Some releases I really liked in 2017
2017 was a great year for music, I love nerding out making lists and sorting though music so I spent some time collating the albums and EPs I kept coming back to this year. Check out the tracks and reissues I really liked in 2017 as well.
Kelly Lee Owens - ST
Probably my favourite album of the year yet I only just discovered it from the Piccadilly records best of 2017 newsletter a month ago. An artful blend of wistful breathy pop and throbbing analog electronics.
Slowdive - Slowdive
90’s shoegazers Slowdive reunited for a festival a few years back and then released this which has been in heavy rotation in our house. Opener Slomo and closer Falling Ashes are my two faves.
Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
Lovely indie / alternative country from the heart, she sounds to me like early Ryan Adams, ie when he was at his best.
DJ Sports - Modern Species
Firecracker almost never disappoint and one of my favourite deep house records of this year came from DJ Sport. His remix of Drive was also one of my fav tracks of 2017.
Four Tet - New Energy
At the beginning of 2017 Four Tet teased some Bandcamp releases and after desperately forking out way too much for the limited SW9 9SL / Planet 12" from some Discogs scalper this album dropped out of nowhere.
DJ Central & Erika Casier - Drive 12"
Daaaaayum bust out the champagne, Moschino and Versace, Regelbau alumni out of Denmark DJ Sports (DJ Central’s younger borther) made one of the best garage tunes I’ve heard in ages. The original and ambient versions are also excellent.
Aldous Harding - Party
Channeling a little bit of Bowies alien weirdness Lyttelton’s own Aldous Harding released a beautiful second album on 4AD.
Grayson Gilmour - Otherness
Call Super - Arpo
Man of many pseudonyms but with a singular aesthetic released one of the most unique electronic albums of the year. His EP on Hessle Audio with Beatrice Dillon is also tight and I’m also a massive fan of his Ondo Fudd 12"s on Trilogy Tapes. Friendly Potential have him playing in AK alongside Ben UFO in March.
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
I was nervous about the release of this as I have almost everything they have released but the return album (after calling it quits) delivered. My brother got me flights/tickets to see them them in Auckland in Feb — so excited!
Bonobo - Migration
Minor Science - Whities 012
Volumes takes the cake for my ‘most screwface invoked in 2017’ prize when the tune flips upside down halfway through.
Gacha Bakradze - I Can Still See You / We Must Be Woods
Both excellent EPs he released in 2017 —you can also listen to We Must Be The Woods here.
Perfume Genius - No Shape
Too Bright was one of my faves of 2014 and this is just as good if not better. We’re psyched about his upcoming gig at the NZ Festival in Wellington on the 13/14th of March.
Davy Kehoe - Short Passing Game
Some moments of laid back 70’s Panthalassa period Miles Davis vibes of Storm Desmond contrast with extended spazzy rattly drum machines on the rest of this vinyl only LP. Check the Discogs link for more audio.
Daphni - Joli Mai / fabriclive93
Surprise album! I’ve been a big fan of pretty much all Dan Snaith’s output as Daphni and Caribou. A lot of the tracks on Joli Mai first appeared via the also out-of-the-blue and also awesome fabriclive93 mix.
Fazerdaze - Morningside
Coral D - Love Is What / Everything Going To Be Alright
Mysteriously gone from Bandcamp! 😢 Which is a real shame as I really dig the lofi yearning vibes of these tracks from a new alias of Mock from Mock & Toof fame.
Porn Sword Tobacco - “2017” (acido records 026)
Form his Discogs profile: “Apparently, his artist name is the name of a shop at the edge of some forest in his home country, which sells exactly those three products.” Brilliant 4 ambient tracker.
Pangaea - Two Mixes
That voice — one of the most sampled in dance music. Both sides are great (check the flip here) but it is the Loleatta Holloway refix that did serious damage to bass orientated dancefloors in 2017.
Brainwaltzera - Poly-ana
This album smells strongly of Boards of Canada but once you get past that homage like sound palette it’s an excellent nostalgia soaked electronic album.
Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives
Their last album was super boring so this was a pleasant surprise. I especially love the Micachu collab which also has an excellent Palms Trax remix.
Bullion - Blue Pedro 12"
🏴☠️! I literally LOL’d the first time I heard this sea shanty and then like any great earworm it got lodged in my brain and I kept coming back again and again and again. The way Blue Pedro builds on the initial LOLtastic italo-celtic vibes is genius. The other two tracks on the 12" are also well worth a hoon.
Bicep - ST
Alexa Casino - CHEER UP TRY HARD TEAR UP CRY HARD
Welly’s own makes sweet laconic auto-tuned R&B to shed tears into your craft beer too.
Also good:
I had to whittle this list down more then I wanted to so it wasn’t ludicrously long buuuut it still is I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/ ¯The below releases are also all totally worth your time!
Jazz / Electronica / Ambient
Meeting By Chance -Lines EP
Portico Quartet — Art in the Age of Automation LP
Photay — Onism
Veranda Culture — Veranda Culture
Indie / Rock / Pop
Nadia Reid — Preservation LP
Beck — Colors LP
Mermaidens — Perfect Body LP
Marika Hackman-I’m Not Your Man LP
House / Techno
Marcel Lune - Astral Palms LP
Grant - No Lights EP & Grant001 EP
VA — Fair EP (STRCTR)
No Moon — I Left My Dial In Pirovac especially Is It Vibey Is It Yolo.
Claro Intelecto — Exhilarator LP
Dark Sky — Othona LP & Kilter / Acacia 12"
Jon Sable — Dolphin Hotel EP
Folamour -Nights Over You EP/ Shakkei EP
Tin Man -Dripping Acid LP
Passarani — Analog Fingerprints, Vol.1 EP
Bill Converse — The Shape of Things to Come LP
Djrum — Broken Glass Arch EP
Jimpster — Silent Stars LP
