Best Albums of 2017 – Killian Laher

Hi folks, a year where albums were plentiful but were there gems amongst the rubble?  Well it’s Top 10 time so here goes:

10. Slow Meadow – Costero

Some really nice pseudo-classical music which when it comes out of your speakers does a good job of making your day feel better.

Borderland Sorrows

9. Max Richter – Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works

One of the most prolific current composers working in a classical field is still one of the best.  This is as good as any of the better stuff released by him in the last few years.

Mrs Dalloway, In The Garden

8. Thurston Moore – Rock ‘n’ Roll Consciousness

The ex-Sonic Youth man at his jammiest.  Five long, meandering heavy grooves.

Smoke of Dreams 

7. Ryan Adams – Prisoner

So much going on with Ryan Adams, so many reference points.  But such listenable music.

Shiver and Shake 

6. Mark Eitzel – Hey Mr Ferryman

Despite being around for over thirty years, Eitzel’s songs still have bite.

Nothing and Everything

5. Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun

It’s almost a cliche at this stage that Mogwai are still around, bringing out albums of seriously high quality music.

Coolverine 

4. The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding

Packed full of even more reference points than your average Ryan Adams album.

Pain 

3. Mark Lanegan Band – Gargoyle

Mark Lanegan’s sound has been quietly evolving over the last number of years, and the electronic influence has become increasingly prominent.  Though still all cloaked in darkness. this is not just another great Mark Lanegan album, but that rare album that has actually improved over the last few months.

Nocturne 

2. The Last Dinosaur – The Nothing

A low-key, unexpectedly addictive gem of an album, it crawls right under your skin and clings on, limpet-like.

Atoms 

1. Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent

One of the more complex, layered albums of this year, Joe Casey’s oblique lyrics cloaked in angry post-punk is a sound that’s perfectly in tune with bleak times.

Don’t Go To Anacita