40. The Booty Tape – Ugly God – The Booty Tape cracks the top 40 based moreso on Ugly God’s potential than the actual quality of the project. I think Ugly God is a genuine character in hip hop, he’s funny, personable, and every so often proves to listeners that he has plenty of musical talent. Tracks like “Welcome To The Booty Tape” and “F*ck Ugly God” are perfect examples of Ugly God’s ability to laugh at himself but still make a fun track to listen to. My overly optimistic trajectory for Ugly God is to see him surround himself with talented individuals that will help develop further as a rapping talent without sacrificing the humor that comes so naturally on some of his music. If he is able to find the right people to mentor his development, I could see Ugly God fitting into a similar lane as Danny Brown.

Notable tracks: Welcome To The Booty Tape, F*ck Ugly God, Water

39. Good for You – Aminé – While dark, dreary pop has been in vogue in 2017, Aminé’s Good for You is a breath of fresh air. It’s bright, easy going and playful, something that we can all use more of to break up the steady stream of bad news and uncertainty. There is plenty of variety in this album’s production. The opening track “Veggies” has a gorgeous string arrangement, followed up by a simple, but pleasant guitar playing in the background. “Hero” features a goofy intro of several people mispronouncing Aminé, it has a bit of a high school teen movie feel to it, before the track itself kicks off into a breezy little guitar riff. Other tracks like “Sundays” and “Turf” help vary the tempo, so as to avoid making this project a one trick pony. I will say that Good for You does overstay it’s welcome near the end, “Turf” feels like a natural conclusion (despite the track listing have six tracks after the fact), but this might just be an issue with the ordering of the songs rather than a shortcoming on Aminé’s part. All things considered, Good for You is fun, and I think everybody can use a bit more fun in their lives these days.

Notable tracks: Veggies, Hero, Sundays, Dakota

 

 

38. Same Sky – James Linsey – For an artist plays so well to poppy, light, beats (think Amine), the content of Linsey’s music can be pretty heavy. For example, “Rainbows” is all about how easy it is to fall into the prison pipeline as a black man in America, but it’s presented with this bright, groovy, beat. It can feel a little tonedeaf. Tracks like “Spotlight” are where Linsey really shines, it’s flirty, energetic, and I’m always a sucker for vinyl store hunting. Same Sky is a complex debut that serves as more of a showcase for Linsey’s many musical talents rather than an album with a unified theme.

Notable Tracks: Wanna Shine?, Rainbows, Apples to Oranges

37. 2016 Discography – VELVETEARS – The mellow vibes of Discography 2016 are the perfect companion for a dreary day inside while huddling underneath a cozy blanket. It’s a collection of minimalist indie-rock/electronic tracks that feel moody that are all tied together by VELVETEARS’ sullen vocals. I can’t say much more concerning this album unfortunately (which I definitely hate to do, especially for a year-end list), but this was the kind of album that served as a default backdrop to a lot of my year. The blend of basic, electronic production and lingering guitar notes was widely applicable throughout 2017.

Notable tracks: Share The Throne, Will I Ever Care, Cry to This, Hands Around My Neck

36. You’re Not As _____ As You Think – Sorority Noise – In the wake of losing several close friends to drug overdose and suicide, Sorority Noise’s frontman Cameron Boucher contributed to the release of two EPs that encapsulated where he was in his grieving process, one was a numb, exhausted collection of tracks (It Kindly Stopped for Me), the other an explosion of rage with punchy instrumentation (Slow Burn). Sorority Noise returned with a year of reflection under their belt and met in the middle and came up with You’re Not As _____ As You Think. This project is a return to form for the emo rock, it’s a more substantial, mature, take on what is often looked at as a vapid genre. You’re Not As _____ As You Think explores the wide range of emotions that comes with the dark periods of our lives, all while backed by killer duets of guitars and worthwhile musical payoffs on slow building tracks. The track “A Better Sun” is the perfect portrayal of feeling emotionally sapped after a lengthy hardship with the repetition of the line “This is the part where [insert activity/feeling here]” delivered by a dejected Boucher. “Second Letter From St. Julien” feels like the album’s ultimate redemption track as Cameron wrestles with the existence of a higher power, and while he doesn’t come to a tidy conclusion, he does come to a reassuring conclusion of what he hopes for that higher power.

Notable tracks: No Halo, A Better Sun, Where Are You? Second Letter From St. Julien

35. 32 – T.Y.E – The opera-singer-in-training turned rapper brings an awesome perspective to hip hop. Much like Anderson .Paak, T.Y.E blends training in a traditional music form with a genre that is still defining itself with every passing year. Opera influences are plain as day on 32, every single track is a larger than life, grandiose, and full of character, and that’s not even taking into account T.Y.E’s vocal performance. His voice is dripping with whatever emotion he is hoping to portray on any given track, whether he’s being arrogant on “Universe” or becoming a living embodiment of anxiety on the second half of “A*shole” the emotional range that T.Y.E brings to this album is nothing short of impressive. The listener is invited to be subject to a 40 minute panic attack in the mind of T.Y.E as he pushes himself to the brink over the one thing that he lives for: The pursuit of happiness.

