For the second year in a row, The Young Folks music staff has compiled a list of our Top 50 favorite albums of the year. For the 2017 installment we have expanded the list to include all 16 active music writers, plus the editors of two other sections. Writers were asked to compile a list of their Top 25 favorite albums of the year, which were then compiled into the list you see below. The selections on the list vary widely in genre, from indie rock to R&B to country to a soundtrack for a television show.
Without further ado, our list starts below. We’ve also provided a navigation box for the other four pages
Phoebe Bridgers knows stuff, or at least, she knows a thing or two about writing from the middle ground, extracting the relevant, the painful, the poignant from the proverbial Grey Area. Whether it’s addressing the kinds of heartaches that have a name (“Scott Street”, “Motion Sickness”), or throwing darts at nothingness, trying to make sense of the intangible (“Funeral”), Stranger in the Alps is a record about intimacy, and about how those small vignettes of memory, those recurring little scenes, are foundational to who we are. – Leonel Manzanares
49. The Mountain Goats – Goths
Goths is a paradox of an album: it’s precise yet universal. The sound and subject matter are inspired by 1980s new wave and post-punk music and yet the album is amazingly accessible to listeners out of that wheelhouse. Goths briefly drops in the references as an explanation and a treat, but thankfully never lingers too long. Darnielle has a gift for crafting scenes in his lyrics, wonderfully wry and detailed to minute precision, and yet somehow applicable to everyday situations. Something like “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds,” my personal 2017 anthem, conjures up a simulacrum of a specific situation that pretty much anyone can relate to. It’s beautifully crafted and, at times, amazingly heartbreaking. – Katie Gill
48. Queens of the Stone Age – Villains
Queens of the Stone Age is one of the few bands that stands firm with rock guitars as the main leitmotif of their music and still maintains the interest of audiences and critics worldwide. They show us how important it is to evolve: the trajectory of the band can be read as the exemplary evolution of a group that knows that if you stop, you will be left behind and eventually die. With Villains, the band finally abandoned the heavy rock highway to get the taste of the sound curves. Josh Homme and company have managed to make a different album that, at the same time sounds exactly like themselves. With a little help from Mark Ronson, the California quintet leaves behind for the most part the seriousness of … Like Clockwork and the forcefulness of Songs for the Deaf in favor of something very needed in these times: to have fun. – Cristina Moreano
47. Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog
It’s almost fitting that 27-year-old Mac DeMarco has an appearance that makes him look like someone’s dad who just got back from painting a neighbor’s house, since he has more maturity and heart than his cigarettes and duck-bill hats would suggest. This Old Dog is his softest and most tender album to date, about a man with his hands in his pockets trying to have a hand in a world he doesn’t recognize. While known as a guitar virtuoso, DeMarco’s kooky slide guitar is replaced with soft pluckings of an acoustic guitar while quiet organs and low drums fill the background. The star of This Old Dog is not DeMarco the musician, but DeMarco the man contemplating what the years have done to him (“For he can’t be me/Look how old and cold and tired/And lonely he’s become”). Regardless of the loneliness, age, and time that has passed DeMarco, he remains a chain-smoking soft-spoken optimist (“Don’t feel like all the time you put in went to waste/The way your heart was beating all those days/And suddenly it beats another pace”). – Jon WInkler
46. Daniel Caesar – Fruedian
There aren’t many R&B singers on the market that can sing and tell an intimate story quite like Daniel Caesar can. I was incredibly impressed with his knack for keeping a consistent tone throughout his debut album, Freudian. The title fits Caesar’s ability perfectly, as he dives into every sensitive part of a human being’s mind; and unlocks all of the emotions and feelings one may have. The dazzling production on all ten songs is incredible, and Caesar’s peaceful voice glides effortlessly through the gorgeous base and percussion on each track. From the happiness he expresses on “Get You” and “Blessed,” to the realization that the girl he has found is actually not the one on “Loose,” Caesar hits every complexity that has to do with the theme of love and life. He creates his own passionate story; one that probably could be mistaken as a modern-day Shakespeare play.
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What sets Caesar apart from his R&B contemporaries is, although he shows weakness, he never makes his listeners want to show pity for him. His optimism at the end of the album makes us believe that we all go through the same bumps in the road that he does, and he strips himself of all of his insecurities to picture that for us. – Ryan Feyre
45. The Cast of Bob’s Burgers – The Bob’s Burgers Music Album
Bob’s Burgers is the best adult animated series since The Simpsons because it has heart, but also because of the music. The cast and crew of the series have crafted perfect song after perfect song, finding the perfect mix of strong music and humor. A soundtrack was inevitable.
Masterpieces like the melodramatic Broadway tune “Electric Love” and “Taffy Butt” (where Cyndi Lauper herself comes on to sing a “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” parody) are the best part of these two CDs, but you can’t underestimate Sarah and Laura Silverman’s punk rock “We Won the Talent Show” (“I’ve done home runs with all my aunts/I’ve never had a menstrual cramp”), Kevin Kline’s tribute to booze “The Spirits of Christmas” (“Oh, bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon bourbon”), or the inspirational jock jam “Groping for Glory” (“Crawl up the mountain on hands and knees/It’s stained with the blood of your enemies”). – Matt Rice
44. Brockhampton – Saturation II
Out of the entire Saturation trilogy put out by the Texas hip hop group Brockhampton, the second one released in August, seemed to be their most dynamic. While many will argue that Saturation III was their most inventive and creative production-wise, I felt like I learned a lot about each member’s personal life more on the second one.
