MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2017
Disappointing year, but plenty of good music. Here are my favourite albums of 2017 - a link to a playlist featuring a track from each one can be found below.
Aaron Dilloway - The Gag File / Switches: No less than two great warped electronic albums in a year from the Wolf Eyes man.
Agent Blå - Agent Blå: Swedish indie with that irresistible careless urgency that’s missing so often in rock these days.
Arca - Arca: Beautiful, delicate album from the Björk-collaborator.
Broken English Club - The English Beach: Oh-so-good album influenced by techno, EBM, industrial and minimal wave.
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun: Heavy and dark - yet another magnificent album from the American singer-songwriter.
Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex: Best alternative newcomer of 2017.
Claire M Singer - Fairge: Slow-burning beautiful deep drones.
Daphni - Joli Mai: Great beat-driven electronic album. Impossible not to move to.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers: Very happy to report the experimental Canadian music collective still sounds unique.
Kaukolampi - 1: A brooding synth record from the K-X-P leader.
La Tène - Tardive/Issime: Franco-Swiss trio’s excellent hypnotic drone music created with hurdy-gurdy, electronic harmonium and percussion.
Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life: I was sceptical when I read about the many guests but there was nothing to fear. Personal highlight: 13 Beaches -> Cherry -> White Mustang.
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream: Didn’t think I needed them back, but this was a very pleasant surprise.
Lorde - Melodrama: The best, most consistent pop album of 2017? I think so.
Max Richter - Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works: I have seen this amazing ballet twice at Royal Opera House and Richter’s score also works incredibly well on its own.
Migos - Culture: Having followed them for a number of years, it was great to see how the hip-hop trio finally received a major breakthrough this year.
Nekrasov - The Mirror Void: I was floored by this album’s sound aesthetic where black metal merge with noise. A great extreme discovery.
Ryuichi Sakamoto - async: Exceptional album from the Japanese artist, back after a hiatus caused by cancer treatment. A real triumph.
Sort Sol - Stor Langsom Stjerne: 16 years on from their last studio album, the Danish ex-punks returned with an epic, experimental record.
Taylor Swift - Reputation: Not her best album; very self-conscious, tired artist narrative and trendy contemporary pop production yet very good music to work to.
The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding: A strong, durable rock album that managed to exceed my expectations.
Thet Liturgiske Owäsendet - Hafvet: My fascination with this ambient project continued in 2017 - I even bought this album on cassette tape.
Vijay Iyer Sextet - Far From Over: Very enjoyable, free-flowing jazz record.
Wolves In The Throne Room - Thrice Woven: Epic, beautifully crafted black metal album.
Zola Jesus - Okovi: A welcome return to Sacred Bones Records with one of her strongest collections of songs to date.
>> Spotify taster playlist featuring one track from each album
