Notable tracks: Universe, A*shole, Aliens & Ufos, Unusual

 

 

34.  The Iceberg – Oddisee – Oddisee’s experience in rapping and producing allows for a tightly controlled project. While there is the risk of “tunnel visioning” on a sound (if that makes any sense) by keeping the group of collaborators small, it doesn’t seem like that happened on The Iceberg. While you can definitely identify musical fingerprint with a common thread throughout The Iceberg, the production isn’t all one note. “Digging Deep” is a great jumping off point for the project, it eases you in with suave horns, a solid rap about working hard, and a general fun vibe to start everything off on the right note. But the real meat of this album is when Oddisee uses his talent to discuss interesting social issues that are relevant to our current cultural moment. “Hold It Back” discusses the unique position Oddisee finds himself in as a person with a platform and the responsibility that comes with that platform. “You Grew Up” is a heartbreaking series of stories about how hatred breeds in our hearts, particularly from the perspective of young children that get taken advantage of towards nefarious ends. Oddisee is thoughtful in his presentation, and it helps that it’s catchy as hell.

Notable tracks: Hold It Back, You Grew Up, Rights & Wrongs

 

 

33. Rap Album Two – Jonwayne – Rap Album Two is an authentic return to music after Jonwayne’s brief hiatus. It’s self-aware, it’s observant, it’s well-written. The opening track, “TED Talk,” is as good of an introduction to an album as I’ve heard all year, it’s packed with witty bars like “I never forget like elephants on 4chan,” or “Kissing that cross, now they kissing my crosshairs/When I rap on beats that sound like a video game boss lair – [expletive]”. “LIVE From The [expletive] You” is a clever statement track about how annoyed Jonwayne gets by people that use his him for his fame, told in an annoyed tone to an ignorant fan. There’s an insightful moment on this album on “The Single” that feels like we’re witnessing Jonwayne’s breaking point that caused him to take his hiatus as he struggles to make what is supposed to be a hit single for an upcoming album, it’s heartbreaking and vulnerable in a way that any artist can relate to. The extended metaphor on “Paper” wherein Jonwayne compares himself and his legacy to a tree is a moving excerpt of songwriting that I can’t help but share whenever I talk about Rap Album Two. He writes: “When I die, I wanna grow into a tree/I want ’em to bury me/Mixed in with soil and leaves/And when I’m stretched ‘cross the land/And your son cuts me down/I wanna be the book your grandchildren read aloud/With the tape on my spine/I’m still proud/I want ’em to hand me down/And give me to Goodwill/And price me for a dollar/Still get shoplifted, hell/Torn open just to give a man shelter, shit/That’s the world of my wishes/This paper my motivation”. Jonwayne shares with his listener the portrait of an imperfect artist, and anybody who joins him on that journey will find an endearing message by the end.

Notable tracks: TED Talk, LIVE From The [Expletive] You, Paper, These Words are Everything

 

 

32. Villains – Queens of the Stone Age – It’s difficult to identify a more successful run of hit records in modern rock than that of Queens of the Stone Age. Given their masterful contributions to the genre like Songs for the Deaf and …Like Clockwork, I had high hopes for Villains. While it doesn’t quite live up to their previous efforts, I think there’s a lot to enjoy here. “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” starts the album off with a bang, featuring what I can only describe as “restless leg syndrome as a guitar riff,” every time I come back to it, I’m tempted to move with the track. “The Way you Used to Do” keeps the ball rolling with a track that starts high and insists on going higher, the guitar riffs here are hyper and complimented by a chaotic, up tempo, drum beat. Josh Hommes is at his best vocally on “Head Like a Haunted House” wherein he channels his inner coked-up Elvis for a rambunctious listening experience. My personal favorite on this record is the down tempo, yet still heavy “Un-Reborn Again,” the track feels full, every piece of instrumentation plays well with one another (the synths alternating with those awesome power chords, the dueling guitars during the chorus and at the end of the track, Josh’s vocals being complimented by his backup on the chorus, the seamless transition from guitars to violins and back again, it’s truly a masterful blend). In spite of some of the albums forgettable tracks (a la “Hideaway” and “Domesticated Animals”), I think there are some real gems here that will feel right at home with the rest of Queens of the Stone Age’s discography.

Notable tracks: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now, The Way you Used to Do, Head Like a Haunted House, Un-Reborn Again

 

 

31. Melodrama – Lorde – When Lorde burst onto the scene with “Royals” (and the accompanying album Pure Heroine), I found her to be talented, but a bit too one note for my taste (fairly shallow lyrics, and most of the album had the same basic sounding instrumentals). All that being said, Melodrama was exactly what the New Zealand artist needed to win me over. The opening three tracks, “Green Light,” “Sober,” and “Homemade Dynamite,” is one of the best runs of tracks to be released this year, they do a lot to sell to me that Lorde has made efforts to expand her sonic palette beyond the sound she explored thoroughly on Pure Heroine. Lorde feels like she’s having more fun on this album and she wants the listener to have fun with her, most notably, “Writer In The Dark”. The refrain on this song “Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark” is such a spiteful, yet fun image, and she gets plenty of mileage on this joke thanks to the unhinged tone in her voice on lines like “Now she’s gonna play and sing and lock you in her heart”. “Perfect Places” wraps the entire project up in a peppy conclusion, encouraging you to find your perfect place in the midst of all the crap that imperfect moments that we live in. Lorde came into her own on this project by letting down her guard and embracing her imperfections.

Notable Tracks: Green Light, Homemade Dynamite, Writer In The Dark, Perfect Places