Compared to the average and near-universal studio album length of 48 minutes, the albums on this list deviate from the industry standard by an average of 11 minutes. While this statistic may seem clouded by the factors of my personal album preference and slight over-generalizations with regards to the individual lengths of albums, it can accurately represent some of the trends seen in today’s music. With the advent of streaming services’ newfound dominant and influential role as the medium from which a majority of people listen to their music, the album as an art form appears more personal, accessible, and noticeably narratorial than ever. The grasp of the record industry’s control over contracted artists has rapidly softened from the decreased need for musicians to join one due to the instant access streaming services allow. Despite the issues streaming services need to fix moving into the New Year, they have granted musicians the ability to construct their art into the many grand concept albums and statement-pieces we saw in 2017 without interference from a record label: or as BROCKHAMPTON frontman Kevin Abstract so eloquently put it in a recent interview with MTV “Nobody buys albums anymore anyways, fuck it. We’re gonna put some shit out, and if people listen to it? Fuck it”.

Criteria

The albums and their respective rankings on this list are a reflection of my own personal taste: nothing more, nothing less. Many attempt to compile lists such as this with some form of objectivity by considering the possible cultural and social implications of an album when future generations look back upon them, however truly great albums already speak for themselves and should not gain extra bonus points for an aimless predication of the values music fans might hold in the following decades. Comparing LPs from wildly different genres requires a generously broad spectrum to analyze them in a comprehensive manner, so the main element in how these albums make the list and rank lies in how well they represent their individual songs as a whole piece of music; with the usual principles of what constructs a great album determining this. I should note that albums released in December of 2017 were not considered for this list; albums take a period of digestion for the possibility of comparison to its contemporaries, and it would not give the albums released in prior months justice if I omitted or ranked them lower based upon a gut feeling of another project released only weeks ago. As we welcome in 2018, let’s take a look back on the best albums of 2017:

#10 Big Fish Theory by Vince Staples

One of the shorter projects of 2017 and the shortest project on this list at 36 minutes long, Vince Staples grows into his skin as an artist on this album despite the ironically experimental nature most of the tracks boast. Former members of Odd Future not named “Earl Sweatshirt” or “Tyler the Creator” possess the peculiar curse of making a name for themselves in a solo-career without the label constraining them from separating into a distinct artist, but Staples succeeded with his 2015 release Summertime ’06, along with the 2016 EP Prima Donna. On Big Fish Theory, the Long Beach rapper continues to develop as an artist by presenting the true mark of a diligent musician: evolution. In tracks like “Yeah Right”, Staples successfully captures the spirit of his prior records while also progressing his sound; sure, the monstrous, overblown, rattling bass and bright highs appear on his prior albums, but there’s clearly nothing held back this time with the insane shouting and volume of the production. The glowing synthesized violin chords and the icy sung vocals from Kucka in the bridge give some interesting breathing-room in an otherwise chaotic track. The unorthodox house and dance inspired production in “Love Can Be…” and “Party People” adds a new genre to Staples’ repertoire as his vocals maneuver through the wide soundscape on other tracks as well like “Crabs in the Bucket”. The shorter album length does not harm the project, rather it actually shaves the excess that many artists feel they need to include to get to the average album length of 48 minutes. While the album does not offer the 60 minutes of material Summertime ’06 had, this album knew its boundaries; giving Big Fish Theory the precision to make an overall more cogent piece.

