2017 in Music

I want to shout out all the albums I listened to this year that I would emphatically text people about and say “Hot album!” and then never listen to again. Shouts to the songs people shared on social media that I would listen to the first 30 seconds of and go “Oh ok”. Shouts to the songs with hot choruses that I heard on Snapchat but never made the effort to hear in full.

Favorite Albums

1. Death From Above – Outrage! Is Now Hot open, hot close, “Freeze Me” is song of the year, Sebastien stretched himself out and I appreciated it. Jesse’s whole year was pretty fucked up(you can google it) and I went through my own existential crisis about that. Ultimately, this record is another crusher from two guys who are incapable of doing anything else.
2. Charly Bliss – Guppy This record is a giddy sugar rush of screams and yelps over a guitar, bass, drum attack that I had assumed had gone out of style. That Charly Bliss are actually catching on and might become a “thing” is a nice surprise that I never could have predicted, but what is life if not constant surprises.
3. Paramore – After Laughter While not as good as the self titled it is certainly a grower, and the layer of exhaustion is relatable and true.
4. Body Count- Bloodlust The best thing I read about this album was actually a pan, that said that it sounds like Ice-T delivering a TED talk over metal guitars. YES! THAT IS WHY IT IS GOOD.
5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me Very happy that Demi was able to give us a full album with good songs to accompany the great single. Put out “Daddy Issues” as the next single, girl!
6. Dasher- Sodium This album fucking rules.
7. Spoon – Hot Thoughts How many great albums do these guys have now? 10? 20?
8. Jay-Z – 4:44 I DID NOT THINK HE COULD DO IT BUT HE DID
9. Japandroids – Near to the Wild Heart of Life Japandroids gotta Japandroid, yo. This one plays to the cheap seats and the big rooms, and maybe some critics could sense that, tensed up and docked them a star. But, these guys had it, got it, still got, and might always have it.
10. The Afghan Whigs – In Spades When Greg Dulli arrives with more sexy melancholy I will always be there with cash in hand.

Favorite Songs

1. “Freeze Me” – Death From Above
2. “Mask Off” – Future
3. “Sorry Not Sorry” – Demi Lovato
4. “Green Light” – Lorde
5. “The Ski Mask Way” – Body Count
6. “Hard Times” – Paramore
7. “Black Hole” – Charly Bliss
8. “Teeth” – Dasher
9. “Run” – Suicide Silence
10. “Beyond the Pale” – Machine Head
11. “Unforgettable” – French Montana feat. Swae Lee
12. “Disco Tits” – Tove Lo
13. “You’re Fucked” – Big Dumb Face
14. “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” – Shawn Mendes
15. “Passionfruit” – Drake

Best Album Art of the Year