best of Pink Matter's 2017 Best Of | Update: Albums 10-1 | FINISHED!

[Unoriginal]

I never knew there was so much Susanne love on here?

[Maddox]

Aside from Andromeda, didn't go back to Gorillaz's album much

 

I'm mad the Mura Masa/Christine collab didn't have much replay value :/ overall his album was ok (Nuggets is a bop tho)

 

Susanne  

[Pink Matter]

So unfortunately, I've decided to skip today's update since I'm really tired and haven't had the chance to do any write ups. I'll do the next 10 albums tomorrow instead though. So I'll be doing albums 45-36 tomorrow. See you then  

 

Spoiler

@Kang. @DangerousSwiftie @theblackestday @ultraviolence.xx @Eeveelution @Same Ol' Mistakes @Pacaveli @Love Drought @Maddox @Tom Vercetti @Mark Rih @Unoriginal @Lucas32 @Vxspertine @jose168 @Zay @Wicked @Phoenixstar @MP2K @Kiss It Better @Lazuli @montrealxo @Reinvention @rvx @madonnas @TRF. @volition @Navyofbadgals @Playa Playa @TayRianaPH

 

[Nikko]

Luv is Rage 2 was cute 

[TRF.]

Love to see Susanne! Sad it is low, but still better than nothing.  Mura Masa, Gorillaz and Lil Uzi were nice too!

[Pink Matter]

6 hours ago, DangerousSwiftie said:

Luv Is Rage II is great

Sure is  

 

2 hours ago, Maddox said:

Aside from Andromeda, didn't go back to Gorillaz's album much

 

I'm mad the Mura Masa/Christine collab didn't have much replay value :/ overall his album was ok (Nuggets is a bop tho)

 

Susanne  

Not when Busted and Blue is the song right after it  

I was never big on Christine and the Queens but I heard that one underwhelmed a lot of people.

 

53 minutes ago, Nikko said:

Luv is Rage 2 was cute 

Yep  

 

52 minutes ago, TRF. said:

Love to see Susanne! Sad it is low, but still better than nothing.  Mura Masa, Gorillaz and Lil Uzi were nice too!

If Susanne had a bit more replay value for me it would have been much higher  

[Pink Matter]

Top 50 Best Albums of 2017

 

Albums 45-36

 

45) Why?|Moh Lhean

Genre: Indie Pop, Indie Rock

 

 

All my desire
To what I aspire
When I expire
Down dirtward all my hunger
In fire burn my anger
And collapse my stature

 

Moh Lhean is a hard, yet intriguing listen. It's hard to describe, in terms of production, what the intentions of the artist was. But I think that's what I liked the most about this album. Every time I listened to this album, I was wondering, what the hell did I just listen to? On the other hand, I could feel the album opening up, unfolding itself and the contents of the album to me after each repeated listen. The production is dazzling and allows many of the songs to blend into each other seamlessly (This Ole King-Proactive Evolution-Easy for instance) and the lyrics on this album make constant references to death, and rebirth and rejuvenation. A cathartic release for Yoni Wolf I'm sure, and one for whichever listener can relate to the content.

 

Listen to: Proactive Evolution, One Mississippi, George Washington

 

 

44) Thundercat|Drunk

Genre: Neo-Soul, Psychedelic Soul

 

 

Sometimes you have to let go
To free fall away
I won't judge you anymore
'Cause sometimes I needed to
Free fall far away
Out of sight, out of mind

 

Being honest, I don't really remember myself enjoying Thundercat's 2013 release Apocalypse all that much. But the acclaimed 33 year-old bass guitarist seemed like that artist that I just had to get into. So when I first saw he was dropping new music, I decided to give his next release a much more open-minded listen. Show You The Way ended up being the slow jam I didn't know I needed and I couldn't wait for the release  With Drunk, we received quite the hectic and chaotic fusion of jazz, Neo-Soul/R&B, and I love the psychedelic vibes mixed into the instrumentation. While the record is great to kick back and vibe to, it can get quite ridiculous, both in terms of the production and lyrics. On the second track alone Captain Stupido, Bruner repeatedly sings, Comb your beard, brush your teeth/Still feel weird/Beat your meat, go to sleep throughout the entirety of the song. Simply put, Tokyo just sounds annoying  Some of this album sounds too kooky, almost to the point where it's annoying to listen to and I'd rather skip to the next track. Nevertheless, with tracks like Lava Lamp, Walk On By, the aforementioned Show You The Way, Drink Dat, and a plethora of other songs (some of which I'll be recommending), it's worth getting through the annoying parts of this album to get to the sweet spots that allow us to delve into the psyche of Thundercat himself.

