Hello! This is a list of my favorite albums from 2017 and my first post to my blog where I will discuss music, specifically; Vinyl reviews, artist analysis and up-coming artists. I’m doing this because I want to help rising musicians and spread around good music! In this post I briefly introduce the artist, explain their sound and list some of my favorite tracks. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and find something new!
– Amra
Com Truise – “Iteration” – June 15, 2017
Artist: Seth Haley / Oneida, New York – Princeton, New Jersey – LA, California
Ghostly International
Tracks: 1 – “…Of Your Fake Dimension”, 2 – “Ephemeron”, 3 – “Dryswch”, 4 – “Isotasy”, 5 – “Memory”, 6 – “Propagation”, 7 – “Vacuume”, *8 – “Ternary”, *9 – “Usurper”, 10 – “Syrthio”, 11 – “When Will You Find The Limit…”, 12 – “Iteration”
Throughout the years I’ve gotten increasingly impressed with Seth’s work. Seth Haley is a producer and designer, creates all of his album covers and his branding to follow. I love everything he puts out. I play his music everyday. It sends me to another world…another dimension. Most of it has no lyrics (if it does it’s only a few words repeating or murmuring in the distance), which makes it even better to me. It takes me away from the worries of everyday life, I get lost in the sound, Com Truises’ music is of a different kind. He works with synthesizers, and has honestly an unexplainable sound. He create’s a sound he classifies as “mid-fi synth-wave, slow-motion funk”. Generally it has a wavy melty texture that morph’s the bass and synth’s so smoothly then, there’s all this glitchy computer complexity. I fucking love it.
All of his album’s almost have their own vibe to them, while at the same time carries a cohesive story as a whole…he has created a sound that is completely original. Com Truise is a fictional astronaut, this album is the last journey he experiences in space. “Iteration” has such a clean, big, beautiful, adventurous sound to it. I feel like I’m exploring digital lands. Throughout the year he created much excitement dropping singles like Memory, Isostasy and Propagation. I was RE-BORN when I listened to the album in it’s entirety. It’s just really fun to dance to, vibe out alone to or in a smoke circle. There’s so many sounds/layers going on that you can tune into, it’s super airy and ethereal compared to the rest of his records I’d say, but still has a big tight drum. This album stays true to the nature of his sound while venturing further into his experiment-ality. As it states on his bandcamp…this album “illustrates the last moments Com Truise spends on the perilous planet Wave 1, before he and his alien love escape it’s clutches to live in peace.” A lot of story packed in these’s sounds…highly recommend putting in the headphones and taking a journey through space with Com Truise.
https://comtruise.bandcamp.com/ – https://soundcloud.com/com-truise
Twitter: @comtruise – Instagram:@comtruise – Website: comtruise.com
CharlesTheFirst – “The Reach” (EP) – August 29, 2017
Artist: Charles Ingalls / Lake Tahoe, CA
Tracks: 1 – “Kirra”, 2 – “Mercy Falls”, 3 – “Prophet”, 4 – “Turqouise River”, 5 – “Meadows”, 6 – “Beacon”
Ok…I know what you’re thinking…this isn’t an album, it’s an EP. But fire nonetheless. Charles delivers a fresh new taste to the ambient electronic bass world. His music has the perfect balance between wubbs and ambience, his sound is heavily influenced by nature. I couldn’t leave him out of this list of favorites.. truly unforgettable along with dropping singles this year like Rich at Heart, The Mist (ft.CloZee) and Void.
https://charlesthefirst.bandcamp.com – https://soundcloud.com/charles-thefirst/tracks
Twitter: @ctfbeats – Instagram:@Charles.thefirst – Website: https://www.facebook.com/ctfproduction/
HOMESHAKE – “Fresh Air” – Feb 3, 2017
Artist: Peter Sagar / Montreal, Canada – LA, California
Royal Mountain Records (CAN) – Sinderlyn (U.S.)
Tracks: 1 – “Hello Welcome”, 2 – “Call Me Up”, 3 – “Not U”, 4 – “Every Single Thing”, 5 – “Wrapping Up”, 6 – “Getting Down Pt II (He’s Cooling Down”, 7 – “Timing”, 8 – “TV Volume”, 9 – “Khmlwugh”, 10 – “Fresh Air”, 11 – “Serious”, 12 – “So She”, 13 –
“Call Me Up” was the first track I heard before the full release, I knew immediately I would love this album. Peter has a very interesting and specific musical style…super loose Lo-fi indie-pop rock electro-soul vibe. This album in particular feels very personal, and very obviously the muse here is his relationship with his girlfriend, Salina, from their simple times at home, creating (they’re both artists, she’s a visual artist and created all of his album covers), to times apart on tour. To my own perspective, it sounds like with this album he is letting out some emotion he doesn’t want to hold onto anymore and finally getting to enjoy the fresh air. Letting his feelings come and go starting with “Hello Welcome” all the way through “Signing Off”. Absolutely love the lyrics in “Khmlwugh” – “Something doesn’t feel quite right, my lips are dry, my shoes are too tight…i feel weird and I know I needed you” , “And it feels like it’s the end, when everything falls in again it’s just – kissing, hugging, making love and waking up and getting high”. Other favorites for me off this album are “Every Single Thing”, “TV Volume”, “So She” and “This Way”.
https://homeshake.bandcamp.com – https://soundcloud.com/homeshake
Twitter: @HOOMESHAAKE – Instagram:@pitersugar – Website: https://www.facebook.com/homeshake/
SunSquabi – “Deluxe” (EP) – April 3, 2017
Artists: Kevin Donohue, Josh Fairman, Chris Anderson / Denver, CO
All Good Records
Tracks: 1 – “Pygmy Up” (ft. Russ Liquid), 2 – “Dexter” (ft. Nick Gerlach), 3 – “Daydream”, 4 – “Cinnamon” (ft. Late Night Radio), 5 – “Deluxe”
I’ve been jamming to this EP since it released…and so have my parents. It’s short but sweet ’n funky with an psychedelic electronic twist. Sure to get you off your butt and dancing. “Cinnamon” is my favorite track and was also the first single they dropped from the EP. Random side note, this is one of my favorite bands to see live!
https://sunsquabi.bandcamp.com – https://soundcloud.com/sunsquabi
Twitter: @SunSquabi – Instagram:@sunsquabi – Website: https://www.sunsquabi.com
YELLOW DAYS -“Is Everything Ok In Your World?”– Oct 27, 2017
Artist: George Van Den Broek / Haslemere, England.
Doobie McQueen / Good Years Music LTD
Tracks: 1 – “Bag Of Dutch”, 2 – “That Easy”, 3 – “The Tree I Climb” (ft. Nick Walters), 4 – “Holding On”, 5 – “I Believe In Love”, 6 – “Lately I” (ft. Rejjie Snow), 7 – “I’ve Been Thinking Too Hard”, 8 – “Tired”, 9 – “Hurt In Love”, 10 – “A Smiling Face”, 11 – “Nothing’s Going To Keep Me Down”, 12 – “Weight Of The World”, 13 -“Outro (Lost In A World With You)”
George’s talent is no question. At only 17, He creates a truly beautiful record. And this isn’t his first. In late 2016 he captivated me thru his single “Gap In The Clouds”, I found while squandering through Youtube, I had to hear more after I came across that. Which led me to listening to his album “Harmless Melodies”(2016) – He had me hooked. I was STOKED when I saw a newly released album this year, I hadn’t been following him on any social media at the time, so it was a completely compelling surprise.
