I sometimes find that musicians bring out albums with some strong stand-out songs, (including the released singles) alongside others which I care little for and wouldn't listen to regularly. To me, what makes an album a favourite one is one with - what I consider to be - a faultless track-list where I love every song. The story which the album tells and the themes surrounding it are also things that grab me.
Last year, a lot of my favourite artists and bands brought out new music, and I also discovered some new favourites. So, (in no particular order) here's a list of albums released in 2017 which make the cut.
PVRIS - All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell
PVRIS brought out their much-awaited second album, All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell in August last year and I had high hopes for it considering how much I'd loved their debut album, White Noise. Comparing the two, AWKOHAWNOH went for a more up-tempo approach compared to White Noise, while still staying true to their 'dreamy electronica with dark, beat-heavy rock' vibe (as Spotify nicely puts it on the bands About section).
I find Lynn Gunn's voice hypnotising and love how the band clearly developed their sound further to create a mature and powerful second album. Themes running through the album are similar to the first - heartbreak being a significant one - but the songs on AWKOHAWNOH deliver emotion with a more feisty approach,giving the theme of empowerment both lyrically and instrumentally.
These fiery, up-tempo songs (which I see in the same field as 'Fire' - my favourite from the bands first album) come in the form of 'No Mercy', 'Heaven' and 'Winter', and these accompany the more mellow, White Noise-esque tracks 'Seperate' and 'Walk Alone'. (Saying that, the 'mellow' tracks on AWKOHAWNOH are still alot punchier than those on White Noise.)
My favourite tracks on the album are 'Nola 1', 'Same Soul' and the second single from the album 'What's Wrong'. These are tracks which I think sit somewhere in the middle of the feisty rock and mellow love songs, and where PVRIS brought a fresher sound which wasn't heard on White Noise. More electronic elements are present, and the depth in the vocals is something I really love; the soft harmonies mixed with Lynn's expressive, passionate choruses are unreal.
Harry Styles - Harry Styles
When One Direction parted ways, I always knew Harry Styles would be the one to avoid the pop route when bringing out solo stuff. Styles brought out his self-titled album in May of 2017, and the approach he went with really separated him from his previous tween boy-band image. With some up-tempo rock numbers mixed with some soulful acoustic tunes, the album is a triumph and portrays Styles as a serious, mature artist.
Admittedly, when Sign of the Times, the first single from the album, was released, I wasn't overly fussed. Now that I'm familiar with, and love, the entire tracklist, I find Sign of the Times as the debut single an odd choice as it has quite a different sound to the other tracks on the album. However, I really do like the song and think it surprised a few, and changed many peoples' perception of the ex-boyband heart-throb (who am I kidding, he's definitely still a heart-throb).
Kiwi stands out as the punchy rock song of the album, and its one of the first songs I heard from it, making me intrigued to hear the rest. I also absolutely love how a majority of the songs are slow-tempo-ed, with Sweet Creature, Two Ghosts and From the Dining Table being the perfect accompaniment for a chilled night in or a relaxing soak in the tub.
Woman and Only Angel are two of my favourites but if I'm honest I love every song. Woman is a gorgeous soulful love song with a sophisticated guitar solo and backing-vocals with depth, and Only Angel is a more up-tempo number with an unexpected, but very necessary and interesting, addition of a cowbell.
If you didn't give this album a listen because you expected some manufactured, cheesy pop with basic lyrics, I hope this mini-review has made that change. It's a seriously good, mature, rock album and I'll definitely continue listening to it this year and beyond.
When One Direction parted ways, I always knew Harry Styles would be the one to avoid the pop route when bringing out solo stuff. Styles brought out his self-titled album in May of 2017, and the approach he went with really separated him from his previous tween boy-band image. With some up-tempo rock numbers mixed with some soulful acoustic tunes, the album is a triumph and portrays Styles as a serious, mature artist.
Admittedly, when Sign of the Times, the first single from the album, was released, I wasn't overly fussed. Now that I'm familiar with, and love, the entire tracklist, I find Sign of the Times as the debut single an odd choice as it has quite a different sound to the other tracks on the album. However, I really do like the song and think it surprised a few, and changed many peoples' perception of the ex-boyband heart-throb (who am I kidding, he's definitely still a heart-throb).
Kiwi stands out as the punchy rock song of the album, and its one of the first songs I heard from it, making me intrigued to hear the rest. I also absolutely love how a majority of the songs are slow-tempo-ed, with Sweet Creature, Two Ghosts and From the Dining Table being the perfect accompaniment for a chilled night in or a relaxing soak in the tub.
Woman and Only Angel are two of my favourites but if I'm honest I love every song. Woman is a gorgeous soulful love song with a sophisticated guitar solo and backing-vocals with depth, and Only Angel is a more up-tempo number with an unexpected, but very necessary and interesting, addition of a cowbell.
If you didn't give this album a listen because you expected some manufactured, cheesy pop with basic lyrics, I hope this mini-review has made that change. It's a seriously good, mature, rock album and I'll definitely continue listening to it this year and beyond.
