2017 'best of' album lists

As is an annual exercise, I like to go through the various Top 50 lists at the end of the year to see what I've missed.

Paste's is the first one I've seen. I've counted down from 50 to 36 so far and have heard of all of two of the artists: Spoon and Fleet Foxes. There have been some decent revelations, though. The Shelby Lynne cover album was pretty good. Really liked Julien Baker, Sallie Ford and Japanese Breakfast. Pretty soft-rock/Americana heavy so far. Please feel free to add other lists.

 

I'm a huge David Bazan fan and loved Care (No. 43). Also really dug St. Vincent's Masseducation (No. 34). The War On Drugs' A Deeper Understanding (No. 23), Isbell's Nashville Sound (No. 12), Courtney Barnett's and Kurt Vile's Lotta Sea Lice (No. 5) and Run The Jewels 3 (No. 4) on that list. And I'm a Spoon fanboy , so anything they release I reflexively like.

But this is my "I'm getting older and I don't have time to live inside these albums" year at 33 and my first full year being married. I'm officially out of the loop and stick to artists I know for the most part right now.

 

I'm through the mid-20s of the list now, and goddamn, half of this list is the same sort of light, female whisper folk. Paste should branch out every once in a while.

 

I think you could make a case that every year, there are six "new" female artists who sound exactly like Juliana Hatfield. She's put out 10,000 records at this point.

 

Happy to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings on this list.

RIP, Sharon:

 

Of the above artists and songs mentioned, I can say I have heard of exactly 0.

 

Same here. But I'm listening to my playlist with nothing but Sabbath and Hendrix at the moment, so I'm likely a lost cause.

 

I'm on Pink Floyd channel on Pandora, so I'm a lost cause also.

 

I've heard of a quarter of the list and will endorse St. Vincent and LCD Soundsystem.

A little disappointed that Arcade Fire stuck with the disco formula on its latest. It's a'right but I'm pining for Funeral still.

 

I've discovered a radio station that you would love, and I'm plugging it in in my car and work at every chance -- 100.7, The Bay in Baltimore.

 

I'm older now.

It seems like a lot of music today is depressive, reflecting a young culture adrift and uncertain. Locked in some apartment, peering out at the world through their tablet, worried.

 

Plath Rock