The Best Albums of 2017
In 2017, with the increase in streaming services influence over the Billboard Hot 100 rap music became the most popular genre in the US in its 4th decade of growth, surpassing Rock and Pop music. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, J. Cole, Gucci Mane, Migos, Young Thug, Lil B, Tyler, The Creator, ASAP Rocky, 21 Savage, Cardi B, Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert, and XXXTentacion all rose to prominence in this decade. In the decade movements like Trap music, Cloud rap, Drill music, and Emo hip hop became mainstream. The 2010s are also notable for the increasing prominence of rap producers; examples being Young Chop, Lex Luger, Sonny Digital, DJ Mustard, Metro Boomin, Southside, DJ Khaled, and Pi’erre Bourne. Here are all of the 2017 albums ranked.
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10. Crack-Up (Fleet Foxes)
“In my opinion, this is the Fleet Foxes album that will have the longest impression on folk music. They’ve gone above and beyond with melody, harmony, and progressive song structure. Look to this album as the precursor to the next evolution of modern folk music.”
9. American Dream (LCD Soundsystem)
“Very solid album of theirs and a welcome comeback for a great band. The material on here is probably the most meditative of their discography, with themes of aging, detachment, and putting the past behind you. James Murphy sounds the most vulnerable here, making him sound extremely honest and down to earth. He also doesn’t have as much of those great dance beats to use as a sort of crutch to cope with his aging, adding to the themes of the album.”
8. Sleep Well Beast (The National)
“Lyrically and sonically as moody, melancholy and moving as ever, with music that is perhaps some of the band’s best. For fans of The National both new and old; a listener can hear the trajectory from a record like “boxer” through “trouble will find me” and straight into “sleep well beast.”
See more: LCD Soundsytem Albums Ranked
7. Pure Comedy (Father John Misty)
“All the tracks are really good, but there were four in particular that stood out to me: the first two and the final two. Those tracks, in order are the title track Pure Comedy, Total Entertainment Forever, So I’m Growing Old On Magic Mountain, and In Twenty Years Or So. These four tracks, for me at least, defined the album. There’s good stuff in between them, but these four tracks in particular really struck a chord with me and are by far my favorite parts about the entire album”
6. A Crow Looked At Me (Mount Eerie)
“A Crow Looked At Me is just an honest look at mourning. Phil Elverum walks us through his emotions after his wife died. Its just so heartbreaking that I teared up at “Crow”. Maybe the instrumentals are a bit plain but that’s clearly not what is important. Death is real.”
5. Slowdive (Slowdive)
“Sounding almost in its entirety like it’s rooted within a uniformly timeless realm that’s also universal in its reach and promoting a sense of eternal return, “Slo Mo”, the opening track, is as close to the apotheosis of their dreamily thoughtful sound that I think the band is capable of achieving; kicking off with the hesitant strum of a guitar linked to a chorus effect, and the subdued engagement of kick drum fading in with a pair of drumsticks gently tattooing a snare to lay out a simple, staggered, almost stuttering rhythm that’s got a primal, mesmerizing presence to it, joined by a somewhat heavily-pronounced bass line that thrums with a real sense of resonance dovetailing in behind, to be followed by another amplified guitar, plaintively-plucked and channeled though a delay pedal to wring notes that drop like sweet beads of moisture from it.”
4. A Deeper Understanding (The War On Drugs)
“Beautiful sounds. “Holding On” is my absolute favorite. But there is no song, that is not exceptional well written. The whole album takes you on a journey, where you can travel in your head and feel whatever you want to feel. Very impressive song writing.”
See more: Lorde Albums Ranked
3. Flower Boy (Tyler, The Creator)
“This album is the pinnacle of modern music. The evolution Tyler has undergone to achieve this level of greatness is unprecedented. In his days of Bastard, Goblin, and even wolf, the potential was very clear although his follow through fell short. He provided everything Tyler fans have been waiting for, with hits like See You Again or 911/ Mr. Lonely”
2. Melodrama (Lorde)
“I think Lorde found the ingredients for an interesting pop album with substance. She broadens her vocal range and delivery to prove that she’s not a purely low-register singer. The album doesn’t rely on the over usage of repeated bombastic beats or drum machines. It switches it up nicely with a good peppering of dream-pop vibes in the album as well.”
1. Damn. (Kendrick Lamar)
“Kendrick at his most introspective and deeply personal. As can be seen from the track titles, he addresses various topics throughout. Hence, this record is his least thematic and cohesive, and yet it holds well together because of the deeply emotional and introspective approach that Lamar takes.”