20. Blkswn – Smino – Smino’s ability to change tone from track to track (sometimes even within the same song) makes Blkswn a treat to listen to from start to finish. The muddled, sometimes muted production was a great decision for this project, it really allows for Smino’s voice and charisma to take center stage on the album, as evident on the earnest, heartfelt opening track “Wild Irish Roses”. Smino takes advantage of his time with you to treat you to a wide variety of tones, styles, and flows. The transitions from track to track are smooth and seamless without running into a monotone rut (see the peppy “Spitshine” and the sexy “Netflix & Dusse”). In an era where young hip hop artists are comfortable packaging a string of unrelated tracks together and calling it a mixtape, Smino makes the case that you can still make an interesting, cohesive project.

Notable tracks: Wild Irish Roses, Spitshine, Netflix & Dusse, B Role, blkswn

19. Pure Comedy – Father John Misty – Whenever Josh Tillman releases music, you can always count on it to be a full, well-crafted, listening experience. Pure Comedy meets expectations once again as Father John Misty offers biting, witty, and poignant criticism on anything and everything he can get his hands on. There is something here for everybody, you can commiserate with Tillman on “When the God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay,” you can enjoy the hill-billy, big band orchestral performance on “Total Entertainment Forever,” or you can listen to the methodical takedown of the entertainment industry on the thirteen minute long “Leaving LA”. Even Tillman himself cannot escape the lampooning, as he deals criticism of himself as a self-important, old, white guy who takes himself too seriously on “Ballad of the Dying Man”. Pure Comedy just might be some of Josh Tillman’s best work yet. His vision is enormous, but he’s more than up to the task thanks to an excellent pen and plenty of musical talent to make every minute of Pure Comedy worth a listen.

Notable tracks: Total Entertainment Forever, Leaving LA, Two WIldly Different Perspectives

18. 508-507-2209 – Joyner Lucas – Joyner is one of the most talented rappers from the current generation of up and coming hip hop artists. His sophomore album, 508-507-2209 is proof enough that he’s ambitious and has a desire to tell huge stories, even if at times he loses focus on the overarching narrative of his project. Lucas makes a loose narrative about avoiding tough conversations and the dangers of distancing oneself, but to me, the sum of the parts is much more powerful than the whole in this case. For example, “Keep It 100” is a masterfully crafted story about the intimate moments of people and their vices, all told through the perspective of a $100 bill, however it exists mainly on its own in the greater context of the album, the same could be said for “FYM”. All that being said, Joyner is sharp, tenacious, and a downright force when he hops on the mic. Most will balk at the idea of an hour and twenty three minute long album, but Joyner Lucas has no trouble filling the entire project with a smorgasbord of tracks that are compelling and fun at the same time. Want to turn up? Listen to “Ultrasound,” “FYM,” or “Look What You Made Me Do”. Want to slow it down? “Lullaby,” “I’m Sorry,” and “One Lonely Night” are more your speed. Joyner Lucas has some of the greatest potential out of any of his contemporaries, and I think in a couple years time, we’ll be listening to a classic project from him.

Notable Tracks: Ultrasound, FYM, Keep It 100, I’m Sorry

17. What Now – Sylvan Esso – When the North Carolina duo first debuted with their self-titled album, I was immediately hooked. Their minimalist, indie-pop sound kept me listening for months on end. Now they’re back with a more fleshed out sound on their sophomore album What Now. I think the risk to make “bigger” sounding music paid off, Amelia Meath is an excellent vocalist, and giving her more opportunities to indulge her energetic impulses on tracks like “The Glow,” “Radio,” or “Just Dancing,” gives Sylvan Esso another dimension to explore on future projects. Nick Sanborn’s expanded sample pallet makes for a much more interesting project all in all, for example “Kick Jump Twist” is a sonic adventure that experiences several peaks and valleys within the four minute thirty second run time without the song feeling like a tonal mess. In a pop landscape that is dominated by dark sounding music (a la Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” or Ed Sheeran’s weird attempts at being sexy on “Shape of You”), Sylvan Esso finds their niche with a medley of fun dance tracks. As great as their debut was, Sylvan Esso letting loose allowed the duo to stay fresh while still remaining familiar to the fans that enjoyed their debut.

Notable Tracks: Die Young, Radio, Just Dancing

16. Run the Jewels 3 – Run the Jewels – (NOTE: This album came out on December 24th 2016, so I’m counting it as a 2017 release) Run the Jewels will be the modern generation’s Eminiem, insofar as the kids that don’t appreciate rap will ALWAYS say that this is the one group in the genre they like. The group’s third studio album (fourth if you include their meme album “Meow the Jewels”) takes a turn for the political (oh gee I wonder why?) and I think the project is better off for it. Given Killer Mike’s social activism and his short stint as a Bernie Sanders surrogate, the decision is a welcome and encouraged one. The duo is sharp as ever, El-P’s beats continue to be eccentric yet accessible, and both rappers keep their rebellious, devil may care attitude fresh. I can’t get enough of “Legend Has It”. That track to me captures Run the Jewels essence the best. It’s brash, boastful, and has a wild beat, everything we’ve come to expect from the duo. Things take a turn for the revolutionary on tracks like “Don’t Get Captured” and “A Report to the Shareholders/Kill Your Masters”. While on this album the group merely dips their toes into the the more political conversations, I think this decision will pave the way to several more years of interesting topics for the group to cover.

