1) Lorde, Melodrama (25 votes)
2) Kendrick Lamar, DAMN (19)
3) Kesha, Rainbow (18)
4) Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights (16)
St. Vincent, MASSEDUCATION (16)
6) SZA, CTRL (15)
7) The National, Sleep Well Beast (11)
8) Perfume Genius, No Shape (8)
9) Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life (7)
Runners up: (each with six votes) LCD Soundsystem, American Dream; Zola Jesus, Okovi; Spoon, Hot Thoughts; Slowdive, Slowdive
Notes: As opposed to last year’s Beyonce blowout, this year’s was a very tight race, with Lorde pulling by Kendrick Lamar, Kesha, Julien Baker, St. Vincent, and SZA for the title. Lorde’s the only artist to go two for two in topping the David Music Poll in its nineteen years. Meanwhile, this is The National’s fourth appearance in the top ten, and Kendrick Lamar, St. Vincent, and Lana Del Rey all log in their second. Taylor Swift, who won for her last album, could only muster five votes this year; previous winner got four votes for their latest, while long-ago winner Phoenix didn’t get a single nod for their new album. If Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Cut to the Feeling” had been an album, not a single, it would have made the Top Ten – more than half the respondents who named favorite singles put it on their lists (many, like me, at the top). This year there were 76 respondents to the poll, a little down from last year – but what we lost in numbers, we made up for in taste. On to our 20th anniversary year!
In My List, I’ve Seen the Lights
1) Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
Brutally, beautifully honest. If this album had come out when I was in high school, Julien Baker would have been my Joni Mitchell. Now I appreciate it from a slightly older angle, and listen to it obsessively while I write.
2) Lorde, Melodrama
Maybe because of the delay, I was wary that Lorde would succumb to the sophomore slump after one of the best debuts ever. Untrue! Just as compelling, and even more accomplished in the details.
3) Kesha, Rainbow
It’s always inspiring to see an artist cut loose and do exactly what she wants.
4) Beck, Colors
I like him when he mopes and reflects, but I must confess I like him even more when he kicks out the jams and reflects.
5) Original Cast Recording, Hadestown
I’m not sure how I’d feel about this as a stand-alone, but since I saw it four times and have the production very much in memory, the cast album brings it all back and then some. Stunning.
6) The xx, I See You
I feel this has gotten a little lost on this list, since it came out in January. The xx were always good in shadows; here they prove they can do brightness too.
7) Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
Nobody’s better at being Aimee Mann than Aimee Mann, and this is her at top form. Depressing as hell in parts, and clever as hell in others. Sometimes at the same time.
Singles of the Year:
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Cut to the Feeling”
Lorde, “Supercut” and “Green Light”
Charli XCX, “Boys”
Pink “What About Us” (I mean, I’m biased – but I loved it even before the Every Day trailer)
Julien Baker, “Appointments”
Returns to form: Here’s to good new albums from Jens Lekman, Arcade Fire, U2, The National, and Spoon
I slipped off the bandwagon: Yes, Reputation is better the more I listen to it. No, it’s still not great.
Anna Q, Melodrama Queen
Lorde, Melodrama
Taylor swift, Reputation
Bleachers, Gone now
Andrew E (formerly Andrew H), Patron of Saints
Most Essential Albums
1 St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
2 Lorde, Melodrama
3 Kesha, Rainbow
BUT
Most Essential Single
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Cut to the Feeling”
Steven M Runs off with the Spoon
1. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
2. Ryan Adams, Prisoner
3. Slowdive, Slowdive
4. Alvvays, Antisocialites
5. Wolf Alice, Visions of a Life
6. Jeb Loy Nichols, Country Hustle
7. Pond, Weather
8. Charly Bliss, Guppy
9. Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer, Not Dark Yet
10. King Gizzard & The Lizzard Wizard, Sketches of Brunswick East
Phil B is Waving through the Window
My Top Four... but not in any order:
Damn -- Kendrick Lamar -- transformative album
Rainbow -- Kesha -- wow!
The Thrill Of it All -- Sam Smith -- because it's Sam Smith
Dear Evan Hansen -- Original cast recording was released in February so it qualifies. Best original cast recording since Hamilton.
Kate W Gives a Damn
My most essential album of 2017:
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN
My most essential singles of 2017:
N.E.R.D. & Rihanna, Lemon
Harry Styles, Sign of the Times
LCD Soundsystem, How Do You Sleep
Sam Smith, Too Good at Goodbyes
Donn T ft Chill Moody, Clear
Sam P Finds Alice, in Wonderland
My top five are below:
1 Wolf Alice, Visions of a Life
2 The National, Sleep Well Beast
3 Thundercat, Drunk
4 Kendrick Lamar, Damn
5 LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
…With props to Lorde, T Swift, Courtney Barnett, The XX, and Beck
Evan W Seizes CTRL
SZA, CTRL is my #1
Close second is Sleep Well Beast, The National
Will W’s ‘Lights’ Shines Bright
1. Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
2. Taylor Swift, reputation
3. SZA, CTRL
4. Lorde, Melodrama
5. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
6. Perfume Genius, No Shape
7. Kesha, Rainbow
8. Mount Eerie, A Crow Looked at Me
9. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life
10. The National, Sleep Well Beast
11. Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps
12. Zola Jesus, Okovi
O Brother, Thou Art with Mike R
TOP 10 ALBUMS
1) Alex Lahey, I Love You Like A Brother
2) Lorde, Melodrama
3) Kesha, Rainbow
4) Original Broadway Cast, Groundhog Day
5) St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
6) Taylor Swift, reputation [sic]
7) Jens Lekman, Life Will See You Now
8) Bombadil, Fences
9) P!nk, Beautiful Trauma
10) Khalid, American Teen
NOTES: Jack Antonoff worked on or spearheaded 4 of these albums, and released his own album to boot, which I enjoyed, but didn't top 10 enjoy. Feel free to crucify me for putting St. Vincent in the middle - if I'd bought it and listened to it over and over like I did the top 4, it would probably be in the top 4, but I didn't, because I forgot to, so it's not my "soundtrack to 2017" like the others are. It may be my soundtrack to 2018. It just slipped by me! If anyone is reading this and wondering who Alex Lahey is, I can't recommend that album enough. This concludes the notes.
