While 2017 might have been a year of non-excellence (but hopefully a change in the balance of power), the music released was very much excellent. Here are my Top 10.
River – Bishop Briggs
I think Bishop Briggs is the best new listen I introduced my ears to in 2017. River, Wild Horses and Dream were all excellent tracks on high rotation in my playlists, but the strong rhythm of River has me suckered in entirely and so good to belt out while driving.
All the Light We Cannot See – Gordi
Gordi supported Gang of Youths this year and while I thought her live performance was a little awkward, her songwriting and haunting voice are extraordinary. Gordi also appeared in my 2015 Top 10, so clearly a favourite with my ears and emotions! This track paints an amazing picture with sound and has a mesmeric quality.
Mistakes – Basenji Feat Tkay Maidza
It will become a pattern in this Top 10 for 2017, but I really love any song with a strong rhythm/percussion underpinning the track. Tkay Maidza uses her powerful voice to build nicely with the track and I love the production of it.
This Might Be My Year – Nyck
Not many people know this track, and before hearing it I didn’t know any other tracks by Nyck. It was the storytelling nature of it that initially struck me, as well as the pared back nature of the production.
Weekends – Amy Shark
Amy has continued her fine 2016 form with brilliant tracks released in 2017 including Blood Brothers. It was a hard call between Weekends or Blood Brothers, but in the end I had shazaamed Weekends more frequently so it made the cut.
Humble – Kendrick Lamar
Brilliant sound. Brilliant music video. Brilliant rhythm. Brilliant artist.
Love – Lana del Ray
A polarising artist, and I firmly sit on the side of loving all her tracks. I love the ethereal nature of the production. I love her visual treatment
And then we have Gang of Youths. Their entire album was extraordinary. I couldn’t narrow it down to any less than 3 of their tracks in my Top 10. And I can’t even articulate why I loved the album so much, or how it came down to these three tracks. My response to the album and songs is so visceral, so deeply felt it is beyond conscious thought.
