Music fans have had quite the year when it came to album releases. Ear Coffee writers Joe Keyport and Wes Muilenburg compiled some of the their favorites, least favorites, and it's ok's of 2017. This list is far from exhaustive. If we wrote about all our favorite albums, you would be reading a novel and no one wants that.
Joe's List
Good
Guppy is the perfect mix of pop and alt rock. Front-woman and rhythm guitarist Eva Hendricks crafts surreal pictures with her lyrics that she delivers in a childlike tone. Guppy is nothing new but is not completely derivative of 90's radio rock. This album is simply upbeat and fun. There is a good dichotomy between dark, depressing lyrics and upbeat instrumentals. I have revisited the a-side of this record so many times since its release earlier this year.
Remo Drive - Greatest Hits
Remo Drive is a Minneapolis emo/punk band that has been taking the US by storm. Their debut full length album Greatest Hits is the record that your inner angsty teen has been demanding. It is loud and obnoxious but melodic at the same time. The production makes the album could be better. Greatest Hits can feel a little fragile at times because of how thin the guitars can feel; however, it also gives it a DIY feel that you'd find in a small punk record. After a listen, you will be repeating the open lines from "Yer Killin' Me" for weeks.
Calvin Heights - Worst Calligraphy
Metz - Strange Peace
Strange Peace is the overly aggressive album that everyone needs in their lives. Metz worked with legendary punk engineer Steve Albini to create their third album. The album builds on the Nirvana meets Melvins sound that the band has been crafting over their last two records. However, this album has a bit more experimentation than a Metz fan would be use to. Metz's punishing rhythm section and dissonant guitars are still the focal point of this release.
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Its Father John Misty. Pure Comedy is cynical, absurd, and beautiful all in one package. Just listen to it.
Sheer Mag - I Need To Feel Your Love
This album has all the ingredients to be a good 70's sounding dance punk record. However, front-woman Tina Halladay's vocals are little to be desired. There is little variation in tonality and is extremely grating for all 42 plus minutes of I Need To Feel Your Love. To make matters worse, someone decided it'd be a good idea to add distortion on top of Halladay's already nasally "rasp." It would be tolerable if the instrumentals were phenomenal, but they're as average as they can possibly be.
The Americans - I'll Be Yours
I have been a fan of The Americans since I found a video of them playing an in studio on KEXP in Seattle. Their rootsy sound blends early folk music with country, blues, and rock 'n' roll. After waiting years for this album, I was left disappointed. I'll Be Yours has some good cuts on it, but the rest of the album seems uninspired. The record is produced to sound like a crossover between a modern indie folk record and a Lomax field recording. I'll Be Yours just did not quite live up to the hype it had surrounding it.
Honorable Mentions
Gambles - Let Us Be
I don't know a ton about this artist other than Father John Misty produced and is featured on this album. So I decided to take a listen because if cynical folk man (Father John Misty) was involved, I know I'll like it. Let Us Be starts out as a typical folk album. It features acoustic guitars and heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics. Gambles (Matthew Daniel Siskin) breaks into an out of place psychedelic tirade with the song "Just Bored Enough To Breathe," but returns to his already established motif by the next the song. The only reason it did not make my favorites list is because it can be pretty nondescript at times. It's an album I revisit when I need something that is easy to listen to.
The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Wild
I found this album after hearing its single "Brother" on my local public radio station The Current and was instantly drawn in by the indie folk sound. For once, radio did it's job of hipping listeners to new music. The band name gives you a good idea of what it is going to sound like. Frontman Nils Edenloff sings with a nasally quality that makes me think of early Bob Dylan. At only 32 minutes in length, The Wild doesn't over stay its welcome. This album mixes energy with poetic lyrics where it could almost fall into the folk-punk category. This album is like two spins away from making it on my favorite list, but I discovered it a little to late for it to make it on the list.
