Music Features

TYF’s Top Albums of 2017 (so far)

In its first six months, 2017 has seen its share of great music across all genres. For the first time, The Young Folks’ music staff has put together a site consensus list of our favorite albums at the mid-point of a year, as opposed to the writer favorites lists of years past (a la our “Best of 2016” list at the end of last year).

Seven writers – music editor Ryan Gibbs, site co-founder and editor-in-chief Gabrielle Bondi, and music staff writers Matt Rice, D.R. Baker, Katie Gill, Jon Winkler and Brittany Menjivar – each came up with a list of their ten favorite albums. These lists were tallied up, and the following ten records got the most love across all seven submissions.

10. Desperate Journalist – Grow Up

Grow Up is the post-punk album you never knew you needed this year. Vocalist Jo Bevan cuts straight to the emotional core of each song with a voice like a polished blade, both smooth and violent. Her bold declarations and intense metaphors resound throughout the dark, shifting landscape created by instrumentalists Simon Drowner (bass), Rob Hardy (guitar), and Caz Hellbent (percussion). From “Hollow,” an opening track that proves that Desperate Journalist knows how to make a powerful first impression, to “Be Kind,” whose U2-meets-The Smiths vibe is alluring, Grow Up’s songs will haunt you, in the best sense of the phrase. – Brittany Menjivar

9. MUNA – About U

Early 2017 was a rough time for a lot of people due to various reasons, both personal and political. Thankfully, we had MUNA to help lift us out of the funk. About U, the debut album from this all-female, all-queer group is a beautiful expression of pop music done so well. Each song is an artfully crafted masterpiece as the band effortlessly swaps between subjects from hope to heartbreak. Hopeful, yearning anthems like “I Know a Place” sit comfortably next to brash songs of self-expression and self-confidence like “Loudspeaker” and the slow, chill, darkness of heartbreak that is “Winterbreak.” The entire album is well-written, well-crafted and amazingly produced–I can’t wait to see what these women give us next. – Katie Gill

8. Alt-J – Relaxer

Relaxer is a weird album. Whether it’s the prolonged instrumental intro to “3WW” or the gleeful deconstructionism of “Hit Me Like That Snare,” Alt-J have found myriad ways to excavate from their niche deeper, stranger treasures. Yet, there is still room for tenderness, like on the minimal duet with Marika Hackman on penultimate track “Last Year,” and the band’s trademarks—wobbly synths, dreamy guitars, and un-enunciated vocals—remain intact. Although the shortest of their three albums, Relaxer contains some of Alt-J’s longest, most dynamic compositions to date. The album’s brevity, complete with a sudden conclusion, invites the listener to repeated listens, and leaves us hungry for the next time Alt-J, one of the most intriguing bands active today, blips our radars. – D.R. Baker

7. Harry Styles – Harry Styles

Who knew that the former One Direction heartthrob can deliver one of the most surprisingly soulful albums of the year? Harry Styles’ reinvention of his boy band sound began with the single, “Sign of the Times,” a grandiose ballad that music fans hadn’t expected from the artist. The same goes for his self-titled solo debut, which evokes more of an intimate rock ’n’ roll vibe thanks to some powerful and emotional vocal. Teaming this with the retro feel of the music (I almost wished while listening I had a record player to complete the experience on vinyl), this is a new bold new direction for Harry Styles, and while the jury is still out on whether this album will make a lasting impression on today’s generation, it will remain as a true showcase of his talent. – Gabrielle Bondi

6. The xx – I See You

With the influx of alternative R&B artists fusing into the hip-hop world, it’s surprising to learn that the ones to do it best are the three pale English introverts. It’s been five years since the world heard from The xx, but the trio don’t miss a beat on the third LP. The likes of “Dangerous,” “On Hold,” and “Performance” show the band expanding their sonic potential for thicker backbeats and more energy. But the classic sound of The xx is still on display, and even improved. “Replica” uses the echoes of the band’s piano-guitar interplay to make the song feel more complete, while the gorgeously gothic “Lips” may be the band’s most romantic sentiment to date. – Jon Winkler