SINGLES
1) Carly Rae Jepsen, "Cut To The Feeling"
2) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast, "Let's Generalize About Men"
3) Tove Styrke, "Mistakes"
4) LCD Soundsystem, "oh baby" [sic]
5) The Wailin' Jennys, "Wildflowers"
6) Allie X, "Paper Love"
7) Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie, "Sleeping Around The Corner"
8) Charli XCX, "Boys"
9) Scissor Sisters, "SWERLK"
10) AJR, "Bud Like You"
NOTES: i am a homosexual
MUSIC FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
1) Paul Simon, Rhythm of the Saints
2) 2016 Broadway Cast Recording, She Loves Me
3) Josh Ritter, Sermon On The Rocks
4) Miles Fisher, "This Must Be The Place"
5) Peggy Lee, "Pass Me By"
6) Simon and Garfunkel, "Keep The Customer Satisfied"
7) James McMurtry, Childish Things
8) Sinead O'Connor, "Mandinka"
9) Albert Hammond, "It Never Rains In Southern California"
10) Glass Animals, How To Be A Human Being
NOTE: special thanks to the Veronica Mars finale, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finale, the Dakota County Public Library system, and several top-tier mix CDs for this line-up.
Leila S Gets Haim With a Little Help From Her Friends
I thought the new Haim album, "Something to Tell You," was terrific. The first single off that, "Want You Back," is probably my favorite new song of the year.
Caitlin F Finds More Life in Drake
I absolutely adore Drake’s MORE LIFE. It’s lush, relaxed and packed with more genres, guest singers, producers and global sounds then any of his other albums. Drake’s achieved a truly unique playlist that’s fun, introspective and never boring. Passionfruit, Portland, Blem and Fake Love are my favs.
Jordan H’s Rainbow Connection
Album:
Rainbow- Kesha
CTRL- SZA
Dua Lipa- Dua Lipa
Ten Years- Aly and Aj
Tell Me You Love Me- Demi Lovato
Fav songs from each album:
Boots-Kesha
New Rules- Dua Lipa
Take Me- Aly and Aj
Daddy Issues - Demi Lovato
Songs I was obsessed w/:
Mermaid- Skott
Love so Soft- Kelly Clarkson
Fake Happy-Paramore
Get Free- Lana Del Rey
Disco Tits-Tove Lo
Location- Khaled
Edibles- Jojo
But always still obsessed w/ Lemonade, Joanne, dangerous woman, etc.
Paul G’s Songs of Experience
With thanks to NPR, who owned me for the last 2 weeks of December:
Best:
Songs of Experience, U2
Triplicate, Bob Dylan
Celebrate Ornette, Ornette Coleman
Laila’s Wisdom, Rhapsody
For Bunita Marcus, Morton Feldman, piano by Marc André Hamelin
Rainbow, Kesha
Lust For Life, Lana Del Rey
Mogoya, Oumou Sangaré
Palabras Manuales, Danay Suarez
Bladerunner 2049 soundtrack
Almost:
Típico, Miquel Zenón
The Thrill of it All, Sam Smith
Dunkirk soundtrack
The Kid, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie
4:44, Jay Z
Ladilikan, Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet
Joan Shelley, Joan Shelley
Moorland Elegies, Tõnu Kõrvits
A Ghost Story soundtrack
Wind River soundtrack
For Bryant P, This Beast is No Burden
Here are my lists.
Albums @bbp3
1. The National, Sleep Well Beast
2. Manchester Orchestra, A Black Mile to the Surface
3. Rostam, Half-Light
4. Arcade Fire, Everything Now
5. Cold War Kids, LA DIVINE
Singles @bbp3
1. Pinegrove, "Old Friends"
2. Manchester Orchestra, "The Gold"
3. Drake, "Teenage Fever"
4. Middle Kids, "Edge of Town"
5. St. Vincent, "Los Angeles"
6. Phoenix, "Ti Amo"
7. Cold War Kids, "No Reason to Run"
8. alt-J, "In Cold Blood"
9. Sir Sly, "High"
10. Tune-Yards, "Look at Your Hands"
David A’s Got a Rocket in his Pocket
Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
(Sandy) Alex G, Rocket
Zach F, Living the Dream
Most essential album:
LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
Runners up:
Spoon, Hot Thoughts
Bjork, Utopia
Singles:
Wolf Alice, Don't Delete the Kisses
Morrissey, Spent the Day in Bed
This is the Kit, Moonshine Freeze
Portugal. The Man, Feel it Still
Arcade Fire, Creature Comfort
The Orwells, They Put a Body in the Bayou
Sir Sly, High
Father John Misty, Total Entertainment Forever
Aimee F Cuts to the Feeling
Thanks to Spotify, this seems to be the year I barely listened to any full new albums! The shame, the shame! But here are my top 2017 shamelessly pop-y singles:
Ed Sheeran, Shape of You
Cardi B, Bodak Yellow
Selena Gomez & Kygo, It Ain’t Me
Luis Fonsi, Despacito
Carly Rae Jepsen, Cut to the Feeling
Harry Styles, Sign of the Times
Gabriel B Lusts for Lust
This always makes me feel terrible for not listening to new music. But:
1) Lana del Rey, Lust for Life, duh
others:
Kesha, Rainbow
Josh Ritter, Gathering
Call Me By Your Name soundtrack (does this count? whatever)
Singles:
Sufjan Stevens, Tonya Harding
Portugal. The Man, Feel it Still
Josh Ritter, feat. Bob Weir, When Will I Be Changed (was this a single? idk. best song of the year tho)
That is literally all I can remember listening to.
How About U, Stewart L?
SZA, Ctrl
MUNA, about u
Lorde, Melodrama
Jeffery Martin, On Go Round
Kevin Garret, false hope EP
No DAMN Shame for Samantha M
1) Kendrick Lamar, DAMN
2) St. Vincent, Masseduction
3) The Afghan Whigs, In Spades
Jess S, Rainbow Warrior
I vote:
Kesha, Rainbow
Michael T’s Lorde-Damn List
Best record of the year for me is a genuine, exact, unbreakable tie:
Lorde, Melodrama
Kendrick Lamar, Damn
Best singles:
1. Vince Staples, “Big Fish"
2. Charli XCX, “Boys”
3. SZA and Travis Scott, “Love Galore”
4. Frank Ocean, “Chanel”
5. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO Tour Llif3"
Cora R Sees the Green Light; Goes
OMG David, what an amazing year in music 2017 was. I reckon the best for AGES.
My top was: LORDE: Melodrama
Other faves: THE NATIONAL: Sleep Well Beast, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: American Dream, King Krule, the OOZ
Best concert: Underworld
Best single(s): Curtis Harding, I need you AND Blue Train Lines, Mount Kimble
Collin R’s Works of Genius
Here's what I got:
Essential Album of 2017:
Perfume Genius, No Shape
Honorable Mentions (Albums in no particular order):
Baths, Romaplasm
Charli XCX, Pop2
Lorde, Melodrama
Sylvan Esso, What Now
Sampha, Process
TWINKIDS, Boys Love
Fever Ray, Plunge
St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
Dirty Projectors, Dirty Projectors
Paramore, After Laughter
Feist, Pleasure
Sevdaliza, Ison
The xx, I See You
SZA, Ctrl
Moses Sumney, Aromanticism
Ellen Andrea Wang, Blank Out
Best Songs of 2017
Carly Rae Jepsen, Cut to the Feeling
Perfume Genius, Slip Away
Sylvan Esso, Kick Jump Twist (Machinedrum Remix)
Jessie Ware, Midnight
SOPHIE, Ponyboy
Gabriel Kahane, Little Love
Lizzo, Truth Hurts
Kimbra, Everybody Knows
TWINKIDS, Overdressed,
Sofie Tukker, Fuck They
Betty Who, Mama Sa y
Big Dipper, LaCroix Boi
Hercules & Love Affair, Omnion (feat. Sharon Van Etten)
Mura Masa, Second 2 None (feat. Christine & the Queens)
David G, Shape Shifter
1. Perfume Genius, No Shape
2. Lorde, Melodrama
3. Kamasi Washington, Harmony of Difference
The rest of the year was dedicated to the Big Little Lies soundtrack, some Lana and Kesha and Beth Ditto.
Goldy M’s Life of Leisure
Best Album:
1. Miguel, War & Leisure
2. Paramore, After Laughter
3. Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
Biggest Disappointments:
1. Ed Sheeran, Divide
2. Lorde, Melodrama
Best Single:
1. Dua Lipa, New Rules
2. Miguel, Sky Walker
3. The Bob's Burger's Music Album, Bad Stuff Happens in The Bathroom,
Best Song On An Otherwise Mediocre Album:
Taylor Swift, I Did Something Bad
Throw Her a Bone Because This Might Be the Only List She's On:
Katy Perry, Witness
Daniel H’s Tropical Thunder
Frankie Rose - Cage Tropical
Scott Gilmore - Subtle Vertigo
Destroyer - Ken
and modesty prevents me from mentioning The Magnetic Fields, 50 Song Memoir
My not-new records are Duke Ellington, New Orleans Sweet, and Hubert Laws, Rites of Spring
Lucy C’s Prime Amazones
I'm not sure about the category of "most essential" but here are a couple of albums I have listened to and enjoyed / appreciated this year:
Les Amazones d'Afrique - Republique Amazone
Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex
Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
Tyler G Likes to Visit the Baker
1. Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
2. Dirty Projectors, Dirty Projectors
3.Taylor Swift, Reputation
4.Kesha, Rainbow
Amy M Sleeps Well
1. The National, Sleep Well Beast
2. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
3. Sylvan Esso, What Now
4. Arcade Fire, Everything Now (my daughter sang backup on their Spotify Session)
5. Aldous Harding, Party
6. Stella Donnelly, Thrush Metal
7. Lorde, Melodrama
8. Johnny Flynn, Sillion
9. St Vincent, Masseduction
10. Fleet Foxes, Crack-up
11. Perfume Genius, No Shape
12. Feist, Pleasure
13. Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
14. Rainer Maria, S/T
And the 2 songs I've had on repeat by Sylvan Esso...
Sylvan Esso, "There Are Many Ways To Say I Love You"
Sylvan Esso, "Sound"
Jeff Z’s Spun Gold
1. Chelsea Wolfe, Hiss Spun
2. Julien Baker, Turn Out The Lights
3. Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger In The Alps
4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound
5. Zola Jesus, Okovi
Chris K Embraces the Mutoid
1 Mutoid Man, War Moans
2 Death Of Kings, Kneel Before None
3 Wolves In The Throne Room, Thrice Woven
4 Warbringer, Woe To The Vanquished
5 The Ominous Circle, Appalling Ascension
6 Power Trip, Nightmare Logic
7 Crypt Rot, Embryonic Devils
8 Acid Witch, Evil Sound Screamers
9 Darkest Hour, Godless Prophets And The Migrant Flora
10 Barrows, Obsidion
11 The Black Dahlia Murder, Nightbringers
12 Cannibal Corpse, Red Before Black
13 Cadaveric Incubator, Sermons Of The Devouring Dead
Brett W, Sizzling with SZA
Top 10 Albums of 2017
1. SZA - Ctrl
My most played and beloved album in a year where not that many albums captivated me. If you're not a fan by the time you get through the back-to-back "Drew Barrymore" and "Prom," then I don't know what to tell you.
2. Perfume Genius -- No Shape
Oof, yes. "Slip Away," "Wreath," and "Die 4 You" are my standouts in a nearly perfect album.
3. Julien Baker -- Turn Out the Lights
A hauntingly beautiful and somber album from a talented young queer. It ended up being the album I most related to in late 2017. "Appointments" captivated me the most and sets the tone for the rest of what's to come. It may be a little one-note at times, but she is my favorite discovery of the year.
4. Oscar and the Wolf -- Breathing EP
This Belgian queer musician was another one of my favorite discoveries. Love especially "Fever" and "Breathing."
5. Stars -- There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light
This feels like a return to the Stars I fell in love with so many years ago. "Alone" is my favorite single.
6. Lana Del Rey -- Lust for Life
Although not my favorite album of hers, it's a marked improvement over Honeymoon. I felt a personal connection to "13 Beaches."
7. MUNA - About U
Phew . . . the amount of times I listened to "Winterbreak," "Crying on the Bathroom Floor," and "I Know a Place" alone . . .
8. Lorde -- Melodrama
This is a great album, but I didn't return to it as much as I thought I might. Maybe because it was a summer release. But "Supercut" is magic.
9. Dua Lipa -- Dua Lipa
Such solid pop. "IDGAF" is a bop.
10. Kesha -- Rainbow
Sure, its tone is a little all over the place, but goddammit, she deserves a spot! "Learn to Let Go" is my favorite song/mantra from this album.
Favorite Singles of 2017
"Pink Cadillac" -- Alice Grey
"Flame" -- Tinashe
"Tonya Harding (in D major)" -- Sufjan Stevens
"Sorry Not Sorry" -- Demi Lovato
Nick E Dives in (Slowly)
What a great year for music! But I need to start with a correction to my list from LAST year, where I went out of my way to voice my disappointment in Bon Iver’s 22, A Million. It finally clicked for me and became among my most played of 2017. I can admit I was wrong!
This year saw, I think, a return to form for both Iron & Wine and The Magnetic Fields. And the flat-out triumphant return of Slowdive (I bought the limited edition silver vinyl, i.e., I was ALL IN.) And there were THREE Sufjan albums, including the Planetarium recording I’ve coveted for yeeears.
Say what you will about 2017, but the music killed!
1. Slowdive, Slowdive
2. The Magnetic Fields, 50 Song Memoir
3. Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell Live
4. Jens Lekman, Life Will See You Now
5. Iron & Wine, Beast Epic
6. Sufjan Stevens et al., Planetarium
7. Sufjan Stevens, The Greatest Gift
8. The xx, I See You
9. Perfume Genius, No Shape
Single of the year:
Carly Rae Jepsen, Cut to the Feeling
Brian M’s Velvet is No Longer Underground
Strange year in that there was no single album that I loved more than others...just a lot of love all around:
Devil's Witches, Velvet Magic
Ruby Throat, Baby Darling Taporo
Dead Heavens, Whatever Witch You Are
Mount Eerie, A Crow Looked at Me
Big Blood, The Daughters Union
Electric Wizard, Wizard Bloody Wizard
Ty Segall, Ty Segall
Ryan Adams, Prisoner
Amanda Palmer and Edward Ka-Spel, I Can Spin a Rainbow
Smino, blkswn
Brand New, Science Fiction
Death From Above, Outrage! Is Now
Halasan Bazar, Burns
at the drive in, in*ter a*li*a
Liam Gallagher, As You Were
Best Live Releases:
Marc Bolan, Skycloaked Lord (...of Precious Light)
Dead Moon, What a way to See the Old Girl Go
Sivert Hoyem, Live at Acropolis
And since we once again live in an age of songs, here's my favorite singles of the year:
Portugal the Man - "Feel It Still"
Beck - "Dear Life"
Killers - "I'm the Man"
Liam Gallagher - "For What It's Worth"
Ian Felice - "In the Kingdom of Dreams"
Morrissey - "Spent the Day in Bed"
Phil T’s Maine Event
Absolute Essential Album Of 2017 for me is The Maine - Lovely, Little, Lonely (if you want to sample it, listen to I Only Wanna Talk To You And you’ll see why!)
Other notable entries for me would be:
Kesha - Rainbow
Paramore - After Laughter
Björk - Utopia
Sampha - Process
Gabrielle Aplin - Avalon (an EP but still)
Night Riots - Love Gloom
Scott T Takes it Slow
Most Essential
Slowdive - Slowdive
Other Essential
Way Out West - Tuesday Maybe
UNKLE - The Road, Part 1
Scandroid - Monochrome
Older Albums Discovered
Ghost Data - Girl's Love
Pastel Ghost - Abyss
Dean B’s Damning Praise
1. Kendrick Lamar, Damn
2. Arcade Fire, Everything Now
3. Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
4. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
5. Liars, TFCF
6. Nine Inch Nails, Add Violence
7. The National, Sleep Well Beast
8. The Magnetic Fields, 50 Song Memoir
My 2017 Mix Tape:
https://open.spotify.com/user/deanbabin/playlist/7CK5U3quNzefRCFeS0eRbB
Glenn B Gives a DAMN
I’m including some honorable mentions with my top 10- It was hard to choose just 10!