#9 DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar

Although I still stand by the rating I gave this LP, much of the actual content unfairly focuses on the problems (which I still do hold) that I have with it: the overwhelmingly negative tone I wrote in throughout the article would communicate that I otherwise hated the album, when in reality I foolishly omitted most of my praise for it. While erroneous to say my criticism of DAMN. stems from my openly sacred view of Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, my relative disappointment with this latest release clearly affected my general, initial attitude towards it. Lamar’s surprising and risky experimentation stands out as the most ardent, and profound theme that makes DAMN. a great record in hindsight. The lucid synths and skittering drums of trap music appear too nonsensical for a Kendrick Lamar song, however “GOD.” shows his versatility to rap over beats typically considered outside his normal expertise in jazz and funk instrumentals. The track encapsulates the dream-sequence the album sets forth at the beginning in an opportune moment nearing the end of this LP – summarizing the spiritual, divine, and dubious subjects Lamar presents in his lyrics. “LOYALTY.” takes the chopped-up and sampled style TDE producer MixedByAli utilized on the classic good kid, m.A.A.d. city track “Money Trees” and develops it into a more fleshed out, better sequenced instrumental that strengthens the chemistry between Lamar and Rihanna’s verses; effectively reinforcing the track’s contribution to the album’s theme. The progressive movements in “XXX.” from an apathetic monotone voice simply stating the current ills of society, to the angry, hungry, vengeful retaliations of violence against them, then finally the introspective realization of hypocrisy with the reverberating U2 feature, creates one of Lamar’s most diverse tracks in his discography. Any artist who takes risks with their sound ultimately misses the target at some point in their career, but Kendrick Lamar’s compelling progress on DAMN. pushes his musicianship into uncharted territory.

#8 Drunk by Thundercat

I could understand if someone were to qualify Thundercat’s Drunk as a comedy album; lyrics like “Gonna blow all my cash on anime” and “I went to the dentist, and he gave me a toy / it was Dragon Ball Z, a wrist slap bracelet / Goku fucking ruined me” on the track “Tokyo”, Thundercat delivers genuinely hilarious punchlines that still get me to belly-laugh on relistens. From the very beginning with “Captain Stupidio” and even the title of the album, each song feels like the rambling thoughts of a drunk man driving home on back-roads in the dead of night; this appears absolutely intentional, with the final track of the album “DUI” directly acknowledging the inebriated point of view the narrator speaks from. The lengths of the 23 songs over the 51 minutes of music further contributes to this mood by emphasizing the musical motifs and storytelling through the short-attention span the tracks themselves express. Thundercat prevents his unique sense of humor from imposing on his already well-proven prowess as a bass player; his contemporaries still argue over the correct tablature of the smooth barrage of notes in “Uh Uh”, and the soothing bassline of “Lava Lamp” slows down a bit in favor of a softer, arpeggiated approach. Thundercat struggle with finding his voice was evident on his prior records, but on Drunk we see his rejection to take himself in an overly serious lens as the solution. Bruner recognizes his limits though, employing great features from the likes of Kenny Loggins on “Show You the Way” to Wiz Khalifa on “Drink Dat” in an effort to add variety in areas that could not otherwise thrive. Drunk personifies Thundercat into a cartoonish caricature of the accomplished musician, offering a greater level of intimacy between him and the listener. I look forward to Thundercat’s next project to see further advancement in his humor, and also more “full” pieces like “Friend Zone” and “Inferno”.

#7 No Shape by Perfume Genius

Moving on to a more grand and bold album, No Shape is the concept album I knew Mike Hadreas had the potential to create. The thoughtful, pensive messages of undefined love, rejection of labels, and body dysphoria remain environing while also not delivering them in a pretentious, morally superior, or condescending tone either. Hadreas’ lyrics grow more heavy, personal, and soul-crushing once you learn that the message of body dysphoria comes from his own physical struggle with Crohn’s disease; reminding us that this poetry describes grave experiences that actually take place every day. It surprises me that Hadreas did not name the track “Wreath” as the title-track of the album: repeating the phrase “ I wanna hover with no shape” several times in the chorus and solidifying the topic of his dysphoria. The trumpeting, rhythmic guitar on “Sides” and warm bluesy piano on “Run Me Through” lend to No Shape’s ironically concrete and structural sound that Perfume Genius lacked on the loose, mopey 2012 release Put Your Back N 2 It. This album retains the softness and sincerity of Hadreas’ vocals on the delicate, royal chorus of “Just Like Love” and the crescendoing plucked acoustics of “Valley” accents his vulnerable voice tastefully. Similarly, “Every Night” feels hallow and void, as if Hadreas’ sings directly into the hole of his worries, anxiety, and depression. “Go Ahead” poetically represents Perfume Genius’ quest to achieve “no shape”, with the off-kilter bass in a seemingly different time signature than the rest of the instrumentation. The lively, solid textures of synthesizers make this album pop against the subdued backdrop Hadreas’ vocals provide; the layers of synthesizers, chimes, and probably at least five other numerous instruments cause an explosion of sound after Hadreas’ heartfelt ballad in possibly my favorite track “Otherside”. This leads well into the homologous track that follows “Slip Away”, which also utilizes the synthesizer in a familiar way. I have seen “Alan” criticized for not wrapping up this album as well or providing closure as it could have, but the somber acceptance and validation Perfume Genius finds within him completes the cycle of grief this album takes the listener through.

