B&C Best of 2017 - Discussion Thread

[LemonMelon]

I do know about his backstory. It's very saddening. But that doesn't mean he picks fresh, interesting imagery or handles meter well. Just take a look at the lyrics for The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows. It's an overstuffed wall of purple prose, with an occasional swear dropped in to make it sound like a human being wrote it. No amount of autobiography could make me love those lyrics, but the music masks it pretty damn well.

I hate that I'm that guy shitting on the album, because I have it in my top 25. The guy has a great ear for melody and a potent band.

[lazarus]

I don't have an issue with the length of this album OR Teens of Denial.

I'm waiting on one more listen before I make my official list. That's the Rolling Blackouts album which I ordered a CD of online (was cheaper than the MP3s), and hopefully it doesn't arrive too late after the Xmas rush.

Not sure if I'm going to have a legit #1 this year. In all honesty it's the La Femme album, which had the audacity to come out in the fall of 2016 before I was paying attention. But the normal contenders (Los Campesinos!, Shuttlecock) aren't quite stellar enough to set themselves apart for that designation, as much as I enjoy them.

BTW all you Los Angeles peeps, La Femme is playing a FREE show at Zebulon next Saturday night. Really cool venue:

https://www.ticketfly.com/event/1615...s-los-angeles/

[martha]

La Femme--French? album named Mystere? I forgot what you said and I can't find the post right now.


Kind of disco-y?

[lazarus]

Yes that's the album. It has a lot of different styles on it, which makes the extensive length less of a slog than it would be.

Pitchfork never reviewed it but here's a decent write-up:

Reviews La Femme MYSTÈRE

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTMSguDFlMI

[Axver]

Originally Posted by LemonMelon

Just take a look at the lyrics for The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows.

Just look at the title.

All I can see is a copyeditor's red pen asking "can a shadow be frank? Amend."

Also, if you need to know the backstory to get the lyrics properly - whether it's Gang of Youths or SOE, both of which are having this argument made about them - then the lyrics need to be improved. The backstory should be enlivening for a serious fan, not something that makes or breaks the level of appreciation for any old listener.

[cobl04]

I’m being overly harsh anyway. It’s just because I love it so much; I haven’t fallen for an artist this hard since Sufjan, and that was nearly three years ago.

The music is indeed what makes it. The lyrics are completely stuffed with the sort of life-affirming wordery that I’ve criticised from other artists before. But in this case it works. It’s genuine. It’s the conviction in the delivery, the backstory and absolutely the music that makes it so great imo.

[Axver]

Originally Posted by cobl04

The music is indeed what makes it. The lyrics are completely stuffed with the sort of life-affirming wordery that I’ve criticised from other artists before. But in this case it works. It’s genuine. It’s the conviction in the delivery, the backstory and absolutely the music that makes it so great imo.

Hard to tell if this is about Gang of Yoofs or SOE.

[iron yuppie]

Originally Posted by Axver

Also, if you need to know the backstory to get the lyrics properly - whether it's Gang of Youths or SOE, both of which are having this argument made about them - then the lyrics need to be improved. The backstory should be enlivening for a serious fan, not something that makes or breaks the level of appreciation for any old listener.

This x1000000. I haven't heard this particular album, but a lot of people in EYKIW need to have this repeated to them several times over re: SOE.

[nielsgov]

My top ten tracks in an order that should flow kinda well. I don't think there's anything too surprising in there except for one Dutch and one Belgian artist which I always put in to be at least somewhat original.


Mount Eerie - Real Death (This track has made me cry several times, which I can't recall any other song ever doing.)

Alt-J - Adeline (Fuck the haters.)

Fleet Foxes - Third of May / Odaigahara (Contains life-affirming lyrics such as: To be held within one's self is deathlike, oh I know.)

Spinvis - Stefan en Lisette (A story about a boy and a girl (in Dutch sadly) with lots of funny lines. The music's good too.)

Big Thief - Shark Smile (A song about someone dying in a car crash.)

Cloud Nothings - Enter Entirely (Has the best coda of 2017.)

Rhinos Are People Too - L.A. Confidential (If you like shoegaze and dreamy pop music, please listen to this: link. The song is catchy as hell and the video is pretty funny too.)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Anthem for No State (No band can make post-rock songs as epic as this.)

Kendrick Lamar feat. U2 - XXX. (Hey, U2 made my top 10!)

Lorde - Perfect Places (Lorde writes and anthem for today's youth and succeeds even though I can't really relate. That's some feat.)

[Axver]

Originally Posted by nielsgov

Rhinos Are People Too - L.A. Confidential (If you like shoegaze and dreamy pop music, please listen to this: link. The song is catchy as hell and the video is pretty funny too.)

Ooh nice rec. I'm playing their album through right now, seems like good stuff.

[nielsgov]

Yeah, the album is pretty good too although nothing comes close to L.A. Confidential imo.

And ha, I bet you're the first person in Oceania listening to them. Even in Belgium, they're basically unknown.

[cobl04]

I'm ready to go, let's do this shit. Gonna be a fucking stretch getting to 15 though. On doing my list I really only super loved four records, and I can do a solid top nine or 10 but it's peanuts after that.

[Axver]

Originally Posted by cobl04

I'm ready to go, let's do this shit. Gonna be a fucking stretch getting to 15 though. On doing my list I really only super loved four records, and I can do a solid top nine or 10 but it's peanuts after that.

Listen to more music.

I was going to limit my list to 50 but it's going to be at least 60.

[cobl04]

That's just it.... this year I discovered that method doesn't work for me. At all. I tried to keep a log of all the albums I wanted to listen to it and it was just too many. And then I'd try to listen to one and I'd go 'oh this is good' but then in one ear out the other. So one of my goals for 2018 is to try not to be so anal in the way I listen to music. It might work for you, LM, others, but it just made me depressed

[lazarus]

I’m close to making a list but I feel like I should hear that SZA album first?