One of my favourite new discoveries of this year! I'd been receiving recommendations from friends about this band since mid-2017, however my love for them wasn't truly, truly cemented until I saw them live at Laneway Festival at the beginning of this year. As soon as I listened to this album I was 99% sure that it would make it's way onto my Albums of the Year list. Punching in at number 21 is Dream Wife with their self-titled debut album, Dream Wife.

With Dream Wife the immediate comparisons and influences are crystal clear from first listen. However, they work each of these influences together to create their own flavour of spontaneously adrenaline fuelled riot grrrl punk rock, with a soft touch here-and-there. Seeing them translate this to the stage is always a glory to behold, with instantly contagious energy and each member having an individual charisma that leaves lookers-on not knowing where to rest their gaze.
   
The album is filled with stadium bangers, dive-bar moshpit-stirrers, and thought-provoking ballads but the major heavy-hitters for me right now are "Let's Make Out", "Fire" and "FUU (feat. Fever Dream)". The album's stand-out track - "Somebody" - is possibly one of the most empowering and candid songs that I've heard this year. The lyric "I am not my body, I am somebody." is so simple but has carried a heavy sense of meaning with me since hearing it for the first time. The band's songwriting ability is something that shines throughout this record. Jumping from the personal to the figurative, Dream Wife's ability to tell a story and hold the listener's attention is admirable to say the least.

Since the album's release Dream Wife have continued from strength to strength. They've played 150 shows across Europe, The UK, and North America, been featured on KEXP and countless other platforms, been affiliated with some impactful movements (for example their collaboration with Girls Rock London), and have simply continued to be bad bxtches in general. If you haven't already listened to this record, do. As the wxmen themselves have already said - 'support your local bad bxtches'.

Here's a look at what album was just pipped at the post for Top 20 last year.

It took me far too long to get around to listening to this album after it came out but after listening just once, I knew it'd feature somewhere on this list. In at number 22 is Kali Uchis with her debut album Isolation.

Before this year I'd only really listened to "Divine" and "Tyrant" and so knew the sound of Kali Uchis' voice but I wouldn't say that I was her biggest fan at this point. It wasn't until I heard "After The Storm (feat. Tyler, The Creator and Bootsy Collins)" earlier this year that I actually kept her fixed on my radar. This track has featured on a large number of my playlists this year - so silky, and so catchy. I can't tell you the amount of days I woke up with it already stuck in my head.

My favourites right now are ever-changing - "Miami (feat. BIA)", "Just A Stranger (feat. Steve Lacy)", "Your Teeth In My Neck" and "After The Storm". The ongoing theme of Kali's dealings with coming to America to "make it", and exploring her feelings of homesickness come through strongly and create a really captivating narrative across the whole album - something that I was worried it wouldn't be able to do given the length of the overall record.  However, my one criticism would be that despite how good her voice sounds, it's not the most memorable vocal I've heard recently. Easily recognisable but doesn't quite stick in my head like Ravyn Lenae's voice does for example. With that said, Kali Uchis does have a sort of soft nostalgia to her voice that can have the listener swept up even before the chorus and whilst I do seem to prefer her songs with feature artists/collaborators, she does know how to carry a song solo.

I often say that sometimes "the more cooks, the merrier" applies when it comes to music and in this case it hits the nail on the head. Collaborative work comes from Damon Albarn, BADBADNOTGOOD, Kevin Parker and Thundercat to name just a few of the people who contributed to this debut; with this line-up the album was almost fool-proof. Isolation is an amazing building block in Kali's music career - I'm just hoping it's onwards and upwards from here.

Check out the album that dropped in at number 22 last year here.

Sliding in at number 29 is Shame with Songs of Praise. The post-punk outfit have made quite the name for themselves this year and after listening to this stellar debut, it's no surprise at all.

I'd heard a lot of good things about Shame before even listening to a song of theirs. So as soon as I saw them on the line up for Laneway Festival in Melbourne at the beginning of this year I made sure that I was there to check them out and form my own opinion. They definitely lived up to the hype, and then some. Charlie Steen is without a doubt one of the most powerful and charismatic frontmen that I've seen perform this year. the band as a whole have an amazing chemistry but Charlie's emotive yet at the same time "give no f***s" attitude whilst performing quickly bring the whole crowd up in a collective sea of mirth. All of this and it's only their debut.

