This is my traditional top 20 albums of the year list for 2017. Enjoy.
20. METHYL ETHEL – Everything Is Forgotten
sample track: Ubu
19. GOTHIC TROPIC – Fast Or Feast
New Jersey’s Cecilia Della Peruti’s debut as nom de guerre Gothic Tropic is an exciting one. There are clear influences from the classics to spot here, like Bowie and Talking Heads, but it also reminds me at times of newer things like
last year’s excellent debut by schizophrenic duo Sego or the grown-up electro-pop of St. Vincent. Lead-single
and album-opener ‘Stronger’ is probably the best way in, all propulsive bass
and drums pushing things along like an early Arcade Fire track. But quite a variety of pop gems are to be found on Fast Or Feast, with Peruti showcasing impressive range (especially as
pretty much every sound you hear on the record was made by her), while at the
same time keeping things stylistically coherent. ‘How Life Works’ is more ethereal than ‘Stronger’,
with a great guitar part sitting well with an underlying synth swell into a terrific
chorus. ‘Chemical Trail’, on the other hand, is understated mood-pop that’s
closer in tone to 90s trip-hop. Having
now put the touring musicians together, it will be interesting to see if Gothic Tropic remains a solo project on album two, or whether there’ll be a Foo Fighters to The Colour And The Shape esque transition to ‘band’ status. Either way, it’ll be worth investigation. Accomplished stuff for album one.
sample track: Stronger
18. FOO FIGHTERS – Concrete And Gold
There’s no such thing as a bad Foo Fighters record, and my love for
them runs pretty deep, so I was always going to like Concrete And Gold. Trying to
assess it objectively is hard, and, considering I’ve not played it all that
much, its place on this list – albeit quite low – probably stems in part from that
heady mix of nostalgia and love that is tied up, for me, with anything they
release. It’s been a very long time
since they put out a truly great record, and you have to go back to the 90s to
find a stone-cold classic (although they released a few of those that
decade). But, in the context of their
newer stuff, Concrete And Gold is a definite
improvement on its immediate predecessor, the career-low (so far) of 2014’s Sonic Highways; equally, it’s not as
strong as the album before that, the scuzzy back-to-basics of 2011’s Wasting Light. What it does have (and another reason it’s
found a place on this list) is one of my favourite stand-alone Foos tracks of the last decade, the remarkable
‘The Sky Is A Neighbourhood’. It’s
classic Foo Fighters, but with a
greater sense of scale. One of my top three
tracks of 2017 (more on the others to follow). Concrete And Gold is not a one trick pony either: there are some other hum-dingers here
too. The surprise lead-single ‘Run’ packs a great punch and the howl of ‘La Dee
Da’ would be entirely at home on Wasting
Light. The problem is that these
stand-outs (especially ‘The Sky Is A Neighbourhood’) act as a reminder that the Foos still can deliver stunning stuff, so when the likes of the drippy ‘Dirty
Water’ and the unremittingly dull ‘The Line’ come along they are all the more
frustrating. I’m looking forward to
seeing this band (yet again) next summer – they never produce anything less than a
wonderful show live – but if they could limit themselves only to playing the
best 4-5 tracks from this record and make a bit more room for the classics I’d be
grateful. All that said, I’ve still gleaned
a great deal of pleasure from Concrete
And Gold. As always. Thanks Dave.
sample track: The Sky Is A Neighbourhood
17. DECLAN MCKENNA – What Do You Think About The Car?
One might assume that unfathomably young
wunderkind Declan McKenna would be
some sort of millennial Hanson-alike,
mmm-bopping along in between telling grown-ups that Pokémon Go was so 2016 and flicking his spinner. All that hype for someone who – while now 18 –
was only 15 (or less) when many of the songs on What Do You Think About The Car? were written, and 16 when handed a
record deal, must surely have been a pure marketing exercise, right? The folly
of such ageism was made clear to me, at least, after watching McKenna perform a couple of tracks on
Jools Holland last year, where he shone out over a number of big names and
confirmed that he’s a proper talent. I’d
therefore been waiting for this record by the time that it came out. While it’s definitely a patchy affair, it’s
still a superb debut. Socially conscious lyrically and thoughtfully aware of
some of the apathy and entitlement of his generation (‘Listen To Your Friends’,
for example, is both call to arms and admonition – a plea for free thinking),
the quality here goes deeper than merely the presence of some catchy pop songs.
