Top 50 Albums of 2017

#50: Angels 9: Disappeared Behind the Sun Structure is found in the chaos of Angles 9's album Disappeared Behind the Sun. The album sounds like a Big Band was thrown into a blender and put back together in a random manner. The result is something actually wonderful to listen t

o and innovative. #49: Fleet Foxes: Crack Up Crack Up is an interesting album. It is obviously inspired by folk artists of the past rather than folk artists of the last massive wave that overtook the music industry. It sounds noticeably less “indie”, and as mentioned before, the vocal harmonies are much more stripped back in favor of instrumentalisation or faint touches of horns, strings, and distinct elements of “chamberness”. It puts a fresh face to an extent on a band with a sound that became so recognizable that it almost seemed impossible for them to change it entirely. #48: Freddie Gibbs: You Only Live 2wice Freddie Gibbs is one of the more important rappers of the 2010s and You Only Live 2wice further cements him into that status. Although the album is not as sonically great as his previous releases, You Only Live 2wice really develops itself as being the best Trap Rap album this year by being so different from the rest of the material being released in the genre right now. You Only Live 2wice is artfully produced and crafted. It's also enjoyable as hell. #47: Awa Poulo: Poulo Warali Poulo Warali is the debut album for West African musician Awa Poulo and showcases beautiful attention to the rhythmic and traditional. Poulo Warali is a fun, easygoing world music album that is worth a listen. #46: Chelsea Wolfe: Hiss Spun Hiss Spin is Chelsea Wolfe's best album yet. On Hiss Spin Chelsea embraces the darkness that put her on the map as well as a newfound harshness that is well founded on the album. Hiss Spun becomes truly a textured "dark pop" album as a result. #45: The Telescopes: As Light Return Time honored Shoegaze band The Telescopes return this year with their new drone LP As Light Return. As Light Return is a deeply hypnotic, bassy, and enveloping drone album that does its best at drawing the listener in. Although musically not much happens on As Light Return The Telescopes seem to do their best at crafting layered repetitive drone. #44: La La: Zamba Puta Zamba puta is a short, solid, and beautifully conscious MPB album laced in modern Indie Pop sensibilities that's definitely worth checking out. Never overstaying its welcome Zamba puta has an obvious emphasis on songwriting as well as production. The end result is something not to scoff at. #43: Falls of Rauros: Vigilance Perennial I love the clear train of thought behind Vigilance Perennial. Listening to the album it feels like you are moving in a constant direction forward. The production on this album is really great as well, adding to its density and strength. #42: Nadia Reid: Preservation Preservation manages to showcase Nadia Reids skill at a songwriter and as an arranger with an ear for developing great dreamy atmospheres in her music. Nadia Reid's style feels part in line with many of the current contemporary female singer-songwriters releasing material, however Preservation manages to shine more brightly than most due to its solid artistic vision and because of the nostalgic feelings it evokes. #41: Jay Som: Everybody Works Everybody Works is Bedroom Pop weaponized. Following along the same lines of Car Seat Headrest, Jay Som works crafty melodies seemingly out of thin air. I look forward to seeing what is done next. #40: Ariel Pink: Dedicated to Bobby Jameson Less poppy than pom pom but retaining that obvious Ariel Pink touch, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson presents itself as an often times quirky pop album with deep seeded feeling for the subtle and sentimental. Dedicated to Bobby Jameson also feels much more conventionally quirky when compared to Pom Pom, an interesting change in pace for Pink. #39: William Basinski: A Shadow in Time A Shadow in Time finds William Basinski in a much different place than his Disintegration Loops series. On A Shadow in Time Basinski chooses to create a much more lush and melancholic album than a sparse and melancholic album like his previous albums turning over a new leaf in his sound and refining it to a much more confined space. The result is something truly beautiful. #38: The Clientele: Music for the Age of Miracles The Clientele embrace nylon over steel on Music for the Age of Miracles creating a much more folksy album than their previous records. Although I still prefer Strange Geometry and proclaim that record to be an Indie Rock masterpiece The Clientele prove that they still have the talent to release solid material in a different vein with Music for the Age of Miracles. #37: Spoon: Hot Thoughts Spoon have been an Indie Rock staple since the start of the last decade and the band has consistently released solid and moody Indie Rock on each of their albums. Hot Thoughts shows spoon embracing their moodiness and adding in much more groove to their music. Hot Thoughts is a danceable album and actually very enjoyable. #36: Adult Mom: Soft Spots Soft Spots follows the golden rule of keeping it short and simple to the extreme and it works out on the album pretty damn well. Rather than staying on overdone sounds for far too long Adult Mom confines themselves to a lesser amount of time and as a result the songs are much more enjoyable. #35: Slowdive: Slowdive This is the album I was most hyped about for in 2017 and in 2016, Slowdive as a band have been extremely important to the development of my taste and I honestly consider them to be better than MBV on a personal level. Naturally I was very excited when Slowdive dropped and I was not disappointed. Slowdive feel more like Ride on this album and embrace a much less ambient side of their music than they did with their last album before breaking up. If anything, Slowdive just feels like a more shoegaze influenced Mojave 3. #34: Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins Painted Ruins finds its success in being a much more atmospheric record than previous Grizzly Bear releases. Painted Ruins also fills a void for fans of the instrumental work of early Arcade Fire. The instrumental aspects of Painted Ruins are fantastic and help create a solid minded album. #33: Sólstafir: Berdreyminn Post-Rock is a dying genre of music. It has been for a long time. Icelandic band Solstafir's new album Berdreyminn gives me hope that not all is lost though. Berdreyminn is a much more dark take on Post-Rock that fills a similar vein as Solstafir's contemporaries like Sigur Rós. Although similar in many aspects with many other Post-Rock bands, like Sigur Ros Solstafir seems to take a much more naturalist view of the genre as opposed to an orchestral one leaving the album feeling much more fresh. #32: Sorority Noise: You're Not As _____ As You Think Sorority Noise only continues getting better on their album You're Not As _____ As You Think ditching much of the cliche Emo-Pop sensibilities that dominated their early recordings for a much more emotional outlet. The album as a result feels much more mature and focused but also keeps an atmosphere of teenage suburbia and angst that is easily relatable to. #31: Alex Cameron: Forced Witness Alex Cameron's biggest brush with widespread notoriety was the result of an internet meme in the age of irony and Forced Witness only further goes to really attach onto that sense of irony. Alex Cameron presents a often strange listen on Forced Witness that utilizes the stereotypes of 80's Heartland Rock in a humorous way creating what feels like a very sarcastic album. The music on Forced Witness is strong though and everything Cameron does on the album is done in such an artistic way that it almosts masks the sarcasm behind it leaving the listener somewhat disorcentated and uncomfortable. #30: Brockhampton: Saturation III Brockhampton are undoubtedly the most important breakout act of 2017 and possibly the last five years. The last time an artist has gotten as much widespread attention by music fans within a year of their debut this decade was when Death Grips released their material in the first half of it. SATURATION III is the third album out of the Saturation series for Brockhampton and represents their furthest step in the right direction. The material on SATURATION III is solid to say the least, but unlike previous Brockhampton releases the track listing feels the best sequenced and the tracks feel consistently the strongest. SATURATION III also is a testament to a group that works well with one another trading off verses constantly without faltering making the album as fun as it is solid. #29: Demen: Nektyr Nektyr is Demen's debut album and presents an artist who should not be slept on. Nektyr is a beautifully dark ambient pop album that follows in line with the dark pop of Jenny Hval and other artists signed to Sacred Bones Records. Nektyr also reads production wise like an Arca album. The result is something that has a great sequencing of atmosphere and really prides itself on its developed atmosphere. #28: Thurston Moore: Rock n Roll Consciousness Thurston Moore is the guitar god of Indie fans in the same way Slash is the guitar god of people typically who think that music made outside of their generation is the best. Thurston Moore further proves his greatness on Rock n Roll Consciousness as if he had something to prove otherwise. The album is a solid presentation of refined skill that only Moore can bring and it feels remarkably fresh for a man nearing his 60's. #27: Cigarettes After Sex: Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex made a massive impact on the general Dream Pop scene in 2012 with their first EP I. mixing together the loneliness of Red House Painters and dreamy atmospheres of Mazzy Star into one slow waltzing sound that gained attention online and off. Although the sound was familiar to many it managed to fit in with the popular trends of the still early decade in a different way than Beach House did with their more summery take on Dream Pop. Cigarettes After Sex was released in a much different musical landscape than 2012, yet it still manages as an album to sound fresh and interesting rather than dated and unremarkable. The darker and melancholic atmospheres developed on the album are fantastic and each song on the album is remarkably solid and enjoyable. It is clear that although the album offers nothing in the way of being truly forward thinking, what it presents is done remarkably great. #26: Gas: Narkopop Nobody expected another Gas album in 2017, afterall Wolfgang Voigt's ambient project seemed dead after the 2000 release of Gas' fantastic ambient album Pop. I was very excited however to find out that Gas was not dead and releasing more material as the previous projects had been fantastic. Narkopop sits in contrast with the mellow and springtime feeling of Pop. Unlike Pop, Narkopop is a journey through a dark forest in winter at night. Even the cover of the album suggests this when compared to the cover of Pop. For fans of deeply atmospheric ambient music this feeling is deeply welcomed and on Narkopop it is that atmosphere which really makes the album as fantastic as it is. #25: Ulver: The Assassination of Julius Caesar I love Ulver for a variety of reasons and The Assassination of Julius Caesar only serves to strengthen the main reason I love them so much as a band-their versatility. The Assassination of Julius Caesar is a dark and dense Synthpop album that feels like something some of the more arty bands of the 80's would have done. This style feels natural for the band as well and hardly forced which is important when considering Ulver is the same exact band that made one of the best Atmospheric Black Metal albums of all time Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler at the start of their career. The Assassination of Julius Caesar from start to finish feels like a walkthrough in musicianship at its finest and definitely worth a listen. #24: The Spirit of the Beehive: Pleasure Suck The Spirit of the Beehive are one of the many "nu-gaze" bands to emerge in the 2010's riffing off artists like My Bloody Valentine and various other bands in the scene. The difference with The Spirit of the Beehive and their album Pleasure Suck is that they don't try to mask the noisiness of shoegaze with catchy pop sensibilities instead choosing to embrace it and add to it. There is a lot to love about Pleasure Suck from the fluid sequencing of the album strung together by field recordings and noisy shoegaze interludes, to the swagger of the songs as their saunter along in a drunken manner. The melodies are strong but pushed back against the organized chaos of the album and all throughout there is a strong feeling of the DIY mannerisms evoked on albums like Slanted and Enchanted. The Spirit of the Beehive knows exactly what is doing and is not afraid to do it. #23: Karriem Riggins: Headnod Suite 2017 was the year that the "chill lo-fi instrumental hip hop" playlist on Youtube became popularized and than basteridized. It feels strange to say, but Instrumental Hip-Hop as a concept is at its peak right now due to websites like Soundcloud and Bandcamp and Spotify creating massive playlists of the genre. Instrumental Hip-Hop is no longer the genre of artists like J Dilla and DJ Shadow but rather the 16 minute long attempts at "musical wallpaper" made by countless artists. Karriem Riggins' album Headnod Suite feels like a brazzen push against the pedestrian attempts at Instrumental Hip-Hop that currently dominate the Spotify "chill" playlists of the internet. Headnod Suite presents songs as not merely a minute long beat run through static but rather 3 minute long tracks fleshed out into one 50 minute soundtrack. Headnod Suite truly feels like a concept rather than a unformulated thought and against the musical landscape of Instrumental Hip-Hop it's exactly what I am looking for. #22: LCD Soundsystem: American Dream American Dream is a "comeback album". American Dream has a terrible cover. American Dream feels like an aging hipsters attempt at a protest album, and American Dream against all the backlash over all these criticisms is a fantastic album that pulls off some of the best work that LCD Soundsystem has ever done in their career. Granted, American Dream will not be the defining album of LCD Soundsystem, not even close to it. The band has already embedded its reputation into concrete and the 2000's answer to the Talking Heads in a backwards, coffee shop flavored way. American Dream will not be remembered as their best album by any critic as well, but that should not put anyone off from listening to it. There is a natural flow of energy and sound on American Dream that feels seamless and feels fresh. It has a certain rhythm to it that straddles a line between Krautrock and New Wave and at times it goes into tribal territory creating a colorful palate of influence to the album. American Dream should not be slept on. It's one of the best "comeback" albums this year. #21: Arca: Arca 2017 for Arca has been a fantastic year. Between producing Bjork's album Utopia and releasing his s/t Arca it seems like Arca is at the height of his relevance at the moment. What this leads to remains unclear but if anything Arca proves that Alejandro Ghersi is able to transplant his sound anywhere and make it sound fantastic on both a production and overall artistry end. Arca is a much more personal album for the musician and in a way feels like a reflection upon himself. Arca is also radically different stylistically than 2015's chaotic and disorientating Mutant. Arca feels much closer to a Bjork album than anything else and retrospectively when looking at Bjork's latest album and Arca's side by side the similarities shine through on a surface level. Arca relies on a gradual sense of atmosphere and a vision of pop seen in a "slow release" form. Arca takes time to develop the atmosphere of his s/t, the vocals are spaced out and feel distant, and as the album moves along Arca dives into the characteristics that put him on the map in the first place. The song "Saunter" shows this in effect. It is here that Arca brings in the Industrial tinted IDM that characterized his sophomore album. Arca as an album feels like a calculated risk that payed off in the long run and has a clear sense of vision and, unlike Bjork, manages to contain its beauty developed atmosphere into digestible parts. #20: Avec le Soleil sortant de sa bouche: Pas pire pop [I ♥ You So Much] So much about Pas pire pop screams pretentious. From the name of the band itself it's hard to think that a remarkably invested sound could come out of a band that seems so inspired to be quirky. Of course, these are surface level criticism hardly based in reality for the truth is Pas pire pop is a damn good 2010's Krautrock album that riffs deeply off the more accessible side of NEU! '75. Pas pire pop finds its greatest success in being deeply rhythmic. Every song feels deeply textured as well with a mix of modern Indie Rock sensibilities as well as the Krautrock of old. The album has a solid sequencing to it as well that makes it such an enjoyable listen. #19: Tyler, The Creator: Flower Boy If you told me in 2015 that Tyler, the Creator would release one of the best rap albums of 2017 I would have laughed in your face. In fact, I think most people would have laughed at the idea of Tyler, the Creator releasing anything solid after the horrid album that was Cherry Bomb. But here we are in 2017 with Flower Boy, an album that conceptually is solid, instrumentally is fantastic, and presents Tyler, the Creator in a new light never seen before; in a mature light. Flower Boy best described feels like a classic hip hop album. This is made clear from the very start of the album all the way to the end. Not only does Flower Boy utilize the time tested West Coast Hip hop vibes of the 90's and 2000's, but it does it in a contained manner. Tyler presents the album in a 46 minute long time span never staying on a song too long and actually artistically progressing within the songs. Tyler, the Creator feels strong on Flower Boy and it is my deep seated hope that he continues along the pathway he carved out with the release of Flower Boy. #18: Oxbow: Thin Black Duke Oxbow are a time tested band releasing their first album in 1989. Oxbow's new album Thin Black Duke shows a band operating at peak artistic efficiency rather than a band which has fallen into mediocrity like many older artists so often do. Thin Black Duke is a genre hopping album which maintains consistency in its theatrically dark atmosphere. Oxbow consistently bring in new sounds ranging from the manic vocal style and "black blues" presentation of Tom Waits, the atmospheres of Unwound, and even at times concepts brought about during 90's Swans. Thin Black Duke is such a forward "rock" release in 2017 that its hard to think it was released in this decade. #17: Sampha: Process Alternative R&B this year has hit a massive peak and artists like Frank Ocean, Rex Orange County, and Sampha show why-their attention to bringing in the old and the new into one beautifully produced package. Process feels like a pure Alternative R&B record and is less influenced by rap sensibilities of the day like many other Alt R&B artists are. Rather than relying on beats and catering to a crowd more focused on dance floor bangers or top 40 megahits made by artists like The Weeknd, Sampha keeps his head in the artful presentation of music rather than the commerciable. Process is the definition of a nocturnal slow burner and from the very first song on the album it is clear that Sampha is thinking about not just the means, but the ends of creating an album. There is a logical flow to the album and each song feels like it was made with attention to detail. Instrumentally Process feels lush and enveloping. Sampha's soulful singing adds to the whole album massively as well creating something that truly feels genuine and different when compared to contemporaries. #16: Hundred Waters: Communicating Communicating takes the 2010's Indie Synth pop ideas developed by bands like CHVRCHES and Purity Ring to a much more artful end than a saccharide "top 40 but different" end resulting in a deeply textured and atmospheric album that sets itself apart from the oversaturated sounds of its contemporaries. On Communicating Hundred Waters spends time developing a strong but subtle attention to detail both vocally and instrumentally. This creates an album which is twofold in substance and enjoyable on repeated listens. It feels different to everything else being released by 2010's synthpop acts and it is which truly make the album worth taking a look at. #15: Benjamin Clementine: I Tell a Fly Benjamin Clementine has his mind set in a familiar but vastly different place than many of his fellow pop perfectionists. Rather than confining himself in the tried and true methods of modern day Art Pop musicians Clementine takes the best elements of bands of the past such as 10cc and reworks them in a modern sense resulting in an album that feels as fresh as it is familiar. I Tell a Fly is instrumentally dense, complex, and at times feels orchestral. On I Tell a Fly one gets the feeling as if Benjamin Clementine was confined to the practice room of an orchestra for a week and told to make an album. From the beautiful piano to his deeply emotive vocals Clementine embraces every small detail that he can resulting in something deeply layered and innovative. Clementine pays particular attention to each songs structure and I Tell a Fly never goes on "autopilot" but rather remains artistic through its entire runtime. #14: Rex Orange County: Apricot Princess Young talent is hard to come by right now, and by talent I mean true unfiltered talent. Before Rex Orange County was boosted into relevance by Tyler, the Creator this year most of the younger musicians born in the mid to late 90's I could think of could be found in the Trap-Rap scene, a scene which is bloated and eating itself alive with truly melodramatic and terrible artists like XXXTENTACION getting unfounded amounts of attention or, on the opposite end, artists like Lil Pump getting massive amounts of attention despite being utter idiots with no artistic credibility. I'm hardly saying this as someone who thinks that all younger musicians are automatically worse than their older and more mature contemporaries, I think Apricot Princess proves that there are emerging artists that actually possess a creative artistic vision when it comes to their music. What I am saying though is that most of the younger musicians getting attention simply do not deserve it. Rex Orange County is one of the rare younger musicians actually creating something worth listening to and he has done so in such a subtle way. This subtleness is seen in his music as well. Apricot Princess prides itself on being a soulful slow burner and an album not concerned with following in the footsteps of what everyone else is doing. Rather than being just another Alternative R&B album, Apricot Princess feels nostalgic as much as it feels fresh. Vocally the album is stellar as well and it all ties together to form something beautiful. #13: Nev Cottee: Broken Flowers Broken Flowers instrumentally is a beautiful album. Starting off with the song "Prelude", the listener is introduced to Nev Cottee's symphonic vision of a Chamber Folk album. It's a sprawling, crescendoing 1 minute and 15 second song which grab the listeners attention and flows into the melodic and deeply pastoral song "Open Eyes". Nev has a deep voice that rattles through the soundscapes that sound like a mixture of Lambchop if "Up with People" was given tranquilizers, Mojave 3 with the pastoral ambience, and even Sigur Rósif attempted to be replicated by someone into Alt-Country. The result is truly fantastic and creates an inviting listen. Nev Cottee waltzes through the album against all the melancholic lushness creating something truly and remarkably beautiful. Broken Flowers is endearingly one of the most atmospheric albums of 2017. #12: Deerhoof: Mountain Moves It helps to like Mountain Moves if you don't care for Deerhoof's earlier output. Unlike albums such as Apple O' which are wildly unconventional and at times deeply experimental, Mountain moves presents Deerhoof operating in a much more conventional light. Mountain Moves still feels like a Deerhoof album though. The album is chaotic and jumps around from song to song in no particular order so it seems, yet each song on Mountain Moves seems to work off the energy and feeling of the song which came before it and move the album forward in a steady direction. Vocally Deerhoof are much more accessible on Mountain Moves as well. My biggest gripe with Apple O came from my dislike for the high pitched and grating vocal presentation found on the album. On Mountain Moves this is toned down and as a result the album is much more pleasant on the ears. #11: James Holden & the Animal Spirits: The Animal Spirits The Animal Spirits serves as another example of why James Holden is one of the best Electronic artists of this decade alongside Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin. The Animal Spirits finds its success in keeping a well rounded Progressive Electronic sound, but adding in a mix of Krautrock, Jazz, and psychedelia. It feels like a modern and innovative take on familiar sounds being polished and integrated into a new mold. In a way, The Animal Spirits feels like a folk album, in tune with nature and in tune with something more human than most electronic music. The human element is never stated though, like it is with artists like The Caretaker who push it forward as a main element of their music with nostalgic sampling of dated music. Rather, The Animal Spirits develops a feeling of organicness that defines the atmosphere of the music turning the stereotype of electronic music being cold on its head. The Animal Spirits is a warm album instead. #10: Flotation Toy Warning: The Machine That Made Us Flotation Toy Warning are back with a follow up to their 2004 masterpiece Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck in just as good as shape creatively as when they left, in fact it feels like the band may have kept themselves in a time capsule buried in 2004 with no access to the changing tastes of music fans and style of artists. Although to many The Machine That Made Us may sound dated when compared with the popular trends of today, the album actually offers an introspective step back into a retro idea of what arty and lush Indie Rock should sound like; driven to be different from the rest of the pack. Flotation Toy Warning present The Machine That Made Us as an album that is not only introspective, but introverted. The Machine That Made Us relies on the small details rather than the large encompassing ones, and as a result something beautiful and delicately mastered is created. #9: Iglooghost: Neō Wax Bloom Neo Wax Bloom is futurist in the best way possible. Rather than doing what so many other Experimental Electronic artists have been doing, creating a limited amount of sound resulting in much spacer and less melodic songs (I.E the material on Soft Channel), Iglooghost embraces song structure and turns it on its head creating truly fun and innovative electronic music. The production value is very high on Neo Wax Bloom and the artistry of Iglooghost shines through as a result. Iglooghost playfully jumps around from sound to sound and from texture to texture on the album creating a rollercoaster of energy that never lets up from the very opening song of the album. Neo Wax Bloom stands in contrast with the rest of the experimental electronic scene as something not deeply invested in its own image as being so Post-Modernist it hurts like James Ferraro on his album Human Story 3 from last year. Neo Wax Bloom in effect makes everything else look trivial as its so focused on the musicianship and flow of sound rather than the breaking up of it into more avant-garde pieces. #8: Elder: Reflections of a Floating World Rather than simply attempting to follow in the footsteps of classic Stoner Metal artists, Elder looks to take on new influences and inspirations with Reflections of a Floating World resulting in an album that feels new and fresh.Reflections of a Floating World finds its greatest success in its sequencing and the album has a natural flow to it. Even the longer songs on the album follow the flow of the album and rather than breaking them off between shotter songs that function as interludes, Elder embrasses the album in its totality resulting in something that never becomes relaxed or rests on its laurels. Perhaps the greatest element of Reflections of a Floating World is its ability to hypnotize and drag in the listener. It's layered and lush soundscape has much to offer and even in its long runtime the album never becomes tired or lazy in its substance. #7: Bing & Ruth: No Home of The Mind Rather than presenting a more harsh vision of ambient like many of the more well known ambient artists like such as Tim Hecker have done in this decade, Bing & Ruth seeks out much more slow moving lush and beautiful soundscapes setting them apart. No Home of the Mind is a slight continuation of Bing & Ruth's previous sound found on their album Tomorrow Was the Golden Age, except on No Home of the Mind Bing & Ruth choose to rely more on waves of sound rather than layers of it. This presents much more subtle album than their previous work. One thing I have really enjoyed about Bing & Ruth in the past has been their fondness of the piano as an elemental instrument in their sound. No Home of the Mind keeps the piano, but unlike previous albums it is pushed further back in favor of much more slow burning electronic instrumentation giving No Home of the Mind an overall more "traditional" sounding ambient vibe than its predecessor. #6: Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner & James McAlister: Planetarium Relooking at albums, especially albums that are very long, can be tedious sometimes but yield fantastic results. If you had asked me midway through the year what my album of the year was going to be I would have said Planetarium. Today that is not the case, but Planetarium is still a fantastic album on a muti-facisited level. Planetarium is great because of its single minded dedication to a concept, representing the solar system in sound and not just the planets of the solar system but elements of space in general. To do this Sufjan Stevens and crew worked to develop some of the lushest suites of synths and electronics ever heard on an album. This is perhaps the best element of the album. Each song feels like it is a part of something larger than itself and every song has a natural flow of sound that keeps up for the entire duration of the album. Sufjan's vocal presentation on Planetarium is also spot on. Critics are quick to point out that the autotune sounds cheesy at times. I disagree. The manipulation of Sufjan's vocals on Planetarium actually adds to the modernity and atmosphere of the album. The vocals become just as much part of the instrumentals as the instrumentals themselves and rather than being cut and clean they too flow with the album. The only issue of Planetarium is perhaps its length and overuse of downtime to create musical "dead air". Although on a first listen this seems fine and part of developing an atmosphere upon relisten the listener finds him or herself wishing to get to the meat of the action where everything is firing at once. The subtle on this album could have been more developed than it actually is. For a geographical album however in concept it works fine. #5: Richard Dawson: Peasant Richard Dawson's Peasant is a much needed boost of creativity and originality in the revivalist folk scene that has been sweeping the music industry for the past few years. Peasant manages to tread a fine line between Comus influenced Freak-Folk and Traditional Folk held up by the use of much more modern recording techniques and clean production. Outside of being well produced, Peasant feels downright inspired, mixing different clanging instruments together and drums to form something new and original. Peasant also reads like a story, and the songs have inspired meaning behind them. Dawson truly paints a picture with song on Peasant and the result is an album with character. Rather than simply going through the motions each song on Peasant feels like it belongs to a greater concept. #4: Alvvays: Antisocialites Indie Pop has been one of the most oversaturated genres of the 2010's. So many artists are essentially doing the exact same thing but different. The equation for Indie Pop this decade is obvious. Female vocalist+indie guitars+saccharide lyricism=attention by a large group of listeners. Alvvays has always managed to be at the forefront of this sound from their inception but when viewed in light of their contemporaries has done everything right with Antisocialites proving that even further than their debut album. Antisocialites feels like the much more arty sister of Alvvays' debut album. It has a much more clear vision in mind and is not front loaded or back loaded, a problem Alvvays had in their debut. Rather Antisocialites stays consistently great throughout its rather short runtime-something that actually aids the album and leaves the listener longing to hear more. Alvvays understands that their songs can only be good for a certain amount of time before losing their starting luster, an issue many Indie Pop bands don't seem to understand in their own music. Molly Rankin's voice is also fantastic on Antisocialites and truly adds a wonderful element to the music. It feels complete, distinct, and different despite finding itself in a scene so heavily dominated by trying the be the most saccaradie (CHVRCHES) most tied to the fleeting trends of their time period (Purity Ring and now The xx), or the most like any other band that somehow gets massive attention despite not setting themselves apart. Alvvays does this in a nostalgic manner and looks backwards for influences rather than at their own contemporaries and the result pays off. Antisocialites and Alvvays find themselves meters above any other contemporary Indie Pop act. #3: Protomartyr: Relatives in Descent Protomartyr come flying back at high speed post-breakthrough with their dark, brooding, and original album Relatives in Descent a true testament to the power of universal themes in music and using influences in the correct way as opposed to attempting to be a carbon copy of those who inspire your sound. Relatives in Descent finds itself at a crux between the old and the new. On one end the album is deeply indebted to dark and dreary landscapes of Joy Division and on the other their noisy garage rock forebears of Detroit Indie Rock fame The White Stripes. Relatives in Descent also finds itself operating in a market where anything dark and dreary is placed into the musical market of being a lash out against the current political system. Joe Casey realizes this and rather than sticking in one category of all the ones mentioned above with Relatives in Descent the concepts are welded together into something much more universal and outside of the fleeting issues of the day. The result is a deeply