So seamlessly put together, the album has a very laidback and refreshing sound to it. The album has a consistent theme of love, loneliness and change; the struggles and beauty of it. Love that he samples the voice of British philosopher Alan Watts in the end of “I’ve Been Thinking Too Hard”. The lyrics within the tracks hold a lot of weight to them which gives the album a unique character. It’s easy to get in tune with the world he creates with his music. The album is on Spotify, iTunes, Youtube, & I would say grab a record but vinyl copies all sold out on his site in a matter of days. Keep an eye out, I’m sure he’ll sell out again on the repress. Excited to see what George does in the future.
https://soundcloud.com/yellow-days
Twitter: @George_vdb – Instagram:@yellowdayss – Website: http://www.yellowdayss.com
Tyler, The Creator – “ Scum Fuck, Flower Boy” – July 21, 2017
Artist: Tyler Okonma / Ladera Heights, California – LA, California
Columbia Records
Tracks: 1 – “Foreword” (ft. Rex Orange County), 2 – “Where This Flower Blooms” (ft. Frank Ocean), 3 – “Sometimes…”, 4 – “See You Again” (ft. Kali Uchis), 5 – “Who Dat Boi” (ft. A$AP Rocky), 6 – “Pothole” (ft. Jaden Smith), 7 – “Garden Shed” (ft. Estelle), 8 – “Boredom” (ft. Rex Orange County, Anna Of The North), 9 – “I Ain’t Got Time”, 10 – “911/Mr. Loney” (ft. Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy), 11 – “Droppin’ Seeds” (ft. Lil Wayne), 12 – “November”, 13 – “Glitter”, 14 – “Enjoy Right Now, Today”
4th studio album by the very talented Tyler, the Creator. He tries a completely new approach with this album by using a live band, he also sings on this album. He was skeptical on changing things up but it definitely made for an interesting, rich & unforgettable record. This work is a reflection of his growth, understanding of himself, his hustle, loneliness and expanding his horizons. Even the title reflects “Scum Fuck” that part of himself he doesn’t resonate with, and “Flower Boy”, seeing a ‘re-birth’ of who he his. Flower Boy from start to finish works together so well, each song has a different dynamic to it. “Pothole” is such a gem, Tyler really has a knack for creating a entertaining story with his lyrics, not only rhyming them to very unique sound but in this song also relating fake friends to situations you’d deal with while you’re driving. “See You Again” is an instant classic with the melody and chorus, it can call to multiple music tastes. “November” reflects that part in all of us that has doubt about ourselves and anxiety about what we’re doing with our lives, and wanting to go back to place in time or mindset where you feel whole. “I Ain’t Got Time!” & “Who Dat Boy” Definitely has the same loudness and feel to his older work, these songs are heavier and add a change up of vibe in the album. This whole album is straight poetry. Definitely my favorite work from Tyler.
Twitter: @tylerthecreator – Instagram:@feliciathegoat
Mac DeMarco – “This Old Dog” – May 5, 2017
Queens, NY – Los Angeles, California
Captured Tracks (U.S.) / Royal Mountain Records (CAN)
Tracks: 1 – “My Old Man”, 2 – “This Old Dog”, 3 – “Baby You’re Out”, 4 – “For The First Time”, 5 – “One Another”, 6 – “Still Beating”, 7 – “Sister”, 8 – “Dreams From Yesterday”, 9 – “A Wolf Who Wears Sheeps Clothes”, 10 – “One More Love Song”, 11 – “On The Level”, 12 – “Moonlight On The River”, 13 – “Watching Him Fade Away.”
