In years past, I've had to wait a little longer to hand out the hardware, so to speak. Whether waiting for the second week of December to ensure that last-minute new release doesn't make the cut or wracking my brain trying to figure out which of the 2-5 nominees gets the edge, my Album of the Year winner usually doesn't get its due until the week before Christmas.
This year is different for two reasons: there aren't any albums intriguing enough coming out in December (although I may regret not waiting for Glassjaw), and my mind's been made up about #1 for a while now. The real dogfight is for #2 this year and, as I listened and re-listened while finalizing the ranking in my head, I thought to myself on a few occasions, "I'd rather be listening to #1 right now".
Without further ado, let's count these things down!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
BENJAMIN BOOKER Witness
A GIANT DOG Toy
HEADSTONES Little Army
MATT MAYS Once Upon a Hell of a Time
J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS Destroyers of the Soft Life
20
FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES
Modern Ruin
What I Said Then: "(Modern Ruin) proves that Frank Carter is capable of both seething and soothing, and has developed a formidable knack for knowing when to do which." (8/10)
19
THE BRONX
V
What I Said Then: "I'm chalking the increased intensity of the album up to the time and place it comes from." (8/10)
18
AT THE DRIVE IN
in•ter a•li•a
What I Said Then: "All told, it's new material from a historically important band, and that it doesn't necessarily feel like a Second Coming shouldn't detract from the quality of the tunes they've offered up." (8/10)
17
MASTODON
Emperor of Sand
What I Said Then: "As a means of bridging their career-defining early work and their recent affinity for more melodic fare, Emperor of Sand does a fine job of splitting the difference." (8/10)
16
JAPANDROIDS
Near to the Wild Heart of Life
What I Said Then: "It's every bit as exultant as you'd expect if you're familiar with them, and that it packs a few more tricks into the bag isn't a detraction or a distraction." (8/10)
15
'68
Two Parts Viper
What I Said Then: "There are bands in the same sonic neighbourhood who do this aesthetic more consistently and therefore will always be more popular, but there's something to be said about an album as boundlessly creative as Two Parts Viper." (8/10)
14
DEATH FROM ABOVE
Outrage! Is Now
What I Said Then: "Having already established a modicum of separation from their debut, Outrage! Is Now seeks to further dissuade attempts at pigeonholing while keeping their core aesthetic recognizable." (8/10)
13
ROYAL THUNDER
WICK
What I Said Then: "WICK is a mesmerizing, electrifying and wholly engaging record, one that in my mind cements Royal Thunder's status as one of the most exciting bands to come along this decade." (9/10)
12
MATTHEW GOOD
Something Like a Storm
What I Said Then: "It's easy to simply churn out more of the same and watch the royalty cheques trickle in, but Something Like a Storm proves that Matthew Good still cares about the craft." (8/10)
11
HE IS LEGEND
few
What I Said Then: "A reiteration of their immense talent and a further reminder that He Is Legend are one of the most overlooked gems in heavy music." (8/10)
10
ROYAL BLOOD
How Did We Get So Dark?
What I Said Then: "Royal Blood could have easily phoned in a reasonable facsimile of their debut and called it a payday, but this record proves that they don't plan on taking the easiest path, and that's what's most exciting about it." (8/10)
9
THE NATIONAL
Sleep Well Beast
What I Said Then: "There's a claim to be made for much of their music sounding the same, but only insomuch as the band have become experts at incorporating outside influences into their core sound while keeping that core sound intact." (9/10)
8
THE AFGHAN WHIGS
In Spades
What I Said Then: "With a multi-faceted and vibrant record that stands among their best work, they've proven more vital now than they were at their supposed career peak over twenty years ago." (9/10)
7
WOLF ALICE
Visions of a Life
What I Said Then: "Drawing from a wide variety of influences and drawing them into the band's orbit, Wolf Alice has created an album as consistently thrilling as it is diverse." (8/10)
6
MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA
A Black Mile to the Surface
What I Said Then: "It was designed to be a full-album listening experience; and, for the willing, it offers far more than surface level satisfaction." (9/10)
5
METZ
Strange Peace
What I Said Then: "The record that cements Metz's place among emerging bands, a statement of intent to keep things interesting and loud and, perhaps most importantly, the best record of their young and still growing career." (9/10)
4
PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Woodstock
What I Said Then: "I feel Portugal. The Man's evolution was going to bring them here eventually and, now that the time has come to meet the masses, they've done so with only the most tasteful concessions to their core sound." (8/10)
3
THE MENZINGERS
After the Party
What I Said Then: "It is heartening to hear a band with so much potential live up to it in such convincing fashion." (9/10)
2
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Villains
What I Said Then: "There are some significant risks taken, and these risks all reap rewards of varying degrees, so as to say there isn't a single failed experiment on the entire record." (9/10)
1
FATHER JOHN MISTY
Pure Comedy
What I Said Then: "It's a provocative and pained album that is best served with good headphones and a contemplative head space, the album you reach for on your late night soul searching trip. It's very heavy in terms of scope and substance, a rich and vulnerable album that prefers to deal in Big Questions; it's a thoughtful and unabridged essay among a sea of headlines and click bait." (10/10)
What I Say Now: You know, I had some serious second thoughts after posting my original review of Pure Comedy back in April. I do have a tendency to go a little too all-in when something catches me the way Pure Comedy did and so, in the days after I gave it a perfect score and insinuated that it was the first classic album in twenty years, I had to pause for a moment and consider whether or not I'd made a mistake. Surely the novelty would wear off by the end of the year, and how could I possibly explain away putting some other record over this 10/10 masterpiece for Album of the Year?
Well, the novelty didn't wear off. In fact, I not only kept returning to this album, but Father John Misty's previous albums too. While other albums competed for my attention, Pure Comedy was never considered less than the biggest, best and most important record I'd heard in a long time. Knowing Josh Tillman's penchant for messing with his fans and downplaying his importance as a songwriter, it almost feels like I've been hoodwinked into placing such importance on the album; still, I simply cannot deny its effect as the voice of reason in unreasonable times.
If I'm still around, will I look back in twenty years and feel the same way about this record? Maybe, maybe not; the fact of the matter is that I've always handed out this honour based on impact and, even if I look back on half of these records more fondly in even five years' time, no record impacted me greater this year than Pure Comedy.
Just like that, Year in Rock 2017 has come and gone. Let me know what you think, what I missed, and what you're looking forward to in 2018!
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