Sunday, December 31, 2017

Best Albums of 2017

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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