[Music] Albums of the year 2017

[Herr Tubthumper]

I see Rough Trade have just released theirs.

https://roughtrade.com/gb/albums-of-the-year-2017-top-20

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Surprised Floating Points isn’t in the top 20 is my initial thought.

 

[Machiavelli]

My initial thoughts are that:
Laura Marling is way down the list at about 90
Richard Dawson isn't even on it

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Their club still doesn’t allow non-UK membership. Grrrrrrr

 

[studio150]

Carry Fire - Robert Plant

 

[Pevenseagull]

No Broken Social Scene, no Feist, no Richard Dawson, no Guided By Voices, no Fever Ray, no Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, no Perfume Genius.
Surprising omissions.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

This won't win votes with the cognoscenti, but I have been loving Nerina Pallot's Stay Lucky.

Beautiful voice, waspish lyrics. Catchy.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Resident due to release theirs on Friday

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

No Broken Social Scene, no Feist, no Richard Dawson, no Guided By Voices, no Fever Ray, no Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, no Perfume Genius.
Surprising omissions.

Did you check their full top 100? I’ve not had time to fully scan it for all the albums I like.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Did you check their full top 100? I’ve not had time to fully scan it for all the albums I like.

Yep, good to see John Murry, Mark Eitzel and Marika Hackman (sp) in there.
No The Weather Station or Bedouin either.
I'm clearly not a Rough Trade type.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Been playing the Aldous Harding album on the back of this, must say I'm rather enjoying it.

 

[spring hall convert]

Not going to pretend to have heard everything but there's some distinctly average records in that top 100. Very middle age. Very white. Very rockist.

At least that putrid (aside from the excellent single that sounds like ABBA) Arcade Fire record isn't in there.

 

[spring hall convert]

How the new Four Tet record isn't among the top 100 released in 2017 is completely beyond me.

And the St. Vincent album.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not going to pretend to have heard everything but there's some distinctly average records in that top 100. Very middle age. Very white. Very rockist.

How the new Four Tet record isn't among the top 100 released in 2017 is completely beyond me.

And the St. Vincent album.

One has a bit of a sun tan, the others a woman? You might have answered your own question with the first quote.

 

[spring hall convert]

One has a bit of a sun tan, the others a woman?

I fear the St. Vincent record might be a bit too pop for the RT/ 6 Music crowd.

Also, a record shop based in London can't find space for a single grime record in its top 100 albums of the year? Come on now, please.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

At least that putrid (aside from the excellent single that sounds like ABBA) Arcade Fire record isn't in there.

[MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] will be on your case

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

How the new Four Tet record isn't among the top 100 released in 2017 is completely beyond me.

And the St. Vincent album.

I bought the Four Tet album on vinyl...it looks good but I’ve not listened to it yet as I’ve mainly been catching up on Roy Montgomery recently. And your post is a timely reminded to buy the St Vincent long player.

 

[HH Brighton]

My top albums of the yea are in particular order:

Perfume Genius - No Shape
Father John Misty- Pure Comedy
The XX - I See You
Loyle Carner - Yesterdays Gone
Childhood - Universal High
The Big Moon - Love in the 4th Degree
St Vincent - Mass education
sir Was - Digging a Tunnel

 

[Buzzer]

One has a bit of a sun tan, the others a woman? You might have answered your own question with the first quote.

Ridiculous answer. Doubly so seeing as you started this thread and presumably spent some time looking at the list.

Just taking their top 20 albums from the list there are 13 solo artists named. 6 women and 7 men. Of the 6 women, 2 are non-white and of the 7 men, 3 are non-white. The top 3 albums have women at numbers 1 and 3.

The top 20 has Thundercat, Kelela and Sampha representing funk, R&B and soul. There's a distinct lack of heavy metal and reggae as well as grime in that top 100 but it's probably because it reflects the tastes of the record shop and the people who shop there and nothing more. To accuse Rough Trade of sexism and/or racism is just plain insulting.

 

[Buzzer]

I fear the St. Vincent record might be a bit too pop for the RT/ 6 Music crowd.

Also, a record shop based in London can't find space for a single grime record in its top 100 albums of the year? Come on now, please.

I'd be surprised with St Vincent being too poppy for Radio 6/RT. The fact that neither she nor Fever Ray appear has more to do, I suspect, with how recently the albums have been released. I can't help but think there's an advantage in bringing an album out between April and August so that it's had enough time for airplay to hit these top 100 lists. Bjork is in the list but I think she's an exception because there was a huge anticipation beforehand.

You're right though about the general feel of that list. There's a fair few albums that are definitely aimed at the middle-aged market and frankly don't belong in the list purely through lack of musical merit. Specifically OMD, Paul Weller and St Etienne. I'm a huge St Etienne fan so it pains me to say this but their latest album is just boring. Likewise, Paul Weller hasn't done anything of note since the 90s and definitely the law of diminishing returns with what he's done in the last 20 years. OMD's album is a 6 or 7 out of 10. There's plenty of other albums not listed that are better.

That's not to say that there's no place at all for middle-aged pop in a top 100 list, I just want it to be there because it deserves to be so. And Nick Heyward's latest album is far more deserving a place than say St Etienne or Paul Weller.