Over the past twelve months Spotify informs me that I have listened to over 7000 songs. I have selected 240 tracks on my monthly playlists and now is time for the cull. It's a Darwinian survival of the fittest to arrive with the annual top 40. In keeping with the Top 40 Chart Countdowns of old I am reversing the order and saving the best until last. My only essential criteria being a 2017 release date and being awesome.
40) Bless This Acid House by Kasabian
39) Say Something Loving by The xx
38) 2 Black 2 Strong by A.B. Original
37) Do You Wanna Get Into Trouble? by Soulwax
36) We Were Beautiful by Belle & Sebastian
35) Put Me Together by Everything Everything
34) You Deserve This by Men I Trust
33) Strange Or Be Forgotten by Temples
32) Feels Like Summer by Weezer
31) You're In Love With A Psycho by Kasabian
30) Never Let Me Go by Green Buzzard
29) Cloud 9 by Baker Boy
28) Melin Wynt by King Creosote
27) Like Gold by Vance Joy
26) Black Rainbows by Cut Copy
25) Everybody's Hero by Sampa The Great
24) Kids Are Cool by San Cisco
23) Murder To The Mind by Tash Sultana
22) Paint Me Silver by Pond
21) Golden by Kingswood
20) Snow by Angus & Julia Stone
19) All Things Must Pass by The Jesus and Mary Chain
18) Pop Voodoo by Black Grape
17) Put Your Life On It by Kasabian
16) Ubu by Methyl Ethel
15) Holding On by The War On Drugs
14) Everything Now by Arcade Fire
13) Notion by Tash Sultana
12) All I Want by Ride
11) Lay It On Me by Vance Joy
10) Magnificent (She Said) by Elbow
9) Don't Delete The Kisses by Wolf Alice
8) Holy Mountain by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
7) Can't Do by Everything Everything
6) Over Everything by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
5) The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness by The National
4) We Got The Power by Gorillaz featuring Jehnny Beth
3) Signs Of Life by Arcade Fire
2) The Two Of Us by The Jesus and Mary Chain featuring Sky Ferreira
1) My Name Is Thunder by Jet & The Bloody Beetroots
2017 has been another fine year for indie rock and if I had to whittle it down to ten essential albums then they would be the following...
#10 The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Pounding drums, harmonicas, wailing Americana and dueling guitars abound.
#9 The Allergies - Push On
Brighton duo with their second collection of big beat tunes, styles and a collection of guest vocalists which help with the variety on this album.
#8 Methyl Ethel - Everything Is Forgotten
Second album from the Western Australian band who have taken their hallucinatory rock show to critical acclaim around the world.
#7 Ride - Weather Diaries
Indie shoe gazers return over twenty years since they last recorded together. Great comeback album mixing their early sound with some contemporary flourishes.
#6 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?
In a year when Liam Gallagher released his first solo album and spent much of it bagging his older brother, there was no room for complacency and Noel responded with this rocking album.
#5 Beck - Colors
The album was long awaited dropping over two years after the lead single Dreams appeared. This is Beck back in party mode.
#4 Black Grape - Pop Voodoo
Daft Funk. This is Black Grape's 3rd album and their second best of all time. Shaun Ryder & Kermit deliver their assessment of the US election as well as their usual themes of smoking, drinking and other vices.
#3 Jesus And Mary Chain - Damage And Joy
JAMC return with their first album since 1998 filled with fuzzy guitars, guest duets and pop gems. They sound fresh like a much younger group but they look like they have escaped from the portrait of Dorian Grey.
#2 Everything Everything - A Fever Dream
Manchester band dabbling in the well worn groove between rock and dance music.
#1 Kasabian - For Crying Out Loud
The finest album by the world's most self assured band. Packed with hits and funny to boot.
I've compiled a taster playlist mixing four tracks from each album below...
The last monthly mixtape of the year is here for your listening pleasure. There is no time for me to relax as I must press on with the deliberations of the ultimate end of year polls for best tracks and best albums. Luckily I enjoy making lists. But before that time to pick up a few stragglers from 2017...
1) God Knows by Nic Cester
The singer from Aussie rockers Jet has released an awesome solo album with a mix of rock, soul and hints of trip hop.
2) Doll by Tricky featuring Avalon Lurks
A stripped back cover of the Courtney Love/Hole original. Always loved this song.
3) Rats by Sloan Peterson
Aussie Garage Rockers Sloan Peterson with a track that was excluded from last month's all Australian collection but worth a mention.
4) Same Same by Winston Surfshirt
Speaking of which, Sydney's Winston Surfshirt are also excellent deserve to be massive.
5) If Love Is The Law by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Third album Who Built The Moon has just been released and this track features a guest appearance by Johnny Marr, a harmonica and suitably festive jingle bells in the mix.
6) Sweet Harmony by She Drew The Gun
This green cover from the Liverpudlian indie band is a warning of ecological damage being done to the world and the call for all people and nations to come together and fix the problems. It is still relevant nearly twenty five years later. The original was The Beloved's biggest hit back in 1993.
7) Phantom by Sarah Blasko
The excellent Sarah Blasko is back with her first track from her sixth album Depth of Field due next year.
8) Golden Slumbers by Elbow
Taken from a Christmas advert in the UK this Beatles Song is perfect for his gravely Manc voice.
9) Room In My House by Shed Seven
A great comeback song taken from the new Instant Pleasures album. Bluesy guitar riffs announce their first new material in 16 years. The Yorkshire Britpop survivors even inject some humourous lyrics to help blow off the cobwebs.
10) Rage by Freestylers & Deekline
Loved the Freestylers B-Boy Stance back in the 90's and they have now strayed into dnb territory and I have been playing this track constantly and my kids are now singing the to themselves. "On the stage I rage and I'm rollin'."
11) The Next Time We Wed by The Fratellis
The best thing they've done since Chelsea Dagger. Sounds like the Scissor Sisters if they had just gone through a messy divorce.
12) Like Gold by Vance Joy
Another glorious indie pop song that Vance Joy seems to churn out effortlessly.
13) Would You Be Mine by Turin Brakes
Adopting an electronic vibe this indie folk band are now having new adventures in hi-fi.
14) Friday On My Mind by San Cisco
Fremantle indie band with a cover of a 1966 worldwide hit for Australia's swinging sixties rockers - The Easybeats. Founding member, songwriter and guitarist George Young died in October. George was the elder brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm. Malcolm also passed away this year leaving Angus Young in his school boy outfit as the only remaining original member of Acca-Dacca.
15) Pulsar by Ride
Shoegazer legends continue the new music with this single that doesn't appear on their 2017 Weather Diaries album. This is a single edit so expect the full track to be twice as long. I was just getting into it when it annoyingly faded out!
16) The Blackout by U2
Every now and then U2 release an interesting record - usually about once a decade. The dirty bass sound and apocalyptic lyrics raise it above their regular output. New album Songs of Experience is released on 1st December and it won't be automatically loaded onto every itunes account this time.
17) January 26 by A.B. Original
Trials and Briggs have been picking up awards for their excellent Aussie Hip Hop album Reclaim Australia and this track was released a year ago critical of holding the national day on January 26 - the anniversary of the British Invasion in 1788. Australia Radio Station Triple J have just announced they are moving the date of their Hottest 100 Countdown to the following day and the culture war shit is just hitting the fan!
18) Photosynthesis by Frank Turner
The Wessex Boy who proves that if you had an acoustic guitar it meant that you were a protest singer. He's very angry and he's taking a stand against sitting down, capitalism and the aging process.
19) Tic Tac Toe by Django Django
First track taken from their third album Marble Skies due in early 2018.
20) Hell To The Liars (Kolsch Remix) by London Grammar
Playing out the year with a 12 minute Danish techno remix that elevates London Grammar's music onto my radar.