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Between Kevin Abstract’s battles with his sexuality on the heart-pounding “JUNKY,” Ameer Vann’s longing to erase his past demons on the insightful “TEETH,” and Matt Champion’s desire to find his place in this world on the poignant “QUEER,” each musician brought something compelling to the table. Not to mention, the countless producers on here re-invent the wheel with memorable production and basslines. Abstract incorporates sticky choruses to go along with exceptional verses from everyone else, making for an interesting rollercoaster ride of emotions and perspectives from each member.
Much like the other two Saturations, Brockhampton brings back the little skits that tie their story together. Here, it works nicely by breaking up the different themes into different phases of the album. What’s even more incredible, is the fact that a lot of the mixing and creating was done in a small basement rather than at a large studio (this is the case for every one of their albums). I can only imagine what they could be able to do with even better equipment. – Ryan Feyre
43. Big Thief – Capacity
A violent, dreamlike, intimate album, Capacity cemented the thesis of last year’s Masterpiece. The second album from Brooklyn’s Big Thief packs quite the punch, navigating the channels of desire and loss with the grace and exploration that only a wearied heart could possess. Frontwoman Adrianne Lenker unpacks her stumbles and toils over updated variations on the grand folk tradition. Caught somewhere between arena rock and coffee shop acoustics, the album calls to mind the various iterations of Bruce Springsteen. Musical ingenuity coupled with emotional nuance makes for one of the most compelling albums 2017 has to offer. Capacity tackles the warped reimaginings brought on by memory, making for a messy, and yet irresistibly human, endeavor. – Brian Thompson
42. Ed Sheeran – Divide
Ed Sheeran is quite possibly one of the most popular and well-known artists right now. His song “Shape of You” came out unsuspectingly, creeping up the charts until it skyrocketed to number one – and stayed that way for a long time. Before we knew it, the Brit pop megastar had released a new album, ÷ (Divide). Sheeran had garnered attention very quickly before 2017, and here he was again with “Perfect” and “Galway Girl,” professing love and innocence through his songwriting. His thoughts and feelings seemed to spill from his songwriting, and the emotion behind every ballad he writes had continued onto this album. The world fell in love with Sheeran all over again, with more ferocity than before. While the music on the album wasn’t drastically improved, it was certainly the fame that made this album so memorable for the year. – Reagan Harrison
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41. Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up
Very few artists can pick up right where they left off after a six-year hiatus. Fleet Foxes has consistently been one of the most dynamic folk bands of our generation. Lead singer Robin Pecknold continues to use his authentic talents on the group’s third studio album, Crack-Up.
This is by far their most abstract project, whether it be the minimal lyricism, or the dark and wintry production set forth by Pecknold and company. Fleet Foxes hits countless themes whether it be love, lust, loneliness, power and womanhood. Pecknold has a knack for making a political statement without shoving his ideas and beliefs in the listener’s face. The Seattle natives keep an open mind on our world, and leave a lot of themes up for interpretation.
From the cheery opener, “I Am All That I Need/Arroyo Seco/Thumbprint Scar,” to the frigid and desolate, “Kept Woman,” Fleet Foxes have created this fresher version of folk music, and have refined that sound on their third installment. – Ryan Feyre
40. Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds from Another Planet
After spending last year’s Psychopomp reflecting on her mother’s death, Michelle Zauner continued to turn the focus inward on her latest project, the introspective, sci-fi Soft Sounds from Another Planet, her second album under the Japanese Breakfast moniker. Pulling from an array of influences, she has married shoegaze, electronic beats, and even orchestral swoons, creating a vivid tapestry of sounds over which to bare her soul. This smooth, sleek album is the sort of ambitious effort that we would expect from a seasoned artist. Zauner’s songs have always been occupied with big ideas, and now she has the aesthetic grandeur to go along with her existential lyricism. – Brian Thompson
39. Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
While Wolf Alice’s first outing, My Love is Cool, worked as an introduction to their style – a sort of hybrid of introspective shoegaze and sneering punk rock, their second record Visions of a Life demonstrated just how casually skilled Wolf Alice is at crafting their sound and communicating it with gusto. The album beings with a strange one-two punch of the dreamy “Heavenward,” shortly followed by “Yuk Foo” in which lead singer Ellie Roswell shrieks that “you bore me to death” and “I don’t give a shit.” That splash of acid is followed by a pop song (“Beautifully Unconventional”) and the romantic, optimistic “Don’t Delete the Kisses.” That switch-up between each track continues throughout as we get other mixes of rock, whispered thoughts, and near ballads. It’s a grab-bag of bold, unique sounds that never fail to keep your interest, and it leaves us wondering what big steps their next album will take. – Beth Winchester