 

Listen to: A Fan's Mail (Tron Song Suite II), Jethro, Friend Zone, Drunk

 

43) Oxbow|Thin Black Duke

Genre: Art Rock, Experimental Rock, Noise Rock

 

 

Not much to say here except this is one of my favorite rock albums of 2017. When it comes to rock music as a whole, I look for something with crazy sick instrumentation or something that's really dreamy or rhythmic, or a mixture of all of that. With Oxbow's Thin Black Duke, I received the former, and couldn't have been more satisfied. From the very first song Cold & Well-Lit Place, this 8-track album didn't let up for a second. At times, it felt like I was being assaulted by a myriad of sounds that I can barely describe, as  well as almost unintelligible guttural-like howls and screams coming from the vocalist. This makes it all the better for me though, because I can kick back and focus on the instrumentation instead. Unfortunately, this didn't have the staying power I'd have liked for. But whenever I do come back to this, it always ends as a satisfying listen  

 

Listen to: Ecce Home, Letter of Note

 

42) dvsn|Morning After

Genre: Alt. R&B

 

 

Tell me what it's gonna take for you to stay
You ain't gotta do a thing
No you can just lay here with me tonight
You can just lay here, roll up and stay here

 

The decline!! This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2017 since I loved their debut album from the year prior.  That being said, I do still enjoy the album they put forth. I think what did this album in for me was that they had a stark change in the style of production they sang over. With their debut album Sept. 5th, it was what one considered stereotypical Alt. R&B. The thing is, they did that style very well. The sound was expansive, dynamic, and fully engaging. With Morning After, dvsn traded that sound for a more subdued, contemporary R&B sound one would have heard in the early 2000's. It's not bad, and at times, the songs are pulled off amazingly, but the album lacks the punch that their debut album offered. I think what this does offer, is more focus on the singer Daniel Daley. It's weird; though I prefer their debut, I cared more for the production than Daley. With their sophomore effort, Daley is front and center and the star of the show.

 

Listen to: Nuh Time/Tek Time, Think About Me, Body Smile

 

41) Daniel Caesar|Freudian

Genre: R&B, Soul

 

 

We don't punish the tiger for catching it's prey
So how am I the one to blame
If it's in my nature?

 

One of my favorite new R&B discoveries of 2017, here we have the debut album by Toronto native Daniel Caesar. It's going to seem weird saying this, but the problem I found with dvsn straying away from their Alt. R&B sound on their debut is what makes me like this. I suppose in the case of dvsn, they found a sound that worked very well for them and kind of ditched it. With Freudian, Caesar seems at home singing over this gospel-tinged debut and makes sure to fill every space on this album with warmth and soul. When I first listened to this, I thought it wasn't really anything special because it didn't conform to the box that I wanted to put it in and left it rot tbh. But that's what makes it so special. Because it doesn't fit into the box known as Alt. R&B by going back to the basics, it stands out that much more. After a while, I came back to this record because Kali Uchis and Syd, their collective power and began to let this album swim over me. Something eventually hit me and I began to get hooked by it. One of the things I love about this is the feeling it gives me. I don't necessarily love going to church, but I love the feeling it gives me (if that makes sense) and Daniel makes me feel those things. Another thing is how the last three tracks on the album sort of act as a reprise of the first three and sort of get interpolated. I had to play them back to make sure I wasn't hearing things. Beautiful voice, lyrics, and production. If I had listened to this with a more open mind earlier when it was released, it would be much higher.