Oh our beloved Mac. Always cooking up something good, this time it’s at a slower pace and more personal. This album reveals a new side of Mac, he wrote most of these songs in 2016 for his own expression, not planning on sharing them, just reflected on emotions and thoughts focused on; how he feels about his father, going through the motions, changes and realizations throughout life. Lyrics I love from this album:
“Dreams of greener grass will drive you mad, there’s nothing to cry about” – ‘Baby You’re Out’
“Once your dreams come knocking at your door, it’s time to realize you aren’t dreaming anymore” – ‘Dreams From Yesterday’
“Boy, this could be your year…making old man proud of you, forget about the tears.” – ‘On The Level’
https://macdemarco.bandcamp.com – https://www.youtube.com/user/macdemarco
Twitter: @msldemarco – Instagram:@macdemarco – Website: mac-demarco.com
POND – “The Weather” -May 5, 2017
Artists: Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Joe Ryan, & Jaime Terry / Perth, Australia
Marathon Artists
Tracks: 1 – “30000 Megatons”, 2 – “Sweep Me Off My Feet”, 3 – “Paint Me Silver”, 4 – “Colder Than Ice”, 5 – “Edge Of The World Pt.1”, 6 – “A/B”, 7 – “Zen Automation”, 8 – “All I Want For Xmas (Is A Tascam 388)”, 9 – “Edge Of The World Pt. 2”, 10 – “The Weather”
Man, this album is a stunning piece of work. A lot more focused yet treading onto different territories, making this album more pop based. They really edited themselves well on this album and took their time, whereas in the past they have just kept everything as is. They sorta lose the craziness of their sound in this 7th studio album, all recorded in Kevin Parker’s home studio. I was really taken away when I heard singles “Paint Me Silver”, “30000 Megatons” and “The Weather”. At first I didn’t know what to think, this wasn’t at all what I expected to hear, which is a very good thing. I’ve sang “Sweep Me Off My Feet” to the top of my lungs practically everyday since it came out haha. Pond is finally coming to Dallas, Texas in 2018 for “The Weather” Tour and I couldn’t be anymore excited to finally see them perform live! The show sold out a few weeks ago, should be a good one.
https://www.youtube.com/user/PondBandVEVO/videos – https://soundcloud.com/pondling
Twitter: @pondband – Instagram:@ponderers – Website: pondband.net/
Nick Mulvey – “ Wake Up Now” – September 8, 2017
Artist: Nick Mulvey / Cambridge, United Kingdom
Fiction Records
Tracks: 1 – “Unconditional”, 2 – “Transform Your Game (We Remain)”, 3 – “Imogen”, 4 – “Myela”, 5 – “We Are Never Apart”, 6 – “Remembering”, 7 – “Mountain To Move”, 8 – “When The Body Is Gone”, 9 – “Lullaby”, 10 – “In Your Hands”, 11 – “Infinite Trees”
So in all honestly I found this artist trying to look up “Nick Murphy”, Instead my stoned ass clicked on this guy and I’m glad I did, this album had just released when I found it, it’s his second studio album. ‘Wake Up Now’ has a light and soulful vibe to it, I want to crowd around a campfire, looking at the stars with close friends or play this or road trip through the mountains. He has a great voice and his sound is somewhat mixture of indie acoustic jam moroccan slightly psychedelic nature groove. He studied music in Cuba so that makes some sense to his style. “When The Body Is Gone” speaks to me on another level, I love when artists approach a topic like spirit and soul, this song is different from the rest because of the pace the song moves at and it has somewhat of a Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon ambience to it. “Mountain To Move” wow. These lyrics to me are what this whole album is about – “Caught up in specialness, I wish you could see that we are kings of bliss, begging for misery, we get lost in comparison, looking outside of me, I see this world is unraveling.. I wonder, who could we be. Oh I don’t want to see us lose anymore time, this moment is a mountain to move, so move it aside. Wake up now…” I really dig this record because it has a free sound and true to it’s name “Wake Up Now”, just super peaceful & inspiring to listen to.
