Jess’ Favorite Albums of 2017

I love, love, love finding new music. On Jan 1 of each year, I start a new playlist for that year and keep it on shuffle throughout the year. I add stuff to it through recommendations from friends and artists, new releases from my favorite artists, and the awesome website Any Decent Music (it’s like Rotten Tomatoes for music reviews). I also rely on NPR Music and the New York Times for jazz and classical recommendations since they’re too niche for most music mags to cover. As the year goes on, I whittle it down. If the album grabbed my attention at first, but can’t stand up to multiple listenings, it gets cut. I just go with my gut. If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. If I do, I do. I love analyzing, but I can’t talk my gut into liking the whole just because the parts are impressive or because someone else says it should be.

So, here’s my list. Hope you found some great music in 2017, too. Happy New Year!

After Laughter // Paramore
All Flowers // Space Captain
Amar Y Vivir // La Santa Cecilia
Beyond the Years EP // Diggs Duke
Dayyyyyyy // Diggs Duke
December Avenue // Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet
Drunk // Thundercat
Echolocations: River // Andrew Bird
Elevate // 30/70
Everybody Works // Jay Som
French Kiwi Juice // FKJ
From Deewee // Soulwax
The Gold String // Devon Sproule
Good for You // Aminé
Halo // Juana Molina
I // Niia
Jardín // Gabriel Garzón-Montano
Joan Shelley // Joan Shelley
The Kid // Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Kõrvits: Moorland Elegies // Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Ladilikan // Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet
Laila’s Wisdom // Rapsody
Last Leaf // Danish String Quartet
The Lonely, The Lonesome, & The Gone // Lee Ann Womack
Métropole // Anomalie
Mr Finish Line // Vulfpeck
No Shape // Perfume Genius
Onism // Photay
Out of Land // Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani, Andreas Schaerer, Michael Wollny
Painted Ruins // Grizzly Bear
Palabras Manuales // Danay Suáres
Passin’ Thru // Charles Lloyd New Quartet
Planetarium // James McAlister, Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly
Process // Sampha
Pure Comedy // Father John Misty
Remembrance // Diggs Duke
Twin Solitude // Leif Vollebekk
Villains // Queens of the Stone Age
Yes Lawd! // NxWorries

Here’s the playlist.

Photo by Gavin Whitner