38. Thundercat – Drunk
Equal parts enigmatic and down-to-earth, Thundercat seems to use the hipster atmosphere of low-fi R&B to find new ways to tell the woes of a hopeless romantic. Not only does it sound sincere and far beyond the music of his commercial contemporaries, it’s also incredibly funky. His third studio album is a 23-track opus about the thoughts and travels of a man thinking about his place in the world while deeply intoxicated. In fact, intoxicating is one of many adjectives that could describe Drunk as it’s flooded with dreamy synthesizers, jazzy drum beats and Thundercat’s fast fingers on his six-string bass. His soulful falsetto carries the quirky ramblings of “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)” and the modern heartbreak of “Friend Zone,” where he’d rather button-mash as Johnny Cage than get shut down by a girl he pines after. That’s the wonder of Thundercat, the musicianship of Isaac Hayes and Steely Dan for the meme generation. – Jon Winkler
37. Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm
Since her work with P.S. Eliot, Katie Crutchfield’s songwriting has had a tendency for sameness. Her light, lo-fi alt-folk sound is unique and beautiful, but her melodies are often hard to differentiate from each other. With Out in the Storm, the best album Crutchfield has put out at this point, she corrects this by upping the tempos, making more of a racket, and just writing a better group of songs. With a louder, more punkish sound (courtesy of producer John Agnello) steering these tracks, she shows a rougher, angrier side of herself lyrically. “When I think about it, I wanna punch the wall,” she sings on “Brass Beam.” On the opener, meanwhile, she belts, “Everyone will hear me complain/Everyone will pity my pain.” – Matt Rice
36. Laura Marling – Semper Femina
With her sixth album, Semper Femina, Laura Marling gives us something effortless. Each song is amazingly well crafted, where simple melodies and an easy, gentle sound hide deeper, more complex themes. Marling is a songwriting master, the bareness of these songs only showing just how good she is at her craft. Songs like “Nouel” sound amazingly simple but in their simplicity, serve as multiple things: a tribute, a paean, an elegy. Marling grapples with ideas of womanhood and femininity, exploring them in multitudes throughout the tracks. Gentle and soft but never flimsy, Marling proves her worth and crafts these tracks in such a precise, pointed way that’s perfect to dig into, take apart, and explore. – Katie Gill
35. Taylor Swift – Reputation
To say that Reputation is a change in direction for Taylor Swift—a former country star turned America’s—the world’s—pop princess turned polarizing fallen angel—is an understatement. Where her old works were guitar strums and piano keys (or, in the case of 2014’s 1989, airy synths and 80s flair), her sixth LP is musical weaponry: pounding bass, staccato vocals, trap beats. But Swift’s appeal has never lay in what her songs sound like; she’s a songwriter, first and foremost, and a damn good one at that. And rest assured: her love affair with love, her penchant for drama, her killer bridges—everything that combines to give her a lyrical prowess unlike any other pop icon in recent memory—show up in full force, elevating the record from a fairly standard 2017 pop album into a mega-selling, critically successful phenomenon. No one, particularly after the album’s lead single and lyrical and sonic outlier “Look What You Made Me Do,” thought Reputation would ever be the comeback album Swift needed it to be after years of PR hell. But proving the doubters wrong? I guess that’s something Old Taylor and New Taylor have in common. – Drew Norman
34. Alt-J – Relaxer
Released relatively quietly over the summer, Alt-J’s third record received less widespread attention than their previous efforts, but if you gave the album a chance you were hit with something truly memorable. While Alt-J has always produced odd aural textures with their work, the songs on Relaxer were even more layered and unexpected than what had come before. While there may not be many marketable singles here, what you get instead is an album that works as a remarkably cohesive single piece of art that takes you on an unusual, but fascinating journey. Even the “cover song” (a trivial description in this case) of “House of the Rising Sun” is made much more complex than would be expected. The sound is large and cinematic, which is emphasized by the accompanying music videos created for five of the eight album tracks. It’s hard to define exactly what Alt-J is doing, but you know that it’s something worth paying attention to. – Beth Winchester
33. The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
In 1999, The Magnetic Fields released their masterpiece 69 Love Songs, an album that is exactly what it sounds like: Stephin Merritt’s three-disc tribute to the entire idea of love songs, an album that showed off the consistency of his writing and the band’s eclecticism in three nearly perfect hours of music.