 

Listen to: Best Part (feat. H.E.R.), Hold Me Down, Take Me Away (feat. Syd)

 

40) Ronika|Lose My Cool

Genre: Electropop, R&B

 

 

So if you want my love
You know it's not enough
To hold me through the night
Then keep me out of sight

 

The first time I listened to this, I did a double take. I looked into the artist since she was someone I had no idea about and saw she was an English artist from London. As soon as the first song started to play, I thought I was being fooled and was listening to a K-Pop album.  I had to search up the songs on YouTube to make sure the songs were what I was supposed to be listening to. Moving past my initial shock, I immediately started to enjoy myself. It's nothing but bops to get your life to  Great melodies, great hooks, and great bubbly production that has been sorely missing from pop music throughout 2017. At a tall 16-tracks, there's really no misses here. If you like K-Pop/R&B, this is right up your alley. Even if you aren't, this is definitely a great album to listen to if you're simply a fan of pop music.

 

Listen to: Lose My Cool, All Comes Back 2 U

 

39) Father John Misty|Pure Comedy

Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Rock

 

 

Eventually the dying man takes his final breath
But first checks his news feed to see what he's 'bout to miss
And it occurs to him a little late in the game
We leave as clueless as we came

 

Now THIS was a huge decline. For starters, I Love You Honeybear was my 2015 Album of the Year, so when I heard Josh was coming with another album, I was extremely excited. But then I had my first listen of this album and I was sorely disappointed. In hindsight, the album was never really bad. It was just the dumpster fire known as Leaving LA that really pissed me off (I remember falling asleep when the song started and woke up and the song was barely half over ) and made me hate the album. So after that first listen, I decided to just put the album away for the next couple of months. After time passed, I got back into the singles and remembered how much I enjoyed them (namely Ballad of the Dying Man and Two Wildly Different Perspectives ) and decided to give the album another try, only to realize that it actually wasn't bad . Looking at the album from an instrumentation perspective, it's very similar to ILYH. But in terms of it's songwriting, it's very different. Cynical, sarcastic, and shrewd yet still passionate and open, FJM trades all of that and the more personal songwriting from his previous album for something that's less about him and more about the world around him. Ranging from topics like entertainment, capitalism, gender equality, U.S. politics and a plethora of other things, FJM's lyrics, still the main driving point of his music, is as sharp as ever. This would ultimately be higher, but Leaving LA is a thing so (no song should EVER be 13 minutes long ).

 

Listen to: Things It Would Have Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution, Smoochie

 

38) Foxygen|Hang

Genre: Progressive Pop, Baroque Pop

 

 

They say that Avalon's the land of dreams
Sometimes love just isn't what it seems

 

I didn't really know what to expect with this album since this is my first time listening to Foxygen. But I was very surprised when I got into it. There's a very apparent 70's throwback vibe that maks it great to listen to. The production/instrumentation being the highlight, here we have a fun, bouncy, and jolly album that, overall, had a vibe that made me want to come back to this album earlier in the year. Unfortunately, as time went on, I stopped coming back to it as frequently so that explains it's placement. But with 8 tracks, it makes for an easy listen and the quality here can't be faulted.

 

Listen to: Follow The Leader, Avalon

 

37) Charlotte Gainsbourg|Rest

Genre: Art Pop, Synthpop

 

 

So I don't really have much to say here since I don't understand most of the lyrics (the album is sung mostly in French) so I'll just say that at least in terms of production, this was a very well crafted album. Sometimes, it's really not important to know what the artist is saying because you can sometimes sense the feelings the artist is trying to convey. Also, when it comes to pop music, you can still enjoy the melodies the artist produces and that is more than enough to enjoy the album. 

 

Listen to: Deadly Valentine, Sylvia Says, Songbird in a Cage

 

36) Snoh Aalegra|FEELS

Genre: Pop Soul, R&B

 

 

Hey Mister
If I tell you what's on my mind
If I share you some of my light
Would you kindly share your knowledge?