Hailing from South London, the same neighbourhood that birthed bands like The Clash and Fat White Family, Shame deliver their lyrics - loudly and adamantly - to give the listener a look into their lives, their minds and their habits. Shame's use of repeated phrases and mantras throughout brought me back to Savages in their beginnings but a thought that ran across my mind often whilst listening to Songs of Praise is that they sound like a more mature Drenge (particularly on songs like "Concrete" and "Gold Hole"). It's been a couple of years now since I've been able to listen to and truly appreciate music in that vein as they all just seemed to fall into the same pot, and so Shame being able to set themselves apart in this genre made me admire them all the more. Their punchy lyrics and thumping drums could easily fill up any tent or stadium.

"The Lick" "Tasteless" and "Friction" stood out from the pack most for me - each adding a level of danceability to the rest of the fast-paced record. A far cry from the old school British TV programme Songs of Praise, Shame's offering replaces the slight hum of angelic children's choirs and pastors sermons with the snarling spit of young men's shouts and barks. This isn't an album that you'll be forgetting any time soon and if you get the opportunity to see them live at any point - grab it with both hands.

Have a look at what just slipped into the Top 30 last year here.

Well, I did say earlier this year quite confidently that this album wouldn't be outdone by many and here we are at the number two spot beaten by only one - Process by Sampha.

This is one of the only albums on my list this year that I have kept the same favourites on since the first listen. The tracks that stood out to me in February are still the same tracks that stand out to me now - "Plastic 100c", "Blood On Me", "(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano" and "Reverse Faults". Not only have my favourites stayed the same but they've played such a huge part in my year, some of the most memorable moments of my summer were spent either watching Sampha perform this a festivals, cycling around with this sound tracking my trip, or having it play softly in the background on a road trip. Some of the best albums I've heard stick in my mind with vivid memories and this album does just that.

On top of all that, Process was not only nominated for a Mercury Prize - amongst several other amazing albums that came out this year, some of which feature on this list - but it topped the entire list. Clearly rightfully so. Almost anybody that I've spoken to about this album has given it nothing but praise and awe. Sampha's been around for a while but with a debut this strong, I know he's only just getting warmed up. Also, I can't finish this post without noting that the most beautiful version of "Plastic 100c" has got to be this right here - please do yourself a favour and watch this.

Check out my thoughts on the album that was pipped at the post last year here.

So many of the best albums of 2017 have come from British artists and almost just as many have been debut albums. In at number 21 just on the cusp of the top twenty is debut solo album from British artist, Loyle Carner with Yesterday's Gone.

When Loyle started coming up a couple of years ago he was everywhere - every festival line up, every typical venue for up and comers, every magazine - his promo was insane. Rightly so, his voice is so distinct, and it's the kind of typical London voice I wouldn't expect to say that about, but it's a voice that you could pick out of a crowd nonetheless. In those first few months where Loyle was everywhere I went along with the hype and really overdid it a little bit and so when the time came for him to release this debut, I thought that I was over it. The excitement had worn off and I was a little bit bored. But when I actually got round to listening to the record, it still surprised me. Even the singles that I'd already known and loved sounded refreshed in the context of the record.

Standout new tracks on this one for me are "No Worries" and "Mrs C". Old favourites of mine however have to be "Isle of Arran", "Damselfly" and "Florence". I overplayed "Florence" so so much when I first heard it and thought that when I got to the record I'd be bored of it but no, it's still an amazing track. One thing that always shines through in Loyle's music is his love for his family. He's definitely not the first rapper to rap about family but it's a clear theme in his music and his live shows and the way that he keeps it down to earth and authentic has set him miles apart from a lot of the "popular rap" buzzing around at the minute.

Being nominated for a Mercury on your debut album is no small achievement - however a lot of the artists to have that happen in the past (e.g The xx, Ghostpoet, Alt-J, etc) have gone on to huge things and still continue to put out quality work. I'd expect nothing less from Loyle Carner after this one.

Continuing on the countdown at number 25, another Mercury nominated album - Love In The 4th Dimension by The Big Moon. Another debut making its way onto my list of top albums this year and another new discovery actually. I caught "Cupid" whilst listening to the radio earlier this year, and had to shazam it because I was enjoying it so much. Now, several months later here we are, with a whole record full of shazam-able tunes.

After doing a little more research on them I have to say that I was pretty shocked that they were a new band. Although they don't sound super polished per se, they gel together so well and so naturally; I would've been less shocked if this was their third album. It's been a little while since I've listened to Indie/Alternative music like this that's really stuck with me, and this year both TBM and Marika Hackman's (also very fantastic) records have been on repeat quite a bit.

I was lucky enough to catch the ladies' set at a Sofar Sounds gig a few months ago, and often I find that stripping back an artist's songs is an easy way isolate the parts of their songs that you like the most. It also means that there is no prduction magic to hide behind. This is where the album really shone for me. I knew I liked it before but some of the songs came across as even more powerful as acoustics. It's almost impossible to choose favourites on the album, it's just jam packed full of bangers. Each one has an innovative lyric or an infectious riff, something that just sticks in your mind even after first listen. So instead of favourites, here's a list of the tracks I think that I've played the most on the album - "Sucker", "Pull The Other One", "The Road", "Bonfire".

I'm just happy that I can say that this is really only the beginning for The Big Moon. I suspect that I'll be seeing a whole lot of them over these next few months, and may even see them on another list of mine in the next few years.

Taking us into day four of my favourite albums of the year countdown we have Jamila Woods with her debut solo record - HEAVN - in at number 27.

I actually first stumbled on Jamila's work after somebody tweeted out a link to her video for "Holy" earlier this year. I remember thinking that the thumbnail looked cool and so I saved it to come back to later. I can't tell you how many times I've saved a tweet or a video to go back to and have just completely forgotten about it. Somehow with this track I remembered, and thank goodness I did. "Holy" is still one of my favourites on the record, not only because of how great her vocals sound over the simple melody, but mostly because of how good it makes me feel. A big part of why I liked this album so much is because just singing parts of it or putting it on when I was feeling despondent was such a mood lifter, it almost felt like a form of self-care.

A few words on some other tracks that stuck out to me were "VRY BLK (feat. Noname)", "HEAVN", "In My Name", and "Blk Girl Soldier". "VRY BLK" has the catchy kind of hook that you find yourself humming in the middle of the day, and the addition of Noname on the track only adds that extra sprinkling of carefree vibes. "HEAVN" is actually the track that I play to people to introduce them to Jamila - probably the one I'd most like to hear with a live band on it. "In My Name" was actually one of the more memorable tracks for me because of the skit that came before it speaking on the power in a name, really thought-provoking piece. Finally on "Blk Girl Soldier" that beat knocks out - it reminded me a little of some of the beats on New Amerykah Part One - which is never a bad thing.

I do feel like the length of the record was a little bit excessive. As good as each song was, I don't feel that all of them necessarily needed to make the cut, which meant that from time to time it disrupted the flow of the album. However, the overall concept of the album is fantastic, and speaking on topics that have affected the black/POC community in the past and today; the album ended up acting as a source of empowerment for me on more than a few occasions over these past few months.

After stumbling on Sevdaliza's track "Human" at the beginning of the year - and of course proceeding to overplay it - I've been pretty in awe of her art since. The pairing of "Human" alongside the film-like visuals intrigued me more than almost anything else I've seen this year. 

Some of my other favourites at the moment are "Shahmaran", "Marilyn Monroe", "Hubris", and "Loves Way". If I'm honest, these are some of my favourite songs I've heard on a debut this year. Sevdaliza's vocal stays haunting whilst never losing strength. I've never been one for airy vocals without soul or substance behind them, but Sevdaliza gets that beautiful balance where her voice floats but still carries a distinct weight.

Something that really stood out to me when listening to ISON were the string arrangements. Mihai Puscoiu took the album up to that soundtrack level that set this album apart from so many others this year. Of course the strings aren't the only thing that give this its overwhelmingly unique presence but they really caught me - particularly in moments like "Shahmaran" and "Hero". For me the first half of this record was the stronger of the two, but this may have partly been due to the length of the album. Sitting at a solid hour and 6 minutes, it was a lengthy listen. The quality never wavered, I only found it tough to keep my attention from waning from time to time. Regardless of where my mind was throughout however, the album's stayed lodged in my mind for days on end after each listen.

