B&C Best of 2017 - Discussion Thread

[GirlsAloudFan]

1. Twin Peaks: Music From the Limited Event Series - 15 points (Fuck you, Albert.)

2. U2 - Songs of Experience - 13 points (My favorite band of all-time released a hell of an honest and uplifting album with only a couple of shit tracks.)

3. Paramore - After Laughter - 13 points (Hayley's even more depressed and resigned to fate than usual here but it's hidden beneath the surface of another thrilling collection of songs from one of the best bands of the last decade.)

4. Taylor Swift - reputation - 13 points (Her second consecutive disappointment, but the handful of killer songs on here are still the best songs written by anyone in 2017 and are enough to earn 13 points.)

5. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN - 8 points (Masterful storytelling combined with bangers that sound fucking great blasted out of rolled-down car windows.)

6. Dirty Projectors - self-titled - 7 points (Revealing and bizarre and immaculately crafted. I've always loved Longstreth's voice.)

7. The National - Sleep Well Beast - 7 points (I mean, it's THE NASH! They haven't made an album that isn't great in a really, really long time.)

8. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights - 6 points (One of the most powerful performers in music today. I think she's a world-shattering songwriter. She reminds me a lot of Taylor if Taylor took herself way more seriously.)

9. HAIM - Something To Tell You - 5 points (I had a lot of fun listening to and getting drunk/high to this album in the summer.)

10. Charly Bliss - Guppy - 4 points (A young rock band that actually feels like they're having a good time. And they didn't forget to write songs with real hooks in them!)

11. Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir - 2 points (Consistently inspired by Stephin Merritt and his weird little band.)

12. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life - 2 points (Thought "Love" was an awesome lead single, and it led to another solid bunch of songs from LDR...although I still think ULTRAVIOLENCE is her best shit.)

13. Thundercat - Drunk - 2 points (This guy is immensely talented and I'm impressed with the way this album was structured.)

14. Priests - Nothing Feels Natural - 2 points (This reminds me, in a good way, of the very best punk bands I've ever seen at cramped, shitty house show venues.)

15. Miley Cyrus - Younger Now - 1 point (I only listened to this once and it didn't make too much of an impression on me but I feel like it's tradition for me to put Miley's album on the list whenever she puts one out.)

There were a few albums released in 2017 by artists I really like that I never got around to listening to (St. Vincent, Kesha, Vince Staples, Lorde) and I feel like they would probably make this list retroactively once I check them out.

 

[LemonMelon]

Great to see the lists rolling in now.

 

[Mack_Again]

hm,nobody listed new Bjork album.

 

[nielsgov]

I did, but it didn't really stick with me.

I'll post my list tonight hopefully.

 

[cobl04]

Good to see some love for Los Camp!

 

[lazarus]

hm,nobody listed new Bjork album.

It's something I respect more than I enjoy; the last one I had the urge to listen to often was Volta.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I'll try to post a list this weekend. I feel like I still have a lot to listen to, but at some point you've gotta call it.

 

[nielsgov]

1. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up (15)
2. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me (14)
3. Lorde - Melodrama (12)
4. The National - Sleep Well Beast (11)
5. Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent (8)
6. Spinvis - Trein Vuur Dageraad (7)
7. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (6)
8. Warhaus - Warhaus (5)
9. Big Thief - Capacity (5)
10. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN (4)
11. Elbow - Little Fictions (4)
12. Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound (3)
13. Ulrika Spacek - Modern English Decoration (3)
14. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory (2)
15. James Holden & The Animal Spirits - The Animal Spirits (1)

 

[lazarus]

I'm going to preface this by repeating that the album I listened to and enjoyed the most this year is La Femme's Mystere, which came out in the autumn of 2016 but wasn't known by me until a year later. I'd easily rank it over anything listed below, and it would have given my original 2016 winner, Rihanna's Anti, a run for its money. I urge all of you to check it out if you haven't already. A real genre-bender.

