Best Albums of 2017

I fell out of the blogging habit in 2017, but not out of the listening habit.   Music this year was a way to tune out the noise and turn up the warmth.  Not a bad strategy in any year.  Here are the warmest sounds of my year.

10.  The XX, I See You - Call it electro-R&B or techno-soul, The XX are still making the smartest music around.  "On Hold" makes that clear with its killer Hall & Oates sample.  Name that tune.

9.  Thundercat, Drunk -  If Marvin Gaye had made "Dark Side of the Moon," it would sound like Drunk, a fever dream of funk, soul, jazz and dream pop, with tunes like "Show You the Way," where Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins (Kenny Loggins!) improbably turn up.

8.  LCD Soundsystem, American Dream -- Make some noise for James Murphy, who brought LCD roaring back to life this year.  Did you really think he'd be happy making coffee?  "Change Yr Mind" shows him a worthy heir to Talking Heads.  

7.  Moon Boots, First Landing - At the intersection of French techno-pop and deep house, DJ Moon Boots and his vocalists deliver deeper shades of techno-soul. "Keep the Faith," with Nic Hansen, is this year's daytime disco champ.  

6.  The Black Seeds, Fabric - Brand new reggae.  Did you forget it was still going on?  It didn't stop with Bob.  

5.  Young Marco, Welcome to Paradise (Italian Dream House) - Deep house with a slinky dose of La Dolce Vita that's perfect with your first Negroni.  Tracks from '89 to '93, compiled in 2017 but hey, "my blog, my rules."

4. - Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice -These two are the Marvin and Tammi of the alternative scene right now, singing songs of disillusion laced with feedback.  Heaven.  

3.  Snoh Aalegra, Feels - This soulful Swede calls up Eryka Badu, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse and Mary J. Blige (no, really) with hip-hop accents.  Nearly perfect.  Thanks Jake for this one.  

2.  Beck, Colours - What's so funny about peace, love and pop music?  This retro-Beck will make you happy doing anything.   

1.  Gabriel Garzon-Montano,  Jardin - A whip-smart Brooklyn boy steeped in Jeff Buckley and Prince.  The needle drops on a quiet storm of tuneful soul with the warmth of Bill Withers and the breakbeats of early hip-hop. "The Game" seals the deal.  

Honorable Mention:

Nick Hakim, Green Twins

Chicano Batman, Freedom is Free

CZA, Ctrl

Miguel, War & Leisure

Brent Faiyez, Sonder Son

Viva Mexico!

The Mosquitos
Mexican Dust

It took me all of the summer of 2017 to find it's essential sound (not counting "This Girl," kids).   Here it is, in time for a Labor Day hang  in the hammock.

The Mosquitoes have been around for fifteen years and I fell under the spell of their 2004 "Sunshine Barato."  A little bit bossa nova, a little bit chill, a little bit pop.  This is Sergio Mendes with a mescal buzz.  And I'm a sucker for lead singer Juju Stuhlbach (there's a multicultural meme for you!) and her Astrud Gilberto hush, like right here on "This Town":

Warm Voices, New & Old

Gabriel Garzoń-Montano, Jardin

Bill Withers, 'Justments

In a world where false equivalencies abound, it can be a risky game to compare things that are truly not the same.  But something about Garzoń-Montano's brand new disc, Jardin, brings to mind Wither's long ago 'Justments, and that thing is the wonderful warmth of their two voices.  

Start with Jardin a release that's easy to call "electro-soul," even if that undersells Garzoń-Montano's song craft.  He's in the Drake orbit and has a voice that makes you lean in to hear what he's saying.  A Pitchfork reviewer heard 60's sounds of the The Bee Gees and The Association in his easy pop.  I do, too.  I could imagine being thirteen to the sound of "Fruitflies," (just not again): 

Now return to Withers, under appreciated though still very much alive at 78.  He released 'Justments in 1973, while your brain was recovering from the ubiquity of "Lean on Me" and "Ain"t No Sunshine" (proving you can get too much a good thing). 'Justments was different, not just for its lack of a mega hit but for the easy way Wither's relaxed warmth grabbed your attention, just like Garzoń-Montano's does.  Here's Withers' "Can We Pretend," but I could convince you with any track on this disc:

Both of these disks offer special comfort here in deep winter.  Go ahead and experience them the old school way: listen to the whole damn thing.  

And speaking of old school, here's the 60's sound of The Association that Garzoń-Montano puts me so oddly in mind of: