1. No Shape - Perfume Genius
Mike Hadreas makes himself relevant to the music scene once again under his stage name, Perfume Genius. No Shape is unique, diverse, and pleasurable for everyone's ears. The album starts off with an odd and amazingly well-structured hit that is sure to make the listener stay on board with the entire rest of the album.
2. Gone Now - Bleachers
Jack Antonoff had an extremely busy year producing three top-tier albums. He shines brightest with the release of his own band's sophomore album. The layers are intense and build one hit after another. The songs captivate an audience when they are played live and work even better with Jack's two drum set production design.
3. Songs of Experience - U2
While on their 2017 Joshua Tree Tour, U2 teased audience members with snippets from the new album that they were getting ready to release. Once the album dropped, I still don't think U2 fans were ready for the new music they were about to hear. Songs of Experience is worth the hype and never strays far from the original form that Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. gained fame with.
4. QTY - QTY
Dan Lardner and Alex Niemetz are the perfect duo when it comes to indie rock. Their voices are harsh at times and yet smooth when they play off of each other. The sound that they create has been forgotten to pop aficionados, but they might single-handedly revive it. Lardner and Niemetz clearly want to make sure that good-old garage band music never leaves our minds.
5. Keepers - Cataldo
From working in a local ice cream parlor to becoming an indie pop vocalist, Eric Anderson has pushed his band to the forefront of Seattle music. Every track on Keepers is a heartfelt poem with hooking instrumentals backing them up. While the album only clocks in at 34 minutes, it feels like the perfect length for the listener to reminisce on their inner-emotions.
6. Melodrama - Lorde
Recently I saw a video of Bruce Springsteen covering "Royals", which makes Lorde one of the biggest musicians of modern times. After the release of Pure Heroin, I was not a big fan of Lorde's work. Yet, she threw me into a full 360 with this new album. Melodrama shows off the collaboration between a fantastic singer and an equally fantastic songwriter. The emotions run deep and adults can connect to the tracks on the album just as easily as teens can.
7. Rainbow - Kesha
This album snuck up on us. I don't think anyone expected Kesha to release one of the best albums of 2017, but here we are. Battling her own demons, Kesha takes us into her worldly struggles. She's been knocked down a few times, but her third album lifts her back up into fame. She lets go of her past to create a new persona that is endearing to listeners.
8. Don't You Worry, Honey - Sir Sly
Sir Sly is a lesser-known indie pop trio that has now released a fantastic album. The album is dark, with themes relevant to Landon Jacobs's real life. The album was released shortly after Jacobs went through a divorce, lost his mother to brain cancer, and struggled to find himself. Through all of the dark themes, we still get a fun album that is trippy and melodic.
9. After Laughter - Paramore
Hayley Williams's newest release is well-explained through its title. This is how we feel after we laugh and cry. After Laughter brings us into an awkward space that is all too familiar to every human on this planet. We love, we cry, we hate, and most of all we laugh. Williams reminds us that we can be awkward and serious at the same time. The album is fun and her vocals are reminiscent of Stevie Nicks's raw and emotional takes.
10. Reputation - Taylor Swift
Some might argue about this pick. Its different and definitely not as good as Swift's last album. However, I believe that the second half of the album makes the whole thing worth multiple listen-throughs. The old Taylor might be dead, but the new one is still capable of making some big hits with the same themes that "Swifties" have familiarized themselves with.
Mike Hadreas makes himself relevant to the music scene once again under his stage name, Perfume Genius. No Shape is unique, diverse, and pleasurable for everyone's ears. The album starts off with an odd and amazingly well-structured hit that is sure to make the listener stay on board with the entire rest of the album.
2. Gone Now - Bleachers
Jack Antonoff had an extremely busy year producing three top-tier albums. He shines brightest with the release of his own band's sophomore album. The layers are intense and build one hit after another. The songs captivate an audience when they are played live and work even better with Jack's two drum set production design.
3. Songs of Experience - U2
While on their 2017 Joshua Tree Tour, U2 teased audience members with snippets from the new album that they were getting ready to release. Once the album dropped, I still don't think U2 fans were ready for the new music they were about to hear. Songs of Experience is worth the hype and never strays far from the original form that Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. gained fame with.
4. QTY - QTY
Dan Lardner and Alex Niemetz are the perfect duo when it comes to indie rock. Their voices are harsh at times and yet smooth when they play off of each other. The sound that they create has been forgotten to pop aficionados, but they might single-handedly revive it. Lardner and Niemetz clearly want to make sure that good-old garage band music never leaves our minds.
5. Keepers - Cataldo
From working in a local ice cream parlor to becoming an indie pop vocalist, Eric Anderson has pushed his band to the forefront of Seattle music. Every track on Keepers is a heartfelt poem with hooking instrumentals backing them up. While the album only clocks in at 34 minutes, it feels like the perfect length for the listener to reminisce on their inner-emotions.
6. Melodrama - Lorde
Recently I saw a video of Bruce Springsteen covering "Royals", which makes Lorde one of the biggest musicians of modern times. After the release of Pure Heroin, I was not a big fan of Lorde's work. Yet, she threw me into a full 360 with this new album. Melodrama shows off the collaboration between a fantastic singer and an equally fantastic songwriter. The emotions run deep and adults can connect to the tracks on the album just as easily as teens can.
7. Rainbow - Kesha
This album snuck up on us. I don't think anyone expected Kesha to release one of the best albums of 2017, but here we are. Battling her own demons, Kesha takes us into her worldly struggles. She's been knocked down a few times, but her third album lifts her back up into fame. She lets go of her past to create a new persona that is endearing to listeners.
8. Don't You Worry, Honey - Sir Sly
Sir Sly is a lesser-known indie pop trio that has now released a fantastic album. The album is dark, with themes relevant to Landon Jacobs's real life. The album was released shortly after Jacobs went through a divorce, lost his mother to brain cancer, and struggled to find himself. Through all of the dark themes, we still get a fun album that is trippy and melodic.
9. After Laughter - Paramore
Hayley Williams's newest release is well-explained through its title. This is how we feel after we laugh and cry. After Laughter brings us into an awkward space that is all too familiar to every human on this planet. We love, we cry, we hate, and most of all we laugh. Williams reminds us that we can be awkward and serious at the same time. The album is fun and her vocals are reminiscent of Stevie Nicks's raw and emotional takes.
10. Reputation - Taylor Swift
Some might argue about this pick. Its different and definitely not as good as Swift's last album. However, I believe that the second half of the album makes the whole thing worth multiple listen-throughs. The old Taylor might be dead, but the new one is still capable of making some big hits with the same themes that "Swifties" have familiarized themselves with.
Image credit: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53602837