Not to say that there aren’t some fantastic
catchy pop songs on this record. ‘Isombard’ starts with 16-bit samurai-string and then bursts into a hook-tastic
chorus, ‘Brazil’ has a swagger and a great choppy guitar line, and the
child-choir backed ‘The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home’ is fun in a bucket. Elsewhere there’s some drift/filler, but no
bad tracks (take note, Foo Fighters). McKenna
is highly likable (he has publicly
spoken out against sexism, racism and Piers Morgan over the last year); he clearly
cares about the world. He also cares
about his art, having cited the likes of
Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent and David Bowie as influences. Some way to go yet to reach those kinds of heights,
perhaps, but the ambition is there and, on certain tracks at least, he fits into
the same ‘serious pop artist’ mould. Pretty amazing stuff. Especially
for a tiny child.
sample track: Isombard
16. EVERYTHING EVERYTHING – A Fever Dream
The fourth record by Everything Everything is something of a slow burner. I was pretty disappointed when I first got it. However, while it never reaches the levels of
2013’s Arc, their career high (for
me, at least: wider critical consensus still seems to be that they’ve never
topped debut Man Alive), it rewards
repeated listens and showcases new depths. Some tracks, such as ‘Desire’, recall their earlier weird-pop sound, but
perhaps do so less successfully than did previous efforts. Where A Fever Dream really works are on the
dreamier forays into something new. The
title track is a lovely subdued ballad with an over-layered vocal refrain. ‘New Deep’ is a fantastic black keys
piano-tickler. And album best ‘Put Me
Together’ is searing social commentary disguised as a lullaby, with some killer
lyrics (‘there’s somebody washing the car and there’s somebody watching the
children, but they’re nothing like you and me / they celebrate all of the same
days and you see them out doing the garden, but they’re nothing like you and
me’). For the most part it’s a musically
minimal record, where less is more. Despite not being as showy as much of what they’ve done before, though,
it feels more musically mature. I have
to be in the mood for it, especially as it’s an album to ‘listen to’, not ‘have
on’. But at their best Everything Everything continue to
straddle ‘pop’ and ‘art’ with ease.
sample track: Put Me Together
15. AT THE DRIVE-IN – in•ter a•li•a
It’s been 17 years since At The Drive-In last released an album. That was 2000’s Relationship Of Command, which topped my list the first year that I did an albums of the year list, and it
remains one of my favourite albums ever (probably top five). In the years since, At The Drive-In’s sound has gone
on to influence post-hardcore, and
wider guitar music, in a way few bands can lay claim to. Their reunion and return with in•ter a•li•a ultimately is somewhat
bittersweet. My expectations were
unrealistically high, and so it’s unfair to say they haven’t delivered here. This is very
At The Drive-In, pretty much in all
respects. Omar’s screeching guitar is
back, as is Cedric’s howl (Jim Ward’s absence is felt, but not problematic, and
his replacement Keeley Davis does just fine). The songs on in•ter a•li•a are
uniformly strong; I can’t highlight any stand-out tracks because the quality
doesn’t dip at all. They’ve picked up exactly where they left off:
this record slots in perfectly with their previous albums and could’ve been
made in 2002. But it has been 17 years,
and for a band that was all about risks I can’t help but be a bit disappointed
that in•ter a•li•a doesn’t take
any. This is vintage At The Drive-In, but offers nothing meaningfully
different, and only comes in somewhere in the lower half of their back
catalogue in terms of quality. Mid-level
At The Drive-In, of course, still
beats many bands at their best, and it undeniably is fantastic to have them
back. Somewhat ironically, I think
seeing them live for the second time (the first was, again, 17 years ago – I am
old) dropped this album a bit in my estimation, despite the fact that they remain an
outstanding live act. in•ter a•li•a may have made a push for
the top 10, but hearing these songs directly juxtaposed with tracks from Relationship
Of Command made it abundantly clear both how similar they are and how not as
good they are. Far from a bad return and
well worth its 15th place, but it does little to move things on, and
never quite reaches the quality of what went before.
sample track: Holtzclaw
14. HIPPO CAMPUS – landmark
If you can get past that horrific band name
(hard, I know), and things like the album title and all song titles unnecessarily being in lower
case, you’ll find much to enjoy on Hippo
Campus’ debut full-length. A notable
proportion of the album is sunny, upbeat indie (think Vampire Weekend, Two Door
Cinema Club, Noah And The Whale), which made it a particular favourite for
me in the summer months. But I suspect it’ll
also have lasting appeal, because, alongside the uplifting tracks, there are
more complex (post-first album) Bon Iver
style songs, and even parts that remind me of something approaching Mogwai. The beautifully shiny single ‘way it goes’, all wistful sun-pop and
soar, acts as a good way in, but the album has a lot more to offer. The juxtaposition
of tracks like the early Bombay Bicycle
Club rock of ‘boyish’ with the almost drowsy melancholia of ‘monsoon’ (very
much Bon Iver in tone) is just great. The album also has lyrical depths that one
might not expect given its fair-weather sheen. Thoughtfully written and emotive, the lyrical content here is a cut above
the norm. Yes, at times landmark can be a bit twee, and its
lighter parts are wonderful in the moment but don’t especially linger. Overall, though, this is an extremely
impressive debut from the Minnesotan four-piece.
