2017 Album of the year (discussion thread)

Followed up by…

  1. Converge
  2. Fever Ray
  3. This is the Kit
  4. Julien Baker
  5. LCD

Honourable mentions to… Florist, Nadine Shah, Scared Paws, Jane Weaver, Japanese Breakfast, Strange Ranger, Watter, Protomartyr, moon Diagrams, elbow and Blanck Mass

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Still can’t decide and time is running out. I think Japanese Breakfast have nailed down a spot since I found this:

It made me wonder, how much of an impact has seeing an artist / band live had on your selections?

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None for me. Only went to one gig and one festival this year (saw Julie Byrne, This is the Kit and Aldous Harding out of my top 10 this year, and only LCD in the past). I’d already made my mind up way before seeing those 3 tbf.

I’ve seen four of my top five live this year, with my number one (Bodies of Water) a band I’ve seen live before, but a few years ago when they last came to the UK.

Definitely seeing a great performance by a band will help add to the album, but isn’t necessary. Conversely I’ve also been too gigs where they have put me off the band/album, or at least made me like them a little less.

… having a listen/watch of that Japanese Breakfast session after seeing the string section there. The first song is really lovely! Will have a listen to their album.

It’s a lovely album tbf

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Here is the long list with thoughts. This year has been a tough year for music. I mean there is a lot of very good stuff of a very similar level making such a ranking difficult as well as tedious and pointless!


  1. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me

A incredibly raw painful album that deals with death in such an honest and brutal way. Its not an album I enjoy listening to nor really want to listen to again. Unlike most albums around death that are redeeming or abstract this is brutally mundane.

I considered whether this album should be included in this list at all because it feels almost crass to see it as art or music. But I did because its an absolutely stunning unique work. It covers issues we never really discuss. Its surprising how little art has actually captured grief in this very real romanticised way. It is a stunning and unique album. But also a painful and far too personal one.

  1. Arca- Arca

None of the Colombian producers previous albums quite hit home for me. They were too abstract. A collection of interesting sounds more then anything else. But here he has vocals for the first time. Creating songs with strange operatic vocals on top of these organic androgynous sounds. The singles Reverie and Desafío are real highlights. Beautiful catchy songs you would have never known him capable of from previous albums.

  1. Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens

Hypnotic dreamy electronic music. Like if dream pop was techno. Lovely clean production the sort that man London producers now have (Daniel Avery, Ghost Culture) but with a glazed dram like quality that her voice perfectly suits. As good to chill out to as it is to dance to.

  1. DJ Python - Dulce Compania

Do you like hypnotic chilled out ambient house? Well this is the album for you then. Wonderfully chilled out and meditative. Very much a Voices From The Lake or DJ Sprinkles vibe here. One for late nights in. Just the sort of stuff I adore.

  1. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins

Do I really have to say anything about this release? Its as good as all the other albums they have released so without a doubt the best indie rock about. The melodies are fantastic and were it not for a quite compressed digital feeling to the recordings they would probably be higher up. Neighbors and Sky Took My Hand are both amazing. Just the left field turns and craft in the songs is something very few guitar bands are doing atm. I’ve never understood why people find them difficult.

  1. Bibio - Phantom Brickworks

I have a feeling that a year on this will crack my top 5. Just wonderful minimal ambient works. Lots of distorted piano and windswept loops. Very much inspired by William Basinski. Its been soundtracking my bedtime for the past few months.

  1. Tinariwen - Elwan

While Songhoy Blues released an excellent album with one of my favorite songs of the year (Voter) that is a messy too ambitious affair. The more senior Malian group, Tinariwen, stole the show. Just loads of beautifully crafted songs you can chill to in what is arguably their best yet. The interplay between the guitar and the drums when they start to jam a bit is just sublime.

  1. Actress - AZD

What first seems like disparate fragmented work shows itself to be a deep psychological trip when in the right mood and place. Just takes you places. Theres an angel in the shower is probably the highlight. This one might take a while to click… but when it clicks…

  1. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

Few hip-hop releases took my fancy this year. I found DAMN to be disappointing although it has grown on me somewhat. It just felt like a safe record. This is anything but safe. An American artist has taken 90s UK Garage sounds. It creates an album that goes from deep and dark to euphoric and dancable like Yeah Right and Crabs in a Bucket. Wonderful.

  1. Jane Weaver - Modern Kosmology

Another excellent chilled dream poppy album except this time with a massive dollop of folk psychedelia. Slow motion is just lovely. So pretty and the second half of the album is a bit more adventures and abstract. Valley is perhaps a little too close to Fairport Convention for me but the rest is outstanding.


Overall a very good year for music. As anything from 2 to 10 could be easily swamped around. I think we can safely say its been a long year. Far too long. I feel like a very different person in a very different world. Things seem pretty real right now. It feels like political and social shifts are very much a possibility in a number of directions.

Adult life can feel alienated and scary so it would be nice if we reached out a bit more. I feel that ‘irony poising’ has deeply infected culture and it would be nice to see more sincerity and actual belief that things can change for the better with a realistic understanding that they wont otherwise. I mean im certainly going to try to be more open and nicer. Anyway its nearly 2018 here in italy. I will see you lot in the new year!

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Obviously not see you. Was copy and pasted from my facebook post

Not sure if it is just because I was paying more attention this year, but I thought it a terrific year for music. I have a list of 89 albums from this year, most of which could have made my top 5 (just posted in the non-discussion thread). Well it is Jan 1 (happy new year to one and all!), and I’d put it off for long enough already. So, plumped for a top 5 which (like many other DiSers) could have been very different on a different day (or even different hour). Couldn’t find any space for Tara Jane O’Neil, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, Daniele Luppi/Parquet Courts/Karen O and many many others.

So, now looking forward to 2018’s gems (starting - I hope - with Ty Segall later this month :grin:).

The JB performance I saw was maybe my fav of the year, and a lot more upbeat and energetic than I was expecting. Makes the album on one level seem less good (too restrained) but also now when I hear the recorded tracks I can hear the live versions as well - track 3 is especially punchy live, has a huge beat.

In short, yeah that gig made me appreciate the album more along with sort of falling in love with her!

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Saw JB at the Lexington back in 2016 and she was great, but not seen any of the other acts in my top 5 at all. Opportunities to catch them all coming up over the next few months, so hopefully can get a long to those. Must try and get along to more gigs in 2018 (probably belongs in another thread! :slight_smile: )

  1. The Church - Man Woman Life Death Infinity.
  2. The Dream Syndicate - How Did I Find Myself Here?
  3. Solstafir - Berdreyminn
  4. Cafe’ Bertrand - Qu4tre
  5. The New Year - Snow
  6. The Ghost Town Rebellion - Silver & Gold
  7. Phantom Of The Black Hills - Scalped
  8. Ghoultown - Ghost Of The Southern Son
  9. Mark Lanegan - Gargoyle
  10. Duke Garwood - Garden Of Ashes

Well that’s my year in review of what the best ones seemed to be, it’s I guess a personal choice among many amazing albums being made all through 2017.

I only just discovered Ty Segall must say was gonna include him in my top 10 faves 2017 but there was so much other choice and yep, great one buddy and yep2 I’ll pick up 2018s too!

Was also a big fan of The New Year record this year

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Only one for me but strangely I’m seeing all the other four in 2018 instead!

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There’s a new coming up by Dirtmusic which you can easily order it via HMV online to I guess perk up your pure points bigly Donald Trump may say! Lol

Feel a bit liked I’ve wasted my No.1 vote (Moses Sumney) because only one other user has included it in their five. But…it’s my favourite album this year, so it’s everyone else’s fault.

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@wonton - I know how you feel! I feel similarly about my no. 1, Juana Molina. But ultimately decided I would vote what I enjoyed the most this year, regardless of it being a potential ‘wasted vote’. I love that Moses Sumney record, but it didn’t make my top 5. Shortlisted though, and truly a terrific record. But, IMHO, and FWIW, you did right - voted with the heart …

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Same, Japanese Breakfast isn’t going to register very high at all which is a shame - but I save tactical votes for elections, not DiS polls.

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holla

everyone else needs to get down with Moses

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The Church!

Missed out on voting by a few hours. Here’s mine anyway…

Wasn’t entirely certain about mine. Particularly struggled to choose between three albums for No.5 spot: EMA’s album, Charly Bliss’s Guppy, and Madonnatron’s self-titled. Decided that Charly Bliss is the one that gives me the greater sense of joy when I put it on.

Los Campesinos! — Sick Scenes
LCD Soundsystem — American Dream
Fazerdaze — Morningside
Wolf Alice — Visions of a Life
Charly Bliss — Guppy
Rounding out the top 10 in no set order:
EMA — Exile in the Outer Ring
Madonnatron — Madonnatron
Furniteur — Perfect Lavender
Mermaidens — Perfect Body
Underground Lovers — Staring at You Staring at Me