Honorable Mentions
Hey, my name is Murn. I’m a friend of Ironfish's (Editor's note: with excellent musical taste). This is my second year making one of these album rankings. My music consumption definitely increased from last year, thanks to Ironfish and Matt Else. We are constantly hitting each other with artists that pop up in our orbits. We all have an idea of the niche markets each of us tend to gravitate towards but mainly, we are just fans of good musicianship. We all share the same joy of finding something new and having the others dig it. My musical tastes vary quite a bit. I can pop on some Brazilian Jazz just as easy as some Alan Jackson or Mobb Deep. So here is a list of my top sixteen albums of 2017:
16) Wu Tang Clan – The Saga Continues - This is a throwback of sorts to the beats and rhyme styles you know and love. The last few Wu albums were weak in my opinion. This has heavy Redman throughout which is a plus. Majority of beats are done by DJ Mathematics, who has made many Wu beats you love. No U-God due to royalty beef.
15) Willie the Kid – Deutsch Marks - Though not as good as previous album Masterpiece Theater, this still is a solid record. MT had all tracks produced by The Alchemist, so of course there is going to be some drop off. In a day and age of 1,000 “Lil ____” named rappers rhyming over Casio keyboard beats made by third graders, this album has thoughtful tracks that actually engage the listener. Willie is cousins with La The Darkman, of Wu family tree.
14) Chaz Bundick Meets the Mattson 2 – Star Stuff - Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick teams up with the Mattson brothers for a funky psychedelic electronic instrumental album that is real solid. Wasn’t a huge fan of Toro y Moi’s album Boo Boo that was released in 2017, but I dug this a lot.
13) Electric Guest – Plural - This is a pure poppy record that might turn off some. Most of the songs could be plugged right into a Google or Apple commercial, but its well produced and I dig the vocals. Group has SNL ties to Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island project.
12) Real Estate – In Mind - Atmospheric mellow psychedelic jams that grab you and make for a good listen. The issue with me is that it all starts to blend together after a while. Good record overall through.
11) Island – All their EPs - This group came to me through an Apple recommendation. This is probably the best find of the year for me. Their full album will be released in 2018. The fact that a couple three song EPs made it to a rankings list says something. The guitar work is great. Song quality and lyrics are great. They are super British, and just sound amazing. Besides Gary Clark Jr., their collection of songs has probably gotten the most play from me.TOP 10
10) Dan Auerbach – Waiting on a Song
Just when I thought I had enough of all things Black Keys, this album comes out and renews that feeling I had before. This is as catchy of an album I’ve heard in quite a while. Just some good toe tapping tunes. Nothing too deep. I love that 70’s throwback vibe that he puts out. This album nails that perfectly. The only knock on it, is it gets old pretty quick. One day, hopefully we get some muddy distorted blues back.Key Tracks: "Malibu Man", "King of a One Horse Town", "Waiting on a Song"
9) BNQT – Volume 1
This was a late entry into the mix. Might have gone a little higher in the ranking if I had more time for my bias for others to slip. This album was a recommendation from Matt Else. I think it will be a few notches higher in his rankings. I had no prior knowledge of this group formed from members of Band of Horses, Franz F., Travis, Midlake, and Grandaddy. Another catchy album with some radio friendly tracks. The sharing of lead vocals works well, and there are only two tracks that don’t really do it for me. One being, "Hey Banana". Other being "Failing At Feeling". I am a fan of Alex Kapranos’ voice, just not the lyrics to Banana. And maybe I’m not a Grandaddy fan…Key Tracks: "Restart", "L.A. On My Mind", "Tara"
8) Dawes – We’re All Gonna Live
Let me preface that this ranking doesn’t entirely make sense. My logic is skewed due to another artist
being ranked higher in my list when it falls under the same live album category as this Dawes record
does. But it’s my list, so suck it. This really is an amazing album. The attention to detail these guys put into their music is second to none. This was a huge musical victory for Ironfish. He turned me on to them a year or so ago. I’m sure this will be higher in his rankings so, I’ll let his review do the talking. There is no doubt that if this was an actual new album with new songs, it would be in the top two. The fact that I have heard most all of these songs before, albeit not live on a record like this; is the only reason this sits at number eight. Again, you will see my flawed logic when it comes to Gary Clark Jr.Key Tracks: This basically a mini Dawes greatest hits, so doesn’t make much sense to list
