I had a baby, stopped listening to music, then binged the best albums of 2017
A journey through music + my top 5 albums of the bunch
In the last year or so, I realized something: I’d stopped listening to music. I had a baby, which took up a lot of my surplus brain space (and then some). On top of that, I’d started listening to podcasts, which took up almost all of my surplus “audio” time.
Also, I’m just getting to that age: that age when all the music you still think is cool might have been — 10 years ago. That age when you are sitting comfortably in the music that influenced and inspired you in college, but you are beginning to realize the rest of the scene is moving on without you.
But there was no excuse. Baby or no baby, I still spend at least seven hours a day at work at my desk job, time when I can’t listen to podcasts or news (too distracting) and actively need to drown out various office noises to concentrate. That’s 35 hours a week or prime music listening time.
Turns out, I was just getting lazy.
My husband started making comments in that way when a spouse is trying so hard to say something neutrally, but you can tell it’s really bothering them. “You know, you don’t really listen to music anymore,” he’d say. When he’d ask me what I wanted to listen to in the car and I shrugged, I could feel my apathy wound him.
So this year I decided to do something about it: I listened to every album on NPR’s top 50, plus the top 25 of Pitchfork’s top 50 (and most of their 26–50 list), as well as AV Club’s top 20.
The rules: I listened to every album once, then ranked them from 0 (never again) to 3 (always and forever). Even though I’m fairly conventional in my tastes (I guess you could categorize my taste as “aging indie”) I prioritized NPR’s list because of its range: classical, world music, experimental jazz and even *gasp* mainstream country were included.
It was exhilarating.
I’d forgotten the thrill of discovering new music, of hearing a great song for the first time. I also finally felt connected to a pop culture that I was almost completely removed from as a 30-year-old working mom. Case in point: this was the first time I’d ever listened to a Kendrick Lamar song. (I know.)
Exploring new music is a huge time investment — and one that is only possible in this age of unlimited streaming. But now I’ve gone from listening to Feist’s Google Play playlist over and over to knowing just what album I want to listen to, and actually being immersed in an artist’s complete offering.
Here are some very subjective highlights, lowlights, and insights from the list:
Expanding horizons
Like I said, I’m pretty committed to my indie rock. But listening through, I discovered so many albums beyond my usual genres. Jamie Branch’s Fly or Die (experimental jazz trumpet), La Santa Cecilia’s Amar Y Vivar (Latin pop), Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet’s Ladilikan (world/classical) might not end up in my forever rotation but were excellent and unexpected. I rarely listen to R&B or hip-hop but found some of my favorite finds there (especially Mr. Mitch’s Devout, Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy, and Open Mike Eagle’s Brick Body Kids Still Daydream).
I also confirmed that I don’t and likely will never like house music, punk, or the saxophone.
Pleasant non-surprises
Ok, it wasn’t all new bands. Some of my old favorites (most of whom I’ve actually listened to their new albums) got top marks from me. I can’t help it. I’m always going to like a new Fleet Foxes record (and the XX, and the National, and Alvvays, etc ad infinitum).
Female vocals 4Life
Is it just me, or are women just killing it at music right now (/always)? Female-led indie and singer-songwriters cannot be stopped. I started getting overwhelmed with how many albums I liked. Hurray for the Riff Raff. Jay Som. Girlpool. Big Thief. Sylvan Esso. Alvvays. Torres. Waxahatchee. Julien Baker. Ok, I need to stop.
Going back in time
Two albums stood out for taking me straight back to my “pop hyphen” years in high school: Paramore’s pop-punk After Laughter and Charly Bliss’ pop-rock Guppy. I honestly didn’t realize this kind of music was still being made, but I was happy to have a listen. (And honestly, that Paramore album is awesome.)
Let’s hear it for the preludes
One of the greatest discoveries this year was how amazing a killer, mood-setting prelude is. Make sure to at least sample the first tracks of
- Hurray for the Riff Raff’s The Navigator
- IFE’s IIII+IIII
- Mr. Mitch’s Devout
- Torres’s Three Futures
The Top 5
Ok, enough lollygagging. Here are my top 5 picks from the 75+ albums I listened to:
5. Open Mike Eagle, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
4. Alvvays, Antisocialites
3. The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
2. Big Thief, Capacity
And finally, the one album bought immediately after one listen even though I could stream it for free is…
- Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Navigator
Sorry, Kendrick. DAMN was the unanimous top album on all three lists — but for me, it was all about the Puerto-Rican-Americana grooves of The Navigator.
But it’s up to you to choose your favorite. What was your favorite album of 2017?
