In 2017, the girlf and I have reconciled with the strong
likelihood that I love music more than her. Having debated the point for almost
three years, I think we’ve finally come to accept it. Then again, “first the
worst”... goodness knows what my third love would be, with a hairy chest. Nevertheless,
2017 is the year I stopped buying CDs. My favourites, and smaller artists I
feel an urge to support, I still did, but not in general nor particularly to
check out new stuff. So vinyls and Spotify it has been, the first world double
edged sword of the latter being saving money vs the “too many boxsets” style
stress of listening to twice as much new music (over 170 new albums streamed vs
the last few years’ c. 80-90 purchased CDs) and not being able to give it
little of it more than a cursory spin or two. I have still managed to
arbitrarily whittle it down to a top few (several), and in trying to come up
with unifying themes I would say two things. One is that there has perhaps been
a sense of return, in a few forms:
- Bands who had been fully away for several or more years returning and releasing new material – LCD Soundsystem, Slowdive, Quicksand, Sikth
- Bands who haven’t split up or gone on hiatus or anything but still haven’t released anything in a while or have branched out on other things instead. For example we’ve had the first Converge record in 5 years, Iron and Wine has returned to his more stripped back sound last seen on 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean.
- Artists who have returned to form – Bjork’s Utopia a much more interesting and less subdued affair than 2015’s Vulnicura, Mogwai’s Every Country’s Sun combining both consistency and originality, the last two having displayed only one or the other, Christian Scott’s The Emancipation Procrastination (the third in his jazz centennial trilogy, and more on it below) being his best since 2012’s self-titled double opus.
A more personal theme is that despite being old and past it,
I’ve found myself more impressed with a) what several solo electronic producers
are doing, and b) artists I’ve heard of but never given much time to before, than
I have with what I would have expected to, including a number of good old
reliables. I think that’s due to the same old chestnuts of hype and
expectations ruining a lot for me. So while a lot of what has stood out for me
is personally a bit left-field, most of it probably isn’t for most people.
I get asked quite a lot how I get to hear about new music so
much. I suppose there’s a few things going on here:
- I don’t use Apple’s Genius function or Spotify’s “if you like” recommendations hardly at all
- Metacritic’s upcoming release schedule, combined with a Wikipedia search of unfamiliar but intriguing band names
- Facebook keeps me updated both on the new material of my already “liked” artists, and friends’ recommendations. I made a point of going through the entire list of an old uni’ friend’s in January, and based on that little bit of research I would declare that both Katatonia’s The Fall of Hearts and RY X ‘s Dawn were missing from my 2016 list
- I’m also not above a browse of such sites as spin.com or rolling stone, who often helpfully rank new music and categorise it by genre
It’s worth noting that 2017 saw a good handful of great
records from what one might call tier B pop ladies (if, say, Beyonce and Taylor
Swift are tier A) – Lorde’s Melodrama and St Vincent’s MASSEDUCTION are both
excellent, and Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life hits a number of high spots
(“Love”, the title track with The Wkend) among the filler
But anyway, without further ado, here we are then, ten of my favourite records of 2017
The Black Dahlia Murder – Nightbringers
Well, here’s an example of a band that I’ve had on my radar
for years but not given some time to until now. Extreme but extremely
listenable and, dare I venture, even catchy (both of which, whether relevant or
not, are not things I’d say about Converge’s The Dusk In Us, which I appreciate
as much as the critics do but I don’t enjoy it all that much – it’s more
consistent overall than 2012’s All We Love We Leave Behind but without that
record’s high points, although is does continue Converge’s recent songwriting
formula of ending a song by grinding it to a halt and repeatedly chanting the
song’s title a few times)
Check out: Widowmaker, Matriarch
There were actually a plethora of great metal (in its
various guises) albums in 2017, including Paradise Lost’s Medusa, Pallbearer’s
Heartless, Wear Your Wounds’ (funnily enough, Jacob Bannon from Converge) WYW,
All Pigs Must Die’s (again, featuring members of Converge) Hostage Animal,
Amenra’s Mass VI, Cannibal Corpse’s Red Before Black, Code Orange’s Forever, Employed
To Serve’s The Warmth of a Dying Sun, Elder’s Reflections of a Floating World, Mastodon’s
Emperor of Sand, Mutoid Man’s (again, a Converge member) War Moans. While I’m
here, I might as well quickly mention Stone Sour’s Hydrograd as further
evidence of this band’s status as the Foo Fighters of metal – solid and
dependable and decent but not a great deal more than that. And Sikth’s full LP
return, The Future in Whose Eyes?, was solid without being mind-blowing – as an
overall body of work I admit to preferring 2015’s EP Opacities.
Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – The Emancipation Procrastination
This fine gentleman trumpet player released three records in
2017, as parts of a trilogy celebrating the centennial of recorded jazz. He
released the first, Ruler Rebel, back in March, then the second, Diaspora, in
June. I was unable to find any sort of theme, purpose, or coherence in either
of these, and they struck me almost as collections of b-sides and remixes. The
third in the trilogy, The Emancipation Procrastination, is, on the other hand,
where it all comes together again for me. It’s a proper length for a start and features
a majority of numbers without titles we’ve seen before, it contains a couple of
lengthier tracks that give everyone a real chance to stretch out, and it has a
lovely cover of another Thom Yorke track, this time Radiohead’s Videotape (with
a previous effort being a version of Yorke’s solo track The Eraser on the 2010
record Yesterday You Said Tomorrow). The album is my favourite of Scott’s since
his self-titled 2012 magnum opus, and in fact the only jazz record in my 2017
top ten.
Check out: Videotape, New Heroes
Which isn’t to say there weren’t plenty of decent jazz
releases over 2017, especially in the 50th year since the death of tenor
saxophone legend John Coltrane. Wonderful records celebrating ‘Trane include
Tommy Smith’s Embodying the Light and Denys Baptiste’s The Late Trane, while
Dayna Stephens’ Gratitude, Binker and Moses’ Journey to the Mountain of Forever,
and Kamasi Washington’s Harmony of Difference (admittedly only an EP) are three
more fine examples of saxophone-led jazz in 2017. In terms of “straight ahead”
jazz played extremely well, look no further than the New York Standards’
Quartet’s Sleight of Hand. Lots of lovely vocal-led jazz of 2017 includes such
cuts as Diana Krall’s Turn up the Quiet, Zara McFarlane’s Arise, Cecile McLorin
Savant’s Dreams and Daggers, the wonderfully named Jazzmeia Horn’s A Social Call,
and Gregory Porter’s sublime tribute Nat “King” Cole & Me. Norwegian Helge
Lien was certainly one of the jazz pianists of the year, delivering not only
his own trio’s Guzuguzu, but collaborating with violinist Adam Baldych on
Brothers. Jamie Saft too with his Iggy Pop (no less) featuring Loneliness Road,
as well as Christian Sands' Reach, and Phronesis’ orchestra-accompanied epic opus The Behemoth. Finally, a solid
effort from drummer Mark Guilliana and his quartet, in his home-town named Jersey,
and a nice return to form for once-again-a-four-piece Portico Quartet with
their Art in the Age of Automation. Oh,
and Songhoy Blues’ Resistance is fabulous.
The Flashbulb – Piety of Ashes
My favourite of the several excellent releases of primarily electronic
music from solo producers, and the first of a few on this list. Courtesy of the
generous and prolific Benn Jordan, I, unlike the majority of professional
critics, preferred this album a whole bunch more than Bjork’s mate Arca’s eponymous
work. I find it inventive, beautiful, and beguiling. Magical.
Check out: any of the tracks that begin with the letter P
(Porchfire, Precipice, Prism), Cycles, Hypothesis
Other notable records in what I’ve decided to simplistically
lump in all together as one genre include those listed below, Vessels’ The
Great Distraction, the forementioned Arca’s Arca, Fever Ray’s Plunge, each half
of Fuck Buttons members solo releases – Blanck Mass’s World Eater and Andrew
Huang’s Realisationship, Eureka the Butcher’s !Eureka!, Pertubator’s New Model,
Bing & Ruth’s No Home of the Mind, and Teen Daze’s Themes for a New Earth
(I was less keen on its companion piece Themes for Dying Earth).
Four Tet – New Energy
My second favourite of the several excellent releases of primarily
electronic music from solo producers, this time courtesy of Mr Kieran Hebden. Admittedly
less experimental and more infectious than his last few records, I found this one
to be an incredibly lovely stand-out in the generally consistent and high quality
Four Tet catalogue.
Check out: Lush, Two Thousand and Seventeen
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Modern Ruin
I never got into Gallows all that much, but I checked this
out on the recommendation of a senior-but-friendly lawyer ex-colleague who also
loves Queens of the Stone Age, and I loved it. It’s punk I suppose, but Mr
Carter proves himself a charismatic and versatile singer.
Check out: Lullaby, Snake Eyes
Jlin – Black Origami
Another solo electronic work, this time from Indiana producer
Jerrilynn Patton, this one does feature
highly among professional critical opinion. Rightly so, I’d say – categorised under
“footwork” (a subgenre which I take to mean has fast tricky bits) and IDM
(Intelligent Dance Music, which I take to mean can be off-kilter and somewhat
less than straightforward), it’s interesting but also rewarding.
Check out: Black Origami, Kyanite
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
While another heavily-electronic work featuring in my top
ten, this time there’s human-played rock too, and it’s a triumphant to return
for James Murphy’s punky/rocky/dancy/synthy troupe, which last released a
record in 2010.
