Founder Jann Wenner personally dictated U2’s Songs of Innocence to be the magazine’s No. 1 album in 2014. Wenner allegedly prioritized his friendship with U2’s Bono over the quality of the album, telling an editor, “My dictate. By fiat, buddy. That’s that.”
Well, he’s done it again in 2017. Today, Rolling Stone released its list of the year’s 50 best albums, and U2’s Songs of Experience has claimed the No. 3 spot. The album isn’t officially out until Friday, so most people haven’t heard it yet. We have, though, and can tell you it’s nowhere close to being a top 3 album of 2017. In fact, the early consensus on the Consequence of Sound Slack channel is that Songs of Experience is one of the year’s worst releases, another dud in U2’s once flawless discography.
Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums of 2017 10. Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All
9. Migos – Culture
8. Queens of the Stone Age – Villains
7. Taylor Swift – reputation
6. Khalid – American Teen
5. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
4. Kesha – Rainbow 3. U2 – Songs of Experience 2. Lorde – Melodrama
1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Disagree. I thought Atomic Bomb was a pretty solid album. No Line On the Horizon was a late career gem (minus the cringe worthy Get On Your Boots), and there are a handful of standout songs on Songs of Innocence that hold up nicely alongside their best work in my opinion (Cedarwood Road, Raised By Wolves, Iris, Song for Someone).
I haven't heard the new one yet. The singles they've released so far have been below average, I'll give you that. But I highly doubt the album will be as bad as the holier-than-thou Pitchfork hipsters would like it to be. Will it be top 3 end of the year list-worthy? Likely not, especially at this stage of their career. But on any U2 record, there are always at least 5 or 6 top-notch quality tunes, and I'm betting the deep cuts on this album are better than the singles. They usually are with this band.
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Bono lost his voice in the mid-90s and should have embraced his new raspy baritone sound and became a crooner instead of trying to force out higher notes on generic, middle of the road pop-rock songs.
I also think the criticism Pop received might have discouraged them from experimentaion and the result is boring albums that have evaporated the band's relevance and indy cred.
They did two songs on a soundtrack in 2000, and I wonder what would have happened if they had went in that direction instead of dull boomer rock on the horrid All That You Can't Leave Behind.
Edit: Also I read there might be a new Marina and the Diamonds album by the end of the year.
Last edited by Magnum PEI; 11-29-2017 at 12:22 AM.
10. Future, “Mask Off”
9. Lana Del Rey feat. the Weeknd, “Lust for Life”
8. Portugal. The Man, “Feel It Still”
7. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
6. Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee”
5. U2, “Lights of Home”
4. Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow”
3. Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.”
2. Lorde, “Homemade Dynamite”
1. Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times”
Here are my top 10 albums of 2017. I'm sure you have all been excitedly waiting for this It has been a great year for music. Unlike 2016 where I could barely put together a top 5, 2017 has at least 20 albums I really liked.
1. The Menzingers: After the Party
2. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile: Lotta Sea Lice
3. Japandroids: Near to the Wild Heart of Life
4. The Smith Street Band: More Scared of You Than You Are of Me
5. Propagandhi: Victory Lap
6. Alex Lahey: Love You Like a Brother
7. Sløtface: Try Not to Freak Out
8. The National: Sleep Well Beast
9. Queens of the Stone Age: Villains
10. Wolf Parade: Cry Cry Cry
Honourable mention to Gang of Youths which won the Australian album of the year. Other honourable mentions to Kendrick Lamar and Lorde, who I appreciate as being far superior to their contemporaries despite not being a fan of their genres.
Also, my most disappointing album of the year goes to The Flatliners with a dishonourable mention to Arcade Fire.
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Here are my top 10 albums of 2017. I'm sure you have all been excitedly waiting for this It has been a great year for music. Unlike 2016 where I could barely put together a top 5, 2017 has at least 20 albums I really liked.