It was a good year…well, for music at any rate…
1) Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
2) Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
3) St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
4) Spoon, Hot Thoughts
5) Beck, Colors
6) Queens Of The Stone Age, Villains
7) Cloud Nothings, Life Without Sound
8) Thundercat, Drunk
9) Foo Fighters, Concrete & Gold
10) Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
Honorable Mentions:
SZA, Ctrl
The Life And Times, The Life and Times
Elbow, Little Fictions
Beach Fossils, Somersault
N.E.R.D., NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES
The New Pornographers, Whiteout Conditions
Paramore, After Laughter
For Ben A, The Showman Must Go On
Most Essential Album:
The Greatest Showman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Various Artists
Important Singles:
"Beautiful," by Bazzi
"Say It To My Face," by Madison Beer
"Echame La Culpa," by Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato
"Never Be The Same," by Camila Cabello
"She Loves Control," by Camila Cabello
"Miss You," by Louis Tomlinson
Jon S Takes the Plunge
In my life, I generally break down music into two categories. Music that I listen to, and music that I write to. The main difference between them is primarily that the first category has lyrics, and the second generally does not.
This year, my “music to listen to” list was heavily dominated by female vocalists:
- Plunge by Fever Ray
- MASSEDUCTION by Saint Vincent
- Hiss Spun by Chelsea Wolfe
- Okovi by Zola Jesus
- Exile in the Outer Ring by EMA
- Melodrama by Lorde
- What Now by Sylvan Esso
- Guppy by Charly Bliss
- Swear I’m Good at This by Diet Cig
- Tourist In this Town by Alison Crutchfield
- Cigarettes After Sex by Cigarettes After Sex
Only that last band, Cigarettes After Sex, features a male vocalist. I’m not sure why my list turned out this way. Perhaps it was my mood, or perhaps the ladies just really owned this year.
Some writers don’t listen to music when they write. Some don’t have a problem with lyrics while they’re writing. But if you’re like me, or if you simply are curious to check out new, non-mainstream instrumental music, the below are all either 2017 or late 2016 instrumental albums that are worth a listen on your streaming service of choice:
- Luciferian Towers by Godspeed You! Black Emperor (rock)
- Aytcheby Joseph Shabason (jazz)
- Diaspora by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (jazz)
- Narcopop by Gas (electronic)
- Wood / Metal / Plastic / Pattern / Rhythm / Rock by 75 Dollar Bill (umm…rock? I guess?)
- An Act of Love by Earthen Sea (electronic)
- World Eater by Blanck Mass (electronic)
- Concrete Desert by The Bug & Earth (electronic)
- KWIATY by Jacaszek (electronic)
- Une Meeles by Maarja Nuut (iTunes categorizes it as klezmer?? I would probably say modern classical)
- The Olympians by the Olympians (motown jazz)
Jordan S Praises the Lorde
Lorde, Melodrama
Pretty much the only new album I really loved this year. Now, get off my lawn.
Nina L, Turns Up ‘Turn Out’
Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
Derek M Brings the Melodrama
Here it is:
1. Lorde, Melodrama
Unranked 2. – 10.:
-Arca, Arca
-Creeper, Eternity, In Your Arms
-Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
-Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
-LCD Soundsystem, american dream
-Mount Eerie, A Crow Looked at Me
-Sampha, Process
-St. Vincent, Masseduction
-The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
Nico M, Educated
St. Vincent MASSEDUCTION !!! I'm ob-surrrssed.
Dan P Builds a Bridgers
Most essential:
Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps
Very essential:
Sylvan Esso, What Now
Other essentials:
Rostam, Half-Light
Arcade Fire, Everything Now
Charly Bliss, Guppy
Lorde, Melodrama
St. Vincent, Masseduction
Matthue R’s Crooked Saints
Most Essential: St. Vincent, Masseduction
Can I be brutal? It's not the #1 album of the year, but "New York" is the #1 song of the year, and the other 12 tracks could all be metal machine music, literally or metaphorically, and it would still be bouyed up to #1. She wrings it for every emotion in the book, from utter desperation to utter unfulfilled and pining and all-or-nothing limerence. (And yes, there are other amazing moments, and yes, the chorus of the title song is snarky and brilliant, and even the song that is a sequel to a song on her last album that sounds virtually exactly the same is a really good song, both times.)
Anyway.
Offa Rex, Queen of Hearts
Darshan, Raza
Angel Olsen, Phases
Zusha, A Colorful World
Sufjan Stevens & co., Planetarium
Kitty, Miami Garden Club
Ani Difranco, Binary
SZA, Control
Best Fake Band: Offa Rex. You know how, of late, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists has been writing novels and ditties (and even this weird ethnomusicological tweet about shofars) and creating his own brand of Jorge Luis Borges-style semifictions? This band, basically the Decemberists with another vocalist, feels like one of them.
Best Horrible Moment: Jay-Z, The Story of O.J.: "You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it." F to the U to the sea to the cay. I completely get what he was trying to do. I see how it fits into the cadence of the song and his message and his delivery, and I actually think it's pretty narratively incredible. But, Jay, you just can't do this. We love that your mom's gay and we love that you're happy and that you're doing therapy. But this is not true. It is not nice.
Best Recovery: Reputation. Her last album rocked me with all the calorieless indulgence of Liz Phair's most unapologetic pop riff, but I have yet to discover the nuances at the heart of T-Swift's new album. I listen to it, I like it, 5 seconds later, I've shed it for whatever my (gMusic? Goosic?) has served up next and I can't remember a single note. But while I'm there, I like it. Maybe I'll dive in deeper. Or maybe that's just how you follow up an album that slices you in half: with one that's perfectly good-natured and serviceable, but doesn't change your life. That's okay. It doesn't have to.
