Back in January, we examined the list of new albums on the horizon in 2017, not necessarily knowing how the year would pan out, musically speaking. And nearly six months later, we’re happy to report that the crop of new long players that have landed in stores and invaded our eardrums so far this year has exceeded our wildest expectations, and then some.
With that, we are thrilled to share our team’s picks for the year’s 25 finest albums thus far, in alphabetical order with links to the original reviews included via the “what we said” text below. Note that only new full-length releases have been included, so new EPs and reissued albums do not appear in this list. We encourage you to check out each of these albums, if you haven’t already, and hope you will let us know if there are any records we’ve overlooked in compiling this list. So without further ado…
!!! | Shake the Shudder
Warp
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Like previous sets, !!! blend dynamic live instrumentation with a pioneering DIY studio style that touches on 90s house, fizzy, rhythmic power pop and their own electro-funk hybrid whose references are seemingly endless to a knowledgeable audiophile….Once the record wraps, it's irrefutable that Shake The Shudder is !!! making the once impossible, possible―marrying dance and punk music in a continually challenging, exciting way.”
BLONDIE | Pollinator
BMG
What Quentin Harrison Said: “On Pollinator, their eleventh studio album, Deborah Harry (vocals), Chris Stein (lead guitar), and Clem Burke (drums)―now 71, 67, and 61 respectively―hold fast as the dynamic center of Blondie's stylish and sundry rock and roll….Avoiding the honey trap of reminiscence hasn't been easy, but it has always been worthwhile for Blondie. Their musical journey has produced efforts equally chic and messy, but that authenticity to create unflinchingly, to make mistakes and gain victories, is what has made Blondie what music needs, then and now.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
TANIKA CHARLES | Soul Run
Record Kicks
What Patrick Corcoran Said: “[Charles’] effort to reach the soul loving public should reap the whirlwind for her, as her album is a shining example of a modern refit of the classic soul of the ‘60s and ‘70s….Album closer “Darkness and the Dawn” hints at a future direction for Charles, revealing a desire to move away from the 3-minute song template of the ‘60s to a more expansive ‘70s soul blueprint. Containing light and shade that offers a glimpse into what may yet be, it’s a suitably winning end to an album bursting with promise and relatable, down to earth lyrics of love, life and liberation.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
CHASTITY BELT | I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone
Hardly Art
What Libby Cudmore Said: “The girls have grown up a little on this album, with a maturing sound and lyrical tone, but they haven't lost their edge….Their jangly, post-punk melodies are moody and intoxicating, tinged with the melancholy of modern life. And to listen to their music is to be invited to the coolest party with the coolest girls you know. It is occasionally obtuse and easy to get lost in, but that's part of the fun….We may all grow older, but Chastity Belt has created an album that will remain timeless.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
CODY CHESNUTT | My Love Divine Degree
One Little Indian
What Patrick Corcoran Said: “[ChesnuTT] demonstrates an ability to blend genres, sounds and attitudes without any of it feeling contrived or indulgent…. Equally at home with delicate and boisterous, he possesses a masterful touch that is ever expanding the possibilities that lie before him.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
SHERYL CROW | Be Myself
Warner Bros.
What Quentin Harrison Said: “The title, upon initial inspection, feels like an unnecessary mea culpa. But, when the listener dives into the material present on the record, it’s quickly noted that Be Myself isn’t an acquiescence to fossilized ideas about rock and Crow’s identity adhering to them. Instead, the album is an affirmation of the totality of Crow today as a woman and artist bridging the traditional and modern sides of the genre she loves….Be Myself is not about breaking new ground or coasting on past accomplishments. It’s about presenting Sheryl Crow as an individual comfortable in her own creative skin and willing to share in the truth of her journey.”
Official Store | Amazon I iTunes | Spotify
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE | Kids In The Street
New West
What Libby Cudmore Said: “Earle has only gotten better since Harlem River Blues, and Kids In The Street is the natural progression of this upward trajectory. It's an album that gets better with each listen, cementing his own legacy firmly apart from his father, Steve Earle. And at 35, I can only imagine the best is still to come.”
