Favorite Albums of 2017
I'm still a rocker through and through, but I feel like this year I began to branch out a little more than usual. I listened to the new album from Ed Sheeran, bought Beck's Colors which is the first time I've actually bought anything from Beck, was tipped off to buying the recent Haim album, and others that didn't make the cut include Cheap Trick, Buckingham-McVie, and Black Star Riders.
While I didn't actually buy this album, I did stream it after listening to a few of the singles, which got air play on my new station WWCT. I can't say a lot of the newer music featured on that station thrilled me, but these guys definitely stood out. They sound similar to Coldplay, who seemed to be settling into more of a pop-oriented sound, so these guys picked up the slack.
Highlight Track- "So Tied Up"
This is my third Isbell album as a fan, and I'm sad to say its my least favorite of the three. Although his recent concert was the best of the 4 I've seen. That's a fair trade that I'll accept.
Highlight Track- "Hope The High Road"
Much like Alice Cooper's last studio album in 2011, this one features a stew of guest stars, including members of the original Alice Cooper band. I thought this was initially rumored to be an entire album's worth of material from the original band, but it was not to be. The other guests include Roger Glover (of Deep Purple and Rainbow fame) and U2's Larry Mullen, Jr.
The tracks themselves are mostly co-written with one of Alice's current guitar players, Tommy Henriksen, who also shares production duties, too. I think he adds a little too much polish to the tunes though, much like the previous Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Oh well. The tracks still have Alice's wit and dark sensibilities...and they have the potential to be great in a live setting. Among the new tracks, "Dead Flies" and "Fallen In Love" are my favorites, but the stand-out track is the atmospheric "The Sound of A." Its notable for being one of the earliest written Alice Cooper songs, but was held back for a special occasion. It reminds me of early songs like "The Ballad Of Dwight Frye", and also "Steven" from his original solo album.
Highlight Track- "The Sound of A"
It just fucking rocks!!
Highlight Track- "My Little RnR"
I seem to really gravitate to every other Foo Fighters album. 2011's Wasting Light was amazing, while 2014's Sonic Highways was just average. This one actually ends up somewhere in the middle for me, which has improved over multiple spins. For the past few years I've felt like the Foo Fighters are inching closer to being like their classic rock heroes, especially after officially making their keyboardist the 6th member, and this album is further proof. "Make It Right" has a 70's rock n roll swagger to it, while "Sunday Rain" is drenched in a disco beat. What helped make the connection to the 70's was listening to their 'covers album' Medium Rare for the entire summer, which featured their versions of songs from Cream, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, and more. It was definitely a great primer for Concrete & Gold.
Highlight Track- "Arrows" (Also "The Line")
5. Blackfield V
I nearly forgot this record was even released this year. I sampled it online when it came out, yet wasn't impressed, so I must've wiped it from my memory with one of those Men In Black devices. I'm glad I made a mad dash to give this another listen because it was worth that second chance. The first two albums were equal collaborative projects, though the following two featured less Steven Wilson and also correlated to less interest on my part. This time, however, its back to a full collaboration from Aviv Geffen and Steven Wilson. The results of their labor took time to win me over, and now I can't stop playing it.
**When I shuffled around my list to include it, it came up at #8. In the past weeks it took to write each entry, it climbed a few slots higher.**
Highlight Track- "From 44 to 48"
The Killers made a great "comeback" record...even though I feel like they never really left. Actually, this feels like less of a comeback album and more of a farewell. I hope not, though, because it's their best and most focused effort in a decade (2007's Sam's Town.)
As soon as "The Man" hit airwaves in the summer as the album's lead single, it became it my favorite song of 2017, possibly even my favorite song of the band's career. The rest of the album was just as strong, with songs like "Rut", "Out Of My Mind", and "Life To Come."
Highlight Track- "The Man"
Weezer have been on a roll the last few years, ever since 2014's release of Everything Will Be Alright In The End. They seemed to have streamlined their sound into summery, pop-rock, with great results on last year's self-titled White Album. It worked so well, they did it again just a year later; in fact they even wrote a song titled "Beach Boys" for this album. I feel like this summer style suits them best and I'd even call it their best effort since the original self-titled album, the hit Blue Album.
Highlight Track- "Get Right"
I was first introduced to the music of Ryan Adams in 2014 with the release of his self-titled album. I was hooked instantly, as it felt like an homage to the classic rock singer-songwriters like John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen. The thing that stood out was the use of the organ/keyboard, which was performed by The Heartbreaker's Benmont Tench, giving every song a unique appeal. Flashforward to 2017, and Prisoner is even better- the arrangements are sparser, the lyrics are like the saddest kick in the gut. If it wasn't for Steven Wilson, who is equally as hard working, this would be the best of 2017.
Highlight Track- "Doomsday"
It's pretty crazy that two Steven Wilson albums were released within the same year, and that I loved both of them. The last time that happened was a decade ago exactly, in 2007, with the release of Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet and Blackfield's second album. I wasn't totally wild about the Porcupine Tree album, but I feel that's only because I set the bar too high.
I also haven't been as wild about Steven's solo material, with this being his fifth album. He seems push himself further and more artistically with each album, so while I may not be as thrilled with the results, I do respect the effort he puts into writing and recording. This time, on To The Bone, he said he wanted to write a more 'pop' album in the style of his influences. To me it feels like he's created his own 'greatest hits' as it resembles a little of everything- "Pariah" sounds like a lost Blackfield track; "People Who Eat Darkness" and "To The Bone" carry on the continuing evolution of his solo work; "The Same Asylum As Before" and "Nowhere Now" feel like 'throwbacks' to Porcupine Tree; "Permanating" might be the only true 'pop' song on this album. I can confidently state that this is my favorite Steven Wilson album to date.
Highlight Track- "Nowhere Now"
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