My Top 10 Albums I Heard This Year (2017)

Well, Christmastime is over, and its time to put away the holiday music (unless you're one of those people that listens to Christmas music all year round, and if you are, good for you). My last two articles were focused on counting down some of the best holiday music. This time, in honor of New Year's, I'm going to look back at the best albums I heard this past year.

Let me make something clear: this is NOT a list of the best albums of 2017 like one would see in Rolling Stone or TIME Magazine. No, this is a list of the best albums that I was exposed to the first time this past year. These albums could have been released in 2017, or anytime before that. I don't listen to a whole lot of contemporary music, and when I do, I'm usually late catching up to the party. So, these are the best new sounds I've exposed my eardrums to within the last 365 days (not counting the sound of my own voice, of course).

(Note that if you'd rather read a list of the best albums that were released this past year, my friend Mike makes one of those each year, and I highly value his recommendations. You can checkout this year's list here. It's especially useful if you'd rather listen to more popular artists than some of my bizarre, eccentric choices.)

10-The Monkees-Good Times! (2016)

This came out last year, but I wasn't able to listen to it until recently. The surviving members of The Monkees perform new songs that utilize the same “sound” of the original recordings while bringing something new to the table. It feels like a true comeback album. They even use some of Davy Jones's old vocals on a new recording of “Love to Love.”

Favorite Tracks: “Good Times,” “Our Own World,” “Love to Love,” “Birth of an Accidental Hipster”

9-Elvis-If I Can Dream

A remixed Elvis song with new instrumentation can make it big. JXL proved this in the 90's with their release of “A Little Less Conversation.” This new album has The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing over older Elvis recordings, and let me tell you, The King has not sounded this good in a very long time. It's the closest we're ever going to get to a new live Elvis album. What I like about this is that they include different styles of songs from blues to ballads to lively Vegas showstoppers.

At the tail-end of the year, they also released a new Christmas album using this format, Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Too bad I had already written out my Christmas album lists for the year before I came upon it. Oh well, there's always next year.

Favorite Tracks: “Fever,” “An American Trilogy,” “If I Can Dream,” “Burning Love”

8-Less Than Jake-Sound the Alarm

Unlike previous releases, the ska band, Less Than Jake, released this EP in response to their announcement that they would hold off on releasing full albums for the foreseeable future. This works in the EP's favor, however, because with only 7 tracks, I kept wanting more. Unlike previous albums like Anthem, the deeper themes of facing adulthood with no major accomplishments, the desire to leave home to pursue greatness, and the realization of being stuck in a boring life choice-all major aspects explored by the band-are absent from this recording. This is just straight up ska/punk with lots of high energy and few lessons to learn. It's short but sweet, and it's nice to see a band like this doing so well after all these years. Their most mainstream appeal was probably that one time they were on the soundtrack of Tony Hawk 4 or maybe when they made the theme song to Good Burger, but this EP proves that they can easily cater to a smaller, but dedicated, fan base and still profit from it.

Favorite Tracks: “Bomb Drop,” “Welcome to My Life,” “Call to Arms”

7-Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol 2

When the soundtrack to the first Guardians movie was released, the world shook. Disney, for the first time since 2003, was selling a cassette tape online. Many people heard songs they had never been exposed to before. Some of these under-played mainstream hits even got quite a bit of radio play. The soundtrack to the film's sequel did the same thing as before: introduced some of us to new songs (“Lake Shore Drive” was mostly a regional hit until now, for example) while making some old favorites popular again. Also, they included a George Clinton song, so that alone automatically gets a thumbs up for me.

My only minor complaint is the inclusion of Sweet's “Fox on the Run” which was already used well in other nostalgic themed films such as Dazed and Confused and Detroit Rock City. It wasn't even in the actual film, only the commercials and trailers. Disney did the same thing in the first album when they gave us a tune used to promote the first movie, “Spirit in the Sky,” a song that's always been played to death.

About a month after this collection came out, the Baby Driver soundtrack was released which included a large plethora of hits from the past. I felt Guardians was more deserving of being mentioned on this list, however. The songs in Baby Driver worked well in the movie, and the movie introduced me to some new songs that I like such as “Bellbottoms.” But most of these songs, like “Egyptian Reggae,” aren't something I'd listen to in my own time. On Guardians, ever song is a winner.