Based on this album alone, Sevdaliza is one of the most exciting artists that I've had the pleasure of listening to this year, and if we're basing it on the things that I've found out about her since, I can say with some confidence that the material that we'll be seeing from her in future will be unforgettable. As far as art is concerned, her talents clearly don't just stop at music.

Well, you know what they say, "good things come to those who wait" and that could not be truer of Sampha's debut. I'd like to say that I was cautiously optimistic on first listen but mostly I was just itching to have it on repeat. This came to us on a day of music release mayhem and it's made a point to standout...


1. Plastic 100°C
Out of the non-singles, this song is my current favourite. Sampha has one of the most distinct voices around at the moment and whilst rising to the top; when his voice chimes in on this track, the sound just washes over you. I remember thinking, "this is a song that I could wake up to for years to come". Every time I hear this, it sounds like a new beginning. Talk about starting as you mean to go on... 

2. Blood On Me
Prior to listening, this was my favourite single and one of my favourite songs and videos released last year. Now, having listened to it in the context of the album, more than ever, the feeling still stands. As familiar as it sounded, it was given a new lease of life on the album and although I didn't think that I could - I love it even more. So intricate and so simple.
 
3. Kora Sings 
I would love to hear a Hiatus Kaiyote remix of this one actually. The instrumental wins this song hands down for me; I was just immersed in the way that the beat transitions. So many influences held together with Sampha's signature sound. Strong track and early standout for me.
 
4. (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano
After listening to Sampha's Dual EP over the last 3/4 years, as soon as I heard the opening chords on this single it brought me back to those six tracks and how much they made me appreciate piano-centric music. Hearing his vocals on this song I could feel every word he sang, and finding out that he wrote this album and in particular this song, shortly after his mother died; only made me adore it even more. 
 
5. Take Me Inside
This was probably the least memorable song on the album for me after first listen. Although listening to it as I write this, I can say that it's good song, something about it just underwhelms me unfortunately. To me it felt a lot more like an interlude than a full length song. However, I love the way it seamlessly bleeds into the next...
  
6. Reverse Faults 
So I'll be spontaneously singing "took the breakpads out the car", for the next few weeks. The beat after this line is one of those 'close your eyes, lift your hands' kinds of beats. This track and the next might be the most different of the ten but here it fits in so, so perfectly; you almost don't notice the vibe change. This might turn out to be the dark horse that people refer to whenever you discuss the album. 

7. Under
My feelings towards this song change every time I listen to it. Occasionally it feels like a b-side, but then I listen again and it holds my attention and leaves me wanting more. Maybe after a few more listens I'll have a more committed feeling for this one.

8. Timmy's Prayer 
Here's the single that I'm waiting to listen to live. At first I didn't latch onto it as much as the general public did. Then I heard it after a while on 'Insecure' and gave it another chance. Since then, it's grown on me more. My head knows that this is probably one of the strongest songs all-round on the record, but whenever I've come back to the album, it's sadly not been near the top of my list to go to.

9. Incomplete Kisses 
Almost as soon as this track started, I had a visual in my head. A while ago I read a comment on YouTube where the person had written "this must be what colour sounds like". In a way, I feel that with this; like when you listen to a song and you imagine yourself in the video, here I see it as if watching a dream.

10. What Shouldn't I Be?  
What I think Sampha's managed to do beautifully with this album is create a clear journey. Every feeling that has brought me to this closer was vivid and distinct. Also, this is one of the most, dare I say it, exquisite songs of 2017 - and I know it's only February but I say that with the confidence that it will likely not be outdone by many. 


I think with this album I just have to remind myself that it's actually a debut record, because as a debut, it's near-on remarkable. After all of the anticipation, I have to say that I was a tiny bit disappointed with parts of the record. Some of the standouts made the "good-but-not-great" tracks easier to pick out and a little less memorable in my opinion, and I think that I prefer the first half to the second. However, this album lyrically is one of the most beautiful pieces I've come across in a while. I will definitely be returning to a lot of this for years to come, but whether or not I'll listen to it over and over again as a whole, remains to be seen. After I catch him live next month I'm sure that I'll return to the album and hear something completely different.  

Overall Rating - 8/10

The album that's probably jumped about on the list the most, in at seven here's Kaytranada's 99.9%. It's crazy to think that this time last year, the only thing I really knew about Kaytranada is that he produced The Internet's song "Girl" and now his album is taking up the majority of my most played list this year.

Essentially, my entire summer was sponsored by Kaytranada. Almost every single flight, car journey, heck even tram journey I took after this album was released, featured at least one song from it. I actually remember the day that I listened to this album for the first time - I was sitting in the office trying to get on with some kind of work and I know my colleagues must've been annoyed because my foot was tapping for damn near every single song! The instant hits for me were "Vivid Dreams" and "Bullets". The instrumental on Vivid just comes through so hard, I was close to flailing my arms in the office on first listen and as soon as I heard Yukimi's voice on "Bullets" I was sold (and obviously that first drum fill was pretty convincing too).

Since the release of this album nobody has been able to stop Kaytranada - he. is. EVERYWHERE. Some of my favourite albums this year include features from him, production credits from him, wherever there is good music, there's usually some help from Kaytranada there. He has one of the most unique production sounds around at the moment - as soon as I hear one of his beats, I know that it's him. As well as being a huge plus for him this may become a bit of a vice - nobody really wants one of their songs to sound like it would go better on somebody else's album. However, let's not count him out, as good as he is now, he hasn't hit the glass ceiling yet - the next few years for him will be interesting for sure.

After catching his set at Sonar Festival earlier this year, although great, I could see room for improvement there. The only reason I say this is because, Kaytranada is one of the most talented producers around at the moment and he still has mounds of potential - more is indeed possible! I look forward to the sophomore.

Finally, here's a quick clue about what the rest of the days of Christmas might look like - this album is the only debut album to make the list! I guess that says enough.

I wrote about The Bongo Club as a new discovery a couple of years ago here and I've been waiting patiently for them to blow up over here in The UK and I think that now is finally the time.Their debut album dropped on Sunday and I've been listening to it ever since! Here are some things I thought whilst listening through...


1. The Hush Hush Song
I wrote about this single here after the video came out. I must admit, I wasn't expecting it to be the first song on the album but no complaints here, it's still a cool and catchy tune.

2. High Horse
As soon as this track started playing I was bopping my head and smiling. I feel like this'll be the track that I overplay and go straight to from now on. Big tune! I love this song - can't wait to hear it live. It's simple but still entertaining... and that breakdown!!!

3. Turn Off The Lights
This is just an album full of singles - every one of these tracks is pretty much stand-alone. When I first listened to their music I thought they'd be "a band of the summer", one of those bands you'd only keep on your summer playlists but the more I listen to them, the more I just enjoy their music independent of the season.

4. I Don't Wanna Dance With Your Daughter
This is the belter - that chorus is huge. I can just imagine hundreds of people shouting this already. Again, it's not even the most complicated song it's just a lot of fun.

5. Get Myself Together
This was the next single after "The Hush Hush Song" and a great follow up in my opinion. I love the swagger that it has about it.

6. Who Are You To Say
This track can be played anywhere, from adverts to clothes shops to pubs. Great riffs, great lyrics and just a great sound. This is currently one of my favourite songs on the record. The breakdown at the end is awesome.

7. Lucy
From the title I kind of expected this song to be a little more like the ballad of the record... I was wrong. Keeping the pace going as well as the quality - strong song.

8. Hound 
When the song started I thought that it would be one of those songs at the end of a record that makes me feel like there's still another song coming afterwards but they ended it quite nicely and sealed off the album.


I could have done with a couple more songs on this album for sure but as far as debuts go, this is a good'un. The very consistent and strong set of songs - all killer, no filler. It's time for people to start taking notice. Stream the album on soundcloud or Spotify, purchase it on iTunes or simply head out to a live show when they have one on. Tell your friends, tell your enemies.

Overall Rating - 7/10

Just as I spoke about The Night VI not releasing any albums a couple of days ago here, they've now given me the first video I've seen of them since discovering them with "Thinking Of You". Check out their latest video now...

THE NIGHT VI - Heroine