Coming into 2017, I was expecting far fewer A+ albums compared to the onslaught of amazing records that were released in 2016 and in review, I was sort of right that there weren't going to be any albums to blow me away the way that Car Seat Headrest's Teens In Denial did but, music did not suffer this year. Sure, the quality of the album went down a tad over these past twelve months but, I look at the past two years worth of Top 40 songs lists and there is a very good case to be made that the singles of 2016 are wildly inferior to that of 2017 while the inverse is true for albums. Were musicians just making more coherent records while the world was still a bit more coherent early on in 2016? Is pop music having a moment or has it just turned into the lovable underdog? Do artists even focus as hard on making consistent-sounding albums now that all music is free at any moment if you're not a member of the Thronedashian clan? I don't know the answers to any of this but, that's just the way these past two years have me theorizing. There was just as much great music unveiled in 2017 as in 2016, it just happened to be spread around more evenly from artist to artist (For example: Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Llif3", Linkin Park's "One More Light" and Beck's "Up All Night" are all really good songs from very bad albums while Perfume Genius's No Shape, Knox Fortune's Paradise and Broken Social Scene's Hug Of Thunder are examples of very good albums with little-to-no top 40-caliber tracks). In total, I listened to 257 new albums in 2017 and graded them all.
Here all of those grades, followed by my Top 20 albums of 2017.
KEY: Artist/Band - Album Title Grade (Date Released)
A-
Little Comets - Worhead A- (3/10)
Knox Fortune - Paradise A- (9/22)
Grandaddy - Last Place A- (3/3)
Roy Blair - Cat Heaven A- (12/8)
Thundercat - Drunk A- (2/24)
N.E.R.D. - No One Ever Really Dies A- (12/15)
Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart Of Love A- (1/27)
Tei Shi - Crawl Space A- (3/31)
The World Is A Wonderful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Always Foreign A- (9/29)
Perfume Genius - No Shape A- (5/5)
Portugal. The Man - Woodstock A- (6/16)
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy A- (4/7)
B+
Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life B+ (9/29)
Feist - Pleasure B+ (4/28)
Declan McKenna - What Do You Think About The Car? B+ (7/21)
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream B+ (9/1)
Phoenix - Ti Amo B+ (6/9)
Laura Marling - Semper Femina B+ (3/10)
Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory B+ (6/23)
Daniel Caesar - Freudian B+ (8/25)
Goldfrapp - Silver Eye B+ (3/31)
Alex Lahey - I Love You Like A Brother B+ (10/6)
Sampha - Process B+ (2/3)
James Vincent McMorrow - True Care B+ (5/26)
Migos - Culture B+ (1/27)
Sir Sly - Don’t You Worry, Honey B+ (6/30)
Gorillaz - Humanz B+ (4/28)
Homeshake - Fresh Air B+ (2/3)
BROCKHAMPTON - Saturation 2 B+ (8/25)
Arcade Fire - Everything Now B+ (7/28)
The Mountain Goats - Goths B+ (5/19)
Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time B+ (10/27)
Nelly Furtado - The Ride B+ (3/31)
The National - Sleep Way Beast B+ (9/8)
Alex Cameron - Forced Witness B+ (9/8)
Waxahatchee - Out In The Storm B+ (7/14)
Dan Auerbach - Waiting On A Song B+ (6/2)
B
Alvvays - Antisocialites B (9/8)
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister - Planetarium B (6/9)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest B (11/17)
Baio - Man Of The World B (6/30)
CyHi The Prynce - No Dope On Sundays B (11/17)
The Districts - Popular Manipulations B (8/11)
Lupe Fiasco - Drogas Light B (2/10)
Ásgeir - Afterglow B (5/5)
Faye Webster - Faye Webster B (5/12)
Joywave - Content B (7/28)
Willow - The 1st B (11/3)
Kacy Hill - Like A Woman B (6/30)
Surfer Blood - Snowdonia B (2/3)
Mutemath - Play Dead B (9/8)
Mura Masa - Mura Masa B (7/14)
Macklemore - Gemini B (9/22)
Frances - Things I've Never Said B (3/17)
The xx - I See You B (1/13)
Lucy Rose - Something’s Changing B (7/7)