#6 Ctrl by SZA

The debut album by TDE neo-soul and R&B singer, rapper and songwriter SZA plays like a confiscated diary read in front of an audience with a peculiar confidence – well, not exactly far off from transpired in the release of Ctrl, where SZA’s record label seized the hard drive loaded with +150 songs of recorded material out of frustration for the amount of time it took to complete the project. SZA said the album “would have been something completely different” if she were given another month. This perfectionist, insecure attitude about her music seeps its way into many of the songs, and universally the themes of self-consciousness, doubts, and romanticism. Many albums nowadays try to go for what I call “fake intimacy” – the artist attempts to give the mirage that they somehow reveal personal or private thoughts for the world when really they simply speak of depressive themes in a very broad, collective sense – but even the outside information of this album reveals that SZA felt legitimate hesitation when in the recording process. The wide , spacious soundstage with cavernous reverb on tracks such as “Prom” and “Normal Girl” highlight the unfilled airspace within; giving them a more auratic presence from the delay that results. SZA crows her singing capabilities on the dense track “Drew Barrymore” and over the phased guitar strumming in the closing track “20 Something”. She redefines the classification of R&B artists throughout the album by introducing elements of hip-hop and trap; “Love Galore” sets the mood for this genre-bending by use of unmistakable trap drums, and bringing on trap extraordinaire Travis Scott. In regards to his verse, I understand if some find the lyrics cheesy or uninspired, but to me they coincide with the deep, intense feelings of love the song primarily commentates on. The features from other artists signed to TDE like Isaiah Rashad and Kendrick Lamar create a duality that acts as a sort of counterpoint to SZA’s reminiscence of unrequited or failed love. For the clear insecurity SZA underwent in the production stage of this project, she created a solid debut album that many artists never achieve anywhere near in terms of discipline, statues, and translucence.

#5 Saturation II by BROCKHAMPTON

Unlike DAMN., there is not much for me to add, or expand upon my initial thoughts and review of this album. It built the arc that allowed for the self-proclaimed boyband’s success in their follow up and final installment in the Saturation trilogy, and staked their claim within the hip-hop community. The guys in BROCKHAMPTON proved on this record they are not just goofy dudes who can make bangers and joke around, but that they hold tangible musical talent and ability. Saturation II handed the title of rap’s most dominant, influential and cutting edge collective over to BROCKHAMPTON.

#4 4eva is a Mighty Long Time by Big K.R.I.T.

Double-albums historically test an artist’s ability to create a diverse and exciting piece – not necessarily because of their inherently long runtime, but more so the almost inevitable inclusion of boring filler tracks, skits, and songs otherwise not included on an album for the sake of a greater volume. Perhaps the most infamous example of this would be Kid Cudi’s Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, and (at least in my opinion) Pink Floyd’s The Wall suffers from this pattern despite telling one of the most compelling stories in rock history. Big K.R.I.T. miraculously avoids yielding the intrigue, creativity, and vision set from the beginning of this record – the confident, majestic, and lavish display of stamina on 4eva is a Mighty Long Time convinces me that despite the bulk of material, every single song serves a crucial purpose in its seamless progression from front to back. Part of the reason I call this album “confident” is the unapologetically southern rap roots the Mississippi native prides himself in, specifically the uniquely blues inspired instrumentals that appear on tracks like Keep The devil Off [sic] and The Light. Much like a play or movie, this epic cleverly seperates its sound into three acts: the first, an exposition with the eponymous song Big K.R.I.T. toning the album and the banger Subenstein releasing excess energy, the second, starting with the sexy ode to simplicity 1999 and with the most brutally southern track Miss Georgia Fornia, and the final third act comprised of the sonically psychedelic Everlasting to the satisfying, reflective conclusion Bury Me In Gold. CeeLo Green passes the southern torch on the seminal track Get Up 2 Come Down, rapping about and poetically summarizing his career and influence as a hip-hop artist. My favorite track, Get Away, takes an unconventional approach utilizing a trip-hop beat with vocals that I would swear are that of the reigning queen of the genre and Portishead member Beth Gibbon. Instead of rapping in a flow that would coincide with the eerie, slow sample, Justin Scott instead chooses to dial the mids just enough to allow for him to increase the energy and tenacity of the track with his precipitous vocals. This LP stands as a testament and exemplary model to the potential of both double-albums not only in the realm of hip-hop, but all of music.

