13. Bully - Losing
14. Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa
15. Gregory Porter - Nat King Cole & Me

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bonniela ... bums-2017/
TimmyWing
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by TimmyWing »

I know there are quite a few fans of Game Thoery on here, so for those who don't know already:

"Supercalifragile" is a project undertaken by Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and Scott Miller's widow Kristine to finish up and polish recordings that were left unfinished at the time of Scott's death. It features contributions from his former band members, as well as Mitch Easter, Peter Buck, Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, and tons of others who knew Scott. I've only had time to listen to it once all the way through but this is easily my AOTY. This is on par with Game Theory's best albums in their prime, and the emotional impact is just overwhelming.

https://gametheory1.bandcamp.com/releases
Sunwoo1213
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Sunwoo1213 »

Image

My Own Top 15, without Order
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

TimmyWing wrote:I know there are quite a few fans of Game Thoery on here, so for those who don't know already:

"Supercalifragile" is a project undertaken by Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and Scott Miller's widow Kristine to finish up and polish recordings that were left unfinished at the time of Scott's death. It features contributions from his former band members, as well as Mitch Easter, Peter Buck, Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, and tons of others who knew Scott. I've only had time to listen to it once all the way through but this is easily my AOTY. This is on par with Game Theory's best albums in their prime, and the emotional impact is just overwhelming.

https://gametheory1.bandcamp.com/releases
Any way to hear this now besides the digital release? Don't want to blind buy something if there isn't even a permanent copy and doesn't seem to be on streaming services either.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by luvulongTIM »

My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
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StevieFan13
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by StevieFan13 »

luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
I think I’d like it, but I haven’t heard it yet.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
DocBrown
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by DocBrown »

luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
Haven't posted a list this year, but...
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/docbrown ... s-of-2017/
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Supercalifragile is a good album. Now I need to decide how to get it, whether to be content with just streaming it on that linked website, pay for the inpermanent digital download, or see if I can find the physical CD on ebay.
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

DocBrown wrote:
luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
Haven't posted a list this year, but...
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/docbrown ... s-of-2017/
It was #9 when I last posted a list. After a few more listens it's a lot higher now...
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

JohnnyBGoode wrote:
DocBrown wrote:
luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
Haven't posted a list this year, but...
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/docbrown ... s-of-2017/
It was #9 when I last posted a list. After a few more listens it's a lot higher now...
Their last album was my no. 2 that year, but that was just before I joined. (Their EPs before that were great too.) This one may go one better.
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
From looking at the 2017 AMF All-Time Favourite Albums Spreadsheet it appears we're the only 2 to include the debut (you at 80, me at 95).
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spiritualized
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by spiritualized »

luvulongTIM wrote:My favorite album doesn’t seem popular at all in this forum but as far as the British critics go its kicking butt, in fact I think it’s number 1 with them.....SO FAR. Go Wolf Alice!!!!!
I didn't listen to the debut, but this one blew me away.
The single doesn't do justice to the whole album.
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

I typed Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa bouche into Goodle Translate and it responded With The Sun Coming Out Of His Mouth. Interesting name for a band, sounds more like a name for a really minimalist electronic album. Or the second half of a Sufjan Stevens song title.
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andyd1010
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by andyd1010 »

Alright, it's about time I contributed to this thread.

1 | The xx | I See You
2 | Lorde | Melodrama
3 | The National | Sleep Well Beast
4 | St. Vincent | Masseduction
5 | Arcade Fire | Everything Now
6 | Brand New | Science Fiction
7 | Spoon | Hot Thoughts
8 | Kesha | Rainbow
9 | LCD Soundsystem | American Dream
10 | Lana Del Rey | Lust for Life
11 | Foo Fighters | Concrete and Gold
12 | Grizzly Bear | Painted Ruins
13 | The Shins | Heartworms
14 | Kendrick Lamar | DAMN.
15 | Beck | Colors
16 | The War on Drugs | A Deeper Understanding

Going to check out Wolf Alice tonight. Top 3 are very close and I could see them shuffling. St. Vincent has grown on me a lot since the first listen.
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

A late discovery for me this year, Cid Rim's 'Material' is awesome. Hard to describe, really smoothly produced and high paced electro-pop.
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Romain »

Beck - Colors 6 It's the first time this guy make a boring album. I have found nothing here… bof !
Shaka Ponk - The Evol' 7 Pure energy as usual mixed with some melodic talents make this band always pleasant.
Sparks - Hippopotamus 7,5 Very pleasant and fun. Very catchy songs. Always the same kind of songs opera/cabaret.. But I like that.
Portugal. The Man - Woodstock 8,5 They are always good to make catching melodies. I think they are the best song makers of this decade. One of my favorites bands and this album, if it's not their best, is very enjoyable.
Lcd Soundsystem - American Dream 9 it's the first time I like an album by this guy… ad it's not a "like" but a big "love", not a single "faux pas" here. Eno/Bowie/Talking Head come immediatly to my mind. Maybe I have found the key. I wille dig the older albums now.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist 9,5
Lcd Soundsystem - American Dream 9
Elbow - Little Fictions 9
M - Lamomali 8,5
Temples - Volcano 8,5
Portugal. The Man - Woodstock 8,5
The Pigeon Detectives - Broken Glances 8,5
Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel - When The Morning Greets You 8,5

Benjamin Biolay - Volver 8
Alt-J - Relaxer 8
Birkin-Gainsbourg - Le Symphonique 8
Depeche Mode - Spirit 8
Chilly Gonzales & Jarvis Cocker - Room 29 8
Sparks - Hippopotamus 7,5
Andrew Bird - Echolocations River 7,5
Shaka Ponk - The Evol' 7
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Women 7