7) John Mayer – The Search For Everything
This is when the list started to get tough for me. I am, and always will be, a John Mayer homer. He could fart into a microphone and I’d download it. There is no bad track on this album. This album has the perfect amount of up tempo tracks mixed with the usual sad ones that make you feel so sorry for a guy that habitually dates models and actresses. Some poignant lyrics that hit me just right due my own personal relationship. This connection with real life comes up again in a major way with my third ranked artist. Anyway, it looks like John has escaped Bob Dylan’s basement and shed his coonskin cap to make an accessible record that seems to be about the music instead of trying to prove to everyone how much of a genius he is. Though you still are John…Key Tracks: "Still Feel Like Your Man", "In the Blood", "Moving On and Getting Over", "Rosie"
6) Gary Clark Jr. – Live North America 2016
Back to the flawed logic. This is an album of previously released songs from a tour in 2016 and makes my number six spot. I feel like if I had more time, it would have gone higher… I freaking love this album. I was a casual fan of his for a little bit. The studio albums were good, but didn’t blow the doors off like this does. By the way, another shout out to my musical Yoda for turning me on to him. So being that I was a causal fan, many of the tracks on this live album were new to me. So, new to ME matters more than new to EVERYONE else. The guitar work on this, mixed with the bluesy lyrics and R&B delivery is enough to melt the thickest of cotton panties. His voice is made for live recording. You need those extended guitar riffs that you just can’t get on a polished studio album.Key Tracks: "Our Love", "When My Train Pulls In", "You Saved Me"
5) Noah Gundersen – White Noise
This was a recommendation from Apple. I had never heard of this guy before this album. I’m glad I
Key Tracks: "Bad Desire", "The Sound", "Fear & Loathing"
4) Dr. Dog – Abandoned Mansion
I first heard of Dr. Dog in our group chat a couple years ago. Started to listen to Be the Void and Shame, Shame, and was hooked. The harmonizing and back and forth songs of McMicken and Leaman is great on this. This album is more bare bones musically than past. The melodies on this album are great. Pair that with some folky acoustics and I’m all in. I judged these albums mainly based on how happy I was just to throw it on and let it go. This, like most other Dog records does just that. Puts you in a good mood to chill and listen. The strings on "I Saw Her For The First Time" is a real standout.Key Tracks: "I Saw Her For the First Time", "Could’ve Happened to Me", "Ladada"
3) Ryan Adams – Prisoner
This album came along at a time in my life where I was going through some major relationship issues. It became the soundtrack of spring for me as I wallowed around trying to deal with the end of a marriage. The typical brooding and reflective lyrics of Adams got a shot in the arm after writing this on the dissolution of his own marriage. This was the only album I didn’t pop back on to re-listen. For good reason. I’ll save the sappy stuff and just standby my ranking of this record. If you’re down to reflect on a shitty time in your life, then this album is for you!! Haha...Key Tracks: "Shiver and Shake", "Anything I Say to You Now", "Do You Still Love Me?"
2) Susto - & I’m Fine Today
This was another gift from Ironfish. I had no previous knowledge of them before this. This is a real fucking jewel of an album. The musical arrangements are top notch, the lyrics flow through you, and gritty yet smooth delivery of Justin Osborne vocals make this a joy to listen to. They are the perfect blend of country infused rock. There is not a single dull point on this album. Topics are so wide and diverse on here as well. Underpinning narrative of questioning our lives and existence is the cherry on top of this.Key Tracks: "Gay in the South", "Jah Werx","Mountain Top"
1) The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
I mentioned above that ease of listening is a major criterion for me with my rankings. Putting this album on and not moving for an hour is only way to do it justice. There is so much to pick up on each listen. On first listen, you get the charging tempo that you have come accustomed to. After that you uncover more and more musical nuggets. The production quality and texture of this album wow’d the shit out of me. Took Lost in a Dream and amplified it by 3x. The way the guitar work floats in and out of the synthy riffs is damn near perfect. I could gush about this more but I’ll leave it at that.Key Tracks: "Strangest Thing" (the buildup on this song is phenomenal), "Thinking of a Place", "Pain"
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