@SteveT`s Blog gave me the idea and seeing as I`ve done so in the past I intend to carry @SteveT`s idea further and turn your top 20 selections into a poll. I will also include all selections from @SteveT`s Blog if that`s OK with you Steve. Oh. and a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year to all of my readers.
Right, I intend to keep things simple.
One point each for your first 20 selections. If you choose less same one point each.
Only your first list of selections will count. If you posted on @SteveT`s blog and wish to change your mind and vote again on here. I will accept your change of mind selection.
New releases, Live albums, Box Sets, compilations released in 2017 will all count. Any release prior to 2017 will NOT count.
Voting will cease at 12 midnight December 31st 2017.
Results to be published in the following week.
Why am I doing this? Because I like to. Any naysayers go and support Wigan Athletic.
That’s amazing! You’re a star! But you should of posted this before the other thread started.
Stick a pin in my list and pick two at random to leave out. I really couldn’t decide which two to drop!
Thank you Paul for a positive comment, I most certainly will and inform you of the 2 albums I dislike the most, I mean stuck the pin into. It`ll most likely fuck my monitor screen up I reckon.
Thank you to the Mods for placing this blog where it is.
……and seeing as most of you are posting on @SteveT`s blog here`s a link that hopefully will worl;
Good chap, Baron, sir. This gives me time to check out some of the choices chosen in the other thread.
Having checked out some of the choices on the other thread I reject them all. In fact I’ve decided to shorten my definitive list to just three. One point each for:
Greta Van Fleet – From The Fires
Thievery Corporation – The Temple Of I & I
Dreadzone – Dread Times
I expect these to win. Joint first place, pole position, let justice be done though the heavens fall.
Here goes, and in no particular order;
John Mellencamp
Little Steven
Gregg Allman
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Michael Head
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
The Church
Tift Merritt
Dream Syndicate
Arboretum
Sarah Darling
And after a couple of plays today – U2
Oh and Steve Winwood best of
@happy-harry
Intrigued by your mention of the Church; my favourite band but can’t be doing with the new album.
I have to admit it took some inner debate before taking the plunge and making the purchase. This was largely due to the last album not doing it for me at all. The newbie is one I have on regular spin in the car and I like it. Funny old things; ears
@happy-harry
Indeed. Funny old thing ears. I really liked Further/Deeper. I’ll give the latest a few more chances.
Harry, make me Happy by giving the album titles, yeah, I know that I have some of your nominations but I buy that many albums I forget the fecking titles!
Baron, yes sorry about that – I rushed to get my list out before changing my mind.
No particular order;
John Mellencamp – Sad Clowns and Hillbillies;
Little Steven – Soulfire;
Gregg Allman- Southern Blood;
Sarah Darling – Dream Country;
Chris Robinson – Barefoot in the head;
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat;
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press;
The Church – Man Woman Life Death Infinity;
Tift Merritt – Stitch in the World;
Dream Syndicate- How did I find myself here;
Arboretum- Somg of the Rose;
U2 – Songs of experience
Baron, you forgot to say that any votes for Sufjan are discounted as the blabberings of a deluded person soon to be taken into care (not sure if Sufjan recorded anything in 2017 but you can never be too safe)
Dude, didn’t you hear? He’s releasing the songs that weren’t good enough for Carrie and Lowell..
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/pitchfork.com/news/sufjan-stevens-previews-new-music-listen/amp/
“Not good enough for Carrie & Lowell”? That’s just won the “Words you never thought you would hear” competition just beating “Trump says it’s been fun but time for me to go” and “Lodestone is always Right”.
Not good enough for Carrie & Lowell – a more gasted flabber has never been seen…..
Not listened to much new this year although I did buy a lot; sometime next decade I will catch up.
In no particular order:
St. Vincent: ‘MASSEDUCTION’
The Disappointment Choir- ‘Vows’*
Laura Marling: ‘Semper Femina’
The National: ‘Sleep Well Beast’
Aimee Mann: ‘Mental Illness’
Lizz Wright: ‘Grace’
Nerina Pallot: ‘Stay Lucky’
Sufjan Stevens: ‘The Greatest Gift’ (Not just to annoy Lodes, although that’s a bonus.)
I have lots more I could add but I’m just not that familiar with them yet (War on Drugs, Mogwai , Beck for e.g.) so I’ll leave it there.
*Genuinely, the one I’ve played the most.
Good to see Nerina Pallot get a shout. I like her and have downloaded this from e-music, with high hopes.Will listen before the deadline, the usual rush with all the others I have and have yet to have heard of.
Well, I decided I’d sit down tomorrow and have a listen to some of the stuff on everybody else’s lists, but I decided I’d have a sneak preview and listen to Nerina Pallot now (at the third attempt at spelling her name correctly). So, one album in and I’ve already come across something great that I’d never heard of. Could be an expensive day tomorrow!
This is the problem with these lists. I have over 20 albums to buy now, unless Santa gets me a substantial iTunes voucher.
Isn’t this the time to move to a Apple Music subscription?
Yeeeeeesss…..but I kind of like to own them. Similarly I love Spotify but it’s not the same. I sort-of miss buying CDs even though I never play the ones I have and they just clutter up the place in a matt black 80s CD tower.
I thought like that. But because I can download the albums to listen offline, it feels like I own them.
Yeah I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. I initially resisted CDs, then downloading, then Spotify, so I will cave probably, ooooh, in 2020 maybe?
Unless artists make physical releases more interesting to own than digital files, all physical formats are doomed!
Doomed, I tell you!!
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (de luxe box) – The Beatles. Giles Martin achieves the impossible and improves and adds to the original. Too expensive, but essential.
Paintbox – The Papers. Post punk outfit reform and produce a gem.
Maintaining Dignity In Awkward Situations – The Penny Black Remedy. Sent to me on spec – fabulous songs in the key of real life.
Carry Fire – Robert Plant. He is in a rich vein of form, in case you didn’t notice.
Wild By The Side Of The Road – Police Dog Hogan. Americana…from Devon.
1967 Sunshine Tomorrow – The Beach Boys. Wild Honey in perfect detail…plus…
No Plan – Bowie. Ok…an EP….but I think it is a short album. Just because it is him.
After All These Years – Geoff Lakeman. Father of the Lakeman dynasty reveals where those genes came from – charming and delightful.
A Kind Revolution – Paul Weller. In case you hadn’t noticed, this is one of his best.
Greatest Hits Live – Steve Winwood. Why should we be surprised that this is fabulous? Career spanning and redefining.
Just Stand Still – Sam Green. You won’t have heard of him…make sure you do. Songs about the break up of a band and moving on.
Sorry @NigelT, NO EPs allowed. What`s to stop singles being nominated. Yes singles still exist. Flourishing in fact!
I would suggest that is a little arbitary @Baron-Harkonnen ! Define album: length? number of tracks?? The Bowie release is a collection of songs, i.e. an album.
HP has left us again , as has JingleJangle, and about 7 people are prepared to nominate Albums of the Year. It’s the beginning of the end I tell you, we’re all doomed…
Plenty of time yet Lodes. Suspect most of us are keeping our powder dry and trying desperately to catch up with that huge pile of 2017 releases we haven’t got round to properly yet. Expect a late rush around 30th December.
^
yes – I’m now realising that I have loads of albums that I haven’t played enough or listened to properly to be able to form an opinion – so I’m taking the next week or so to do just that…
…until then
Yes. I too will submit much later. I will need to consult my notes as my memory will fail me. This year I have kept a notebook with ticket stubs, CDs bought, books read etc. Compiling last year’s list made me realise that I needed to do this. The years are blending into each other, otherwise.
It was because of doing a top 20 for last year’s that I got carried away and did a top 106. And then, partly because I am no longer working and have a lot of spare time on my hands and partly because I do have a liking for stupid projects that help nobody and are ultimately pointless, I decided to rank every album I have (not including compilations) for each year. I think there’s around 5,000 albums in total and around half of them I know well enough to have put in some sort of order, but I need a proper listen to the rest, so it is going to take some time.
I have, however, got my 2017 list in order and it has taken all year, before I decided on the final order. It’s pretty fair to say that below the top 30 or so they will be pretty interchangable, but I enjoyed doing it anyway. So that means I have a top 150 already done! I am going to trawl through everybody else’s lists first though, as some firm favourites of my 2016 list came from doing that last year. (Michael Kiwanuka, William Bell and Johann Johannsson spring to mind, and maybe The Lucid Dream came from somebody’s list too).
I’m actually just having a reshuffle of the 2016 list a year on, but there aren’t many big moves. I was perhaps a little hasty to dismiss Radiohead’s album, so they have jumped up quite a bit. But I have spent 2017 mainly listening to new music, perhaps 80-90% of my listening time has been spent listening to albums from 2017 or at least older albums that were new to me. And whilst, had you asked me at any point in the past 15 years about current albums I would have said there were no more than a few great albums each year, for 2016 and 2017 I would say there have been dozens of great albums per year. I just wasn’t listening properly before 2016. I’ve really struggled to decide between 4 or 5 albums as to which was my favourite, and this year has even been better than last year in terms of the amount of great albums. I’ve got Vibe Killer by Endless Boogie at number 40 and it’s just fab.
So I too will wait before submitting my entries, but don’t worry, I won’t add all 150. Ringo Starr comes bottom, by the way, as he does most years. If I wasn’t such a Beatles completist somebody else might get a chance.
That is some ambitious project you’ve got going on there, Paul.
Yes, I stopped and started a few times before cracking on with it, as the first thing I had to do was go through (what was then) around 80,000 tracks in my iTunes library and make sure I had the correct year for each track, so that I could sort them out properly. That took ages. However, it is nice to be able to sort the albums per artist per year, particularly for people that I have over 1,000 tracks by like The Beatles Dylan, the Stones and Neil Young. As I’d already tidied up my iTunes library a couple of times before I just went through and added the year and a couple of other fields I’d never filled (the only field I really can’t be bothered with is the composer, as that would take months to complete).
I did a little project a few years ago where I listened to my entire library from A to Z. I had around 45,000 tracks then. It took over two years to do, as I only did it when I was working (I worked from home). In fact, part of the idea to do it was cos I was wasting working time deciding what to listen to, so I figured that if I just go to A.R. Kane and pressed play there’d be no decisions to make. What I did then was give a star rating to all the tracks as I went along (which took longer than deciding on albums used to, so led to me wasting more time, but hey!). I did this so I could sort out the rubbish tracks and take them off my iPod first when I needed more room. Anyway, this helped me when sorting out the ranking of albums I knew, so I could immediately sort out half of them into lists. What I am then left to do is listen to the albums I don’t know well, and put them in the list at the appropriate place. The star ratings don’t give the whole picture though, as the real enjoyment of an album can be much greater or worse than the sum of its parts, but at least it gives me an starting point.
However, I also went through the initial lists I made, as there were lots of albums where I had rated the songs already, but want to relisten to, just to make sure I am happy with where I placed them. Take 1996, for example, where I have already listed 41 albums, but I’ve highlighted 11 of them to relisten to, along with 55 I have on the unrated list, so 66 albums to listen to there. What I did with my ‘unrated’ lists was run through and give a quick listen (i.e. not all the tracks or even not full tracks) to albums that I only have as part of collections and don’t expect to bother the top 20, e.g. Ringo’s albums. If any of these sounded better than I expected I left them on the list to have full listens to, but if they were rubbish I ranked them accordingly.
As an aside, to give a bit of credit to poor Ringo, I have all his live releases that he has been churning out recently, as I do with Paul too, as he has released quite a few (plus a few bootlegs). And I have to say that Ringo’s voice has held up far, far better than Paul’s has. The albums are still generally rubbish though, and they tend to have a lot of songs on by special guests, some of whom are great, some very ropey. Sheila E was the most surprising one. From Prince to Ringo as a career flightpath!
Anyway, all the prep has been done and now it just remains to have proper listens to the outstanding 2,164 albums. As I have been on a massive hip hop/grime trip for the past couple of years, most of the new stuff (I’m on over 100,000 tracks now) are rap albums, so the star rating wouldn’t really have helped with these anyway, as most rap albums need to be listened to, and judged, as a whole. As I have been concentrating so much on new music this year (151 albums on that list, now Nerina Pallot has been added (at position 80 for now!)) I haven’t started on the other lists yet, but I am re-listening to around 20 from 2016 first, as I want to review my 2016 list 12 months on. And then I can make a start on the backlog.
I’m not sure whether to do it in a scattergun way, listening to what I want to, or whether it will be easier to compare if I do a year at a time. I’ve also bought loads of those Uncut Ultimate Music Guides, so I might binge on those artists, reading the magazines at the same time. I had originally guessed it will take me around 2 years to finish it, but I hadn’t factored in the rate I am adding new music. For example, the list was less than 2,150 a few months ago and I have listened to 150 in the first 8 weeks! I don’t think I’ll add much more music that pre-dates 2017, as I have pretty much exhausted all the hip-hop related avenues, which is why my tracks have more than doubled in 2-3 years, but if I add another 150 new albums every year I’ll never finish it. Of course, I will also want to listen to albums I’ve already ranked cos I like them. Buy anyway, that’s how I’ve done it, so hopefully it will help anyone else who is stupid enough to take it on! I mean, where do you start trying to compare Paradise Circus, The Stone Roses, Paul’s Boutique, Oh Mercy and Technique??? Although there’s a clue at the order I have them in…
It’s pretty simple, Paul. Seek help now, there’s an 0800 number I have….
What a splendid post! But have you considered deleting the albums that you class as ‘rubbish’? Just a thought 😀
If they’re in my iTunes library and they’re rubbish they fall into 3 categories;
– part of a complete collection (this accounts for things like Ringo’s albums, bootlegs of outtakes, Metal Machine Music and at least a dozen Neil Young albums)
– disc 2’s from ‘Special Collector’s Editions’ (rubbish live albums, more outtakes, instrumental versions and rubbish that was discarded when compiling the original album)
– my wife’s stuff (Travis, Coldplay, Adele, Take That, Scouting For Girls – seriously, it knows no depths) and my daughter’s stuff (boybands, thousands of them, although she is starting to show an interest in hip hop and grime which I think is great but gets me no end of grief from the wife)
I won’t delete the first lot, or it’ll be lost forever and as a completist the voices would start up in the back of my head.
I suppose I could delete some of the second lot, but as it’s all neat and tidy and I have painstakingly (extremely painstakingly) sorted out playlists so that with only one easy action I can plug in any of the 5 iPods/3 iPhones we have between us all and it will update it without messing it up, it’s doing no harm. Honestly, you have no idea how long it took to work out how the wife and daughter could have all their playlists appear on their respective phones, whilst ensuring that the only albums that appear in the albums tab are the ones they want to appear there. You soon find out that what sounds simple in iTunes is never so. I’ve managed it though. In fact, I reckon I could hold teaching sessions on iTunes.
And as for the third lot I would absolutely love to delete it all, not just from my iTunes library, but, like, from existence. I think I would then be honoured by the Queen, for services to earholes everywhere. I daren’t though.
That made my brain ache just reading it. Good luck to you , sir.
I love iTunes. I know it has its detractors on here and it’s far from perfect, but I still love it. It changed my life.
Post of the year. I salute you, Sir Wad.
Hooray , another fan of Endless Boogie.
Unemployment can be a wonderful thing – in very few respects, but one of them is the time to sort out all your digital crap. I used my period “resting” to digitise my entire CD and album (ie vinyl) collection a few years back, sort out the metadata, album art etc. Brilliant, time-consuming work.
Well, what else would I have been doing? Looking for a job, I suppose, but some things are just more important than working.
I did say to myself then that I would never delete anything in my iTunes library and I’ve only ever done it once, to the Kings Of Leon album before the big hit one. Total, unlistenable garbage.
I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I’ve still got a Pigeon Detectives album in there somewhere. WHOOOOOO?
When I was a mere iTunes novice I didn’t realise the many different ways to determine what went on your iPod. I now have 3 iPods, 3 iPhones and an iPod touch all linked to the one iTunes account, between the four of us and all I need to do before attaching one of them is to go into the playlist I’ve created for each one and mark all the tracks in that playlist as compilations. I then untick that box once the update is complete.
This is simply to reduce the amount of artists that appear on the artist list that have only one track on and, in the case of the three iPhones, to ensure that only the albums we want to appear when we choose the album view show up. This all started because I was aware that my wife never listened to any albums I put on her phone cos they were buried amongst all the other stuff.
It took ages to set it all up this way (and I mean ages!!), but with vigilant curation of the iTunes library, (i.e. trying to remember to correctly label everything and put them in the corrects playlists, or go back and do this when it becomes evident that I wasn’t vigilant!) there’s no need to mess about ticking and unticking songs, which I used to do when there were fewer devices, and we still get to keep the hundred and odd playlists, with only the relevant ones appearing on each device. The hardest thing was to try to find a way to split my library between the three iPods that made sense, so that I had the least amount of tracks appearing on multiple iPods (i.e. when they appeared on playlists on the other iPod) and so that I could remember where everything was. It was because I have the library split between the three iPods that I went the step further and did the thorough job, as previously I had three playlists, one for each iPod, and before connecting I had to tick all the songs in the relevant playlist, so that those songs appear on the correct iPod. All was fine until I ticked the wrong playlist one time and iTunes proceeded to wipe the ipod and started filling it up with the wrong songs. As it took ages to refill the iPod with the correct songs, and as I made that mistake 3 times, I had to think of some other way to do it. It is so much easier now that I have done all the hard work though, and I could have saved myself a shedload of time if I’d only thought of doing it that way the first place, but I only thought of that method when I was forced to by my previous method proving to be, well, a bit rubbish.
Mmm, I’ve gone off on a tangent again there haven’t I, because all I was going to say that, before I learned how to do all of the above I was deleting tracks from my entire library every time I added something new, once I had gone over the capacity of my first iPod. Never occurred to me to read the help pages and see that all I needed to do was untick the box. I lost a lot of music that way, as I didn’t have everything backed up multiple times back then. D’oh!
I have decided to adopt the notebook policy for next year. And to spend more time listening to the new albums I buy.
My missus says I should get out more
I’d struggle to list 20 in 2017. Not helped by the fact that of the first 10 or so posts in Steve T’s original thread I’d hear precisely 2 albums. Anyway, here’s my list of albums that I bought cos I liked them, or listened to on Spotify for the same reason
David Corley – Zero Moon
Jake Xerxes Fussell – What In The Natural World
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
Valerie June – The Order Of Time
Lizz Wright – Grace
Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Geoff Lakeman – After All These Years
State Of The Union -The Saltwell Sessions
Reg Meuross – Faraway People
Flo Morrisey & Matthew E. White – Gentlewoman, Ruby Man
Offa Rex – Offa Rex
The Young Uns – Strangers
Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys – Pretty Peggy
and here’s one that I listened too a lot trying to decide whether it was dreadful or genius. Still not sure
Lisa Knapp – Till April Is Dead – A Garland Of May
The first 3 are the ones I listened to most but then again, they came out early in the year. I bought the Geoff Lakeman, Reg Meuross, State of the Union and Sam Kelly albums after
seeing their performances at Costa Del Folk Portugal. Of the more recent releases I very much like the Lizz Wright. She knows how to sing
Nice list Vince. I reckon at least 4 on that list will figure on mine; Valerie June (why Valerie is not heralded much more than she is, is a bloody mystery, Ms Giddens, Jason Isbell, Offa Rex (which is a Decemberists album with Olivia Chaney doing a fabulous job on vocals). I might give that Seth Lakeman album a try, he was very good supporting Robert Plant before the main act and as part of RP`s band.
Er…that’s Geoff, not Seth!? Also on my list though!
I searched the Amazon site for the latest State of the Union album as I have the first two. No Joy. Seeing your post @Vince_Black prompted me to find and purchase it. Hope it is better than Boo’s latest solo album which is not one of his best.
Thank you for compiling this list. What a wonderful thing to do for all of us aw-ers. My top 20 still stands, if that’s OK.
No probs pft.
Here is mine.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Nashville Sound
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
David Crosby – Sky Trails
War On Drugs- A Deeper Understanding
Chris Stapleton – From A Room Vol 1
Hallelujah Anyhow – Hiss Golden Messenger
Stick Of The World – Tift Merritt
Buckingham McVie
The Far Field – Future Islands
Soulfire – Little Steven
Everywhere Now – Arcade Fire
Masseduction – St Vincent
Ready The Horses – Jarrod Dickenson
The Search for Everything – John Mayer.
Here goes….
Josh Ritter – Gathering
The Proper Ornaments – Foxhole
My Sad Captains – Sun Bridge
Valerie June – The Order of Time
The Clientele – Music for the Age of Miracles
The Wild Reeds – The World we Built
Kevin Morby – City Music
The Shins – Heartworms
The Popguns – Sugar Kisses
Ciggie Witch – Mad Music
The Legends – Night Shift
Blue Rose Code – The Water of Leith
Last Leaves – Other Towns Than Ours
Cotton Mather – Wild Kingdom
The Luxembourg Signal – Blue Point
The Ocean Party – Beauty Point
Danny and the Champions of the World – Brilliant Light
Secret Shine – There is Only Now
The Distractions – Kindly Leave the Stage
State Broadcasters – A Different Past
Some good choices there, it’s usually just me plugging the likes of The Popguns, The Luxembourg Signal and Secret Shine around here 🙂 I’d also completely forgotten about that Proper Ornaments album too, so that’s another one to add to the short (ha!) list for my submission.
I’m also thinking – given it’s getting lots of mentions here and in other AOY lists – that I really ought to re-listen to “Heartworm” as I’ve been a big fan of The Shins in the past, but this one didn’t really click at the time.
Twenty from me:
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Richard Dawson – Peasant
Irreversible Entanglements – Irreversible Entanglements
Hand Habits – Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void)
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Thurston Moore – Rock n Roll Consciousness
Smino – blkswn
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol. 1
King Gizzard The Wizard Lizard with Mild High Club – Flying Microtonal Banana
King Gizzard The Wizard Lizard with Mild High Club – Sketches Of Brunswick East
King Gizzard The Wizard Lizard with Mild High Club – Polygondwanaland
A Savage – Thawing Dawn
Your Old Droog – PACKS
Pond – The Weather
Jen Cloher – Jen Cloher
Liam Gallagher – As You Were
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon?
Ambrose Akinmusire – A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard
Priests – Nothing Feels Natural
You thought King Gizzard and His Entrails was such a good name you just made up the second album, didn’t you?
I love this list. It’s full of stuff I wouldn’t listen to, bar DAMN., but, then, suddenly there’s Ambrose Akinmusire. How does he fit into your musical fermament?
I like to think of the album as ‘quietly noisy’. I like quiet music and I like loud music. Ambrose does both simultaneously!
I love KGATWL, Aussie freak beat at it’s best.
Someone wondered why we don’t attract new people here….”I love King Gizzard The Wizard Lizard, Australian freak beat at its best”. I demand that sentence appears on our masthead.
Trying to imagine what Australian freak beat is like at its worst. Or at all, if I’m honest.
Hey, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. King Gizz are feckin’ great!!
Pleasantly surprisingly good, if Polgondwanaland is anything to go by.
Sort of psychedelic prog/jazz hybrid with deep and meaningless lyrics.
20 from me
Morrissey – Low In High School
Hans Zimmer – Live in Prague
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Ian McNabb – Star Smile Strong
Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley
Miranda Lee Richards – Existential Beast
Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last
Alvvays – Antisocialites
Neil Finn – Out of Silence
Noel Gallagher – Who Built The Moon
Susanne Sundfor – Music For People In Trouble
Waterboys – Out of all this blue
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Grandaddy – Last Place
Aimee Mann – Mental illness
Spoon – Hot Thoughts
Conor Oberst – Salutations
The Shins – Heartworms
Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds from Another Planet
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Todd Rundgren – White Knight
The Waterboys – Out of All This Blue
St Vincent – Masseduction
Goldfrapp – Silver Eye
1957 Tail Finn Fiasco – Not For Everyone
Paul Weller – A Kind Revolution
Paul Weller – Jawbone
Out of Silence – Neil Finn
Is This the Life We Really Want? – Roger Waters
I don’t think I’ve bought 20 albums of ‘new’ this year but here is my selection:
BBT – Grimspound
BBT – The Second Brightest Star
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Little Steven – Soulfire
Elbow – Little Fictions
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Todd Rundgren – White Knight
Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Van Morrison – Roll With The Punches
Steve Winwood – Greatest Hits Live
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Jarrod Dickenson – Ready The Horses
Paul Brady – Unfinished Business
Midge Ure – Orchestrated
Slow Meadow – Costero
I have the first 12 on that list @niallb, obviously you are a man of good taste.
Ha. Although the list is not in any order the top 2 obviously are.
For a host of reasons which need not detain us, music has taken a very back seat this year. So, no chance of getting to 20; in fact there are but three which are genuinely new:
Van Morrison – Roll With The Punches
Steve Winwood – Greatest Hits Live
Chris Rea – Road Songs For Lovers
Of these, the Winwood is wondrous and amongst the best live recordings I’ve heard; the Chris Rea is a return to his ‘pop’ style and is insidiously melodic with some annoyingly persistent ear-worms; the Van Is more of the same really, frustratingly so. After what the Stones did last year, you would have thought he could have stepped up.
Have you heard Van’s latest? Very disappointing to say the least.
I’m having some difficulty.
I just can’t seem to get myself interested in listening to this year’s album crop.
I am an old fart, getting fartier as the days, weeks and months pass and my tastes petrify. These selections are mostly from artists I’ve seen live this year.
Obviously, The Disappointment Choir’s “Vows” is in my list because quite apart from them being people I know and respect, this is an enormous leap forward in terms of production, playing and songwriting. Simply stunning. The videos and even the album cover art are a step up. Very well done Bob and Katy. And p.s. my non-Afterword muso pals who heard it were impressed too.
Matthew Bourne’s “Isotach” is his return-to-the-piano-after-playing around-with-vintage-Moogs album.
Solo piano impressions of Yorkshire weather. Nils Frahm and Mary Anne Hobbs like it, I like it. He’s a good artist to hear play in a live setting too.
Angèle David-Guillou’s “En Mouvement” is another good album by this London-based French lady who is well worth seeing if you should happen to notice she’s playing somewhere. A very worthwhile followup to her excellent “Kourouma” album from 2013.
Sarah Angliss’ “Ealing Feeder” is worth a listen if you like theremins, robotic carillons and hand-built programmable stuff. Weird sort-of folky but with electronics. Good weird. Another artist to see live if you get the chance.
The 2-CD reissue of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Four 1971-1973 Trojan albums is a no-brainer, really. 53 tracks of roots music from the king of Dub. It’s essential listening.
Kamasi Washington’s “Harmony Of Difference” continues in the same vein of soul-tinged jazz from his seminal (a critic’s word) monster “The Epic”. He’s the real thing. There will be more, I’m thinking.
Spindle Ensemble’s “Bea” is very nice. When I saw them perform I saw a similarity to Tin Hat Trio, in that they have an off-the-wall rhythmic jazzy feel as well as a folky element to their music. They have a marimbist/vibraphonist, a cellist and a violinist, all female, and the guy who composes their music and plays piano and accordion. I love the sound of a marimba because of Ruth Underwood in Zappa’s 1973-’74 band. Nice to watch a good marimbist playing their instrument as, being quite a large lengthy instrument, it requires the player being pretty light upon their feet, akin to dancing at times.
The Radiophonic Workshop’s album “Burials In Several Earths” is a double CD of 4 lengthy pieces and one short piece. Proper electronica from masters of the genre.
“Peach” by Deerful is seemingly upbeat jangly synth-pop but there’s a dark undercurrent to it. The solo work of one Emma Winston, recorded in her living room in sunny Clapton, London. She does her own album art too, which is minimal and very effective.
And that’s about it from me for 2017. I bought quite a few pre-2017 albums this year, but keeping up with what’s new, happening and relevant is just too tiring.
That Deerful album is lovely stuff, the earlier singles are worth a listen too.
“Some Nights” (off the “Staying Still” EP was one of my favourite songs from last year).
Emma’s also on this from earlier in 2017:
She also guests on a couple of tracks from the Papernut Cambridge album (“Cambridge Circus”) which is on Spotify.
Thanks for that Lee `Scratch` Perry reminder Mike, it`s also a bargain. This reminds me, I have a strange but true Lee Scratch Perry tale I may relate on here in the future.
I think all Scratch tales are strange.
This one is also very true.
Most of my year has been spent listening to albums from my own collection, a fair few records that were released between 1967 – 1970 (a lot of which has been new to me) and a handful of new releases from this year (around six?) so there’s no way I could do a top 20, let alone a top 10.
If you reckon they are your top 6 albums of the year @Tony-Japanese, what the heck, list them.
Listening to albums from 1967-1970? There are some great albums from that period and these days I use the word `great` sparingly.
I will provide you with a top 3 or 5 in due course. I actually meant I only bought six ‘new’ CDs this year (the rest were back catalougue purchases ) and one of those (Haim) wasn’t very good.
And the votes are in from Carolina Towers, in alphabetical order:
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Bedouine (self titled)
Caroline Spence – Spades and Roses
Chris Price – Stop Talking
Courtney Marie Andrews – Honest Life
David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanac
Iron and Wine – Beast Epic
Joan Shelley (self titled)
John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
Lizz Wright – Grace
Lowland Hum – Thin
Nadia Reid – Preservation
Neil Finn – Out of Silence
Rose Cousins – Natural Conclusion
Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me
The Unthanks – Diversions no 4, Songs and Poems of Molly Drake
Wailin’ Jennys – Fifteen
The Weather Station (self titled)
Bubbling under: Quercus , Zervas and Pepper, Will Stratton, Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer, Nicole Adams, Rick Redbeard, Rhiannon Giddens, Julie Byrne, Karen Elson and Anna Tivel. (Am buying Phoebe Bridger for Xmas so not sure where that would fit in.)
Some new releases by my fave artists would usually have made the list but I only really liked a few of their tracks this time so Noah Gundersen, Emily Barker and Dori Freeman weren’t on it.
Nerina Pallot Stay Lucky was meant to be in there somewhere but I can’t see my way to changing any of the top 20!
Just done a recount and there only 18 albums in my top twenty so please could you add
Nerina Pallot Stay Lucky
Quercus Nightfall to my list
Thanks very much Baron!
No problem @Carolina, I didn`t know (or did I?) that Zervas & Pepper had a new album out.
Yes, it was Wilderland. Very good especially the track Universe To Find.
Just got round to Nerina. Rather bloody good. I have her Fires from 2006. At the risk of limp praise, i would say she writes as good a song as Sia, but without the silly voice and the all knobs up to 11 production.
Just got, I think, Michael Head and Luna to listen to ahead of finally finishing my list.
I didn’t think I had bought 20 new albums this year, and I was correct. I’ve never heard of about 75% of the artists already listed, so here’s my middle of the road, boring old fart’s list.
Rab Noakes – The Treatment Tapes
Michael Marra – Dubiety
Michael Marra – The Midas Touch
Michael Marra – High Sobriety
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Alice Marra – Chain Up The Swings
Jason Isbell – Nashville Sound
Steve Earle – So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
Son Volt – Notes Of Blue
Justin Townes Earle – Kids In The Street
Van Morrison- Roll With The Punches
Paul Simon – Cocert In Hyde Park
Randy Newman – Dark Matter
Neil Young- Hitchhiker
Ron Sexsmith- Last Rider
Lucas Nelson and the Promise Of The Real
Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World.
Some good `old fart` music on that list Stevie.
Looking at these lists makes me realise that, although I thought I was pretty clued up on music, I’m not as I haven’t heard of a lot of these artists/bands. I have spent most of the year buying back catalogue stuff and box sets. Looks like I shall be spending a lot of time catching up !
However of the stuff that was released in 2017 the following are worthy of mention :
Metroland – 12 x 12
Little Steven – Soulfire
Ray Davies – Americana
Pye Hastings – From the half way house
Gaudi – Magnetic
Sparks – Hippopotamus
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
The Treasure Isle Story
Jethro Tull – Songs from the wood 40th anniversary edition
Vangelis – Delectus box
Same here, the list is very long with AW`s voting for many different albums with very few albums getting many votes so far.
Emerging from my gold envelope are (in every particular order)
Blue Rose Code – The Water of Leith
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
Justin Townes Earle – Kids In The Street
The Remedy Club – Lovers, Legends & Lost Causes
Elbow – Little Fictions
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Buckingham & McVie- Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Jarrod Dickenson – Ready The Horses
Danny & The Champions Of The World – Brilliant Light
Sam Outlaw – Tenderheart
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Rodney Crowell – Close Ties
The XX – I See You
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat
St Etienne – Home Counties
Real Estate – In Mind
Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Disappointment Choir – Vows
Jim White – Waffles, Triangles and Jesus
Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference
Jethro Tull – Songs From the Wood box set
Lloyd McNeill Quartet – Asha
Lloyd McNeill Quartet – Washington Suite
Alice Coltrane – World Spirituality Classics 1
Richard Thompson – Acoustic Classics 2
Anna Calvi – Live at Meltdown
Thelonious Monk – Les Liaisons Dangereux
Unthanks – Diversions Vol. 4
Grateful Dead – May 1977: Get Shown the Light
Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks vols. 21 – 24
Michael Marra – High Sobriety
Michael Marra – Dubiety
Mmmm … yes, very nice list, Lando.
I must admit I wasn’t aware that the two Lloyd McNeill albums had been reissued this year. Both excellent, of course, particularly “Asha”, which is an absolute flute-jazz gem of all time.
And Dave Lemieux did us Deadheads proud again this year, didn’t he? All in all, I was very satisfied with his four picks in 2017.
Indeed. I’ve signed up again for next year. I do look forward to his seaside chats.
And love those Lloyd McNeills – I think that’s basically it though, isn’t it?
“An absolute flute-jazz gem” – AW t shirt and porn movie review..
Re: Dave Lemieux’s seaside chats on YouTube about each upcoming Dave’s Picks release.
Oh yes – they’re great.
[affects Canadian accent] “Hi There! I’m Dave! And I’m here to tell you all ABOAT the next Dave’s Picks release. Dave’s Picks 35 from Dry Gulch, North Dakota, February 20th 1976. It’s just a GREAT SHOW. We’ve been meaning to put it out for years, but now we’re finally releasing it. I’ve been listening to it non-stop in the car for months, and it’s just an OUTSTANDING show. [turns around] Can you see the seals behind me? And the manatees. And I think I just saw a pelican. Sorry if it’s a bit windy. Can you hear me OK? Anyway, what was I saying. Oh, yeah. The Dry Gulch show. It’s been a favourite among Deadheads for years. Probably one of the four best shows in the magic month of February 76. And that’s saying something!” [continues in this vein for another 15 minutes].
Uncanny!
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Various Artists – Twin Peaks (Music from the Limited Event Series)
Max Richter – Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works
Dmitry Evgrafov – Comprehension of Light
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
Four Tet – New Energy
Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life
LCD Soundsystem – american dream
Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun
Nelly Furtado – The Ride
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Wind River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION
Warren Ellis – Bad Girl
What a great year for music – though slight nagging feeling I’ve left some important stuff off here. Anyway…
Nicholas Payton – Afro-Caribbean mixtape
Quercus – Nightfall
Jazzmeia Horn – A social call
Aaron Parks – Find the way
Bill Charlap – Uptown downtown
Zara McFarlane – Arise
Tuxedo – II
Anouar Brahem – Blue Maqams
Eliane Elias – Dance of time
Lee Ann Womack – The lonely, the lonesome and the gone
Kim Tibbs – Kim
Blue Heron – Music for the Peterhouse Partbooks
Don Bryant – Don’t give up on love
Fred Hersch – Open book
Matthew Bourne – Isotach
Max Richter – Three worlds – music from Woolf’s works
Lizz Wright – Grace
Cecile Mclorin Salvant – Dreams and daggers
Benedikt Jahnkel – The Invariant
Theo Bleckmann – Elegy
And the next 10:
Django Bates – Study of touch
Dwight Trible/Matthew Halsall – Inspirations
Hans Zimmer – Dunkirk soundtrack
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Memphis, yes I’m ready
Alan Broadbent – Developing story
John Pizzarelli – Sinatra and Jobim @50
Carmen Lundy – Code noir
Tomasz Stanko – December Avenue
Kennedy Administration – S/T
Cyrus Chestnut – There’s a sweet, sweet spirit
Reissues:
Laura Nyro – A little magic, a little kindness – complete mono albums
Dusty Springfield – The Complete Philadelphia Sessions – A Brand New Me
Voices of East Harlem – S/T/Can you feel it
Erasmo Carlos – Sonhos E Memorias 1941-72
Leroy Hutson – Anthology
Lots of intriguing titles here, Morrison – as always.
I was listening to some of the Fred Hersch album yesterday, actually, and it did indeed sound very fine.
I’ve been waive ring over Lizz Wright. Now, I think I’ll take the plunge. After all, I really enjoyed Kim on your recommendation, @Morrison.
Have you heard Django Bates peppering up of Sgt. Pepper? That’s a lot of fun, too.
Just listening to that Django Bates SPLHCB album, it`s on my to get list which now stands at £41.21, not bad really so far.
Lizz has made several people’s top 20 on here – no doubt she’s a great singer but her albums can be a bit samey with Joe Henry producing. Still, “Grace” is excellent and recommended. The Django thing sounds interesting – I’ll go give it a listen.
In no particular order and subject to revision as I remember a few more of this years albums….
Big Big Train – Grimspound
Big Big Train – Second Brightest Star
Steven Wilson – To The Bone
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Tiger Moth Tales – The Depths Of Winter
Little Steven – Soulfire
David Crosby – Sky Trails
St. Vincent – Masseduction
David Gilmour – Live At Pompei
Chris Rea – Road Songs For Lovers
Melanie De Biasio – Lilies
Godspeed You! Black Emporer – Luceferian Towers
Steve Winwood – Greatest Hits Live
Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold
Black Country Communion – BCCIV
Waterboys – Out Of All This Blue
War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
The Dream Syndicate – How Did I Find Myself Here?
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
The one dissappointment of the year was the Arcade Fire album, which did not make my top twenty. I have loved all their previous albums, but somehow this one hasn’t hit home yet – some good tracks, but most of it washes over me.
I`ve found the last 3 Arcade Fire albums lacking.
Quite a strong year, though as usual not so many albums have really stuck. Here are my top 15:
Daniel Romano – Modern Pressure
Charli XCX – Number 1 Angel
Saint Etienne – Home Counties
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Real Estate – In Mind
Beach Fossils – Somesault
Alvvays – Antisocialites
Strand Of Oaks – Hard :Love
The Rails – Other People
Sylvan Esso – What Now
Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Denial
Alex Cameron – Foreced Witness
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pusycat
Phoebe Bridgers – Sranger In The Alps
The Clientele – Music For The Age Of Miracles
Every Valley – Public Service Broadcasting
Foxygen – Hang
The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Valerie June – The Order of Time
Slowdive – Slowdive
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Karen Elson – Double Roses
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat
Colorama – Some Things Just Take Time
Loved the year in music that has been 2017…here are my favourites in no order at all.
The Blow Monkeys – The Wild River
PP Arnold – The Turning Tide
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
New Street Adventure – Stubborn Sons
Stone Foundation – Street Rituals
Chris Stapleton – From a Room Vol 1
Chris Stapleton – From a Room Vol 2
Steve Winwood – Greatest Hits Live
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
Lee Ann Womack – The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone
Little Steven – Soulfire
Pugwash – Silverlake
Inna De Yard – The Soul of Jamaica
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understandinf
Paul Weller – A Kind Revolution
The XX – I See You
Danny & The Champions of The World – Brilliant Light
Liam Gallagher – As You were
Grandaddy – Last Place
The Waterboys – Out Of all This Blue
As I burn my ears casing all these joints, am I alone in thinking the spread of taste is ever wider this year, suggesting the “average” AWista is not as definable or narrow as cliche dictates. I am uplifted by how many rate highly examples of what I call absolute tosh.
Loving your last sentence, retro!
Yes, KFD’s playlist for this is gonna be ossum (hint, hint)..
Here we go;
Nick Cave – Lovely Creatures (LP sequencing much better than CD/Digital sequence)
Kevin Morby – City Music
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
St. Vincent – Masseduction
Jeff Tweedy – Together at Last
Kristin Hersh – Banjo’s Pavlova (Strange Angels subscriber instrumental collection)
Beck – Colors
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Josh Ritter – Gathering
Drive By Truckers – American Band
Damien O’Kane – Avenging & Bright
Billy Bragg – Bridges Not Walls
Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott – Crooked Calypso
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
Son volt – Notes Of Blue
Torres – Three Futures
London Grammar – Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton – Wildflower Blues
Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun
I’ve had a great year listening to all kinds of music this year. Jazz in 2017 is thriving. There is so much quality across a wide variety of styles. Best year for new Jazz since 1960, anyone? Zara just pips Vijay for the top slot but ten of my top thirty are Jazz.
Zara McFarlane – Arise
Vijay Iyer Sextet – Far From Over
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Pere Ubu – 20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo
Sampha – Process
Arca
Melanie De Biasio – Lilies
The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
Tinariwen – Elwan
Blue Rose Code – Water Of Leith
Mammal Hands – Shadow Work
Roger Robinson – Dog Heart City
Anouar Brahem – Blue Maqams
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Trio Da Kali And Kronos Quartet – Ladilikan
Slowdive
Dreadzone – Dread Times
Fever Ray- Plunge
Tomasz Stańko New York Quartet – December Avenue
Jlin – Black Origami
Bubbling under:
Jaimie Branch – Fly Or Die
Spoon – Hot Thoughts
Dele Sosimi – You No Fit Touch Am
Four Tet – New Energy
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Yazz Ahmed – La Saboteuse
The Disappointment Choir – Vows
Randy Newman – Dark Matter
Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan – Small Town
Hauschka – What If
Finally, a mention for Run The Jewels 3. Released in the last week of December, missing out on last year’s best album charts and disqualified from this. Pity. It is a damn fine album.
A beautifully curated list, if I may say so, Mr Lion, with a wide range of splendid records.
But wasn’t Dele Sosimi’s “You No Fit Touch Am in Dub” released in August 2016? A fine album, but I’m not sure it can be permitted in this year’s chart…
Oh dear.
However, that means I can insert Ambrose Akinmusire – A Rift In The Decorum in its place.
Yeah, it`s OK just mess me about!
Last year at an earlier stage than this I correctly (if predictably) called Blackstar as finishing top of the poll. This year I have run all the so-far-in figures – blimey, Ryan Adams is a shoo-in! That’s bells you hear a-ringing!!
Isn’t life strange sometimes. Ryan Adams will be in my top ten, but I think it’s average by his standards. 🤔
I agree. If he did make it into my top 10, he’d be #10.
It would be somewhat ironical if one of his not-so-strong-but-still-pretty-damn-good records topped the poll…..
Take it all back – played it for the first time in months, it’s a belter!!
I’ve got it at number 98 in my list. I’ll have another listen. I must admit, on previous listens it hasn’t jumped out at me as one of his best, and I have all his albums and a dozen bootlegs to boot. I think he did his best work before he went solo though.
And here’s mine, new in 2017, compilations, reissues and all. First six of them in a bit more heavy rotation than others, but I own them all in some format, mostly in vinyl, this being the year of my return to gramophone.
1. Moritz von Oswald & Ordo Sakhna (my absolute favourite in 2017)
2. Penguin Cafe – The Imperfect Sea
3. Andrew Bird – Echolocations: River
4. Chuck Prophet – Bobby Fuller died for your sins
5. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – The Kid
6. Elton John – 17-11-70 (Record store day vinyl reissue)
7. Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the alps
8. UNKLE – The Road: Part 1
9. Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia
10. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Superscope
11. Shroud Ritual – Five Suns
12. Jah Wobble – The Lago years
13. Bei Bei & Shawn Lee – Year of the funky
14. Martin Hannett – Homage to Delia Derbyshire
15. Various artists – Sounds from the well (Khaliphonic)
16. Thelonious Monk – Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960
17. Antologia de musica atipica Portuguesa vol.1: O Trabalho
18. Jay Glass Dubs
19. The Residents / Renaldo & The Loaf – Title in limbo
20. Wolf Parade – Cry cry cry
Not been out much or bought much lately – has that itch finally been scratched? Doubt it. Not been round here much either – it’s not you, it’s me….
Here are my 2017 favourites – once again heavily biased towards those who I managed to see live. Fewer blokes and more art-school guitar jangle please.
1. Surfer Blood – Snowdonia
2. Pains of being Pure at Heart – Echo of Pleasure
3. Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
4. Jessica Hoop – Memories are Now
5. Alvvays – Antisocialites
6. Sparks – Hippopotamus
7. Blondie – Pollinator
8. Girl Ray – Earl Gray
9. Wire – Silver/Lead
10. Big Moon – Love in the 4th Dimension
11. Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Class Classics
12. Mountain Goats – Goths
13. British Sea Power – Let the Dancers Inherit the Party.
14. Mark Lanegan – Gargoyle
15. Moon Duo – Occult Architecture
It’s Jesca Hoop of course, not Jessica.
If it’s not too late (not that many of my choices seem likely to trouble the collective score sheet) I have one to add to my list (came out yesterday);
Pale Lights “The Stars Seemed Brighter”
Corrected on my list.
OK. This was very difficult, but after a week of listening and pondering, these are my twenty:
1. Loney Dear – Loney Dear
2. Moses Sumney – Aromanticism
3. John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
4. Courtney Marie Andrews – Honest Life
5. Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
6. Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last
7. Laura Marling – Semper Femina
8. Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears
9. Säkert! – Däggdjur
10. Thåström – Centralmassivet
11. Randy Newman – Dark Matter
12. Flo Morrissey/Matthew E. White – Gentlewoman, Ruby Man
13. Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra – The Reason Why Vol. 3
14. Rebecka Törnqvist (with Johan Lindström) – Home Secretary
15. Kevin Morby – City Music
16. Marc Almond – Shadows and Reflections
17. Lizz Wright – Grace
18. Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
19. Pond – The Weather
20. Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
Almost there: Nadia Reid, The Weather Station, The Disappointment Choir, Iron & Wine, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, Noah Gundersen, Tamikrest, Les Amazones d’Afrique, Orchestra Baobab, Cherry Glazerr, King Gizzard…, Joan Shelley, Galantis.
Interesting to see the Randy Newman album holding down the coveted no.11 spot in the Locust chart. Kaisfatdad and I will be going to see the Great Singer-Songwriter live at Skandiascenen in Stockholm in February. Will you be there too, till äventyrs?
No, I thought about it but Randy’s songs always make me cry (even the funny ones…yes, I’m officially weird), so I’d be an embarrassing snotty mess all through the concert! So I decided against it, I’m afraid. 🙂
After buying and enjoying GKSA`s `The Reason Why Vols 1&2 I`m going to have to investigate Vol. 3.
After a week of listening to them I want to add Mavis Staples and Beck to my “almost there” mentions. If I had lived with them longer perhaps they could have made the Top Twenty as well, but it’s too early to tell if they’re as good as they seem to be, or if it’s just the thrill of the new that’s turning my head…
Also, I’m a bit sad that Loney dear and Moses Sumney aren’t in any other lists…I expected it with Loney Dear (because he’s Swedish and this is a very Anglocentric place) but Moses Sumney?! You seriously need to listen to his album NOW. 🙂
Thanks for the heads -up re Loney Dear – I was unaware of his new album [playing now on Spotify, sounds good]
Moses Sumney is in my longlist – I downloaded it from Emusic after hearing a track on 6music, it’s very much a ‘mood’ album, isn’t it? And despite having some stunning tracks I find it a little too much at times, and I haven’t listened right through often enough to put in my top twenty, but I can see it being a grower
Ah – well I’ve been in the right mood for a couple of months now! 🙂
I’m glad Loney Dear has another fan (and that I’m not just speaking to myself… 😀 )
Here’s mine
Angaleena Presley – Wrangled
Angel Olsen – Phases
Dori Freeman – Letters Never Read
Jaime Wyatt – Felony Blues
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
Joan Shelley -Joan Shelley
Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton_-Wildflower Blues
Los Straitjackets-Whats So Funny About Peace Love And Los Straitjackets
Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World (2017)
Lydia Loveless-Boy Crazy_And Singles
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives-Way Out West
Mogwai-Every Country’s Sun
Rodney Crowell – Close Ties
Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer – Not Dark Yet (Despite their version of “Lithium”)
Steve Earle And The Dukes – So You Wannabe An Outlaw
The Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore
VA-Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams.
Good to see you Mr. Crout. Compliments of the season! Lots of high class Americana in your list, I notice.
Hi Tiggerlion. Hope all’s good with you and yours. It’s about the only new music I listen to these days. My favourite of all of them would be the Dori Freeman, It’s a great album.
I’ll check it out. Thanks.
Not bought a great deal of “new” this year but hey ho:
A Fever Dream – Everything Everything
American Dream – LCD Soundsystem
DAMN – Kendrick Lamar
Colors – Beck
Last Place – Grandaddy
High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon?
Too early for Melodrama or St Vincent because I’ve just got them based on this list. A bit of AW confirmation bias coming up possibly. I may add these if I can listen to them enough before the deadline closes.
Thinking about it Lorde & St. Vincent would by definition be in my top 20, wouldn’t they?
Well here we are again, another good year for music? I’d give it 8.5/10.
I’ve split mine, 10 new, 5 reissues, 5 comps and a bubbling under. If that’s okay?
NEW
1. Mary Casio – Journey To Cassiopeia
2. The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
3. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister – Planetarium
4. The Brothers Briggs – The Brothers Briggs
5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers
6. Hadal Sherpa – Hadal Sherpa
7. The Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Class Classics
8. Laura Cannell – Hunter Huntress Hawker
9. Richard Dawson – Peasant
10. Ariel Pink – Dedicated To Bobby Jameson
BUBBLING UNDER
Penguin Cafe – The Imperfect Sea
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol 1 & 2
The Belbury Circle – Outward Circle
Children Of Alice – Children Of Alice
Fleet Foxes – Crack Up
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Wire – Silver/Lead
REISSUES
1. Alice Coltrane – World Spirituality Classics 1
2. David Bowie – A New Career In a New Town
3. The Fall – Singles 1978-2016
4. The Moomins – Soundtrack
5. The Residents – 80 Aching Orphans ~ 45 Years Of The Residents
BUBBLING UNDER
DAF – DAS Ist DAF
Pentangle – The Albums 1968-1972
The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
Can – The Singles
COMPLIATIONS
1. English Weather (Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs Present)
2. Marshmallow Skies (60s Pop Stars Flirt With Psychedelia)
3. Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973
4. Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares
5. Noise Reduction System: Formative European Electronica (1974-1984)
BUBBLING UNDER
[Soul Jazz Records Presents] Space, Energy & Light: Experimental Electronic And Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88
Gary Crowley’s Punk and New Wave
Gotta Get Up: The Songs Of Harry Nilsson 1965-1972
Let The Electric Children Play: The Underground Story Of Transatlantic Records
Manchester: North Of England ~ A Story Of Independent Music From Greater Manchester (1977-1993)
Behind the Counter with Max Richer
One Way Glass: Dancefloor Prog, Brit Jazz & Funky Folk: 1968-1975
Seafaring Strangers: Private Yacht
I hope that makes sense!
Wow! Looking at the length of many of those on your, you have tremendous resilience and fortitude.
Have you ever listened to The Residents Orphans in one sitting?
Yes! Is there any other way of listening to it? And I did the whole 7 CD Fall box set in a day at work as well.
*doffs cap*
I don’t think I’d have too much problem with The Fall. But, The Residents…
As someone who listened to The Fall 7 CDs over a two week period (which I think is equivalent to 52 years in your Earth Time) all I can say is “fookin hell!”
And sorry ip33, as you well know the rules clearly state than any mention of (shiver) Sufjan means all your other votes are consigned to the dustbin marked “Do one “.
But it’s only a quarter his fault on that one. So at least 15 of mine count surely?
That’s not the way it works unfortunately. Just remember for next year – “No Sufjan, No Sufjan”.
So do they count this year Lodeness?
No and no and no
Yikes, is that the first mention of the Fleet Foxes? Now that’s what I call an unsuccessful comeback.
No.
I must add these to my bubbling under because they really impressed me over the last couple of weeks
NEW
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest
Motorpsycho – The Tower
COMPLIATIONS
To the Outside of Everything – A Story of UK Post Punk 1977-1981
REISSUES
Pearls Before Swine – One Nation Underground
Slow day, so I’ve started a playlist based on all this*. It’s collaborative, so the idea is – if folks have Spotify – when you’re bunging your favourites onto this thread you can also chuck selections from the albums onto the Spotty list… (if ya like, like)
*to save meself, I kept it to one tune per album, despite multiple votes for same. It’s in the public domain now so you may abuse it as you wish…
.. also – probably best shuffled unless you want a solid hour of jazz, folk or whatever that stuff Leicester listens to is called..
👍
An interested bystander hesitantly asks “Any of that Sufjan stuff on your playlist cos if there is you might find your computer in the bin marked “do one” in the morning?”
…er Suffy has three albums this year, so he’s actually on twice (so far…)
What are broadly considered to be “will this do?” efforts from Steven and Ivan are represented, as are both the Gallagher Brothers and U****ing2. Let no-one say a place on the AW list is not the stamp of quality!
Here are my top ten releases of the year (in no order)
Beatles – Sgt Pepper (50th Anniversary)
Stormzy – Gang Signs and Prayer
Temples – Volcano
Offa Rex – The Queen of Hearts
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN!
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
Declan McKenna – What Do You Think Of The Car?
Everything Everything – A Fever Dream
St. Vincent – Masseduction
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Alright, I don’t think mine is going to change between now and the end of the month, so here it is. I’ve listened to a lot of music this year and I’d say more than 80% of that would be music I hadn’t heard before the start of the year, maybe 70% being music from this year. I’ve done a top 152, i.e. I’ve ranked all the albums I have (as part of a stupid project I decided was a good idea after last year’s poll). Here’s the top 50, cos 20 isn’t enough to cover the great albums from this year that deserve a mention. Actually, neither is 50, but you have to stop somewhere!
For reasons of full disclosure, in other words if you want to disqualify them from the 20 that count, numbers 14, 18 and 22 are EPs, but long form EPs with 8 tracks plus. I haven’t included reissues and compilations though, to keep the top 20 from being full of Beatles, Dylan and Kraftwerk.
1. Brother Ali – All The Beauty In This Whole Life
2. Gary Numan – Savage (Songs From A Broken World)
3. Lorde – Melodrama
4. Kendrick Lamar – Damn
5. Ghostpoet – Dark Days + Canapes
6. Thurston Moore – Rock N Roll Consciousness
7. Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
8. Roger Waters – Is This The Life We Really Want?
9. Binary Star – Waterworld 3
10. Murs – Captain California
11. The Charlatans – Different Days
12. J Hus – Common Sense
13. Emancipator – Baralku
14. Showbiz & AG – Take It Back EP
15. Wiley – Godfather
16. Sampha – Process
17. Nick Heyward – Woodland Echoes
18. Dave – Game Over EP
19. Lindstrom – It’s Alright Between Us As It Is
20. Bonobo – Migration
21. Devlin – The Devil In
22. Skyzoo – Peddler Themes EP
23. St. Vincent – Masseducation
24. Dizzee Rascal – Raskit
25. DJ Quik & Problem – Rosecrans
26. Four Tet – New Energy
27. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest
28. Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex
29. Thievery Corporation – The Temple of I & I
30. Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer
31. MC Eiht – Which Way Iz West
32. Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom
33. Endless Boogie – Vibe Killer
34. Apollo Brown & Planet Asia – Anchovies
35. Future – HNDRXX
36. Lana Del Rey – Lust For Life
37. Grieves – Running Wild
38. Depeche Mode – Spirit
39. Bob Dylan – Triplicate
40. Daniele Luppi & Parquet Courts – Milano
41. Gucci Mane – Mr. Davis
42. Dutch Uncles – Big Balloon
43. Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun
44. Talib Kweli – Radio Silence
45. Oddisee – The Iceberg
46. London Grammar – Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
47. Goldfrapp – Silver Eye
48. Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone
49. Verb T & Pitch 92 – Good Evening
50. Slowdive – Slowdive
Gary Numan was my number 1 for a while, as it is yet more evidence that he is making his best albums decades after his popular peak, but the more I listen to the Brother Ali album the better it sounds. His best since Shadows On The Sun. He’s my favourite politically active, blind, Albino, Muslim rapper. Actually, I didn’t need to say that, cos he’s one of my favourite rappers full stop, but I thought it might make a few more listen to him, if only out of curiosity. He is so good he should have crossed over to the mainstream by now and yet I’m not even seeing him in top hip hop album lists that are starting to appear. Bizarre.
Looking at the rest of my list, I have only picked up Father John Misty and Nerina Pallot’s albums after seeing them in other peoples’ lists, so they may well jump up there after a few more listens. I’m a fan of Elton John and Father John Misty sounds like an American Elton John to me, on the strength of this album, as I haven’t heard any of his others yet. Also, Feist, Vince Staples, Tyler The Creator and Open Mike Eagle keep jumping up the list every time I listen to them, so they aren’t far away from knocking some of those out of the 50.
1. I’ve added your (Paul Wad and Tony Japanese) new votes to the playlist – 450 different artists already and I reckon the majority are still to come!
2. We do have quite the overlap in tastes, Mr W:
Grieves✔️ (Bonnie And Clyde is one of my tunes of the year)
Oddisee✔️
J Hus✔️
Binary Star✔️
Stormzy✔️
Ghostpoet✔️
Talib Kweli✔️
Wiley✔️
are all in my top 75 with Murs just outside!
Ghostpoet’s one of the finds of the year. I saw him recommended somewhere and took an instant liking to him. Grieves is one of my favourite rappers, although I was shocked to see what he looked like when I recently bought special editions of a couple of his albums that had bonus DVDs. He looks as likely to be a great rapper as I do. Well, maybe a bit more than me… And Binary Star are fab too. I absolutely love Masters Of The Universe.
If you like all those lot though, and haven’t heard all the other rap albums on my list, give them a go. The DJ Quik & Problem one surprised me, as I haven’t really taken to either of their previous work. Anything featuring Showbiz or Apollo Brown is usually of a high standard. Similar with Verb T, although some of his albums are far better than others. And I think Mr. Davis is my favourite of Gucci Mane’s since Mr. Zone 6, whilst MC Eiht’s album came out of nowhere and is great. A few more rap ones in there too that are worth a listen, if you haven’t heard them.
You’re right – I’ve not heard most of those yet. But have mercy – in the course of compiling the playlist I’ve already accumulated a stack of new music (some of it well out of my comfort zone) that’s piqued my interest and needs investigating…
LATE CHANGE
If it’s not too much trouble, could you please drop Bonobo from my top 20 (or St Vincent if you had disqualified the EPs) and add Fin by Syd. It’s brill. I’d seen her name pop up as a featured artist on some of the albums I have, but had never listened to her own album, or The Internet. I was missing out. If you’re a fan of Frank Ocean check it out.
I’ve also picked up Vic Mensa’s The Autobiography off Sewer Robot’s list which has crashed into my top 50, but not the top 20 just yet.
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Liam Gallagher – As You Were
Psychic Temple – IV
Paul Weller – A Kind Revolution
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
Beck – Colors
(and looking forward to hearing the newies from Melanie De Biasio, Mick Head, Four Tet and War On Drugs this Xmas, but don’t count them in case they’re shite*)
*Unlikely. Full terms and conditions on request.
Jane Weaver is creeping up the ranking, methinks. Didn’t fully take to it on the proverbial 1 listen, so might give her another go. I like the descriptors of it i’ve read.
Here are the votes from the Whalley Range jury:
Penguin Cafe – Imperfect Sea
Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
Spoon – Hot Thoughts
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Alt J – Relaxer
Sinkane – Life and Livin’ It
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex
Washed Out – Mister Mellow
Alice Coltrane – The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane
Slowdive – Slowdive
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Big Thief – Capacity
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
This Is The Kit – Moonshine Freeze
Four Tet – New Energy
The Barr Brothers – Queens of the Breakers
Peaking Lights – The Fifth State of Consciousness
Radiohead – OKNOTOK
Ooh quite like that Peaking Lights record, but even in an age of sh*t “will this do?” covers, that might be the worst I’ve seen..
What about the “will this do?” names? Cigarettes After Sex??? Who thunk that one up? The name put me off listening to their album until it starting to pop up on 2017 best album lists, but after listening it has become one of my favourites of the year too. There’s a band called Empire of the Sun who have had some good reviews too, but they have the double whammy of daft name and awful, cheesy album covers that totally put me off.
The good names are all taken, Paul. Only the shit ones are left.
Now that everything ever recorded is going to be available forever, you can’t even recycle them.
I agree about Cigarettes After Sex – the worst name I’ve ever heard for a band. And so at odds with the lovely noise they make. They have to change it surely?
Trampolene – From Swansea to Hornsey
Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band – Adios Senor Pussycat
Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
St Vincent – Masseduction
Little Steven – Soulfire
The Charlatans – Different Days
Paul Weller – A New Revolution
Baxter Dury – Prince of Tears
Steven Wilson – To The Bone
Can’t think of too much other ‘new’ I’ve really enjoyed
If anyone like me is still struggling, here is a pretty good list from PopMatters:https://www.popmatters.com/60-best-albums-of-2017-2516162820.html
None of my three nominations (Greta Van Fleet, Thievery Corporation, Dreadzone) make their Top 60. Which is most peculiar.
20 more:
Mary Halvorson – Meltframe
Mary Halvorson – Dragon’s Head
Mary Halvorson – Paimon: Book Of Angels (Zorn)
John Zorn – The Interpretation Of Dreams
John Zorn – Midsummer Moons
Wadada Leo Smith – Wajaw
Moppa Elliott – Mostly Other People Do The Killing
Bill Frisell + Thomas Morgan – Small Town
Songhoy Blues – Resistance
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Steve Winwood – Greatest Live
Colin Harper – Titanium Flag
Evie Sands – Any Way That You Want Me
Jon Hassel – Dream Theory In Malaya
The Beatles – Sgt Pepper (retooled)
Alice Coltrane – World Spirituality Classics
Joe Henderson – The Elements
Keith Jarrett – The Survivors’ Suite
Lee Scratch Perry – Trojan Albums box
Pentangle – The Albums box
A mixture of old and new stuff. Let me flag up my new discovery, totally smitten with Mary, whose scope could encompass Abercrombie/Fripp/Bailey/Hall/Sharrock /Ulmer/McLaughlin, you get the picture, all done with taste and restraint, all piled up in clusters or layed end to end. She’s the real thing, a guitar great WITH A BULLET, and she’s a woman!
Before someone points out that neither Meltframe nor Dragon’s Head qualify as 2017 albums, let’s take instead
Endless Boogie – Vibe Killer
Jack DeJohnette – Hudson
In fact, Baron, drop both and give me
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
instead, if you would.
😉
Thank you Declan! Just looking through this thread now (in a desperate attempt to procrastinate something more important)…
OK, after spending far too much time today vanishing off on “Oh, what about…” tangents, I’ve settled on – in no particular order – this lot.
“Shame Spiral” – USA Nails
“Brutalism” – Idles
“Self Architect” – H Grimace
“Swear I’m Good At This” – Diet Cig
“Grow Up” – Desperate Journalist
“Horse Of The Other World” – See Through Dresses
“Stuck In The Outer Ring” – EMA
“Guppy” – Charly Bliss
“American Dream” – LCD Soundsystem
“Paradoxical Chronicles” – Gemini Voice Archive
“Welcome, Stranger!” – The Blue Aeroplanes
“Try Not To Freak Out” – Slotface
“Feel The Same” – Radio Slave
“Seattle Gossip” – Who Is She?
“A Simple Guide To Small And Medium Pond Life” – Pet Crow
“II” – The Courtneys
“Conflats” – Out Lines
“Blue Field” – The Luxembourg Signal
“Strike A Match” – Sacred Paws
“Lost World” – Star Tropics
Quite a few there haven’t popped up previously, so here’s a handy playlist if you’re interested
Spent a fair amount of time going through the lists above in the hope of finding something to tickle my taste buds. It will come as no surprise to discover nothing really did.
So a meagre list from me
Lorde – Melodrama
Jason Isbell – Nashville Sound
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Neil Young – Hitchhiker
Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World
Taylor Swift – Reputation
Aaron Watson – Vaquero
You forgot Sufjan.
After today’s tragic news – “Wimpy
” Michigan songwriter mown down by a hail of bullets. Police are interviewing 345685 suspects” I thought it only fair to maintain a respectful silence
345686. I’ve given your name.
My man flu means I can barely type these words let alone load up the Kalashnikov which I still maintain was planted in my luggage by persons unknown
…cannot believe that no one has mentioned Neil Finn’s latest, nor The Clientele’s Music For The Age of Miracles. Both of which are beautiful
Haven’t posted yet but Neil Finn will certainly be on my list.
They are both on the playlist. I think The Clientele were mentioned a couple of times..
Very much enjoyed reading your lists. Only two from me which don’t look like they’re set to trouble the top of the charts:
Liars – TFCF
Cabbage – Young, dumb, and full of…
Great user name! Gonna put the fun back into being pretentious!
1. Grandaddy – The Last Place (R.I.P Kevin Garcia)
2. Real Estate – In Mind
3. Pugwash – Silverlake
4. Ian McNabb – Star Smile Strong
5. Phil Odgers -Roll to the Left
6. BNQT – Volume 1
7. Crippled Black Phoenix – Bronze
8. Rural Alberta Advantage- The Wild
9. Arbouretum – Song of the Rose
10. The Deep Dark Woods – Yarrow
11. Blitzen Trapper – Wild and Reckless
12. The Surfing Magazines.
13.Neil Young – Hitchhiker
14. Filthy Friends – Invitation
15. Wand – Plum
Forgot about BNQT – that’s a good album.
Rural Alberta Advantage on the way to 2 shouts, Vamp. Sort of canadian Men They Couldn’t Hang to my ears.
Never really noticed that but good shout…did you notice my TMTCH link, no 6 in list 👍
Deed I did! Not heard, it, mind.
Yet.
Here goes – a Top 10, in order:
Pugwash – Silverlake
Jason Isbell and 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
The Magpie Salute – The Magpie Salute
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
The Inky Depths – Help Your Friends Recognise You
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
St Vincent – Masseduction
Stage Door Guy – A Day in the Death Of…
Jimmy Regal and the Royals – Jimmy Regal and the Royals
I normally get CDs from this year over the Christmas period, so will be trying out the National, Mavis Staples, Neil Finn, Hurray for the Riff Raff etc etc – but I can’t pass judgment on a few tracks.
1. Sparks – Hippopotamus
2. Hammock – Mysterium
3. The Young’Uns – Strangers
4. Laura Marling – Semper Femina
5. A Winged Victory For The Sullen – Iris (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
6. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
7. Randy Newman – Dark Matter
8. The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
9. Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales – Room 29
10. Max Richter – Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works
11. LTO – Storybook
12. Various Artists – Music From the American Epic Sessions
13. I Fagiolini – Montiverdi: The Other Vespers
14. Radiohead – OK Computer OKNOTOK
15. Sufjan Stevens – The Greatest Gift
16. Steps – Tears On The Dancefloor
17. Thundercat – Drunk
18. Peter Gregson – Quartets:Two
19. Dustin O’Halloran – 3 Movements
20. David Bowie – No Plan EP
Woo hoo! Steps coming up on the rails…
Bowie not allowed, too few tracks.
In very definite order…
1. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS – 50 Song Memoir
2. JENS LEKMAN – Life Will See You Now
3. PHOEBE BRIDGERS – Stranger In The Alps
4. MICHAEL HEAD AND THE RED ELASTIC BAND – Adios Senor Pussycat
5. NEIL FINN – Out Of Silence
6. AIMEE MANN – Mental Illness
7. THE SHINS – Heartworms
8. COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS – Honest Life
9. IRON & WINE – Beast Epic
10. JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT – The Nashville Sound
11. PHOENIX – Ti Amo
12. GRANDADDY – Last Place
13. SAINT ETIENNE – Home Counties
14. NICK HEYWARD – Woodland Echoes
15. MARTIN CARR – New Shapes Of Life
16. THE NATIONAL – Sleep Well Beast
17. HURRAH FOR THE RIFF-RAFF – The Navigator
18. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – American Dream
19. PUGWASH – Silverlake
20. BEDOUINE – S/T
Just gonna put up a couple because there are some (eg Chuck Prophet, Goldfrapp) which I just haven’t given enough headspace to yet.
Laura Marling – Semper Femina. Glad to see I’m not alone in loving this.
Larkin Poe – Peach. Seems I am alone in loving this.
A quick mention for a bigozine2 download of Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real live in San Francisco. An excellent recording made shortly after Tom Petty’s passing (hence the inclusion of American Girl in the set).
Larking Poe – me too! Emusic download, I’m only just playing it in the last two weeks, it’s different and I like it.
Just realised this was a 2017 release too –
Ed Palermo Big Band – The Great Un-American Songbook
Oh the joy this has brought.
Love the Ed Palermo Big Band. His albums of Zappa compositions are excellent. I have a small selection of bootlegs of them from when they had a regular gig at The Bottom Line in New York and a few other places later on.
There’s quite a few live gigs at archive.org which is where I first discovered them.
Ed Palermo added ; ))
In a blatant attempt to influence the result:-
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
I haven’t heard much new this year but I’ve enjoyed what I have. Mainly it’s been
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
I like this system of just listing 20 without putting them in order of preference, which I find is an impossible task.
I bought 21 x 2017 release CDs. Here are 20 of them in order of purchase.
There might be some getting a first mention. I don’t know what that says about my tastes but I’m pleased with the list.
Now marvel at my impeccable taste:
1/ Chuck Prophet… Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins
2/ Kris Kristofferson…. The Austin Sessions (re-release of 1999 original)
3/ Ryan Adams…. Prisoner
4/ Robert Cray…. & Hi Rhythm
5/ Angaleena Presley…..Wrangled
6/ Chris Stapleton…. From A Room Vol. 1
7/ Jason Isbell … The Nashville Sound
8/ Dan Auerbach…. Waiting On A Song
9/ Cody Chesnutt…. My Love Divine Degree
10/ Sparks….. Hippopotamus
11/ Sinkane…… Life & Livin’ It
12/ The Waterboys… Out Of All This Blue
13/ Nick Heyward…… Woodland Echoes
14/ OMD……..The Punishment of Luxury
15/ Beck……. Colours
16/ Jim Lauderdale….. London Southern
17/ Son Of Dave….. Music For Cop Shows
18/ Chris Stapleton….. From A Room Vol. 2
19/ Mavis Staples……. If All I Was Was Black
20/ Michael McDonald…… Wide Open
21st was Curse Of Lono – Severed, which I bought at the merchandise stand when they supported Chuck Prophet but I haven’t given it listening time yet.
Merry Xmas to you all.
Curse Of Lono Is SUPERB, I hope I put it in my 20!
There may be one or two that will be better that I hear over the next few days, but, hell, may as well draw a line somewhere…..
In no order,
Zara McFarlane/Arise
Tokio Myers/Our Generation
Tinariwen/Elwan
Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer/Not Dark Yet
Robert Plant/Carry Fire
Offa Rex/Queen of Hearts
The National/Sleep Well Beast
Milky Chance/Blossom
Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band/Adios Senor Pussycat
Michael Chapman/50
Megan Henwood/River
Laura Marling/Semper Femina
Justin Currie/This Is My Kingdom Now
Justin Adams feat. Anneli Drecker/Ribbons
Four Tet/New Energy
Forest Swords/Compassion
Courtney Marie Andrews/Honest Life
Brand New/Science Fiction
Blue Rose Code/Water of Leith
Balmorhoea/Clear Language
My favourite? I think Michael Head snuck in and stole it from Blue Rose Code. It is a terrific album with echoes of Richard Hawley in the songs and the Byrds in the arrangements, topped by his(h) languid vocals(h)
I’ll throw these into the mix. The first two absolutely my records of the year.
Laura Marling Semper Femina
Courtney Marie Andrews An Honest Life
Neil Finn. Out of Silence
Randy Newman. Dark Matter
Rhiannon Giddens. Freedom Highway
Valerie June. The Order of Time
Conor Oberst. Salutations
Bella Hardy. Hey Sammy
Lucinda Williams. This Sweet Old World
Ryan Adams. Prisoner
Sampha. Process
Tom Hickox. Monsters in the Deep
Paul Weller. A Kind Revolution
Rodney Crowell. Close Ties
Aimee Mann. Mental Illness
Hurray for the Riff Raff The Navigator
Offa Rex. The Queen of Hearts
The top ten in my list are, in order, my favourite albums of the year. Numbers 11 to 20 aren’t really sorted into any order.
1) Amanda Ann Platt and The Honeycutters
2) Hannah Aldridge – Gold Rush
3) Caleb Caudle – Carolina Ghost
4) Chastity Brown – Silhouette of Sirens
5) Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World
6) The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
7) Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
8) The Mastersons – Transient Lullaby
9) Sam Outlaw – Tenderheart
10) Ryan Adams – Prisoner
11) Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
12) Michael Chapman – 50
13) Lily Hiatt – Trinity Lane
14) Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer – Not Dark Yet
15) Chris Stapleton – From A Room Vol. 1
16) Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator
17) David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanac
18) Rodney Crowell – Close Ties
19) Danny & The Champions Of The World – Brilliant Light
20) Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
Bubbling under: Bruce Cockburn – Bone On Bone; Samantha Fish – Chills and Fever; Karen Elon – Double Roses; Steve Wickham – Beekeeper
Okey-dokey, as some of you may have seen on another thread, here are my Top 20.
Looking at Declan’s chart, I see that two separate records from John Zorn’s 32-album “Book of Angels” series have now been nominated.
1. Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
2. Jake Xerxes Fussell – What in the Natural World
3. John Zorn – Midsummer Moons
4. Hampshire and Foat – Galaxies Like Grains of Sand
5. Roger Robinson – Dog Heart City
6. Michael Chapman – 50
7. Lubomyr Melnyk – Illirion
8. Trio Medieval & Arve Henriksen – Rímur
9. Mammal Hands – Shadow Work
10. Trio da Kali & Kronos Quartet – Ladilikan
11. Elkhorn – The Black River
12. Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference
13. Offa Rex – The Queen of Hearts
14. Lisas – Fiddle and Accordion Conversations
15. Matti Bye – This Forgotten Land
16. Garth Knox And The Saltarello Trio – Leonard: The Book of Angels 30
17. Tinariwen – Elwan
18. Dinosaur – Together, As One
19. Afous D’Afous – Tenere
20. Mark McGuire – Ideas of Beginnings
Only Christmas Eve and the playlist has swelled past 550 entries. It’s striking how well what one might term country or Americana is represented in the end of year poll when we don’t seem to spend that much time talking about this music all year…(?)
I don’t talk more about Americana/alt-country/country/roots because there are so many naysayers here who so actively dislike it.
hashtag metoo
Yebbut @Carl and @bigstevie there are many on the blog such as us 3 who actively like it so post away.
Who doesn’t like it? Even @tiggerlion is coming round>
As with every genre, there’s good and bad. For example, there are a lot of fine musicians in Nashville but a Nashville production often involves as much sickly gloss as the most manufactured of manufactured Pop music. Yech. Taking the cowboy boots off and emptying a bit of dirt and grit onto the soundstage, improves matters a great deal I find.
With respect to mainstream Nashville, I have no disagreement with you. I’m not much of a fan of mainstream Nashville.
But I’ve found that over the years references, both on the original Word site and here, to American roots music have been met with disdain and sneering references to the cliches of beards and check shirts.
I fail to see what Dave Gorman has to do with it…
Tee, hee and indeed hee.
You should try mentioning folk music and getting out of it unscathed. (Except the bloody Unthanks, of course, where the reverse applies)
In the interests of balance I have seen many, many more sneering references to “hippety hoppety” here than ones disparaging Americana.
With you @Carl and by the way that Amanda Ann Platt arrived this week and it is fabulous. Thanks for the introduction.
Thank you too, @SteveT. It is very satisfying when you find something you really come to love, be appreciated elsewhere.
Two more Honeycutters albums arrived, from Santa (On The Ropes and Me Oh My), so we have those to look forward to.
With respect, ‘all’ genres are met with a certain amount of distain from those who don’t appreciate them – Hip Hop, Metal, Prog even Pop for goodness sake gets short shrift at times – but come on guys and gals, we’re all grown ups aren’t we? If you like something then post away, don’t let the naysayers put you off.
It never gets nasty here, so stand your ground and lets have more Americana/Hip-Hop/Jazz/Folk/Pop/Prog crossover posts 😉
Happy Festivus!
⬆️
Please stick to your guns @Carl. I am a yeasayer and want to hear about your new Americana favourites. My philosophy is that if I post something and one person here really likes it, then it was worth mentioning.
For example. Neela and Locust sometimes post some real Swedish gems. The potential target audience is tiny (there are five people here who speak Swedish) but I am very glad they do.
So embrace yea and ignore nay!
I haven’t seen anyone mention this guy yet so I will because I enjoyed his album…
Mike Oldfield – Return to Ommadawn
And my other album of the year (although the songs played live sound about a million times better than the recorded versions):
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Can I add two latecomers to mine, please?
Claro Intelecto — Exhilarator
Henry Saiz — Natura Sonoris
What List? I`ll put those onto the main list for you LB.
Here are mine
1. Sparks – Hippopotamus
2. Whitney Rose – South Texas Suite
3. Conor Oberst – Salutations
4. Flat Worms – Flat Worms
5. Chuck Prophet – Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins
6. Angaleena Presley – Wrangled
7. Whitney Rose – Rule 62
8. Weaves – Wide Open
9. Brix & The Extricated – Part 2
10. BQNT – Volume 1
11. The New Pornographers – Whiteout Conditions
12. Maximo Park – Risk To Exist
Whitney Rose has a had a big influence on my music listening this year. 6 track album South Texas Suite was brilliant and, at the supporting gig, she made me aware of Brennan Leigh. Subsequently Ms Leigh’s albums have probably been my most played of the year but none of them are new enough for inclusion here. Rule 62 was a slight disappointment but still good enough to be included.
Not a huge amount purchased by me this year but most of it I’ve enjoyed.
In no particular order of preference:
British Sea Power – Let the Dancers Inherit the Party
Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band – Big Machine
Feist – Pleasure
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Queens of the Stone Age – Villians
John Shuttleworth – The A1111 …… And Other Ones (if this is allowed)
This is the Kit – Moonshine Freeze
The Unthanks – The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake
The War on Drug A Deeper Understanding
I can’t include Elbow’s latest as it was something of a disappointment.
Top marks for including John Shuttleworth. I forgot about it otherwise it would have been in my ‘bubbling under’.
Plus the A1111 is one of our favourite roads. A lovely drive between Alford and Sutton on Sea, which we’re looking forward to doing again in the Summer.
Another thumbs up for mentioning John Shuttleworth. Made my day to hear he has a new album out that it is on Spotify. Yaaay!
I suspect I’ve missed a few good ones – still haven’t got around to the new Sparks for instance, and I’ve been catching up on some ‘old’ this year (which is unusual for me) – and got weirdly obsessed with the 70s Soft Machine and also Welsh Peel faves Datblygu –
I’ve some good live bands and my tips for 2018 are a slightly terrifying post-punk band called Shame, a band signed to Heavenly called Britain who are basically Cocteau Twins when they had the drum machine, and a band called The Orielles who are ace and sound like The Pastels trying to cover ‘Discipline’-era King Crimson while on a rollercoaster (Seriously…they do).
So..in no particular order :
Slowdive – Slowdive (I was scared to play this in case it was as a let down – genuinely brilliant record and I’m starting to think this is their best record – it’s certainly the most perfectly formed and as utterly swoonsome as anything they’ve done)
Ride – Weather Diaries – (Slowdive win the Shoegaze comeback trophy but only just – this has some absolute belters on it – try ‘Cali’ for instance – what a tune)
The Horrors – V (Loveable skinny-jeaned, genre-hopping combo return – with added Pop hooks, a billion overdubs and no-nonsense Numanoid boogie – Disco-Goth Stadium Rock anyone?)
Dutch Uncles – Big Balloon – (Another deliciously brilliant record from the Prog-pop geniuses – highlight is ‘Streetlight’ – a song about…er..a Streetlight)
Novella – Change of State – (Excellent state of the nation address from Novella over superb driving, locked-groove rhythms and subtly weaving guitar interplay – they were another live highlight for me this year)
China Crisis – Flaunt the Imperfection (2017 Reissue) (The Kirkby Steely Dan complete with actual Walter Becker – Why did nobody tell me how brilliant this record was?)
Wire – Silver/Lead (Wire’s forward momentum continues for their 40th year, with the only real nod to their past being the typeface on the sleeve – keep up at the back)
Lone – DJ Kicks – (Nottingham’s finest techno geezer compiles some absolutely cracking, spacey house tunes and some of his own bangers particularly ‘Saturday Night’ which – to paraphrase Alan Partridge – really encapsulates the feeling of a Saturday).
Girl Ray – Earl Grey – (Delightfully left-field, beautifully constructed clever Indie* Pop – think Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Marine Girls, The Pastels and the Raincoats – — *so now can we stop calling Noel/Liam, Kings of Leon and Kasabian “Indie” please)
Actress – AZD – (the ex-West Brom player’s best LP I reckon – murky, weirdness which occasionally has outbreaks of tunefulness and there are beats on this one – way better than the forgettable gunk oozing from Aphex Twin HQ these days)
Ulrika Spacek – Modern English Decoration – (Rubbish name – excellent band – gnarly noisy guitar pop like early Deerhunter and a strangely addictive listen)
Mark Peters – Innerland – (Engineers main man solo project – dreamy, billowing guitars and subtle rhythms – RIYL early Spiritualized – bloody ace and only available on Bandcamp – if you’re quick get the tape which is in a box made to look like an Ordnance Survey Map)
A Certain Ratio – To Each (2017 Reissue) – (reissued on Mute Records – a very underrated record- buy now if you like Joy Division, Talking Heads, The Pop Group, Brian Eno or indeed if you want to know where LCD Soundsystem got all their ideas from )
Omni – Multi
The Duke Spirit – The Sky is Mine
Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band – Adios Senor Pussycat
King Krule – The Ooz
Moon Wiring Club – Tantalising Mews
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press
Richard H.Kirk – Dasein
There are people on this very blog who are “weirdly obsessed with the 70s” on a near permanent basis.
I read somewhere that many people lose interest in new music after 25. So they keep listening to whatever they listened to up til then. Me I’m finding my interest in new stuff waning now that I’m sixty.
I’m almost sixty two and I’m still interested in hearing new music even if it only serves to remind me of lots of the older music that I still love.
Looking forward to both Shame (who I’ve not heard but liked Eamonn Forde’s description of them) and the Orielles (who I have heard).
Here`s mine. These are my definite 20 releases of 2017, none from the `70`s Peter, although two from the `60`s. Giles Martin`s Remix of Sgt. Pepper is IMHO an improvement
although some may disagree but they are wrong. The Beach Boys-1967: Sunshine Tomorrow is probably the bargain release and is full of music to lift your spirits.
Waterboys – Out Of All This Blue
Beatles – Sgt. Pepper (Remix)
Offa Rex – The Queen Of Hearts
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
Valerie June – The Order Of Time
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat
John Mellencamp – Sad Clowns & Hillbillies
Beach Boys – 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow
Big Big Train – The Second Brightest Star
Arbouretum – Song Of The Rose
Blue Rose Code – The Water Of Leith
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Roger Waters – Is This The Life We Really Want?
Chuck Prophet – Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins
Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana
John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
David Crosby – Sky Trails
I done a stupid.
Thought the Idles album came out last year, when it was actually released in 2017. I’d say put it in my list at, oooh, number seven, and knock everything else down one, but I’m not sure it’d make any difference to the overall results, as only one other person seems to have mentioned it (hi, @deviant-808!). Consider this more of a PSA for anyone else who might be interested in a darkly funny, absolutely furious, post-punk racket. It’s a bit like what you might think the Fall sounded like if you’d only read reviews of their records and not heard any, only shoutier.
If you see this Kid put your message under your entry, which I presume is on SteveT`s blog. I haven`t got around to that yet.
I usually browse from my iPad which doesn’t have access to all my music, so I would miss something, but I’m on the Mac especially to add my list.
Big Big Train – Grimspound (though not as good as Folklore)
Daphne’s Flight – Knows Time, Knows Change (harmonies still great 20 years on)
David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanack (not my favourite album by him /them?)
Georgia Lewis – The Bird Who Sings Freedom (Cover makes her look old and unattractive – she is neither, great band too)
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound (Again not as good as the last two)
Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir (No song has overtaken my favourites from 69 love songs, but the overall consistency is better, I think)
Margo Price – All American Made (I think I prefer this to her first)
Mavis Staples – If All I Was WAs Black (Still deciding where I rank it among her recent albums)
Neil Young – Hitchhiker (A return to form! Shame it takes a 40 year old recording to return to form)
Nick Mulvay – Wake Up Now (Better than the first and I liked that one)
Offa Rex – The Queen of Hearts (Lived up to expectations)
Rhiannon Ghiddens – Freedom Highway (Timely follow up to her first – ‘Julie’ is remarkable)
Richard Thompson – Acoustic Rarities (Worth it for ‘They Tore the Hippodrome Down’ alone)
Robert Plant – Carry Fire (Love the groove)
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Sidelong (Technically a re-issue but it was the first full release and I heard it as such- “I’m drinking water tonight cuz I drank all the whiskey this morning”)
Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore (Love the harmonies – great album after the fight they had to make it)
Sharon Jones – Soul of a Woman (One of the losses of the year)
Songhoy Blues – Resistance (Probably prefer the previous album at the moment)
Tamikrest – Kidal (What Tanariem used to be)
The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding (Loved it from the first hearing)
You are damning most of these with faint praise! 😉
Laura MARLING Semper Femina
Shelby LYNNE & Alison MOORER Not Dark Yet
Mick HEAD Adios Senor Pussycat
Kate BUSH Before The Dawn
Ryan ADAMS Prisoner
SAINT ETIENNE Home Counties
ST. VINCENT Masseduction
CHARLATANS Different Days
ELBOW Little Fictions
How the hell do you lot find the time to absorb this much new music in a year???? Most of you seem to be listening to more music on an annual basis than I manage do during my apparent peak years of 20 – 30! (i.e. Pre wife, pre kids!!)
I think at least ONE of you are lying!
Disposable income plus retirement multiplied by chronic addiction equals these monstrous lists of music you and I will never hear… or indeed hear of again.
By way of balance, I only listened to two new albums this year and I didn’t think either of them were much kop.
I can only assume that the compilers of these vast lists won’t listen to them much again either. There just can’t be time. They’ve got to get working on all the stuff that’s going to end up in next year’s list.
I tend to need to give a new album that I like on first listen a few goes before I can know if it’s a keeper. That process in itself can take a couple of weeks, because I don’t typically have more than 20 mins listening time at any one sitting. No idea how anyone with a job and a family gets to listen to hours and hours of music a week, let alone enough to come up with ~20 albums that represent the selected cream of the year’s listening. Must be nice! I suppose some folk might have their own office, or work from home?
The commute, and walking the dog are enormously helpful. As is streaming of course. I could never have listened to as many new records as I do now in the past because I would never have bought so many. Many are superficial and cursory listens, perhaps just listening once and deciding I can’t be bothered to give it any more time.but those that pique a real interest will get several listens, and will often be bought on CD.
As for how many I’ll keep listening to – well, maybe three or four from the year? But thats probabaly true of records from most years. There are several records I bought in the 70s and 80s, for example, that mean a lot to me, but that I hardly ever play now.
Two hours a day on public transport, five days a week plus time in the kitchen cooking or other jobs both in the evening and at weekends.
Well, having a job isn’t too much of a barrier to listening these days. I listen more now than I did back in my teens and twenties when listening was pretty much confined to home or car. These days, I can get on with my job (writing software) and listen to several albums a day from my MP3 player. Having music on in an open plan office (although I generally approve of them) helps me concentrate. Depending on the job I’m doing, some days I can get through 7 or 8 albums, other days, none.
I guess it must depend on the job, then. My commute is 20 mins and I’m teaching all day. Music not really an option!
I make time for music Bob. I work hard all week and no music at work but my spare time is mostly musical. We don’t have kids (although I know parents who are just as obsessive about music as I am who could name 20 faves of 2017 too) but also I’m not really one for TV, I don’t follow sports – music is my passion and if I’m not listening to it, I’m reading about it, scuffling around in record shops buying it or sat in front of a mixing desk making it. It’s no chore, and this isn’t about making a list of cool records to show off how ‘in touch’ I am (I literally couldn’t give a flying fuck about that – especially on The Afterword). Music is my passion in life – and I’ve picked some records I enjoyed to share with y’all.
Why do I have the distinct impression I’ve just been told off? 😊
It’s priorities, innit? I listen to a lot of music, but I’ve been reading the TV thread and I’ve not even heard of half the programmes mentioned in there, let alone watch them.
Me neither. Everyone seems to be having a much nicer time than me because I seem to have none!
Does that lead to Disappointment, Bob?
*We* have no life and loads of time to watch telly and listen to music. Don’t worry about it, Bob.
Just better time management skills, I suspect, Tiggs!
Don’t you do ANY social media Bob? Everyone IS having a nicer time than you.
Ha, not on Twitter they’re not. It’s like Dave Pelzer has started a new job as BBC political editor over there.
The daily grind of washing up.
This allows approx half hours listening per day, which is probably 2 and a half albums per week.
Add in the weekend chores of cleaning, laundry and cooking which adds at least 3 more albums time.
It’s not all new stuff – sometimes a “comfy classic” is on the spin.
As for “keepers” I would estimate a bit rate of about 10 to 20% which will get regular replays in future times
I can only list five, this year:
The National – sleep well beast
The Afghan Whigs – in spades
The Arcade Fire – I can’t remember it’s title
Lorde – melodrama
St Vincent – Masseduction
And I haven’t actually heard two of them.
Two reasons I listen to so much new music. Firstly, I’m no longer working, so I have a lot of time on my hands. But mainly, I have stopped being as blinkered with my musical tastes. I already thought I had pretty wide tastes (then again, everybody does!), but by being a little more open minded I realised there is loads of new music out there that is great. Sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper.
Obviously, hip hop and grime has been my main passion for the past couple of years, but not the pop rap that is in the charts and on most of the music channels. I am really enjoying one of the directions that R&B is moving in. Again, not necessarily the stuff in the charts, but artists such as Frank Ocean, Syd, Sampha, Anderson .Paak, The Weeknd, etc. Contemporary R&B seems to be the title given to it.
Hi Baron
Only six from me i’m afraid – somr of this years releases are still in my unplayed pile…
Steve Earle – So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
Elbow – Little Fictions
Songhoy Blues – Resistance
Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
Roger Waters – Is This The Life We Really Want?
Ten from me. As usual, there’s far more I just haven’t had the time to get to yet.
1. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
2. Penguin Cafe – The Imperfect Sea
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers
4. Feist – Pleasure
5. Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins
6. Four Tet – New Energy
7. Ride – Weather Diaries
8. The National – Sleep Well Beast
9. Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps
10. Bjork – Utopia
2017 in order
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Hiss Golden Messenger – Halelujah Anyhow
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
London Grammar – Truth is a Beautiful Thing
Fleet Foxes – Crack-up
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
Bonobo – Migration
Elbow – Little Fictions
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness
Orchestra Baobab – Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
Ondatrópica – Baile Bucanero
Nadia Reid – Preservation
William The Conqueror – Proud Disturber of The Peace
Danny & The Champions of The World – Brilliant Light
John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
Quantic & Nidia Góngora – Curao
Thundercat – Drunk
This is The Kit – Moonshine Freeze
The National – Sleep Well Beast
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex
Mac Demarco – This Old Dog
St. Vincent – Masseduction
Chris Bathgate – Dizzy seas
Kevin Morby – City Music
Aldous Harding – Party
Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in The Alps
Loney, Dear – Loney Dear
Moses Sumney – Aromanticism
Quantic have a new album out? No-one told me!
Here’s mine. Listened to quite a bit of new this year thanks to joining the Rough Trade club and hammering Spotify whilst doing seemingly endless decorating at my lad’s new house…
Baxter Dury – Prince Of Tears (my fave of the year, I think)
Childhood – Universal High
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
This Is The Kit – Moonshine Freeze
Girl Ray – Earl Grey
Paul Draper – Spooky Action
Grandaddy – Last Place
Lost Horizons – Ojala
Michael Head – Adios Senor Pussycat
Sleaford Mods – English Tapas
Menace Beach – Lemon Memory
Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog
Hercules and the Love Affair – Omnion
Sharon Jones/ Dap Kings – Soul of a Woman
The Clientele – Music for the Age of Miracles
Tennis – Unconditionally Yours
Various – English Weather
Super Furry Animals – Radiator re-issue
XTC – Black Sea re-issue
That Baxter Dury is rather good isn’t it?
It truly is. I only came across it by accident because Spotify started playing tracks from it randomly.
Alphabeticaly…
Alice Cooper – Paranormal
Billy Bragg – Bridges Not Walls
Bjork – Utopia
Connor Oberst – Salutations
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
Gad Whip – Trapped In A Pinhole Camera
Grandaddy – Last Place
Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales – Room 29
Jim White – Waffles Triangles & Jesus
Jinder – Presents Kingsize Blackfoot
Peter Hammill – From The Trees
Prodigal Scum – Filthy Steps
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Sleaford Mods – English Tapas
Sparks -Hippotoamus
Tinariwen – Elwan
The Unthanks – The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Couldn’t quite get to 20 but these are my favourite 16 …
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Bjork – Utopia
The Clientele – Music for the Age of Miracles
Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band – Big Machine
Jon Boden – Afterglow
Kate Rusby – Angels and Men
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
Lorde – Melodrama
Mike Oldfield – Return to Ommadawn
OMD – The Punishment of Luxury
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Saint Etienne – Home Counties
Steven Wilson – To the Bone
Tiger Moth Tales – The Depths of Winter
Tom Rogerson with Brian Eno – Finding Shore
U2 – Songs of Experience
Kate – new album? How, when? Add it to my list, Baron!
Kate Bush?!?
When do we get to start a list for those we missed in time? Belatedly popped the Boho/Unshod 2017 best of’s in the car and now there are several I want to listen to including (@bricameron ‘s top tip) Juana Molina and Chuck Johnson, as well as getting around to WoDs latest, which I had mistakenly filed under probably just more of the same, despite including the last in my 2015s list of the best.
Heard a track from that LCD and thought it was one of the tracks I had already dissed in my underwhelmed OMITD opinion.
I gave you all until midnight 31.12.17 for a reason. Instead of living it up and getting pissed you should have concentrated.
Alas, it is now TOOOOOOO Late.
2017
The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell and 400 Unit. My most played and favorite of the year. I would argue this is a strong as his latest two albums – less personal – “had enough of the white man blues -sang enough about myself” – but still wonderfully written and played with the 400 Unit. Saw them in Nashville at the Ryman in November and damn they were GOOD.
and the rest –
A Deeper Understanding – War on Drugs
Cigarettes After Sex – CAS
Poor Davids Almanac – David Rawlings
Boy Crazy and Single(s) – Lydia Loveless
Sleep Well Beast – The National
Carry Fire -Robert Plant
Faith In The Future – Craig Finn – (God In Chicago – song of the year!)
Not Dark Yet – Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Gold Rush – Hannah Aldridge (thank you @Carl – and keep on championing the “Americana” and I will too!)
Prisoner – Ryan Adams
Trinity Lane – Lily Hyatt – I was there on Tuesday
Oh – and
Big Bad Luv – John Moreland.
hashtag metoo at DrewToo. (regarding Jason Isbell).
He`s doing well our former DBT.
My relatively mainstream top 20 – order pretty much arbitrary but not quite, if you get my drift:
1. Colours – Beck
2. American Dream – LCD Soundsystem
3. Together, As One – Dinosaur
4. To The Bone – Steven Wilson
5. A Deeper Understanding – The War On Drugs
6. Pocketful Of Stones – Hue & Cry
7. The Way Is Read – The Staves / YMusic
8. MASSEDUCTION – St. Vincent
9. This Is My Kingdom Now – Justin Currie
10. New Energy – Four Tet
11. The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
12. Every Valley – Public Service Broadcasting
13. Titanium Flag (2017 Remaster) – Colin Harper
14. Automaton – Jamiroquai (yes, really)
15. Sad Dad Cruise Ship – David Vertesi (PLEASE, someone else listen to this!)
16. Folklore – Big Big Train
17. Tears On The Dancefloor – Steps (yes, really!)
18. 50 Song Memoir – The Magnetic Fields
19. Black Sea (Steven Wilson Remix) – XTC
20. Sgt Pepper 2017 – HJHs
Outside of those, quite a lot of “new to me” early/mid 70’s stuff (including the S.Wilson Gentle Giant) and continuing to grow into (I’m 57!) Jazz and Grateful Dead (inspired mainly by this place)
I also started listening to the Spotify playlist – got a dozen or so tracks in and liked them all but fuck me – 500+ tracks – I need to work less.
Crikey, I’m ‘relatively mainstream’! 😀
1. Boo Hewerdine – Swimming in Mercury. I know plenty who don’t like this album but I love it. After what I thought were a couple of water-treading “worthy but dull” folk albums, he’s gone pop – drums, electric bass, skronky keyboards and all. “I decided to have fun recording” he said, and it shows.
2. The Disappointment Choir – Vows. ‘Nuff said.
3. Helen & The Neighbourhood Dogs – Nelson EP. I engineered this, so I have “investment”. We’ll do an album one day (or probably several days).
4. Emily Barker – Sweet Kind Of Blue. I like that every album she makes is different, this one recorded in Memphis. I don’t think she’ll ever better the-low-country debut album though, but I’m pleased she keeps trying.
5. Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
Reissues in no particular order:
Fabs – Sgt Pepper
Bowie – A new career in a new town
Prince – Purple Rain
Curve – Doppleganger & Cuckoo
Radiohead – OKNOTOK
James – Justhipper
XTC – Black Music
Brian Eno – first 4 albums on half-speed mastered vinyl
Abba – Abba the Album on half-speed mastered vinyl
Nick Cave – Lovely Creatures
Lloyd Cole – In New York
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & The Upsetters – The Trojan Albums Collection 1971-1973
VA – New Order presents Be Music
VA – Manchester North of England
New to me in 2017:
Steve Reich – Radio Rewrite. From 2015. I heard the track featuring Jonny Greenwood on Desert Island Discs.
I honestly don’t feel like I’ve listened to much new music this year (I bought new gear on Feb and have been working through back catalogue), but looking at the above list I haven’t done badly.
Sparks – Hippopotamus
Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan – Small Town
Childish Gambino – Awaken My Love!
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
Hawkwind – Into the Woods
Tinariwen – Elwan
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
Rodrigo Leao & Scott Matthew – Life is Long
Darren Hayman – Thankful Villages Vol 2
Penguin Cafe – The Imperfect Sea
My list moved over from the SteveT thread. Got a couple of new entries/rsubstitutions, which it appears I am allowed if moving thread. Hope that’s OK.
1. Aldous Harding – Party (easily #1)
2. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy (#2)
And in no particular order…
3. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
4. The National – Sleep Well Beast
5. Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator
6. Robert Plant – Carry Fire
7. St Vincent – Masseduction
8. Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last
9. Hitchhiker – Neil young
10. Moonlandingz- Interplanetary Class Classics
11. Jane Weaver: Modern Kosmology
12. Songhoy Blues – Resistance
13. Peasant – Richard dawson
14. Freedom Highway – Rhiannon Giddens
15. Prince of teens – Baxter Drury
16. Steve Winwood – Greatest Hits Live
17. Little Steven – Soulfire
18. Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
19. Margo Price – All American Made
20. Steve Earle – So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
ooh, I’m doing the same, good idea.
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger In The Alps
2. The National – Sleep Well Beast
3. Japandroids – Near To The Wild Heart Of Life
4. Ezra Collective – Juan Pablo The Philosopher
5. Afghan Whigs – In Spades
6. Kölsch – 1989 (epic melancholy string drenched techno / progressive house, completely aces.)
7. Waxahatchee – Out In The Storm
8. Idles – Brutalism
9. Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
10. Four Tet – New Energy
11. Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent (shouty shouty bang bang)
12. Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: Journey To Cassiopeia (brass band and vintage synths going cosmic)
13. Chris Forsyth – Dreaming In The Non-Dream (motorik guitar freakouts)
14. Solstafir – Berdreyminn (post-metal, bit goth)
15. Converge – The Dusk In Us
16. Algiers – The Underside Of Power (fearsome punk soul)
17. Pumarosa – The Witch
18. Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
19. Wrongtom & The Ragga Twins – In Time (digital dancehall)
20. Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound (US indie rock)
Basically, if your album had the word “in” in the title, I probably liked it.
@RedLemon I have 12 of those on your list which might be more than on anyone else list which suggests we have a common interest until I see Father John Misty on your list. I liked his first, his second remains on the shelf unplayed since the first couple of times I heard it. This last one is a step too far for me. The guy has become annoying in the extreme. Fuck me does he haver an inflated ego or what?
I listened to his 2nd album on recommendation from somewhere or other and liked it enough to look forward to the 3rd. Have to say, I found it hard work and monotonous, but I have come to really like it. It’s a real grower for me.
His ego’s best viewed live, with full band and strings IMO 🙂
Oh, and some of my new entries/substitutions come from investigating these lists, so may be cribbed from yours. I’ll have to check it out later.
Jason Isbell and 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Jane Weaver: Modern Kosmology
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Little Steven – Soulfire
The Disappointment Choir – Vows
Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
Steven Wilson – To The Bone
Bicep – Bicep
Bonobo – Migration
Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger In The Alps
Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Echo of Pleasure
Slowdive – Slowdive
Waxahatchee – Out In The Storm
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
These were the albums I listened to enough to convince me they were quality rather than just novelty
The Waxahatchee has real sticking power for me. I’m still playing it a couple of times a week now.
Sorry a number eleven – just – Wolf Alice Visions of a Life
@moseleymoles I bought that Jane Weaver based on its appearance on this post. It is rather good isn’t it?
Yeah she’s got the stereolab meets ghostbox vibe down.
I thought it had a Jane Weaverish vibe.
The definitive Update (replacing earlier posting on SteveT blog)
1. Conor Oberst – Salutations
2. Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
3. Len Price 3 – Kentish Longtails
4. Sparks – Hippopotamus
5. Paul Weller – A Kind Revolution
6. The Professionals – What In The World
7. Noel Gallagher – Who Built The Moon
8. Sharks – Killers Of The Deep
9. The Disappointment Choir – Vows
10. Steven Wilson – To The Bone
11. John Otway and The Big Band – Montserrat
12. Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbot – Crooked Calypso
13. Declan McKenna – What Do You Think Of The Car?
14. Liam Gallagher – As You Were
15. U2 – Songs Of Experience
16. Courtney Barnett/Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Love that John Otway album, why isn`t it in my 20? Same reason as another 20 ain`t in but JO should have been,
I’ve been trying to buy less and listen more so the top eleven have all been well consumed and on rotation at times. Generally I think it’s been a good year.
1. Offa Rex – Queen of Hearts
2. Jason Isbell – Nashville Sound
3. Steven Wilson – To the Bone
4. Floating Points – Mojave
5. St Vincent – Masseduction
6. Disappointment Choir – Vows
7. Lydia Ainsworth – Darling of the Afterglow
8. Songhoy Blues – Resistance
9. Angeleena Presley – Wrangled
10. Spoon – Hot Thoughts
11. Colin Harper – Titanium Flag (remaster)
12. Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator
13. Four Tet – New Energy
14. Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
15. Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia
16. The Secret Sisters – You don’t own me anymore
17. Coutney Marie Andrews – Honest Life
18. Margo Price – All American Made
19. Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
20. The Weather Station – The Weather Station
Reissues
1. Beatles – Sgt Pepper
2. Radiohead – OKNOTOK
3. Lal & Mike Waterson – Bright Phoebus
As usual I haven’t heard 20 new releases in a year. These are the ones I have liked.
Album of the year for me is Ondatropica – Baile Bucanero. It’s 5 years since their first album, Quantic has been busy. This is their best.
The rest in no particular order:
Bio Mira – Marimba Del Pacifico
M.A.K.U. Sound System – Mezcla
Dayme Arocena _ Cubafonia
Mokoomba – Luyando
La Mambanegra – El Callegüeso y Su Mala Maña
Quantic & Nidia Congora – Curao
Eddie Palmieri – Sabiduria (Wisdom)
The Hot 8 Brass Band – On The Spot
Compilations starting with my favourite
Soul Of A Nation: Afro-Centric Visions in the Age of Black Power Underground Jazz, Street Funk & The Roots of Rap 1968-79
Studio One Supreme Maximum 70s and 80s Early Dancehall Sounds
Let’s Do The Boogaloo – infectious American dance music that united soul, jazz and latin.
The Men In The Glass Booth – Ground breaking re-edits and remixes by the disco era’s most influential DJs.
Leroy Hutson – Anthology 1972 – 1984
Alias is an alias – his real name is “Invent Band Names”
Other Native American style AW names include:
Ignores The Modern World
Disagrees For The Sake Of It
Farts With Language
Types With Left Hand
Pretends To Live In Thailand
Once Knew Somebody Famous
Failed An Interview With NME
Lists Without Humour
Strokes Chin
Listens Six Times
Talks Through Bumcrack
Hang on, I’m not the only one on here to make up band names am I?
Alias = He Who Speaks Truth
There’s 50 here, but the first 20 are definitely my most played
Big Thief – Capacity (Mythological Beauty just slays me)
Wand – Plum
Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent
Malojian – Let Your Weirdness Carry You Home (wonderful Irish band championed by the late great Willie Meighan of Rollercoaster Records in Kilkenny. R.I.P. Willie & thank you. x)
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Choir Of The Mind
Frankie & The Witch Fingers – Brain Telephone (One I bought just cos of the cover. Channeling the spirit o’ Roky Erickson & all those great 60’s garage bands. I love it. My fave doing the washing up album)
http://larecord.com/listen-2/2017/09/11/album-premiere-frankie-and-the-witch-fingers-brain-telephone
David Corley – Zero Moon
John Murry – A Short History Of Decay
Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog
PP Arnold – The Turning Tide
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Murder Of The Universe
John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
Courtney Marie Andrews – Honest Life
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears (thought this was from 2016, until I saw it on Locust’s list. Checked, & the UK release was Jan 6th 2017)
Seamus Fogarty – The Curious Hand (Short Ballad For A Long Man’d do it on it’s own)
Open Mike Eagle – Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
Melkbelly – Nothing Valley
Joseph Huber – The Suffering Stage (anyone who’s a fan o’ John Moreland or similar should check this out)
Cheveu & Group Doueh – Dakhla Saharah Session
Oumou Sangare – Magoya
Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
Hugh Christopher Brown – Pacem
Jason Lowenstein – Spooky Action
Kevin Morby – City Music
Grandaddy – Last Place
OCS – Memory of A Cut Off Head
Blitzen Trapper – Wild & Reckless
Ty Segall – Ty Segall
David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanac
Lankum – Between The Earth & Sky
Richard Dawson – Peasant
R. Stevie Moore / Jason Falkner – Make It Be
The Mountain Goats – Goths
Flat Worms – Flat Worms
Mister Heavenly – Boxing The Moonlight
Mattiel – Mattiel
Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me (heartbreaking album, almost too painful to listen to, am in tears through most of it)
Oh Sees – Orc
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
Strand of Oaks – Hard Love
Ian Felice – In the Kingdom of Dreams
Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound
Chad VanGaalen – Light Information
David Bazan – Care
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Dr. Dog – Abandoned Mansion
Ted Leo – The Hanged Man
The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Wild
Simon Joyner – Step into the Earthquake
Wand – Plum …. is this not just an inventory of somebody’s trouser area?
(incomplete, one hopes)
Arf!
Aces! Someone else liked the David Bazan album. I felt sure he’d be a hit with that we-like-grisly-old-singer-songwriters-pissing-about-on-plinky-synths-but-John-Grant’s-taken-the-year-off wing of the AW demographic…
Protomartyr on the Thekla in the springtime, Contrary!
Thank for the reminder @kid-dynamite. I nearly forgot! I tried to book tix when they announced it but they weren’t up for sale yet & in all the xmastide melee I forgot!! I knew there was something I was forgetting (there’s probably a dozen others). Now rectified! Open Mike Eagle playin’ at the Fleece too in March (Dunno if yer a fan) & Wand end o’ Jan at the Louisiana, though that’s sold out, but dunno if that’s yer thing either anyhow. Maybe see ya at least one of ’em!
Yeah, I’m going to get my skates on and get the Protomartyr tickets. There’s two other upcoming gigs I wanted to get to that have now sold out, so I need to get moving. Don’t know Open Mike Eagle, but I’m giving him a spin now on Bandcamp and he sounds pretty good so far.
THAT`S IT NO MORE POSTS ON THIS BLOG. I`VE COLLATED ALL THE NOMINATIONS, NOW IT`S OVER TO @STeveT`s BLOG to combine the nominations.
Those who posted on @SteveT`s blog then voted again on here, those votes on here are the votes that count. Nobody will be allowed to have 2 lots of votes.
THAT`S ME DONE WITH THIS BLOG.
You mean THREAD. The BLOG is the whole of the Afterword. We are all looking forward to the result, so don’t flounce just yet.
Now listen here Tiggs, up top it says “Post A BLOG”, I don`t see anything about threads. However in the interests of it being a New Year here in the Western World the Message has been revised;
THAT`S IT NO MORE POSTS ON THIS THREAD. I`VE COLLATED ALL THE NOMINATIONS, NOW IT`S OVER TO @STeveT`s THREAD to combine the nominations.
Those who posted on @SteveT`s thread then voted again on here, those votes on here are the votes that count. Nobody will be allowed to have 2 lots of votes.
THAT`S ME DONE WITH THIS THREAD.
That`s me done with this THREAD!