2017 was a ferocious and feracious year of new albums. Maybe so many creative torrents are issuing out to us as some panacea against how crazy and controlless everything seemed and felt. I don't know, but musicians than any other figures in our world keep us meaningful, irreal, and dancing.
Anyway, here's a list of my faves. Symbols note if they're:
> The artist's debut album
~ The artist's sophomore album
* An artist I discovered this year
Timeless
1. > Kelly Lee Owens - “S/T” (dream-tech)
1. ~ Big Thief - "Capacity"
2. LCD Sound System - “American Dream” (dissent-dance)
3. Austra - "Future Politics” (dark-house)
4. The National - "Sleep Well Beast” (rock)
5. ~Julie Byrne - "Not Even Happiness” (psy-folk)
6. Mount Eerie - “A Crow Looked at me” (elegy)
7. Spoon - “Hot Thoughts” (dance-rock)
8. *Secret Pyramid - “Two Shadows Collide” (spirit-drone)
9. Crescent - “Resin Pocket” (art-rock)
10. Tara Jane O'Neill - "S/T” (heart-folk)
11. ~Florist - “If Blue Could Be Happiness (pop-folk)
12. Arcade Fire - "Everything Now” (dance-rock)
13. > Shitkid - “Fish” (riot-pop)
14. Zola Jesus - “Okovi” (dark-tech)
15. ~Vagabon - “Infinite Worlds” (indie-paean)
16. Waxahatchee - “Out in the Storm” (folk-rock)
17. *My Sad Captains - “Sun Bridge” (hypno-indie)
18. *The Mountain Movers - “S/T” (kraut-rock)
19. Forrest Swords - "Compassion” (post-elec)
20. Tiny Vipers - "Laughter” (ambi-folk)
21. > Spinning Coin” - “Permo” (indie-jangle)
22. ~Deafcult - “Auras” (dream-noise)
23. > Matthew Lee Cothran - “Judas in America” (warp-pop)
24. > EERA - “Reflection of Youth” (rawk-altern)
25. > Strange Ranger - “Daymoon” (indie-rock)
26. *Lawrence English - “Cruel Optimism” (ambient)
27. ~Yves Tumor - “Experiencing the Deposit or Faith” (gospel-wave)
28. Slowdive - "S/T” (shoegazzzze)
29. *Imajinary Friends - “S/T”. (cosmo-rock)
30. > The Go-Go Darkness - “Dark Heart” (dark-beat)
31. > High Plains - “Cinderland” (classical-elec)
32. ~Faith Healer - “Try ; )” (pop-rock)
33. Charlotte Gainsbourg - “Rest” (dream-pop)
34. ~Saltland - “A Common Truth” (soundscape)
35. > Breakfast Muff - “Eurgh!” (riot-grrl)
Time of our Life
36. Ulrika Spacek -"Modern English Decoration”
37. *Earthen Sea - “An Act of Love”
38. Evan Caminiti - “Toxic City Music”
39. *Japanese Breakfast - “Soft Sounds ...”
40. Kendrick Lamar - “DAMN.”
41. Juana Molina - “Halo”
42. Oh Sees - “Orc”
42. The Telescopes - “Handful of Ashes”
43. >Julia Lucille - “Chthonic”
44. Filthy Huns - “Forever Beast”
45. Grizzly Bear - "Painted Ruins”
46. ~The Vacant Lots - “Endless Nights”
47. Frankie Rose - “Cage Tropical”
48. *Electric Moon - “The Doomsday Machine”
49. *Trupa Trupa - “Jolly New Songs”
50. Heaters - “Matterhorn”
51. ~Jay Som - “Everybody Works”
52. Björk - “Utopia”
53. > Headroom - “Head in the Clouds”
54. *Daughter - “Music Before the Storm”
55. > Las Cobras - “Temporal”
56. *Dungen - “Häxan”
57. ~The Routes - “Dirty Needles & Pins”
58. *Planning for Burial - “Below the House”
59. Zola Jesus - “Stridulum“ (elec-pop)
60. *Carlton Melton - “Hidden Lights”
61. Brian Jonestown Massacre - “Don’t Get Lost”
62. *White Manna - “Bleeding Eyes”
63. ~Fever Ray - “Plunge”
64. *Fieldhead - “We’ve All Been Swimming”
65. Alt-J - "Relaxer”
66. ~Cherry Glazerr - “Apokalipstic”
67. *93MillionMilesFromTheSun - “The Lonely Sea & time he Sky”
68. ~The Luxembourg Signal - “Blue Field”
69. Liars - "TFCF”
70. *Träd Gräs Och Stenar - “So Long”
71. Moon Duo - “Occult Architecture (vols. 1&2)”
72. > LA Witch - “S/T”
73. > Yowler - “The Offer”
74. Black Lips - “Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art?”
75. *Whatever, Dad - "Huli Ka”
Good Times
76. Spectre Folk - "Vol. 4”
77. Flaming Lips - "Oczy Mlody”
78. *Pausal - "Avifaunal”
79. Sleepy Sun - "Private Tales”
80. Mark McGuire - "Ideas of Beginnings”
81. Bardo Pond - “Curanderos”
82. Emily Yacina - "Heart Sky"
83. ~Visible Cloaks - “Reassemblage”
84. *Radar Men from the Moon - “Subversive III: De Spelende Mens”
85. Jesus & Mary Chain - "Damage & Joy”
86. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - "On the Echoing Green”
87. Widowspeak - “Expect the Best”
88. ~Emily Yacina - "Overflow"
89. Rainer Maria - “S/T”
90. *Panda Riot - “Infinity Maps”
91. > Las Cobras - “Temporal”
92. John Maus - "Screen Memories”
93. > Hater - “You Tried”
94. ~Laura Sauvage - “The Beautiful”
95. Stars - “There is no Love in Fluorescent Light”
96. *The KVB - “Fixation/White Walls”
97. > Horse Jumper of Love - “S/T”
98. Fog Lake - “Inference 3”
99. Lilys - "In the Presence of Nothing”
100. Noveller - "Pink Sunset for No One”
101. > Helicon - “S/T”
102. The Underground Youth - “What Kind of Dystopian Hellhole is This?”
103. *You’ll Never Get to Heaven - “Images”
104. ~10 000 Russos - “Distress Distress”
105. Joan of Arc - “He’s Got This Whole Land...”
106. *Mythic Sunship - “Land between Rivers”
107. > Lina Tullgren - “Won”
108. Secret Shine - “There Is Only Now”
109. Peaking Lights - "The Fifth State of Consciousness”
110. ~Pale Honey - “Devotion”
111. Granddaddy - "Last Place”
112. *Infinity Girl - “Somewhere Nice, Today”
113. *Dead Leaf Echo - “Beyond Desire”
114. ~Has a Shadow - “Sorrow Tomorrow”
115. ~Hovvdy - “Taster”
116. ~Wolf Alice - "Visions of a Life”
117. *Froth - “Outside (briefly)”
118. Fog Lake - "Dragonchaser”
119. Odd Nosdam - "LIF”
120. *Juju - “Our Mother was a Plant”
121. *Sonic Jesus - “Grace”
122. Al Lover - “Inference Patterns”
123. *Shadow Band - “Wilderness of Love”
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