Neck Deep - The Peace and The Panic
Neck Deep are kind of a Marmite-band. I'm on the Love team, being so into the fast-percussion, shouty (but soulful) lyrics and Blink-182 vibes in all of their pop-punk glory. The Peace and The Panic came after the bands triumphant 2015 album Life's Not Out to Get You, and has a more mature, serious and honest approach, while still delivering the catchy pop-punk songs that the band are adored for.
The themes of LNOTGY were classic of the pop-punk genre which many fans could relate to; love, insecurity, wanting to see the world, dreams etc. etc. I absolutely love that album and every song on it (it would've made a '5 Albums of 2015' post if that were to exist), however TPATP is more of a serious album touching on personal life experiences and loss, mixed with societal and political issues.
Between LNOTGY and TPATP, front-man Ben Barlow's father sadly passed away, and many of the songs reference this in a passionate, reminiscent and endearing way. 19 Seventy Sumthin' is a song which Ben describes as one to musically portray how it felt to loose his father, with the nostalgic and happy start to the song, along with the emotional and passionate ending to it.
Happy Judgement Day is one which covers problems and controversy in our contemporary society; it's my favourite of the two pre-released singles from the album and the key-change takes the song from great to even greater. In Bloom, Parachute and The Grand Delusion are probably my other favourites from the album; In Bloom is quite reminiscent and sad but with empowerment behind it, and the floral-themed video is all kinds of beautiful. Parachute, and The Grand Delusion ring true to the pop-punk genre, being easily relatable and surrounding the themes of love and dreams.
When Paramore released After Laughter in May last year, the electropop route the band went down surprised many, due to their previous releases being very much pop-punk, alt-rock albums. Despite absolutely loving the pop-rock (3rd genre-hybrid there; I find Paramore's sound is hard to stick one label on) sound they're known for I embraced the After Laughter era with open arms after immediately falling in love with Hard Times as soon as I heard it.
While the album is full of up-tempo poppy songs, it's actually a big fat oxymoron. The album is a pretty sad one, with self-doubt, heartbreak and insecurity being significant themes throughout, portrayed lyrically atop of contrasting upbeat backing tracks.
Fake Happy is one of my favourites from the album (alongside the masterpiece that is Hard Times, as previously mentioned), but was probably one of the last songs I properly listened to. It was one of those which you skip for a while to start with - I wasn't a fan of the intro initially- but when you do actually listen, you realise how great it is. I even like the intro now.
Other uptempo favourites are Pool and Idle Worship; I love how the chimes in Pool add depth alongside the guitar and percussion, and how out-of-the-box the lyrical-structure of Idle Worship is. Caught in the Middle, is another stand-out song, with an insanely catchy chorus and playful guitar parts throughout. 26 and Tell Me How are two beautiful ballads (which also made it onto my Tub Tunes playlist) where Hayley expresses emotion in a soothing but impactful way.
After Laughter is so different to the bands early stuff, it's almost impossible to compare them side-by-side. If guitars aren't your thing - and that being the reason you haven't listened to the band before - give After Laughter a listen. The way I see it, despite it being totally different and not 'old Paramore', it's another triumphant album for Paramore. As an unimportant side-note, I'm also so into the artwork and whole aesthetic of this era.
Deaf Havana - All These Countless Nights
We've made it to the fifth and final album, and this was definitely a late entry. I only discovered and starting listening to Deaf Havana in November, when my friend who had a spare ticket invited me to their Cambridge gig with him.
As I initially wrote, a good album is one where you can't pinpoint favourites as every song is so good. Despite only discovering All These Countless Nights a couple months back, I can say it's up there with my favourites of all time, not just 2017; it's a masterpiece with incredible story-telling and instrumentation. I think what drew me to the band is that they're quite musically similar to my absolute favourite band, Mallory Knox; the similar classic rock sound mixed with strong, soulful vocals make the bands two I adore.
The first song I listened to was Like a Ghost, and it's a firm favourite. The guitar solo lasts over a minute, and rightly so; it's so dynamic and expressive, telling the story of the song without the need for extra lyrics. I think the unique structure of the song is what makes me love it so much. Lyrically, it's a sad one about self-perception can change throughout life, and the battles that come with that.
Pensacola, 2013, is another stand-out track alongside Like a Ghost. It's a sad love song about loss, and the story is told in a nostalgic and sentimental manner through the lyrics. I love how personal the song is to the band, and the guitar solo again brings a powerful climax to the song.
If I had to pinpoint a third top track from the album, Anemophobia Pt. 2 - from the deluxe version of the album - takes it without a doubt. It's the longest song on the album and expresses breakthroughs and progression from previous experiences, especially when battling self-doubt and conflict with one's mind and mentality
Overall, its an emotional album about love, self-doubt and regret, but also lessons learnt and growth through life's personal and emotional challenges. These themes are portrayed so powerfully through everything from the instrumentation through to the lyrics.
These 5 albums are ones that I really loved last year, and will continue to listen to and enjoy in the future too. Good music doesn't age, and these albums will certainly be firm favourites in many years to come, amongst other new finds and releases that come out this year.
Here's a handy playlist of the above albums, compiled together if you fancy a listen.
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