THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2017

Music didn’t play a big part in Explosion Network content in 2017, but we did spend an entire episode of Pleasure Explosion discussing our favourite albums of all-time. Each contributor for this top 10 list spent a lot of time listening to new music, however, and music is an integral part of my daily routine that I couldn’t live without. For me, 2017 in music will be defined by some truly fantastic rap albums. Some great artists came back into my life and it was a great year for movie scores, which I’m always a fan of.
– Dylan

This “Top 10” list was polled by Dylan Blight, Ciaran Marchant and Nicholas Prior. Personal rankings formed a shortlist, which was voted into to an official top 10.

10.) SWEET SOUTHERN SUGAR – KID ROCK

Kid Rock showed he’s still got it, as this unabashed rock/rap/country album made no missteps. Po-Dunk celebrates everything it is to party, have a good time and be a proud redneck. Tennessee Mountain Top is the standout track — a soulful and touching song about slowing down and appreciating the small things.

– Nicholas Prior

9.) HEAVEN UPSIDE DOWN – MARILYN MANSON

Marilyn Manson took inspiration from his earlier work with his bold new album Heaven Upside Down. His industrial metal sound is hard-hitting and Manson to the core.

– Nicholas Prior

8.) HUMANZ – GORILLAZ

With their fifth studio album Humanz, Gorillaz bring back their iconic sound after a five-year break. With a substantial list of accompanying artists in different stages of their careers, Gorillaz bring the album to life with such contrasting sounds, from Saturn Barz, featuring reggae star Popcaan, to the smooth sounding Andromeda, featuring DRAM. The guests’ cohesion with Gorillaz creates a vibrant and engaging record to rival the cartoon band’s previous iconic instalments.

– Ciaran Marchant

7.) COLORS – BECK

Colors, Beck’s thirteenth album and follow up on his Grammy award-winning Morning Phase in 2014, is a change of pace after a slower, more emotional ride. Colors is a pop album through-and-through, serving as one of my most repeated car ride albums of the year and one of my personal top three albums of 2017. It’s a joy to listen to from start to finish, with my favourite tracks being Colors, No Distraction and the weirdly Owen Wilson inspiring Wow.

– Dylan Blight

6.) GEMINI – MACKLEMORE

In his first album without producer Ryan Lewis, Macklemore finds himself again. With the personal meaning of Glorious and the relatable tones of Good Old Days, it’s hard not to smile while listening to Gemini. With a range of returning and new featured artists, such as Kesha and Lil Yachty, each song finds its own voice, but not every one hits. This album is a return to form after 2016’s This Unruly Mess I Made, reminding fans why they fell in love with Macklemore’s music.

– Ciaran Marchant

5.) OFF THE GRID – BLISS N ESO

Off the Grid, Bliss n Eso’s first album since 2013’s Circus in the Sky, is possibly my most played album of 2017. Dopamine is one of my favourite tracks of the year, while Belief, Tear the Roof Off, and Friends Like You became sing-along favourites of 2017. In typical Bliss n Eso fashion, there is a perfect balance between serious themes, like Eso’s alcoholism, and less serious, like a rapper with no DJ on Whatever Happened To The DJ. The Aussie rap duo delivered one of my favourite albums of the year.

– Dylan Blight

4.) AFTER LAUGHTER – PARAMORE

2017 brought a return of Paramore, but they were no longer the punk rock darlings we grew up with. Featuring a new throwback sound to the ’80s rock of old, Hard Timesand Told You So bring a breath of unlikely fresh air into the world of alternative rock. Hayley Williams’ vocals continue to grow and mature through her lyrics that bring to life the synth-pop grooves created by guitarist Taylor York. This is an album that brings colour to the world, while still showing a sadness through William’s lyrics making the listener ask, “Could it be that I’ve changed – or did you?”

– Ciaran Marchant

3.) SNOW – ANGUS AND JULIA STONE

Returning for their fourth studio album, Angus and Julia Stone have recognised their strengths together as a unit. Snow highlights their more call-and-response type of melodies and the title track sets the melancholy tone from the start. By the time you reach Cellar Door, you’re deep in the trance of Angus and Julia. The album has been one of my constant rotations since its September release and it’s my favourite work from Angus and Julia since 2010’s Down the Way.

– Dylan Blight

2.) 11 SHORT STORIES OF PAIN & GLORY – THE DROPKICK MURPHY’S

Dropkick Murphys dropped their ninth studio album this year, and boy is it a cracker. 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory immediately gets you pumped up, with an intro instrumental/chant track, and it keeps the energy high throughout.
From the bar brawling song of I Had A Hat to the Boston bombings memorial in 4-15-13, this album has everything you’ve come to love from the Celtic punk rockers, but with that little bit more under the surface.

– Nicholas Prior

1.) EVERYBODY – LOGIC

Logic’s Everybody is definitely not your typical rap album. Inspired by the Andy Weir short story The Egg (discussed for an entire episode of Pleasure Explosion), the album opens with the track Hallelujah, which ends with a character dying and meeting God, voiced by Neil Degrasse Tyson. The album then rages out through Everybody to America, before slowing down and heading into the track Waiting Room, which is a nearly five-minute skit with God explaining the meaning of earth as written in The Egg. The standout track of the album comes after that, simply titled 1-800-273-8255, which is the suicide prevention helpline in the U.S. It’s a beautiful song, featuring the wonderful voices of Alessia Cara and Khalid, that takes you through a journey like no other this year, especially affecting those, like myself, who have or still suffer from depression. It’s a track that can save lives, and probably has. Anxiety also speaks to me personally as Logic talks about his struggles with anxiety. When you reach the final and very personal track AfricAryaN, which ends the skits of Everybody, you have been through a journey and a story from an album unlike any other this year, and that’s why it’s the Explosion Network’s top release of 2017.