ELBOW | Little Fictions
Polydor/Concord
What Justin Chadwick Said: “Despite the sonic implications of the leaner lineup, however, Little Fictions remains a signature Elbow record, bolstered by the juxtaposition of Garvey’s masterful, contemplative songwriting with sweeping, shimmering arrangements that provokes the mind, emboldens the heart, and ultimately, restores the soul. While there are political undertones reminiscent of Leaders of the Free World and reimagined for the Brexit and Trump age we’re now living in, this is fundamentally and unabashedly an album about the redemptive power of love and romance, with a valiant optimism, defiance, and sense of renewal pervasive throughout….In this time of nearly intolerable uncertainty about the state of humanity, this album reminds us that the human spirit is still alive and kicking, radiating a much-needed warmth in a world that feels increasingly cold and disconnected.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
FLEET FOXES | Crack-Up
Nonesuch
What Justin Chadwick Said: “Crack-Up finds Fleet Foxes’ ambitious streak fully intact and their songs as immersive and intricately conceived as ever. Loosely inspired by Fitzgerald’s essay, but also seemingly a soliloquy on the fractured and volatile state of things in the U.S. of A and beyond, Crack-Up’s eleven songs find Pecknold tussling with internal conflicts of identity set against elaborate, sweeping arrangements that defy conventional structures….Though the merits of Crack-Up will most certainly prove divisive among Fleet Foxes’ devoted followers and music pundits alike, at least to these ears, angst, alienation and ambivalence have never sounded as sublime and soul-affirming as they do on their triumphant third.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
GORILLAZ | Humanz
Parlophone/Warner Bros.
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Humanz mixes a variety of dance and urban phonics into a tasty gestalt, its aural flavors shifting from song to song….A filling work, but it doesn't leave its participants and listeners feeling stuffed. Instead, it keeps us wanting more of its humorous, prudent, and post-modern pop hijinks. You know, musical anarchy and hedonism, what Gorillaz do best in times of need.”
JAMIROQUAI | Automaton
Virgin/EMI
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Automaton, Jamiroquai's eighth album, returns the group to the summit of power in the fields of dance, R&B, and post-modern disco that they helped establish and redefine. The album—a heady blend of their own seasoned style and references spanning Electric Light Orchestra, Earth, Wind & Fire and Afrikka Bambaataa—feels effortless, but nothing short of kinetic in its execution….In all, Automaton is funky, sometimes shrewd, and occasionally surprising―it's the most enthralling Jamiroquai project since A Funk Odyssey to be sure. The perfect blend of flesh and steel, Jay Kay and crew manage to (once again) bring the future and the past into a singular space, showing they can mutually coexist on the dancefloor.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
JOEY BADA$$ | All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
Pro Era/Cinematic Music Group
What Jesse Ducker Said: “All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ is the product of these times. Like his debut album, it’s purposely evocative of past hip-hop classics, but this time it pays homage to the more socially conscious releases. The album’s title echoes the name of Ice Cube’s monumental debut album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990). Much of the album is a journey through the anguish that Joey experiences daily. However, instead of giving up, Joey opts to channel his pain into his cadence, turn his brain up a wavelength, and create an album that reflects the realities of being a young Black man in America today in 2017…. It isn’t perfect, but it hits a lot more than it misses, and especially succeeds on the lyrical level. Joey Bada$$ is in the midst of becoming an outstanding artist, and it’s exciting to see where his career can go from here.”
VALERIE JUNE | The Order of Time
Concord/June Tunes
What Justin Chadwick Said: “A multi-textured and endlessly listenable song suite, the album reinforces June’s penchant for defying musical convention and cookie-cutter classification, while solidifying her rightful status as an indispensable talent that demands your attention….To fully absorb and appreciate the breadth and depth of The Order of Time’s many resplendent and resonant charms, we the listeners must, well, spend time with each of its twelve songs. This is not the kind of album—and June has already proven that she is certainly not the type of artist—that can be understood only upon cursory or inattentive listens. Though our lives are busier and more inundated with noise than ever before, everyone should make time for this magnificent album of inspiration and ingenuity.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
KENDRICK LAMAR | DAMN.
Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope
What Matt Koelling Said: “Lamar’s best work, and by extension, the first bona fide classic album of 2017…. Its fourteen tracks make for a considerably leaner, tauter, funk-driven affair than 2015’s sprawling, free-jazz-and-spoken-word-informed, critically lauded To Pimp a Butterfly. In terms of running time, it splits the difference between last year’s 34-minute placeholder EP, untitled unmastered., and Butterfly’s near-80-minute opus. DAMN. benefits from this conciseness, as well as its repeated call backs to central thematic tropes throughout the album, with the sublime surprise of legendary DJ Kid Capri co-hosting the proceedings like a classic mixtape from his salad days during the 1990s….The listeners of DAMN. have been blessed”
LONDON GRAMMAR | Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound
What Justin Chadwick Said: “London Grammar’s enthralling follow-up effort Truth Is A Beautiful Thing finds the notoriously fame-wary band making more than good on the promise of its precursor, while traversing nuanced creative directions as well. Considering its melancholic tones and the fact that Reid did experience the dissolution of her long-term relationship during the interim between albums, listeners may be inclined to label this the band’s "breakup" record. However, at its core, Truth is about disenchantment and loneliness in their various and more universal incarnations, beyond the romantic variety alone. Thankfully, the eleven songs on offer here avoid being engulfed by despair, and instead reveal glimmers of hope and resolve throughout….London Grammar’s second song suite is a beautiful thing, indeed.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
LORDE | Melodrama
Lava/Republic/UMG
What Andy Healy Said: “Just as the party and escapism can’t last, eventually you have to go home. And soon the promise of finding those perfect places is twisted to be more a futile attempt at numbing pain and you have to embrace that fear of being alone. Thankfully though, sometimes you have a great soundtrack to keep you company amidst the despair and isolation….At its broken heart, Melodrama is what a breakup sounds like. With all the heartache, laments, moments of melancholy and hopes of moving on intact. Growing pains and strains. Life, love and stains. At once a partner to—and antidote for—loneliness, it is a strong outing for an artist still embracing her creative journey.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
AIMEE MANN | Mental Illness
SuperEgo
What Justin Chadwick Said: “Mann’s ninth studio album, Mental Illness, is arguably her finest, most enveloping work since Bachelor No. 2. Quite a feat, considering the top-notch caliber of previous albums such as Lost in Space (2002), The Forgotten Arm (2005), and @#%&*! Smilers (2008). A streamlined, acoustic guitar-driven affair with a few piano-blessed reveries along the way, the Paul Bryan produced album features beautiful vocal nuances and string-laden sonic flourishes throughout, many of which fully blossom upon repeated listens….With her signature eloquence and grace, Mann once again proves herself one of the most adept songwriters when it comes to externalizing the psychological and emotional trauma—indeed, the mental illness—that so many of us hold deep inside, for fear of exposing our vulnerabilities. And while the truth can be hard to accept, it’s reassuring to know that someone out there cares enough to listen and honor these stories through song.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
MASTODON | Emperor of Sand
Reprise/Warner Bros.
What Brian Grosz Said: “Like most Mastodon albums, there is a concept and storyline that runs through the album with an emotional arc. However, it’s mostly up to you, the listener, to determine what it is….Once again Mastodon have delivered an odyssey laden with plenty of mental imagery and utterly phenomenal musicianship. Close your eyes and listen to it loud. Make up your own story and then choose your own adventure.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
TIFT MERRITT | Stitch of the World
Yep Roc
What Justin Chadwick Said: “Across Stitch of the World’s ten songs, Merritt seems to find solace and strength in acknowledging that the reality of life’s vicissitudes is not reserved just for her, but rather it’s something we all have in common….While other artists’ creative peaks often arrive early in their careers only to prove ephemeral, Merritt has seemingly, and rather incredulously, been hitting her stride for a decade and a half now. Without question, Stitch of the World stands as a vital new component of her ever-evolving repertoire, while further cementing its creator’s deserved reputation as one of her generation’s most unassumingly gifted and graceful songwriters.”