With that out of the way:

1. SZA - Ctrl (13)
This is the last "eligible" album of the year I checked out, just a few weeks ago. I know some here felt it a bit overrated, but I dig it in a major way. At times it's very reminiscent of Rihanna's work, but definitely carves out its own space for the most part (and to be honest doesn't drag at times like Anti does). Really excited to keep following this career. (Fav track: Prom)

2. Gang of Youths - Go Further In Lightness (13)
It pains me to thank Cobbler for anything, but these guys played in my neighborhood earlier in 2017 and I had no clue. So hat-tip to the awful hat wearer. I don't have much use for complaints about length when it comes to movies or albums; I never mind spending more time with something that's being done well, and as long as the quality doesn't flag and the songs are varied enough, I'll stick around. This passes the test, and the enormous amount of emotion and passion behind these tracks helps. If it only boasted those qualities, it wouldn't be enough. But this has a lot of fist-pumping moments as well as heartbreaking ones, and builds to many crescendos. Epic new talent. (Fav track: What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?)

3. Shuttlecock - Sons of Sex Workers (12)
Here's the deal: expanding on what GAF said succinctly above, one of my favorite bands of all-time (and certainly the one I've been most obsessive about for the longest period) released an album that has 11 tracks (including the bonus one) I really, really like or love. That's hard to believe at this point, especially considering the last couple albums' weaknesses. That it also includes one of their worst songs ever (Get Out), a handful of dodgy musical/lyrical choices, and another ill-fitting track order doesn't change that first fact. It's the best I can realistically ask for. (Fav track: Red Rag Day)

4. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (10)
I don't really know what to say that hasn't been said already. I still respect Kendrick more than I enjoy him, but I find this his most pleasurable album. Do I listen to it as addictively as I listened to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? No. But I'll still measure it as a masterpiece. (Fav track: DNA)

5. Los Campesinos! - Sick Scenes (9)
My favorite artist since 2000 puts out another great album. Not a bad track, but I still rate it a little below No Blues, so they don't really contend for the high honors this year. They're not doing anything new either, but the lustre still hasn't worn off. (Fav track: For Whom The Belly Tolls)

6. Phoenix - Ti Amo (8)
The schizophrenic nature of their debut and the hard left turns on the three albums that followed made these guys unpredictable in the most satisfying way. After their biggest commercial success had them primed for a major breakout, they hit the wall and released a subpar work with the tellingly-titled Bankrupt! So this was a welcome comeback, and although it doesn't chart any territory we haven't heard before, their brand of perfect pop production and memorable hooks goes down easy. France + Italy. And the closer seems to be a personal lyric from singer Thomas Mars to his wife Sofia Coppola about the distance between two working and traveling artists. I find it moving. (Fav track: yacht rock song of the year Goodbye Soleil)

7. Ty Segal - s/t (7)
Really late to the game on this guy, despite hearing some Malkmus comparisons (which still may or may not be appropriate). But after seeing his live set at Desert Daze, I decided to check out his latest. I'm into it. (Fav track: The Only One)

8. Spoon - Hot Thoughts (7)
It's impressive how consistent they remain while still surprising with the way they let their sound breathe and expand. The most groove-based, electronically-influenced of their albums, yet you only notice the absence of guitars in retrospect because of how good they are at arranging their tracks. I don't know if it reaches the high points They Want My Soul has, but that's ok--it's a much better departure than Transference was. And late-career Bowie would be proud of the instrumental closer. (Fav track: Tear It Down)

9. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (5)
I'd rate this a lot higher if I enjoyed the last track as much as everyone else. I think it's a shameless humblebrag, personally. Anyway, it's really solid. But it didn't really surprise me in the way that This Is Happening did. This is more consistent, I suppose, without a clunker like Drunk Girls. But that previous album opens better, closes better, and has a better 3-song run in the middle. (Fav track: Call The Police)

10. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life (4)
Not for everyone, but she's always been divisive. I like this a lot more than Honeymoon and maybe not as much as Ultraviolence, but then this album has Stevie Nicks, The Weeknd, and Sean Ono Lennon on it, all on great songs. Could probably lose a couple tracks. (Fav track: Get Free--suck it, Radiohead)

11. Facial - Facade (4)
These guys are from my neighborhood of Echo Park, so you'll probably assume some local bias. They absolutely tear it up live, as each member of the trio plays guitar, bass, drums, and sings depending on what song they're playing. I'll be the only one who has them on their list, but I hope more people check them out. Comparisons to Nirvana and Joy Division on various songs are likely. (Fav track: Animals)



12. Lorde - Melodrama (3)
I never got around to hearing her first album, so I can't make any comparison there. I've only heard Royals like once. And this new one didn't start out that great for me, as I find Green Light to be a little forced. I didn't really connect with it until The Louvre at track 4, and then it just seemed to keep getting better, with a couple great ballads in Liability and Writer in the Dark, and the hard-to-resist Supercut. And then there's that perfect closer that sealed it for me. When it comes to surface pop I'll take Carly Rae in a heartbeat but Lorde is def doing something different, and darker. (Fav cut: Perfect Places)

13. Bash & Pop - Anything Can Happen (2)
After The Replacements broke up in 1991, bassist Tommy Stinson surprised all of us Mats fans by releasing his "solo" album with a new band of sessions guys, Friday Night Is Killing Me, which revealed that Paul wasn't the only Faces fan. 25 years later after wearing a lot of hats in different bands (including Guns 'n' Roses), Tommy emerges from a brief Replacements reunion and seems to pick up right where he left off, with different sessions guys but under the same name. It's still barroom rock, he can still write catchy tunes like Paul, and at his best is almost as funny. (Fav track: Breathing Room)

14. Saint Etienne - Home Counties (2)
The always-reliable pop confections of Saint Etienne, on their 9th album since starting in 1991. Just as satisfying as their recent Words & Music; that one was about their love affair with the music they grew up on, this one is an ode to the towns surrounding London and the people in them. 19 tracks with some interludes, so while clocking in under an hour it still seems like more of a grander statement from the band, though its concerns are everyday. Cheeky enough in parts as usual to offset the adult musings. (Fav track: Train Drivers In Eyeliner)

15. Guided By Voices - August By Cake (1)
A double album from a band that seems to put out three LPs a year anyway seems like some kind of joke. But this is surprisingly consistent and while I haven't been attentive enough to call this their best in a long time because I've only heard like half of their releases since the reunion, it's the one I just happened to land on. (Fav track: Goodbye Note)


EPs of the Year:
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - The French Press
Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference


Albums I liked a lot that didn't quite make the cut:
Bjork - Utopia
Jay-Z - 4:44
Jesus and Mary Chain - Damage & Joy
Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder
Tennis - Yours Conditionally
St. Vincent - Masseduction
Charli XCX - Pop 2
Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life

LOL:
Arcade Fire - Everything Now

 

[LemonMelon]

Kendrick above Los Camp and Phoenix on a Laz list. What a time to be alive.

Crazy that DAMN seems to have a good shot at winning this when TPAB ended up relatively low.

 

[Axver]

Alright, here's my list.

1. Blood Command - Cult Drugs (15 points)

A riveting amalgam of angry, fiery hardcore with massive hooks and danceable choruses. Nobody is making heavy music like Blood Command.

2. Deafcult - Auras (13)

In a year when some of shoegaze's biggest hitters returned with great albums, this Aussie newcomer still outdid the lot.

3. Ride - Weather Diaries (11)

I was dreading this album, totally convinced it would suck, and that shitty new songs would push much better old classics out of their live setlist. Instead it's Ride's second-best ever, after Nowhere; "Lannoy Point" overnight entered my Ride top five. Never would've believed this.

