1) Aaron Sprinkle – Real Life
My first impression of Real Life was that it was an inferior pop album to Sprinkle’s previously released Water & Guns, but multiple listens changed that viewpoint quite significantly. Throughout this past year I’ve found myself continually drawn to this album. It’s a catchy album with well placed guest features and great lyrics that are worth digging into.
2) Gloomcatcher – Blade in the Belfry EP
I’m pretty sure Jesse Rhibordy is a genius. His musical journey through Falling Up is such an interesting case study on how an artist develops over time. In my opinion, Jesse has been putting out music that is ahead of our time in the past several years, and Blade in the Belfry only continues to solidify that opinion. This is such a beautiful EP, especially the gorgeous string sections throughout. Only Jesse Rhibordy can get away with ridiculous lyrics like “down the street there’s a witch on the trampoline” or write lines like “maybe I’m on the earth / but the earth isn’t on the dirt” and it not sound like purple poetry.
3) Rusty Shipp – Mortal Ghost
This gem of a “nautical rock n roll” album caught my attention when JFH staff writer Michael Weaver gave a glowing review earlier in the year. It took one or two listens to see past the slightly lower production quality, but man once you get beyond that there is so much good rock music here. Check out “Hotel Bible,” “Tip of My Tongue,” and “Davy Jones” (or the whole album) if you are looking for a new favorite rock band.
4) Blank Books – EP1
Brothers Aaron and Jesse Sprinkle have teamed up for the first time since Poor Old Lu for an alternative rock album that is both fresh and nostalgic. The first four tracks are all alternative rock gold but “Hungry Ghost” is my personal favorite. I was seriously considering EP1 for my number two spot but felt a little odd putting Aaron Sprinkle at one and two.
5) Kings Kaleidescope – The Beauty Between
I liked Becoming Who You Are when it first came out, but I never fell in love with it in the same way that so many others had. I never got into Beyond Control, but The Beauty Between really caught my attention. Everyone I tell this to assumes it’s because of the different sound (which is rooted in hip-hop beats) but it’s actually because I think this is more thought-provoking lyrically, more cohesive sonically, better produced, and contains stronger melodies.
6) Death Therapy – The Calm Before the Storm
There have been a lot of albums this year that I’ve really enjoyed that are outside of my favorite genres of rock and pop. The debut album from Death Therapy exemplifies this perfectly with its industrial groove metal. This album is surprisingly gospel-centered with relatively simplistic lyrics delivered with a refreshingly honest approach.
7) nobigdyl – Canopy
Canopy is hands down my favorite rap album of 2017. nobigdyl was formerly a manager for Derek Minor, but was “fired” after Minor heard his music so he could pursue a career as an artist. This underrated rapper has great flow and his lyrics are super relatable with puns flying in every direction. This short but sweet ten track album definitely grabs your attention from the start and makes you really listen to the lyrics. The more organic beats are also a nice change from the majority of modern rap music. Though he’s independent now, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on Humble Beast soon enough–dyl kind of fits in with the music they’ve been putting out lately. Check out “Suicide Nets” or “Purple Dinosaur” if you haven’t listened to Canopy yet.
8) Landry Cantrell – Projections
Projections was a pleasant surprise coming out of Dream Label Group. All you really need to know about this is that it’s a catchy and thoughtful pop album. Perhaps Landry Cantrell can fill the void that Jonathan Thulin left.
9) Demon Hunter – Outlive
Though I listen to metal on occasion, it’s not my preferred genre. Outlive has a strong hard rock vibe, so it is the first Demon Hunter album I could fully get behind (though objectively I would argue that it’s not their best–hence my 3.5 star rating). The opening combo of “Trying Times,” “Jesus Wept,” and “Cold Winter Sun” followed by a slew of other solid hard rock/metal tunes makes this a favorite album of 2017 for me.
10) Phinehas – Dark Flag
A friend recommended checking out Phinehas shortly before their latest album came out, and I was definitely impressed with their straightforward approach to hardcore music. The one liners and a healthy dose of excellent clean vocals are what drew me in, and that’s definitely displayed here on Dark Flag. This concept album about North Korea is a great listen from start to finish. Favorite tracks include the title track, “A War That Never Ends,” and “Communion for Ravens.”