2017 in Music: A Year in Review

This past musical year played out like a play with a dramatic second act tonal shift. January through May was a tragedy full of gut-wrenching disappointments (Kendrick Lamar, Mastodon, Havok) and middling shit (Artificial Brain, Joey Bada$$, Khalid) that I forgot I had heard by the time Memorial Day rolled around. However, in a stunning twist, this five month swell of sadness was followed by a pretty killer seven-month run (19 of my top 25 records of the year were releasing during this period) that ultimately ended up saving 2017 from going down as a forgettable mess. Below you'll find a ranking of every LP and EP (with star ratings and my favorite song from each) I heard in 2017 from worst to best as well as my picks for the best songs, biggest surprises/letdowns and most overrated/underrated records from this generally solid year in music. Feel free to share your picks for the best and worst of 2017 in the comment section below and let's hope that the music gods continue to bless us with a plethora of dope stuff in 2018!

EP's
9.XXXTENTACION-Revenge (3/5) (Favorite Track: ""Slipknot")
8.Mastodon-Cold Dark Place (3/5) (Favorite Track: "North Side Star")
7.Lil Uzi Vert-Luv is Rage 1.5 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "XO TOUR Llif3")
6.Young Thug and Carnage-Young Martha (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Liger")
5.Polyphia-The Most Hated (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "40oz")
4.Crossfaith-Freedom (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Freedom")
3.Denzel Curry-13 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Zeltron 6 Billion")
2.Greta Van Fleet-From the Fires (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Meet on the Ledge")
1.Converge-I Can Tell You About Pain (4/5) (Favorite Track: ""I Can Tell You About Pain")

