If I’m really honest this year could’ve been amazing album-wise since a bunch of huge names I’m moderately interested in released albums this year but instead I was mostly preoccupied with a few bands in 2017 only a few of which actually did things this year. Add that to my ever-increasing depression and you’ve got the usual scramble to find albums to add to this list that happens every goddamn year. But hey, it’s part of the fun ^^
This year has more than a few honourable mentions that I either didn’t have time for or didn’t feel like they were just good enough to be mentioned on the same list but are still a good time. There’s also a ton I never even got around to listening as always so… you’ll probably hear me complain about that this time next year when I catch up with those.
This year’s honourable mentions are:
- Manchester Orchestra: A Black Mile to the Surface
- Susanne Sundfør: Music For People In Trouble
- All Time Low: Last Young Renegade
-
Daughter: Music From Before the Storm
20 Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa
I find Dua Lipa’s voice so captivating, I could listen to it forever, and she’s got this independent and free vibe about her, this confidence that comes across with every line she sings. She’s infuriatingly young and yet her sound is as confident and coherent as that of someone who’s been in the industry for decades.
My favourite songs from the album: IDGAF, Be the One, Garden
19 Hurts: Desire
Hurts sort of went the way I was afraid it would go, similarly to Foster the People. Their first two albums were amazing, it felt like being steamrolled by an unstoppable force, it almost seemed too perfect to be real but then Surrender was sort of a let down. A few years later they’re back with another album that sees a divorce from their signature mopey shoe-gaze-y synth pop and tunes into a more boppy vibe, almost Bruno Mars-ish in places. Realising there can only be one Exile, I accept this new dancey, more upbeat Hurts.
My favourite songs from the album: Hold on to Me, Ready to Go, Wherever You Go
18 Starsailor: All This Life
Ah, the old faves. Starsailor is from back in the days when I first started writing about music. Then promptly after that they went on a hiatus, the dreaded. I remember James Walsh saying he loves Starsailor but he has to put food on the table somehow. It made me quite sad because it meant they weren’t appreciated enough for them to be worth keep doing it. Then he went on to work with other people and make like… movie music? I don’t even know. Then this year they revealed Starsailor would be back with new music and where first I felt sadness I now feel relaxed. They’ve been in the music industry for so long there’s really nothing that can surprise them anymore. With this album they don’t aim to top the charts (even though every song would have a rightful place there), they’re just playing that sweet, sweet melodic piano pop that I love so much. And James Walsh to this day remains one of my favourite male vocalists. Such a good tone.
My favourite songs from the album: Caught In the Middle, All This Life, Fallout, Blood
17 Paramore: After Laughter
Paramore and I have a long history of not really getting what the big idea is. I understand they were a big deal when everyone ironed their hair and people just found out about winged eyeliner and even though I enjoyed quite a few of their songs I just couldn’t really get into them. Once I grew out of my teens and realised it was all the internalised misogyny I became a lot more tolerant. Their 2013 self-titled was so good and once I heard they were changing up their style for After Laughter I became intrigued. The good news is they still sing about relatable stuff like quarter life crisis, depression, growing up, The Industry, and even more good news is that they’re treading some stranger waters instrumenting-wise. It’s very indie pop-ish, I dig that.
My favourite songs from the album: Idle Worship, Caught In the Middle, Told You So
16 You Me At Six: Night People
I don’t know much about You Me At Six so I can’t put this album into perspective, I only know that when it popped up on my Release Radar I liked it. Every song is really energetic, no artsy fartsy bs (not that there’s anything wrong with that but sometimes you just need simple things). Great for headbanging, for background music, it’s simple rock music at its best. If you like melodies, you should check it out. And to Spotify, more accidental surprises like this, please.
My favourite songs from the album: Plus One, Take On the World, Heavy Soul
15 Maxïmo Park: Risk to Exist
The dangerous thing about creating perfect albums is that it’s really hard to live up to them. Such is the case of more bands on this list and Maximo Park is no exception. The National Health was such an absolute gem that Too Much Information, even though not a bad album in its own right, was infuriatingly inadequate when putting it next to it predecessor. So this time I tried not doing that and even though it took me a few tries but eventually made peace. A little milder, a little slower, a little more quiet, but still Maximo Park at heart, Risk to Exist is a sensitive, dancey sort of soulful indie rock record.
My favourite songs on the album: Work and Then Wait, The Reason I Am Here, Make What You Can
14 Walk the Moon: What If Nothing
Long story short Walk the Moon’s first album (the real one, not “i want! i want!”) is a masterpiece and I regard it as one of the best albums of all time, no joke. With the release of Talking Is Hard the guys sort of turned away from indie rock and pursued a more synthpop direction that I wasn’t entirely on board with. The songs were nice but I just didn’t feel the same energy from them. Unfortunately for me What If Nothing continues down that road but I just love these boys too much to not follow along. I still think they’re wasting so many opportunities by “watering down” their sound but you know what? The songs are still nice. Nicholas Petricca’s voice is insane, and the album’s full of life-happy, joyful songs. It’s nice.
My favourite songs from the album: One Foot, Kamikaze, Can’t Sleep (Wolves)
13 Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar
I know and like Beth Ditto even though I only know two or three of Gossip’s most famous songs. They weren’t my favourite back when they were still together but Beth’s insane range and tone was never up to debate. I listened to Fake Sugar on a whim and it was the only album from my panic-catch-up list that I wanted to keep listening to over and over again once I was done and decided it would get on this list. The style just about matches Gossip’s (from what I heard); easy-listening synthpop/rock that draws you in for singalongs. If you like the genre you’ll think this is awesome.
My favourite songs from the album: Oh My God, Oo La La, In and Out
12 Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness: Zombies on Broadway
If you know nothing about Andrew McMahon I can sum him up really short for you: he’s a genius. For real, he’s only 35 years old and he’s been at this shit for decades, since high school pretty much. He just oozes music wherever he goes. He’s been the head of the late 90s pop punk sensation, Something Corporate while playing a piano (how punk is that? it’s pretty punk) then after forming his second project Jack’s Mannequin he almost died (like, literally), then came back to release some more albums (one of which, The Glass Passenger is also one of the best albums of all time) and he’s been doing it solo ever since. He’s a versatile creator that doesn’t just write and sing songs, he creates whole worlds and universes. He’s so versatile and relentless, and Zombies on Broadway is just another addition to his world of never-ending miracles.
I’m hyping him up real good, but honestly, I admire him so much. And I love that his current project, as much as it is similar, couldn’t actually fit Jack’s Mannequin’s profile at all. It’s familiar but something different altogether.
My favourite songs from the album: Walking In My Sleep, Island Radio, Birthday Song
11 Kesha: Rainbow
I love strong and successful people and I love happy endings. Kesha’s had her fair share of suffering but luckily it looks like she’s back on her feet and finally making the music she wants to make. Sure it’d be nice to not have to regard what happened to her personally when judging what she’s doing professionally but it’s impossible to go through something like that withou it affecting what you do. In Kesha’s case it’s double-through since she used all that bullshit to boost her craft. The songs on Rainbow are all about that, the pretty parts of the storm, the aftermath of the rain, positivity in remembrance, strength in letting go, and having fun.
I like this new sort of country-ish sound that is present in a few songs but also the ones that kept her dance pop roots, it’s a pleasant record that is as multi-layered as a rainbow.
My favourite songs from the album: Learn to Let Go, Rainbow, Boots
Pass Through Fire 