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My Top 8 Albums of 2017
7 years ago
Holy shit what month is it? March? Yeah I have been lazy as hell with this list. Mostly, this has been due to my indecisiveness on it. There were a ton of great albums last year. Luckily I have inadvertently gotten into a trend of adding one more album slot to the list each year. I base my list order on which albums I most frequently listened to throughout 2017. So there may be some albums I enjoyed, but didn't quite become go to choices of mine. So without further adieu I'm gonna launch into this, in order from...least best to best, here are my picks:
8. Lorde - Melodrama: I feel like of all the top 40 pop albums to release this year, few had the staying power for me like Lorde's sophomore release did. Yes, despite what my list last year may have implied, I do listen to pop music at times. While I enjoyed Lorde's first album, Pure Heroine quite a bit, it did feel lacking some punch. Sure she had some interesting instrumentals and lyrics, but it wasn't filled with songs that got me emotionally. I feel like Melodrama excels at that, especially tracks like "Liability" and "Hard Feelings/Loveless." However, it also have some extremely catchy/danceable tracks like "Homemade Dynamite and "Green Light." Solid album that defies the sophomore slump.
Sample Track - "Homemade Dynamite" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQsJ_FCCIMQ
7. Yung Lean - Stranger: Ok despite a lot of people disliking Yung Lean's music, I've always really enjoyed it. This album was no exception. I feel like I've watched Lean grow as an artist and this album really shows how much he has grown. After Warlord, which I still enjoyed, I felt myself longing for some softer, classic Lean. Something that felt like Unknown Memory or even Unknown Death 2002 without leaving behind his improved flow and holding on to a sprinkle the trap influence he had displayed on Warlord. This album feels like an amalgamation of all of the sounds Yung Lean has displayed thus far. Hit and miss for some, but I really enjoyed the vast majority of this album. If you haven't listened to Yung Lean before, this is a great starter album as well.
Sample Track - "Skimask" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVIYe_KeQD0
6. Bones - FAILURE: I will say right off the bat, if you don't like Bones already, you probably won't like this album or understand why I like it. It's odd, dark, seems like a mixtape. Mostly because it's all of those things! I'm not gonna linger on this one too long, but I will say for rap fans, this is probably one of the more accessible albums that Bones has put out. I, as a longtime Bones fan have often had trouble picking an album to introduce Bones to people with. This one. This is the one. Check it out and I think you'll find something neat there!
Sample Track - "Resurrection" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9a0kvOhnNg
5. Kirin J Callinan - Bravado: I'm a bit new to the world of Kirin. I regret that a lot thanks to this album. Fantastic 80s-esque alternative pop/rock/some kinda country/synth album. Despite my use of the term 80s-esque, this album doesn't feel like a throwback or like it's shoving the 80s down your throat. It doesn't rely on forced nostalgia or references. Hell, it doesn't even sound like many other musicians I've ever heard. Now, this sounds contradictory, but the MINUTE you listen to a song off of this album, you will see what I mean. Now, one of the songs off this album has become a bit of a meme, so despite loving "Big Enough," I will be instead linking to a different, but every bit as good track.
Sample Track - "Bravado" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4GbqWdwmHc
4. BROCKHAMPTON – SATURATION III: Some people would probably be surprised that I didn't hop on the BROCKHAMPTON train sooner. Honestly, the first two albums were great, but I didn't really even listen to them until someone showed me the third. After that I was hooked. Bought all 3 SATURATION albums. For those unaware, BROCKHAMPTON is a rap-based boyband, consisting of 10+ members in various roles, from vocalists, to writers, to production. In 2017, they released 3 albums, SATURATION 1-3. They have this super cool aesthetic to all their videos and songs, which are all various styles of rap. Yet, despite all their songs having a unique sound, you always KNOW it's BROCKHAMPTON. That's something special.
Sample Track - "BOOGIE" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cucHc2vef4
3. King Gnu - Tokyo Rendez-Vous: A lot of people are probably completely unaware that this band exists and it's a damn shame. I first discovered them at Japan Nite 2017 under a completely different name (Srv.Vinci) and thought they were amazing. They are a 4 piece band from Japan, blending genres such as funk, rock, rap, soul, and a few others I can't even figure out. Now normally such a mish-mash of sound would turn me off. I'm all for mixing genres but too many cooks...you know the rest. However, King Gnu does this so masterfully, that I can't stop recommending them to people. Beyond description.
Sample Track "Vinyl" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLAw8Ct9k48
2. Oh Sees - Orc: Best rock album of the year. Hands down. Previously, Thee Oh Sees, Oh Sees has given an extremely energetic album with Orc. It feels like t floats from surf rock and lo-fi punk to psychadelic rock and some kind of doom metal. It's nuts! It also doesn't let up for a second. The whole album you are just ready for more. Each track feels new, exciting, and like a roller coaster. This one was almost my number one pick. Very very hard choice.
Sample Track - "Nite Expo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8hf8HBeFSE
1. Tyler, The Creator - Scum Fuck Flower Boy: You may know this album as Flower Boy, as it's listed on most digital retailers. You may also know it as "Jesus Aalto! Shut up about that album for a day." I'm sorry. I won't and I can't. I've always liked Tyler, The Creator. His albums were always decent to good for me. Never, not in a million years though, would I have thought I'd LOVE an album of his this much though. Remember when Tyler put out songs with a jazzy feel earlier on? I was one of those people who thought. "God just make a whole album of this. Please." This is the answer to my prayers. Every album on this track is great. There isn't a dip or a lull for me. From more upbeat tracks, to slow numbers, to a track with a beat that sounds like old horror movie music, this whole album is a treat. Go listen to it if you haven't. It's bliss.
