2017 has come and gone, and it’s left us with some really great music. Here are my favorites.
Elder – Reflections of a Floating World
A masterful piece of psych-metal that’s as exploratory as it is heavy
Slowdive – Slowdive
The return nobody thought to ask for that ended up being my favorite Slowdive album.
Fleet Foxes – Crack-up
The most intricately composed work they’ve ever given. Abstract and wonderful.
Cool Hand Luke – Cora
My favorite band from high school is back with bigger beats and sleeker basslines, but all of the hard hitting songwriting is in tact.
Salt Creek – Where Strangers Go
Indie rock that walks the line between shoegaze, post rock, and post-hardcore. I’ve been waiting on this EP for a while
Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins
Their always brilliant psych pop is back. They have yet to disappoint.
Jeremy Enigk – Ghosts
Is this his most focused solo release? Maybe. It also gets closer to SDRE than he’s gotten in years.
Pallbearer – Heartless
Their doomy palette is broader here, with faster tempos and more aggressive riffs.
Naal – A703
A piece of ambient post rock that is as heartbreaking as it is subdued.
Boy Rex – Better Vision
Nostalgia set to pure exuberance. The best summertime record of the year.
The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Exactly the same Americana+Krautrock=Profit format he’s used in the past, but his songwriting is more focused than ever.
All is Well – I Swear Someday
Intricate math rock that aims for the heart too.
Planning for Burial – Beneath the House
Slow, plodding, and heavy doomgaze that doesn’t have to muddy it up with distortion and screaming all the time.
Self-Proclaimed Narcissist – I Am the End Boss
Is the saddest folk punk record ever? Maybe.
Glassjaw – Material Control
The comeback of the year, with their most aggressive and relentless album of their career.
King Woman – Created in the Image of Suffering
Melodic doomgaze that is as hypnotic as it is heavy.
Room & Board – There’s No One Else That You’ll Ever Be (And If You Can Hang With That You’ll Do Fine)
Dancy indie rock twitching with 60s nostalgia.
Brand New – Science Fiction
Scandal aside, this record is an alt rock masterpiece. The work of a band who knows that a return to form doesn’t mean a retread of their earlier stuff.
Gorillaz – Humanz
Their most political and apocalyptic release ever, in a global climate that needs some more dancing. Grace Jones is on this, you guys.
SPACESHIPS – Son of Man
Ain’t too proud to put my own record on my year end list. It IS the most important record to me that came out this year.
The return nobody thought to ask for that ended up being my favorite Slowdive album.
Fleet Foxes – Crack-up
The most intricately composed work they’ve ever given. Abstract and wonderful.
Cool Hand Luke – Cora
My favorite band from high school is back with bigger beats and sleeker basslines, but all of the hard hitting songwriting is in tact.
Salt Creek – Where Strangers Go
Indie rock that walks the line between shoegaze, post rock, and post-hardcore. I’ve been waiting on this EP for a while
Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins
Their always brilliant psych pop is back. They have yet to disappoint.
Jeremy Enigk – Ghosts
Is this his most focused solo release? Maybe. It also gets closer to SDRE than he’s gotten in years.
Pallbearer – Heartless
Their doomy palette is broader here, with faster tempos and more aggressive riffs.
Naal – A703
A piece of ambient post rock that is as heartbreaking as it is subdued.
Boy Rex – Better Vision
Nostalgia set to pure exuberance. The best summertime record of the year.
The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Exactly the same Americana+Krautrock=Profit format he’s used in the past, but his songwriting is more focused than ever.
All is Well – I Swear Someday
Intricate math rock that aims for the heart too.
Planning for Burial – Beneath the House
Slow, plodding, and heavy doomgaze that doesn’t have to muddy it up with distortion and screaming all the time.
Self-Proclaimed Narcissist – I Am the End Boss
Is the saddest folk punk record ever? Maybe.
Glassjaw – Material Control
The comeback of the year, with their most aggressive and relentless album of their career.
King Woman – Created in the Image of Suffering
Melodic doomgaze that is as hypnotic as it is heavy.
Room & Board – There’s No One Else That You’ll Ever Be (And If You Can Hang With That You’ll Do Fine)
Dancy indie rock twitching with 60s nostalgia.
Brand New – Science Fiction
Scandal aside, this record is an alt rock masterpiece. The work of a band who knows that a return to form doesn’t mean a retread of their earlier stuff.
Gorillaz – Humanz
Their most political and apocalyptic release ever, in a global climate that needs some more dancing. Grace Jones is on this, you guys.
SPACESHIPS – Son of Man
Ain’t too proud to put my own record on my year end list. It IS the most important record to me that came out this year.