Hi, it’s Karla and I’m writing to you about my favorite time of year: year-ender season. I spend my whole year gearing up for this exact moment; countless hours drowning my ears in noise to find the little bits and pieces of sweetness that bring me joy. The last few weeks have been dedicated to compiling a list of what I listened to this year and sorting through that list with my carefully crafted system of judgement that ultimately determines my top 5 albums of the year.
How do I pick my top 5? I have three general criteria that I follow:
- How the album made me feel. Did I laugh? Did I cry? Did I feel any emotions at all?
- How often did I listen to this album? If I listened to it 1 million times, I probably really fucking liked it, right?
- Do I think it’s a musically solid album, from start to finish? Is it innovative, new, a stand-out for the band? Objectively, what are its merits?
With that, I present to you my top 5 albums from 2017:
- Kamasi Washington – Harmony in Difference
I know this is “technically” an EP but I had to include it. 2015’s The Epic was truly, EPIC. But at 173 minutes, I found the triple volume album to be hard to swallow in one sitting. I thought Kamasi brought jazz back, and that was truly amazing. Not that jazz went anywhere, but I feel like it became “old timey” for newer generations and ultimately lost its fire. I contribute some of this to the minimal vocals you hear in jazz — lyrics are everything for a large majority of people; the instrumentation just the glue holding the song together. The thing is though, jazz is and always has been FIRE. Out of all music genres that I enjoy, jazz is one that I never tire of listening to, one that always makes me feel like i’m living in an alternate universe that is beautiful and emotional and accepting. And Kamasi takes what is most impressive about jazz and brings it to a whole other level. In “Harmony in Difference” you can feel the passion, the anger, and the peace with every key stroke and drum pattern. This album takes me from valley to mountain peak, and tells a story that I’m honored to have heard.
Stand out track: Knowledge
- Faith Healer – Try 😉
This band was new to me in 2017 and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of them before. It started with my discovering “Sugarglider” by Renny Wilson, another album I couldn’t stop listening to this year. One thing lead to another and I found Faith Healer. While I listened to “Cosmic Troubles” as much as “Try ;-)”, the latter really made my year. As I stumbled out of a particularly horrible year, “Try ;-)” said all of the things that I was feeling, and made me feel like having feelings was okay. It was incredibly relatable and comforting, and was one of the albums that got me to pick up my guitar again and write down some lyrics even if I thought they were shitty, because if I keep trying, I know I can do it.
Stand out track: Try 😉
- Hand Habits – Wildly Idle
This album came to be during a time when I particularly depressed but making a concerted effort to come out of the depression. I have vivid memories of listening to this while driving back and forth from Madison, WI to Chicago at night, as the harsh winter rolled past me and I quietly spent 8 months with myself and pretty much only myself. That’s where “can you even stand it being alone?/then why won’t you demand it?/don’t you wanna watch it grow?” really hit me in the gut. This genre of music is the type that I feel immediately at home with, so it was no surprise that I felt so close to this album. Meg Duffy has such an attention to detail with this album, every turn further proving that she can take a quiet, bedroom album and turn it into something complex and striking. I definitely cried at least once while listening to this, but not a sad cry, more like a “holy shit this is so touching and i totally feel this hard” kind of cry. This album joined me as I dug myself out of the shit, and now i’m happy.
Stand out track: Demand It
- TOPS – Sugar at the Gate
This album made it onto my top 5 for a few reasons. 1. I fucking loved it. 2. I’ve been following TOPS for a while now, and it’s so exciting to see how their sound develops over time. 3. It’s insanely good. I think “Sugar at the Gate” is TOPS’s best album to date and their previous albums perfectly lead up to this release. It is such a rewarding listen, from beginning to end. I spent so many hours walking around the city and blasting this album in my headphones, which I feel is the proper way to listen to this album. Sometimes I found myself boogie-ing down the streets, other times I found myself getting lost because I was so engrossed in what I was listening to. I personally think this album is a masterpiece. Jane Penny’s ability to write poetically about rather simple concepts is something I deeply envy and what I find most touching about this album. Instrumentally, this album is fucking fantastic — it’s fun, it’s complex, it’s tight, it SLAPS. I can’t help but dance when I hear “Petals” and I can’t help but cry when I hear “I Just Wanna Make You Real”. TOPS has been and continues to be my #1 favorite band.
Stand out track: Further
- Homeshake – Fresh Air
And now, my #1 album of the year. I’ve been following Homeshake for a while now. “The Homeshake Tape” was one of the most interesting and new things I’d heard at the time it came out, and I was hooked. Homeshake became one of those artists who’s next release I anxiously awaited. When “Fresh Air” came out, it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before, so much so that I actually put it down after the first listen to process. It wasn’t until my friend Sadie texted me one day to talk about “Fresh Air” that I decided to give the album a second listen, and boy am I glad I did because after that I couldn’t get away from it. This album pulls together all of the elements of music that I love and pushes out a smooth, slappy, and sexy 43 minutes. Peter has an impressive vocal range and an amazing ability to create a unique and exciting listening experience. Every corner of this album keeps me deeply engaged but doesn’t overwhelm me, a very delicate balance that is rare for me to find in an album. Please do yourself a favor and listen to this album.
Stand out tracks: Getting Down Part II (He’s Cooling Down), TV Volume, Khmlwugh
What about shows?!
Though I didn’t go to as many as I usually do, this year was still a great year for concerts. I lived in two cities, which meant two music scenes and double the shows! These are my top 3 shows of 2017:
- Lvl Up with Palm and Trophy Dad at The Frequency in Madison, WI: It was at this show that I confirmed that one of my college roommates was, in fact, the drummer in Spook Houses, a pre-lvl up lvl up band. I never believed him, so I decided to ask if it was true, and the whole band confirmed that they knew him well and he was once their drummer. I believe you now, Andrew! Sorry!
- Horse Lords with Creative Healing and Pie in the Sky at Hojoko in Fenway: I’ve always loved Horse Lords, so I knew this show was gonna be sick. Well it was even sicker than I thought! Creative Healing killed it and Pie in the Sky was awesome. The best part is that we were in a sushi restaurant and everyone there eating was definitely having a horrible experience while I happily soaked it all in. I was also rather sleep deprived at this show which made it an out of this world experience.
- TOPS with Faith Healer and J. Elise Barbara at Great Scott in Allston: I think you all could have predicted at this point that this show was my #1. The vibe at all TOPS shows is always incredibly fun and full of super happy people. It is so exciting for me to see so many people dancing and freaking out and loving every second of their time watching TOPS. Faith Healer was a band I hadn’t seen live before, so I was also extremely excited for them and they did NOT disappoint. Rene can really shred! And lastly, I was very eager to hear J. Elise Barbara’s new sound, and oooof was it slamming. I seriously danced my booty off and got to spend time with friends I hadn’t seen in a long while. The best kind of show.
Thanks for reading. Find my other reviews of various types of things at: synopsesandreviews.com