Check out the top 10 albums of 2017 from artists old and new
Like any year, there was the good and the bad in 2017. We lost some outright legends in Fats Domino, Chris Cornell, Tom Petty, Chuck Berry and Gregg Allman. The one consolation — besides a wealth of material each left in their wake — was the abundance of solid new music from artists old and fresh to the scene. Here then, is Rock Music Menu’s Top 10 Rock Albums of 2017:
10 – U2, “Songs of Experience”
Irish rockers U2 have been facing quite the battle from critics when it comes to new studio albums, going as far back as 2009’s “No Line on the Horizon.” Earlier this month, the long-awaited “Songs of Experience,” the second half of 2014’s “Songs of Innocence,” was released, and it fares much better than its predecessor. Musically audacious, there are times where the object seems to be more about keeping up with the younger Joneses in music, but when they stick to what they do best, like on “Landlady” and “Get Out of Your Own Way,” it’s a soaring experience.
9 – Queens of the Stone Age, “Villains”
Full of handclaps, shaking rhythms and a staging amount of dance-rock, the best way to describe “Villains” is that it absolutely swings. QOTSA has always been daring in their approach to each album, and here is no different. Band mastermind Josh Homme brims with confidence, be it in the sparse breaks in “Domesticated Animals” or the funky swell payoff of the slow build of record opener “Feet Don’t Fail Me,” the frontman is dialed in one hundred percent on the outfit’s seventh outing.
8 – White Reaper, “The World’s Best American Band”
Obviously not a band to shy away from bold self-proclamation, Louisville, Kentucky garage rockers raised quite a few eyebrows not because of the title of their sophomore album, but because at this moment in time, they might very well be on their way to stating a fact. From the anthemic “Daises” to the nostalgia driven lead single “Judy French,” White Reaper sometimes sound like they were just pulled out of a time capsule, yanked out of their slumber to deliver the best of late70s to mid-80s radio ready rock and roll.
7 – Marilyn Manson, “Heaven Upside Down”
No longer concerned with being a shock rocker for the sake of upsetting the conventions, or maybe just to old to pull it off convincingly, Marilyn Manson is relying on his music and snappy lyrics. Thankfully, they both come through in a big way. Whether it’s the slithering “KILL4ME,” the textbook Manson of “JE$U$ CRI$I$” or the nearly danceable title track, the singer has it down pat. Much of the credit needs to be given to collaborator Tyler Bates, who has brought his film composing background into the studio with stellar results.
6 – Foo Fighters, “Concrete and Gold”
The always reliable Foo Fighters return with their most solid outing since 2011’s masterwork “Wasting Light.” Equally embracing their love of Queen, The Beatles, Motorhead and Led Zeppelin, Dave Grohl and Co. aren’t afraid of taking risks by mixing all those influences together in a very ambitious rock and roll soup. It works more often than not, be it on the glorious single “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” or the Wings-like pop of “Sunday Rain,” which also happens to feature Paul McCartney — on drums no less — and the light/heavy scope of “Arrows.” ‘Concrete and Gold’ is every reason why the Foos continue to be one of the few rock bands from the ‘90s who can still sell out arenas, and not have people sprint to the bathrooms when new material is played.
5 – Robert Plant, “Carry Fire”
Robert Plant is the very definition of a rock god growing old gracefully. He could’ve cashed in on the millions and millions of dollars offered for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour a dozen times over by now, but has remained steadfast to his own spiritual and musical quest which has taken him all across the musical spectrum. One of the things that made his old band so interesting was their desire to dive deep into everything from Delta blues to Indian orchestration. Plant is just as adventurous on “Carry Fire,” and the result is an album full of beauty and wonder.
4 – Wolf Alice, “Visions of a Life”
Led by the alternating wail and soothing voice of frontwoman Ellie Roswell, Wolf Alice have singlehandedly kept alive the grungeinspired British guitar rock that never really caught on over on this side of the pond. Sophomore slump be damned, the band roars ahead with focused abandon on Visions of a Life, turning it up when the song demands and expanding their sound with ease.
3 – The Afghan Whigs, “In Spades”
Rebooting the vastly underrated Afghan Whigs in 2012 was one of the wisest moves frontman Greg Dulli has made in his storied career, giving them a well-deserved victory lap on legacy at first, but now knee deep in a second act. “In Spades” has the band, with a lineup tweaked since reuniting, led by a sense of never being satisfied with just laying down a “good” song; here, they have to be great. “Toy Automatic” is one of the most majestic tracks of the year on its own, “Oriole” is a shuffling sonic journey and “I Got Lost” is a heartbreaking, piano driven ode written after Dulli found out his guitarist, the now late Dave Rosser, had cancer. The emotions range far and wide, and it’s hard not to get caught up in them.
2 – Japandroids, “Near to the Wild Heart of Life”
If the Canadian rock duo Japandroids hasn’t entered your orbit, album number three is a good time as any to tune in to their signal. “Near to the Wild Heart of Life” is the band’s most wellrounded set, with a tint of synthesizers complimenting an indie-rock earnestness not heard since the alternative rock boom of the early ‘90s. There’s also an intense spark of longing and armslength emotion throughout as on the fuzzed out “I’m Sorry (For Not Finding You Sooner)” and “Midnight to Morning,” along with the bleak but true affirmation “In a Body Like a Grave.”
1 – The National, “Sleep Well Beast”
One of the few bands in recent memory to somehow avoid any musical missteps, indie rock favorites of both critics and fans, The National continue the streak on their seventh effort, ‘Sleep Well Beast.’ Doing what they do best, pushing forth moody and brooding songs with wonderfully sharp-tongued lyrics from frontman Matt Berninger sung with abject sincerity. Highlights on this outing include “The more level they have me/The more I cannot stand me/I have helpless friendships/ And bad taste in liquids,” from “I’ll Still Destroy You” and “I thought that if I stuck my neck out/I’d get you out of your shell” from “Nobody Else Will Be There.” “Sleep Well Beast” is no retread of past successes, but rather a steady growth into arguably the most unassumingly brilliant band of the day.