My Favorite Albums of 2017
As I drift further and further into my 40’s I find myself having two fairly common reactions to new albums and the artists that create them, be they a new act or some known quantity: One, I am more selective and harder to impress. This is despite still buying way, way too many albums and diving in ‘full album’ even when I just hear one song on the radio or if I pick up someone’s latest based on their past work. Second, I feel sillier and sillier when I find myself ridiculously enjoying something clearly not aimed at my demographic. But maybe music keeps us young? (I'll keep telling myself that)
With this in mind allow me to share a few 2017 releases that really stood out.
[Note: By 2017 I actually mean December 1st, 2016 through November 30, 2017, so my apologies to U2, Eminem, and anyone else dropping a late 2017 release.]
Let’s start with the ridiculously good records that I’ve already seen on multiple Best of 2017 lists: When it comes to Lorde’s sophomore album Melodrama or Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. I can simply say, “Believe the hype. They are that THAT good.” In the realm of fine-tuned, ethereal pop no one is on Lorde’s level. This still very young artist has it in spades. In a similar sonic realm, though, I also want to give a shout to Halsey’s excellent hopeless fountain kingdom, which ups the ante from her impressive 2015 debut. And while Lamar’s Damn. is admittedly one of just a handful of hip-hop releases I picked up this year I was also floored by The Autobiography, the debut record from Vic Mensa. The entire record is excellent but tracks like “Gorgeous” and “Coffee and Cigarettes” will grab hold of you and not let go. I can’t wait to hear what this guy does next.
I love a great pop record and the occasional rap album that lands on my radar but at my core I am a singer-songwriter and rock fan, so the bulk of my favorites this year fall into those camps. For starters, it is impressive just how strong and consistent the song craft of Ryan Adams remains at this point in his career given his insane output (and that is not counting the dozens upon dozens of bootlegs, unreleased tracks, etc) and the fact that stylistically he has not taken as many turns in recent years as he did in the Love Is Hell, Rock N Roll, Cold Roses era. With this year’s Prisoner he just does what he does best: Write great songs and, in this case, do so on a personal, heartbreaking level. While no one would wish Adams the pain that comes with divorce and love lost that inspired his latest work it must be said that his best songs come when he wears his wounds. An artist with a slight connection to Adams (he produced her first single) is Phoebe Bridgers, who released her fantastic debut Stranger In The Alps. It's dark, somber, personal, and sucks you in from the get-go with ten songs that should probably be played anytime after midnight on a Saturday right through to Sunday morning, preferably on a rainy day.
To say Jason Isbell has been on a tear over his last several albums would be a huge understatement and this year’s The Nashville Sound (with his band The 400 Unit back in the fold after a two album absence) is no exception. This time around Isbell finds the balance between the deeply personal songs on his breakout solo effort Southeastern and the more character-based tracks on 2015’s Something More Than Free. And damn if he isn’t afraid to go political within a genre that usually only does so in a flag-waving way. “White Man’s World” and “Hope The High Road” are not just great songs; they feel like needed songs in a post-Trump world. And yet Isbell tends to shine best when his heart and fears are at the forefront, demonstrated beautifully on “If We Were Vampires” (arguably the best love song of the past 10 years or more) and with fire on “Anxiety”.
The likes of Isbell and Chris Stapleton are redefining popular country (thank God!) both on the charts and in even at awards season (both Isbell and Stapleton received Grammy nods). The latter’s From A Room, Volume 1 is everything great about the genre and Stapleton is so good at it that he never once needs to reinvent anything. A brisk 9 songs and under 35 minutes in length it repeats itself quickly (at least on car CD player, cause it’s perfect for a drive) but leaves you longing for more. Thank heavens Volume 2 is on the way.
Country is, at it’s best, about real people, real life, and chock full of true stories. In short, when it’s really, really good it’s You Want To Know About Me, the debut album from Portland-based artist Nikole Potulsky, who puts her incredible voice and sharp songwriting behind tales of family history, love, obsession, heartbreak, death, rebirth, and day-to-day living -- sometimes all in the same song! From the toughness and grit of “Maudie’s Lament” to the slices of humor of on “If I Were You” and the stop-you-in-your tracks sadness and reflection of “Baby Mine” and “What If You Don’t” these are some of the most lived-in songs you’ll find in one place. It is, as one friend who heard it said, “Public radio’s The Moth in song form.” I could not agree more. Oh, and if you see her live her stories will make you smile and laugh while her songs will make you cry and break your heart (in a good way).
While we’re still in the country or alt-country or whatever-the-hell-we-wanna-call-it genre, a couple other quick nods would be for Justin Townes Earle and his excellent release Kids In The Street and veteran band Old 97’s who still manage to stay vibrant and fresh over 20 years into their discography with Graveyard Whistling. I’d also suggest checking out the outstanding 3rd album from JD McPherson, who just keeps getting better with Undivided Heart & Soul, an 11-song parade of rollicking goodness.
Sometimes a long-standing band flies completely past your radar and that was the case for me this year with the band Ha Ha Tonka, who caught my attention with their fifth album Heart Shaped Mountain. I think the best compliment you can give an act is to say that when you finally discover them they make such an impression that you immediately want to hunt down past albums. Ha Ha Tonka -- who echo bands like Wilco, Lord Huron, and Head and the Heart -- have, as it turns out, been making great music for years. I apologize for being late to the party. The same could be said for me and the music of The XX, who apparently needed to sample/manipulate a Hall & Oates song with their breakout hit “On Hold” to grab my ears. Call it a case of knowing this group was out there, were already popular, but I just hadn’t really engaged. That changed with their third album I See You. Consider me sold and locked in.
Finally, two bands who I caught live this year and who made a strong impression both on stage and on record. Hippo Campus issued their full-length debut (following two stellar EPs) titled Landmark, and I liked it a lot on first listen, with it’s youthful energy, falsetto vocals, and Afro-pop inspired hooks (think Vampire Weekend, who this band admittedly echoes a lot). Then I caught the band live and something about that experience carried over to the future listens and I liked the album more and more with each listen. In an ever fickle musical landscape -- especially among younger listeners -- I hope this band sticks around because songs like “Boyish”,”The Way It Goes”, “Monsoon”, and “Tuesday” (among others) hit the sweet spot.
And then there is The Yawpers, who I’d never heard a lick from until I caught them opening for Bash & Pop (Tommy Stinson of the Replacements other band, who’s 2017 release Anything Could Happen is also noteworthy). The former took their 40 minute set and left a roomful of people with their jaws dropped with a sense of “What the hell was that?!”. The same reaction comes via their sophomore album Boy in a Well, an album that -- wait for it -- is a concept record centered around the tale of a French woman who becomes pregnant after a brief affair with a soldier on Armistice Day in the early 20th century and later abandons the child. Too weird for you? You’ll be missing out, then, on a musical journey that is one part Reverend Horton Heat, one part Jethro Tull, and another all it’s own. Even if you don’t check out the album I cannot recommend their live show enough. I saw them twice this year and something about this trio just embodies everything about rock and roll at it’s best.
2017 also had a lot of great individual songs and some other very good albums I’m leaving out, not to mention some excellent live experiences (U2 were insanely good on their Joshua Tree tour and, oddly enough, I dug the hell out of Poison bringing the house down as part of a nostalgia tour with Def Leppard). As I mentioned at the outset, I am getting harder to please but mercifully there is still plenty out there that makes me smile and keeps me curious for what 2018 will bring.
J