TOP TEN SONGS (in no particular order)
Wes' List
Good
Charly Bliss - Guppy
Albums like this are proof that something doesn’t need to sound new to be objectively good. While bands have been using the sounds of previous decades almost since those decades ended, it takes a special talent to actually revitalize those sounds. Charly Bliss do that on Guppy. Only clocking in at 29 minutes, this record kicks off with a bang and keeps it going. It is layer upon layer of hooks filtered through the band’s fuzzy guitars and frontwoman Eva Hendricks’ vocal and lyrics. This is an album that will get stuck in your head for weeks.
Remo Drive - Greatest Hits
Minnesota's own Remo Drive burst out of a bubble of internet hype with a debut album of anthemic pop-punk bangers. This album could be put in almost any order and still be just as potent (and I mean that as a good thing). Clever and often funny lyrics mixed with infinitely catchy riffs abound. While both records are very distinct, Greatest Hits could easily be some long lost brother to Guppy. I returned to these albums the most this year, and I don't regret a second of it.
Fleet Foxes - Crack Up
This album is confusing, dense, and utterly incredible. It’s like Fleet Foxes were never even gone. Crack Up isn’t necessarily an improvement, but it’s an important evolution. It retains the best things about the band, but with a healthy dollop of density, lyrical and instrumental, on top. No one understands this album on the first listen; almost no one understands this album on the tenth listen. That only makes it that more enjoyable to sit down and spend an afternoon with.
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Always Foreign
Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life
Brand New - Science Fiction
IN THE MIDDLE
Arcade Fire - Everything Now
BAD
Nav & Metro Boomin - Perfect Timing
DJ Khaled - Grateful
HONORABLE MENTION
Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
Joe's List
Good
Charly Bliss - Guppy
Remo Drive - Greatest Hits
Remo Drive is a Minneapolis emo/punk band that has been taking the US by storm. Their debut full length album Greatest Hits is the record that your inner angsty teen has been demanding. It is loud and obnoxious but melodic at the same time. The production makes the album could be better. Greatest Hits can feel a little fragile at times because of how thin the guitars can feel; however, it also gives it a DIY feel that you'd find in a small punk record. After a listen, you will be repeating the open lines from "Yer Killin' Me" for weeks.
Calvin Heights - Worst Calligraphy
The third full length release from Calvin Heights, Worst Calligraphy is the beginning of a new sound for the band. The band makes you work to find the catchy melodies buried beneath a swirling atmosphere of guitars, vocals, drums, and brass instruments. This record blends many different feelings and emotions that takes the listener on a journey. Worst Calligraphy is a record that you need to listen to multiple times in order to catch everything that is going on. Check out the interview about the new album that Brett Carey and Jordan Wipf did here.
Fleet Foxes - Crack Up
Crack Up marks the return of Fleet Foxes from their extended hiatus. The band has not dulled in their time away. This album has all the important benchmarks of a Fleet Foxes album, but shows a maturity in the bands overall sound. Like previous releases, Crack Up is a sonically dense record that takes a few spins in order to get the full effect. It goes from from feeling delicate to being an absolute monster in change of a beat. I have revisited Crack Up multiple times since it's release, and it only gets better the more time you spend with it.
Fleet Foxes - Crack Up
Crack Up marks the return of Fleet Foxes from their extended hiatus. The band has not dulled in their time away. This album has all the important benchmarks of a Fleet Foxes album, but shows a maturity in the bands overall sound. Like previous releases, Crack Up is a sonically dense record that takes a few spins in order to get the full effect. It goes from from feeling delicate to being an absolute monster in change of a beat. I have revisited Crack Up multiple times since it's release, and it only gets better the more time you spend with it.
Metz - Strange Peace
Strange Peace is the overly aggressive album that everyone needs in their lives. Metz worked with legendary punk engineer Steve Albini to create their third album. The album builds on the Nirvana meets Melvins sound that the band has been crafting over their last two records. However, this album has a bit more experimentation than a Metz fan would be use to. Metz's punishing rhythm section and dissonant guitars are still the focal point of this release.