https://www.youtube.com/user/NickMulveyVEVO/videos
https://soundcloud.com/nick-mulvey
Twitter: @nickmulveymusic – Instagram:@nickmulvey – Website: Nickmulvey.com
King Krule – “ The Ooz” – October 13, 2017
Artist: Archy Marshall / Band: James Wilson, George Bass, Jack Towell, Connor Atanda, Ignacio Salvadores, John Keek / London, United Kingdom
XL Recordings / True Panther
Tracks: 1 – “Biscuit Town”, 2 – “The Locomotive”, 3 – “Dum Surfer”, 4 – “Slush Puppy”, 5 – “Bermondsey Bosom (Left)”, 6 – “Logos”, 7 – “Sublunary”, 8 – “Lonely Blue”, 9 – “Cadet Limbo”, 10 – “Emergency Blimp”, 11 – “Czech One”, 12 – “A Slide In (New Drugs)”, 13 – “Vidual”, 14 – “Bermondsey Bosom (Right)”, 15 – “Half Man Half Shark”, 16 – “The Cadet Leaps”, 17 – “The Ooz”, 18 – “Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Driver)”, 19 – “La Lune”
I love King Krule. I love Archy Marshall for creating this alias and other work he does. I danced around with happiness when I saw releases of singles from this album. Just do yourself a favor and tune into this album if you haven’t already. He’s a poet. He’s got a sound, vibe and essence that’s unique to him. He’s one of those artists that people either LOVE or don’t even know about. Haha I think people that don’t like it just don’t understand it, that’s how most music is though. “Dum Surfer” is that fuckin jam, the drums are sooo sick and I love how his lyrical flow is in this song. His sound consists of heavy grunge psychedelic alternative hip-hop jazz with lots of reverb. His music is a very beautiful ode to the deepest emotions of suffering, hence the name King Krule. I have mad respect for Archy for the sound he’s expressed and developed though the years. Incredible voice and truly talented human being. “The Ooz” further shows that development and is creative & theatrical. The live band he has along side with him makes for an absolutely killer show. He recently added a saxophone player and dj. The drummer, George, is greatness. Wish I could see for myself unfortunately Archy has never come to Texas, making it a goal to see him in 2018. Archy changed my life in 2012 when I heard his “King Krule EP”(2011), then again in 2013 with “6 Feet Beneath The Moon” and then again in 2015 with “ A New Place 2 Drown” (Archy Marshall) and now again in 2017 with “The Ooz”.
https://www.youtube.com/user/kingkrulevideo/videos
Twitter: N/A – Instagram: N/A – Website: Kingkrule.co.uk/
Soul Juice – “ Sunhas Kiasu” – October 1, 2017
Artists: Adam Upton, Caleb Boback / San Diego, CA – Boulder, CO
Mystic Liquid Records
Tracks: 1 – “Imaginary Space”, 2 – “Desert Nights”, 3 – “Moons Of Neptune”, 4 – “Moving Pictures”, 5 – “Deadhead”, 6 – “I Want You”, 7 – “Floating Forests”, 8 – “Bouncing”, 9 – “Sunshine”, 10 – “Going Home”, 11 – “Hall Of Secrets”
“Sunhas Kiasu” really surprised me, this is their 3rd album and showed me a new side to Soul Juice. Pretty different approach to anything I’ve heard from them before, in this album they infuse elements of; psychedelia, jazz, funk, downtempo and house. Anything I had heard from them before had been heavily inspired by The Grateful Dead and other jam type music. In this album they seemed to entertain all ideas and inspiration that came while they travelled on the road from their home in San Diego to all the way east and back, to their new current home in Boulder. The album begins with bright psychedelic sounds, all the kind of shit I really like, synths goin off, slide guitar taking you to a different dimension. All the instruments play together so nicely and fuse with Adam’s voice. A heavier baseline picks up in “Moons Of Neptune” with a clean guitar jam moving the sound to an expanded airy spacey sound – shifting full gear into intergalactic house groove “Moving Pictures”. “Deadhead” is the more obvious soul juice sounding song on this record, but then they switch up the vibe completely with the rest of them album which is what opens new doors for this group. I love that they mixed it up and experimented, makes me so excited for what else this group has to create.