4. The Orbweavers - Deep Leads (11)

This should be remembered as one of the great Aussie albums. The Orbweavers shift from indie folk into dream pop territory to conjure up places, stories, and landscapes from Australia's past and from its geology. The sense of place is perfect. Anybody who went outside a major city during the Millennium Drought will feel the sights and sounds of the parched countryside all over again when they play "The Dry".

5. Bullet Height - No Atonement (7)

Pure Reason Revolution are back... sort of. I had made my peace with the demise of the band that had made my favourite album of all time, so it feels weird having this. But in a good way. Bullet Height very much pick up where the latter two PRR albums left off.

6. Fazerdaze - Morningside (7)

Amelia Murray is a lovely person who makes lovely music. Frank, honest indie rock steeped in New Zealand's distinctive musical tradition.

7. Mermaidens - Perfect Body (7)

Hypnotic, darkly psychedelic tunes that toy with their subjects and your ears. Mermaidens are at their best when they get ominous and almost occultic, as on "Perfect Body", "Lizard", or "Satsuma". Your perfect body won't save you now.

8. Slowdive - Slowdive (7)

Slowdive's best album ever, and "Sugar for the Pill" is their best song ever. I thought this would be one of my weird controversial opinions but I've been amazed how many people I've spoken to who will agree with at least one of those two claims. What a year it has been for shoegaze.

9. Citizen - As You Please (5)

The emo revival of the past few years has been incredibly rewarding, but I really wouldn't have expected an emo band dabbling in grunge to make something nearly this good, or fresh-sounding.

10. Panda Riot - Infinity Maps (4)

First, what a great band name. Second, what an unexpectedly danceable shoegaze album, with immaculate layers.

11. Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life (3)

There are some missteps - "Yuk Foo" is like a shit "Fluffy", and "Beautifully Unconventional" is the most bland and generic song Wolf Alice have ever recorded. But when you have songs as good as "Heavenward", "Don't Delete the Kisses", "Sky Musings" and "St Purple and Green", some missteps are forgivable. It's not My Love Is Cool, but it's still a good album.

12. Ali Barter - A Suitable Girl (3)

Ali Barter is one of the most vital artists in Australia right now. She is outspoken on women's rights, health, and feminism, and while so many artists are advancing these causes in the underground, Barter packages them in radio-friendly foot-tappers that can reach wider audiences.

13. Save Ends - A Book About Bad Luck (3)

The best emo band nobody is listening to.

14. Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar (3)

Ulver keep reinventing themselves, but no matter what they do, there is always this intangible and distinct character. And this album, made in the tradition of Depeche Mode and eighties synthpop, is one of the most masterful things they have ever done. Besides the precision of its composition, the layers of interpretation within the lyrics are thoroughly fascinating.

15. Palehorse/Palerider - Burial Songs (1)

Doomgaze is not a thing. Burial Songs proves that doomgaze should be a thing.

Honourable mentions:

Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound (indie rock/post-hardcore)
Dryjacket - For Posterity (emo)
Kaleida - Tear the Roots (synthpop)
Marnie - Strange Words and Weird Wars (synthpop)
Nadia Reid - Preservation (folk)
Pale Honey - Devotion (indie pop)
Sannhet - So Numb (post-rock)
Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm (indie rock)
Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven (atmospheric black metal)
The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Always Foreign (emo)
...and a hella lot more.

Best non-album songs released in 2017:

Endless Heights - "You Coward" (post-hardcore)
Glass Diamonds - "Lunar Dremes" (glittery disco synth fun)
Hatchie - "Sure" (indie dream pop)
Laedj - "Laser Eyes" (mathy shoegaze space rock madness)
Lowtide - "Alibi" (pristine shoegaze)
Priest - "White Wing Dove" (synthpop)
Purity Ring - "Asido" (haunted synthpop)
Salad Boys - "Exaltation" (jangle pop)
Totty - "Riff" (alt rock)
Woodes - "Dots" (synthpop)
Young Ejecta - "Build a Fire" (synthpop) - my favourite song of the year

Some of these will be on an album - "Exaltation" already is, on Salad Boys' January 2018 release This Is Glue. But others are stand-alones. And all deserve a nod, as they were a huge part of my listening in 2017.

