Crate Digger’s Corner: 2017 Albums, Pt. 2!
Crate Digger’s Corner…by DJ Musically Rich
Here is the second part to my 2017 list. For those that missed the first part (and haven’t taken a look at it yet), I’m giving a quick list of albums that I heard from 2017 in 7-10 at a time. There will be a few more parts to the list over the coming weeks. I may do a listening to some of the ones that I know I like, but want to revisit, and use that as an opportunity to review some of those more deeply (If there are any you see that you would particularly like to see a review of, leave a note). This list does not include reissues, live material or compilations.
Artist- Album (general genre)- and brief description
R. Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner- Make It Be (Indie Pop)- Eccentric and eclectic alt pop artists join forces to make an album with the vibe of the ‘60s psychedelic movement, but with all the studio and effects technology of today!
Father John Misty- Pure Comedy (Indie Pop)- Sounding like a lost ‘70s Elton John masterpiece, this is the album to hear from FJM up to this point (6/23/19). This is also his most grandiose album by far, and manages to get everything working perfectly from the musicians involved.
Jose James- Love In A Time Of Madness (Space R&B/Funk)- This album is a groovy, spacey adventure whether he is getting down with an upbeat disco groove, or riding a slow jam into space. This is another brilliant album in his canon.
Joey Bada$$- All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (Rap)- This is my pick for the best rap album (that I heard) in 2017. It is an intense look at the society that some are living in today. It musically encompasses rap, R&B, a little electro and more.
Kendrick Lamar- Damn (Rap)- Seemingly, everyone else’s pick for best rap album of 2017. He is my favorite current rapper (and maybe ever). This is a bit on the poppier side of the rap universe, especially compared to his previous effort, “To Pimp A Butterfly”. That is similar to the way that “Good Kid…” was poppier compared to his “Section 80”. If he continues this cycle underground rap fans should be prepared for his next release! He only seems to get better!
Roger Waters- Is This the Life (Classic Rock)- The Pink Floyd founder takes the temperature of the political climate and picks up where he left off with “The Wall”. He even uses some of the same (or very similar) melodies in the songs. Whether you like this or not will probably depend heavily on your feeling about “The Wall”. This one, because it is not a movie soundtrack and therefore doesn’t have some of the strange shorter pieces that plague “The Wall” (particularly the end of side 2) as solely an album, may actually hold together a little better as an album. However, it obviously does not have the hit singles (nor anything quite as strong as the peaks) of “The Wall”.
Fleet Foxes- Crack-Up (Indie Rock)- The Fleet Foxes return with their soothing vocal harmonies floating over their pastoral musical beds. One big difference, and it causes this to be the weaker than the Fleet Foxes first EP or first two LPs, is the lack of drummer J. Tillman who left the band shortly after “Helplessness Blues” and started focusing on his solo career as Father John Misty. [Side Note: I believe there were some disagreements about the musical direction between him and the band as well] With a host of drummers coming in to fill that slot for various songs, the album lacks a groundedness that was present on their first 3 releases. Because of that, the songs never quite build the same steam as they were able to reach on previous albums, but still a solid listen and it shouldn’t disappoint any fans of their earlier albums.
Here are 7 albums I heard in 2017, there will be more from this list coming in the future, and this isn’t necessarily a ranking, just in the order that I was writing them down. I hope you enjoy and happy hunting!
To see photos of other albums in my collection follow my IG: djmusicallyrich
