There were a number of great albums in 2017
From hip hop to country to pop to rock, music fans were treated to a variety of outstanding albums this year. Darryl Sterdan reveals his favourite sounds of 2017.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR Gord Downie | Introduce Yerself
Even the biggest lives are defined by their smallest moments.
That was easy to forget in the aftermath of Downie’s death this year, as tributes understandably focused on the Tragically Hip frontman’s life, career, legacy and public persona. Of course, the private man was another story. And he’s the one we encounter on Introduce Yerself, the singer and poet’s sixth and final solo album.
Primarily written and recorded on the fly and off the cuff at the Hip’s own Bathouse Studio in January 2016, weeks after his fateful brain-cancer diagnosis, the sprawling 23-song album — in keeping with both its title and its creator’s freewheeling style — is something of a walking contradiction. It is epic in length but modest in execution. Quiet yet powerful. Stark but rich. Nostalgic but alive. Sweet without being maudlin. Rewardingly personal but universally appealing. And most importantly: Although it was created by a man facing his own mortality, it is an album that fearlessly and joyously celebrates life.
Just not the glorious life of a revered Canadian rock icon. What flashed before Downie’s eyes on those wintry days of self-reflection were not highlight reels of fame and glory, triumph or even tragedy. They were quiet, intimate slices of everyday life.
Like rocking one of his kids to sleep. Taking a snowy walk as a child. BB-gunning tin cans in the backyard while sporting a bathing suit. Mooning over his first girlfriend. Falling in love to the music of Spoon. Or simply staring at soothing Lake Ontario, as he did while hand-writing these lyrics.
Introduce Yerself is more than farewell love letters from Downie the musician. It’s a parting gift from Downie the man.
RUNNERS UP: NAMES YOU KNOW (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Foo Fighters | Concrete and Gold
The dependable Dave Grohl takes his Foos on a new sonic highway for their ninth album, augmenting anthemic arena-rock with lush Beatle-pop (and a cameo by Paul McCartney).
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit | The Nashville Sound
Am I the last of my kind? worries roots-rock singer-guitarist and former Drive-By Trucker Isbell on his sixth solo set. Thankfully, he is not. But he might be the most talented.
Jay-Z | 4:44
There are two sides to every story. Jay-Z shares his — and wisely comes clean on his marital failings — with this revealing response to wife Beyoncé’s brilliantly bitter Lemonade.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Soul of a Woman
Cut during her battle with cancer — and issued on the anniversary of her 2016 death — retro-soul powerhouse Jones’ final disc is a magnificent, moving work of joy
and sorrow.
Kendrick Lamar | Damn
Compton rapper Lamar continues his seemingly unstoppable roll with his fourth album, seamlessly fusing thought-provoking lyrics, jaw-dropping delivery and genrebending tracks.
LCD Soundsystem | American Dream
Despite years of slumber, James Murphy and his New York dancepunk crew are sharp as ever on this comeback collection of artdamaged electro-grooves and grim narratives.
Lorde | Melodrama
Success has not spoiled Lorde. But it seems to have inspired the New Zealand superstar to raise the musical stakes — and the pop quotient — with the help of Jack Antonoff.
Miguel | War & Leisure
Darkness and light join forces as the musical iconoclast incorporates harder-edged sonics and heavier topics into the smoothly seductive R&B of his fourth fulllength jam.
Father John Misty | Pure Comedy
These days, you have to laugh to keep from crying. And if Misty’s trippy Elton-style pop and twisted yet timely tales can’t put a smirk on your mug, you’re in big trouble.
The National | Sleep Well Beast
There’s no place like home. So The National made their seventh disc in their own studio, allowing them to infuse their dramatic dream-rock with artsier sonics and sharper edges.
Randy Newman | Dark Matter
This one’s not for kids — or anyone with a MAGA hat. But it is for those who want to hear the satiric singer-songwriter tackle religion, racism, politics, Putin and other touchy topics.
Queens of the Stone Age | Villains
The feel-good hits keep coming as indie-rock king Josh Homme leads his Queens through a raucously upbeat batch of swaggering grooves, strutting attitude and bombastic bounce.
Vince Staples | Big Fish Theory
Rapper Staples has humbly proclaimed that this second album should win the Grammy for electronic album. Listen to his aggressively off-kilter genius and tell him he’s wrong.
Chris Stapleton | From A Room Volumes 1 and 2
Nashville outlaw Stapleton doubles your pleasure by releasing not one but two equally strong sets of soulful Southern rock, gritty oldschool country and blues-infused folk.
St. Vincent | Masseduction
Strobe-light synths, death-disco beats and dinosaur-howl guitars vie with personal lyrics in the latest art installation from enigmatic singer-guitarist Annie Clark. What is not to love?
The War on Drugs | A Deeper Understanding
Singer-guitarist Adam Granduciel returns to the ’80s — but with more confidence, adventurousness and yes, depth — on his retro-minded outfit’s Grammynominated fourth disc.