The Best Music, TV Shows, and Movies of 2017

What were the best songs, albums, and shows? Here’s my take on dissecting 2017’s media and ranking this year’s best. Hopefully you’ll discover something new.

Albums #

10 - Mutemath - Play Dead
An album which marks a continued evolution of the band’s sound, but might turn out to be their last.

9 - John Mark McMillan - Mercury & Lightning
A slightly unexpected release which authentically connects through McMillan’s own flavor of pop.

8 - The War On Drug - A Deeper Understanding
Rock ’n roll circa 2017

7 - The Lighthouse And The Whaler - Paths
Spunky and raw, The Lighthouse And The Whaler walk a fine line that continues to work beautifully.

6 - Phoenix - Ti Amo
After hearing the first single, I was hoping Phoenix would put out a summer album and they did. It is perfectly breezy.

5 - Haim - Something To Tell You
Nearly every song has incredibly tight hooks which makes them hard not start singing along with.

4 - Maggie Rogers - Now That The Light Is Fading EP
Though only four songs, this EP is full of rhythm and is a unique breed of pop music, while remaining instantly familiar.

3 - The Maine - Lovely Little Lonely
This album sounds hugely influenced by Third Eye Blind, which is to say, full of nostalgia and straight up rock ’n roll.

2 - Andrew Belle - Dive Deep
It always takes me a handful of listens to decide if I like whatever Andrew Belle’s latest album is, or love it. So far, once I’ve given it a chance to wash over my ears, I’ve always love them. The subtle hooks and music is quicksand only pulling you in deeper with each listen.

1 - Khalid - American Teen
New, fresh, and youthful, American Teen is such a great album from start to finish. It encapsulates everything it set out to, without being self aware. This is truly an album that ushers in a new generation of music and artists, lyrically capturing living in a digital world.

Songs (in no particular order) #

Notice a pattern?

Interesting, but… (honorable mentions) #

Soundtracks #

Each of these has a distinct sound which shapes the story, beyond the visuals.

Next #

Books #

There were a bunch of other books that were interesting for different reasons, which you can see some of on the site.

Shows #

Movies #

Not sure if I didn’t see enough movies or there were just not too many great ones this year. I haven’t seen Ladybird yet, or that might have made it as well.

 
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Kudos
 
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Kudos

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