Sunday, December 20, 2020

My Favorite Albums of 2017

Here's the list of CHIRP Radio's Top Albums of 2017.

And here's a list of my favorite albums of 2017...

#1
 
A Projection - Framework (Tapete)

Five Swedish office drones ditch their day jobs to follow their passion. The result is air-tight post-punk, performed with urgency and joy. The antidote for a trying year in most folks' non-music areas of life.





#2
Aquaserge - Laisse Ça Être (Crammed Discs)

Guitars + horns + flutes + electronics + krautrock + bossa nova + funk + progressive rock + lounge pop from a French supergroup playing the kind of genre-bending, inclusive music that America was known for back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.





#3
Krokofant - Krokofant III (Rune Grammofon)

Tasty Jazz-Rock from Norway. Think Paul Desmond fronting Black Sabbath with the bass cranked up. 






#4
Hundred Waters - Communicating (OWSLA)

In a world where the production toolbox for making pop songs has become as varied as a Starbucks latte, Hundred Waters takes the sound palette of Skrillex....SKRILLEX!!!...and turns bro-step into shimmering, atmospheric mood music.



#5
Phil X. Milstein and Thurston Moore - Songs We Taught the Lord [Vol. 1 & 2] (Feeding Tube)

Tape manipulator and sound collagist Phil Milstein joins forces with Sonic Youth guitarist, singer, and songwriter Thurston Moore for an extended drone music trip. It's worth either track's 40+ run time to tune in, drop out, and take your brain in for a wash and wax.




#6
Tim Daisy Michael Thieke Ken Vandermark - Triptych (Relay)

Another fantastic year for Chicago's jazz scene. This album's a collaboration between two heavyweight Chi-town players and Berlin-based musician Michael Thieke. A great addition to the modern Free Jazz lexicon.





#7
Buck Gooter - 100 Bells (Ramp Local)

"There's only ever been one war...a war on the poor." There's been a little bit of political protest music this year, with only a few memorable results. These guys have been on the outside looking in for a while now. They know how to do it with directness and irreverence.




#8
Jackie Shane - Any Other Way (Numero Group)

Almost 60 years after the fact, one of the most electrifying R&B singers of the Motown era gets a national spotlight.






#9
Hy Maya - The Mysticism of Sound & Cosmic Language (Smog Veil)

The work of Robert Bensick's ensemble (formed when he was at Cleveland State University) is a critical chapter in the development of American independent/underground music. Those who don’t know their history may never repeat it.




#10
Dauwd - Theory of Colours (Technicolour)

The debut album from Wales-born, Berlin-based electronica pro on Ninja Tune's imprint. If you dig the synths, this is one for you.

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