Top 10 Albums of 2017
1. Slowdive - Slowdive (Shoegaze legends’ first LP in 22 years was simply a hypnotic, moving, sonic masterpiece, on par with, if not better than everything they’ve done before. It’s literally flawless and I listened to it more than any other album this year.)
2. Power Trip - Nightmare Logic (Crossover thrash that does not relent. The sophomore album from these Texas maniacs was the perfect cathartic release in the first Year of Trump. Fascism is not to be debated; it is to be smashed… and this is the soundtrack!)
3. Alvvays - Antisocialites (These Canadians had one of the best albums of 2014 and their follow-up is even better. Their sound is a bit bigger, but it’s all about singer Molly Rankin’s aching, lilting melodies. The pure pop.)
4. Dungen - Häxan (The most sonically adventurous and Swedish of this year’s favorites. Neo-psych, prog, jazz, krautrock? It’s like some odd mashup of Syd-era Floyd, Hawkwind, The Moody Blues, Sun Ra, and Silver Apples, with lots of Mellotron.)
5. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding (Adam Granduciel keeps fine-tuning his War On Drugs project. The production is unreal - maybe both the best headphone and best road trip album of the year.)
6. Algiers - The Underside of Power (Another raised fist in the face of Trumpism, Brexit, etc. This is a goose bump inducing blast of post-punk, classic soul and bleeding edge hip-hop. It also sounds like nothing else out there.)
7. Zola Jesus - Okovi (Zola keeps one-upping herself and seems poised to break out into the mainstream without sacrificing anything, especially not her hurricane force voice. Rihanna should cover her.)
8. Makthaverskan - III (More Swedes! Like Zola Jesus, singer Maja Milner’s voice is larger than life. The rest of the band lays down intricate layers of grimy dream-pop and post-punk, like The Chameleons with a double-shot of espresso.)
9. Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love (Rock-n-roll kids from Philly finally release a proper full-length that’s equal parts Thin Lizzy, Jackson 5 and X-Ray Specs. Please tour with White Reaper.)
10. Downtown Boys - Cost Of Living (More political punk rock, perfect for our times. Taking the baton from X-Ray Specs, Bikini Kill and with Alice Bag, Alison Wolfe, etc. With song titles like “The Wall” and “Lips That Bite,” you know where they stand.)