Max Richter - Three Worlds Music From Woolf Works 7
Jamiroquai - Automaton 6,5
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5
Arcade Fire - Everything Now 6,5
Aimee Mann - Mental Illness 6
Beck - Colors 6
Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
The XX - I See You 5
Bonobo - Migration 4,5
Foster The People - Sacred Hearts Club 4
Gorillaz - Humanz 3
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Dan
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Dan »

Below are the albums that will likely make my top 15 of 2017. I've added a link to a song that appears on each album. For the first time since I started compiling year-end lists (which is...hmmm... quite a few years ago now) I don't really know in which order they will end up (for now, they are in alphabetical order below). As you will see if you look at my list (and the genres represented) I couldn't really get into many of the critics' ultimate favourites this year.

Benjamin Clementine - I Tell a Fly ( Phantom Of Aleppoville ) Art Pop
Curtis Harding - Face Your Fear ( Need Your Love ) Retro Soul
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy ( Pure Comedy ) Chamber Pop
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound ( If We Were Vampires ) Americana
Joan Shelley - Joan Shelley ( Where I'll Find You ) Singer/songwriter
Laura Marling - Semper femina  ( Soothing ) Chamber Folk
Natalia Lafourcade - Musas ( Tú sí sabes quererme ) Nueva canción latinoamericana
Oumou Sangaré - Mogoya ( Kamelemba ) Wassoulou
Sacred Paws - Strike a Match ( Strike a Match ) Afropop / Indie Pop
St. Vincent - Masseduction ( Los Ageless ) Art Pop
Susanne Sundfør - Music for People in Trouble ( Undercover ) Art Pop
The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding ( Pain ) Heartland Rock
Trio da Kali & Kronos Quartet - Ladilikan ( Eh Ya Ye ) Chamber Mande Music
Valerie June - The Order of Time ( Shakedown ) Country Soul / Americana
Wiley - Godfather ( Bring Them All / Holy Grime ) Grime
...will keep us together.
Melomaniac
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Melomaniac »

My top 20 :

1. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
2. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
3. Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors
4. King Krule - The OOZ
5. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy
6. Björk - Utopia
7. The National - Sleep Well Beast
8. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
9. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
10. The xx - I See You
11. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
12. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
13. Phoenix - Ti Amo
14. Thundercat - Drunk
15. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
16. SZA - Ctrl
17. Sampha - Process
18. Lana Del Rey - Lust for Life
19. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
20. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up
Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Because I'm a dork I make my music listening into tournaments, and end of each year I have some sort of end of year listening tournament. Last year I did a double elimination format with 64 albums and will probably do the same this year. Right now the seedings would be (Before final listens to The Weather Station and Hidden Orchestra to possibly change things):

1 seeds:
Godspeed! You Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers
Vagagon - Infinite Worlds
Frankie Rose - Cage Tropical
The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir
Kendrick Lamar - Damn
Fever Ray - Plunge
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me

2 seeds:
Perfume Genius - No Shape
The National - Sleep Well Beast
Blanck Mass - World Eater
Waxahatchee - Out In The Storm
Jlin - Black Origami
Algiers - The Underside Of Power
St Vincent - Masseduction
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist

3 seeds:
Offa Rex - The Queen Of Hearts
Ryuichi Sakamoto - async
Juana Molina - Halo
Oumou Sangare - Mogoya
Big Thief - Capacity
Duke Garwood - Garden Of Ashes
Horrors - V
Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors

4 seeds:
Mac Demarco - This Old Dog
Planning For Burial - Below The House
Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love
Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche - Pas pire pop, I Love You So Much
Afghan Whigs - In Spaces
Jozef Van Wissern - New Lute Music For Film
Cid Rim - Material
Destroyer - Ken

5 seeds:
Beck - Colors
Game Theory - Supercalifragile
Actress - AZD
Sampha - Process
Colin Stetson - All This I Do For Glory
Myrkur - Mareridt
Kiran Leonard - Derevaun Seraun
Elbow - Little Fictions

6 seeds:
Future Islands - In The Far Field
Haim - Something To Tell You
Nev Cottee - Broken Flowers
The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions
LANY - LANY
Laura Marling - Semper Femina
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest
Margo Price - All American Made

7 seeds:
The War On Drugs - Deeper Understanding
Les Amazones d'Afrique - Republique Amazone
Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life
Ondatropica - Baile Bucanero
Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds Fro Another Planet
Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway
Alt J - Relaxer

8 seeds:
Ty Segall - Ty Segall
Cut Copy - Haiku From Zero
Lindstrom - It's Alright Between Us As It Is
Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
Slowdive - Slowdive
Jay Z - 4:44
Fleet Foxes - Crack Up
Arca - Arca
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Mulholland
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Mulholland »

^ Wow that's impressive. Wish I had the patience to do something like that.

Anywho - here's my Top 20. Been a good year!

1. St. Vincent - Masseduction
2. Lorde - Melodrama
3. Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir
4. Aimee Mann - Mental Illness
5. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator
6. The xx - I See You
7. Fever Ray - Plunge
8. Sufjan Stevens etc. - Planetarium
9. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest
10. Bjork - Utopia
11. Perfume Genius - No Shape
12. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
13. Zola Jesus - Okovi
14. Margo Price - All American Made
15. Beck - Colors
16. Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life
17. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
18. Nicole Atkins - Goodnight Rhonda Lee
19. Tift Merrit - Stitch of the World
20. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
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