by PJ Wascher
It’s 2017 and I’m trying a new format to this blog. It’s not a big overhaul, just an attempt at predicting a sustainable workload. This year I’m planning to check in quarterly with an update on music released in 2017 that I’d like to highlight. In addition to my traditional 5×5 format, I’m throwing in an extra 5 albums I’d like to highlight in this piece. I’ll admit I’m a bit behind in 2017, which is no surprise. The early part of 2017 is often used to catch up on things missed from 2016. I’d like to call out some of the albums I never got the chance to recognize in my end of the year write up. But first, lets start with the first quarter of 2017:
Five Songs
- Glitter and Gloss by Skott
Pop is getting very repetitive these days, it’s worth calling out artists who are not following the crowd.
- Slow by Brace! Brace!
What starts as trippy rock music all the sudden gets smashed into a full rock out song to bang your head too.
- Gassed by WESLEE
Picking back up on a theme I loved last year, minimalist pop with strong vocals. This reminds me a ton of AlunaGeorge and Little Dragon in a good way.
- Human Nature by Paperwhite
Building off that theme….Lots of good female pop out there in the first quarter and we didn’t even get into Lorde’s new music. Pop that throws back to 80s sounds is not going away yet.
5. Third of May/Ōdaigahara by Fleet Foxes
There back! It feels like forever. This band has splintered into so many great side projects. I’m excited see this group form back into one again.
Five Albums
- Hang In Anything by Foxygen (released January 10)
Following up my 2016 SOTY, Foxygen has released a full album and its fantastic. The bad has always featured a throwback sound, but the confidence and maturity this band is showing now has created a much more consistent album. I discussed The Lemon Twigs in my 2016 recap. They are featured in this album and if you enjoyed that album, you’ll feel right at home here.
- Heartworms by The Shins (released March 2010) *In My Top 10
The Shins are back! I’m excited, but I’m not sure everybody else is. Yes, the sound is more electronic and a bit more pop, but I’m enjoying it. The album is missing a little bit of depth, which may bump it out of my end of the year top 10 list. The start and finish to this album are very enjoyable, it’s just missing a little bit in the middle.
3. Landmark by Hippo Campus (released February 24)
A late addition to this list, thanks to a friendly recommendation. I’m still digging through this album, but the early listens have been great. This is their first full length album release. It has an overall afropop rock sound, but it bounces around a decent amount to keep things interesting. At moments it gets kind of 80s electric and at other moments the sound gets stripped down to something more garage rock. They can also slow it down and get a bit more inflective and then blow it up to big orchestral sounds.
- In Mind by Real Estate (released March 17)
Their first album was serious late bloomer for me. Their distinct lo-fi sound makes me think this is what a harpsichord would sound like at a rock concert. At some point it clicked and I’m really excited to see them out with another album carrying over a similar sound. This album allows the songs to build up more levels and to me offers more depth overall. Perfect album for the upcoming summer.
5. Ashes/Axis by Cuddle Magic (released January 27)
This is the first album I heard in 2017 and I’m pretty happy with that choice. I’d describe this as electronic indie rock. I love the beats they choose to lay underneath their delicate vocals. The songs often trade off between a male and female lead vocal. Most of the songs have a deliberate tempo, in future I’d love to see what they can do up-tempo. Their creativity between every song will keep me patient with that request.
Five From 2016
Lots of work is done every year in December to try and find everything possible, but inevitably music is missed. These are some artists that produced great music in 2016 I wish I’d included in my list.
- Agnes Obel
- Dreambeaches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx8az7eAGmQ
- Twin Limb
- D.D. Dumbo
- Margo Price
The Music Opinion Maker 