sample track: way it goes
13. KASABIAN – For Crying Out Loud
Kasabian are a band whose
albums I rarely go back to, but whenever they release a new one I can be pretty
confident that I’m going to have a blast in the short term. They’ve always been a ‘party’ band, but For Crying Out Loud feels especially
like it was designed to be played at an undergrad keg-fest, all beer bongs and
bouncing. It’s an awful lot of fun. It’s also perhaps their definitive (if certainly
not best) album. Kasabian have explored dance music before, with quite a bit of
success, especially on 2014’s 48:13. But, for me, some of their dancier stuff from
recent years strayed a bit too far from their rock roots. For
Crying Out Loud feels, therefore, like the right blend – and the exemplar
of their ‘sound’ – because it’s very much dance-rock. The lead instrument here usually is the guitar,
but this is not structured or executed at all like a rock album. Opener ‘Ill
Ray (The King)’ sets the scene, with bouncy bass, a drum sound partially borrowed
from house music, a smile-inducing chorus and some underlying 70s disco elements.
Yay. The brass opening of ‘Comeback Kid’ had me trying to work out how to
programme horns so I could feature something similar in one of my own songs. ‘Are
You Looking for Action?’ would be a strong addition to any LCD Soundsystem record. Loads
to enjoy. It’s not all good, admittedly. ‘The Party Never Ends’ is sub-Beatles
whinging, and closer ‘Put Your Life On It’ is a horrible end to a great record:
an exercise in rote strum-along meh-ness. Overall, though, this is an album that is a joy
to put on, even if I suspect I won’t remember a single track on it in a year
from now.
sample track: Are You Looking for Action?
12. HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF – The Navigator
The sixth record by Hurray For The Riff Raff was my introduction to the band, and it’s
a consistently strong one. This was the
first record I fell in love with in 2017, and was in the running for top spot
early in the year. A bit of distance
means I now don’t see it quite as the masterpiece that I first did, but it
nonetheless is a wonderful record. It’s
perhaps most accurately, if reductively, described as Americana, but it’s an
album featuring influences from all over the place. There’s a cappella doo-wop (intro ‘Entrance’),
country-jazz (is that a thing? – ‘Rican Beach’), 70s New York new wave
(especially on the sing-along ‘Living In The City’), some gospel-folk reminiscent
of The Hidden Cameras’ masterpiece Home On Native Land from last year (‘Halfway
There’) and, at one point, a song structure that calls to my mind John Lennon (‘Pa’lante’). This is a varied
but coherent piece of work. Thematically,
The Navigator is a soulful journey
into hope, melancholy and mythology. The
lyrics variously explore the plight of Puerto Rico, the lot of Hispanic-Americans
generally, personal tales of both loss and gain, and the effects of
gentrification. As such, it has got its
sad parts, but also its fair share of joy, and about the right about of winking
knowingness here and there. Confident stuff.
sample track: Pa’lante
11. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Villains
Queens Of
The Stone Age’s
seventh record is a mixed bag. For one
of my all-time favourite bands, a placing outside the top 10 is telling, but – at the same time – shows
that even a comparatively weak QOTSA record still beats a lot of other things
for me. It starts in blistering fashion,
with a distant, clanking future-tech intro giving way to a driving wah-riff and
choppy chorus on opener ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’. Yep, I think, we’re in for an absolute treat here. Except that, unfortunately, this stays the
high point of the album. Second track
and lead-single ‘The Way You Used To’ also is strong, an off-kilter little
beast that recalls the tone of ‘No One Knows’. The bobble-bass and the Eagles Of
Death Metal style call and response of ‘Head Like A Haunted House’, and the
fantastic riff on ‘The Evil Has Landed’ (a track that’s very Them Crooked Vultures)
are other notable high points. But
elsewhere the record loses its way. The three chord repetition of ‘Domesticated
Animals’ eventually grates. Album closer
‘Villains of Circumstance’ tries hard, and has a lovely chorus, but much of it
is a mess: annoying (almost) spoken word and unnecessary odd noises. Not strong. Overall, Villains suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, with Josh Homme
wanting to try a few things differently. No harm in that, and had they committed
to that spirit a bit more, the results may have been better. Instead this flits between a traditional QOTSA template and something else, and
so never truly excels with either. They’re still a wonderful band, and when this record is good, like on
its opening track, it’s as good as anything on this list. But Villains
represents a notable drop-off from 2013’s excellent …Like Clockwork, and is – at best – a mid-level Queens album. Still well worth its 11th place
finish, but can do better.
sample track: Feet Don’t Fail Me
10. THE AMAZONS – The Amazons
There’s nothing in particular that makes the debut
by British band The Amazons stand
out. It’s a mainstream rock record that isn’t especially original and that
doesn’t take any chances. The reviews have been only ok, but the sales – in the
UK at least – have been strong. All fairly standard stuff, and initially I was inclined
to be dismissive. However, The Amazons managed firmly to establish themselves on
my 2017 playlist and, ultimately, reach an impressive place in the top 10 of my
list – all largely based on the strength of their song-writing. There are a
million bands that sound like this, but very few that make this sound so well. Another
part of their appeal is commitment: right from opener ‘Stay With Me’, it’s clear
that, mainstream as they may be, The
Amazons are out to make a racket, not make the radio. Blistering guitars
and thumping drums, it’s a great start. The best track on show, by a distance,
is the superb ‘In My Mind’. The broken guitar on the chorus works so well, and
that whirling riff is just magic. But there are other gems too. The closing
track ‘Palace’ – after an album’s worth of rawk
– suddenly changes gear into a fantastic piano ballad that’ll leave you humming
it long after the record has ended. The bass-driven ‘Little Something’ is
another highlight. There are definitely weaknesses: the vocals are, being kind,
unremarkable (and definitely are over-produced), and the lyrics are about as
bland as it gets. It feels like the words were written in the studio at the
last minute: one might forgive that on a time-pressured second record, but this
is a debut so presumably these songs have been germinating for a while. Such
quibbles aside, this is a collection of consistently excellent rock songs. The Amazons will change nobody’s world,
but there is a big dollop of passion and some seriously good song-writing here.
I’ve played it loads. Generic, but worthy of its place in the top 10.
sample track: In My Mind
9. ST. VINCENT – MASSEDUCTION
I owe my friend Adam a lot for introducing me
to St. Vincent, through her
wonderful self-titled fourth record, when we exchanged our albums of the year lists
at the end of 2014: I think that record was second on his list that year, and
that inspired me to buy it. Although I’ve
still not yet gone backwards and investigated her releases from before that, St. Vincent was one of my most-played albums in 2015, and I was really excited
about MASSEDUCTION on release. It did exactly what I wanted, delivering more
ultra-high quality adventure-pop, but moving in new directions. MASSEDUCTION
is both confrontational and intimate. It’s a theatrical record, but one that also feels personal and affecting. Most importantly, it’s a huge amount of
fun. Musically, it mixes warm percussion
with stabbing guitar licks, strangely constructed synthesiser parts and
haunting piano. At times it is vast in
scope, like on the anthemic ‘Los Angeles’
or the frantic title track. But elsewhere
it is incredibly stripped down, such as on the soulful slide-guitar of ‘Happy Birthday,
Johnny’, or the absolutely wonderful ‘New York’ (which is my second favourite individual
track by anyone in 2017, pushing the Foo
Fighters’ super ‘The Sky Is A Neighbourhood’ to third). Lyrically, MASSEDUCTION consistently is intelligent, confident and
challenging. St. Vincent is a true pop artist,
of a vintage that seems to me to be comparatively rare now: she’s a successor to the likes
of Prince or (pre-downslide) Michael Jackson. More please.
sample track: New York
8. ROYAL BLOOD – How Did We Get So Dark?
Brighton two-piece Royal Blood, now officially – if almost certainly against their
wishes – the ‘saviours of rock’, return with high expectations after their
outstanding debut album from 2014. Those
expectations are met by a sophomore effort that’s just as good as its
predecessor. The only criticism one can
level at How Did We Get So Dark? is
that it follows a very similar formula to the first album. That familiarity is
the sole reason that I haven’t loved this quite as much. The song writing is just as good, though, and consistently so across the
whole record. That, in itself, amounts to quite an achievement. They are an
even tighter unit now, with every track coiled and unleashed unerringly. ‘Lights Out’ rumbles its way into a panoramic
chorus, ‘Where Are You Now?’ builds from a terrific drum refrain and then undercuts
itself with a riff that shouldn’t fit but does, and the title track brings some
extra bluesy swagger to the party. The stand-out here is ‘Hole In Your Heart’,
which uses a creepy keyboard part to step beyond the template. This suggests
that album three may move things forward; for all its quality (which is high), How Did We Get So Dark? definitely is something of a re-tread, but ‘Hole
In Your Heart’ shows that there are great places that they can go, without
having to throw out what makes them so good now. Seeing them again live this
year, these new tracks stacked up perfectly against the older ones. Always a good sign. Difficult second
album? Not a bit of it.
sample track: Hole In Your Heart
7. DEATH FROM ABOVE – Outrage! Is Now
After their triumphant reunion on sophomore album
The Physical World in 2014, 9 years after
their debut, the two-piece Canadian dance-punk experimentalists formerly known
as Death From Above 1979 (the ‘1979’
now having been dropped) return rather quicker with album three. The Physical World was a minor miracle,
matching (if not surpassing) its predecessor after such a long break. Outrage! Is Now perhaps never quite
reaches the levels of those first two albums, but the quality here still is
notably high. Stand out track ‘Holy
Books’ would be at home on either previous release, as would the wonderful
opener ‘Nomad’. Indeed, throughout, the
same ‘how do two people make music that sounds so muscular’ detuned-bass template
remains, but there also are signs of growth. For example, synthesisers (‘Never
Swim Alone’) and keyboards (single ‘Freeze Me’) are more prominent here. Another development is that, despite the franticness
of songs like ‘All I C Is U & Me’, Death
From Above show more willingness
on Outrage! Is Now to take the foot
off the petal at times, with the steady rumblings of ‘Caught Up’ and ‘Statutes’
adding further variety. This is their
most interesting and diverse record, which bodes well for the future. The songs are not as uniformly strong as has
been the case on previous albums, and, lyrically, the shift from their
trademark brawny love songs to social commentary perhaps was ill-advised (though
one can hardly blame them for wanting to have their say on the state of the
world right now). Overall, this is another
album of extremely high quality from a band that is yet to release a record
that hasn’t made the top 10 of my albums of the year list.
sample track: Holy Books
6. JULIE BYRNE – Not Even Happiness
Julie
Byrne’s
Not Even Happiness is a beautiful
record. There’s lots of this brand of simple,
singer/song-writer ‘modern folk’ out there right now, but this is way ahead of
the pack. It’s an album that’s largely just comprised of
voice and acoustic guitar, with sparse but important backing from other instruments
here and there to add depth. When things
are this stripped down, the quality of the melodies and the quality of the
performer’s voice are vital: both are utterly exceptional here. The haunting opening of aptly-named ‘Follow
My Voice’ showcases just how strong Byrne’s
voice is, but also her talent for unexpected yet less-is-more guitar playing. Tracks like ‘Sleepwalker’ and ‘Melting Grid’ (the
latter benefiting from a perfect underpinning wind instrument melody) are more
traditional folk songs, perhaps, but are no less good. ‘Morning Dove’
showcases a melancholic side to the record, ‘Sea As It Glides’ is soft and shy,
and ‘All That Glimmered Beneath’ is uplifting and hopeful. I already loved this album before seeing Byrne play in a tiny pub in Bristol in
the summer, but that performance – which made it very clear that she really is this good – definitely raised it
still further in my estimation. Seeing the
quality of her guitar playing up close had me picking up my acoustic guitar with
both a newfound enthusiasm and a sense of futility. Not
Even Happiness was an indie release that had little promotion or presence initially.
Word of mouth ultimately has led to it widely being considered one of the albums
of 2017. Agreed.
sample track: Morning Dove
5. FATHER JOHN MISTY - Pure Comedy
Josh Tillman’s third record under his Father John Misty alter ego isn’t quite as all-conquering as his near-perfect second album as FJM, I Love You, Honeybear, which topped this list for me with ease in 2015. Nonetheless, it’s a masterful piece of work that both retains most of what made I Love You, Honeybear so great, while also moving in different directions. Pure Comedy mines a similar musical vein to the previous FJM records, with melancholic piano folk-ballads being the main thrust. Equally, the music here definitely is more understated than on his earlier FJM releases, and in that sense this is a more intimate offering. Lyrically though – which is always where Tillman truly excels – this record moves away from the deeply personal ruminations on his relationship with his wife and his own flaws to explore much broader themes. Pure Comedy considers the human condition more generally, looking not so much at Tillman’s own failings but society’s. He variously attacks millennial infantilism and entitlement, unchecked capitalism, the vacuous nature of modern entertainment, Trump era psychosis and religious and political self-righteousness. It’s a fairly depressing ride, but one lightened by (admittedly, dark) humour throughout. It also is a record incredibly lacking in humility. Tillman has never been plagued by any doubt as to his own sense of righteousness, despite him always being so open about all of his other flaws. That may mean this isn’t for everyone, but it’s a beautiful, if vitriolic, album that essentially looks to take the human race to task. Pure Comedy will act as catharsis for those who share Tillman’s worldview and likely irritate those who don’t. My sense is that this is precisely as was intended. You can criticise its unchecked certainty, but – especially for what musically is quite a simple, slight record – I marvel at the ambition and skill here. A true artist.
sample track: Pure Comedy
4. AMPLIFIER – Trippin’ With Dr Faustus
It’s always a cause for celebration whenever the
mighty Amplifier put out a record. 2017 saw them return with their sixth
full-length offering, Trippin’ With Dr
Faustus (as well as with a lovely little ep, entitled, simply, Record). I’ll rush to buy anything that they put out, for two reasons. First, their debut still remains, 13 years
on, my favourite album ever by a country-mile; second, I think they perhaps are
my favourite live band. For all that
kudos in my own personal musical landscape, however, there’s no question that
the last two records (especially 2013’s Echo
Street) have seen a dip in quality. In that context, Trippin’ With Dr
Faustus represents a much-welcome step forward. It doesn’t come close to the debut (nothing
does for me), but it’s easily Amplifier’s
best record since their sprawling double-album The Octopus in 2011. Hooray! Perhaps the biggest strength of Trippin’ With Dr Faustus is that it
seems that Amplifier finally may have
given up on trying to make what they do palatable. They ultimately are a prog-rock band, albeit
one that’s tended to have a penchant for Soundgarden-like
riffs. This new offering for the most
part remains ‘heavy’ and still does contain some banging-of-head worthy moments,
but they’re buried amongst swirling effects, multiple duelling guitar lines,
weird timings and crazy tunings. This comfortably
is their most progressive work, and they seem really to be enjoying the freedom. The ‘prog’ focus of Trippin’ With Dr Faustus isn’t just limited to complex space-operatics,
either. They clearly are exploring here
in a wider sense too. ‘Anibus’, for
example, punctuates the album’s density beautifully, offering a simple acoustic
country ditty – notably different to anything they’ve done before. ‘Old Blue Eyes’ combines a very detuned, effects-smothered bass
line with a banjo (um, huh), and the peppering of Beth Bishop’s quality guest
vocals throughout numerous tracks (another sign of the band venturing into
uncharted territory on this record) adds melody and heart to the mania. The price
of all this exploration is, inevitably, accessibility. At times Trippin’ With Dr Faustus can’t help but disappear
up its own behind (the messy outro to ‘Big Daddy’ surely was unnecessary…). Indeed,
there’s so much going on that even the biggest Amplifier fan will need multiple listens to make much sense of it
all. For those so inclined, though, the rewards of perseverance will be significant. They remain one of the best bands on the
planet.
sample track: Kosmos (Grooves Of Triumph)
3. MASTODON – Emperor Of Sand
Mastodon consistently have been
one of the best metal bands around for the last 15 years or so. Yet the
different eras of their work mean that they have both gained and lost fans
along the way. Those who liked the complex prog-metal of their early material have
been unhappy with the more mainstream riff-heavy leanings of the last few
albums and the band’s appearances on Jimmy Kimmel; newer fans sometimes complain
that their back catalogue is full of impenetrable self-indulgence. Emperor Of Sand in many ways looks to
bridge that gap, and, as such, will have fully satisfied nobody while partially
satisfying everybody. Personally, I like proggy and straight-ahead Mastodon in pretty much equal measure,
so this mixture (e.g., chart-friendly on ‘Show Yourself’ vs. odd thrash time
signatures followed by haunting piano outro on ‘Roots Remain’) adds up to their
best record since Blood Mountain way
back in 2006. Lyrically, it’s a concept album, focusing on cancer and the devastation that
it causes, albeit through the lens of a weird tale about an outcast traveller in
the desert. Yet while this, lyrically, easily is Mastodon’s most coherent (if that’s the word – concept albums about
desert-wandering as an allegory for cancer will be the sort of thing that
infuriates some) record, musically it leaps around more than anything they’ve
put out in the past. For me, that variety is a real boon, and adds up to one of
the most unexpected records released by an established metal band I can think
of (perhaps matched only by Machine Head’s
amazing return from the wilderness on The
Blackening in 2007). Lyrically it’s prog, but musically it’s prog, thrash,
grindcore and more. Heavy, weird and yet often very accessible too. Emperor Of
Sand may not surpass Mastodon’s very
best previous work, but it comes pretty close. It’s interesting that 2017 also
saw the release of two high-profile side projects featuring members of the
band: the atmospheric post-metal of Gone
Is Gone (featuring Troy Sanders, along with Queens Of The Stone Age and At
The Drive-In members, amongst others) and the 80s-tinged synth-prog of
Brann Dailor’s Arcadea. Both were
great records but neither were strong enough to find a spot on this list: so
perhaps the biggest benefit of these excursions has been that fresh ideas were
brought back to the day job. 15 years in, and Mastodon still have a huge amount to offer.
sample track: Show Yourself
2. ARCADE FIRE – Everything Now
I’ve always loved Arcade Fire, with their records pretty consistently coming near the
top of my yearly lists (maybe with the exception of The Suburbs, which I was disappointed with – but even that made 14th
place on my list in 2010). For me,
though, Everything Now may be a new
high. Definitely it’s my favourite Arcade Fire record since the first two
and, perhaps, my favourite of them all: this is staggeringly good stuff. On its face, this record’s more
disco-influenced, sequined style would seem to be less to my rock-orientated
taste than most of their previous work. It probably is only the (fantastic) ‘Creature Comfort’ that emulates the
musical scale of their back catalogue,
and guitars are merely one string to Everything
Now’s bow. They truly have got their
dancing shoes on this time, and Everything
Now is all the better for it. There’s so much to enjoy musically, yet at
the same time this record is less dense. As a result, it’s better able to worm its way into your head. Pretty much every track stays with me. The
electro-bass grower of ‘Put Your Money On Me’, the soaring keyboards of the
title track, the muscular ska of ‘Chemistry’, the pounding ‘Infinite Content’
and its country twin ‘Infinite_Content’ – I love every song. The lyrics are so great, examining modern
society with craft and care. Yes, Everything Now is a nihilistic, at times
depressing record thematically (see, especially, ‘We Don’t Deserve Love’, or
the deep sadness of ‘Creature Comfort’ and its dissection of self-loathing, celebrity
worship and misplaced desire). But it wins through because it is so fearless and
makes its points with such style; lyrically (if not perhaps musically) Everything Now reminds me of Radiohead’s 90s classic OK Computer. I don’t think I can better
the summation of this record that appeared in The Independent’s review, so I’m
going to steal it: listening to Everything
Now ‘feels like staggering through a disco with a dagger in your side.’ It’s the first masterpiece
on this year’s list.