 

[iron yuppie]

Adding points, which I forgot to do before...

1. Kendrick Lamar: DAMN (15)
2A. The National: Sleep Well Beast (13)
2B. Slowdive: S/T (13)
4. St. Vincent: Masseduction (11)
5. Big Thief: Capacity (10)
6. Arca: S/T (8)
7. LCD Soundsystem: American Dream (7)
8. Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (6)
9. Torres: Three Futures (5)
10. Perfume Genius: No Shape (3)
11. Iron & Wine: Beast Epic (3)
12. Spoon: Hot Thoughts (2)
13. Destroyer: Ken (2)
14. Charlotte Gainsbourg: Rest (1)
15. Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds from Another Planet (1)

 

[cobl04]

for my full thoughts (best albums, best songs, best gigs, worst albums - god, that one was fun to write) read my blog post - https://ramblingsfromdjp.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/2017-in-music-the-year-that-was/

but for the sake of our little comp...

1. Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness (15)
2. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (14)
3. The National - Sleep Well Beast (12)
4. Los Campesinos! - Sick Scenes (10)
5. Ali Barter - A Suitable Girl (9)
6. Kardajala Kirridarra - Kardajala Kirridarra (8)
7. Tyler - Scum Fuck Flower Boy (8)
8. St Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (5)
9. Visible Cloaks - Reassamblage (5)
10. Kendrick - DAMN. (3)
11. Sampha - Process (3)
12. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice (3)
13. Thundercat - Drunk (2)
14. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - French Press (2)
15. Torres - Three Futures (1)

 

[Joey788]

Awesome list Cobbler. I'm in full agreement with you about "New York." That song gets better and better every time I hear it.

Also, before I even got to the number one of Most Disappointing Albums, I had a feeling it would be Arcade Fire! I think that may be Interference's biggest disappointment of the year overall. My review of a 6/10 was far, far too generous. Only "Put Your Money On Me" and "We Don't Deserve Love" have any staying power.

 

[lazarus]

for my full thoughts (best albums, best songs, best gigs, worst albums - god, that one was fun to write) read my blog post - https://ramblingsfromdjp.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/2017-in-music-the-year-that-was/

but for the sake of our little comp...

1. Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness (15)
2. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (14)
3. The National - Sleep Well Beast (12)
4. Los Campesinos! - Sick Scenes (10)
5. Ali Barter - A Suitable Girl (9)
6. Kardajala Kirridarra - Kardajala Kirridarra (8)
7. Tyler - Scum Fuck Flower Boy (8)
8. St Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (5)
9. Visible Cloaks - Reassamblage (5)
10. Kendrick - DAMN. (3)
11. Sampha - Process (3)
12. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice (3)
13. Thundercat - Drunk (2)
14. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - French Press (2)
15. Torres - Three Futures (1)

1. Gang of Youths over your precious LCD? I am shooketh.

2. I thought EPs were ineligible (not sure why it matters, tbh), because I prob would have found room in my Top 15 for Rolling Blackouts.

3. Is “Scum Fuck Flower Boy” an actual album title, or is that just what all your friends call you?

 

[cobl04]

1. Gang of Youths over your precious LCD? I am shooketh.

2. I thought EPs were ineligible (not sure why it matters, tbh), because I prob would have found room in my Top 15 for Rolling Blackouts.

3. Is “Scum Fuck Flower Boy” an actual album title, or is that just what all your friends call you?

1. Yep. I loved the album that much. LCD would have won it most other years.

2. I've never followed that rule. It's fucking stupid, with you, don't know why it matters. Pink Moon is like a few minutes longer than that Rolling Blackouts EP. If I enjoy an EP, I put it in.

