A. Savage - Thawing Dawn One half of the Parquet Courts' songwriting dynamic duo released his solo debut this year, and the best tracks on it were not surprisingly some of the best of the year. Here's a corker, named after the Cheyenne woman who delivered the blow that unhorsed General Armstrong Custer.
Apostate Viaticum - Before the Gates of Gomorrah A wily bunch of metal veterans from Ireland released this modern-day classic of OSDM: pompous, earthy and raw in all the right places.
Antiversum - Cosmos Comedenti With a title in Latin that translates literally as "Cosmos Eater", these Swiss metal veterans unleashed this monster of reverberating atmosphere and sludgy riffs. Best served loud.
Benjamin Clementine - I Tell a Fly This precociously talented Brit seems better known on that side of the pond, but maybe this, his second LP, will help to change that. With influences that range from modern classical to sophisti-pop and British drinking songs, and lyrics that veered from emotionally vulnerable to dadaist whimsy, often in the same song, it makes for a one of a kind listen.
Chastity Belt - I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone Have I mentioned that I love this band? They just keep doing their thing on each new album, and I just keep liking it more. With words of wisdom like "You're hard on yourself / Well you can't always be right / All those little things that keep you up at night / You should take some time to figure out your life", Julia Shapiro is the wise older sister you wish that you'd had.
Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator When an album opens with a classic NYC anthem like this, you can be sure it's worth listening to. Alynda Segarra's road-worn voice captured the feeling of living in America in 2017 as well as anything that I heard.
Laura Marling - Semper Femina Another artist who keeps doing her thing and makes it new and compelling on each album is Laura Marling. It's hard to pick a favorite but this may be her most front-to-back engaging album yet. Second to Psychic Temple for most California album on the list.
Malokarpatan - Nordkarpatenland A concept album based on Slovakian folklore, this album combines unlikely elements - baroque instrumental samples, barked black metal vocals, and blues metal riffs a la "Secret Treaties"-era Blue Oyster Cult - into an oddly infectious stew.
Power Trip - Nightmare Logic Who knew that a thrash album in 2017 could be this undeniable? The "Executioner's Tax" is one tariff you'll gladly cough up, even in this season of tax-cutting mania.
Psychic Temple - IV Chris Schlarb has assembled a crack team of musicians to realize his vision of laid-back Laurel Canyon soft-rock-jazz-folk. To my ears, the sunny vibes sound best when spiked with a pinch of spite, as on "Paper Tiger".
Re-TROS - Before the Applause This electro-punk-funk band hailing from Beijing, China will have you pogoing happily around the room but there's darkness lurking in the lyrics.
The Stevens - Good These Melbourne, Australia indie kids must have inhaled the entire Kinks and Pavement catalogs and made a deal with the devil to write so many sparkling gems of off-kilter guitar pop. I won't blame them.
The Stroppies - The Stroppies The Stroppies are another Melbourne band. Must be something in the water, I guess, what with other great albums this year from down-under bands such as Milk Teddy and Terry. This is technically an EP, but is too good not to mention.
Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar The lyrics are pretentious enough and the vocals are portentous, but not much else on this shimmering synth-pop album betrays this band's black metal roots. On "So Falls the World" they even steal a page from Adele's "Skyfall".
Undergang - Misantropologi Like an unhealthy relationship, this is the kind of crudely ugly OSDM that smacks you around and leaves you wanting more. With froggy vocals that seem to emanate from a sewer, downtuned riffs, and a brilliant sense of dynamics and pacing, what more could you ask for?
