Pitchfork Best Albums 2017

It's a pretty good list full of exactly the type of stuff Pitchfork would put on its list. No real surprises for someone who reads them daily.

 

For many years I had a very good grasp of underground / alternative music. But going through their list I only recognized nine of 'em. I guess I am getting old!

There is only one I want to buy - Fever Ray - but it's a low priority.

 

Not one do I own or have even heard of. It's happened, I am completely out of touch with popular music

 

New music from young, diverse, risk-taking, and emerging artists isn't for everyone, but luckily we'll always have Rolling Stone to put U2 in the top 3.

 

Same here Donkey, I have none. Still catching up with the 00's
Thanks to this list I completely forgot about Slowdive's latest. I need to grab it

 

I have heard 6 of them on Spotify, but own none.

I'm ok with that, too, since the 6 I heard on Spotify were nothing to listen to again.

 

I give the list an 8.6 rating.

 

I have seven on that list. Father John Misty conspicuous in his absence... And there's no way in hell that Tyler's, Kendrick's, and RTJ's albums are better than Joey Bada$$'s, just no way.

 

I have 2-Slowdive and St Vincent. I considered getting Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s album, but decided against it. The remainder are either acts I’m unfamiliar with or ones I’ve decided not to investigate. I turned 40 this year and I’m guessing it’s the way things are meant to be.

 

Is Bjork the longest-active artist/band on the entire list this year?

(I could ask if she's the oldest, and I guess that's a pretty similar question.)

I used to keep up with stuff, but that all went by the wayside in the last 10 years - last 5 years especially. I'm a lost cause, I'm afraid.

 

This year's music managed to camouflage itself perfectly in a very sombre backdrop. Hoping for so much more in 2018. I'm happy to make a fool of myself and make an optimistic prediction that a major talent will emerge next year. I'll keep my feelers out.

 

I only have one on the list, LCD, which is only okay. My musical tastes are safe for another year. I will say, however, that 2017 was a great year for music. What I like just isn't on that list.

 

Are you saying that you have not even heard of a single artist from the list?

 

Plenty of major talent on that list like Perfume Genius, Sampha, Zola Jesus, Syd, Big Thief to name a small handful.

 

Was surprised to see that I have nine of these...

Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Kelela – Take Me Apart
Moses Sumney – Aromanticism
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest
St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION
Thundercat – Drunk
Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference
Syd – Fin
Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up

 

Try the Sampha , my guess is you'll like it.

 

Yeah, there are a few things on the list I'm interested in checking out, actually, which isn't always the case with Pitchfork. The Kehlani album sounds like it's probably worth a shot, and Julia Byrne has been recommended to me a couple times now. Process stood out as I was reading the list as well, so I'll give it a listen.

 

The Julie Byrne is excellent.

 

The LCD Soundsystem record is awful, and its appearance on multiple best-of lists completely mystifies me

 

Surprisingly, they did do a story on him recently. It may have been regarding Porcupine Tree reissues, I don’t remember

 

Tennis’ Yours Cordially is a major omission

 

Man, I really appreciate this lucid and extemely clear explaination of exactly how I feel but was unable to articulate... especially this line, "but one will certainly learn (and in some detail) what aspect of the human condition the artists are exploring in their lyrics."

 

Both the Thundercat and Kamasi Washington albums are very enjoyable. But lets not pretend for a moment that Pitchfork would have taken ANY notice without those guys having played on Kendrick Lamar's last couple of projects. Their current offerings are on this list for that reason only. Any other jazz or r&b musicians coming out with exactly the same albums wouldn't have gotten a second look from Pitchfork. And that's the problem with Pitchfork. Not a wide-enough net.

 

There are certainly a lot of things I would have added to the list. I think leaving off EMA, Protomartyr and Cloud Nothings to name but a few was wrong, but it ain't my list.

 

HA! ......so I was right......Stubble counts for beards!!