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Its Father John Misty. Pure Comedy is cynical, absurd, and beautiful all in one package. Just listen to it.
A Crow Looked At Me chronicles singer-songwriter Phil Elverum's life after the passing of his wife. The album itself was mostly recorded in the room his wife passed away in using some of her instruments. During some songs, the hiss and click of a ventilator can be heard keeping time with the music. This album is an intensely depressing listen and is not something you'd revisit because of its nature; however, A Crow Looked At Me is an album that everyone should listen to once.
In The Middle
Charlie Parr - Dog
Dog is an introspective album from Minnesota singer-songwriter Charlie Parr. The songs deal with the depression Parr has that he personifies through his dog. Parr has a great way of crafting lyrics to tell amazing stories, but on this album, Parr feels almost muted. Which fits the feelings one experiences while suffering from depression. As a listener, you really need to sit with this record and digest it. It sits in the middle because of this fact. On its first listen, I didn't know what to make of it. Songs like "Peaceful Valley," "I Aint Dead Yet," and "Dog" have the foot stomping qualities you'd expect on a Charlie Parr record, but these songs are mixed in with quieter songs like "HoBo" and "Sometimes I'm Alright." This album is something you'll either love as a whole or pick apart for the singles depending on your mood, but it is not something you should write off completely.
Dog is an introspective album from Minnesota singer-songwriter Charlie Parr. The songs deal with the depression Parr has that he personifies through his dog. Parr has a great way of crafting lyrics to tell amazing stories, but on this album, Parr feels almost muted. Which fits the feelings one experiences while suffering from depression. As a listener, you really need to sit with this record and digest it. It sits in the middle because of this fact. On its first listen, I didn't know what to make of it. Songs like "Peaceful Valley," "I Aint Dead Yet," and "Dog" have the foot stomping qualities you'd expect on a Charlie Parr record, but these songs are mixed in with quieter songs like "HoBo" and "Sometimes I'm Alright." This album is something you'll either love as a whole or pick apart for the singles depending on your mood, but it is not something you should write off completely.
Mac Demarco - This Old Dog
Much like Charlie Parr's album Dog, Demarco's This Old Dog is a introspective album, and this collection of 13 songs are not Demarco's typical songwriting style. He went for substance over writing his usual lo-fi love songs. The relaxed, almost slacker, sound is still there, but he shows signs of growth on this album. This Old Dog feels like Demarco is not quite where he needs to be for this newer direction. It's a step, but that's where it ends for This Old Dog. It's a good record, but it does not feel like a great record.
Much like Charlie Parr's album Dog, Demarco's This Old Dog is a introspective album, and this collection of 13 songs are not Demarco's typical songwriting style. He went for substance over writing his usual lo-fi love songs. The relaxed, almost slacker, sound is still there, but he shows signs of growth on this album. This Old Dog feels like Demarco is not quite where he needs to be for this newer direction. It's a step, but that's where it ends for This Old Dog. It's a good record, but it does not feel like a great record.
Bad
This album has all the ingredients to be a good 70's sounding dance punk record. However, front-woman Tina Halladay's vocals are little to be desired. There is little variation in tonality and is extremely grating for all 42 plus minutes of I Need To Feel Your Love. To make matters worse, someone decided it'd be a good idea to add distortion on top of Halladay's already nasally "rasp." It would be tolerable if the instrumentals were phenomenal, but they're as average as they can possibly be.
This EP was one of the first things that Ear Coffee reviewed. This EP has only gotten worse with age. Joe Scarborough is a talking head attempting to play rockstar, and Welcome to The Monkey House is just a collection of generic, mildly political songs. To quote my original review, "It feels like he (Joe Scarborough) is shit talking someone but trying to be nonspecific at the same time." Joe Scarborough needs to sit down and leave the music to the professionals.
