50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 21-11 | 10-1
20. Fever Ray – Plunge
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**k from 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
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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
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