 

After getting into Snoh through the EP she released in 2016, Don't Explain, she was most certainly on my radar and I had high hopes for her debut album. Thankfully, she did not disappoint. Much like the Don't Explain, Snoh continues to develop the 50's/60's vibe she has curated for herself thus far. Whereas an artist like Lana Del Rey used the time period to develop her musical identity as well, while Lana has alluded to the most well-known figures of these time periods in her music to connect them to herself, Ms. Aalegra merely uses the music of that time as a backdrop for the things she wants to say. This includes things like the uncertainties of life, the absolute certainty that we'll go through pain, love and falling in and out of it, among other things. Her voice is warm, smooth, and soothing. Like a cup of hot black tea (with honey and a squeeze of lemon) on a cold Winter morning, it's just perfect to listen to and fits just right with the instrumentation to make it pop even more.

 

Listen to: Worse, Out Of Your Way, Fool For You

[Pink Matter]

Album Recap (45-36)

 

Spoiler

36) Snoh Aalegra|FEELS

37) Charlotte Gainsbourg|Rest

38) Foxygen|Hang

39) Father John Misty|Pure Comedy

40) Ronika|Lose My Cool

41) Daniel Caesar|Freudian

42) dvsn|Morning After

43) Oxbow|Thin Black Duke

44) Thundercat|Drunk

45) Why?|Moh Lhean

46) Lil' Uzi Vert|Luv Is Rage 2

47) Aminé|Good For You

48) Mura Masa|s/t

49) Susanne Sundfør|Music For People In Trouble

50) Gorillaz|Humanz

 

Spoiler

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[Zay]

Need to check some of these out. I really liked Time but didn't realize Snoh already released! Nice to see Drunk on the list 

[Unoriginal]

The LLA shade is still rude but @ Josh making it

I prefer PC to ILYH

[Pink Matter]

2 hours ago, Zay said:

Need to check some of these out. I really liked Time but didn't realize Snoh already released! Nice to see Drunk on the list 

Time sounds magical  Check out the rec'd tracks (especially Fool For You). If you like those then check the album out!

 

2 hours ago, Unoriginal said:

The LLA shade is still rude but @ Josh making it

I prefer PC to ILYH

LLA is 10 mins too long  

And we're going to have to disagree there  

[Playa Playa]

You are right...Apocalypse wasn't all that. Drunk was a nice step up but Them Changes is still my fave Thundercat song lol. 

 

Freudian is very very good for a debut (better than all of dvsn's catalogue fyi). Daniel has so much potential and I'm  glad he's giving us vocals, harmonies and good ol' cont-R&B. I was about to stan when I heard the interpolation of the classic "nayhoo" on Neu Roses!

 

[Dom]

father john misty in the only one I know, and I think it's perfect.

[Tom Vercetti]

Wasn't a fan of the new FJM unfortunately. 

Oxbow, Drunk, Rest  

Only heard Snoh's track with Vince. 

Morning After & Freudian had nice tracks but not that memorable albums for me. 

[MP2K]

I had high expectations from FEELS, Pure Comedy and Mura Mass, didn't really use.

Edited January 7, 2018 by MP2K

[Eeveelution]

Ms Charloatte  

 

idk.her.gif most of the others, maybe I will listen. FJM kinda sux this time tho, Noah Fence. :( 

[Alessandra]

I really need to check that Ronika album 

 

And that Daniel Caesar is so good! Glad you mentioned him coz I hadn't listened to it till now 

[Pink Matter]

1 hour ago, Playa Playa said:

You are right...Apocalypse wasn't all that. Drunk was a nice step up but Them Changes is still my fave Thundercat song lol. 

 

Freudian is very very good for a debut (better than all of dvsn's catalogue fyi). Daniel has so much potential and I'm  glad he's giving us vocals, harmonies and good ol' cont-R&B. I was about to stan when I heard the interpolation of the classic "nayhoo" on Neu Roses!

 

I had Freudian on repeat earlier today  Can't wait for what he's going to do later on. Gonna have to check out his other project later.

1 hour ago, Dom said:

father john misty in the only one I know, and I think it's perfect.