Apparently, long-form conceptualism is good for the band, since 50-Song Memoir could easily be the band’s second best record. Here, it’s two-and-a-half hours on five ten-track discs, each song dedicated to a year in Merritt’s life. For many singer-songwriters, this would result in narcissism, but Merritt has more than himself in mind. On “‘69 Judy Garland,” he pays tribute to the Stonewall riots, which he far too young to be a part of. By the time he gets to the 1980s, his affection for synthesizers and John Foxx ought to be as relatable to aging post-punk kids as anything on The Mountain Goats’ latest. But when he deals with his personal life–a terrifying moment at a Jefferson Airplane show, an abusive stepfather, several failed relationships–magic happens, again and again, for an entire lifetime’s worth of songs. – Matt Rice
32. Foster the People – Sacred Hearts Club
As its name suggests, Foster the People has always created music that both empathizes with and uplifts listeners. This is especially apparent on Sacred Hearts Club, an album that shows the band “calling all the poets into battle” against the fear and hatred that seem so prevalent in modern America. Some of its songs are a testament to the beauty of human connection—e.g. the groovy single “Sit Next to Me.” Others discuss the dark side of human nature—e.g. the EDM-influenced “Loyal Like Sid and Nancy,” which mashes up allusions to everyone from Gatsby to Satan in an attempt to answer the timely question, “Why are we so far from love?” Yet all of its tracks share the same key elements: poetic lyrics, vocals that show off Mark Foster’s impressive range, and irrepressible energy. – Brittany Menjivar
31. Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa
One of the greatest pop albums of the year came from a newcomer: Dua Lipa and her self titled debut album. Dua Lipa is a pop masterpiece, equally brash and reflective, full of multiple pop bangers that fit perfectly at home with the 2017 pop music soundscape. It’s slightly tropical house, slightly EDM, but beautiful, husky, pop perfection. Cocky self-aggrandizing songs like “Blow Your Mind (Mwah)” rest perfectly next to breakup anthems like “New Rules,” one of pop radio’s most underrated tracks this year. Her powerful and unique voice is the highlight of the album, bringing style and shine to each track, highlighting their lyrical prowess in the process. With the album, Dua Lipa establishes herself as a pop powerhouse and someone to definitely look forward to in 2018 and onwards.- Katie Gill
22 years after they last released new music, the iconic shoegazing band Slowdive delivered a stunning comeback in the form of their self-titled album. At times, The record feels a direct successor to their 1993 masterpiece Souvlaki, particularly on cloudy, dream-like songs like “Sugar for the Pill” and “No Longer Making Time”, which update the band’s signature hazy sound in the new millennium. Not one to rest on their laurels, Slowdive also take the opportunity to play on their own formula on songs like the piano-loop driven “Falling Ashes”, which carries repetition as a thematic element, and “Star Roving”, which cranks the normally somber band’s volume up a few notches. Above all, Slowdive is a gorgeous record that makes a case for shoegazing’s place in the ever-shrinking world of indie music in 2017, and one of the best comeback records of recent memory. It’s a record that makes you both glad to have an excellent band back and excited to see how they follow up on the new ideas presented on it. – Ryan Gibbs
29. Jens Lekman – Life Will See You Now
Reeling from lukewarm reception to his criminally underrated I Know What Love Isn’t, Jens took his sweet time in giving us another album, waiting about four and a half years before giving us Life Will See You Now, his best album and one of the best products of 2017. Though two early tracks, including one about young Jens meeting a Mormon missionary twenty years ago and another about a 3D-printed tumor, might indicate an album about Jens’ relationship with god, but its his adorable streak – “You mouth out ‘I love you’ just like a parent spells out ‘ice cream’/’I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U’/Like there’s kids in the room” or “She felt like the five-year-old watching the ten-year-olds shoplifting/Ten-year-old watching the fifteen-year-olds french kissing” – that wins the day. Ten self-contained stories full of rich lines, images, and musical ideas, Life Will See You Now is the full realization of Jens Lekman’s artistic potential. – Joey Daniewicz
28. Beck – Colors
13 albums into his career and Beck still knows how to get crazy with the cheese whiz. Colors is the tightest and most fun Beck has ever sounded on a record since his days with the Dust Brothers. Right from the get-go of the title track, Beck swings and bounces with boom-bap drums, funky bass lines and glimmering synthesizers. Those, along with Beck’s stellar guitar work, boost “Seventh Heaven,” “I’m So Free,” “Up All Night” and the summertime anthem “Dreams.” In fact, Colors might be the first time Beck has ever tried to make a summer album, let alone one this poppy. And for those still missing 90s Beck, the hazy funk-rap of “Wow” finds the 47-year-old dropping rhymes about life’s pleasures (“Smooth like a tidal wave, take you on a getaway”). – Jon Winkler
27. Drake – More Life
The hype surrounding Drake’s new album this year was contagious – everyone waited anxiously, wondering what new music the rapper would come up with next. Following up on his last success came More Life, a soulful compilation that included hits like “Passionfruit.” His “playlist” was a hit, showing a more personal side to Drake than we had seen with his more recent tracks. It was through these songs that we were able to understand more of the artist we all knew and loved. This album was a huge shift in the spring, and was a good indicator that we had the rest of 2017 to look forward to more and better music than ever before. – Reagan Harrison
26. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
LCD Soundsystem needed that seven-year break. Without it, they would not have achieved what ‘American Dream’ brought us in 2017. The album is a depressive return party with a certain look at the past that includes 70’s dance touches and 80’s synthesizers. Its theme is complex, but at the same time, necessary: death, David Bowie, the American dream and the complexity of artistic creation. Not only does American Dream represent the triumphant return of the band led by James Murphy, but we also consider it to be the most danceable depressing albums of the year . – Cristina Moreano
25. Miguel – War & Leisure
Miguel’s voice is full of pure magnetism. Even when a new concept or experiment he’s trying doesn’t quite land, it’s a little easier to forgive him because of that voice.