Sample Track - "911/Mr. Lonely" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMb3k-Wwvg
8. Lorde - Melodrama: I feel like of all the top 40 pop albums to release this year, few had the staying power for me like Lorde's sophomore release did. Yes, despite what my list last year may have implied, I do listen to pop music at times. While I enjoyed Lorde's first album, Pure Heroine quite a bit, it did feel lacking some punch. Sure she had some interesting instrumentals and lyrics, but it wasn't filled with songs that got me emotionally. I feel like Melodrama excels at that, especially tracks like "Liability" and "Hard Feelings/Loveless." However, it also have some extremely catchy/danceable tracks like "Homemade Dynamite and "Green Light." Solid album that defies the sophomore slump.
Sample Track - "Homemade Dynamite" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQsJ_FCCIMQ
7. Yung Lean - Stranger: Ok despite a lot of people disliking Yung Lean's music, I've always really enjoyed it. This album was no exception. I feel like I've watched Lean grow as an artist and this album really shows how much he has grown. After Warlord, which I still enjoyed, I felt myself longing for some softer, classic Lean. Something that felt like Unknown Memory or even Unknown Death 2002 without leaving behind his improved flow and holding on to a sprinkle the trap influence he had displayed on Warlord. This album feels like an amalgamation of all of the sounds Yung Lean has displayed thus far. Hit and miss for some, but I really enjoyed the vast majority of this album. If you haven't listened to Yung Lean before, this is a great starter album as well.
Sample Track - "Skimask" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVIYe_KeQD0
6. Bones - FAILURE: I will say right off the bat, if you don't like Bones already, you probably won't like this album or understand why I like it. It's odd, dark, seems like a mixtape. Mostly because it's all of those things! I'm not gonna linger on this one too long, but I will say for rap fans, this is probably one of the more accessible albums that Bones has put out. I, as a longtime Bones fan have often had trouble picking an album to introduce Bones to people with. This one. This is the one. Check it out and I think you'll find something neat there!
Sample Track - "Resurrection" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9a0kvOhnNg
5. Kirin J Callinan - Bravado: I'm a bit new to the world of Kirin. I regret that a lot thanks to this album. Fantastic 80s-esque alternative pop/rock/some kinda country/synth album. Despite my use of the term 80s-esque, this album doesn't feel like a throwback or like it's shoving the 80s down your throat. It doesn't rely on forced nostalgia or references. Hell, it doesn't even sound like many other musicians I've ever heard. Now, this sounds contradictory, but the MINUTE you listen to a song off of this album, you will see what I mean. Now, one of the songs off this album has become a bit of a meme, so despite loving "Big Enough," I will be instead linking to a different, but every bit as good track.
Sample Track - "Bravado" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4GbqWdwmHc
4. BROCKHAMPTON – SATURATION III: Some people would probably be surprised that I didn't hop on the BROCKHAMPTON train sooner. Honestly, the first two albums were great, but I didn't really even listen to them until someone showed me the third. After that I was hooked. Bought all 3 SATURATION albums. For those unaware, BROCKHAMPTON is a rap-based boyband, consisting of 10+ members in various roles, from vocalists, to writers, to production. In 2017, they released 3 albums, SATURATION 1-3. They have this super cool aesthetic to all their videos and songs, which are all various styles of rap. Yet, despite all their songs having a unique sound, you always KNOW it's BROCKHAMPTON. That's something special.
Sample Track - "BOOGIE" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cucHc2vef4
3. King Gnu - Tokyo Rendez-Vous: A lot of people are probably completely unaware that this band exists and it's a damn shame. I first discovered them at Japan Nite 2017 under a completely different name (Srv.Vinci) and thought they were amazing. They are a 4 piece band from Japan, blending genres such as funk, rock, rap, soul, and a few others I can't even figure out. Now normally such a mish-mash of sound would turn me off. I'm all for mixing genres but too many cooks...you know the rest. However, King Gnu does this so masterfully, that I can't stop recommending them to people. Beyond description.
Sample Track "Vinyl" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLAw8Ct9k48
2. Oh Sees - Orc: Best rock album of the year. Hands down. Previously, Thee Oh Sees, Oh Sees has given an extremely energetic album with Orc. It feels like t floats from surf rock and lo-fi punk to psychadelic rock and some kind of doom metal. It's nuts! It also doesn't let up for a second. The whole album you are just ready for more. Each track feels new, exciting, and like a roller coaster. This one was almost my number one pick. Very very hard choice.
Sample Track - "Nite Expo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8hf8HBeFSE
1. Tyler, The Creator - Scum Fuck Flower Boy: You may know this album as Flower Boy, as it's listed on most digital retailers. You may also know it as "Jesus Aalto! Shut up about that album for a day." I'm sorry. I won't and I can't. I've always liked Tyler, The Creator. His albums were always decent to good for me. Never, not in a million years though, would I have thought I'd LOVE an album of his this much though. Remember when Tyler put out songs with a jazzy feel earlier on? I was one of those people who thought. "God just make a whole album of this. Please." This is the answer to my prayers. Every album on this track is great. There isn't a dip or a lull for me. From more upbeat tracks, to slow numbers, to a track with a beat that sounds like old horror movie music, this whole album is a treat. Go listen to it if you haven't. It's bliss.
Sample Track - "911/Mr. Lonely" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMb3k-Wwvg
NyanQuill
~nyanquill
I own three of these guess which ones
