I wanted to share my favorite albums from this year and reminisce about all the fantastic music I’ve gotten to enjoy. Obviously, there were many, many great releases and these are just my personal favorites. In order of their release, here are my favorite albums from 2017.
1. Vessels by Starset – Starset is one of my favorite bands, so it was awesome starting the year off right away with new music from them. I had been eagerly awaiting the follow up to their first album in 2014. My favorites on this record include the lead single Monster, Frequency, and Everglow.
2. Every Where is Some Where by K. Flay – I had never heard of K. Flay before her single Blood in the Cut, the first single, came out, but I quickly fell in love! The other two singles off this album, Black Wave and High Enough, are also favorites of mine. I’m excited to keep an eye on K. Flay and what she does next.
3. Black Smoke Rising+ From the Fires by Greta Van Fleet – Okay, this isn’t a full-fledged album, but I’m including Greta Van Fleet’s two EPs in this list. I feel like if you listen to any type of rock music, you already know who Greta Van Fleet is, because their lead single Highway Tune BLEW UP. We lucked out and had them at our Nutcracker show this year and they were amazing live! Can’t wait to see what these new, young rockers have in store.
4. One More Light by Linkin Park – I quite enjoyed the newest from Linkin Park, especially the lead single Heavy. It upset me quite a bit hearing about Chester Bennington’s tragic suicide. Linkin Park was one of the bands that got me into rock music in grade school. I wouldn’t be the same person as I am today if I hadn’t discovered them. I’m grateful we got one last album before we lost Chester.
5. Crooked Teeth by Papa Roach – I love me some Papa Roach and this album did not disappoint. They seem to always put out great music with their signature sound. My favorites are Help and American Dream, both of which were singles.
6. Destroy + Rebuild by Deadset Society – Love, love, love Deadset Society, formally Never Say Die. I’ve known half the band since their My Darkest Days… days haha. Anyways, I think this whole album is fantastic, giving us some tried and true active rock songs. This is their debut album, which they released independently and garnered quite a bit of attention from Sirius Octane with their single Like a Nightmare. Currently, Automatic, is climbing the rock radio charts at the time of posting.
7. Rainbow by Kesha – Oh, how I’ve been dieing for some new Kesha music. I’ve loved Kesha since the OG Ke$ha days. I must admit that I LOVE the growth she’s shown on this album. Her quirky, fun side is present but the sound is much more mature and even dives into some serious content. I love basically every song on here, but I guess my favorites would be Let ‘Em Talk, Woman, Boots, and Learn to Let Go.
8. Younger Now by Miley Cyrus – This is probably the farthest thing from her previous album, Bangerz, but it’s in the best way possilbe. I really dig the pop-rock-country vibe going on in this one. I wasn’t a big fan of the lead single, Malibu, but I truly love everything else on the album.
9. Heaven Upside Down by Marilyn Manson – Marilyn Manson did it again with some dark, deranged, catchy as hell music. I love the two singles We Know Where You Fucking Live and KILL4ME most. The videos for both are quite entertaining, as well.
10. Notorious by Adelitas Way – I’ve loved this band since their 2011 Home School Valeictorian album. They consistently put out good, catchy tunes and Rick’s voice is truly one of my favorites. The track called Notorious is also my favorite on the album and was actually in my top five most played songs for the year.
I’d love to hear if any of these made your list and please share some of YOUR favorites! I’m always looking for new music!