War & Leisure finds Miguel on his way to a new sound that works better lyrically and vocally with what he’s trying to accomplish. It’s more restrained, the beats are tighter, and the songwriting is great. Tracks like the lead single “Sky Walker” or “Told You So” still showcase energy but a better structure is at play here which makes the album as a whole a better listening experience. And then of course – I have to mention it again – there is his amazing voice that elevates almost everything he does and reminds us that there should be more mainstream artists with his natural vocal talent willing to experiment like this. – Gabrielle Bondi
24. Migos – Culture
The expectations were fairly low. Sure, Migos, the Atlanta rap trio comprised of Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset, had released some good mixtapes and catchy singles. And yeah, their song “Versace” got a remix from Drake. But Atlanta already had modern rap superstars in the form of Gucci Mane, Future, and Young Thug. What could Migos offer that hadn’t been seen already? As it turns out, a hell of a lot. Their take on the triplet flow and signature staccato ad-libs gel better on Culture than on any of their previous releases, providing an album of nearly 13 straight bangers that’s propelled Migos to the forefront of hip-hop. Though the most famous of these is obviously “Bad and Boujee”—rain drop, drop top, anyone?—the group’s undeniable skill and unique sound is stamped on every track, garnering them comparisons to the Beatles in terms of influence on other artists. And that truly is the reason for the album’s greatness—the songs are excellent, certainly, but its long-lasting impact will forever be introducing Migos to the masses, both through their own work and through the work of countless other rappers who want to sound just like ATL’s finest. – Drew Norman
23. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
A Bryan Adams fever dream shrouded in ambient desert rock, A Deeper Understanding builds mountains out of simplicity. With new hidden instrumental touches being uncovered each time you revisit the album, the major label debut from The War on Drugs plays like an Impressionist painting, bursting forth with life and color, packed full of interlocking details. While it is steeped in nostalgia, the album is very much propelling its genre forward, fusing a variety of sounds in order to bring out the artistry within each. A Deeper Understanding is dripping with technical craftsmanship, but it also works as the perfect soundtrack for a late night drive with the windows rolled down. – Brian Thompson
22. MUNA – About U
Constructing a sophisticated, emotionally complex song is a task that can take years of creative searching, skill-development, and introspection; that’s why it’s so impressive that a group like MUNA can just come out of nowhere with a debut album so overflowing with excellence. On About U, it is clear that we are facing a generation of creators that has taken a new canon as a model to follow, a path initiated by geniuses such as Robyn and Karin Park, and later solidified by Carly Rae Jepsen and Dev Hynes. From the nostalgic “Winterbreak” to the low-key festive “I Know A Place”, MUNA reveals the way to a new understanding of pop songcraft. – Leonel Manzanares
21. Haim – Something to Tell You
There was an abundance of wonderful alternative pop this year, including our highly favored Melodrama by Lorde. However, if any one group was able to fit themselves into the specific hipster culture while also appealing to a mainstream audience it was sister act Haim. With their latest album Something to Tell You they managed to transcend genre with songs that allowed some grunge nuances into their pop friendly visage. Songs such as “Want You Back” and “Right Now” became some of the best summer songs to play, bringing along with it an atmosphere of endless days, balmy nights and an gentle but playful easy going nature. – Allyson Johnson
It amuses me no end that, in the First Year of Trump, which we were told would at least bring about great protest music, the best political jibe of the year actually came from Sweden: ‘This country makes it hard to f**k!’ Fever Ray yelps about her comparatively peaceful Scandinavian homeland, on top of one of the many harsh, industrial-sounding beats that dominate Plunge. Whereas her eponymous debut album (released back in 2009) was a collection of funereally paced dirges that sounded like they’d emerged from a nightmarish swamp, this followup often zips along (“IDK About You” goes by at 150 BPM, for instance) and positively thrums with fetishistic pleasure. It’s the sound of Karin Dreijer, following a divorce, breaking free from the domestic shackles of motherhood, and even heterosexuality itself, into an overt embracement of the queer aspects of her identity. “I want to run my fingers up your p***y”… “she makes me feel dirty again”… we don’t know who this woman is who’s opened up Dreijer’s libido, but the album is electrified by her earthy and intensely desirable presence. Nowhere is this more evident than in the music, which is so much more buoyant than her previous solo work. She’s willing to take the plunge into a new life and sexuality, and the jubilant synths, particularly on the exceptional “To the Moon and Back”, are there to support her every step of the way. – Oliver Hollander
19. Khalid – American Teen
By all accounts, Khalid shouldn’t be as successful as he is. A 19-year-old army brat who moved between Georgia, Germany, New York, and El Paso, Texas, he didn’t start making music until his senior year of high school. But within only months, his debut single “Location”—uploaded to SoundCloud—had landed him on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists Chart and was garnering attention from music publications and labels alike. In the song, Khalid implores a girl to send her location to him so they can meet up—a simple concept that, when anchored by Khalid’s uniquely soothing voice, becomes like magic. His debut album builds on this formula of pulsing R&B beats, searching lyrics, and smooth-as-butter vocals to GRAMMY-deserving effect (he’s nominated for two awards at the 2018 ceremony); however, his real gift lies in his ability to craft songs that do the impossible—perfectly encapsulate all the emotions, hardships, and thrills that come with living life as an American teen. Adolescence has never sounded so sweet. – Drew Norman
18. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
For the world of Americana, 2017 was devoted to the struggles of those who hold Blue State values trying to reconcile everything that comes along with living in a Red State in Trump’s America. No one was able to balance the sickening rage with tender stabs at understanding better than Jason Isbell. The Nashville Sound is an album that is driven by fear (fear of loss, fear of political oppression, fear of Isbell’s own mind), but more importantly, it is draped in hope. As he worries about whether or not his infant daughter will be able to thrive in a “White Man’s World,” he is reassured when he sees the passion and curiosity blossoming in her eyes. Maybe there is hope for a better tomorrow after all. – Brian Thompson
17. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory
There’s actually no better way to describe the sound, intentions and scope of this album than its title; the “big fish theory” indicates that a fish can grow bigger the bigger the fishbowl it’s in gets. For his second studio release, the California native moves in a broader sonic territory — footwork, grime, UK funky, house and other forms of American dance music — which matches Staples’ own lyrical and creative ambitions, for a record that is always incisive, always vibrant, complex but never missing it’s pop edge. It feels as a direct descendent of Kanye’s school of rap albums that have no interest in being rap albums, instead aiming at a higher pop-cultural echelon. “Big Fish Theory” is definitely the work that solidifies this brilliant young artist as, indeed, a big fish. – Leonel Manzanares
16. Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy
On his fourth full-length project, involving a wide-ranging list of collaborators from Frank Ocean to Rex Orange County, Tyler shows off a refined command over his musical dexterity as both a rapper and composer. His choice to exclude the words Scum F**kfrom the album’s title, highlights the polarity between the kind of juvenile restlessness and introspection that’s always driven and defined his work. Lyrics like “Treat me like direct deposit/Check in on me sometime/Ask me how I’m really doin’/So I never have to press that 911“ boldly confesses a yearning for connection in place of perceived isolation and social ambivalence. “Where This Flower Blooms” and “Garden Shed” suggests tranquility whilst supported by abrasive hip-hop bangers like “I Ain’t Got Time” and “Who Dat Boy”, offering in itself a playful tug-and-pull between modesty and antagonizing hostility. Earlier records like Cherry Bomb and Goblin are where we saw him at his most unhinged and explorative creatively. If Flower Boy is meant to signify a new wave for the Creator, better late than never. – Jennifer Baugh
15. Phoenix – Ti Amo
Considering its lighthearted, upbeat sound, it’s clear that Ti Amo was made in the summer. It may be Phoenix’s sixth LP, but the seminal alt rock band certainly hasn’t lost its shine: all 10 tracks on the record boast an elegant 21st-century disco vibe that’s vaguely reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Inspired by a “fantasized verison of Italy,” the album shows Thomas Mars switching between various romance languages as he talks about the ups and downs of chasing love in a land rife with “shiny bangles,” “Masquerade balls,” and “motorboats.” Songs like “J-Boy” and “Ti Amo” are so catchy they threaten to give “1901” and “Lisztomania” a run for their money as Phoenix’s most beloved singles. – Brittany Menjivar
14. Alvvays – Antisocialites
Antisocialites, the Toronto-based indie-pop band‘s second full-length release, extends just enough beyond the blueprint for what made their self-titled 2014 debut a charmer. Songs like “Plimsoil Punks”, “In Undertow”, and “Lollipop (Ode to Jim)” characterizes a persona of resolved independence radicalized by first-hand exploits of toxic masculinity and missed opportunities in the context of dating whilst highlighting the silver-lining. The album is straight up romantic sonically, hardwired for dreamy house-parties and fuzz-filled road trips from cover to cover, though downplayed lyrically with lines like “Alter my state to get through this date” and “Don’t sit by the phone for me/Wait at home for me, all alone for me”. As a whole, the record surely does leaps and bounds beyond what was expected post-2014’s “Archie, Marry Me”. – Jennifer Baugh
13. Julien Baker – Turn Out the Lights
What’s left to say about Turn out the Lights that hasn’t already been said? A gorgeously rendered continuation of what we’ve come to expect from the singer songwriter, the album is a vessel for catharsis. It both allows the singer to offer up her own pain, sorrow and want for self-healing as a lifeline to those experiencing the same burdens that life can throw upon us, while also acting as a blank page for listeners to pour their own individual losses into. It’s a beautifully composed album, one that has a strategic flow and allows Baker to tap into vocal prowess she hadn’t yet demonstrated. Both a meditation on the pain she’s endured as well as a timeless celebration of choosing to live, “Turn Out the Lights” is destined to be remembered as one of the best alternative rock albums of the decade, it just needs some time to grow. – Allyson Johnson
