The Magic Conch

Portugal. The Man will always have a special place in my heart, so this may not be the most objective choice on the list, but my number eight album of 2017 is “Woodstock.” The album was released June 16. Fun fact about this date: I drove to Colorado to watch Portugal in concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater that same day! It was amazing. They didn’t play any of the songs from “Woodstock,” so I can’t review how the songs are played live. If you go a little further back into “The Magic Conch,” you can see my review of the show and of the cabin we stayed in (it was pretty rough). The album has some bangers on it including “Noise Pollution,” “Live in the Moment” and “Rich Friends.” Not to mention, Portugal. The Man also earned themselves a much-deserved Grammy for Best Group Performance with “Feel it Still.” I still think “Woodstock” deserves a spot on my list even though the boys may have sold old a little this past year by taking their underground indie sound and ma...

My number nine album for 2017 has to be Packs by Your Old Droog. Spoiler alert: I actually have a few hip-hop albums on this list. That being said, I chose this one because it was really an album that got me interested in the genre. It also got me interested in some classic hip-hop. This is a way cool album for a three reasons. The first is that Your Old Droog has a Nas sound. That’s enough to get most hip-hop lovers interested. I had heard of Nas, but I was unfamiliar with the sound of his music until I discovered Your Old Droog. The second reason is that there are three Anthony Jeselnik skits interlaced into the album. Comedians being involved in albums always sparks my interest. I love Anthony Jeselnik, so that was actually one of the factors that pulled me into this album. The third reason is that “Packs” isn’t overhyped and hasn’t hit the mainstream, so I feel like it’s one of my best music discoveries of 2017. I’m really not one to enjoy music that everyone co...

Here is my number ten for my favorite albums of 2017, folks. 

The next album on the list to discuss is “Lust for Life” by Lana Del Ray. This is my first honorable mention of 2017 for a couple of reasons. The first reason is the features on this album and the second reason is that there’s a cinematic element to Lana’s music. “Lust for Life” is her fifth studio album and it was released July 21 of the year. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Vocal Album and has also been positively reviewed on many music websites. This is a really romantic album that encompasses the listener into the love story Lana is telling them. We get to hear her become more than just a songwriter and singer. She becomes a true storyteller with this album. Let’s talk about the features. The Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti and Sean Ono Lennon. That lineup is enough to get me hooked without even listening to the album. The Weeknd sings “Lust for Life” with Lana, and it’s a beautiful and catchy song. Hearing A$A...

This series of posts begins with my second honorable mention of 2017’s best albums: “Zombies on Broadway” by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. I’ll start by saying I’m a fan of Andrew McMahon in general. There’s not much of his work that I don’t like too entirely much. I’m even a big fan of his work with Jack’s Mannequin, his band before The Wilderness. This album is an honorable mention because it wasn’t quite good enough to make my top ten, but I still thought it deserved some praise. McMahon has been trying to rebrand himself since he started The Wilderness, and it doesn’t seem like he’s been struggling too much. His self-titled debut album was released in 2014 and he started soaring right off the bat with “Cecilia and the Satellite,” a song about his daughter. There’s some other great songs on this album, but my favorite is “Rainy Girl.” It’s too cute to not love it. Anyways, that’s not the album I’m supposed to be talking about; I’m supposed to be talking abo...