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Top 10 Albums (etc) of 2017
10. Yorushika — Natsukasa ga Jama wo Suru (mini)
It’s not anything ground-breaking, but it’s a fun romp through mid-2000s poppy J-rock with some great melodies and hooks.
9. LLLL — Chains Phase 2: Remain (ep)
LLLL made one song a month for 2017 and collected it as a series of EPs. This EP is an introspective collection of regret and reminiscence, with the melancholic sound that LLLL does best.
(Normally I would collect a series of EPs released in one year as a single entry, but the 4th EP will likely not be released until Jan 1.)
8. Jonghyun — Story Op 2
I don’t really know what to write now that this is Jonghyun’s last album. It’s a jazzy optimistic album with gloomy spots and both reflections are hard to listen to.
7. Broken Social Scene — Hug of Thunder
Some great songs on this album but I never managed to finish listening to it once all the way through.
6. Suiyoubi no Campanella — Superman
Another full-out house album. The production is very strong, but it loses the irreverent fun of their indie output.
5. Eastern Youth — SONGentoJIYU
J-punk with moving, often folk-inspired choruses. The title song is a standout.
3. Jyocho — Aoi Ka de Bokura Kurasu (mini)
Jyocho have a beautiful, unique lush instrumentation that is sometimes layered to the point of cacophony, leaving new impressions on each listen.
3. Gozen 3ji to Taikutsu — Umi to Miteiru (ep)
Gozen 3ji have replaced their initial eroguro sound with an alt sound, still grounded in Japanese folk, that gives them more room to breathe and produce some incredible bridges like that of the title track.
2. Stars — There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light
After a string of reflective wanderings and shallow-end dance pop, it is a joy to hear Stars’ return to the hopeful guitar sounds of their earlier albums. There are so many little instrumental details.
1. Said the Whale — As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide
Said the Whale, like many Canadian indie bands, have decided to embrace a pop sound to follow the whims of indie radio. Surprisingly, this has resulted in their most musically consistent album and some gorgeous sonic explorations like on “Beautiful Morning”. (One of my favourite tracks, “Fucks to Give”, ended up pre-order only.)
It’s not anything ground-breaking, but it’s a fun romp through mid-2000s poppy J-rock with some great melodies and hooks.
9. LLLL — Chains Phase 2: Remain (ep)
LLLL made one song a month for 2017 and collected it as a series of EPs. This EP is an introspective collection of regret and reminiscence, with the melancholic sound that LLLL does best.
(Normally I would collect a series of EPs released in one year as a single entry, but the 4th EP will likely not be released until Jan 1.)
8. Jonghyun — Story Op 2
I don’t really know what to write now that this is Jonghyun’s last album. It’s a jazzy optimistic album with gloomy spots and both reflections are hard to listen to.
7. Broken Social Scene — Hug of Thunder
Some great songs on this album but I never managed to finish listening to it once all the way through.
6. Suiyoubi no Campanella — Superman
Another full-out house album. The production is very strong, but it loses the irreverent fun of their indie output.
5. Eastern Youth — SONGentoJIYU
J-punk with moving, often folk-inspired choruses. The title song is a standout.
3. Jyocho — Aoi Ka de Bokura Kurasu (mini)
Jyocho have a beautiful, unique lush instrumentation that is sometimes layered to the point of cacophony, leaving new impressions on each listen.
3. Gozen 3ji to Taikutsu — Umi to Miteiru (ep)
Gozen 3ji have replaced their initial eroguro sound with an alt sound, still grounded in Japanese folk, that gives them more room to breathe and produce some incredible bridges like that of the title track.
2. Stars — There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light
After a string of reflective wanderings and shallow-end dance pop, it is a joy to hear Stars’ return to the hopeful guitar sounds of their earlier albums. There are so many little instrumental details.
1. Said the Whale — As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide
Said the Whale, like many Canadian indie bands, have decided to embrace a pop sound to follow the whims of indie radio. Surprisingly, this has resulted in their most musically consistent album and some gorgeous sonic explorations like on “Beautiful Morning”. (One of my favourite tracks, “Fucks to Give”, ended up pre-order only.)