Eugene K’s in De Zona
Gente de Zona - Visualizate
Charli XCX - Pop 2
Young Thug - Beautiful Thugger Girls
Kendrick Lamar - Damn
21 Savage/Offset/Metro Boomin' - Without Warning
21 Savage - Issa Album
Four Tet - New Energy
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet - Ladilikan
Migos - Culture
Lil Uzi Vert - Luv is Rage 2
Anna C’s Doing Fine
Some music picks for you:
1. SUSTO, & I'm Fine Today
2. Zola Jesus, Okovi
3. Craig Finn, We All Want The Same Things
4. Alex Lahey, Love You Like A Brother
5. Downtown Boys, Cost of Living
6. Lilly Hiatt, Trinity Lane
7. Nikki Lane, Highway Queen
8. Lorde, Melodrama
9. Palehound, A Place I'll Always Go
10. Rozwell Kid, Precious Art
Andy P’s Sheeran Madness
Oh man… I’m always the worst at this… I mean, I listened mostly to Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Troye Sivan, and the Hamilton Soundtrack. Did I mention I’m actually a 13-year-old girl? Oh! And Superfruit! That’s current! And hip! Right?
Jasper D’s SZA PDA
2017 was a pretty interesting year music-wise for me. It was the year I started admitting that I actually love musicals! So I've been doing a lot of listening to things from the past and really enjoying it. There was also a lot of great new music put out in 2017 so my list is a pretty mixed bag.
My most essential album of 2017 is CTRL by SZA, and I have a feeling a lot of people will feel similarly. Some of my other essential 2017 albums are:
Wild Alee, Talos
After Laughter, Paramore
Burn It Down, Daughter
Okovi, Zola Jesus
Pop 2, Charli XCX
And some important albums from past years I spent time with are:
Hamilton, Original Broadway Cast Recording
Next to Normal, Original Broadway Cast Recording
Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Carrie and Lowell, Sufjan Stevens
Silent Shout, The Knife
Teri Y Walks the Moon
Walk the Moon, What If Nothing
Sigrid, Don't Kill My Vibe
Ed Sheeran, Divide
Streaming services have really killed my album listening. A lot of artists seem to be pushing out singles regularly instead of putting together a full album. Really dug Sigrid's Strangers, Eli Lieb's Hollywood, Pink's What About Us, Leon Else's What I Won't Do, State of Sound's cover of Heaven and Dua Lipa's New Rules.
Kaleb N’s Click Bait
Most Essential Album
AJR, The Click
(Very underrated album — if you play it from start to finish, it feels like you’re experiencing the complete story of a group of brothers working hard to start a music career)
Best Singles
Imagine Dragons, Thunder
Miley Cyrus, Malibu
Sturgill Simpson, Breakers Roar
Lo-Fang, You’re The One That I Want
Lana Del Rey, Lust For Life
Maggie S’s Orchestral Maneuvers
Another year of not really buying albums, a year of buying snake people synth heavy remixes, a variety of stomp-clap singles that probably should play during the credits of TV shows set in rural Virginia, and hopeful tunes completely at odds with the burning hive-fire that was 2017.
Top Ten Most Played Songs From 2017
(whether or not they're from 2017)
(* indicates snake people music
** indicates stomp-clap singles
***hopeful tunes in times of fire)
1. Sivu - "Lonesome (Toothless Remix)"*
2. Cold War Kids - "Can We Hang On?"**
3. Bad Wave/ Miracle Cat - "Time To Get Lost (Miracle Cat Remix)"*
4. Dirtwire - "No More (feat. Moontricks)**
5. Lupa - "Keep Back"*
6. SAINT WKND & MAX - "Survive"*
7. Gordi - "000000 Million"***
8. Lost Lander - "Give It Time"***
9. Rationale - "Phenomenal"*
10. Saint Mesa - "Lion"
11. Charlie Cunningham - "You Sigh"**
12. Wild - "Haunted Heart"*
(I know I said 10 but that Charlie Cunningham song was too good for you guys not to hear it and "Haunted Heart" really needs to be heard before it gets used in a dramatic tv show and we all have bad associations with it.)
Best Albums
Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface
Their best album to date, in my opinion, the songs working together both as an album and as singles. Bonus is the acoustic version of "The Gold."
Weezer - Pacific Daydream
I KNOW OK? But another album that works really well as an album, and that poignant closer of "Any Friend of Diane" feels like a gasping, grasping shot at making good out of a bad situation, which is a good closer for '17.