Hippo Campus - Warm Glow
If you want indie pop you can dance to, look somewhere else. Really, you can look anywhere else. 10 minutes on bandcamp and you could find some better music. The first two songs sound the same and the last one sounds like if The Pines went pop.
Hippo Campus - Warm Glow
If you want indie pop you can dance to, look somewhere else. Really, you can look anywhere else. 10 minutes on bandcamp and you could find some better music. The first two songs sound the same and the last one sounds like if The Pines went pop.
I have been a fan of The Americans since I found a video of them playing an in studio on KEXP in Seattle. Their rootsy sound blends early folk music with country, blues, and rock 'n' roll. After waiting years for this album, I was left disappointed. I'll Be Yours has some good cuts on it, but the rest of the album seems uninspired. The record is produced to sound like a crossover between a modern indie folk record and a Lomax field recording. I'll Be Yours just did not quite live up to the hype it had surrounding it.
Honorable Mentions
Gambles - Let Us Be
I don't know a ton about this artist other than Father John Misty produced and is featured on this album. So I decided to take a listen because if cynical folk man (Father John Misty) was involved, I know I'll like it. Let Us Be starts out as a typical folk album. It features acoustic guitars and heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics. Gambles (Matthew Daniel Siskin) breaks into an out of place psychedelic tirade with the song "Just Bored Enough To Breathe," but returns to his already established motif by the next the song. The only reason it did not make my favorites list is because it can be pretty nondescript at times. It's an album I revisit when I need something that is easy to listen to.
The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Wild
I found this album after hearing its single "Brother" on my local public radio station The Current and was instantly drawn in by the indie folk sound. For once, radio did it's job of hipping listeners to new music. The band name gives you a good idea of what it is going to sound like. Frontman Nils Edenloff sings with a nasally quality that makes me think of early Bob Dylan. At only 32 minutes in length, The Wild doesn't over stay its welcome. This album mixes energy with poetic lyrics where it could almost fall into the folk-punk category. This album is like two spins away from making it on my favorite list, but I discovered it a little to late for it to make it on the list.
TOP TEN SONGS (in no particular order)
- Brother - The Rural Alberta Advantage
- Yer Killin' Me - Remo Drive
- Westermarck - Charly Bliss
- Counting Sheep - Conor Oberst
- Fear Is Like a Forest - Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
- Leaving LA - Father John Misty
- Defined - Calvin Heights
- Cellophane - Metz
- Jester & June - Craig Finn
- Rain In Soho - The Mountain Goats
Wes' List
Good
Albums like this are proof that something doesn’t need to sound new to be objectively good. While bands have been using the sounds of previous decades almost since those decades ended, it takes a special talent to actually revitalize those sounds. Charly Bliss do that on Guppy. Only clocking in at 29 minutes, this record kicks off with a bang and keeps it going. It is layer upon layer of hooks filtered through the band’s fuzzy guitars and frontwoman Eva Hendricks’ vocal and lyrics. This is an album that will get stuck in your head for weeks.
Minnesota's own Remo Drive burst out of a bubble of internet hype with a debut album of anthemic pop-punk bangers. This album could be put in almost any order and still be just as potent (and I mean that as a good thing). Clever and often funny lyrics mixed with infinitely catchy riffs abound. While both records are very distinct, Greatest Hits could easily be some long lost brother to Guppy. I returned to these albums the most this year, and I don't regret a second of it.
This album is confusing, dense, and utterly incredible. It’s like Fleet Foxes were never even gone. Crack Up isn’t necessarily an improvement, but it’s an important evolution. It retains the best things about the band, but with a healthy dollop of density, lyrical and instrumental, on top. No one understands this album on the first listen; almost no one understands this album on the tenth listen. That only makes it that more enjoyable to sit down and spend an afternoon with.
