DrogeMiester's Top 10 FAVORITE ALBUMS of 2017

My final music list of 2017 is finally here! I wanted to get this out earlier, but there were a few more albums that I wanted to get to first. Surprisingly, this is the first time on this blog that I've put together a list of my favorite albums. I usually just declare my favorite album on my facebook page, but I listened to more albums in 2017 than I have any other year, so a top 10 list felt appropriate. The parameters are simple. The album had to be released in 2017. And it had to be a full-length album, not just an EP. I also disqualified "best of" albums, cover albums or things like that.  Original songs by the artist from this year is what I was looking for. That mainly means I eliminated "Synthesis" by Evanescence, the real best album of 2017. It just didn't seem fair to include it. And finally, it's probably impossible for me to listen to every album released in 2017, so I didn't try. I just listened to the ones that caught my attention for whatever reason. In essence, this list is representative of my favorite albums of 2017 of the ones that I have discovered and listened to up to this point. So let's dive in!

10- "Woodstock" - Portugal. The Man

Portugal. The Man is a little alternative rock band that almost literally came out of nowhere in 2017, unless you are deeply ingrained into the alternative rock world, to be a huge success worldwide. We can credit this success to the song "Feel It Still" being included in commercials for the Apple iPad Pro and Vitamin Water starting in June 2017. Once the world saw those commercials, they rightfully fell in love with the song because it's so upbeat and infectious. The song went all the way to No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and top 10 in 20 other countries. So hey, why not check the entire album out? Sure, the whole album isn't quite as fantastic as "Feel It Still," or else this would be a lot higher, but it's still a really solid alternative album, inspired by frontman John Gourley stumbling on his dad's old Woodstock ticket and becoming obsessed with the 60's pop culture and politically charged music. "Woodstock" is the band's eight studio album and the first one I have listened to. After listening to this album, I'm excited to go dive into the rest of the band's discography to see what I discover.

9- "Unapologetically" - Kelsea Ballerini

Given my general distaste for most country music, you might be surprised to see a country album show up on this list. Truth be told, though, I find myself really enjoying country music when it comes from female singers. I especially like my country pop girls and Kelsea is a prime example of a girl from this genre who just melts my heart with her simple, yet heartfelt music. Much of this album consists of rebounding from breakups and the uncomfortable nature of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. On paper that sounds like nothing special, but there's a sense of honesty here that I appreciate that reminds me of a young Taylor Swift or what Taylor could've sounded like today had she stuck with country pop instead of transitioning to pure pop or whatever genres she experimented with in "reputation." I think Kelsea especially excels on "In Between," "End of the World" and "I Hate Love Songs," the latter of which is just so darn clever. Kelsea is only 24 years old and thus has a long, successful career ahead of her and I hope she sticks to this country pop genre instead of wandering off.

8- "Rainbow" - Kesha

What a journey it's been for Kesha. There's no time here to dive into this whole situation with Dr. Luke, but regardless of what was truth from Kesha or what was her being a bit of a drama queen, it certainly translated into a shockingly mature and emotional album that I totally bought. I mean, the same girl that sang "Tik Tok," "Die Young" and "Timber" has now recorded songs like "Praying" and "Hymn" on this new album, a sign that she's either found Jesus or has a lot of emotions to express after years of abuse and frustration. But lest you think it's an album full of just pain and frustration, the second half of the album is what you call classic Kesha with her simply having fun with songs like "Boots" and "Godzilla." She even goes country with Dolly Parton on "Old Flames." And that's what I love about this album. It's half emotion and half Kesha sounding more comfortable than she's ever sounded. Even though I don't like the song "Woman," the rest of the album is more than good enough to make up for it. I just wish she would've had more chart success because she deserved it.

7- "The Aviary" - Galantis

The winner of the best EDM album of 2017 quite easily goes to Galantis. That means you now know what other artists didn't make the cut. Ever since The Chainsmokers were knighted as superstars, I've thought that there's another duo that was much more deserving and that of course is Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw, the Swedish duo that make up Galantis. I've been waiting for their big U.S. break after the phenomenal EDM songs of "Runaway (U & I)," "Peanut Butter Jelly" and "No Money," but it hasn't happened. The best they got was the latter of the bunch hitting No. 88, despite all three rightfully being major hits over in Europe. And maybe it would've helped if they pushed the right songs from "The Aviary" as singles, but oh well. It is what it is. They don't re-invent the wheel with this album, but they have quite a few solid dance songs here that would make crowds at dance parties go crazy. If you want to test me on that, try playing "Hey Alligator," "Love On Me" and "Pillow Fight" for your party friends and see how they react. Pure, solid fun. We could use more of that in this world. That's why I love them. 

6- "Something to Tell You" - HAIM

I felt rather proud of myself when I discovered this band in 2017. Traditionally rock bands are male-dominated. Even the select few with female lead singers often have men at the guitars and drums. And I don't inherently have any problems with that. There's a lot of great male rock bands. But I really love it when we break tradition by having an all-female rock band. And not for politically correct, progressive reasons. Female rockers are just awesome. HAIM is a trio of sisters, Este, Danielle and Alana Haim. And dang are these girls talented. I don't know if there's one particular song that jumps out at me as being spectacular, but I really enjoy all 11 of the songs from this album. Finding consistency like that is rare as artists will often have 3-4 great songs with the rest serving as album fillers. But not here. The whole album is extremely enjoyable. As I listen, I feel like I am transported back to the 80's or 90's where this genre was on fire. Now I'm just waiting for them to crossover onto the Hot 100 with something, but sadly they're probably too good for that chart. I hope I'm wrong, though.

5- "Younger Now" - Miley Cyrus

No one shocked my world more than Miley did in 2017. When "Malibu" was first released, I pressed play on my tablet with a "let's get this over with" mindset. Yet as the song played, I was speechless. I think I listened to the song 10 times in a row in that moment just to digest what I was hearing and I've loved the song ever since. But can the whole album be that good? Absolutely! In fact, she went back to her Tennessee roots and made a full out country album, becoming the second lady on this list to collaborate with Dolly Parton. And it is all so wonderful. The title track, "Younger Now," gives the sentiments that, while she doesn't regret what she did in her past, she's moved on and has become a more mature adult. I mean, the same girl that was riding naked on a wrecking ball not too long ago has most recently walked on the stage at the Grammy's last month wearing a stunningly gorgeous ballroom gown while singing a duet with Sir Elton John. I don't know what the future holds for Miley, but I started 2017 hating her. And now I absolutely adore her. And for that she gets a standing ovation.

4- "Beautiful Trauma" - P!nk

The seventh studio album from P!nk was received with much more resistance than I think she really deserved. While I don't care much for what music critics say since music is extremely personal, I get the feeling that people were wanting P!nk to be more fiery and in your face, like she has in the past with songs like "So What" and "Raise Your Glass." While I also like fiery, angry P!nk, I love her softer self just as much, if not more. I mean, her duet with Nate Ruess, "Just Give Me a Reason," is one of the most beautiful love duets I've heard. And it's more along those lines that "Beautiful Trauma" runs in terms of style and tone. She's more calm and toned down. But dang does this girl have a voice and that's what I love most about her. She has one of my all-time favorite female voices and she doesn't hold back in "Beautiful Trauma" as the album is full of beautiful ballads where she just unleashes her vocal power while also knowing exactly when to stay controlled. I mean, did you hear her perform "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" at the Grammy's? It's like that. But the whole album.

3- "Harry Styles" - Harry Styles

I spent most of my time with One Direction making fun of how boring and useless of a band they were. Empty love songs with five guys all singing in unison. Some of the songs were catchy, but the songs I actually enjoyed from them were few and far between. So naturally it makes perfect sense for their lead man to break off and turn into a 70's rock star. Wait what? Yeah. This was not the album I was expecting from Harry. But I'm really glad we got it because this is the exact type of music that we need. None of that boring nonsense that Zayne, Liam and Niall have delivered in their solo careers. Let's bring back the 70's with songs like "Carolina," "Only Angel," "Two Ghosts," "From the Dining Table" and of course "Sign of the Times." My only criticism is that none of the songs stand out as modern classics, but together as a group this album is quite the surprisingly entertaining ride if you like the music from the good ol' days. I'm just annoyed that Harry couldn't find more traction on the charts while the other previously mentioned three could. I suppose that's why we can't have good things in this world.

2- "Wonderful Wonderful" - The Killers

There were two Vegas/Utah rock bands that came out with new albums in 2017 and I find it a shame that Imagine Dragons was the one that the music gods and the American public fell in love with while The Killers were mostly ignored. Imagine Dragons' new album is full of empty nothingness while this fifth album from The Killers is a deep, thought-provoking album full of emotion. Brandon Flowers really outdid himself here as he speaks of his personal journey from prideful rock star to a humble family man and how this whole thing effected both him and especially his wife. When I first listened to this, I had to stop and carefully analyze each song and how they all fit together and what I discovered when I did so was a near masterpiece of an album. He starts with the voice of his old self, transitions into the voice of his wife and how she felt, then goes back to him as he responds to that, showing how far he's come as a human being. That's all just scratching the surface. Each song was a rich experience that contributed to this beautiful story. I really wish we had more albums like this.

1- "Melodrama" - Lorde

There were a lot of really good albums in 2017, yet none of them affected me like "Melodrama" did. I was quite impressed with Ella's debut album "Pure Heroine," released two months before her 17th birthday in 2013. In the nearly four excruciatingly long years where I very impatiently waited for this sophomore album, she grew from a teenage girl to a grown adult as she celebrated her 21st birthday a few months ago. That's a really difficult transition for any normal human being and Ella was able to perfectly capture that in this album. "Liability" brings me to tears when I listen to it as I feel like it's such a raw, personal song about how lonely Ella has felt in life during these years. Although "Liability" is the best song of the album, the other 10 songs have nearly just as much emotion and passion in them, making this album very special and unique. It's probably no coincidence that my favorite movie of 2017, "Lady Bird," also dealt with similar difficult themes of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, so this is a very personal choice for me. But hey, it's my list, so I'm allowed to be subjective with it.