Kesha - Rainbow B (8/11)
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice B (10/13)
Paramore - After Laughter B (5/12)
Little Dragon - Season High B (4/14)
Daughter - Music From Before The Storm B (9/1)
Jason Isbell & The 400 Club - The Nashville Sound B (6/16)
Michelle Branch - Hopeless Romantic B (4/7)
Oh Wonder - Ultralife B (7/14)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Soul Of A Woman B (11/17)
Aimee Mann - Mental Illness B (3/31)
Majid Jordan - The Space Between B (10/27)
Algiers - The Underside Of Power B (6/23)
Weaves - Wide Open B (10/6)
Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black B (11/17)
Milky Chance - Blossoms B (3/17)
Hater - You Tried B (3/10)
Lydia Ainsworth - Darling Of The Afterglow B (3/31)
Jonnycatland - All Good Friends B (6/15)
Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now B (2/17)
Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens B (3/24)
Vic Mensa - The Autobiography B (7/28)
B-
Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights B- (10/27)
Craig Finn - We All Want The Same Things B- (3/24)
Big Boi - Boomiverse B- (6/16)
Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound B- (1/27)
SZA - Ctrl B- (6/9)
Angus & Julia Stone - Snow B- (9/15)
Princess Nokia - 1992 B- (9/4)
Nicole Atkins - Goodnight Rhonda Lee B- (7/21)
Tove Lo - Blue Lips B- (11/17)
John Mayer - The Search For Everything B- (4/14)
Soley - Endless Summer B- (5/5)
Drake - More Life B- (3/17)
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Choir Of The Mind B- (9/15)
BROCKHAMPTON - Saturation III B- (12/15)
White Sea - Tropical Odds B- (5/12)
Ryan Adams - Prisoner B- (2/17)
Benjamin Gibbard - Bandwagonesque B- (7/28)
Amber Coffman - City Of No Reply B- (6/2)
Jamiroquai - Automaton B- (3/31)
Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog B- (5/5)
Aminé - Good For You B- (7/28)
Sundara Karma - Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect B- (1/6)
Real Estate - In Mind B- (3/17)
Dams Of The West - Youngish American B- (2/24)
Wavves - You're Welcome B- (5/19)
Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins B- (8/18)
Elbow - Little Fictions B- (2/3)
The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful B- (9/22)
Blondie - Pollinator B- (5/5)
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana B- (2/17)
Sam Smith - The Thrill Of It All B- (11/3)
LANY - LANY B- (6/30)
Kasabian - For Crying Out Loud B- (5/5)
Depeche Mode - Spirit B- (3/17)
Tennis - Yours Conditionally B- (3/10)
Young Thug - Pretty Thugger Girls B- (6/16)
Rostam - Half-Light B- (9/15)
Destroyer - Ken B- (10/20)
C+
Dia Frampton - Bruises C+ (3/3)
King Krule - The Ooz C+ (10/13)
Dan Black - Do Not Revenge C+ (7/7)
Future Islands - The Far Field C+ (4/7)
Hiss Golden Messenger - Hallelujah Anyhow C+ (9/22)
Fever Ray - Plunge C+ (10/27)
Foster The People - Sacred Hearts Club C+ (7/21)
Halsey - Hopeless Fountain Kingdom C+ (6/2)
Day Wave - The Days We Had C+ (5/5)
Demi Lovato - Tell Me You Love Me C+ (9/29)
The Shins - Heartworms C+ (3/10)
Katy Perry - Witness C+ (6/9)
Rag’N’Bone Man - Human C+ (2/10)
Pokey LaFarge - Manic Revelations C+ (5/19)
Elizabeth & The Catapult - Keepsake C+ (10/20)
Mary J. Blige - Strength Of A Woman C+ (4/28)
Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream C+ (9/15)
Jhene Aiko - Trip C+ (9/22)
2 Chainz - Pretty Girls Like Trap Music C+ (6/16)
Khalid - American Teen C+ (3/3)
P!nk - Beautiful Trauma C+ (10/13)
The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions C+ (4/7)
Foo Fighters - Concrete And Gold C+ (9/15)
Kevin Morby - City Music C+ (6/16)
JMSN - Whatever Makes U Happy C+ (4/28)
Logic - Everybody C+ (5/5)
Erasure - World Be Gone C+ (5/19)
Uncommon Nasa - Written At Night C+ (8/4)
Liam Gallagher - As You Were C+ (10/6)
Toro Y Moi - Boo Boo C+ (7/7)
Syd - Fin C+ (2/3)
Sohn - Rennen C+ (1/13)
Joan Shelley - Joan Shelley C+ (5/5)
MisterWives - Connect The Dots C+ (5/19)
Jidenna - The Chief C+ (2/17)
Bleachers - Gone Now C+ (6/2)
Haim - Something To Tell You C+ (7/7)
