2017 Album of the Year

I know that you are sitting on the edge of your seat with anticipation of which album will be given the title of MY 2017 Album Of The Year. I know that you wait all year long to read this blog. It's like watching the Oscars or Grammys. Well, wait no more. Here is the list of albums that I enjoyed this year with the final being named MY ALBUM OF THE YEAR. (Remember to revisit previous years winners for a trip down memory lane: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)


WAIT! DON'T SCROLL ANY FARTHER! Below is the list of albums that I am combing through to choose my top album of 2017. Let's see if you can guess which one you think it's going to be before you scroll down.

• Ed Sheeran - Divide
• Mark Stoermer - Filthy Apes and Lions
• Maroon 5 - Red Pill Blues
• Hurts - Desire
• FM Attack - Stellar
• Imagine Dragons - Evolve
• The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful
• Dreamcar - Dreamcar
• Phoenix - Ti Amo
• Rogue Wave - Cover Me
• Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart of Life
• Beck - Colors

Have you made your decision yet? Ok...let's see if you are right.



Every year there are albums that I am super excited about that seem to underwhelm or disappoint me. There are two albums that did that for me this year.

Maroon 5 - Red Pill Blues [video]

It's not that this album was bad. It just wasn't anything that I think I will be playing for years to come. There are some catchy tunes on the album but overall, not Maroon 5's best effort. To make matters even worse, I believe this is the ugliest album cover of the year. I don't get it. Maybe I'm too old for this. Looks like a bunch of old dudes using Snapchat filters. And the typography is just bad. (For those who don't know me and you just stumbled onto this blog, I'm a graphic designer....so I like to think I know a little bit about design. But maybe not.) Nevertheless, not my pick for album of the year.

Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart of Life [video]

I think that I had put Japandroids up on a pedestal that they could never live up to. Their album Celebration Rock was and is still one of my all-time favorite albums. I had waited five long years for a new Japandroids album and this one just kinda fell flat for me. Again, it's not terrible but for some reason, it doesn't have that punch you in the face rock feel that the last album had. 

Was your guess eliminated yet? The next few albums were good but not great.

Mark Stoermer - Filthy Apes and Lions [video]

This album was a surprise. Mark Stoermer, the bass player for The Killers, released an album last year and The Killers released an album this year. When does this dude sleep? Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable album. It has a very creepy vibe. With each album Mark releases, I feel it's a little bit creepier than the last one. It's worth a listen.

Hurts - Desire [video]

Hurts is such an amazing duo. They create some of the most amazing music I have ever heard. This album is no different. The first single Beautiful Ones is a beautiful song (pun intended). The rest of the album is good except for some weird curveballs. I don't like this 70s funk poppy song Boyfriend. I like when bands expand their sound and experiment but not like this. Just didn't work for me. You may enjoy it. Go give this album a spin.

FM Attack - Stellar [video]

The return of the 2013 album of the year winner. This may have been the absolute most anticipated album of the year for me. I know I kinda said that about Japandroids but seriously, this was the one I was waiting for. The last FM Attack album was epic. This one was really good but just didn't capture that moment in time, that magic that was on DejaVu. I think it was missing Kristine. She really helped propel that previous album forward. But don't sleep on Stellar. It's still a really good album that deserves to be heard.

Imagine Dragons - Evolve [video]

Oh, Imagine Dragons. You live in the world of good but not great. Though my son would probably say Believer or Thunder are the best songs of the year. I really did enjoy each and every song on this album but it suffers from what I said about their previous album. Imagine Dragons are great at making killer songs but for some reason, it just feels like a hodgepodge mess on a full album. I can't put my finger on it because individually I really love these songs but I don't feel like it flows together as one whole album. It really is a good album...just not the best of the year.

Dreamcar - Dreamcar [video]

I had never heard of Dreamcar. That is because they are new. It's a new band from the members of No Doubt with a new lead singer from AFI. It's a really great rock album but at times can be kinda background noise. Nothing really grabs me as spectacular. Still, a really good effort and I hope to hear more from Dreamcar in the future.

Rogue Wave - Cover Me [video]

I love me some Rogue Wave...and I love me some cover albums. There is something about a band paying homage to the bands that influenced them that I really love. Def Leppard probably did it best with their album Yeah! While I do enjoy covers, and Rogue Wave did a great job covering these songs, it would be really hard to call a covers album the best of the year. (Though if I were writing this back in 2006, I probably would have given the nod to Def Leppard). Check out this album. It's good.

What about now? Is your guess gone? The next few albums were great but only one (and sometimes two) can be the album of the year.

Beck - Colors [video]

Beck has a special place in my 90s kid heart. But I didn't really enjoy Morning Phase like everyone else did. So when I saw Beck had a new album, I didn't really have high hopes. But MAN this is a great album. From start to finish this album is great. No skips on this one. I like this pop side of Beck. I look forward to hearing what direction he goes next.

Ed Sheeran - Divide [video]

I've never been a big Ed Sheeran fan but when I heard Castle on the Hill on the radio it gave me literal goosebumps. I had to listen to the full album. When I gave this album a listen, I was blown away. It wasn't like anything I expected it to be. It wasn't just some dude with a guitar singing sappy love songs (I mean, those exists...but it was much more). Just an all around epic album. Almost the best album of 2017. Very very close to the album of the year. 

The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful [video] 

For those of you who know me probably figured this would be my album of the year. Well, you would be right...if it weren't for one other album this year. This is a great, amazing, epic, all around awesome album. It's another evolution of the band. This is the same rock band that gave you Hot Fuss, Sam's Town and Day and Age, just grown up. It's the most personal album the Killers have created. I love it. Give it a listen.

And then there was one. My pick for the 2017 Album of the Year goes to...

Phoenix - Ti Amo

This is a surprise to me too. I wouldn't have guessed Phoenix was the album of the year. I mean, I loved their last two albums but they were not album of the year quality. Sometimes you just hear an album, a song, or even a note and you just know that this is going to be something special. From the very beginning of J-Boy, the first track on the album, I knew this album was going to be awesome. Ti Amo has an indie, synth pop, rock sound that is completely unique to Phoenix. At no point in this album did I think "oh that sounds like {insert band here}." I could blather on about why this album is remarkable, but I'd rather you just experience it for yourself. I love this album...or maybe I should just say "Ti Amo!" Enjoy the videos below and listen to the whole album using the embedded Spotify player. Congrats to Phoenix for being MY 2017 ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

WHAT IS YOUR 2017 ALBUM OF THE YEAR?