Favorite Albums of 2017

To say 2017 was an odd year in America would be an understatement. Political unrest, mass shootings we can barely keep up with, and social activism sprouting all over the country. It was a year when many of us tuned in until we got exhausted and chose to tune out. Information overload and a lack of focus on what to do next was the story of my 2017 from a social justice standpoint. Fortunately, 2017 provided plenty of intelligent artists writing encouraging music that took many forms; encouragement to act, encouragement to reflect, encouragement to press on. From pain sprouted hope.

I’m a contemplative and emotional guy, so my music choices often reflected my mood. My music choices tended to follow the mood of the day/week/month, filtering through aggressive modern rock, the expressive emo revival, and the voice of the people through hip-hop.

An aside before I get into the music: It’s been a year since I’ve published anything. I used to publish blog posts on a pretty regular basis for a long time, so that statement is a bitter pill to swallow. Writing has been an important medium for me since 2008, but life has generally gotten in the way of writing and reflection. As life changes and evolves, I’m sure I’ll have even less time to myself to reflect (let alone write), so I hope to set aside more time to do so in 2018. As always, thanks for reading!

10. Pet Symmetry — Vision

Evan Weiss is my favorite emo dude of the 2010s emo revival. Into It. Over It. is my favorite band from that genre, but one of Weiss’ other bands released a great album this year. Pet Symmetry is a fun band having fun. Weiss plays bass instead of lead guitar with this project and leads vocals. I don’t have a whole lot more to say aside from this is just fun emo music from some guys clearly having fun playing together as a side project.

Suggested tracks: “Stare Collection”, “Everyone, If Anyone”

9. Lo Tom — Lo Tom

Speaking of side projects, I loved the Lo Tom album. David Bazan is one of my favorite songwriters, but I haven’t been into his foray into electronic music that he’s done recently. As a result, I was stoked to hear a straightforward rock album in a similar vein to his solo albums. Lo Tom is catchy and thoughtful, just like my favorite Bazan/Pedro tunes.

Suggested tracks: “Overboard”, “Covered Wagon”

8. Tyler, the Creator — Flowerboy

Tyler, the Creator is a wacky dude. I’ve gone back and forth on his music because some of it has been pretty outlandish and/or raunchy and/or in-your-face. Frankly, sometimes I’m into that and sometimes I’m not. Flowerboy, though, is a more passive approach that excels at demonstrating just how talented Tyler is. The vibes are jazzy and pure R&B at times, which is a bit of a dissent from Wolf, with which I have the most familiarity. Flowerboy catches me with some hooks, but (like other Tyler releases) avoids relying on hooks to get your attention. It took me a few listens, but I eventually got into it big time.

Suggested tracks: “Who Dat Boy”, “Boredom”

7. Joey Bada$$ — All-Amerikkkan Bada$$

Chalk up Joey Bada$$ as another artist with which I had limited familiarity prior to a 2017 release. All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ is an anthem in support of the undersupported. It’s an album for his people, “tryina stay alive and just stay peaceful” in a world where black people are seen as less than white people, where their lives are disposable and their peaceful protests are opposed with violence. Joey is aware of his place in the world and the time in which he lives, which is why All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ exists.

Suggested tracks: “DEVASTATED”, “FOR MY PEOPLE”

6. The War on Drugs — A Deeper Understanding

I did not like The War on Drugs until recently. I thought it was boring and generally disinteresting. Then I started listening to it at work and letting it sink in. Lost in the Dream turned into an album that I’d go to frequently for my afternoon grooves. A Deeper Understanding may be better, although that may be an overstatement in the moment. The War on Drugs creates beautiful music with interesting hooks, clever guitar, and thoughtful vocals. If you're not a fan yet, I’d suggest putting the album on now and giving it a few takes; you’ll come around, too.

Suggested tracks: “Holding On”, “Pain”

5. Death from Above 1979 — Outrage! is Now

On the flip side, I’ve never thought of Death from Above 1979 as boring. Their return in 2014 was one of my favorite music developments in the last 5 years. The first few tracks they released in 2017 from Outrage! is Now had me hooked (“Freeze Me”and “Never Swim Alone”). The rest of the album took some warming up, but it hit me hard when I binged on the album before seeing them in November. They’re one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen and bring it with an in-your-face energy and light show. Outrage! is a little heavier at times, a little dancier at others, but well-produced in a manner harkening back to You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine in a way that jives with old school DFA1979 fans as well as new.

Suggested tracks: “Freeze Me”, “Never Swim Alone”, “All I C Is U & Me”

4. Craig Finn — We All Want the Same Things

Craig Finn’s third solo album brought a lot of the good that his second album, Faith in the Future, preceded with. As always, the storytelling is incredible. Stories of upper midwest kids/adults who are just trying to figure out their place in life. The songs are simple and deep at the same time, including American Songwriter’s song of the year, “God in Chicago”, about a girl grieving and settling a debt for a her deceased hockey-playing drug-dealing brother. Whether through The Hold Steady or on his own, Craig Finn has an impeccable way of translating complex human emotion in the simplest and most impactful forms.