Notable Tracks: Legend Has It, Hey Kids (Bumaye), Stay Gold, A Report to the Shareholders/Kill Your Masters

15. Radio Silence – Talib Kweli – Hip hop has been in a transition, and this year many of the hot debates have come to a head. Old heads are lecturing the next generation with a message that resemble the ones that stuffy prudes told them in hip hop’s early days, legendary rappers like Andre 3000 are saying that old guys shouldn’t rap, and the definition of hip hop feels like it’s being stretched to it’s absolute limit. And then there are artists like Talib Kweli, he didn’t get the memo that old guys shouldn’t rap. His latest efforts on Radio Silence are vintage Kweli. His relentless flows on “The Magic Hour” pairs perfectly with the loosely arranged drums and the funky guitar chords that make up the beat of this track. “The Magic Hour,” feels like the most appropriate track to kick this album off, as if suggesting that Kweli’s talent isn’t inherent in his age, but rather in the hard work and dedication to his craft. Following this up with the KAYTRANADA produced “Traveling Light” and an Anderson .Paak feature further illustrates that Kweli is relevant and knows what works without sacrificing the identity that made him a success back in the mid nineties. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Kweli album without social advocacy themes. Whether he’s criticizing law enforcement on “All of Us,” or the culture of violence that is ingrained in American culture on “She’s My Hero,” Kweli continues to stay relevant by sharing impassioned, thought provoking lyrics without falling into the “fake woke” trap that contemporary hip hop artists tend to fall for.

Notable Tracks: The Magic Hour, Traveling Light, She’s My Hero, Knockturnal, Write At Home

14. 3 – Tricot – Since their debut studio album in 2012, Tricot has released a steady stream of hectic, complex, math rock that will surely get your blood pumping. The trio built off their previous success with their appropriately titled, third studio album, 3. Frontwoman Ikumi “Ikkyu” Nakajima continues to prove herself as a formidable vocalist throughout the project with songs like the relentless opening track “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” or her vocal solo at the end of “Sukima” that would even rival Mariah Carey’s range. Motok Kid and Ikumi have excellent chemistry with one another as they play off each other’s talented guitar playing. “Pork Ginger” is an excellent display of tempo changes that blend together without the track sounding jarring. Even though I don’t speak Japanese (and therefore don’t understand the lyrics of this album without looking them up), the trio’s ability to create tangible, emotional tones with their music is the latest evidence that music is the universal language.

Notable Tracks: Tokyo Vampire Hotel, Pork Ginger, Setsuyakuka

13. I Love You Like a Brother – Alex Lahey – You know, Alex Lahey is a victim to poor timing. If she somehow found a way to release this album about fifteen years ago, Lahey’s music would have been featured in every single straight-to-DVD teen movie put out over that period. Personally, I’m glad we have this project in 2017, it’s fun, sassy nature is much needed to break up the downer music that dominates my Spotify listening history. Lahey’s debut album introduces us to the funny, honest, and brash frontwoman in a flurry of energetic anthems about platonic relationships, self-care, and anything else that’s on your typical millennial’s minds. “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself,” is one of my favorite songs of the year, it’s an earnest track of self-deprecation, but presented with raucous pop-punk guitar chords and an upbeat tempo. Most of the music is simple, yet addictive, thanks to Lahey packing this project with plenty of loud, electric guitars. I Love You Like a Brother is a love letter to fem pop-punk akin to Paramore, Pvris, or Courage My Love.

Notable Tracks: Every Day’s the Weekend, I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself, Lotto in Reverse, There’s No Money

12. ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ – Joey Bada$$ – The spectre of politics seems to have invaded every aspect of our lives. Celebrities, coffee companies, and tiki torches have been forced to make some kind of a political statement, it was a given that music would get political too. I can think of very few musicians that was better staged for speaking truth to power in 2017 than Joey Bada$$. While most prefer the boom-bap, golden era hip hop sound that got Joey noticed a la 1999 or B4.Da.$$, I think the more airwave friendly sound of ALL-AMERIKKAN BADA$$ works well for the Brooklyn emcee. Listeners are treated to a whole range of Joey’s emotions on this project, in particular his complicated relationship with the United States. “FOR MY PEOPLE” is laden with optimistic sounding synths and a distant brass instrument as Joey raps about overcoming the everyday trials and tribulations of his existence through his “super power” of sharing his experience through the written word. “LAND OF THE FREE” is a somber anthem about feeling dissatisfied with the American government and the lack of change that politicians like Obama were able to accomplish despite their campaign promises.The sample selection on this album is superb, the clip from Coonskin is the perfect transition from “Y U DON’T LOVE ME? (MISS AMERIKKKA)” to “ROCKABYE BABY”. And the audio of the child’s police brutality speech is an excellent bookend for the “TEMPTATION”. The conclusion of the project, “AMERIKKKAN IDOL” is a boiling point of frustration wherein Joey calls for unity and a revolution against the powers that be; depending on your perspective it’s either inspiring or terrifying, but nevertheless the natural conclusion of all the feelings that Joey lays out on the project.

Notable Tracks: FOR MY PEOPLE, LAND OF THE FREE, ROCKABYE BABY, LEGENDARY, AMERIKKKAN IDOL

11. Witness – Benjamin Booker – Benjamin Booker is one of the latest in this wave of contemporary artists that are reinterpreting classic genres. If Leon Bridges had a rebel older brother, he would be Benjamin Booker. “Right On You” sets the perfect tone for the rest of this project, it’s a jubilant, rebellious introduction to Booker’s infectious talent, and he rarely loses your attention throughout the album. The bluesy, garage-rock, tracks are broken up when appropriate with a well-timed gospel influenced song, like the title track “Witness” or “Carry”. The full range of Booker’s talents are on display on “Off the Ground” a track that explodes into a raucous display of wailing and guitar mashing that would be sure to wake up the dead. Benjamin Booker is the the type of frontman that is an absolute joy to listen to, and his talent truly shines through from start to finish on Witness.

Notable Tracks: Right On You, Witness, Overtime, Off the Ground