3. It's the real title of the album, although yes, my friends do call me that.

 

[Axver]

2. I thought EPs were ineligible (not sure why it matters, tbh)

You're the one who argued with me in the past when I pushed for EPs to be eligible.

 

[cobl04]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

 

[lazarus]

 

[u2popmofo]

Because I’m an idiot who can’t remember, is 15 points the max you can give an album?

 

[cobl04]

yes

 

[HeartlandGirl]

1. Joywave - Content (15)

Cohesive, relevant, and shows some unexpected emotional depth. When I first heard "Doubt," I knew it would be my jam of the year. If you can make it past the title track/opener, you'll find an extraordinarily listenable record that makes you think and meets you in that middle place between feeling great and feeling terrible. My best friend loves them, my yoga students love them, my 7th graders love them, I love them. Cannot wait to see them this weekend for the Las Vegas/Phoenix double dip.

Favorite Tracks: Doubt, Let's Talk About Feelings, Shutdown, Rumors

2. Lana Del Rey - Lust for Life (13)

I'm the opposite of Laz here. The features detract from this album for me. I'm fine with The Weeknd, but I usually skip the songs with Stevie Nicks and Sean Lennon. And there were so many times I thought this would be my number one album of the year, but I would think, "I can't give number one to any record that contains the lyrics 'I knew she'd notice like I missed the payment / Dang it/ But bang it like my fingers...'" Nope. All that said, I adore Lana. I find this record more compelling than Honeymoon, but it could be awhile, if ever, before she tops Ultraviolence. This is a lovely and gentle middle ground.

Favorite Tracks: Heroin, Cherry, 13 Beaches, White Mustang

3. Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine (12)

This is the album I wish The Killers had made this year. The rock songs actually rock, and the ballads show some vocal and emotional range from the lead singer. I also enjoy the various themes of the record, including messed up romances, politics, and mental health, or lack thereof.

Favorite Tracks: Amsterdam; Particles; Sorry; Hell, Yeah

4. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (12)

Nothing to add to all the praise that's been deservedly heaped upon this rap masterpiece. I didn't revisit it as often as I did Good Kid, Madd City, but I still played it a lot.

Favorite Tracks: DNA, Yah, Loyalty, Humble

5. Ryan Adams - Prisoner (11)

The private lives of famous people are none of our business, but I sincerely hope Ryan is living his best life after his divorce and the album it produced. This is a beautiful return to form for Ryan, and the B-Sides album is almost just as good. He makes songwriting look effortless, and maybe it is for him, except the part where he had to live through it to tell the tale.

Favorite Tracks: Shiver and Shake, Anything I Say to You Now, Do You Still Love Me?, We Disappear

6. Thievery Corporation - The Temple of I & I (8)

Some of their best sounds in years. Everything from the raps to the grooves to the vocalists' deliveries to the cover art - nothing is left unconsidered. If you've been sleeping on Thievery Corp, it's time to wake back up.

Favorite Tracks: Letter to the Editor, Time + Space, Thief Rockers, Let the Chalice Blaze

7. Missio - Loner (6)

Was not expecting to like this record at all, but I relate to it more than I care to admit. I also hear some Lana Del Rey influences here, which were confirmed for me when Missio covered "West Coast." Perfect music for your 40-minute soul-crushing commute in the dark.

Favorite Tracks: KDV, I Do What I Want, Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea, I Don't Even Care About You

8. Sylvan Esso - What Now (6)

Although the electronic noise gets a bit much at times, I love the vocals on this record. The lyrics are savvy and innocent all at once, and I enjoy the dissonance between the sweetness of the songs and the darkness of the lyrics. Die Young is a perfect example.

Favorite Tracks: Die Young, Kick Jump Twist, Radio, Just Dancing

9. U2 - Songs of Experience (6)

This seems like an apt place for that Yogi Berra quote about pizza. Even when U2 are not at their best, they've still pretty fucking good.