sample track: Creature Comfort
1. MUTOID MAN – War Moans
I’d not heard of Brooklyn three-piece Mutoid Man before I stumbled across
this, their second, album. It was a random discovery through reading a
blog-post about ‘bands bucking the trend in metal’. I doubt Mutoid
Man care about bucking trends (or even have much of an idea what they are),
but the description’s probably a fair one: this is, no question, its own
thing. I already was deeply in love
with War Moans before I realised that
Mutoid Man’s vocalist, guitarist and
chief song-writer was Stephen Brodsky, formerly of Cave In fame. In the early
2000s, I was something of a Cave In fan,
without ever really adoring them (Antenna
came 9th on this list in 2003, Perfect
Pitch Black just missed out on the top 20 in 2005). Cave In, at least during the period when I listened to them, made quite
light-touch, melodic post-prog. Mutoid Man don’t do that. War
Moans does have its progressive aspects, but it’s a frenetic metal album at
its core. It draws on punk-metal,
hardcore and thrash to create something that’s fast, slippery and weird. ‘Open
Flame’ and ‘Melt Your Mind’ are built on 80s thrash templates, but both twist
away into something else. ‘Date With The
Devil’ is an insidious little beggar, with tom-bashing drums, time changes
galore and some truly stupid lyrics (‘I climbed all over Satan’s daughter,
nothing’s ever made me harder’). Album closer ‘Bandages’ is the only track here
that does evoke Cave In, albeit in a stripped down way, with a flicked guitar line leading
a love ballad of an unusual sort (‘scab in the shape of my face’ being a
lyrical indication), before blossoming into a distorted symphony. An exceptional way to end any record. The stand-out track on War Moans, though, is ‘Kiss Of Death’. For me, it’s the best song released by
anybody in 2017 by such a distance that it’s ridiculous. The spine-juddering verse, with weird little off-shots
and cul-de-sacs, is incredible. But then
it get better, moving into a chorus that’s
to die for (preferably following a kiss). An absolute belter.
Overall, Mutoid
Man have delivered a tiny, tight record that’s full to bursting but never
overflows. About half the songs on show come
crashing in at less than three minutes – leaving your head spinning – and not
one on the record makes it past five. Packed into these little songs, though, are all sorts of ideas, twists
and turns. War Moans is strange and silly, simple and yet sophisticated, seriously
heavy and yet oddly melodic. It sounds
like no other record I own, while drawing from a whole bunch of them. And, crucially, it rocks more than anything
else in 2017.
sample track: Kiss Of Death
Extras: Top tracks of 2017
A couple of bonus extras to finish off this year’s
list, starting with my top ten tracks of the year, in reverse order. Few surprises, I suspect, given what I’ve
said in the main album list. There’s only
one here that comes from an album that didn’t make the top 20: the stand-out track
from the patchy nostalgia-trip by Prophets
Of Rage.
10.
10.
Melt Your
Mind
Mutoid
Man
09.
Unfuck
The World
Prophets
Of Rage
08.
Feet
Don’t Fail Me
Queens Of
The Stone Age
07. Show
Yourself
Mastodon
06.
Bandages
Mutoid
Man
05.
In My
Mind
The
Amazons
04.
Holy
Books
Death
From Above
03.
The Sky
Is A Neighbourhood
Foo
Fighters
02.
New York
St.
Vincent
01.
Kiss Of
Death
Mutoid
Man
Extras: Top films of 2017
Lastly, moving away from music, here (in significantly
briefer form than the albums list) is my top 20 films of the year list. That
was a stretch – I think I only saw 20 films in total that came out this year,
so a lower ranking is not necessarily a stamp of approval (20th on
this list literally represents my least
favourite of all the films that I have watched that came out in 2017). There remain plenty of other 2017 movies that I want to see but still have not
yet seen (current list: Silence, mother!, The Death of Stalin, Get Out,
Colossal, Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Alien: Covenant, It, Loving, War
for the Planet of the Apes, Wonder Woman – I suspect I’ve forgotten others).