12. The National – Sleep Well Beast
With Sleep Well Beast, The National has reinvented itself more than on any other record, keeping its unmistakable sound signature intact. Matt Berninger’s noble and expansive voice, the instrumental excellence of the brothers Dessner and Devendorf, the impeccable and always elegant production, the mellow melodies and their incalculable charisma are still there, but they have found other modalities and structures to express them. Sleep Well Beast transports us to the typical comfort from which they have built the solidity of their sound, but with certain traces of stylized openness, creating new roads of growth for the band. Something highly worthy of admiration. – Cristina Moreano
11. Kelela – Take Me Apart
Gyrating between moving on from one romance and moving onto the next one, Kelela’s first official album is a perfectly realized soundscape. Take Me Apart is meticulously crafted, layered into a thousand parts, showcasing a voice that aches and splits and echoes into an ether that sounds almost futuristic. It feels a mistake to call her first album a debut, but with Take Me Apart, Kelela has officially arrived. – Joey Daniewicz
Annie Clark’s fifth album as St. Vincent made a splash with listeners this year by being a bit of a surprise. Masseduction at first glance is slightly smaller in scope or experimental ambition than the Grammy-winning St. Vincent, but what it does to evolve Clark’s sound is fascinating, and most importantly, fun. Clark created an album to primarily speak about modern love, sex, drugs and rock and of course she finds fresh ways to write about those familiar subjects. The standout tracks are the singles “Los Ageless” and “New York,” the reference to opposite coastal cities reflecting the two contrasting looks at love the songs give you: intoxicating attraction, and helpless heartbreak. Those tracks and the infusion of pop in songs like “Pills” and “Young Lover” brush up against funky tracks like “Masseduction” and “Savior,” creating a unique sound and texture that only an artist like Clark could produce. – Beth Winchester
9. The xx – I See You
On their third studio album, the British alt-R&B trio crystallize their sound into their first truly-cohesive experience. Equal parts gothic and romantic, I See You is the soundtrack for every doomed meet cute at a modern-day house party complete with jungle-drum dance grooves (“Dangerous”), plucked guitar strings echoing into the night (“Replica”) and Hall & Oates repurposed for millenial breakup anthems (“On Hold”). Not only is producer Jamie xx’s production fine-tuned into gorgeous atmosphere, but The xx also shines from the chemistry between Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft. The two singers are excellent vocalists playing off of each other on songs like “Lips,” where two hopeless romantics ach for intimacy but are too afraid to speak first. Love is the tender trap, and The xx know the warning signs better than most. – Jon Winkler
8. Harry Styles – Harry Styles
Releasing his first solo album since leaving One Direction, Harry Styles stunned us all this year with his self-titled album. Styles had always showcased his vocals while a part of his quintessential boy band, but he really proved his worth outside of a group. We were introduced to a grungier, more rock side that we hadn’t seen emerge until now. Constant guitar coupled with crooning vocals led to the perfect mix that seemed to depart from Styles’ pop roots. It was within this self-discovery and our anticipation for the new music that we were able to appreciate songs like “Sign of the Times” and “Two Ghosts” for solely Harry Styles. He was able to carry on with the fame from One Direction while heading his own direction and giving us good music that wasn’t too light or fluffy. The down-to- earth and gritter aspects are what really made this album so fantastic. – Reagan Harrison
7. Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life
‘When things are good, the music is better’ Lana Del Rey told Pitchfork in July, in a stand against the frequently held belief that angst and despair make for better and more personal music. A surge in personal optimism certainly seems to have made all the difference to Lust For Life, her best album to date. In a deliberate move away from that old love-as-Ultraviolence schtick, fun is to be found around every corner here. She sounds delighted to be alive and working in an industry that has produced so many of the great artists that she constantly references on the album: Iggy Pop, The Angels, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, and Neil Young all get lyrical nods; Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Amy Winehouse are vocally evoked. ‘Isn’t life crazy?’ she opines about singing with Sean Lennon, and her duets with Stevie Nicks and The Weeknd sound equally elated.
Quite a few critics have criticised the presence of so many guest stars on Lust for Life, but I believe they’re crucial to the overall effect of seeking to dispel darkness from every corner of life, as they evoke the beauty of friendship and collaboration in a divisive time. Not even Donald Trump can ruin the party atmosphere here: ‘Is it the end of an era?/Is it the end of America?’ Rey worries on the album’s most political track, before bravely responding with ‘No, it’s only the beginning.’ I hope this also proves the beginning, and not the end, of a new era for this fascinating pop chanteuse, one in which her endlessly mysterious and fascinating contralto can be used to illuminate the complexities and compromises of being alive rather than simply picking apart romantic feelings of nihilistic despair, as she’s tended towards in the past. Back in 2014, she sang: ‘I look pretty when I cry.’ Lust for Life is here to prove that she looks, and sounds, a whole lot prettier when she smiles – Oliver Hollander.
