Go Magpies.
Top Albums of 2017
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Adams - Prisoner; Chris Stapleton - From A Room, Vol. 2; Sampha - Process; The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding; Waxahatchee - Out In The Storm
Stephin Merritt released this collection of 50 songs, one for each year of his life as of their writing, as the ultimate concept album. This is certainly a project of ambition and quality.
Essentials:
'67: Come Back As A Cockroach
'83: Foxx and I
The Philadelphia rocker propels this release forward with unique guitar riffs and sarcastic lyrics, making Heavy Meta a record that gets better as you peel back the layers.
Essentials:
Young Lady, You're Scaring Me
All The Punks Are Domesticated
The three women at the center of this five piece (Kinsey Lee, Mackenzie Howe, and Sharon Silva) could harmonize the phonebook and most would listen. This folk revival is one to check out.
Essentials:
Only Songs
Capable
There's never a dull moment as Pond navigates a minefield of synths and keyboards to turn in one of the more exciting releases of the year.
Essentials:
Sweep Me Off My Feet
Colder Than Ice
The ever evolving Cabinet stepped slightly away from their trademark "Pennsylvania Bluegrass" on Cool River, marching closer to straight up jam than ever with mostly positive results.
Essentials:
Bottom of the Sea
Treat Me So Bad
Despite being a slightly disjointed effort, Humanz delivered a few of the highest highs of the year in the standard Gorillaz style. A party record for the end of the world, indeed.
Essentials:
Strobelite
Ascension
Some of the best songwriting you'll hear shines through on Canyons Of My Mind as Andrew Combs gives his mostly acoustic and orchestral take on the current state of affairs.
Essentials:
Dirty Rain
Better Way
The hard working Branan put together the most complete output of his career with Adios, a sometimes hard charging, sometimes sentimental collection.
Essentials:
Another Nightmare In America
I Only Know
Possibly the next to join the line of "next saviors of country music", Tyler Childers' sophomore album winds its way through all of the trademark outlaw country themes while still feeling fresh throughout.
Essentials:
Whitehouse Road
Feathered Indians
Nicole Atkins has the kind of musical chops that most women in the industry can only dream of. Goodnight Rhonda Lee blends genres seamlessly, all held together by the cohesiveness of Atkins' perspective on the world.
Essentials:
Darkness Falls So Quiet
I Love Living Here (Even When I Don't)
Steve Earle is well into the second (Or third. Or Fourth.) chapter of his career, but he continues to write a damn near bulletproof outlaw country record that even younger Steve would be proud of.
Essentials:
So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
News From Colorado
Despite a seven year gap between releases, American Dream feels right at home among the rest of the LCD catalog. James Murphy clearly emerged revitalized from his hiatus and the band seems better for it.
Essentials:
Call The Police
Tonite
In the roots rock world, very few are on the kind of upward trajectory that Hiss Golden Messenger can claim. From a club tour this spring supporting Drive By Truckers to an amphitheater run supporting Bon Iver and then the release of Hallelujah Anyhow, it's good to be on team Hiss.
Essentials:
Domino (Time Will Tell)
Jenny Of The Roses
The slight stylistic shift deployed by the Philadelphia quartet on Popular Manipulations, while jarring at first, feels perfectly natural on repeat listens. The Districts are a band maturing in all the right ways.
Essentials:
Salt
If Before I Wake
Unlike some of her contemporaries who failed to follow up breakthrough success, Margo Price's All American Made slots nicely into the upper echelon of recent county/americana along 2016's Midwest Farmer's Daughter.
Essentials:
All American Made
Weakness
Craig Finn's three solo releases have been as, *ahem*, steady, as can be over the past five years. While all quality, nothing he's recorded has ever been as ambitious or well executed as the centerpiece here, God In Chicago, which is unquestionably the best song from 2017.
Essentials:
God In Chicago
Preludes
It's been said that in the recording industry, if you take three years off between records, you better come back with your masterpiece. For the first time in the band's history, Hurray For The Riff Raff took more than 18 months between releases and made their best record to date. Near flawless execution.
Essentials:
Living In The City
The Navigator
The National are in the midst of what will go down as a classic run of albums within the "scene". There's absolutely nothing to nitpick with this band who just continues to churn out A-/B+ type work keeping them among the upper echelon of active rock bands.
Essentials:
Day I Die
Guilty Party
Essentially a blues guitar prodigy, Booker packs Witness full of memorable riffs that propel his songs forward. Making this release stand out, however, is his enhanced songwriting ability aside from just flashy guitar playing.
Essentials:
Right On You
Witness
The english singer's first release in seven years is a bit more electronic and produced than most on this list (years working with Mark Ronson will do that to someone), but the underlying depth of the songs easily holds over multiple listens. A great record.
Essentials:
Colour Of Water
Stellular
The surprise of the year goes to Susto, a five piece indie americana group from South Carolina. This record is extremely hard to pigeonhole into a genre, but everything Susto attempts to do here comes off as polished as those with much more tread on the tires.
Essentials:
Waves
Jah Werx
Vince Staples is the most culturally relevant rapper this side of Kendrick Lamar, but even after that qualifier, Big Fish Theory is light years better than Lamar's own 2017 release. And yes, Kendrick's guest verse on Yeah Right was his own best work of the year.
Essentials:
Yeah Right
Crabs In A Bucket
Unfortunately, this record became subject of an art vs artist debate in mid-November. The content of Science Fiction is as appropriate an end point for Brand New as any longtime fan can imagine. It's the perfect hybrid of the band's whole career and a seemingly great exclamation point.
Essentials:
137
Can't Get It Out
It's always extremely difficult to live up to the hype of an album, and it seems Isbell hysteria only increases with each release. His first release with the 400 Unit in six years drifts more toward rock and roll at times than previous efforts, but it is as socially relevant as any record this year.
Essentials:
Hope The High Road
Last Of My Kind
The best record of the year belongs to Dave Hause, former punk rocker turned americana-esque troubadour, and his third record. Bury Me In Philly covers a lot of territory, but true to the name, stays grounded in its east coast rocking roots. It's an under the radar, under appreciated release, but in my opinion, it's the best work of the year.
Essentials:
Bury Me In Philly
With You
Top Songs of 2017
I stand by what I said last year... ranking the top songs of the year is a damn near impossible task. Once again, I present a shuffle playlist of all my favorites sans ranking. BUT! As I said above, there is a clear cut #1 song of 2017: Craig Finn's "God In Chicago". If you have not heard it, check it and all the others out below.
Wrapping up this year's recap, I'm going to hit a few things I loved... yes, I am capable of that... and a few things I absolutely hated.
Things I Loved in 2017
10) American Vandal
9) Byron Buxton
8) Sending famous people wedding gifts to get autographs
7) SMILF
6) Bro vacations
5) Riding bikes and hitting baseballs like I'm 16 again
4) Roulette
3) Chris Taylor
2) Tom Petty songs
1) Drinking whiskey
Things I Hated in 2017
10) The Solar Eclipse
9) Distracted boyfriend meme
8) Porgs
7) "Unicorn" food
6) Whatever a Cardi B is
5) Using #SZN instead of just saying season
4) McDonalds' Rick & Morty Szechuan Sauce disaster
3) 280 character tweets
2) Tennessee's coaching search
1) Cryptokitties