2017 end of the year lists

I'm enjoying the Girl Ray album from Maura's list. A mention of Heavenly and Camera Obscura in the same sentence will always get my antennae up. I definitely hear them, and more than a hint of the Dolly Mixture.

Couple of sleeve/packaging lists:

https://thevinylfactory.com/features/our-12-favourite-record-sleeves-of-2017/

https://acloserlisten.com/2017/12/11/acl-2017-the-years-best-packaging/

love that Jeff Mills one

resident advisor tracks list put me onto s.a.m.’s “pour aisha” which is the best thing in the world

Dream State Of A Bellmaker is an album of the year contender for me, seems to have been mostly overlooked though.

i checked it out the other day and it rapidly ascended my own list

lex's album list, especially past the top end of it, has some surprises and some things I've seen nowhere else. A particular standout for me is Ariwo, which I need to listen to some more before attempting to describe it.

Kind of "fourth world" actually.

He's got a bunch of electronic/world fusion sorts of things I am honestly surprised he likes, but they are good. (A bunch, well, maybe a couple at least. Seems there were others.)

The rhythms on this first Ariwo track at least seem closer to typical "dance music" (with maybe even the ghost of house) than what you'd find on a Jon Hassell album.

Opening trumpet lick on "Caldera" awfully close to a specific melodic snippet that appears in Latin music all the time. People (who can tolerate the idea of ethno- jazz electronic music) should check this out.

The more I listen to it, the more it sounds like standard Latin jazztronica. I appreciate that the trumpet doesn't sound all that much like Miles. It usually does in things like this. And I do like it, I'm just not sure how exceptional it is.

Listening to the Ariwo album now on Spotify. Their bio (from Bandcamp) is interesting:

Ariwo are a Cuban/Iranian four-piece focused on intersection between electronic and ancestral music.

The band brings together Iranian electronic composer Pouya Ehsaei and three of London’s most influential Cuban musicians: Irakere's Latin Grammy-winning “percussion virtuoso”, Hammadi Valdes; Sierra Maestra lead trumpeter, Yeleris Valdes; and godfather of London’s Cuban scene, Oreste Noda.

Interesting. I was actually enjoying not knowing anything about them, but that's an impressive lineup. I don't hear anything that sounds Iranian, but perhaps the Iranian electronic composer doesn't particularly draw on Iranian music.

He does in some of his other stuff, I think. There's a lot of really cool shit coming out of Iran - I interviewed an Iranian black metal musician, and another guy doing ambient music with field recordings, this year.

Interview with Akvan (black metal)

Interview with Porya Hatami (ambient music)

I've always been curious about the Hermes label out of Iran, but have heard very little from it. It's not streaming anywhere that I know, except youtube in a hit or miss way, and I definitely don't have the money these days to take chances on CDs.

xp: particularly among expats, cf:
Ata Ebtekar (Sote - Sacred Horror in Design)
Nima Aghiani & Sara Bigdeli Shamloo (9T Antiope - Isthmus)
Sevda Alizadeh (Sevdaliza - Ison)

I tried that Sote album a while back. I thought it had a good sound, but there wasn't much going on (or what was going on didn't have much emotional impact, for me). Not familiar with the others though.

This is one of the best I've read all year, because

a) he lists all the publicists for the various albums, and/or reveals how they came to his attention

b) "My bass player, Brett, tells me I’d like the new Converge but I’ve never understood Converge as I don’t enjoy sports."

Link is not working for me.

https://med✧✧✧.c✧✧✧@zach✧✧✧.li✧✧✧/real-life-nepotism-top-51-d81723a0d349

Try this one: https://tinyurl.com/ycb79max

Nice to see Nadah El Shazly's album and Lekhfa (which I don't like quite as much) on that list.

http://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/10-best-nigerian-albums-in-2017-id7717539.html

1. Simi-Simisola
2. Wizkid-Sounds from the Other Side
3. Flavour-Ijele the Traveler
4. Falz-27
5. Ric Hassani-The African Gentleman
6.Ajebutter22- What Happens in Lagos
7. A-Q- Blessed forever
8. Bemyoda-Stark
9.Yung6ix-Highstar
10. DJ Spinall -Dreams

The link for the NET (Nigeria entertainment Today list) top 10 posted upthread isn't working but the cache is -- here they are typed out. Simi is number #1 on this too, and it has some of the same albums, but a few are different.

1. Simi-Simisola
2. Mr. Eazi-Acra to Lagos
3. Ric Hassani-The African Gentleman
4. Ajebutter22- What Happens in Lagos
5. Show Dem Camp - Palm Wine Music Vol. 1
6. Falz-27
7. Flavour-Ijele the Traveler
8. Wizkid-Sounds from the Other Side
9. DBanj- King Don Come
10. Niniola-This is Me

Test Pressing end of year lists:

http://testpressing.org/2017/12/2017-our-friends-family-pick-their-favourites/

f yeah

Wow.