5. The Mountain Goats – Goths

Just as he did with 2015’s Beat the Champ, John Darnielle has confronted another cultural love in album form and wound up with a poignant, smart, and beautiful collection of love songs. With a musical reference point this time around, he corrects the mistakes every goth band short of Joy Division made, creating music that is tender, human, and introspective. Best cut: “Andrew Eldritch is Moving Back to Leeds,” Darnielle’s finest melody since Transcendental Youth. – Matt Rice

4. Phoenix – Ti Amo

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is generally considered Phoenix’s most acclaimed album, but Ti Amo just might give it a run for its money. The record emits a sophisticated vibe due to lyrics that name-drop things like “Châteldon” and discuss primal emotions in a variety of romance languages. At the same time, though, it’s irresistibly fun thanks to its lighthearted retro sheen, blending synthpop and disco like they’re two delicious ingredients in a luxury smoothie. Ti Amo is a summer release that’s easy to fall in love with, well suited for whatever rollercoaster of emotions July and August might bring you. – Brittany Menjivar

3. Paramore – After Laughter

For a time, following the departure of bassist Jeremy Davis in 2015, it seemed as if Paramore might not ever record another record. It’s a good thing that never happened. After Laughter finds Hayley Williams and Taylor York reunited with founding drummer Zac Farro for a fantastic record that trades the pop-punk of the band’s early days for shimmering new wave. Tracks like “Told You So” and “Caught in the Middle” display an array of influences from Blondie to Scritti Politti, with putting a distinctly Paramore spin led by Williams’ fantastic vocals and York’s weaving guitar lines. Throughout the album, the lyrics display conflicted emotions, from frustration to resiliance in the face of the setbacks that the band has experienced. Despite all the complicated feeling, there isn’t any point in the album’s 42-minute time where Paramore doesn’t sound like it’s having a blast playing this music. As a result, After Laughter comes off the band’s most optimistic-sounding release to date. – Ryan Gibbs

2. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

Kung Fu Kenny back at it again with the hot bars. A surprise release this past April, DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar’s rawest album to date. Stripped of the jazzy groove and self destruction of To Pimp A Butterfly, DAMN. feels more like K.Dot’s victory lap scribbled out in an uncontrolled streak of self-pride. He’s not sure whether to bask in the glory or another long look in the mirror on “DNA.” He shows himself as a real loverman with some strong sexual chemistry with Rihanna on “LOYALTY.” while holding his own in a political roundtable with U2 on “XXX.” If anything, DAMN. shows that even with the most minimal production, Kendrick’s a master wordsmith with bars for days (see the ever-infectious “HUMBLE.”). – Jon Winkler

1. Lorde – Melodrama

Lorde meets adulthood in her sophomore effort, an album that is as vibrant and soulful as the artist herself. A tad moodier and less effervescent than Pure Heroine, Lorde sings of loneliness, fleeting affairs, and love lost with the occasional swells of drama in Melodrama. The theatrics at play in Melodrama is what makes the album stand out amongst the rest this year. One of my favorite lines in the album is from “The Louvre,” where Lorde cutely diffuses some of the track’s grandiosity with this aside, “We’re the greatest, they’ll hang us in the Louvre / down the back, but who cares / still the Louvre.”

There’s a pulsing authenticity to Lorde’s album that we don’t just hear through the beats and rhythm but feel through the lyrics. There’s no self-empowerment ballad that tends to be a staple among most pop artists. There’s no poppy ear candy begging to get 24/7 radio airplay. Melodrama comes purely from Lorde’s artistic vision. and the combination of the three opening songs, including lead single “Green Light,” shows Lorde as a force to be reckoned with, finding a balance between something warmly inviting to pulsating dramatic. The album builds a narrative that is practically cinematic, and Lorde pulls you through it with a stunning emotional cadence that is just so rare to find in pop music. It’s an artsier kind of pop, but far from pretentious, an album that deeply resonates with its listeners, a thoughtful and evocative expression of being the “loveless generation.” – Gabrielle Bondi