organic revisionist Post-Punk album that has its goals set forward in a straight way never becoming too much of a "modern day attempt at Joy Division" and never an overt protest album. It's atmosphere stands alone as a testament to the albums universal vision and overall skill. Not only is the musicianship and concept of Relatives in Descent great however but so is the production. Relatives in Descent sounds clean, the drums striking, the guitar cutting, and the vocals riveting. Everything is heard by the listener and nothing is burying beneath an overdeance production style like so many rock artists have become accustomed to. Rather the density of this album comes from the music itself speaking directly for itself. #2: Glassjaw: Material Control Post-Hardcore has been missing any real energy for a long time, especially during this decade it seems to have been bogged down by its own cliches and overall mediocrity. Many Post-Hardcore bands have packed up shop to raise families since 2000 and until this year it seemed like Glassjaw had done the same. 2017 however has been the "year of the comeback album" seeing the holy trinity of Shoegaze become complete again (Ride, MBV, and Slowdive) and many other bands from the 90's and early 2000's reforming and releasing material. Glassjaw naturally was one of the last of these bands to announce a comeback with their album Material Control seeing the light of day just before Thanksgiving this year. You'd hardly know that Glassjaw have not been truly in action since George W. Bush was last in office though as the content of Material Control feels just as fresh as when Glassjaw were still a new band. For its entire runtime Material Control induges the listener in fast paced, hard hitting, and noisy Post-Hardcore that never lets up for even a single second. Material Control is off its hinges from the first notes to the last notes of the album. The best part of Material Control however is its attempt at stradling a line between the murky and loud production style seen in the genre of Noise Rock and the typical production of music in Post-Hardcore. Although both are somewhat similar, Material Control feels like it was made with Noise Rock on the top of the mind. The result pays off even though many critics say that this is a failure of the album. Rather than sounding pretty Material Control presents itself as a "in your face" kind of record which makes it very enjoyable to listen to. #1: Milo: Who Told You to Think​?​?​!​!​?​!​?​!​?​! Milo's last bar on "The Young Man has a Point" is what sets Milo apart from many other rappers in a scene so dominated by the basic themes of Trap music. Rap has generally speaking lost its way in 2017, rappers are concerned with image over message, rappers like XXXTENTACION seemed to get more attention than those with things to say and genuine artistry in mind. Not only that but cornerstones of rap such as Kendrick Lamar seem to be losing steam and creativity that put them on the map in the first place. Much of this has to do with the domination of Trap Rap in the grand scheme of things. Everything seems to be influenced by Trap now and it feels like Jazz Rap and more arty styles of rap have left the building. Milo offers a place of solace from the contemporary movement of everything and offers something as great as it is timeless with Who Told You to Think??!!?!.... On the album Milo's flow is fantastic, like T.S Eliot connecting his poetry to culture and other works in The Wasteland, Milo does the same in song referencing pop culture. This is a common criticism directed towards Milo. Some critics are quick to dismiss Milo as being "too smart for his own good" or worse just interested in showing off his chops at referencing "deep level" Indie pop culture icons. In his defence Milo's references on Pop Culture go deeper than simple reference. They serve as double entendres and they mean something in context with the music. Milo's verses truly matter in context and they are different in a contemporary scene which has deeply rooted lyrical themes in mind. The flow and sequencing of Who Told You to Think?!?... is spot on as well. Even in its 41 minute runtime every single second of the album is gripping, innovative, and laced with detail. Every beat on the album is hazy, jazzy, and forward thinking and every bar feels natural on the album to a deep extent. Everything on the album feels like it was made with a concept in mind and with deep layered artistry in mind. Rather than making "club bangers", Milo looks to create something that is as dense as it is subtle. Who Told You to Think??!!... is deeply layered on an instrumental, lyrical, and philosophical manner. It has something to say and it says it clearly. It's easy to think that Milo comes from a much more braggadocious frame of mind on the album but its well deserved. Milo is leagues above everybody else in the rap scene right now including Kendrick Lamar. Who Told You to Think??!!... is the best album of 2017, best Rap album of 2017, and the best rap album since To Pimp a Butterfly.