Connecticut
emo will never die even if TWIABP stops making records. Always Foreign cements them at the forefront of the current wave of
indie and emo with another, well, emotional record. Ranging in topics from a
father’s immigration to a kiss-off to a former musical partner, each song
wanders through a self-created maze and invites the listener to follow.
The
boys are back (in town). Never content to settle, Brian King and Dave Prowse go
out on a limb and dare to add something drastic to their alchemically perfect
formula of guitar, drums, and woah-oh-ing: synths! While the title track could
have fit in on the duo’s previous records, the rest of the album is much more
personal (lyrics in first person!) and open. It is also now a scientific fact
that Japandroids can write great love songs as well as great driving, drinking,
and screaming songs. It’s a classic and perfect step forward for one of the
last decade’s best bands.
This
one is a bit problematic. Yeah, the lead singer exposed himself to minors over
Skype. Yeah, the apology was a bit weak. But for a while, Brand New was back on
top. The mythic fifth album actually existed, and it was actually good. It synthesized the best aspects of
Deja Entendu and The Devil & God with a healthy dose of Daisy’s hardcore freakouts. It was going to be the perfect end to a
legendary run. The songs were dark, heavy, and catchy as hell. It’s not really
possible to separate the art from the artist, and Jesse Lacey should rightfully
be called out (at the least) for what he dead, but at least we got a great last
album, right?
IN THE MIDDLE
This
one hurts. Arcade Fire have released three classics (four, depending on who you
ask) and then they make their grand comeback with this. To reiterate nearly
every piece of music writing on Arcade Fire in 2017, the band started out with
open-hearted emotional howls into the void, hand in hand with your loved ones,
and now they’re a post-modern ironic disco band. The title track is the closest
they get to any of their past material, with a decent hook and a shout-along
chorus. “Put Your Money On Me” and “We Don’t Deserve Love” are two other
highlights, especially the former. The rest of the album is bogged down by weak
lyrics, boring songs, and half-assed production. However, despite it all, a bad
Arcade Fire album is better than a lot of other albums, and credit must be
given where credit is due (albeit begrudgingly).
BAD
I
gave up halfway through this thing. Metro Boomin’s production is fine if not
good as always, but Nav is possibly the blandest rapper in the mainstream at
the moment. His lyrics are terrible (even for trap) and his flow is cribbed
from some bizarre mixture of every rapper you’ve heard on the radio this year.
So. Very. Bland.
Whoever
decided to give DJ Khaled the resources for a 90-mintue, 23-track monstrosity
should be fired. Outside of a few decent singles, it’s just an hour and a half
of forgettable rap and R&B with Khaled shouting the same five damn things
over every song. If anyone in their right mind actually listened to this all
the way through more than once, it would be a miracle
HONORABLE MENTION
This
album is a contradiction. One of the first lyrics claims that art shouldn’t be
made about real death – what follows isn’t obviously art, but is a devastating
meditation on the tiny things that death will end up affecting. Some might call
this art anyways, and I can’t honestly blame them. Phil Elverum writes and
performs from inside the maelstrom and somehow accurately conveys what
thousands of people have felt in the weeks and months following the passing of
a loved one. The main reason this isn’t on my top ten list, despite being one
of the best records of the year by far, is because it isn’t something you
return to. I have only listened to it twice since it was released. A Crow Looked At Me isn’t something you
listen to, it’s something you experience in quiet moments of aloneness and
embrace the gale-like whisper of it all.
TOP TEN SONGS (in no particular order)
- Near to the Wild Heart of Life - Japandroids
- J-Boy - Phoenix
- Art School - Remo Drive
- HUMBLE - Kendrick Lamar
- Put Your Money On Me - Arcade Fire
- Wallowa Lake Monster - Sufjan Stevens
- Can I Sit Next To You - Spoon
- Passionfruit - Drake
- Fool's Errand - Fleet Foxes
- tonite - LCD Soundsystem
Comments
Post a Comment