#3 The OOZ by King Krule

Some albums grab a magnetic pull on the listener that requires a full run through of the piece just by playing a single track; albums like In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel accomplish this by weaving tight thematic elements, but there exists another, less common, special way this magnet acquires its charge. This third LP by English singer/songwriter King Krule grips the listener through what his predecessors and probable influences, My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division did the same: atmosphere. Before even listening to The OOZ, one could likely guess how the album would sound based solely on the cover alone: the classic line “[insert album name here] sounds like the album cover looks” rings true for this LP, and to me highlights the importance of cover art in setting the mood of a piece. From the otherworldly grating R&B tones that bellow from the saxophone lines on “Sublunary”, to the marching drums and manic chanting on other tracks like “Half Man Half Shark”, then the relatively conventional fuzzed-out humming guitar riff of “Emergency Blimp” which pivots the album into a more structural direction, the progression of The OOZ figuratively dribbles drop by drop in the uniquely near-shapeless performance that incorporates Andy Marshall’s wide musical knowledge to accomplish this feat. King Krule’s ability to seamlessly morph tracks into one another paints a hazy, dappled bridge between “The Locomotive” ’s fragile notation and the checkered, frantic vocals on my personal favorite “ Dum Surfer” that makes something as short as a transition into one of the greatest moments this LP offers. While at first I did sympathize with the critique that this album seeps on beyond its welcome, I now feel that many mistook the ambient patterns in the title track and “Cadet Leaps” for their own growing disinterest: these spaced-out, alien properties only seem appropriate for how this album phases and evolves. The sonic release through the auditory imagery of rain embellished on “Midnight 01 (Deep Diver)” deductively reveals the acoustic cloud formed by the evaporation of prior songs, and leads the closing track “La Lune” in a sense of ritualistic jubilation of the end of a long drought previously obscured from the listener. The King Krule’s mastery in crafting a irreplicable atmosphere makes The OOZ a reincarnation of a forgotten technique in music.

#2 Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

While this album just barely misses the number one spot on this list for the sake of my own criteria, Pure Comedy perhaps best represents the year 2017 in musical form. The pretentious yet self-aware lyrics from the former Fleet Foxes drummer and “singer/songwriter” in the same vane BROCKHAMPTON calls themselves a “boyband”, Father John Misty, draw a hilarious caricature of contemporary issues in the United States; playing just as important, if not more important role than the actual instrumentals on this LP. The opening title track provides perfect exposition for each topic explored in depth later into the album acting much like a thesis or opening statement; quite fitting for a song that most succinctly captures the essence and mood of 2017. Tillman’s articulation of what he views as the current ills of society separates itself in that he really does not claim any superiority or solution no matter the given subject; where others put forward their own set of ideals, Father John Misty cracks up laughing in the same reactionary poise of his postmodern influences as he sings lyrics like “Oh comedy / oh it’s like something that a madman would conceive!”. This relativism allows for the grand, narratorial storytelling that spans 74 minutes long spoken from a third-person perspective that performs in the jest of color commentary rather than a play by play. The following track “Total Entertainment Forever” continues in the same vein, this time with critiques of society’s obsession with constant technological process; including one of my favorite lines on the album at the beginning of the song “Begging Taylor Swift / Every night inside the Oculus Rift”. Around the introspective track “Birdie”, Father John Misty starts toning down his humorous prose the same way someone acts serious after a particularly grotesque joke: Tillman feels the disheartening reality and gravitas of his descriptions of the world as he sees it, and quickly adjusts his tone to match the mood of his actual lyrics. Near the final tracks of the album, Tillman looks to the future of both external conflict in his surroundings on the glossy symphonic farewell “In Twenty Years or So”, and his own internal conflicts of midlife crisis on “So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain”. Pure Comedy is Father John Misty’s most realized and advanced album yet, and his expert ability of storytelling makes this LP hilarious, charismatic, lonely, gut-wrenching, and chaotic.