Roberto R’s Courtneys Love
THE COURTNEYS II by The Courtneys is by-far the album I loved the most in 2017
Chris R’s a Freak for Ctrl
Here are my top albums:
1. SZA, Ctrl
2. Sylvan Esso, What Now
3. Dirty Projectors, Up in Hudson
4. Big Thief, Capacity
5. Sampha, Process
Bill K Sounds it Out
Essential Album: Haley Reinhart-What's That Sound
(Because I enjoy being predictable in some ways)
This was the first year since I was 8 when I didn't do a personal Top 10 songs list, so these are songs I enjoyed this year in no particular order:
Want You Back/Haim
Look What You Made Me Do/Taylor Swift
Two Fux/Adam Lambert
You Can't Fire Me, I Quit/Tacocat
Dis Generation/A Tribe Called Quest
Get a Yes/Sad13
Let's Start/Haley Reinhart
Tara A Declares War
1) The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
2) Antisocialits, Alvvays
3) Elbow, Little Fictions
4) Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice
5) Spoon, Hot Thoughts
6) Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: Soul of a Woman
7) Taylor Swift, Reputation
BEST EP OF THE YEAR: Middle Kids
Daniel L Waves a Flag for Rainbow
1. Kesha, Rainbow
2. Khalid, American Teen
And... everything else was pretty much older. :)
Giles G, a DAMN Good Sport
My fave albums of '17 are as follows:
1. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2. SZA - CTRL
3. St. Vincent - Masseducation
4. Sampha - Process
5. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Fave songs:
1. Kendrick - The Heart Part 4
2. Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile - Over Everything
3. Billie Eilish - Bellyache
4. Miley Cyrus - Malibu
5. Portugal. The Man - Feel it Still
6. SZA - Drew Barrymore
7. N.E.R.D. - Lemon
8. Harry Styles - Sign of the Times
9. Alt J - Deadcrush
10. Big Thief - Shark Smile
Jaci M Lordes it Over All Other Albums
My essential albums for this year were:
1) Lorde, Melodrama
2) Eminem, Revival [Charlie chooses the music we play in the car, so this album is the music that we have been played in the car a LOT recently. But I've been liking it! Especially 'Remind Me' and 'In your Head' for the nostalgic sampling. I was playing the Cranberries for Charlie (inspired by the Eminem track) just the day before Dolores died. I've actually never stopped listening to the Cranberries since I first heard them, but they still take me back to summer 1996 sharing Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia with a German guy named Franz in a sub-let apartment in New Haven, Connecticut. Franz gave me his fan for my room because it was so hot and he 'didn't feel the heat', but then the summer got even hotter and he began to feel the heat and asked for his fan back please. This cured me of a mild crush on him.
3) Gang of Youths, Go Farther in Lightness (actually, that's a lie - I've only just downloaded it. But I really like the bits I've heard. I just automatically found myself typing it in here.)
Jinny W, Bach in the Hunt
Here are my votes for 2017.
=============
Most Essential Albums. It’s a tie this year.
*SHIRLEY HUNT, Baroque cello and viola da gamba; IAN PRITCHARD, harpsichord: J.S. BACH SUITES & SONATAS, VOLUME TWO. Letterbox Arts. (Volume One came out last year.) Bold, athletic, and meticulous music-making, with graceful leaps and soulful secrets from the brain and heart of Bach. Especially therapeutic for our confused zeitgeist.
*ANNELLE K. GREGORY, violin; ALEXANDER SINCHUK, piano: RACHMANINOFF, COMPLETE WORKS & TRANSCRIPTIONS FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO. Bridge Recordings, Inc. They’re almost still kids. One American, one Russian, each a prodigy, who met through conservatory mentors. Only one Sergei Rachmaninoff in history, and these stunningly articulate musicians bring 20 of his delicious gifts to intoxicating fruition.
Other Essential Albums:
*ARCADI VOLODOS: VOLODOS PLAYS BRAHMS. Sony. Brahms is, of course, oxygen. This Russian pianist breathes it for all of us.
*DANISH STRING QUARTET, LAST LEAF. ECM. These delightful blonds can and do play Beethoven, Brahms, and Haydn, but this time they embrace Nordic folk songs, fiddling for joy and sorrow. They’ve got the warmth, skip, jump, gusto and linger of polka and reel and waltz; and they can convince you for a while that the world is a lovely place.
Shelly R’s Package of Songs
Top Album:
Original Broadway Cast, Hamilton: An American Musical
-This was THE album that got me through my last semester at Stephens, through six intense weeks of NYU SPI, and just gets me through life every day. I was able to watch the show for my 22nd birthday here in the city and it was magical. So you can say that I worked my way out and graduate college. I didn’t throw away my shot and I followed my dreams of moving to NYC. And now, I’m in the room where it happens working in my dream job.
Top 10 Songs (in no particular order and yes, my musical taste is all over the place, haha):
1. The Package – A Perfect Circle
2. Don’t Hurt Yourself – Beyoncé
3. m.A.A.d City – Kendrick Lamar
4. Sweatpants – Childish Gambino
5. Immigrants (We Get The Job Done) – K’NAAN, Snow Tha Product, Riz MC, Residente
6. Don’t Play – Halsey
7. Bartholomew – The Silent Comedy
8. Waving Through a Window – Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast
9. Ugly Boy – Die Antwoord
10. World In My Eyes – Depeche Mode (original version and the Cicada Mix)
Keirsten G’s Link, No Longer Missing
Two old and three new:
OLD:
Songs of Light by Shirley Ann Lee
Lee Fields & The Expressions (no particular album but newly discovered old artist)
NEW:
“Awaken, My Love” by Childish Gambino
Keria by Susso
At What Cost by Goldlink
Maya M’s Somewhere, But Not Over the Rainbow
I have thought about it all week and there is no music from 2017 that I find worth mentioning besides Kesha’s Rainbow. Did other albums even come out? Were any other artists even slightly relevant? Was anything else on the radio a true triumph of human resilience? I couldn’t tell you. Kesha forever.
By the Time Sarah M Got to Woodstock…
I was invited to join your 2017 music poll from my boss, John Adamo, and I am very excited to share what (in my humble opinion) are the best albums of 2017!
1. Portugal. The Man, Woodstock
2. The War On Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
3. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
4. Lorde, Melodrama
5. The National, Sleep Well Beast
Josh L’s Baker, No Faker
I have some confidence that I will be more in tune with the other participants than of late. No way this hip-hop fad is going to last--the singer songwriters will return!
Julien Baker, Turn out the Lights
(Runner-up:)
Mountain Goats, Goths.