Favorite Tracks: Red Flag Day, Love Is All We Have Left, Summer of Love, Lights of Home

10. Sir Sly - Don't You Worry, Honey (3)

Some catchy singles have made me keep coming back to this one.

Favorite Tracks: Trippin', &Run, High, Astronaut

11. Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Revival (2)

I so wanted to adore this album, but it's not as compelling as the singles would lead you to believe. Some beautiful tracks here, though.

Favorite Tracks: Killing Me to Love You, Lung

12. Tori Amos - Native Invader (2)

There are a few gems here to be discovered by fans who have stuck with Tori this long. The songs she played from this one live when I saw her in November sounded fantastic.

Favorite Tracks: Reindeer King, Climb, Breakaway

13. The Killers - Wonderful, Wonderful (2)

I like the singles. That's all I got.

Favorite Tracks: The Man, Run for Cover

14. K.Flay - Every Where Is Some Where (1)

A fine enough record that might be a touch too long. Deserves a point for having a song titled "The President Has a Sex Tape."

Favorite Tracks: Blood in the Cut, Champagne, Hollywood Forever

15. Beck - Colors (1)

There will be some judgment, but I'll admit it. This is the first Beck album I've listened to in its entirety, and I did so only after seeing him open for U2. I've always respected him but never entirely connected to his music. I found this record to be accessible and fun, and I appreciated that. And Wow kicks ass.

Favorite Tracks: Wow, Colors, Dreams

Best EP: Yaeji - EP2

If we were allowed to count EPs, oh man. I don't know what possessed me to click through when I read the description of "Drink I'm Sippin On" while scrolling through Pitchfork's best singles of 2017 list, but I thank the gods every day that I did. Yaeji is my queen, and I am here to profess my loyalty as her humble subject.

 

[Lancemc]

Oh wow, this is still taking lists. I’ll try to get something in tomorrow

 

[lazarus]

6. Thievery Corporation - The Temple of I & I (8)

Some of their best sounds in years. Everything from the raps to the grooves to the vocalists' deliveries to the cover art - nothing is left unconsidered. If you've been sleeping on Thievery Corp, it's time to wake back up.

Favorite Tracks: Letter to the Editor, Time + Space, Thief Rockers, Let the Chalice Blaze

Had no idea about this, I'm a fan from way back. Can't remember the last album of theirs I heard but I think it had a lot of guests on it, like Wayne Coyne.

Oh wow, this is still taking lists. I’ll try to get something in tomorrow

Nice.

 

[Lancemc]

1/2. Charli XCX - Pop 2 (15)
Number 1 Angel (15)
3. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN (10)
4. Lorde - Melodrama (10)
5. SZA - Ctrl (5)
6. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory (5)
7. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream (5)
8. Arca - Arca (5)
9. Bjork - Utopia (5)
10. Kelela - Take Me Apart (5)
11. Run the Jewels - RTJ3 (5)
12. CupcakKe - Queen Elizabitch (5)
13. U2 - Songs of Experience (5)
14. Tove Lo - Blue Lips (5)

I think I did the numbers part right

 

[Danny Boy]

Because I’m an idiot who can’t remember, is 15 points the max you can give an album?

Unless it’s from Oasis.

 

[u2popmofo]

Unless it’s from Oasis.

Lolz. I’ll post my stupid list tonight.

 

[iron yuppie]

Liam Gallagher: As You Were - 1,000,000,000 points.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

11. Run the Jewels - RTJ3 (5)

I didn't put this on my list because it was released in 2016 (at least in the US), but goddamn, it's so good. Spotify had it as my most listened to album of 2017.

Looking forward to mofo's list.

 

[LemonMelon]

With Scumbo's list, we'll have 16. Considering last year's winner had 16 votes and the power of the INTERFERENCE HIVE MIND, we must not be far off track this year.