LANDO'S BEST ALBUMS OF 2017
These are objectively the best albums of 2017 don't @ me.
Ok maybe not. I didn't listen to everything. That's impossible. But I tried. Here's the albums I listened to the most in 2017:
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
Expectations couldn't have been higher after To Pimp A Butterfly. DAMN. wasn't the artistic masterpiece that TPAB was, but it was far more accessible. TPAB had to be listened to front-to-back with a lyrical analysis in front of you to really get it (except for a handful of tracks). On DAMN. you can jump in on any track and have a good time. But if writing a PhD thesis in the Genius comments is your thing, you could probably do that too.
Spicy Track: HUMBLE.
Courtneys - II
There were lots of think pieces about how the guitar is dead this year. Sounds like a load of hot-air from the baby boomers as they retire to their rocking chairs, bummed out to see that the kids don't think the Beatles are the height of cool anymore.
This is three kids with a guitar, bass, drums and beautiful voices in a garage. Simple. That recipe will probably hold up until everybody is cyborgs with VR goggles permanently welded to our melons. Guitar is still alive. Even though its technically a dead inanimate object.
Spicy Track: Lost Boys
Khalid - American Teen
This dude blew up in 2017. Perfect blend of R&B, pop and EDM sounds. I like him because it makes me think I'm with it and up on what the kids like. I don't understand any of the mumble rappers whose names start with Lil' so the truth is I'm absolutely not.
Spicy Track: Shot Down
Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
Jens mines the sonic aesthetic of European travel agency vacation commercials from the 90's. Bit of a non-starter I know, but listen closer. He's got a knack for writing songs that combine lyrics that are about the mundane, heartwrenching, laugh-out-loud funny, and sincere. Usually all in one catchy song.
Also there's a song about hot-wiring a ferris wheel.
Spicy Track: Wedding in Finestere
The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
If Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty had a baby... and then that baby somehow had a baby with Bob Dylan... the resulting baby would be the band The War On Drugs. Those are of course musical babies. If I was strictly speaking biologically... that would be highly suspect.
Spicy Track: Holding On
Bleachers - Gone Now
Ok New Years resolutions are coming soon. If you feel like turning your life around in an inspiring life improvement montage (maybe some clips of you huffing and puffing while jogging in sweatpants, checking out the firmness of vegetables you've never eaten before in the supermarket, reading some "turning your life around for dummies" books) then this album is the perfect soundtrack for that montage.
Spicy Track: Everybody Lost Somebody
The XX - I See You
The album title and the reflective surface of the physical album was a highly underrated gag.
Spicy Track: I Dare You
Middle Kids - Self-titled EP
Couple of Aussies just cranking out the 90's alternative rock. But not the "I'm depressed in my flannel shirt in my bedroom" stuff by Radiohead... more like The Cranberries or Pixies or other bands that you weren't cool enough to actually listen to in the 90's but tell people you did*.
*I wasn't cool enough to listen to any of those bands in the 90's.
Spicy Track: Edge of Town
Feist - Pleasure
Feist has the most beauiful voice in the world. Suck it Adele.
Feist is 40! What! But this album doesn't feel like one of those forgettable "lookin' back on how old I am" albums that legends always seem to make in their middle-age.
If you're a complete Feist stan like me then you know for a fact that everything she touches is gold and a sacred gift that us mere mortals are blessed to receive.
Spicy Track: A Man Is Not His Song
Mac Demarco - This Old Dog
Ya ya ya the album doesn't have any cool dirty party songs about cigarettes. Mac evolved on this album. At first I was a little bummed out by the K-LITE FM sound on this album... but dang this was definitely my go-to "drink coffee and listen to a record in the morning" album.
Spicy Track: Baby You're Out
Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet
What a great band name. And an even better album title! This album is a tasty soup of 90's indie guitar pop (I stole that genre from Apple's description) and ambient "Blonde" style R&B.
Spicy Track: Machinist
Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder
Ok I admit it. I never liked Broken Social Scene back in the mid-00's. I jumped on the bandwagon this year. Guilty.
Also did you know that Stars and Metric and Feist and Jason Collett and more are all in the band? I did not. Broken Social Scene is the Megazord of Canadian music.
The Megazord assembling for reference:
Spicy Track: Hug of Thunder
Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs - Self-titled
This is music for when you find yourself saying things like HOW ABOUT WE CHUG BEERS AND PLAY SPORTS. Or LETS GO GET MOTOR OIL ALL OVER OUR OVERALLS WHILE WE WORK ON A CAR IN THE GARAGE. Or LETS GET SWEATY AND YELL AND CRUSH BEER CANS ON OUR HEADS. Nobody really makes good testosterone driven rock anymore so it was a breath of stinky sweaty air for me.
Spicy Track: Talk to Her
Rostam - Half-Light
My first take on this album was "This blows". But something told me to go and revisit it when I was in a less knee-jerky hot takey mood. Turns out this was up there for my favourite album of the year.
Its got lots of sounds, paces, song structures and a gentle vulnerability that are unfamiliar. It's like eating sushi for the first time. "I dunno man. Raw fish? Seaweed? Eels? This is gonna be weird and probably bad." But then at the end of that all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, you realize... oh no is sushi my favourite food now? Yup. It is.
Spicy Track: Bike Dream
Haim - I Want You Back
Just a couple of girls conjuring the spirits of Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett and Wilson Phillips. None of those singers are dead yet so I'm not sure how that works spirit conjuring wise.... Super polished album that's just a gee dee treat to listen to.
Spicy Track: You Never Knew
Alvvays - Anti-socialites
Alvvays are just a bunch of Toronto west end hipsters, and oh mannnnn do those hipsters ever make some good coffee and music while moping around. No sophomore slump here. They turned down the fuzz distortion, and there is not a throwaway track to be found.
Spicy Track: Plimsoll Punks
Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love
Some throwback sleazy 70's metal rock minus the sleaze. Raw vocals. Big riffs. Twinned guitars. Weird death related imagery on t-shirts on greasy dudes with long hair. If you're into the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks, these guys will be right up your alley.
Spicy track: Need to Feel Your Love
Honourable Mentions (AKA I'm tired of writing these blurbs.. but here's a couple more good ones):
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
Angel Olsen - Phases
Leif Vollebeck - Twin Solitudes
Muna - About U
Beaches - Late Show
Jay-Z - 4:44
Thanks for reading! Comment your favourite albums or just whatever you feel like getting off your chest. If you want to read my Best Albums of 2016 list you can read it here.
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