Make sure to check out any of the ones that seem the most appealing  At the very least, if you want some bops Ronika is the girl to go to  

 

1 hour ago, Tom Vercetti said:

Wasn't a fan of the new FJM unfortunately. 

Oxbow, Drunk, Rest  

Only heard Snoh's track with Vince. 

Morning After & Freudian had nice tracks but not that memorable albums for me. 

Check out Fool For You (I think it's my favorite song on the album ) if you like that, then I'd say give the album a shot  

 

31 minutes ago, MP2K said:

I had high expectations from FEELS, Pure Comedy and Mura Mass, didn't really use.

Most people didn't really care for PC or MM but that sucks you didn't care for FEELS all that much. I thought it built off of Don't Explain pretty well.

 

22 minutes ago, Eeveelution said:

Ms Charloatte  

 

idk.her.gif most of the others, maybe I will listen. FJM kinda sux this time tho, Noah Fence. :( 

Check out the FEELS and Freudian rec'd tracks. I think you'll like those. Surprised you didn't listen to the Thundercat album  

And poor Josh getting panned  

 

1 minute ago, Latinazza said:

I really need to check that Ronika album 

 

And that Daniel Caesar is so good! Glad you mentioned him coz I hadn't listened to it till now 

I think if you like the rec'd tracks I posted you'll certainly enjoy the album. It's more of the same  

And you should def finish his album. It's so good  

[Kiss It Better]

Freudian is so good

I don't really like dvsn's album idk why 

I need to get into Thundercat's album

[Love Drought]

Freudian is probably one of my favorite debut albums of last year  Usually I'd be turned off with the gospel tinged sound but you're right that it actually made it stand out from all the other R&B and Alternative R&B releases

Drunk is so good, I agree with the kooky parts in his lyrics but I think that's just part of his personality, I mean check his Twitter account or even some interviews on YouTube 

I actually liked Pure Comedy, well especially the lyrics but I can understand why most people didn't like it

Morning After was definitely a disappointment for me 

... 

I'll check out Foxygen and Ronika's albums

[Vxspertine]

Thundercat, Oxbow and Charlotte 

[Lazuli]

Drag FJM and Leaving LA a biT! They deserve it 

[Lazuli]

Drag FJM and Leaving LA a biT! They deserve it 

[Navyofbadgals]

Thundercat  

[Pink Matter]

8 hours ago, Love Drought said:

Freudian is probably one of my favorite debut albums of last year  Usually I'd be turned off with the gospel tinged sound but you're right that it actually made it stand out from all the other R&B and Alternative R&B releases

Drunk is so good, I agree with the kooky parts in his lyrics but I think that's just part of his personality, I mean check his Twitter account or even some interviews on YouTube 

I actually liked Pure Comedy, well especially the lyrics but I can understand why most people didn't like it

Morning After was definitely a disappointment for me 

... 

I'll check out Foxygen and Ronika's albums

I've only recently started to get hooked on Freudian  Gonna check out his earlier project some time later

I don't actually mind "kookiness" in general in music, I just think it's the way it's done on Drunk that I didn't like  

Foxygen's is 8 tracks so it'll be a fast listen while Ronika's is 16 tracks but it's fun almost the whole way through  

7 hours ago, Vxspertine said:

Thundercat, Oxbow and Charlotte 

All slays  

 

5 hours ago, Lazuli said:

Drag FJM and Leaving LA a biT! They deserve it 

LLA in particular. The rest of the album was pretty cute  

 

1 hour ago, Navyofbadgals said:

Thundercat  

Some great jams on his album  

 

OT: Albums 35-31 coming in a few hours. Check out the previous set if you haven't  

Spoiler

@Kang. @DangerousSwiftie @theblackestday @ultraviolence.xx @Eeveelution @Same Ol' Mistakes @Pacaveli @Love Drought @Maddox @Tom Vercetti @Mark Rih @Unoriginal @Lucas32 @Vxspertine @jose168 @Zay @Wicked @Phoenixstar @MP2K @Kiss It Better @Lazuli @montrealxo @Reinvention @rvx @madonnas @TRF. @volition @Navyofbadgals @Playa Playa @TayRianaPH @Clueless