bgillesp's 2017 EPs, Lives, HMs
So this has my rankings of EPs and Live albums from the year, as well as my honorable mentions from my LPs of the year (to be posted tomorrow). Honorable mentions were ones that almost made my year end list, but for some reason or another just didn't quite make it. Also I'm including my worst album of the year from a major label artist. Format: Rating (Description) Approximate Number of Listens |
| 1 |  | Kamasi Washington
Harmony of Difference
BEST EPs AND LIVES
4.1 (a lot of good instrumentation behind the incredible Kamasi, Truth is a beautiful song and metaphor for how differences can come together in harmony as the 5 melodies do in the song) 4 |
| 2 |  | END (NJ)
From the Unforgiving Arms of God
4.0 (short, sweet, reminds me of the latest Nails) 2 |
| 3 |  | Black Sabbath
The End (Live)
4.0 (Ozzy's vocal chords still work but his mouth doesn't, great concert with him, Iommi, and Butler to end Black Sabbath though) 1 |
| 4 |  | The Dear Hunter
All Is As All Should Be
3.95 (a little over-dramatic but very clearly done by a skillful band) 2 |
| 5 |  | Mastodon
Cold Dark Place
3.9 (some of the most varied and interesting music they've ever released according to my backwards taste in Mastodon) 2 |
| 6 |  | Converge
I Can Tell You About Pain
3.9 (Converge, better than the full length because it doesn't wear itself out) 3 |
| 7 |  | Sinmara
Within the Weaves of Infinity
3.9 (really good black metal from Iceland) 2 |
| 8 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Ceremony and Devotion
3.9 (nice live outing from Ghost with a lot of crowd interaction) 1 |
| 9 |  | Khemmis/Spirit Adrift
Fraught with Peril
3.85 (One of the best renditions of the classic "O Death" [titled A Conversation with Death on the record] by Khemmis that could be SOTY if it were original and another good cover by Spirit Adrift) 8 |
| 10 |  | Radical Face
SunnMoonnEclippse
3.8 (he changes it up a bit here but this is one of my favorite sound of his yet) 2 |
| 11 |  | Pregnant Whale Pain
Blank
3.7 (worst band name in the world but pretty interesting sound) 1 |
| 12 |  | Ulver
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
3.7 (as good as the full length but shorter) 2 |
| 13 |  | The Grassabillies
20 lb Test of Love
3.7 (local band that deserves attention) 12 |
| 14 |  | David Bowie
No Plan
3.7 (Not quite as powerful as Blackstar but still great, RIP) 1 |
| 15 |  | Belle and Sebastian
How To Solve Our Human Problems Pt. 1
3.7 (a classic band I am only just being introduced to through a 2017 release, will check more for sure) 1 |
| 16 |  | Sinmara / Misthyrming
Split
3.65 (good black metal split with Sinmara outperforming Misthyrming) 2 |
| 17 |  | Linkin Park
One More Light Live
3.65 (started out pretty rough but really got going as it went on) 1 |
| 18 |  | Epica
The Solace System
3.6 (not really their best work, still good but less epic...-a) 1 |
| 19 |  | Hail the Sun
Secret Wars
3.6 (great Circa Survive tribute band, but crappy lyrics) 1 |
| 20 |  | Avenged Sevenfold
Live At The Grammy Museum
3.6 (I like Avenged Sevenfold, they do some cool stuff with their songs here including acoustic renditions) 1 |
| 21 |  | Dzo-nga
The Sachem's Tales
SPUT PROJECTS (These would make honorable mentions whether they were Sput or not though, really good music here)
(best album yet from a great and improving Sput black metal project) 2 |
| 22 |  | Lost Salt Blood Purges and Boring Bathtimes
Yellow Fog Sword
(a great duo of Sput projects!) 2 |
| 23 |  | Boring Bathtimes
Loss
(actually really good Sput user project that sides towards post rock and drone) 3 |
| 24 |  | Black Malachite
Motion
(okay maybe this one is just on there because Snide, but you're getting there bud, you're getting there) 1 |
| 25 |  | Everything Everything
A Fever Dream
REALLY GOOD AND ALSO BAD (theme: awesome songs and bad songs=good but not excellent album)
(really great moments but terribly repetitive in others) 1 |
| 26 |  | Richard Dawson
Peasant
(alternates between being one of the best albums of the year and being a piece of crap made by an old wannabe avant-folkster; not sure what to think of it) 2 |
| 27 |  | Shadow of Intent
Reclaimer
(actually good melodic deathcore, until the Black Malachite-Rage-EP-Influenced last song) 1 |
| 28 |  | Jason Isbell
The Nashville Sound
(when he's not trying too hard to be politically conscious, he's making some awesome country/americana) 2 |
| 29 |  | St. Vincent
MASSEDUCTION
(not gonna lie, until the title track came on I was thinking this was called Masseducation, some awesome songs but some not good ones too) 3 |
| 30 |  | Alfa Mist
Antiphon
(started out killer with some awesome jazzy beats but fell apart at the end) 1 |
