2017 Favorite Albums (Numbers 20-11)

Continuing my countdown, and getting close to the top:

20.  Cymbals - Light In Your Mind

Downsizing from a quartet to now a duo, Cymbals' third record Light In Your Mind is a record that dwells on breakups, betrayals, grief, and decay.  Needless to say, it is much more muted affair than the dance-floor ready tracks on their last LP The Age of Fracture.  While these songs won't readily make you grab your dancing shoes, they will certainly linger long in gorgeous contemplation.





19.  Bjork - Utopia

Bjork self-described this album as her "Tinder record," and while the thought of her on a dating app is rather hysterical, it does lend some insight into what to expect.  Far removed from the dark, introspection of Vulnicura, Utopia finds Bjork, if not necessarily in love, in love with the idea of love.  And this translates into some amazingly intricate, hopeful love songs.





18.  Tove Lo - BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II)

Tove Lo is the undisputed queen of debaucherous pop songs.  This collection finds her deep in the throes of excess and self-gratification, and making no apology for it.







17.  Everything Everything - A Fever Dream

The world gets crazier and crazier, and Manchester quartet Everything Everything's albums follow suit, with their latest A Fever Dream no exception.  Hyper-manic, paranoid, surreal songscapes punctuate this album, putting one at edge, but never to the point of collapse.  I want to say there is a bright light at the end of this album, that there is hope, but in these times, that might be a luxury we are not privy to.




16.  The Horrors - V

Hard to believe this band started out as an almost schlocky retro-60s garage rock act that has since transformed into a post-rock, krautrock, shoegazing powerhouse.   V, their fifth record, doesn't leap out at you at first, as The Horrors' days of constant reinvention has slowed down.  instead, it is like the perfect distillation of their past strengths into something unifying and brilliant.





15.  Spoon - Hot Thoughts

Spoon is at that stage in their career where they don't really have anything left to prove.  They could continue to release versions of Kill the Moonlight or Gimme Fiction, and no one would mind.  Of course, the band minds, and they continue to stray outside the lines of what makes them "Spoon."  Hot Thoughts finds the band funkier and groovier, with lots of chugging riffs and slinky bass lines.  There is also more reliance on electronics, which add to the allure of these songs rather than detract.




14.  Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 3

I will never make a claim that I get or understand hip-hop and what makes someone's flow better than another's.  I just like to be engaged and usually form my opinion off of the beats themselves.  The beats here are impressively dense and mind-blowing.  And Killer Mike and El-P effortless flow over them, feeling more focused, energetic, and pissed off than ever before.





13.  Sylvan Esso - What Now

If it's not broken don't fix it.  Sylvan Esso heed that warning on their fun, sparkling sophomore album.  More catchy, folktronica tracks that engage the mind and shake the booty.








12.  Drake - More Love

Drake's "playlist" More Life shows more guts and talent than anything off his last commercial release VIEWS, which was a tone-deaf, glutted mess.  The various songs on this release are loose, engaging, and teeming with creativity.    "Passionfruit" is so off the cuff, it sounds like he just started singing over some Garageband presets; and it sounds fantastic.   More of this please, Drake!





11.  SZA - ctrl

2017 was the year for amazing R&B albums from female artists.  But even saying just R&B is too limiting with the artists who appear on my list this year.  SZA certainly makes some lovely R&B tracks, but that neglects her forays into confessional singer-songwriter territory, hip-hop, alt-rock, pop, and electronica.  And throughout it all, ctrl never sounds like a mish-mash.  Her vision is singular, and awe inspiring.

Jam of the Day: Cymbals - "Decay"

Lead single from Cymbals' sophomore album Light in Your Mind, "Decay" is a haunting rumination on life and death and lingers long in the memory.

Videos of the Week

Here they are, you have been waiting for them, the videos of the week:



Live footage mixed with urban imagery highlights this gorgeous track from CYMBALS.



Sam Smith is involved in a love triangle in this slick video for his tender ballad.



Basement Jaxx didn't just return to form, they came back blazing with their new single "Unicorn." The single now gets a candy-colored animated video.



Michigan post-punkers Bars of Gold get their faces morphed in this cool clip.



Gorgeous clip from Young & Sick.

Videos of the Week

Here are the videos that gave me artificial resuscitation after a horrific work week:



Aussie duo The Presets imagine the dance floor as a violent world in this video.



Interesting, almost mini-movie like video from Owen Pallett.



Stark ballad from Lykke Li gets an equally stark video.



Abstract video from Hundred Waters.



Striking clip from new wave artpoppers CYMBALS.



Black and white performance clip from Esben and the Witch, showcasing a meatier sound.

Album Review: CYMBALS - The Age Of Fracture

CYMBALS
The Age Of Fracture
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

British four piece CYMBALS released their debut record Unlearn in 2011, a collection of early Talking Heads-influenced art-pop, leaning more on angular guitars and stuttering rhythms. For their sophomore record, the band has slightly changed up their sound, pushing the guitars to the background and the synthesizers to the forefront, making for a more dance leaning album. The title of the record refers to a book written by Daniel T. Rodgers, who posited that after World War II, society underwent a change of purpose, from one of closely knit society to one of individualism, where categories of social reality have been fractured and destabilized. These 11 tracks speak to that hypothesis, ruminating on alienation in a modern world. Where previously the band gave off its energy in short, powerful bursts, here the band opens things up, letting the music hit more elegant grooves. Drawing influence from early New Order and The Cure, with glimpses of Depeche Mode, The Chameleons, and other 80s new wave and post-pink stalwarts, The Age of Fracture sounds like a record from that time but never sounds dated, given a more modern sheen.

The album starts out with the dreamy "Winter '98," with haunting washes of synths over brittle guitars as the drums kick into a lockstep groove.



Bouncy synths enliven first single "A Natural World," which erupts into a killer chorus.



The rest of the record hits many high points, especially where they draw from the past, but update it from today's perspective. From the lilting and funky leanings of "Empty Space;"



epic 9 minute track "Like An Animal" which carries itself along an insistent groove, with icy synths pushing up against atmospheric guitars;



to the driving, New Order-esque "Erosion."



The only time the record falters is when tracks settle into too much groove with not enough melody or contrast to make the tracks move forward. "You Are," while pleasant, floats along with little purpose or resolve. "The 5%" is jaunty 80s new wave pop, however, its technicolor sheen is more distracting than enveloping. And "The City" is a meandering, guitar-led track that suffers from a monochrome vocal from lead singer Jack Cleverly.

But these tracks, while not standouts, don't detract much from the majority of the record which maintains a consistently bright tone. The Age of Fracture is a solid collection of tracks, showing the band knows how to take from each record and move their sound to new areas without completely forsaking where they started. It is a fresh take on what could have been a rote exercise in 90s music navel-gazing. Instead, it is an often beguiling set of tracks that adapts its influences into something fresh and exciting.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.