https://souljuicemusic.bandcamp.com – https://soundcloud.com/souljuicemusic
Twitter: @souljuicemusic – Instagram: @souljuicemusic – Website: souljuicemusic.com
TroyBoi – “Left Is Right” – August 25, 2017
Artist: Troy Henry / South London, London
T Dot Music / Sunset Entertainment Group
Tracks: 1 – “B.I.A”, 2 – “What You Know”, 3 – “Hooper” (ft. Healthy Chill), 4 – “Her” (ft. Nefera & Y.A.S), 5 – “Back To The Wall”, 6 – “Wavey”, 7 – “Tender Love”, 8 – “Interlude – Jammin Sessions Vol 808” (ft. Jim Beans), 9 – “ili”, 10 – “Kurta Kente”, 11 – “KinjaBang”, 12 – “Dark Lawd”, 13 – “Flamez”, 14 – “Mantra”, 15 – “Snobby” (ft. Icekream), 16 – “Get Money”, 17 – “Grimey”, 18 – “Sensei”, 19 – “Look At Me” (ft. Ice Cube), 20 – “O.G”
First studio album. TroyBoi has always stood out to me more than any other electronic trap artist. These tracks are so filthy but fresh at the same time. Some of these songs were released before this album came together this year, like “O.G” and “ili”. His electronic trap bass infuses a nature atmosphere that has hints of middle eastern & ethereal sounds with roots of r&b or hip hop at times. This album, being his first shows who he really is as an artist. Each song delivers a unique energy but stays cohesive with the flow track by track. I honestly can’t pick a favorite from this album, although I find myself listening to ‘Mantra’ often, I love them all in their own way, there’s also no weak link in the album. He really did his thing and spent quality time on this album.
https://www.facebook.com/troyboimusic/ – https://soundcloud.com/troyboi
Twitter: @troyboimusic – Instagram: @troyboi_music – Website: troyboimusic.com
Washed Out – “Mister Mellow” – June 30, 2017
Artist: Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr. / Perry, GA
Stones Throw Records
Tracks: 1 – “Title Card”, 2 – “Burn Out Blues”, 3 – “Time Off”, 4 – “Floating By”, 5 – “ I’ve Been Daydreaming My Entire Life”, 6 – “Hard To Say Goodbye”, 7 – “Down And Out”, 8 – “ Instant Calm”, 9 – “Zonked”, 10 – “Get Lost”, 11 – “Easy Does It”, 12 – “Million Miles Away”
Instant classic for me. This is a feel good album and flows easily from one song to the next. This artists name describes his music perfectly. All the songs on here feel very vintage with the old school house vibes he creates to the voices he samples in the background. He has a visual representation for each song, he had multiple artists help create, which was reallllly dope to see it all integrated together. The major essence of this record is practically about unplugging from life for a little while and vibing out instead of getting lost in the unconscious hectic-ness of today’s digital world. My favorites are; “I’ve Been Daydreaming My Entire Life”, “Hard To Say Goodbye”, “Zonked” and “Easy Does It”.
https://www.youtube.com/user/realwashedout/videos
Twitter: @realwashedout – Instagram: @realwashedout – Website: washedout.net/
FKJ – “French Kiwi Juice” – March 3, 2017
Artist: Vincent Fenton / Paris, France
Tracks: 1 – “We Ain’t Feeling Time”, 2 – “Skyline”, 3 – “Better Give U Up”, *4 – “Go Back Home”, 5 – Vibin’ Out With (((O)))”, 6 – “Canggu”, 7 – “Blessed”, 8 – “Die With A Smile”, 9 – “Lying Together – interlude”, 10 – “Lying Together”, 11 – “Joy”, 12 – “Why Are There Boundaries”
This is French artist FKJ’s debut album. What a great start for a first album…He’s a multi-instrumentalist with a bouncy, soulful, electronic-jazz sound. He creates all the sounds you hear either by playing & looping them or by adding in samples. The whole essence of this album is mellow and sounds like a sunny day spent in a garden.
“Better Give U Up” has a slick jazzy groove to it and his voice just sounds like sweet honey oozing all over the track, probably one of my favorites along with, “Blessed” I really dig the guitar rhythm on that track. “Go Back Home” is definitely a top one for me, the balance between all the sounds is perfect. All the songs are phenomenal though. The piano and groove to this whole album reminds me something of old school 50’s jazz but with a Hawaiian & urban rooted twist and of course with a more current vibe. Very elegantly done, really glad I found Vincent’s music this year – through the increasingly abundant talk about him since the release of “French Kiwi Juice”.
Website: www.frenchkiwijuice.com/ – https://soundcloud.com/fkj-2 –
Twitter: @fkjmusic Instagram: @frenchkiwijuice
https://www.facebook.com/frenchkiwijuice/
Thanks for reading, more content to come soon.
email me if you’d like to be notified for future posts. amraredzic15@gmail.com
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