Matt's Books and Music

[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.]

Introduction

Usually when I’m writing up these summaries, there’s a big theme or narrative I can latch on to. 2017 is an exception to that rule. It was far from a bad year in music, but if anything it seems marked by a lack of superlatives. The most interesting thing about it is probably the release of Billie Eilish’s debut album, which is curiously enough, my top album of hers. Other than that, my top ten is filled with strong albums that didn’t quite match the artist’s previous heights.

Top 10 Albums

1. Reputation (Taylor Swift): This is far from my favourite Taylor Swift album, but once again, her talents as a songwriter raise it to the top of the year for me. This was famously her ‘comeback’ album, after the backlash from over-saturation (with more than a little help from Scooter Braun and Kanye West) from her ascendent 1989 era. The music features a darker atmosphere, yet is suffused with the hope of a tentative new love. A whopping fourteen songs made it onto my year-end list. Not bad for my eighth-favourite Taylor Swift album.

2. Gone Now (Bleachers): Whereas their debut Strange Desire was decidedly pop-forward, Gone Now transitions Bleachers into their now familiar, Springsteen-inspired pop-rock sound. And while it doesn’t quite reach the heights of that first album, it still delivers, led by great tracks like “I Miss Those Days,” “Let’s Get Married,” “Don’t Take the Money,” and “Hate That You Know Me.”

3. Lust for Life (Lana Del Rey): Love it or hate it, Lana Del Rey has carved out a distinct niche for herself, with a unique, languid, sound. She’s at the peak of her powers here, with songs like “Love,” “Lust for Live,” and “In My Feelings.”

4. Melodrama (Lorde): Few albums were as highly anticipated as this album, which followed up Lorde’s global smash, Pure Heroine. While again, it didn’t quite measure up, it did more than enough to show that Lorde was not a one-album wonder, but was here for the long-haul.

5. CollXtion II (Allie X): When Allie X is at her best, she wonderfully straddles the divide between outre indie ‘weird-girl’ music and pop confections. And this album is Allie X at the top of her game.

6. After Laughter (Paramore): I like to say that there’s nothing less cool than what was cool ten years ago, so the success of this incredible, pop-forward offering from ‘00s, pop-punk staple Paramore was as unexpected as its light sound.

7. Utopia (Serena Ryder): After a one-album reprieve, we’re back here to the realm of solid albums that didn’t hit their predecessor’s peaks. “Got Your Number” just squeaked in, as the album’s only entry in end of year playlist, but the depth of the album as a whole still lands it here firmly in my top ten.

8. Memories … Do Not Open (The Chainsmokers): Number 8 and finally a debut album makes the list. I don’t think this music production duo has quite lived up to the promise of this first album and its ubiquitous hit “Something Like This,” but it’s a very good album.

9. don’t smile at me (Billie Eilish): This debut, whose popularity was driven by social media, began the passing of the pop cultural torch to Gen Z. It’s a little out there and hard to pin down, but it’s very Billie and very good, led by the sultry “watch” and “ocean eyes.”

10. There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light (Stars): It wouldn’t be one of my top ten lists without at least one album that comes out of left field. This time it comes in the form of the eighth album from Canadian indie band Stars. “Alone” was the only song on it to make my top 60 playlist, but it’s a solid album that effortlessly bridges pop, rock, and country sensibilities.

Other Albums of Note

• Antisocialites (Alvvays): Strange enough to give it indie credibility but accessible enough for it to be genuine pop, this is a great sophomore album from the East Coast Canadian group.
• Evolve (Imagine Dragons): Time has not been kind to the legacy of this group, but it’s impossible to talk about music in 2017 without them. (I stand by “Thunder.”)
• ÷ (Ed Sheeran): Ditto for this album from Ed Sheeran. You couldn’t leave your house without hearing “Shape of You” and “Perfect.”

Top 10 Songs

1. “Green Light” (Lorde): A haunting break up song with immaculate production that builds in such a satisfying way, this is hard to beat. (Favourite lyric: “Cause, honey, I’ll come get my things, but I can’t let go”)

2. “Getaway Car” (Taylor Swift): No one does a song-length metaphor as well as Taylor Swift. There is no better example than this. (How was this not a single?!) (Favourite lyric: “Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery / Think about the place where you first met me”)

3. “Delicate” (Taylor Swift): For an album known best for its darker themes, Reputation is secretly a great album about tentative new love and choosing to trust in the future. Nowhere does the tentative part of that come across more clearly than in this gorgeous song. (Favourite lyric: “We can’t make Any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink.”)

4. “Surrender” (Walk the Moon): There’s something about Walk the Moon that has always made them seem a little uncool and cheesy, even at the height of their popularity. But they made some great pop music. This song perfectly matches lyrics, music, and production to convey its theme of struggling to accept the end. (Favourite lyric: “If all that I could ever be was the best ex-lover of your life”)

5. “New Year’s Day” (Taylor Swift): Another one of the things that sets Taylor Swift apart as a songwriter is her ability to distill complex emotional experiences into a single line or image. She puts that to hauntingly beautiful effect on this song about wanting to be with someone in the quiet moments as much as the shiny ones. (Favourite lyric: “I want your midnights / but I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day.”)

6. “That’s So Us” (Allie X): There are lots of songs about the rush of new love. There are a lot fewer about the more mundane realities of being in a relationship. This does that really well. And the release in to the chorus hits so good every time. (Favourite lyric: “What I like about you, baby / Is how you annoy me daily”)

7. “Forgiveness” (Paramore): I love this song’s sweet pop sounds, but hidden underneath the great vibes is a pretty serious message about the limits of apologies. (Favourite lyric: “Every word is a bullet hole”)

8. “Paper Love” (Allie X): Where “That’s So Us” celebrates long, comfortable relationships, “Paper Love” is all about the kind of quick connection you know isn’t going to end well. (Favourite lyric: “Come on watch my heart turn to pulp like paper”)

9. “Hate That You Know Me” (Bleachers): This is a simple song lyrically, but I love the production; it never doesn’t make me dance. (Favourite lyric: “Sometimes I hate that you know me so well”)

10. “Look What You Made Me Do” (Taylor Swift): The single that launched a thousand think-pieces, this has grown on me as much as it has the people at large. (Favourite lyric: “But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time / Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time”)

Other Songs of Note

• “Sign of the Times” (Harry Styles): I haven’t been the biggest fan of Harry Styles’ solo career to date, but even I couldn’t deny this beauty.
• “Rearrange” (Ella Vos): Sometimes an unknown song by an unknown artist just hits, and this song from Ella Vos’s debut album hit me hard.
• “Better Man” (Little Big Town): It’s a testament to Taylor Swift’s songwriting that in a year when she had my top album of the year, probably her best song was one she gave away to another artist.

Most Surprising Inclusion

• “City Slums (Ft. DIVINE)” (Raja Kumari): I love this single that mashes up urban r&b and South Asian sounds.

Notable Song that Missed the Cut

• “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” (Shawn Mendes): I really liked this song when it first came out, but it faded fast in my estimation and fell all the way out of my end-of-year top 60 playlist.

[Note: It’s of course impossible to listen to everything, so while I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, omissions are inevitable. For consistency’s sake, I’ve gone with the year music was released, rather than when it became popular. Any ratings or rankings are my own and entirely subjective. This has nothing to do with objective quality but is simply reflective of my personal taste.]