Best New Albums of 2017 *

Tis sad that there's nothing on my want list for 2017, a reflection of the times I suppose!

 

Well, it is only two weeks in.

RTJ3 is high on my list right now...wish the LP price was lower else I likely would have bought that already (need to find a way to maybe find that on the cheap). The new Elbow I may pre-order as I suspect that one might deliver, Jesca Hoop, Lupe Fiasco, Shins, Spoon, British Sea Power are all coming up in the next few months. Should be interesting.

Plus of course all the stuff from artists that I'm not even expecting. Those surprises are usually the best ones, in the end.

 

Thanks, for the encouragement. My brother clued me in to Elbow and I have a couple of CDs but I can only take Guy Garvey in small doses. Spoon's Transference CD is excellent but more recent releases have been brickwalled. In addition to this website I listen to WERS and NPR online as my sources of new music.

 

Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals say they have an album coming up this year. It will be interesting to hear .Paak do an album with a full band. Really looking forward to it.

Res also should be releasing a new album this year. Her debut album is an all-time classic. Really hoping this new one is another masterpiece.

 

Enjoying Reflection by Brian Eno – much more so than The Ship.

Could this thread be retitled as the plural "Best New Albums of 2017"? That way we can nominate multiple favourites and recommendations as the year unfolds rather than having to predict the year's best album with most of the year still to come.

 

Songs I have heard that make me wondering what else is (or maybe more accurately, will be) on respective releasess:

Sallie Ford "Get Out"
Glass Animals "Life Itself"

Pretty sure Sallie Ford is (or will be) a 2017 release, not sure if Glass Animals LP is 2016 or 2017.
I may have more later today as I am currently listening to my weekly 3 hour new music show. I'll know I'm hearing a Shins track at some point in this show.

 

The Glass Animals track is from their second album, released last year.

 

I remember hearing the Glass Animals track in November, that is why I wasn't sure about the album.

We're in that period of the year where unless the DJ says something, or you do research, it is tough to know if anything new you are hearing is 2016 or 2017, and even if the song was out in 2016, the album might not be out until 2017.

 

Are you certain that's not Walter Becker?

 

Ok, so far the favorites of the year appear to be albums that have yet to be released or ever heard.

 

Run the Jewels 3 starts off the year with a bang, instant purchase. Have a feeling I'll be playing/streaming this a lot this year.

Bonobo put in some great work for "Migration". The deluxe vinyl edition (only $2-3 more than standard version) is one of the best packaged albums in a long time. Have to dig into the music some more. He rarely disappoints though.

The XX - Streamed it once, wife and I were digging it, will give it a few more plays before deciding on the vinyl.

 

It's Jan 15. only two weeks (two release days) into the year. What did you expect? I don't buy things out of the blue, I'm not a DJ, and I can't listen to things at work. Many of these releases have songs released ahead of the album. I can only comment on what I hear.

I made it clear that my entries were based on a couple songs I have heard on airplay. You have to start somewhere.

You probably need someone like my local DJ whose job it is to listen to these things to be posting here, for the complete reviews you seem to be wanting.

 

What I expected is that we would post about music we had actually bought and listened to (and in this day and age I would consider listening to a complete album via streaming to also count) and had the patience to do so. This thread like previous years was not intended (to the best of my knowledge) for speculations but actual experiences. There are plenty of the "what if" threads out there. There already exists a thread regarding releases you are anticipating. That is its subject matter. So I fail to understand how listening to a couple of tracks warrants inclusion in a thread about the Best Albums of 2017. That is this threads subject matter. My comment refers to staying on topic.

 

Not sure how they'll fare by the end of the year, but these are both very strong releases and it's only January.
Run The Jewels 3
The xx - I See You

 

With regard to staying on topic. I really don't see how you can talk about the Best Albums of 2017 after only two weeks, no matter how many of the releases you have listened to. It takes time to listen to a release, and I need to choose them carefully before I invest that time. (and for the record, I didn't see the other thread)

I'll bow out of this thread -- although I really don't think my comments are that far out of line, and I really think I have things to offer. Especially to those are are looking for the "unexpected surprise". Some of my favorite CDs of all time have come from hearing one or two tracks and deciding to take a chance. But you say I am off topic. Your loss for now.

I do belong to two radio stations that send me "CDs of the month". I guess I'll be back when I meet your criteria.

 

Hardly anybody releases anything in the first two weeks of January. Honestly, things don't really get back into full swing until late January and early February.

 

My thoughts and feelings should not dictate what you do. I offered my opinion. You chose to question that opinion and I responded.

 

Yes, yes that is my point.

 

really love their cover of Grease, which is odd as I detest the original. The whole album is really good-

 

Your thoughts and feelings won't dictate what I do. But I do wonder how many other posters here are posting based upon listening to entire releases of things released in 2017.

There should be very few posts here then -- although the XX did come out on Jan. 10 or thereabouts.

 

Some of us do have access to pre-release streams or downloads, although personally I never discuss anything until at least the week of release date.

 

That Flo Morrissey/Matthew E. White album has been on Tidal all weekend.

 

There's been about 30 album releases, so far (according to Wikipedia...I assume these are all indie label / major label artists and not stuff like YT / Bandcamp).

 

I personally thought (and think) the intention of this thread in years past has been pretty clear: to give a shout out to new releases you enjoy, or ones you are really excited for, and then see how they stack up to other releases as the year goes along, ending with a year-end list of favorites. There have been several notable releases already, and there will be many more in the near future. So sit back, relax, spin some great new music and discuss it here. I've been introduced to several great artists through these threads in the past, I hope that trend will continue! (And a thanks to everyone who's posted new music in this thread already. )

 

Do you happen to know the name of the "what if" thread you are pointing me to? I can't seem to find it.

I (maybe incorrectly) assumed that whatever was played on the radio show was released. DJ always says something along the lines of "song released in advance of the album". Honestly I don't know if that is out-of -bounds as far as "being released" is concerned or not. I figured it wasn't. Maybe I am wrong.