2017: The Year In Music

2017 – Britain triggers Article 50, finalizing Brexit. Donald Trump is inaugurated as President of the United States. Macron is elected President of France. The Manchester Arena bombing kills twenty-two. The Grenfell Tower fire kills seventy-two. The Las Vegas shooting kills fifty-eight. An overwhelmingly despairing year for news … so can the music make us feel better?

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Congratulations (Post Malone feat. Quavo)

Oh god. I have a feeling this year’s hits are going to be rough.

“Congratulations” is a series of Trap loops with some random Post Malone rapping on top. This is not the kind of music I like listening to.

9 – Believer (Imagine Dragons)

Well … It’s better than “Congratulations”, at least.

Imagine Dragons have given us some of the most generic Pop Rock of all time. “Believer” might be my least favourite song of theirs.

8 – Body Like a Back Road (Sam Hunt)

What the hell does “Body Like a Back Road” even mean? This girl’s back looks gritty and well-used?

It’s a weird amalgamation of Country and Pop, but I hesitate to put it in either genre. It’s cringe and bad.

7 – Closer (The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey)

I won’t talk about “Closer” again as it already appeared on 2016’s Billboard top ten list.

The only comment I can give is that it had some impressive longevity, I guess …

6 – Bad and Boujee (Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert)

More Trap. More music I don’t like listening to. Great.

5 – Something Just Like This (The Chainsmokers and Coldplay)

Two titans of 2010’s Pop came together for “Something Just Like This”. It sounds exactly like you’d expect.

It’s big and brash, and I guess it does what it sets out to do.

4 – HUMBLE. (Kendrick Lamar)

“Humble” didn’t make it into the high-rated songs (two other Kendrick songs did, don’t worry), but it easily could’ve.

It’s a simple piano and drum hook, but it’s very slick.

3 – That’s What I Like (Bruno Mars)

Bruno Mars is my guilty pleasure Pop artist. “That’s What I Like” isn’t his best work by any means, but it’s smooth and enjoyable.

2 – Despacito [Remix] (Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber)

“Despacito” is one of the most enormous hits of all time. It has 8.8 billion YouTube plays, for crying out loud.

It’s a Spanish Pop jam. I can see the appeal, but it doesn’t engage me much.

1 – Shape of You (Ed Sheeran)

If you thought “Despacito” was big, “Shape of You” has 4.7 billion Spotify streams compared to Despacito’s measly 2 billion. That’s nuts.

I like how Sheeran builds the song up (I especially love the live, looped version), but it gets a little repetitive.

FAVOURITE – “HUMBLE.” (Kendrick Lamar)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Bad and Boujee” (Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – GOLD (Brockhampton)

Brockhampton are about to absolutely dominate this high-rated songs list with four songs, and yet none of their three “SATURATION” albums made the high-rated albums list. Weird.

“GOLD” is the kind of modern Rap I can get behind. It’s well constructed and produced, and you can tell a lot of heart and soul went into it.

9 – HEAT (Brockhampton)

“HEAT” is the first song on “SATURATION”, and it packs a hell of a punch.

It reminds me of “Mama” by Run The Jewels – a hefty bass with some frantic lyrics on top.

8 – Pure Comedy (Father John Misty)

In a list saturated by Rap, Father John Misty’s mellow tones stick out like a sore thumb.

I quite liked “Pure Comedy”. It’s slow, thoughtful and poses some interesting philosophical questions.

7 – PRIDE. (Kendrick Lamar)

A very silky Rap song. Kendrick channels his “To Pimp A Butterfly” era for “PRIDE.” – it’s a jam.

6 – SISTER (Brockhampton)

This Brockhampton song is from “SATURATION III”, and it feels like an evolution in a short amount of time.

It’s more electric and weird. Kinda like Rap-Vaporwave if you squint a little.

5 – 911 / Mr. Lonely (Tyler, The Creator feat. Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy)

I love a bit of Frank Ocean. I love how jaunty the chorus is (if that’s the right word). Yeah, I dig it.

4 – DNA. (Kendrick Lamar)

“DNA.” veers on Trap, which is maybe why I like it less than other Kendrick songs.

His lyrical flow is still as impeccable as ever, but that sub-bass isn’t doing it for me.

3 – See You Again (Tyler, The Creator feat. Kali Uchis)

I like the production on “See You Again” … but I don’t know why this is third on the high-rated list. There are other songs on the album that sound just like this.

The melodies are nice, I suppose. And Kali Uchis gives a great feature. That’s probably why.

2 – Thinking Of A Place (The War On Drugs)

“Thinking Of A Place” is the longest song on “A Deeper Understanding” by far, clocking in at over eleven minutes. They make every second count.

This is some fantastic musicianship. The War On Drugs drift between the various sections wonderfully, and the lyrics are very thought-provoking.

1 – BOOGIE (Brockhampton)

That intro is one of the boldest I’ve ever heard to a song.

“BOOGIE” is a nuts opening to “SATURATION III”. It’s kooky and stanky … and I love it? For some reason?

BEST SONG OF 2017 – “BOOGIE” (Brockhampton)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Slowdive (Slowdive)

I wasn’t expecting to see Slowdive appear on one of these retrospectives again. Their self-titled album is only eight songs, and it sounds like they’ve never left.

It’s airy and ethereal, and the modern, updated production helps their sound a lot.

4 – A Deeper Understanding (The War On Drugs)

I remember being a little underwhelmed by the last The War On Drugs album to appear on one of these retrospectives, but “A Deeper Understanding” was enjoyable. Maybe I’m in a more generous mindset today.

They switch from upbeat Rock to slower jams with expert precision.

3 – Flower Boy (Tyler, The Creator)

Tyler, The Creator has created some of the best and worst Rap songs of his generation. Luckily, “Flower Boy” is on the positive side.

This is Rap on the more experimental side, but still listenable and catchy. It’s a delicate balance but Tyler, The Creator strikes it.

2 – Melodrama (Lorde)

Lorde was, and still is, one of the freshest female voices in Alternative Pop.

“Melodrama” is her best album according to many. There are loads of great tracks like “Green Light” and “Supercut”, and the production is very lively and nostalgic.

1 – DAMN. (Kendrick Lamar)

“DAMN.” has the unfortunate challenge of following one of the greatest Rap albums of all time. I personally don’t think Kendrick topped – or will ever top – “To Pimp A Butterfly”.

Comparisons aside, this is still a great Rap album. My highlights are “PRIDE.” and “HUMBLE.”.

BEST ALBUM OF 2017 – “DAMN.” (Kendrick Lamar)

Final Thoughts

Underwhelming hits, solid high-rated songs and albums. I think that’ll be the norm moving forwards.

Overall Grade: C+

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: