Best of 2017... PERIOD

[Poisoned Youth]

EDITED THREAD TITLE SINCE THE YEAR IS OVER.


It's about that time when we get a "best of" thread going. I think 2017 so far has been kind of slow (and just now picking up) and much of my top music so far this year has been jazz related. Much of the "prog" and rock selection has been either on the avant side or fringe (indie, pop, metal). I haven't personally been blown away by anything yet, but there has been some solid music... so far.


Here are my tops:


Prog, etc.
1. Bullet Height - No Atonement (Essentially Pure Reason Revolution 4. If you liked the last album, this moves further in that direction)



2. Aranis - Smells Like Aranis (Amazingly good considering the concept. But then again, this is Aranis)
3. MediaBanda - Bombas en el Aire (Nice unexpected release from these Chilean post Fulano avant-prog folks.)
4. Krokofant - III (Consistently good across all 3 releases)
5. Minus The Bear - Voids (Not as catchy as previous releases, but solid compositions and a grower)
6. Bjørn Riis - Forever Comes to an End (surprise for me. Bjorn is to Airbag perhaps what Lunatic Soul is to Riverside)
7. Samsara Blues Experiment - One with the Universe (Nice follow up to their last album)
8. Soen - Lykaia (will be a grower for me. I love their first album. Great Tool-like music)
9. Thinking Plague - Hoping Against Hope (perhaps a grower for me. It makes all the right moves, so maybe I'm the problem)
10. Big Big Train - Grimspound (Decent, not essential)


Jazz, etc.
1. Adam Rudolph's Moving Pictures - Glare of the Tiger (Have always been a fan, but this release caught me off guard. Hit's that Electric Miles or Kozmigroov vibe)



2. Hugues Mayot - What If? (Thanks to another Hugues. I love that vibe Dumoulin brings to projects and the ONJ connection)



3. Lisa Mezzacappa - AvantNOIR (Best Clean Feed release of the year so far)
4. Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus (OOOOH yeah...)
5. Angles 9 - Disappeared Behind the Sun (All of the Angles 9 releases are crazy stuff)
6. Anne Quillier 6tet - Dusty Shelters (like the Mezzacappa, this is some solid avant-garde jazz)
7. Craig Taborn - Daylight Ghosts (Great lineup and players. This is Taborn's best in a while)
8. Orchestre National de Jazz - Europa - Oslo (ONJ can do no wrong. If you like big-band jazz with a jazz-rock or rock bend)
9. Club d'Elf - Live at Club Helsinki (Jazzy jam band with Medeski)
10. Tomasz Stanko - December Avenue (Relaxing)


So what are your best of 2017... so far?

[Poisoned Youth]

Had to stick this little Yussef Kamaal basement session in there if some of you need convincing...

[Progatron]

So far, some that spring to mind that I've been enjoying this year...

Bent Knee - Land Animal (still two weeks from release, I know, but I've had a review copy for a while and it is definitely going to be at or near the top of my list come year's end)
Miriodor - Signal 9
Gungfly - On Her Journey To The Sun
The Watch - Seven
Nad Sylvan - The Bride Said No


... really looking forward to the new Unreal City in September, which I'm guessing will also make my top 10 list for 2017. We shall see!

[battema]

Gun to the head, and in no particular order...

Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Alberich / Lussuria - Borgia
Demen - Nektyr
Cheer-Accident - Putting off Death
Gaussian Curve - The Distance
Minor Victories - Orchestral Variations
Ulrich Schnauss / Jonas Munk - Passage
Cult of Luna - Years in a Day
Ephemeral Sun - Lord of Hounds (not for quality but just for finally being done)

There are quite a few other potential goodies coming this year, and there are a few albums that haven't yet clicked for me but may yet end up on the list.

[Morpheus]

I have so mich catching up to do, top three so far

Yowie- Synchromysticism
Thinking Plague- Hoping Against Hope
Cheer-Accident- Putting Off Death

[zravkapt]

I haven't heard the new Cheer-Accident yet, but I'll probably like it. Otherwise, the only 'prog' release that has caught my attention this year is Diabolicus Felinae Pandemonium by Pryapisme:

[Kcrimso]

My top ten currently:

Thinking Plague: Hoping Against The Hope
Cheer-Accident: Putting Off Death
Reuter, Sirkis, Wingfield, Stavi: The Stone House
Roger Waters: Is This The Life We Really Want?
Mike Oldfield: Return To Ommadawn
Aquaserge : Laisse ça être
Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter: FACE
O.R.k. : Soul Of An Octopus
Dai Kaht: s/t
Verneri Pohjola: Pekka
Isildurs Bane & Steve Hogarth : Colours Not Found In Nature

[mike_hunt]

Crown Larks - Population
Thurston Moore - Rock N Roll Consciousness
Pile - A Hairshirt Of Purpose
Sundays & Cybele - Chaos & Systems
The Heliocentrics - A World Of Masks
Here Lies Man - Here Lies Man
Reflections In Cosmo - Reflections In Cosmo
Krokofant - Krokofant III
The Necks - Unfold
CHEER-ACCIDENT - Putting Off Death
Julie's Haircut - Invocation And Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin

[walt]

In no particular order...

Henry Kaiser-Nostalgia For Infinity-Solo Antarctic Guitar
David Stackenas-Bricks
Bob Downes Open Music-It's A Mystery
Penguin Cafe-The Imperfect Sea
Tony Conrad-Ten Years Alive On The Infinite Plain
Michael Garrick Sextet-Prelude To Heart Is A Lotus
Norman Westberg-Jaspar Sits Out
EIO(Ensemble Of Irreproducible Outcomes)-Silo City Buffalo NY 20 Sep. 2016
The Inward Circles-And Right Lines Limit And Close All Bodies............

[mnprogger]

Midseason ended on April 30th (and began on November 1st) for myself and blog.

http://allmediareviews.blogspot.com/...bums-list.html

1. Anakdota - Overloading
2. Pain of Salvation - In the Passing Light of Day
3. 22 - You Are Creating: Limb 1
4. Mew - Visuals
5. The Reign of Kindo - (Patreon Songs)
6. Persefone - Aathma
7. Big Wreck - Grace Street
8. Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar
9. The Family Crest, - Prelude to War [EP]
10. Tuxedo - Tuxedo II
11. Blackfield - V
12. Moonloop - Devocean
13. Rachel Flowers - Listen
14. The Barnum Meserve - When All is Lost
15. Waaktaar and Zoe - World of Trouble
16. Umphrey's McGee - Zonkey
17. Black Map - In Droves
18. Radical Face - SunMoonnEclippse [EP]
19. Thundercat - Drunk
20. Klimt 1918 - Sentimentale Jugend

Singles:
1. Fjokra - Sick Kids
2. 1000Faces - Sleeping for Dreamers (ft. Jimmy Gnecco)
3. Bend Sinister - Get Along
4. Kimbra and Young Dreams - Oban (Rework/Remix)
5. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Electric City Rivalry
6. For the Imperium - We Cannot Face It

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=amS4dva--lw

Part 2: Singles/Leftovers/Anticipation:
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=E_QZr55n1Qw

[nosebone]

I can't stop listening toKurt's new one!

Every tune is great, and the album flows beautifully.

[walt]

I can't stop listening toKurt's new one!

Every tune is great, and the album flows beautifully.

I dig.Thanks for the heads up.

[walt]

Here's a track from Michael Garrick Sextet-Prelude To Heart Is A Lotus.This tune, by itself,makes this cd a standout,IMO.

This was recorded in 1968 and released for the first time this year,afaik.

[thedunno]

Bought so much new lately t
hat I barely had time to listen to them all properly. My list might still change

1 nick prol and the proletarians- loon attic
2 Bubblemath - Edit Peptide
3 Aranis - smells like (much better then expected!)
4 Miriodor - signal 9.
5 lamagaia - Lamagaius
6 thinking Plague - Hoping against hope
7 colouratura
8 angel ontlava - Sattelites
9 cheer accident - puting off death
10 Karda estra - internal spheres

[Mascodagama]

Had to stick this little Yussef Kamaal basement session in there if some of you need convincing...

^ The Yussef Kamaal is a nice album alright, though came out in 2016.

Unfortunately it was recently announced that they have split.

[Poisoned Youth]

D'oh. It's 2017 in the Gnosis database. Bummer. Either way, great album. Too bad they split. Let's see where they go next...

[Score2112]

Lonely Robot, The Big Dream. Love this album. The playing is fantastic (Blundell's drums esp), production lush, interesting concept to boot.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Cheer-Accident, Thinking Plague, Aquaserge, White Willow, Bubblemath, Thurston Moore and Yowie for me thus far. In "rock", that is.

I suspect that Tr-Ond & his Suburban Savages will score rather highly when I get it this week.

[Zeuhlmate]

Untill now I have enjoyed these the most, but I need to hear more

Thinking Plague: Hoping against hope
Hellmut Hattler: BassBall II

[Sputnik]

MediaBanda - Bombas en el Aire (Nice unexpected release from these Chilean post Fulano avant-prog folks.)

Where did you get this? I haven't seen it listed anywhere domestically (U.S.).

This is what I've gotten so far this year, not in any particular order:

Thinking Plague - Hoping Against The Hope
Cheer-Accident - Putting Off Death
Miriodor - Signal 9
Accordo dei Contrari - Violato Intatto
Bubblemath - Edit Peptide
Yang - The Failure of Words

I like all these albums, though I haven't been that motivated to go back to the Thinking Plague. Good album, I'm just having trouble getting my ears around it.

Lot's of interesting suggestions here, I'll be sampling some of this stuff for sure!

Bill

[miamiscot]

So far it's been a mediocre year with the following releases getting significant time at my crib and in my car:

Kaprekar's Constant
Big Big Train
Thinking Plague
Magenta
Cheer-Accident
The Watch
Cellar Noise
Pain Of Salvation
Cast
Steve Hackett
The Samurai Of Prog
Anathema
Mike Oldfield
Ayreon
Magic Bus

The only one of those that really impacts me on a deep level is Kaprekar's Constant.

But there's still The Tangent to look forward to. And Steven Wilson.

[walt]

I have and like the new Thurston Moore but haven't played it enough to put it in the best of.Will spin it soon.

[Poisoned Youth]

Where did you get this? I haven't seen it listed anywhere domestically (U.S.).

Amazon has private sellers that are selling it and it's also available for download. I first heard it on YouTube a few months back if you're in a trial mood.

[NogbadTheBad]

Still got a bunch of stuff in my too buy list, and stuff I need to listen to more, so far what has grabbed me

Thinking Plague
Mirador
Cheer-Accident
Accordo dei Contrari
Mike Oldfield
Nick Prol
Aquaserge
Marcus Reuter & Sonar

[progmatist]

Maxophone: La fabbrica delle nuvole
Il tempio delle clessidre: Il-ludere
Barrock Project: Detachment
Cast: Power and Outcome

The aforementioned....

Big Big Train
Isildurs Baine
Nad Sylvan
Magenta