Suggested tracks: “God in Chicago”, “Preludes”, “Ninety Bucks”

3. Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.

There’s not much I can say about DAMN. that has not already been said. It’s an incredible hip-hop album from the best rapper today (save for maybe Chance). This is the third album of Kendrick’s that I’ve gotten into and each has a tone and awareness that has been particularly appropriate for its time. Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City showed what happens when an innocent kid is exposed to less innocent streets. To Pimp a Butterfly was a masterpiece of Lamar’s awareness of blackness in America from a historical and reflective perspective. DAMN., though, is Lamar fighting back and giving anthems to the resistance. DAMN. was the most 2017 album of the year, coming at a time when young men and women are choosing to kneel during the American national anthem to bring awareness to the inequality of being black in America. Lamar is the beating heart and his music is the new national anthem.

Suggested tracks: “DNA”, “LOYALTY”, “YAH”

2. Benjamin Booker — Witness

This was one of the most anticipated albums of the year for me and it certainly delivered. My first listen to the opening track was an incredible punch in the eardrums, with my favorite sound of 2017 coming at about 0:46 in the culmination of the intro to “Right On You” (see a rad live video here). I’d suggest putting on the best headphones you can find and turning this track up.

Booker’s first album was frantic, lo-fi punk that felt a bit too mature for such a young dude. Witness also feels ahead of his time with Booker’s southern soul shining through on his sophomore release, in particular on the album’s title track (see video below). Other soulful tracks like “Believe” and “Carry” speak to the growing up he did in the wake of surprise stardom following Benjamin Booker in 2014 which led to a stretch of opening gigs for Jack White. Booker has grown in a short time from a talented kid writing cool music to aserious musician with a lot of depth and musical complexity that should create for an interesting career.

Suggested tracks: “Right On You”, “Witness”, “Believe”

1. Run the Jewels — Run the Jewels 3

It was a pretty easy choice for my top album in 2017. Anyone who follows me on Spotify knows that I listened to RTJ3 a ton this year.

This album will forever be associated with a particular memory, which makes it special for me. Aly and I were in Reykjavik on the first day of our long-planned trip to Europe in late June. Food and drinks are very expensive in Iceland (about $50 for our breakfast!), so I’d been scouring the internet for suggestions of happy hours for drinks that day. We decided on Bravo right in the heart of Reykjavik for our first beer in Europe. The space is a quirky cafe with more the vibe of a coffeeshop than a bar, which felt comfortable as we were awakening from our post-flight nap. We ordered a couple of Einstoks since I’d had their incredible porter in the past (Arctic Pale Ale for me, White Ale for Aly). We settled into our seats with our beers, took a few tastes, took a few pictures, and just reveled in the fact that we were in Iceland. The vibe was chill but I heard some hip-hop beats playing softly in the background. I recognized the first track, then the second track I realized was the same artist. It was Run the Jewels and the track I recognized most was “Stay Gold”. The hooks were catchy, the flow was fresh, and El-P and Killer Mike were such a dynamic combination. I was hooked! I went back to our room and downloaded RTJ3 on Spotify that day and have been listening ever since, even going through a few days at work where RTJ3 was the only album I listened to for 4–8 hours. If it wasn’t RTJ3, though, it was RTJ2 and RTJ.

The beats and flows caught my attention first, but the more I read into the lyrics and listened to interviews with these two the more I was into the album. Pitchfork describes it as a “manifesto, an outpouring of rage and defiance that never loses sight of the objectives: rallying the troops, holding all accountable, and toppling oppression”. The album encourages its listeners to be aware, have hope, and to resist and stomp out oppression. It doesn’t spend its time pointing fingers at anyone but itself and its listeners as those being responsible for the future of America, the end of oppression, and the influence of the few and the rich over the many and the poor.

Run the Jewels has given Killer Mike and El-P a platform for activism. They’re using it in a positive way to get people thinking about each other. Since adding them to my music collection I’ve been catching interviews here and there. These guys are intelligent, compassionate, empathetic guys who know that their music has given them influence. They are aware of who they are and where they’ve come from in a way that makes them incredible voices for the 99%. They’re willing to challenge norms and authority while playing within the rules of the game. Most importantly, they are encouraging. Above all, these guys are masters of their craft while having a ton of fun, as evidenced by their Tiny Desk. One evening with these guys seems like it’d be not only fun but thought-provoking, which sort of sums up what I was craving in 2017.

Suggested tracks: “Stay Gold”, “Legend Has It”, “Talk To Me”, “Thieves (Screamed the Ghost)”