ALISON MOYET | Other
Cooking Vinyl
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Other picks up, musically, not too far from The Minutes with its audacious, electronic pop. This sound format is set at an attractively midtempo pace, theatrically accentuated with strings―organic and inorganic….Alison Moyet's Other is another laudable addition to the second arc of her canon, signaled by Hometime. More importantly, Other welcomes age and experience, not as signs of frailty, but as artistic cogency that wrecks (and resets) the systemic rule of retreat, return and persist.”
OMAR | Love In Beats
Freestyle Records
What Patrick Corcoran Said: “Sure the funk and soul are inevitably there, but Omar always runs the gamut of influences in the heady brew he serves up. The album’s official press release heralds a more electronic approach, but that is somewhat of a red herring, for this album does what all of his albums do—envelop you in a delightfully warm embrace of funk and don’t let go. This is the antithesis of the glacial electro-soul that has become prevalent. Instead, Love In Beats is warm, welcoming, and lithe in its funkiness.”
SAINT ETIENNE | Home Counties
Heavenly
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Saint Etienne’s brand of British pop voyeurism has always had a way of turning the ordinary into something spectacular, reminding us of its common humanity. That skill has become even more meaningful in the wake of the post-Brexit fallout, the divide between London and the rest of Britain now honed to a tragically killing edge. Home Counties is a timely salve of an album, one that has Saint Etienne reaching back (and out) to the British suburban plains to show that the soul of England lives not just in London, but in its surrounding locales too.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
SLOWDIVE | Slowdive
Dead Oceans
What Rayna Khaitan Said: “Transcendence, it seems, comes easy in the world of Slowdive. For now, in 2017, we’re in an unfathomable era of political atrocities and digital abundance, and yet it only takes seconds for Slowdive’s sonic wizardry to captivate your mind and catapult you off into realms blissfully uncharted….Moreover, they sound elated to be back. On the whole, the eight-track voyage traverses similar ambient landscapes as their early ‘90s repertoire, but the songs unfurl more fully and boldly….Where we’d once accepted Slowdive’s absence as a dismal reality, their revival has rendered me vulnerable again, desperately craving more.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
TEXAS | Jump On Board
PIAS Recordings/BMG
What Quentin Harrison Said: “Jump On Board maps what Texas does best, a glossy-to-organic pop composite, replete with insistent melodies and imaginative arrangements, all of it powered by Sharleen Spiteri's breathtaking voice….It luxuriates in its own proficiency and, when looking across Texas's established discography, expands the group’s already-rich track record that any number of today's bands can (and should) take cues from. Sure, there will be some that will see this approach as a band coasting on its past glories. It's true that the band isn't searching for the ebb of “what's next,” but they're far from lazy. Rather, Texas is offering a sound cultivated over 27 years that has finally reached the full peak of its flavor, and it's meant to be savored.”
Official Store | Amazon | iTunes | Spotify
VÉRITÉ | Somewhere In Between
Self-released
What Justin Chadwick Said: “Somewhere In Between represents her first full-length affair and the grandest manifestation of her artistic vision yet. Across the album’s thirteen songs, one does indeed get the sense that VÉRITÉ holds nothing back in conveying her truth directly and defiantly, which should come as no great surprise considering her chosen stage moniker…. Higher profile releases from female pop powerhouses Katy Perry (Witness) and Lorde (Melodrama) will invariably garner substantially more fanfare, due to the major label machines and well-entrenched brand names propelling their albums forward. But VÉRITÉ’s self-assured debut long player suggests that her star shall rise to such great heights soon enough.”