Frownland's Top 20 Albums of 2017 (featuring 17 honourable mentions)
 

2018 is here. Something about fresh slates and all that inspiring **** or whatever. How about looking back at the year and stuff. If you know me this will probably seem like a pretty predictable list. Or maybe it won't be. I in no way listened to everything this year, so it is in no way a complete list, so recommendations and stringent criticism of my ranking are welcome. You do have my guarantee that every album on this list is excellent.

So many questions. Will my own albums be on the list? Is my list even finalized? Does anyone even give a ****? Is this the first entry?

Well it's the first entry, but I'm going to start posting about the albums tomorrow.

Top Albums
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17.
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9.
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1.

If you haven’t listened to SAICOBAB stop the presses.

You should do what I do. Start posting albums and then stop for like 9 days.

This will be an interesting list.

I'm going to start with my honourable mentions. The honourable mentions will be done as a collection, so they're not in any particular order. The top 20 will be ranked, though.



Faust is a force of nature barreling along at full capacity and when they stop, they'll keep echoing until music itself ends.

The album's opener is the strong point on this album as it's full of gorgeous drones on strings and electronics punctuated by spoken word and operatic singing and percussion that turns into that classic pulsing rock sound that they're known for. The tracks in between are great as well too. La Poulie has some really awesome percussion moments and Cloryphyl has badass percussion throughout. Lights Flicker gets especially punky with the screechy sax and female vocals full of immediacy and attitude over the driving drums and guitar. The closer takes on a darker and jazzier element with angrier male spoken word and trumpet. It touches on fusion-era Miles sound before breaking back into those Faustal rhythms and synth and cello melodies to close out the album.

Faust never waste any time with their music. Their songs are extended and full of improvisations, but it's never done without purpose or played without thoughtfulness. Faust owns their invention and boasts exciting new features. It's easy to forget about new material from bands like Faust on the strength of their old material, but any fan of Faust or krautrock in general needs to hear this album as it's the high quality music that you can expect from such a powerhouse.


Rating: Dank as ****

Zappi is has been at it for coming up on 50 ****ing years and that’s a no bull**** seriously good high energy record.

A little deep in the sauce tonight?

Yup. See "Your Day".

I want to start off by saying that I hate the term nu jazz. Here's a quote for those that don't know what nu jazz is "Nu Jazz is to (traditional) Jazz what punk or grunge was to Rock, of course. [...] The songs are the focus, not the individual prowess of the musicians. Nu Jazz instrumentation ranges from the traditional to the experimental, the melodies are fresh, and the rhythms new and alive. It makes Jazz fun again." Stupid as hell right? Jazz can only thrive when it has new blood and ideas, and these idiots think that just because jazz came to fruition before the advent of readily available electronic instruments that adding electronics demands a new subgenre.

Anyway, really ****ing nice jazz record here. Very soulful, melancholy, and chill with especially virtuosic keys, hip hop rhythms, and the occasional vocalist. It's not typically an album I'd return to but it's a great go to that hasn't worn on me since I've found it and it's a good album to throw on in mixed company. I don't really have much to say about it tbh but it's super solid.

Well, it sounds a little different, doesn’t it? I know the musicians often dislike being pigeonholed and I understand your point. The trouble starts when people start writing off entire subgenres. That’s why I’m happy that people with taste take the time to share what they learned wading through it all. I’m trying to do the same thing with my journal. I know, of course, others are too.

Thing is that jazz has enough diversity to accommodate for different sounds without greatly changing what the genre is. You have to do more than incorporate electronic instruments for a genre that's built on freedom and new ideas, at least in my eyes.

I still dig a lot under the nu jazz umbrella, I just contest the idea of the genre.

That’s cool.

Isn't nu jazz just hip-hop with jazz samples? I always thought of DJ Krush, Nujabes, DJ Food, Herbaliser, etc as nu jazz, but maybe I've been using the term wrong or perhaps it's just a very loose genre. Anyways, that's dank as ****, I really quite like that.

In this installment of "Frownland stalls until he finalizes his actual list"...
J.I.D.'s on the come up and that dude can seriously spit. The Never Story has some good tracks and a couple of straight skippers, but none of them match the dark sound on this track. His voice kind of reminds me of someone, not sure who...


DAMN. is trash and so are you for thinking otherwise, but this track goes hard as ****. You know, I probably wouldn't be so hard on DAMN. if it didn't kick off with a dick tease like this track. Don't set the stage for something great and lead into a whimper. Humble's aight but it isn't enough to make up for the rest.

DNA. isn't even the best track on the album. It might be one of the two big commercial bangers, but he did better on the rest of the album.

lil boosie?

I covered this already.

That track “Never” is really some fantastic next level **** and that video is crazy good btw

I'm sorry, I don't take bull**** opinions seriously. Can you try again, only with the correct opinion - something like "DAMN. was sick, I'm growing into it because I have some taste in music and I don't know why I've spent so much time with my head completely lodged up my own ass" would be perfectly acceptable. Thanks.

I think you missed the concept of that segment.

If I don't have an honorable mention then I will riot

even as a kendrick fanboy i can assure you that DAMN. was indeed nothing special

if it somebody else released it i reckon it would go down as a run of the mill mainstream hip hop project, but since it was kendrick everyone has a hard on for it.

Sorry, honourable mentions only.

I appreciate that he's willing to branch out like that with his foray into more soulful territory, but his soul is boring and cringey. Keep it in your pants or give us bangers, K-Dot.

As someone who doesn't identify as a Kendrick fanboy, I can assure you that everything you just said is wrong. Lol.

It's 2 to 1, I guess you just have bad taste, holmes.

Yeah, but the 2 in question don't know what good music is, so I definitely do got taste, bruh.

Solid case.

I don't think DAMN. is that great either man. Nobody dislikes my taste.

Right back at ya.

Til now.

http://replygif.net/i/1253.gif

We get it. You like a record. Hooray.

Yep, and you don't.

https://media.giphy.com/media/Vff5Qxz6LLzag/giphy.gif

I think TPAB made him tired and he just wants to find out the minimum amount of effort needed to be able to sell a record.

If you backed up your opinion on it beyond "I like it" then maybe we wouldn't treat you like a ****boi for "defending" it.

Lol I'm just keeping it on your level, ****boi.

Then actually talk about the record or bring something to the conversation like I did instead of your childish "nuh uh"s.

But you didn't I don't think aside from briefly stating that you disliked the soulful side of the record. Aside from that one comment, you've done the same exact thing that you're now criticizing against. You actually do that a lot, which leads me to believe you don't have much self awareness, so let me be the first to help you out. When you engage in talking **** like you have, people are generally going to snap back on the same level without regard to the discussion that you now seem to be interested in having.

I've made my piece about why I think you're underrating the record, and your responses weren't much better than what we're seeing right now. Otherwise, I'll save my thoughtful responses for someone who seems more ready to actually deal in such things. Thank you for your concern though.

That is a huge reason for me not getting into the album and I only left it at that one comment because nobody else took me up on it. It goes both ways, you know.

I didn't respond in the Kendrick thread because I was satisfied with your answer to my question even though the reasons you cited were identical to the reasons I dislike the album.

Then don't comment at all or at least avoid being so damn repetitive with it.

I'd like to hear why you like the record.