Brant R, Alvvays and Forever
My Essential Albums of 2017:
Alvvays, Antisocialites
Slowdive, Slowdive
Destroyer, ken
Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet
Luna, A Place of Greater Safety [EP]
Delicate Steve, This Is Steve
Rostam, Half-Light
Sia, Everyday Is Christmas
Some of My Essential Tracks of 2017:
Slowdive, “No Longer Making Time”
Destroyer, “Sky’s Grey”
Alvvays, “In Undertow”
Open Mike Eagle, “95 Radios”
LCD Soundsystem, “Oh Baby”
The War on Drugs, “Up All Night”
Phoenix, “J-Boy”
Elder Albums I Found Essential in 2017:
Incredible Bongo Band, Bongo Rock [1973]
David Axelrod, Songs of Innocence [1968]
The Impressions, The Impressions [1963]
Milton Nascimento, Clube Da Esquina [1972]
Roland Kirk, The Inflated Tear [1968]
Julie London, Julie Is Her Name [1955]
Christopher Cross, Another Page [1983]
The Kinks, Face to Face [1966]
B.B. King, Indianola Mississippi Seeds [1970]
Michael Martin Murphey, Blue Sky • Night Thunder [1975]
Prince, For You [1978]
Jonathan V’s Migration Patterns
Albums of 2017 (for me, ranked by personal health benefit)
1. Bonobo, MIGRATION
2. Theo Katzman, HEARTBREAK HITS
3. Lusine, SENSORIMOTOR
4. The National, SLEEP WELL BEAST
5. Destroyer, KEN
6. Jay-Z, 4:44
7. Odesza, A MOMENT APART
8. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN
9. Wolf Parade, CRY CRY CRY
10. Hundred Waters, COMMUNICATING
Honorable mention from this year: Chris Stapleton, FROM A ROOM, VOL. 1 (but I stand by our base ten numeric system’s tyranny over “top” lists, and there will be no 11)
Honorable mention from previous years: Popcaan, WHERE WE COME FROM (wall-to-wall amazing, likely would have been my #1 if it had come out in 2017)
Can’t believe I still haven’t heard: The Killers, WONDERFUL WONDERFUL (but I’m saving it for a trip)
My Ultimate Mix from 2017
1. Austra, WE WERE ALIVE
2. Bleachers, EVERYBODY LOST SOMEBODY
3. Barbelle, NEVER TOO MUCH
4. The Districts, THE POINT
5. Jay-Z, 4:44
6. Goldfrapp, MOON IN YOUR MOUTH
7. Gorillaz w/ Grace Jones, CHARGER
8. Ki: Theory, TERRAFORM
9. Night Drive, YOUNG RIVALS
10. Baynk, COME HOME
11. Loma, BLACK WILLOW
12. Lusine, WITNESS
13. Kendrick Lamar, ELEMENT
14. Groundislava w/ Jake Weary, UNTIL TOMORROW
15. Hundred Waters, FIRELIGHT
16. Washed Out, INSTANT CALM
17. Destroyer, IVORY COAST
18. TR/ST, BICEP
19. Fever Ray, TO THE MOON AND BACK
20. Theo Katzman, PLAIN JANE HEROIN
21. Slowdive, FALLING ASHES
Lauren and Randy’s List (This is Them)
For 2017:
SONGS:
"Despacito," Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee
"Things It Would Be Helpful to Know Before the Revolution," Father John Misty
"Sign of the Times," Harry Styles
"Waiting on a Song," Dan Auerbach
"Dear Life," Beck
"Homemade Dynamite," Lorde
"Everybody Knows," Sigrid
"Dark Side of the Gym," The National
"Now & Later," Sage the Gemini
ALBUM:
"This Is Us Soundtrack"
For the random category of non-2017 tunes that we discovered and/or continue to love:
Eric Bib -- Shine On
Freedom Fry -- 1979
Daniela Andrade -- Creep
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant -- Raising Sand
Agnes Obel -- September Song
Daddy Yankee -- Gasolina
David Gray -- Babylon
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
Darius Rucker -- Wagon Wheel
And as always: Traveling Willburys, Tom Petty, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alison Krauss, and Credence Clearwater Revival YO!!!!
John A’s Grandaddy Clause
What an amazing year it was!
In no particular order:
1. Grandaddy, Last Place
2. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
3. Fleet Foxes, Crack-Up
4. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life
5. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
6. Spotlights, Seismic
7. Metz, Strange Peace
8. St Vincent, Masseduction
9. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
10. Death From Above, Outrage! Is Now
11. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
12. The xx, I See You
Jonas R Plays Misty for Us
Here goes:
1. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
2. Thievery Corporation, The Temple of I & I
3. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice\
4. Iron & Wine, Beast Epic
5. The Shins, Heartworms
6. The New Pornographers, Whiteout Conditions
7. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
8. Whispertown, I'm a Man
9. The Dollyrots, Whiplash Splash
10. Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton, Wildflower Blue
Christopher P Manns Up
1) Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
2) Thea Gilmore, The Counterweight
3) a-ha, MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice
4) Beck, Colors
5) Goldfrapp, Silver Eye
6) Paloma Faith, The Architecht
7) Sia, Everyday Is Christmas
8) Flaming Lips, Oczy Mlody
9) Tori Amos, Native Invader
10) Zola Jesus, Okovi
Alicia G’s Nervous Energy
1) Julia Michaels, Nervous System
2) Kendrick Lamar, Damn
3) Ed Sheeran, Shape of You
4) The XX, I See You
5) Pink, Beautiful Trauma
Ronnie A’s Peak Performances
Best Soundtracks of the Year:
Twin Peaks: The Return
Daniel Hart, Ghost Story
Clint Mansell, Loving Vincent
Ramin Djawadi, The Mountain Between Us
Mica Levi, Marjorie Prime
Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread
Sufjan Stevens, Call Me By Your Name
Tamar-kali, Mudbound
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