That these, or any other, films are absent here is without prejudice
to how good (or bad) I ultimately might find them to be: this list likely would
look very different if I was writing it a year from now, once I’ve caught up a
bit. Finally, this all comes with the caveat of me not necessarily being 100%
sure when films were released. I think
all of these were 2017 UK cinema releases (even though some came out in 2016 in
the US), but I might be wrong.
20.
The Lego
Batman Movie
Not as strong as The Lego Movie from which it sprang, but still fun (also, tellingly,
the only DC superhero film I’ve yet seen from 2017…).
19.
La La
Land
I avoided this for a long time (musicals not
really being my thing) but when I finally got around to watching it, I did really enjoy it. There’s a joy to the choreography
and script, and the songs – while forgettable – never are annoying.
18.
John
Wick, Chapter 2
Still loads of fun, but not a patch on the
original (which I unexpectedly adored). Needed to take a few more risks. No franchise is doing hand-to-hand
action better right now, though.
17.
Life
An Alien
rip off at its heart, but the effects are outstanding and so were some of the
performances.
16.
To The
Bone
An unsentimental piece on eating disorders,
which takes real pains to make it about character first and the disease second.
15.
T2:
Trainspotting
I really enjoyed this, and it’s great to have
these characters back, but – while many praised it for being a nostalgia trip –
I wanted a bit more than that (and, particularly, for it to draw more on Irvin Welsh’s
sequel book Porno).
14.
Okja
A lovely, if at times a bit preachy, little
movie about a giant pig. Evokes the Spielbergian
80s and made me genuinely sad in places.
13.
The Girl
With All The Gifts
The best zombie movie for some while,
thoughtful and genre-skewing. Great
central performance from newcomer Sennia Nanua.
12.
Baby
Driver
The action and the score (and the intertwined
combination of them) were great, but the plot was thin and so were the
characters. Need to see it again, but on
first viewing: a very enjoyable car-opera but ultimately disappointing, given the
premise and those involved.
11.
Logan
Meaty, grown up X-Men, a deserved high-note for
Hugh Jackman to leave on. This finally
did Wolverine justice.
10.
Split
My favourite M. Night Shyamalan movie in
forever. James McAvoy sells an impossible role convincingly, and it’s got some
really unnerving scenes, especially towards the end.
09.
Guardians
Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2
There are problems with it – the villain being
an especially big one – but this still is way
more fun than it has any right to be.
08.
Moonlight
The best picture Oscar winner is a top film,
which puts character ahead of all else. Sympathetic without being patronising.
07.
Spiderman:
Homecoming
The leads were great (Holland now is the best
on screen Spiderman for me, Keaton made a thinly written villain soar), and the
action is strong, but it feels like Marvel still can do better now that they
have their hands on their prize asset.
06.
A United
Kingdom
Managing to be personal and universal, this is
a great tale of love, empire and the dehumanisation of Africa that I enjoyed
way more than I expected to. Rosamund Pike
yet again is outstanding.
05.
Blade
Runner 2049
About as good as a Blade Runner sequel possibly could be, this looked great, and had
the right balance of similar to/different from the original. Plus Denis Villeneuve
got Harrison Ford not to look bored for the first time in quite a while. Pretty impressive in all respects, although I
did have some issues with parts of the plot and with Jared Leto’s horrible
performance.
04.
Free Fire
I’d argue that ‘warehouse shootout’ movies
should not be judged against Reservoir
Dogs, because that’s an unfair benchmark. Assessed on its own merits this is a huge amount of fun. Craftily directed by Ben Wheatley and with
some stonking performances (Armie Hammer continues to surprise with some increasingly
strong turns).
03.
Manchester
By The Sea
A thoughtfully scripted and impeccably acted
drama, this starts slow, but when it descends into the abyss you’re unavoidably
taken with it. Would have been my choice
for best picture (of those that were nominated, anyway).
02.
Thor:
Ragnarok
The best Marvel movie since Iron Man 3 (which I might be alone in
thinking is the best Marvel movie,
period). Turning it into an out-and-out
comedy was risky, and Cate Blanchett was underused. But pretty much all the jokes land, the whole
thing looks amazing and by the end
you’re not just on board, you’re smitten. Where’s my stand-alone Mark Ruffalo Hulk movie?
01.
Star
Wars: The Last Jedi
I’ve still only seen it once: time and repeated
viewings will allow me to make a proper assessment. But, on first viewing, I
thought it had nuance, surprises, more laughs than expected and some truly
stand out moments. It also had some
dodgy parts (especially the Canto Bight stuff – pretty much in its entirety),
and could have been trimmed a little in places for pacing. Too early to tell whether these (minor, in
the overall scheme of things, I think) concerns will persist on repeated
viewings. Even with them, I easily
enjoyed this more than any other film that I saw that came out this year. No great surprise there.
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