#1 Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator

When infamous rapper, producer, and fashion designer Tyler the Creator announced his intention to release a new album in early July, frankly I immediately dismissed the album with the expectation of it playing out as just “another Tyler album”. Do not get me wrong; I heavily enjoy Tyler’s discography from his 2007 mixtape Bastard to the 2015 LP Cherry Bomb, I just no longer felt any justification or excitement for an artist who in my eyes barely evolved as a musician in his then nearly decade long career. My prediction now lies in shambles: flat out wrong for a magnum opus that I consider a masterpiece. I heard little of the singles following the official release of this LP, making my initial listen completely blind to an album I would never expect to call the best of the year. Tyler introduces the major theme of sustainability and excess with the repetition “How much drive can I have til’ I run out of road? / How much road can they pave til I run out of land? / How much land can there be until I run in the ocean?” on the opening track “Foreword”. These first few lyrics illustrate the motif of cars that appears on Flower Boy as well, painting the vivid image of Tyler zooming down the road at 100 plus miles per hour using these rhetorical questions to the listener as a way to cope when he secretly asks to himself “What if I just died right now”. To onlookers, Okonma looks daring and brash as always, but underneath his motivation for acting in this manner emerges to show the perceived meaninglessness and desperation he feels. Tyler knows Flower Boy carried the sole burden of continuing his musical career, saying “I knew if this album wasn’t good I would be fucked … man I [felt] like nothing”. The clinking percussion fades into a rich, saturated synthesizer that steepens its wavelength until a separate melody ends the song like a wave crashing and receding back into the ocean: panning towards a single sunflower petal descending with the calm, magical orchestra on “Where This Flower Blooms” The drums chug onward mechanically after Tyler revved up its V12 engine on the prior track; coasting now along a breezy waterfront. As he slows down and pulls over at a desolate rest stop, Tyler calls into a radio station sheepishly requesting they “Play the [song] about me”. On Okanma’s favorite track on Flower Boy “See You Again”, he sings to a mystery lover who only exists in his dreams prompting him to wish for eternal sleep away from reality. Kali Uchis’ equally psychedelic vocals wake Tyler up from this fantasy land, bringing him into the real world quickly warning him of the war he will soon encounter. Inspired by a photograph of Sukhumi Beach by Jonas Bendiksen, “Who Dat Boy” opens with a creeping chord progression akin to the Jaws theme; something dangerous is coming, and nobody suspects it. The beat drops atomic bombs upon an unsuspecting victim, causing a crowd to disperse in the chaos that ensues. Tracks like “Pothole” and “Boredom” gather back a more composed, smoother sound so that when the other main banger “I Ain’t Got Time!” hits, the listener has time to recover from the havoc previously created. Distorted, delayed, beefy, and overdriven guitar chords on “Garden Shed” sound like something from Animal Collective. The first two thirds of this track remain entirely instrumental, and represent Tyler daydreaming to escape reality. Once he snaps back in the last third, he raps rapidly in double-time as if he were trying to cram all his lyrics now that he missed his chance in the beginning. The punchy R&B influence on “911/Mr. Lonely” and “November” presents an element of maturity, seriousness, and artistry Tyler never before exhibited. Finally, on “Enjoy Right Now, Today”, the gently weeping wah-wah chords uphold the closing credit sequence to a sensational, marvelous piece as same synthesizer seen at the beginning of this project lets the listener off as it again slowly fades away. Many say that Flower Boy stands as the album that Tyler the Creator “had been trying to create for years”, however to me this LP triumphs as a testament to his maturity as not only a rapper or producer, but a composer. And that is exactly what makes Flower Boy at the top of this list; the unexpected innovation, evolution, and mastery Tyler performs represents his decade long transformation from a 16-year-old boy rapping about rebellion and anger, to a grown man meticulously engineering every single sound on Flower Boy.