Favorite Tracks: “Lake Shore Drive,” “Brandy,” “Flash Light,” “Southern Nights”

6-David Bowie-Lazarus (2016)

Released at the end of 2016 (and not available at my local music store until the following January), this is the cast album for the show that utilizes David Bowie songs to tell us what happened to Bowie's character from The Man Who Fell to Earth after the events of the movie took place. Sadly, Bowie passed before the show opened. It is because of this that, just like Blackstar before it, it's impossible for me to separate this album from the tragic event that surrounded it.

The Lazarus cast does an amazing job with the material given to them, a wide selection of songs from throughout the entirety of Bowie's career. They even included “Absolute Beginners,” a favorite of mine which was originally written for a film that I also enjoyed, despite the fact that, anyway you look at it, it's not a very good piece of cinema. The only track I really had a gripe with on here is “The Man Who Sold the World,” which substitutes the soul of the original for a foreboding background. The signature guitar riff that we all know is also absent.

There are two things holding this album back in my mind. One is that I get depressed listening to it due to Bowie's passing. The other is that, for all the wonderful harmonic melodies on display here, these singers are not Bowie, and his original tracks will always be more enjoyable to listen to. Thankfully, the second disk to Lazarus contains brand new tracks featuring Bowie's vocals, a feature that's worth the album price alone. I cannot wait to see what new posthumous material Bowie has planned for us in the near future.

Favorite Tracks (as they appear on this album): “This is Not America,” “Absolute Beginners,” “Always Crashing in the Same Car,” “Valentine's Day”

5-The Gorillaz-Humanz

This album split Gorillaz fans down the middle with some claiming that this wasn't really a true to form Gorillaz album, but instead an album full of different artists with Damon Albern serving as a “guest vocalist.” You know what? If that's the case, I'm totally fine with that. It's been forever since Albern and Jamie Hewlett have even tried to give the perception of a cartoon band with some guest artists singing next to the fictional characters. The curtain has been peeled back, and the original “band” members are nothing more than mascots at this point. If the duo has gone back on their original idea, why stop now? The Fall was a neat experiment, and so was this. I enjoy seeing the creators continue to take risks with their music.

I'm going to state a very unpopular opinion: this was the first Gorillaz release that I enjoyed 100 percent. You heard me right. The original self-titled album had good singles, but the rest was just drivel. I liked most of Demon Days, but not all of it. I enjoyed only half of Plastic Beach. With Humanz, I was enthralled from beginning to end. Lately, upon re-listening to it, there are tracks that I tend to skip now in favor of the ones I like better, but I can't say that there's a single song I don't care for.

Like I said, opinions are split on this one, and mine is just one of the many who enjoyed it. Whether you agree with the political message behind this album or not, whether you aren't sure what to make of the creative choices behind this release, it's still worth looking into. Do you like hip-hop and electronica? Do you like singing cartoon characters in your music videos? If yes to all of those, check this one out and decide what you think for yourself.

Favorite Tracks: “Let Me Out,” “Strobe Light,” “Submission,” “Saturn Barz”

4-Okilly Dokilly-Howdilly Doodilly (2016)

One of the best novelty bands out there. I recently jumped at the chance to see these guys live. They were playing with Beatallica who I also wanted to put on this list, but I figured it wouldn't be fair to have two novelty acts on here. Beatallica (a group that combines Metallica and Beatles songs together) is awesome, though, and you should definitely check them out, along with Mac Sabbath and The Pizza Underground.

Okilly Dokilly is a band that dresses like Ned Flanders from The Simpsons, and most of their songs are based around quotes that the character has given over the show's many seasons, and there's a few things (other than the Flanders gimmick) that set them apart from other death metal bands. The first is that their lead singer, dubbed Head Ned, can go back and forth between Ned Flanders's wimpy voice to a hardcore growl within seconds. The other is that this band has a synthesizer player (Red Ned). You would not think that synth and death metal would ever go hand in hand, but these guys make it work. Oh my god, it works so well here. To give you an example of how well those two sounds blend together, let's look at a real perspective. My brother is/was a consummate collector of old school electronic music, but he's not into metal at all. When I played this album for him, he was very impressed (and if you knew my brother, you'd know that's a huge compliment, because his standards are quite high).

Not only does the synth work well, but so does everything else, and this quality is increased tenfold in the live shows. I won't spoil anything for you, but seeing these guys live is quite an experience for a hardcore Simpsons nerd. Pop open a blackberry schnapps, maybe light a little “reef-a-roonie” (if it's legal where you live), and toss away your LP of Dreamcoat in favor of this release.

Favorite Tracks: “All That is Left,” “You're a Jerk,” “They Warned Me,” “Donut Hell”

3-White Buffalo Woman-White Buffalo Woman (2015)

There's a very good chance that you've never heard of these guys. That's because they're a local band from Ohio. I've been to a few of their shows, and I was blown away every time. I first saw them the night Chuck Berry died, and they were able to learn “Johnny B Goode” in the alley behind the stage about a half hour before going on. These guys have what it takes to go far, and you should definitely keep them on your radar.

The band combines a grungy garage rock sound with classic rock and roll. Their lead singer, Evan Rutledge, gives off a personification of Jim Morrison with the voice of Mick Jagger. His fantastic stage presence always attracts the attention of females young and old. I have to give a special mention to their drummer, Joe Whales, who really gives a dedicated performance each time I've seen him (and in the last show I saw them in, he was nice enough to give me a copy of their set list). In total, there are five members (and four others who also perform on this album), and each one is the absolute best at what they do. It is very rare when I see a local band that includes solid performances by every single member. I've seen many local acts, and this is a rare thing to come by. You can buy the album on the band's website here.

Favorite tracks: “Find My Love,” “Baby Please,” “Like You Used to Do,” “She's Gone”

2-Death Angel-The Evil Divide (2016)

When I listen to an album for the first time, I typically play the entire thing twice to get a decent feel for it. When I first heard this album (after randomly finding it in my music downloads), I listened to the entire thing 9 different times! I had to force myself to stop playing it for fear that it would get old. I've listened to it several times since, and so far, it still holds up.

I think the reason I enjoyed it so much is that it has a particular sound I was looking to hear, but I just didn't know it. Death Angel is a thrash metal band, and The Evil Divide sounds absolutely nothing like anything The Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax for the un-educated) are putting out or ever did back in their prime. This is truly a new take on modern thrash. Each song has its own killer hook and thematic message, making sure that no two tracks feel completely the same.

When I initially listened to this, my first reaction for certain songs such as “Lost” was something like “OK, this is probably the designated ballad that every metal album has to have.” Fortunately, Death Angel proved me wrong. Any song that opens with slower chords builds and builds to a satisfyingly heavy conclusion, “Lost” being the best example.

I'm honestly not sure what else to say other than every track was truly satisfying to listen to. The Evil Divide is a breath of fresh air in a crowded market. Any thrasher out there needs to give this a listen.

Favorite Tracks: “Lost,” “It Can't Be This,” “Cause for Alarm,” “Breakaway”

1-Lemon Demon-Spirit Phone (2016)

Chances are, unless you're familiar with the YouTube music scene, you probably haven't heard of Lemon Demon, the one man band (in the studio, anyway) of Neil Cicierega. You may not know his name, but you definitely know his work, for he is the creator of Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, Potter Puppet Pals, Brodyquest, and even some music for Disney's Gravity Falls. Yes, all those videos were done by the same guy.

Anyway, a few years ago he released a song called “Reaganomics,” a high energy 80's-ish pop song with lots of cheesy synthesizer. I could not get enough of this song when it was released. I hoped that one day Neil might release an entire album of songs like these. Thankfully, my prayers have been answered, and the album in question is even more glorious than I could ever imagine.

OK, before I get ahead of myself kissing this artist's feet, let's talk about the actual songs for a second. Spirit Phone, for the most part, takes a look at the supernatural through a comedically dark lense. Most of the songs are about hauntings or just general spookiness. Three of these songs are remakes of older releases, including a new version of “Reaganomics,” which just may be a bit better than the original.