D.K. rules

wow, I know almost none of that, thanks

http://www.passionweiss.com/2017/12/29/best-rap-songs-of-2017/

1. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Llif3"
2. Goldlink – “Crew (Feat. Shy Glizzy & Brent Faiyaz)"
3. Kendrick Lamar – “ELEMENT.”
4. Creek Boyz – “With My Team”
5. NBA YoungBoy – “No Smoke”
6. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
7. Migos – “T-Shirt”
8. Young Thug – “Relationship (Feat. Future)"
9. Maxo Kream – “Grannies”
10. 03 Greedo – “Mafia Business”

A 'French' perspective:

https://www.lesinrocks.com/2017/12/29/musique/pas-encore-ivres-27-journalistes-des-inrocks-presentent-leurs-tops-albums-2017-111026990/

That testpressing lists are awesome.

Did Dusted magazine stopped making EOY lists? Theirs were excellent.

oh francepaws

that top album of the French album rules, nommed one of the tracks but the entire thing is super fun pop

No Camille, no crédibilité.

Does Dusted still exist? Their website hasn't updated in several years.

Did Dusted magazine stopped making EOY lists? Theirs were excellent.

They're on holiday break until January 2nd, hopefully we'll get their lists when they come back.

For Henry:
http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/

thx!

test pressing list was interesting - if I want to hear more music like the first track linked what thread do I bookmark?
https://youtu.be/5Zujudzx2MA

5against4's list (part 1):

http://5against4.com/2017/12/30/best-albums-of-2017-part-1/

Looking forward to the rest.

xpost to niels the balearic revival seems to be the best place now? I think we had a new age (knew-age) thread but it doesn't quite feel right

one of the members of CS + Kreme was in Standish/Carlyon who released an album a few years back that I remember me and Johnny Fever both really enjoying

thanks! must be the Deleted Scenes album? listening now, sounds great

I've been meaning to bookmark that balearic thread...

Yeah that’s a great song niels ... boxedjoy is right closedt thread would probably be the balearic one. There was a rolling chillwave one which could fit maybe but can’t recall if we had one in 2017.. closest sounding thing top of my mind from this year which I can recommend is the Tornado Wallace album.

Tornado Wallace sounding good too, thx for the recommendation

think I tried following forks' vaporwave playlist on spotify, but I only liked the more chill tunes

5against4's list (part 2):

http://5against4.com/2017/12/31/best-albums-of-2017-part-2/

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2017/12/28/top-30-of-2017/

The Finest Kiss 40 Singles & EPs of the year. Several aren't available on Spotify, and there's also an annoying trend with labels such as Market Square and Too Pure to not even sell digital versions, only vinyl. UGH!!

https://finestkiss.wordpress.com/2017/12/26/2017-singles-of-the-year-20-1/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1212496385/playlist/2wFuaCEFIfaNrbvl2v1nUv

Not sure if this was posted, Psych Lovers Top 10:

https://psychinsightmusic.com/2017/12/18/psych-lovers-top-ten-albums-of-2017/

Who is finestkiss? Does he/she have a spotify profile or is he/she an ilm poster? I’m absolutely in love with this list.

Presentable Corpse. Nice. I prefer the B-side though.

worked out an end of year mix if anyone's interested, should be up in a few days

tracklist

1. charlotte gainsbourg - deadly valentine (soulwax remix)
2. camille from OHM Makes Me Feel Loved - Machine Woman
3. blue ivorson - fake loathe
4. tove lo - disco tits
5. bicep - glue
6. ciel - elevate (go off mix)
7. dj khaled ft. beyonce and jay-z - shining
8. johnny jewel - windswept
9. skee mask - routine
10. burial - rodent
11. ionnalee - gone
12. peaking lights - love can move mountains
13. s.a.m. - pour aisha
14. s.o.n.s. - a new life (planet earth mix)
15. japanese breakfast - diving woman
16. shinichi atobe - regret
17. talaboman - samsa
18. tornado wallace - voices

Finest Kiss is a guy named Toby who lives in Portland. I don't think he posts here but we could invite him. He does an amazing job of finding singles along the lines of dream/jangle pop and some punk. He should have an album list coming too.

I did manage to buy the Market Square singles on Amazon. I prefer to pay for lossless FLAC over MP3 usually. But man, the Seize The Chair Too Pure single is not to be found anywhere.

The slow roll for StonerHive is complete, this time an aggregate of 91 lists:

http://stonerhive.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-countdown-so-far.html
http://stonerhive.blogspot.com/2018/01/number-1.html