15/14. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Murder Of The Universe/ Flying Microtonal Banana
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are supposedly attempting to release a total of 4 to 5 albums this year, and although this initially had me worried that we would be flooded with mediocre, hastily created songs, the two albums released so far are both brimming with crazy, unique ideas. While neither album is perfect - The songs on 'FMB', while all great do blend into each other a bit, and 'MOTU' has an excessive amount of interludes, but if the rest of this years projects are of this quality, by the end of the year King Gizz will surely have gained even more attention than they already have.
13. Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog
This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year, as a fairly big fan of DeMarco, and 'This Old Dog' lived up to every expectation I had had of it. It's chilled out, slightly downbeat and has a number of great songs that flick between psychedelic synth-led pieces like 'On The Level' and guitar ballads like 'One Another'.
12. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
It feels to wrong to say this in a celebratory review, but I can't help but feel like 'DAMN.' is a little overrated, and is inferior to 'To Pimp A Butterfly' and 'Good Kid M.A.A.D City', but then again most albums are. But while I may find 'LOVE.' to be one of Kendrick's weakest songs and some cuts like 'FEEL.' and 'GOD.' to be instubsantial, the rest of the album is, as you would expect, amazing. From the lyrics of 'LUST.' and 'FEAR.' to the incredible beats on 'DNA.', to the earworm choruses of 'ELEMENT.' and the mega-hit 'HUMBLE.', this is an album which deserves the huge amount of commercial success it's gained.
11. Creeper - Eternity In Your Arms
I've had a lot of flip-flopping on my opinion of this album. It's the kind of project I would love to hate on, with an image that reeks of edginess and of the excesses of goth-rock, mixed with pop-punk attitude, but alas, the more I played this the more I had to admit to myself that I loved it. The meat-loaf esque vocals and melodramatic choruses were just what I needed in a year with largely mellow singer-songwriter albums dominating my playlists. If you think it's too edgy, or adolescent then I don't blame you - although only if you can make it though 'Misery' without cracking a half-smile.10. Brockhampton - SATURATION
It seems like everyone has agreed that so far 2017 hasn't been a great year for hip-hop with the exception of 'DAMN.', but for those who weren't expecting Future's double album to be a their AOTY, there was a lot of good stuff be found, specifically 'Saturation'. Combining bars that are both hilarious and depressing ('STAR') with inescapable hooks, ('GOLD') this is likely going to be one of the best hip-hop projects of the year.9. Sandy (Alex G) - Rocket
Another album I flip-flopped on, although unlike 'Creeper' I still haven't fully decided the extent to which I like this album, but for now I can certainly say that I love a lot of the songs. 'Bobby', 'Proud', 'Powerful Man ' and even 'Sportstar' have all become some of my favourite tunes of the year, and now I'm just waiting to see if the weirder corners of the album will come together or not - so this album could be higher or lower come December.8. Sampha - Process
This is the album I want to win the Mercury award this year. It's refreshing to find a debut album that tackles so many different ideas and succeeds at all of them, giving Sampha a song which already feels like a classic with '(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano' and some others - 'Blood On Me', 'Plastic 100 degrees C' - which seem destined to become future hits. If Stormzy beats this I will be very annoyed.7. Remo Drive - Greatest Hits
I hadn't heard of this band before they had already released 'Greatest Hits' (Which isn't actually a Greatest hits album, for clarification.), but it is so far my favourite rock album of the year. The album is charmingly lo-fi, with every brittle guitar and slightly out-of-time drum beat makes it seem as flawed and human as the lyrical themes. It also helps that tunes like 'Art School' and 'Yer Killin' Me' are simply some of the best songs I've heard this year.6. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
Probably the most upbeat, happiest album I've enjoyed this year, this is what I wish more pop music sounded like. It's lush, filled with sunshine, yet doesn't compromise on the lyrics, which are some of the strongest aspects of this album. Songs like 'Evening Prayer' with it's "Doo-doo doo do doo do" chorus wouldn't have been filled with lyrics about a cancer survivor in the hands of a lesser artist, but not only does it give the song gravitas, but it doesn't detract from the cheerful mood. It's a shame the cover is so rank.5. The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir
Most artists probably couldn't make an album that's 50 songs long, but when it comes to Stephin Merritt it's nothing compared to his classic '69 Love Songs' triple-LP. '50 Song Memoir' is an album that feels effortless to listen to despite it's length because it's core concept is so intriguing, that each song represents one year in Merritt's life up to age 50. It also makes the album immensely satisfying to listen to, especially the first 20 songs which chart his early childhood and teenage experiences. The music also uses a huge variety of instruments to sum up each year's mood with a nostalgic soundscape.4. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
Easily the most depressing album I've heard this year, this is almost painful to listen to due to the intimacy of the songs combined with the subject matter. I haven't felt as emotionally affected by an album like this ever before, not even by 'Skeleton Tree' by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds last year, which was somewhat similar in tone. If you listen to music purely for emotion, this may well be your album of the year, and it may even end up as mine if I can bring myself to listen to it again.3. Run The Jewels - RTJ 3
Technically this was released on Christmas day 2016, but it was released in physical form in 2017, and either way it would be a travesty if this were to miss my albums list on such an obscurity technicality. Other than being an amazing gift that I don't think anyone was expecting on December 25th, this is an outstanding end to what is surely the best trilogy in rap history. While it may be slightly inferior to my 2014 AOTY RTJ 2, it is still a major leap forward for Killer Mike and El-P, with more political lyrics that will make you want to start a revolution ('Don't Get Captured', 'Kill Your Masters') mixed with flex anthems that make you feel awesome whenever you play them ('Legend Has It', 'Stay Gold'). And it's free on their website!2. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Loads of people don't like this album, and I can see why. Hell, I was massively disappointed for the first few days after it came out, before I started to focus on the lyrics rather than any of the other aspects. Only then is the genius of 'Pure Comedy' unleashed. It's purposely the complete antithesis to the instant gratification of modern life, with Josh Tillman highlighting this with 13-minute behemoth 'Leaving L.A', itself seemingly a weapon to be wielded at those not willing to truly appreciate his work. The concepts behind nearly every song are equally ingenious, looking at the last moments of a self-righteous internet warrior and an imaginary confrontation with God. It's a shame that the detachment and sarcasm of this album have led to many giving the LP the label of 'pretentious', because those are the features that make it so great.1. Lorde - Melodrama
This was actually my number 2 until I re-listened to all of these albums for this list, but I can now put it no lower than number one. It's the kind of album that I feel will not only be seen in many years time as a great summation of the 2017 music scene, but will be enjoyed as a great album. There isn't a single weak track on this thing, and every other track is a standalone masterpiece, so when taken in all at once it's incredibly powerful. 'Supercut', 'Green Light', 'Homemade Dynamite', 'The Louvre', 'Liability' and especially 'Writer in the dark' are all highlights, and with any luck this will be my generation's break-up album of choice.
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