| 31 |  | Tera Melos
Trash Generator
(really fun when they're being a bit goofy but the more serious bits weren't as fun) 1 |
| 32 |  | The Necromancers
Servants of the Salem Girl
(first track is mind blowing but the rest is just solid) 3 |
| 33 |  | Hell (USA)
Hell
WHY COULDN'T THIS BE INSTRUMENTAL? (Read: these vocal are unbearably bad, but the music is awesome)
(Theme of the Year: Why couldn't this be instrumental only?, could be top 20-OTY without vox) 1 |
| 34 |  | Akercocke
Renaissance in Extremis
(vox are gross but holy crap is the music good, honestly this may be the worst vocal performance of the year, they're laughably bad, just check 2:50 into the song First to Leave the Funeral and hear the burping thing he does) 2 |
| 35 |  | Linkin Park
One More Light
ALMOST THERE (albums that were consistently just under the rating of 4/5)
(very hard RIP, terribly underrated because people can't get over a style change) 11 |
| 36 |  | Thundercat
Drunk
(so much fun, nerdy jazz-hop-pop, but a bit overlong) 3 |
| 37 |  | Christian Scott
Ruler Rebel
(not quite as good as the other two in the trilogy but really close) 2 |
| 38 |  | Rosetta
Utopioid
(not particularly original but still really good post sludge stuff) 1 |
| 39 |  | Jay Som
Everybody Works
(yay fun dream, more people should check this) 4 |
| 40 |  | Queens of the Stone Age
Villains
(shocked I liked my first QOTSA album this much considering every song of theirs I'd heard before I didn't much like) 1 |
| 41 |  | Soen
Lykaia
(ToolPeth) 3 |
| 42 |  | Shizune
CHEAT DEATH, LIVE DEAD!
(fun foreign language emo punk) 2 |
| 43 |  | Oceans Ate Alaska
Hikari
(not a bad little prog-death-Djentcore album) 1 |
| 44 |  | Angel Vivaldi
Synapse
(nowhere near the emotional level of his earlier work or contemporaries like Plini, but man can this guy play) 1 |
| 45 |  | Tchornobog
Tchornobog
(really great story behind this and really well done but a bit too long) 1 |
| 46 |  | The Black Dahlia Murder
Nightbringers
(really great story behind this and really well done but a bit too long) 1 |
| 47 |  | Iglooghost
Neo Wax Bloom
(very skillful production but a little too constantly frantic for me) 1 |
| 48 |  | Ulsect
Ulsect
(pure Ulcerate worship, even in their name, but it's still pretty good) 2 |
| 49 |  | Execration (NOR)
Return to the Void
(another overlooked DM album) 2 |
| 50 |  | I the Mighty
Where the Mind Wants to Go / Where You Let it Go
(a bit juvenile in some spots but others are compelling examples of great poppy post-hardcore) 1 |
| 51 |  | Monte Luna
Monte Luna
(undiscovered sludgy psych that needs some loving) 2 |
| 52 |  | Ulver
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
(not black metal, but metallic electropop is pretty cool too) 2 |
| 53 |  | Xanthochroid
Of Erthe and Axen: Act I
(not the most versatile albums [Acts I and II] but if you're down for a focused listen of a melodic prog-black metal album, you won't get too much better than this) 1each |
| 54 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Polygondwanaland
(best 2017 jizz, I hated Microtonal Banana so my inclusion of this is high praise if you like this band, p.s. I didn't check their late year surprise cuz screw 5 albums in a year) 1 |
| 55 |  | Electric Eye
From the Poisonous Tree
(a psyched out post-punkish gem that needs a little more love) 1 |
| 56 |  | Fever Ray
Plunge
(some really great songs but over-sexualized to the point of the lyrics not being well written for the sake of driving in the content) 1 |
| 57 |  | Converge
The Dusk in Us
(Converge doing Converge well enough I guess, but too long to match the punch of the EP) 1 |
| 58 |  | Zola Jesus
Okovi
(great songs then decent ones but an awesome sound overall) 1 |
| 59 |  | Devil Electric
Devil Electric
(female-fronted doom you should check) 1 |
| 60 |  | Irreversible Entanglements
Irreversible Entanglements
(hyper-political free jazz, first track may be the most well done musical statement on socio-politics this year) 1 |
| 61 |  | The Menzingers
After the Party
(pop punk for old people) 2 |
| 62 |  | Loth
Apocryphe
(good ol' late year black metal) 1 |
| 63 |  | Arcade Fire
Everything Now
(a real grower, but it still has some obvious flaws) 3 |
| 64 |  | Scale the Summit
In a World of Fear
1.3 (easily one of the most uninspired and derivative prog rock/metal efforts I've ever heard, side not, terrible year for this genre with Intervals and Polyphia putting out crap too, but CHON at least saved them plus AAL and Plini are still going strong, they just didn't release anything this year) 1 |
| 65 |  | Count to Altek
She Will Fly With You Forever
Forgot this on Sput Projects but it deserves a spot |
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