6. Kesha – Rainbow
The ordeal that Kesha has gone through from her legal horrors with Dr. Luke and the arc of redemption that culminates in the release of Rainbow is, without the slightest shadow of a doubt, the most important story in music in 2017. And yes, after such a traumatic journey, anything that Miss Sebert released this year would come with an aura of triumph, but what a lesson of humility we have taken after listening to this portentous record. With a variety of sounds ranging from pop-punk (“Let Them Talk”), to Country-Soul (:Woman”, with the always amazing Dap-Kings Horns) and then to the total spiritual confrontation (“Praying”), Kesha tells us how Hell was like, and how she came back from it, transformed into someone undoubtedly stronger than you and me. She is the absolute winner of 2017, and Rainbow is a fitting victory march. – Leonel Manzanares
5. Paramore – After Laughter
After Laughter finds Paramore reinventing themselves once more. The new wave influences that always seemed to be bubbling under the surface on their records completely consumes their sound on the record. The style perfectly meshes with the lyrical content on finding optimism even the most dire situations, themes that dominated both the album and the band’s lives as they geared up to record. For the second time in their career, Paramore were caught up in the acrimonious departure of a member only to rebound back with an incredible work (and reuniting with co-founding drummer Zac Farro along the way). While Hayley Williams is still the star of the show and her powerful voice and witty lyrics dominate songs like “Hard Times” and “Rose-Colored Boy”, much can also be said about Taylor York’s quirky, prickly guitar lines and Farro’s propulsive drumming that often sounds straight out of a Gang of Four record. Even as great as they are individually, Paramore has never sounded better as a unit than they do on After Laughter. Every song is driven by the three members playing off one another’s strengths, like on the chorus of “Told You So” where Williams’ vocals bounce along York’s guitar part, or how York and Farro propel guest Aaron Weiss’ drifting monologue on “No Friend”. For all the tribulations that Paramore experienced on their way to record After Laughter, the band seems like they’re having a blast, and it’s easy to get swept up in the optimism they exude on every track. – Ryan Gibbs
4. Jay-Z – 4:44
Among its numerous blessings, last year’s Lemonade blessed us with the highest stakes Jay Z has faced since he came out of retirement. To start, No I.D. takes over sole producing duties for 4:44, and in a short period when Beyoncé, her sister, and her husband all put out masterpieces, the producer nearly emerges as the MVP of this family feud. Meanwhile, HOV seems more focused and determined than anytime since 2003. The highlights are two early tracks: “Smile,” a heartwarming tribute to Gloria Carter’s homosexuality, sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” enters the canon of all-time great tracks about mothers, while “The Story of OJ” reacts brilliantly to the infamous “I’m not black; I’m OJ” over Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” even if Jay getting excited about his children inheriting his real estate investments might not have been the retort we were wishing for. – Joey Daniewicz
3. SZA – CTRL
2017 has been an amazing year for female debut studio albums and no one can possibly top that more than SZA. CTRL, her debut album, is a beautiful raw confessional that transcends genres. It’s somehow raw and authentic, dreamy and lilting, and brutally honest all at the same time. SZA deftly shows her mastering of a neo-soul, R&Bish sound, pushing it to new frontiers and past all genre expectations. Standout tracks like “Prom” and “Love Galore” show SZA’s prowess as songwriter and singer. SZA and CTRL have received five nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards, and honestly? This album is so amazing and so tightly created that they deserve every one. – Katie Gill
2. Lorde – Melodrama
With 2013’s “Royals,” Lorde introduced herself to the world as a bold 16-year-old unafraid to give her listeners an unfiltered glimpse of teenage life. On her debut album Pure Heroine, she painted lurid, but artful pictures that seemed like scenes out of a coming-of-age novel, full of fights and fast-paced nights with friends. Melodrama delivers all of this intensity with even more grace. Using the backdrop of a house party, Lorde dives into the myriad of emotions that define what it’s like to be young and alive, notably making herself more vulnerable by talking about romance in a way she hasn’t before. Whether she’s “dancing with [her] shoes off” in “Homemade Dynamite” or having an existential crisis while “cleaning up the champagne glasses” in “Sober II (Melodrama),” she finds ways to express feelings everybody has felt with phrases nobody has heard before, and that’s the magic of Melodrama. – Brittany Menjivar
1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
After Kendrick Lamar’s acclaimed and innovative To Pimp a Butterfly, it was hard to guess where he would go next, but we should have known he was just going to get better. The simple, one-word song titles of DAMN. are effective at landing a punch: each word, fully capitalized and punctuated indicates a certainty in belief that we can hear in Lamar’s songwriting and delivery. This album has made its way to number one on our list, because besides its near technical perfection of skill, it is an example of an artist – a single, unique voice – that is demanding to be heard. It’s not demanding by force, but rather just by sheer existence: we couldn’t ignore Lamar if we tried. While many albums in our top five, or top ten, are there because of revelations of and admiration for new levels of talent from those artists, Lamar’s album is doing something else. We knew he was exceedingly talented, with his last two official releases increasing his fame and critical acclaim immensely, but with DAMN. We have official confirmation that he can be consistently skilled, and can evolve to fit what the music landscape needs at any moment – maybe before it even knows it needs it.
The album’s most vulnerable and surprising track is “FEAR,” and when it appears near the end of the album is when DAMN. shows itself to be much more complex than we already thought, as the song ties nearly every track together. In the song, Lamar traces various fears – of his Mom as a child, of dying as a teenager (“’cause that’s what you do when you’re 17”) and now of losing his achievements and stability (“shock value of my success put bolts in me/ all this money, is God playin’ a joke on me?”) He writes in callbacks to several of the previous songs – a reference to Rihanna (guest on “LOYALTY”), to stand-outs “DNA,” “HUMBLE,” and the repeated album phrase “What happens on Earth stays on Earth.” It’s a flash of light, a glimpse right into Lamar’s inner mind and it’s fascinating. The quick deep dive into the man and the artist’s mind and heart reveals that there is even more beyond this that Lamar has to offer – DAMN. is an achievement, but is still just another layer pulled back, and another step forward in a sure-to-be long career, despite the finality of its punctuation. – Beth Winchester