Jay Som - Everybody Works C+ (3/10)
LP - Lost On You C+ (5/5)
Big Sean - I Decided. C+ (2/3)
TLC - TLC C+ (6/30)
Allison Crutchfield - Tourist In This Town C+ (1/27)
Blackbear - Cybersex C+ (11/27)
C
DJ Khaled - Grateful C (6/23)
Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark? C (6/16)
Fergie - Double Dutchess C (9/22)
Beach Fossils - Somersault C (6/2)
The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding C (8/25)
Blond Ambition - Slow All Over C (5/26)
Angel Olsen - Phases C (11/10)
Will Joseph Cook - Sweet Dreamer C (4/14)
Sorority Noise - You're Not As ___ As You Think C (3/17)
James Blunt - The Afterlove C (3/24)
London Grammar - Truth Is A Beautiful Thing C (6/9)
Niia - I C (5/5)
Charlie Wilson - In It To Win It C (2/17)
Taylor Swift - reputation C (11/9)
Zara Larsson - So Good C (3/17)
Lights - Skin&Earth C (9/22)
Electric Guest - Plural C (2/17)
Sheryl Crow - Be Myself C (4/21)
Jessie Ware - Glasshouse C (10/20)
Sevyn Streeter - Girl Disrupted C (7/7)
Cold War Kids - LA Divine C (4/7)
Iron & Wine - Beast Epic C (8/25)
Wale - Shine C (4/28)
Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice C (3/31)
Milo - Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! C (8/11)
Ed Sheeran - ÷ C (3/3)
Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness C (1/27)
Cashmere Cat - 9 C (4/28)
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon? C (11/24)
NAV - NAV C (2/24)
Rick Ross - Rather You Than Me C (3/17)
Hoops - Routines C (5/5)
Trey Songz - Tremaine The Album C (3/24)
Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa C (6/2)
Kelela - Take Me Apart C (10/6)
Hazel English - Just Give In/Never Going Home C (7/14)
ZZ Ward - The Storm C (6/30)
Photay - Onism C (8/11)
Alex Clare - Tail Of Lions C (1/20)
U2 - Songs Of Experience C (12/1)
C-
French Montana - Jungle Rules C- (7/14)
Beck - Colors C- (10/13)
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Zombies On Broadway C- (2/10)
Washed Out - Mister Mellow C- (6/30)
Walk The Moon - What If Nothing C- (11/10)
Alt-J - Relaxer C- (6/2)
Goldlink - At What Cost C- (3/24)
Bell Biv DeVoe - Three Stripes = C- (1/27)
Linkin Park - One More Light C- (5/26)
Niall Horan - Flicker C- (10/20)
Jake Bugg - Hearts That Strain C- (9/1)
Miley Cyrus - Younger Now C- (9/29)
Passion Pit - Tremendous Sea Of Love C- (7/28)
Jaden Smith - Syre C- (11/17)
Chase and Status - Tribe C- (8/18)
Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up C- (6/16)
Anna of the North - Lovers C- (9/8)
Weezer - Pacific Daydream C- (10/27)
D+
Young Dolph - Thinking Out Loud D+ (10/20)
Colony House - Only The Lonely D+ (1/13)
Maroon 5 - Red Pill Blues D+ (11/3)
Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer D+ (2/24)
Lil Yachty - Teenage Emotions D+ (5/26)
J.I.D. - The Never Story D+ (3/10)
Allan Rayman - Roadhouse 01 D+ (2/24)
D
Minus The Bear - Voids D (3/3)
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody D (1/13)
21 Savage - Issa Album D (7/7)
The Chainsmokers - Memories… Do Not Open D (4/7)
Machine Gun Kelly - Bloom D (5/12)
Jonah & The Lion - Folk Hop N’ Roll D (2/17)
Morrissey - Low In High School D (11/17)
Kodak Black - Painting Pictures D (3/31)
Wyclef Jean - J’ouvert D (2/3)
Foxygen - Hang D (1/20)
D-
Eminem - Revival D- (12/15)
Bjork - Utopia D- (11/24)
Kehlani - SweetSexySavage D- (1/27)
F
Lil Uzi Vert - Luv Is Rage 2 F (8/25)
Other Must-Hears: "Cash Out (ft. Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor and D.R.A.M.)" & "Rollin (ft. Future and Khalid)"
Perfect for a Summer day at the pool, the DJ's fifth album sees many odd pairings (Ariana Grande & Young Thug, John Legend & Takeoff, etc.) turn into exquisite matches for dance-floor bliss.
#19. Rapsody - Laila's Wisdom
Other Must-Hears: "You Should Know (ft. Busta Rhymes)" & "Black & Ugly (ft. BJ The Chicago Kid)"
Named after her grandmother, Marlanna Evans' second rap album sees her break through with a little help from her friends (Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, Anderson .Paak, etc.) and some quality wordplay.
#18. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life
Other Must-Hears: "God Bless America - And All The Beautiful Women In It" & "Lust For Life (ft. The Weeknd)"
The queen of retro vibes and sadness combines ballads, politics and trap music on her fifth record as she continues to make subtle changes to her music from one album to the next. Tune in for A$ap Rocky, Stevie Nicks and The Weeknd, stay for the wonderful production of it all.
#17. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism
Other Must-Hears: "Doomed" & "Don't Bother Calling"
This debut album introduces the listener to one of the more intriguing and at times odd new artists around in Moses Sumney. While this album lacks in length, Sumney makes up for that with relaxing yet complex vocal performances.
#16. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
Other Must-Hears: "DNA." & "ELEMENT."
In Kung-Fu Kenny's hardest attempt at dominating the radio waves, Lamar made the most commercial album of the year with no real standout tracks despite what "HUMBLE." did on the charts. Compared to 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly, DAMN. is his VMAs record while the prior record should have won him more Grammys.
#15. Charly Bliss - Guppy
Other Must-Hears: "Percolator" & "Julia"
90's Grunge Rock meets Grimes' vocals on the debut record as vocalist Eva Hendricks leads the most fun 29 minutes I had listening to an album this year. It has just enough unique lyrics and a vintage sound that Guppy shows plenty of promise for many more great tracks coming from this Brooklyn-based band.
#14. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger In The Alps
Other Must-Hears: "Motion Sickness" & "Smoke Signals"
A softly delivered gut-punch of a record from an LA 23-year old folk singer. If "Funeral" doesn't fuck you up, then the catchy choruses of "Motion Sickness" or "Would You Rather" should be more in-tune with what you're looking for.
#13. Broken Social Scene - Hug Of Thunder
Other Must-Hears: "Please Take Me With You" & "Gonna Get Better"
The indie superband with an endlessly rotating roster introduces a new voice in Ariel Engle that shines on the best song of the album, "Stay Happy". Hopefully, it doesn't take another seven years for them to drop album #6 although, I gladly welcome more solo work from Kevin Drew and maybe even Engle.
#12. Spoon - Hot Thoughts
Other Must-Hears: "Hot Thoughts" & "Do I Have To Talk You Into It"
The rock band's ninth album sees them leaning poppier than ever before with some tracks meant for dancing and one in particular sounding very Beatles-like with "Do I Have To Talk You Into It". Twenty years in and Spoon has yet to show any signs of slipping.
#11. Charli XCX - Pop 2
Other Must-Hears: "Porsche (ft. MØ)" & "Out Of My Head (ft. Tove Lo & ALMA)"
If it was not made clear by my album grades above, I grew tired of autotune beginning to dominate the rap scene. In the pop races, autotune is being used in a much more discreet manor but not with this mixtape! Charli XCX experimented with so many different, unique artists and sounds on this "album" (it's longer than some of the actual albums already mentioned on this list so, I'm putting it on here) that the aesthetic is set somewhere 100 years in the future. She may never release anything but mixtapes and random singles like the catchy "Boys" again because she keeps switching up her style from one surprising release to the next.
#10. Joey Bada$$ - All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
Other Must-Hears: "Rockabye Baby (ft. Schoolboy Q)" & "Land Of The Free"
Plenty of artists threw their hats into the ring of discussing politics in their music this year and plenty of that was dull nonsensical ramblings but, Joey Bada$$ dropped the most underrated album of 2017 in early April when he continually expressed his displeasure with the status of black lives in America under our latest leadership. The cover of the album really sells the three main topics of the record, America, Joey being pissed off and oh by the way, it's great music to cruise around in your car to.
#9. Harry Styles - Harry Styles
Other Must-Hears: "Sweet Creature" & "Two Ghosts"
With Ed Sheeran off making dancehall tracks, Justin Timberlake still preparing for a potentially huge 2018 after a Super Bowl performance and the psychedelia of the sixties and seventies long gone in our rearview mirrors, it was impressive to see Styles cover for all three in a ten-track span on his debut solo record. I've still never listened to One Direction beyond their biggest hits but, this album makes me think I should because Styles is clearly a superstar with some cool ideas about the past/future of music.
#8. Miguel - War & Leisure
Other Must-Hears: "Pineapple Skies" & "Sky Walker (ft. Travis Scott)"
Miguel continued his own trend of being the coolest dude on the planet as he now has a second Top 20 Album to add to his resume. For as sexual and Prince-like as 2015's Wildheart was, this album is just as fun, smooth and yes, he's still making music for sexy times. In a surprising move, Miguel dropped the guitar but, the production on this record is at a higher quality than nearly anything else I listened to in 2017. A late entry with it's December 1st release, I just hope that America recognizes how fun an ad lib "SPLISH" is and that this album gets some recognition as most publications decided upon their lists before December.
#7. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy
Other Must-Hears: "911/Mr. Lonely (ft. Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy)" & "Garden Shed (ft. Estelle)"
Tyler, The Creator has changed his lyrical content quite a bit as he's matured this decade and yet, his production has stayed equally impressive across all of his four albums. One of the most unique voices in the rap game, Tyler Okonma went for a much gentler sounding album than the lead single, "Who Dat Boy? (ft. A$AP Rocky)" would have one believe.
#6. Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors
Other Must-Hears: "Little Bubble" & "Up In Hudson"
The #1 song of 2016 ("Keep Your Name") kicks off an extremely unique album that blends R&B and pop. This is the band's first record as a solo act as Dave Longstreth seems like the loneliest man on earth over these ten songs with Amber Coffman off doing her own solo music now.
#5. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet
Other Must-Hears: "12 Steps" & "Till Death"
Michelle Zauner's second album somehow lives up to the hype created by 2016's Psychopomp by expanding her musical boundaries with autotune on "Machinist" and a slightly heavier rock sound on her longest song yet, "Diving Woman". I don't know if she'll be able to keep up this one awesome record per year pace but, Soft Sounds From Another Planet certainly makes it seem like she could.
#4. Lorde - Melodrama
Other Must-Hears: "Liability" & "Perfect Places"
An album that was well worth the four-year wait, Lorde enlisted upon Jack Antonoff to help create one of the most fun pop records of the decade. Don't get fooled by all of the hype surrounding the banger of a track that is "Green Light", there is real depth to this album as well on a moving track like "Liability" and the Kate Bush-inspired "Writer In The Dark". There's a reason Melodrama is universally agreed upon as an Album of the Year candidate and the Grammy's even agreed to nominate it.
#3. (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket
Other Must-Hears: "Sportstar" & "Bobby"
24-year old Alex Giannascoli expands his musical boundaries from his previous comfort zone of lo-fi indie rock and hops from one genre to the next over the first nine tracks on his fascinating seventh album, Rocket. Rarely does a headbanger of a song like "Brick" fit on the same album as an autotuned piano-piece like "Sportstar" and a folk ballad like "Bobby" but somehow, it all just makes sense on this record.
#2. Sylvan Esso - What Now
Other Must-Hears: "The Glow" & "Kick Jump Twist"
One of the few albums I actually purchased a physical copy of in 2017, the synthpop duo goes twice as heavy on the synths and the pop on their second album, What Now. At times, this album is a party that demands the listener to dance like they've never danced before while at other times, songs like "Song" and "The Glow" kick in a layer of instant nostalgia that make me believe this album will be in my rotation for years to come.
The #1 Album of 2017
St. Vincent - Masseduction
Standout Track: "Happy Birthday, Johnny"
Other Must-Hears: "Young Lover" & "Sugarboy"
On her fifth studio album, Annie Clark took her alternative rock sound and mashed it together with Jack Anotonoff's successful pop production and made one of the quirkiest albums of 2017. There were concerns that Antonoff would lead St. Vincent down the wrong path and that this might be her first dud of an album but, this album is still pure Annie Clark with a higher price spent on production and more pianos than any previous St. Vincent record. I seriously doubted she would ever top 2011's Strange Mercy or even the Talking Heads-inspired dive into a more electronic sound that was 2014's St. Vincent but, Masseduction tops them all with a record that makes Clark sound like a dominatrix with a broken heart after her relationship with actress Cara Delevingne ended in the three years since her last album. Clark has now entered the tier of elite musicians that are deserving of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors.
Other Must-Hears: "Young Lover" & "Sugarboy"
On her fifth studio album, Annie Clark took her alternative rock sound and mashed it together with Jack Anotonoff's successful pop production and made one of the quirkiest albums of 2017. There were concerns that Antonoff would lead St. Vincent down the wrong path and that this might be her first dud of an album but, this album is still pure Annie Clark with a higher price spent on production and more pianos than any previous St. Vincent record. I seriously doubted she would ever top 2011's Strange Mercy or even the Talking Heads-inspired dive into a more electronic sound that was 2014's St. Vincent but, Masseduction tops them all with a record that makes Clark sound like a dominatrix with a broken heart after her relationship with actress Cara Delevingne ended in the three years since her last album. Clark has now entered the tier of elite musicians that are deserving of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors.