LP's
118.Suicide Silence-Suicide Silence (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Run")
117.Kesha-Rainbow (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hunt You Down")
116.Charli XCX-Pop 2 (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Tears")
115.Toothgrinder-Phantom Amour (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Facing East from a Western Shore")
114.Arcade Fire-Everything Now (2/5) (Favorite Track: ""Everything Now")
113.The White Noise-AM/PM (2/5) (Favorite Track: "The Best Songs Are Dead")
112.Big Sean-I Decided.(2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Sunday Morning Jetpack")
111.Ugly God-The Booty Tape (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Stop Smoking Black & Milds")
110.Weezer-Pacific Daydream (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Mexican Fender")
109.Lecrae-All Things Work Together (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Always Knew")
108.Demi Lovato-Tell Me You Love Me (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "You Don't Do It for Me Anymore")
107.Code Orange-Forever (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Kill the Creator")
106.IDK-IWASVERYBAD (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Mrs. Lynch, Your Son is the Devil")
105.Boris the Blade-Warpath (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Nihilist")
104.'68-Two Parts Viper (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Without Any Words (Only Crying and Laughter)")
103.Charli XCX-Number 1 Angel (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "White Roses")
102.Chris Stapleton-From A Room: Volume 1 (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "I Was Wrong")
101.Artificial Brain-Infrared Horizon (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Static Shattering")
100.Knuckle Puck-Shapeshifter (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Double Helix")
99.Kendrick Lamar-DAMN. (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Loyalty")
98.Cannabis Corpse-Left Hand Pass (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "In Dank Purity")
97.Lil Pump-Lil Pump (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Gucci Gang")
96.Future-HNDRXX (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Incredible")
95.Kelela-Take Me Apart (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Frontline")
94.Dropkick Murphys-11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Blood")
93.Incubus-8 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Familiar Faces")
92.Neck Deep-The Peace and the Panic (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Grand Delusion")
91.Kehlani-SweetSexySavage (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Undercover")
90.Goatwhore-Vengeful Ascension (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Chaos Arcane")
89.Morbid Angel-Kingdoms Disdained (3/5) (Favorite Track: "From the Hand of Kings")
88.Taylor Swift-Reputation (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Dancing With Our Hands Tied")
87.Open Mike Eagle-Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (3/5) (Favorite Track: "My Auntie's Building")
86.A$AP Ferg-Still Striving (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Mad Man")
85.Khalid-American Teen (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Coaster")
84.Playboi Carti-Playboi Carti (3/5) (Favorite Track: "New Choppa")
83.Halsey-Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Eyes Closed")
82.Queens of the Stone Age-Villains (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Feet Don't Fail Me")
81.Joey Bada$$-All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Ring the Alarm")
80.Gucci Mane-Mr.Davis (3/5) (Favorite Track: "I Get the Bag")
79.Miss May I-Shadows Inside (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Under Fire")
78.21 Savage-Issa Album (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Famous")
77.Havok-Conformicide (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Hang em' High")
76.Mastodon-Emperor of Sand (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Steambreather")
75.Aversions Crown-Xenocide (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Erebus")
74.XXXTENTACION-17 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Depression & Obsession")
73.Lil Uzi Vert-Luv is Rage 2 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Neon Guts")
72.Stick to Your Guns-True View (3/5) (Favorite Track: "You Are Free")
71.Foo Fighters-Concrete and Gold (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Run")
70.Kodak Black-Project Baby 2 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Don't Wanna Breathe")
69.Thy Art is Murder-Dear Desolation (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Puppet Master")
68.Tyler, the Creator-Flower Boy (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Pothole")
67.Persefone-Aathma (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Spirals Within Thy Being")
66.At the Drive-In-in.ter a.li.a (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Governed by Contagions")
65.Lil Yachty-Teenage Emotions (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Forever Young")
64.Gucci Mane-El Gato: The Human Glacier (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Smiling in the Drought")
63.Suffocation-...Of the Dark Light (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "...Of the Dark Light")
62.N*E*R*D-No_One Ever Really Dies (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Don't Don't Do It!")
61.Royal Blood-How Did We Get So Dark? (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hook, Line & Sinker") 
60.St.Vincent-Masseduction (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: ""Masseduction")
59.Action Bronson-Blue Chips 7000 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Tank")
58.Overkill-The Grinding Wheel (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Goddamn Trouble")
57.Brockhampton-SATURATION (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Star")
56.Young Thug-Beautiful Thugger Girls (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Do U Love Me")
55.Kodak Black-Painting Pictures (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Patty Cake")
54.Juicy J-Rubba Band Business (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Flood Watch")
53.Make Them Suffer-Worlds Apart (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Grinding Teeth")
52.Freddie Gibbs-You Only Live 2wice (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Crushed Glass")
51.Arch Enemy-Will to Power (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Blood in the Water")
50.Body Count-Bloodlust (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Walk with Me...")
49.Septicflesh-Codex Omega (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Faceless Queen")
48.Intervals-The Way Forward (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Impulsively Responsible")
47.Dua Lipa-Dua Lipa (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Be the One")
46.Elder-Reflections of a Floating World (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Blind")
45.Hour of Penance-Cast the First Stone (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Shroud of Ashes")
44.Glassjaw-Material Control (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Golgotha")
43.Huncho Jack (Travi$ Scott and Quavo)-Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Dubai Shit")
42.Scale the Summit-In a World of Fear (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Witch House")
41.Inanimate Existence-Underneath a Melting Sky (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Blood of the Beggar")
40.Jay-Z-4:44 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Kill Jay-Z")
39.Rings of Saturn-Ultu Ulla (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Margidda")
38.Future and Young Thug-SUPER SLIMEY (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Killed Before")
37.Paramore-After Laughter (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Rose-Colored Boy")
36.Veil of Maya-False Idol (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Overthrow")
35.Slaughter to Prevail-Misery Sermon (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Born to Die")
34.SZA-Ctrl (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Prom")
33.Gucci Mane & Metro Boomin-Drop Top Wop (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Met Gala")
32.Warbringer-Woe to the Vanquished (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Shellfire")
31.Sampha-Process (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Plastic 100*C")
30.Through the Eyes of the Dead-Disomus (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Binding Nightmare Hex")
29.Counterparts-You're Not You Anymore (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Thieves")
28.Mutoid Man-War Moans (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Wreck and Survive")
27.Decrepit Birth-Axis Mundi (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Transcendental Paradox")
26.Brockhampton-SATURATION 2 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Swamp")
25.Municipal Waste-Slime and Punishment (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Dingy Situations")
24.Drake-More Life (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Passionfruit")
23.Within the Ruins-Halfway Human (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Incomplete Harmony")
22.Migos-Culture (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Call Casting")
21.Calvin Harris-Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Heatstroke")
20.Cannibal Corpse-Red Before Black (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Destroyed Without a Trace")
19.Future-Future (4/5) (Favorite Track: "High Demand")
18.Big K.R.I.T.-4eva is a Mighty Long Time (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Big Bank")
17.21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin-Without Warning (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Ghostface Killers")
16.The Faceless-In Becoming a Ghost (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Blackstar")
15.August Burns Red-Phantom Anthem (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Quake")
14.Tove Lo-Blue Lips (Lady Wood Phase II) (4/5) (Favorite Track: "sheknowsbutsheknows")
13.Converge-The Dusk in Us (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Arkhipov Calm")
12.Lana Del Rey-Lust for Life (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Heroin")
11.Brand New-Science Fiction (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Out of Mana")
10.Brockhampton-SATURATION III (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Johnny")
9.2 Chainz-Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Sleep When U Die")
8.Archspire-Relentless Mutation (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Remote Tumour Seeker")
7.While She Sleeps-You Are We (4/5) (Favorite Track: "You Are We")
6.Lorde-Melodrama (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Homemade Dynamite")
5.Darkest Hour-Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora (4/5) (Favorite Track: "In the Name of Us All")
4.Vince Staples-Big Fish Theory (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Homage")
3.Dying Fetus-Wrong One to Fuck With (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Seething with Disdain")
2.Entheos-Dark Future (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Sunshift (II))
1.The Black Dahlia Murder-Nightbringers (5/5) (Favorite Track: "Kings of the Nightworld")

Biggest Surprises:
1.Calvin Harris-Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
2.2 Chainz-Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

3.Municipal Waste-Slime and Punishment 

4.Rings of Saturn-Ultu Ulla

5.Jay-Z-4:44

Biggest Letdowns:

1.Kendrick Lamar-DAMN.
2.Goatwhore-Vengeful Ascension 
3.Toothgrinder-Phantom Amour
4.Mastodon-Emperor of Sand
5.Gucci Mane-Mr. Davis

Most Underrated:

1.Entheos-Dark Future

2.While She Sleeps-You Are We

3.Tove Lo-Blue Lips

4.21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin-Without Warning
5.Calvin Harris-Funk Wav. Bounces Vol.1

Most Overrated:
1.Kendrick Lamar-DAMN.
2.Artifical Brain-Infrared Horizon
3.Open Mike Eagle-Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
4.Queens of the Stone Age-Villains 
5.Tyler, the Creator-Flower Boy

Top 50 Songs (in alphabetical order):
2 Chainz-OG Kush Diet
2 Chainz-Sleep When U Die
21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin-Ghostface Killers (feat. Travi$ Scott)
21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin-Rap Saved Me (feat. Quavo)
Archspire-Calamus Will Animate
Archspire-Remote Tumour Seeker
August Burns Red-Quake
Banks-Underdog
Big K.R.I.T.-Big Bank (feat. T.I)
The Black Dahlia Murder-Catacomb Hecatomb
The Black Dahlia Murder-Kings of the Nightworld
The Black Dahlia Murder-Matriarch
The Black Dahlia Murder-Nightbringers
Brand New-Out of Mana
Brockhampton-Gummy
Brockhampton-Johnny
Brockhampton-Swamp
Calvin Harris-Heatstroke (feat. Young Thug, Pharrell and Ariana Grande)
Converge-Arkhipov Calm
Darkest Hour-In the Name of Us All
Darkest Hour-Those Who Survived
Drake-Passionfruit
Dying Fetus-Reveling in the Abyss
Dying Fetus-Seething with Disdain
Entheos-Melancholia
Entheos-Sunshift (II)
The Faceless-Blackstar
Future-Draco
Future-High Demand
Jay-Z-Kill Jay-Z
Kodak Black-Patty Cake
Lana Del Rey-Cherry
Lana Del Rey-Heroin
Lil Uzi Vert-XO Tour Llif3
Lorde-Homemade Dynamite
Lorde-Sober
Migos-Call Casting
Migos-Stir Fry
Sampha-Plastic 100*C
Sampha-Under
Slaughter to Prevail-Born to Die
SZA-Prom
Tove Lo-shedontknowbutsheknows
Tove Lo-Stranger
While She Sleeps-You Are We
Within the Ruins-Incomplete Harmony
Vince Staples-Big Fish
Vince Staples-Homage
Young Thug-Do U Love Me
Young Thug-Killed Before