Best of 2017

Essential albums

King Kendrick ruled hip hop, SZA stole everyone’s thunder with her soft yet searing R&B, and Lorde delivered the pop record of the year in Melodrama. Discover our top 10 favorite albums of 2017 and the rest of the best below.

The Top 10

  • Slowdive - Slowdive
    • 16-bit FLAC
    As trailblazers of the early 90s shoegaze scene – alongside Chapterhouse, Ride and SwervedriverSlowdive remain as revered by their legions of loyal fans today as they were reviled at the time by certain corners of the British music press. And with those same print magazines now either dead or dying an undignified death, the Reading-formed five-piece return with their first studio album in 22 years. Against all the odds, the results actually prove more than worth the wait. Combining the ambient textures of last LP Pygmalion and the dreamy pop hooks of their 1993 classic Souvlaki with a newfound energy, this self-titled effort is another career high, and one of the finest rock records of 2017 so far.​​
  • Jlin - Black Origami
    Black Origami Jlin 2017-05-19
    Glitchy and off-kilter, Indiana producer Jlin makes frenetic electronic music unlike anything you’ve heard before. Picking up where her highly acclaimed 2015 debut Dark Energy left off, Black Origami finds an artist in her element, playing with the conventions of Chicago’s footwork and juke house scenes, all while creating something a little more left-field and innovative. Songs like ‘Kyanite’ whirr with innovative industrial theatricality, while ‘Calcination’ is more minimalist and expansive, embellished with soothing angelic voices. Although there are occasional moments of melody, what is especially impressive is Jlin’s grasp of vivid, futuristic percussion and polyrhythm. All drum machines and distorted samples, this is an album of ambitious, odd, and quite beautiful sounds.
  • Khalid - American Teen (Explicit)Contains explicit content
    • 16-bit FLAC
    Khalid Robinson has been on our radar since the spring of 2016, when the classically-trained singer-songwriter dropped his debut single to rave reviews, ahead of his high school graduation. Fast-forward nine months and ‘Location’ is still climbing the Billboard Hot 100, and the fiercely-talented 19-year-old from El Paso is hoping to capitalise on the exposure with this first full-length release. Listening to American Teen, you suspect that he stands a good chance of breakout success. Comprised of breezy, retro-leaning R&B, with minimalist production and sincere, soulful vocals, Khalid’s timeless compositions pack a real emotional punch.
  • Paramore - After Laughter
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    Considering the colossal falling outs and line-up changes that preceded their last LP, Paramore ought to have approached writing album number five feeling settled as a unit. In reality, front woman Hayley Williams recalls the atmosphere as being so fraught that, “There was a moment when I didn’t even want [this album] to happen.” Thankfully, Williams and guitarist Taylor York persevered, and now return with founding member Zac Farro in tow and a record packing even more crossover potential than its predecessor. If you thought the gospel-influenced emo of ‘Ain’t It Fun’ was an intriguing left-hand turn, just you wait ‘til you hear the sunny, 80s pop-funk of ‘Hard Times’.
  • Feist - Pleasure
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    There’s a tried and tested artistic path in alt-rock, where the greater the musician’s success, the lusher each subsequent record’s arrangements. Refreshingly, Lesley Feist appears to be bucking the trend and travelling in the opposite direction creatively, despite commanding both critical acclaim and commercial clout. Following the earthy folk of 2011’s Metals, the Canadian singer-songwriter has stripped-back her sound even further to produce a sparse, introspective fifth set centred around scuzzy electric guitar and unadorned vocals. The result is gritty and emotionally-raw blues-rock that fans of PJ Harvey and The Kills should adore.

Best of the Rest