The album opens with a bang: “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a song about bringing a dead celebrity back to life, and “Touch Tone Telephone” are so good that I dare you not to listen to them on repeat before finishing the album. We then segue “Cabinet Man,” which is about a man becoming fused to an arcade game, Frankenstein-style. “When He Died” focuses the mysterious activities of a deceased man. “Soft Fuzzy Man” is about a foggy cloud looking for love. Several other songs follow this fashion of macabre yet darkly humorous themes, but I'll leave those up to you to analyze.

The second half of the album focuses more on the ideals of an older generation such as the Baby Boomers. “As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It,” “Reaganomics,” “I Earn My Life,” and “Spiral of Ants” can be interpreted as anthems for a lost way of life. (Of course, Neil has denied this and insists that the latter track is actually just about an ant colony.)

If you thought we were done, you're wrong, because Spirit Phone includes a large collection of bonus tracks. After the main course is over, these serve as nice desserts. Only two are alternate takes of new songs on the album, and most are instrumentals. One wonders why Neil never did anything else with these tracks, because all of them have potential to become more complete. “You're at the Party” closes out the bonus tracks, and the album as a whole, with a haunting, yet ambiguous, message.

“Gosh, Aaron,” you're probably thinking, “You really love this album. Is there any part of it you don't like?” I'm glad you never asked! I actually don't care for “Man Made Object” and “As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It” that much. Upon re-listening to the whole package, I usually skip these. They're not bad songs by any means, but not my favorites. As far as the bonus tracks go, I could never really get into “Angry People,” which overstays its welcome. I liked “Redesign Your Logo” during the first several listens, but it also got stale pretty fast.

Overall, Spirit Phone is a wonderful journey from beginning to end, as my gushing might suggest. If you enjoy nerdy bands like They Might Be Giants or Ninja Sex Party, or especially if you're into classic 80's New Wave groups, this is one you most certainly will want to listen to. It is available for less than $10 on Neil's website.

Favorite Tracks: “Reaganomics,” “Cabinet Man,” “Touch Tone Telephone,” “When He Died”

Favorite Bonus Tracks: “You're at the Party,” “Pizza Heroes,” “Kubrick and the Beast,” “Crisis Actors”

Honorable Mention:

Neil Cicierega-Mouth Moods

Released this past year as the third in the “Mouth” trilogy of mash-up albums, this is a free release that combines famous pop songs together that, but all logic, should not go together, but they work really well. Just goes to show you that all four chord songs are the same, and also, that Smash Mouth's “All Star” can be adapted to fit any genre. It's not a full blown album, so it doesn't technically make the list, but it's more than worth your time.

Biggest Disappointments:

Metallica-Hardwired to Self Destruct

Sometime after the Napster fiasco of the early 2000's and the release of the St. Anger album (which makes to shudder to even type its name) and Some Kind of Monster documentary that complimented it, many of us finally realized that Metallica was no longer the kings of thrash metal that they used to be, but instead had become a corporate machine with little to no creative energy left, just like many rock groups before them. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Death Magnetic a few years ago. It looked like the group may have still had some creativity left after all. Those hopes were shattered with the release of Hardwired to Self Destruct, a album of the most basic, uninspired, unapologetically bland thrash riffs possible. It is thrash metal at its most basic. Nothing stands out, it is pure noise. I guess Metallica decided to stick to putting all of their time into Hot Topic shirts and pinball cabinets.

Mastodon-Emperor of Sand

I consider Mastodon to be one of my favorite modern metal bands. I was first introduced to them through Leviathan, and since then, I haven't been disappointed with any of their releases until now. Emperor of Sand comes off strong and heavy, but it does nothing to differentiate itself the way the other albums did. Albums like Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain had their own individual identities, and this one is just...an album by Mastodon. It has their signature sound, but for me personally, it brought nothing new to the table. I even bought the physical CD release, hoping to display it proudly in my case of metal CD's. I doubt I'll re-listen to it much, which is sad. I really wanted to like this one.