Check out: how do you sleep?, call the police, emotional
haircut
Bonobo – Migration
Again a producer with lots of synths and electronic things
happening, and again a feature of my top ten this year. This one on the other
hand, is an exception to my theme of finding the work of those with whom I am
less familiar more engaging. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Simon Green’s
majestic Bonobo project continues to satisfy, but he keeps it all fresh with
new collaborations and features.
Check out: Outlier, Second Sun, Surface
Quicksand – Interiors
Back to a few folks in a room with some instruments with
this one. If The Black Dahlia Murder is metal and I lumped in all the bands I mentioned
in with that, then this one is post-hardcore and I’m going to mention a whole
load more. I have almost certainly done this wrong e.g. Converge should
probably be here rather than in the “other good metal albums” label, but genre
categorisations and comparisons are all just simplifications anyway (really
there are just two types of music – good and bad, as I believe Duke Ellington
once said, and which quote I have inscribed on my one of my iPods). Anyhow,
Quicksand are a post-hardcore band from New York, New York who formed in 1990
and released their second album on 1995. I hadn’t come across them until their
bassist, Sergio Vega, joined Deftones in 2009, and I hadn’t listened to them
until they reformed and released a new album, their third, in 2017. It’s another
great return, and the music itself, despite the label, is only a little heavy,
and surprisingly cleanly melodic
Check out: Cosmonauts, Feels like a weight
Here is one more set of “other albums in this shakily-formed
genre categorisation” that are great. In terms of hardcore / post-hardcore punk
/ (what the hell) grunge, my other recommendations include Glassjaw’s Material
Control (where did that come from!!??), Tired Mind’s Loom, SECT’s No Cure for
Death, the first half of Melvins’ double album A Walk with Love and Death, Northlane's
Mesmer, Circa Survive’s The Amulet, Cascades’ Cascades (although I think this
one’s post-metal, sorry), and Arcane Roots Melancholia Hymns (which starts off
Sigur Ros like and experimental, but gradually moves back to their previous
sound). AFI’s self-titled and At the Drive-In’s Interalia, good songs therein
aside, sadly not quite. On the former I preferred Davey Havok’s work with the
No Doubt boys on Dreamcar, and for me the later-era style of Cedric’s vocals
don’t work for me applied to ATDI.
Tricky – Ununiform
Yet another example of someone who’s been around for ages,
who I’ve been aware of (largely thanks to his appearance in Tool’s video for Parabola),
but not really listened to until now. Again, perhaps that’s why I like the new
record, and perhaps I wouldn’t if I was a fan of his old stuff. I’ve always
liked the genre name trip hop, which I’ve taken to mean like hip hop but with
more experimentation, glitch sounds, and electronics. I suppose that’s what
this is, except it’s mighty tuneful and there’s lots of singing.
Check out: Same As It Ever Was, Blood of my Blood, Dark Days
Alas there are a few other records I really enjoyed which I
haven’t been able to lump in with others and thus mention within the above.
These include Big Bad Wolf’s Pond Life, which manages to be both jazz and math-rock,
Chon’s Homey, which manages to be both math-rock and jazz, AUTOBAHN’s The Moral
Crossing (The Cure, anyone?), Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Luciferian Towers
(I haven’t mentioned post-rock at all yet – we also had a new sleepmakeswaves
record, Made of Breath Only), Slowdive's Slowdive, Blue Hawaii’s Tenderness, Cut Copy’s Haiku From
Zero, Circle’s Terminal, Watter’s History of the Future (only discovered a
couple of days ago while record shopping in Bexhill’s Music’s Not Dead).
A 2017 playlist:
- AFI - Aurelia
- At the Drive-in – Hostage Stamps
- Bonobo – Outlier
- Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – Videotape
- Circa Survive – Lustration
- Depeche Mode – No More (This is the Last Time)
- Dreamcar (Members of No Doubt with AFI’s Davey Havok) – The Assailant
- Four Tet – Lush
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Snake Eyes
- Iron & Wine – Call it Dreaming
- Jlin – Black Origami
- Jose James – I’m Yours
- Lana del Rey – Lust for Life (feat. The Wkend)
- LCD Soundsystem – how do you sleep?
- Mogwai – Old Poisons
- Morrissey – Spent the Day in Bed
- Nine Inch Nails – The Background World (skip the last several minutes if you wish)
- Pianos Become the Teeth - Charisma
- Quicksand – Feels Like a Weight has been Lifted
- Sikth – Golden Cufflinks
- The Black Dahlia Murder - Widowmaker
- The Flashbulb – Cycles
- The Used – Vertigo Cave
- Tricky – Dark Days
- Zara McFarlane – Fussin’ and Fightin’
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