2017 in Music: Mid-Year Recap

While there was pretty much bound to be a drop-off in quality after the stellar year that was 2016 in music, 2017's early offerings still managed to fall below my modest expectations. Outside of a handful outliers from the trap rap (Future, Migos, Gucci Mane) and metalcore (Darkest Hour, While She Sleeps, Within the Ruins) communities, it seemed like no artist or band was capable of putting out a record that was better than respectable. Everyone from promising young upstarts (Royal Blood, Joey Bada$$) to beloved genre torchbearers (Kendrick Lamar, Mastodon) put out new material that escaped from my memory almost immediately after I had finished listening to them. However, this currently middling musical year may be on the cusp of turning around after a stellar June that spawned a number of standout releases (Dying Fetus' Wrong One to Fuck With, Vince Staples' Big Fish Theory, Lorde's Melodrama, Young Thug's Beautiful Thugger Girls, Calvin Harris' Funk Wav. Bounces Vol. 1 and 2 Chainz's Pretty Girls Like Trap Music), which has helped provide a much-needed burst of optimism as the back half of 2017 gets underway. Below you'll find a comprehensive list of every 2017 album and EP I've heard ranked from worst to best (w/star ratings) as well as my 25 favorite songs of the year so far. Feel free to share your favorite and least favorite releases of the first half of 2017 in the comment section below!

EP's

3.XXXtentacion-Revenge (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Slipknot")

2.Lil Uzi Vert-Luv is Rage 1.5 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "XO Tour Llif3")

1.Denzel Curry-13 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Zeltron 6 Billion")

LP's: 

43.Suicide Silence-Suicide Silence (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Run")

42.Big Sean-I Decided. (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Sunday Morning Jetpack")

41.Charli XCX-Number 1 Angel (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "White Roses")

40.Dropkick Murphys-11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Blood")

39.Boris the Blade-Warpath (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Nihilist")

38.Incubus-8 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Familiar Faces")

37.'68-Two Parts Viper (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Without Any Words (Only Crying and Laughter)")

36.Future-HNDRXX (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Incredible")

35.Goatwhore-Vengeful Ascension (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Chaos Arcane")

34.Playboi Carti-Playboi Carti (3/5) (Favorite Track: "New Choppa")

33.Halsey-Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (Favorite Track: "Eyes Closed")

32.Kendrick Lamar-DAMN. (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Loyalty")

31.Joey Bada$$-All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Ring the Alarm")

30.Artificial Brain-Infrared Horizon (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Static Shattering")

29.Persefone-Aathma (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Cosmic Walkers")

28.Havok-Conformicide (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Dogmaniacal ")

27.Mastodon-Emperor of Sand (Favorite Track: "Steambreather")

26.Suffocation-...Of the Dark Light (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Some Things Should Be Left Alone")

25.Paramore-After Laughter (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hard Times")
24.Lil Yachty-Teenage Emotions (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Peek a Boo")

23.Royal Blood-How Did We Get So Dark? (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hook, Line & Sinker")

22.Sampha-Process (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Take Me Inside")

21.Overkill-The Grinding Wheel (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Goddamn Trouble")

20.SZA-Ctrl (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Supermodel")

19.Freddie Gibbs-You Only Live 2wice (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Andrea")

18.Kodak Black-Painting Pictures (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Patty Cake")

17.Body Count-Bloodlust (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Ski Mask Way")

16.Young Thug-Beautiful Thugger Girls (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Do U Love Me")

15.Warbringer-Woe to the Vanquished (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Shellfire")

14.Mutoid Man-War Moans (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Wreck and Survive")

13.Drake-More Life (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Passionfruit")

12.Gucci Mane & Metro Boomin-Drop Top Wop (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Dance with the Devil")

11.Municipal Waste-Slime and Punishment (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Dingy Situations")
10.Calvin Harris-Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Heatstroke") 

9.Within the Ruins-Halfway Human (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Incomplete Harmony")

8.Migos-Culture (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Call Casting")

7.Future-FUTURE (4/5) (Favorite Track: "High Demand")

6.While She Sleeps-You Are We (4/5) (Favorite Track: "You Are We") 

5.2 Chainz-Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Sleep When U Die")

4.Lorde-Melodrama (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Sober")

3.Darkest Hour-Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Those Who Survived")

2.Vince Staples-Big Fish Theory (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Homage")

1.Dying Fetus-Wrong One to Fuck With (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Seething with Disdain")

Top 25 Songs:

2 Chainz-OG Kush Diet

2 Chainz-Sleep When U Die

Banks-Crowded Places

Calvin Harris-Heatstroke (feat. Ariana Grande, Pharrell and Young Thug)

Darkest Hour-Another Headless Ruler of the Used

Darkest Hour-Those Who Survived
Denzel Curry-Zeltron 6 Billion (feat. Lil Ugly Mane)
Drake-Passionfruit

Dying Fetus-Reveling in the Abyss 

Dying Fetus-Seething with Disdain

Dying Fetus-Unmitigated Detestation

Future-Draco

Future-High Demand

Gucci Mane & Metro Boomin-Dance with the Devil

Kodak Black-Patty Cake

Lil Uzi Vert-XO Tour Llif3

Lorde-Homemade Dynamite 

Lorde-Sober

Migos-Call Casting

Migos-T-Shirt

Vince Staples-Big Fish

Vince Staples-Homage

While She Sleeps-You Are We

Within the Ruins-Incomplete Harmony

Young Thug-Do U Love Me