Iggy Pop-The Idiot (1977)

This is going to upset a lot of people, as this is considered to be a classic album. I own nearly everything David Bowie has touched (and by that I am mostly referring to the stuff that isn't too difficult to track down a physical copy of), so it was natural that I give a listen to some of the material he's produced for other artists. After putting this off for years and hearing nothing but good reviews, a friend finally made me relent and buy the two Bowie-produced Iggy Pop albums. I'm familiar with Iggy's period with The Stooges, so this came across as very different than what I expected. It does sound like a Bowie album, but much like Tonight and Never Let Me Down, it also sounds like an album full of discarded songs that he knew weren't that great. I enjoyed Lust for Life a little more, but neither album did a whole lot for me.

Iced Earth-Incorruptible

Finally, we have this. Ugh, where to start? I'm not sure.

OK, I guess I should start by saying that Iced Earth is my favorite band, with only Bowie and Iron Maiden possibly taking that top spot. Iced Earth changed how I looked at heavy music, and especially how its written. Their lyrics about the human condition affected my own writing. The founder, Jon Shaffer, has a very moving personal story about overcoming loss and poverty to found his dream band.

I own every album this band has made, and I can say that for a while, each release kept bringing something new to the table. Burnt Offerings had a 16 minute song based on Dante's Inferno which an English teacher I knew used in class. The Dark Saga explored the human side of Todd McFarline's Spawn character back when he was one of the breakout superhero stars of the 90's. Horror Show featured songs about the Universal movie monsters, and each one had its own distinct feel. The Something Wicked albums created a new universe of mythology that was uniquely its own thing. The Glorious Burden showcased well-crafted songs about historical battles and events with enough factoids to fill a Social Studies textbook. Each album did something different, and even when singers Matt Barlow and Tim “Ripper” Owens took their final bows, I still enjoyed the later releases, Dystopia and Plagues of Babylon. Sure, they weren't nearly as good in my book, but they had a new sound to them. Dystopia was mostly about Dystopian fiction, and Plagues had a harder, heavier feel to it, so each release was able to stand out on its own.

The last two albums may have been lacking a bit in the originality department, but this new one takes the cake as your standard, by the numbers, “nothing new to see here” Iced Earth album. We have your song based on a historic battle (“Clear the Way”), your songs based on classic literature or ancient myths, your song about death and spirits watching over us (“Ghost Dance”), and maybe even a Something Wicked story or two, I'm not even sure at this point. It's not a bad album by any means, but why on earth did any of us need a collection of every Iced Earth trope ever? It's not even an album I'd use to hook a new fan, because it can't stand on its own. It's like saying, “Here's what this band likes to sing about, now go back and listen to the good stuff on your own.”

Part of the reason for this could be a new direction the band is taking. The last album, Plagues of Babylon, was significantly darker and heavier than past releases, but that was at least a nice risk the band took, and it did somewhat pay off. Another reason that I may not like this one as much could be that I prefer Barlow and Owens as my vocalists, but I do understand that other than Shaffer, Iced Earth has always been a revolving door of talent. We've had Stu Block since 2011 as the lead vocalist, and while he does a good job, I've never completely gotten used to his voice. I think the biggest thing that bothers me about Incorruptible is the lack of identity this one album has. It didn't need to be a concept album, but there's no uniformity between the songs, and it just comes off like a mishmash of different ideas glued together.

This new venture leaves a lot to be desired, from this fan at least. It pains me deeply to criticize my favorite band so harshly like this, but I think constructive criticism should never hurt anyone. Personally, I'd like to see an album based on Jon Shaffer's life with the last song on the album being about the formation the the band. We already got “Watching Over Me,” a song about the death of a friend of Jon's who was the one who gave the band its name and logo. If they can do that, they could certainly make an album about their own history come to life. I know this band is more capable than this, and I'm anxious to see if any future releases excite me the same way their older ones did. I certainly hope they do, because I do not want to turn into an old geezer pining for the “good old days.”

Those are my thoughts on the albums I first heard in 2017, or at least, the ones worth mentioning. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry it took so long to complete. We're already almost at February! I'm not sure if I'll continue this feature next year, but we'll see how this is received. I know it's late, but Happy New Year, everybody!