1. The Menzingers: After the Party
2. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile: Lotta Sea Lice
3. Japandroids: Near to the Wild Heart of Life
4. The Smith Street Band: More Scared of You Than You Are of Me
5. Propagandhi: Victory Lap
6. Alex Lahey: Love You Like a Brother
7. Sløtface: Try Not to Freak Out
8. The National: Sleep Well Beast
9. Queens of the Stone Age: Villains
10. Wolf Parade: Cry Cry Cry
Honourable mention to Gang of Youths which won the Australian album of the year. Other honourable mentions to Kendrick Lamar and Lorde, who I appreciate as being far superior to their contemporaries despite not being a fan of their genres.
Also, my most disappointing album of the year goes to The Flatliners with a dishonourable mention to Arcade Fire.
This year was terrible for albums. There were a lot of good singles out there but very few people were able to string together a solid album.
Frankly outside of DAMN and maybe Culture, I can't think of any albums that I would consider complete. Honourable mention to Run the Jewels 3. LCD Soundsystem's album was disappointing as was Arcade Fire's. 444 was fine but JayZ has really lost his fastball and More Life just had too many tracks.
Last year you had, Pablo, Lemonade, Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Tribe Called Quest, Untitled.Unmastered, Blankface, 22 a million.
If Junk was released this year it would probably be on my list, that's how weak it was.
This year was terrible for albums. There were a lot of good singles out there but very few people were able to string together a solid album.
Really? I thought there were plenty of great albums released this year. In fact there were so many good ones, I had a tough time whittling my list down to only 10.
Here are the albums that kicked my arse this year, in no particular order:
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound
Gord Downie- Introduce Yerself
The Sadies- Northern Passages
Aimee Mann- Mental Illness
Matt Mays- Once Upon a Hell of a Time
Mark Lanegan Band- Gargoyle
The National- Sleep Well Beast
Headstones- Little Army
Queens of the Stone Age- Villains
Steve Earle & the Dukes- So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
Honorable mentions:
Skydiggers- Warmth of the Sun
Kate Fenner- Middle Voice
Ryan Adams- Prisoner
Feist- Pleasure
The War on Drugs- A Deeper Understanding
Lowest of the Low- Do the Right Now
Greg Graffin- Millport
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Really? I thought there were plenty of great albums released this year. In fact there were so many good ones, I had a tough time whittling my list down to only 10.
Here are the albums that kicked my arse this year, in no particular order:
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound
Gord Downie- Introduce Yerself
The Sadies- Northern Passages
Aimee Mann- Mental Illness
Matt Mays- Once Upon a Hell of a Time
Mark Lanegan Band- Gargoyle
The National- Sleep Well Beast
Headstones- Little Army
Queens of the Stone Age- Villains
Steve Earle & the Dukes- So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
Honorable mentions:
Skydiggers- Warmth of the Sun
Kate Fenner- Middle Voice
Ryan Adams- Prisoner
Feist- Pleasure
The War on Drugs- A Deeper Understanding
Lowest of the Low- Do the Right Now
Greg Graffin- Millport
tx- long list of artists I quite enjoy here, hope to add some of these to my xmas list
Here are my top 10 albums of 2017. I'm sure you have all been excitedly waiting for this It has been a great year for music. Unlike 2016 where I could barely put together a top 5, 2017 has at least 20 albums I really liked.
1. The Menzingers: After the Party
2. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile: Lotta Sea Lice
3. Japandroids: Near to the Wild Heart of Life
4. The Smith Street Band: More Scared of You Than You Are of Me
5. Propagandhi: Victory Lap
6. Alex Lahey: Love You Like a Brother
7. Sløtface: Try Not to Freak Out
8. The National: Sleep Well Beast
9. Queens of the Stone Age: Villains
10. Wolf Parade: Cry Cry Cry
Honourable mention to Gang of Youths which won the Australian album of the year. Other honourable mentions to Kendrick Lamar and Lorde, who I appreciate as being far superior to their contemporaries despite not being a fan of their genres.
Also, my most disappointing album of the year goes to The Flatliners with a dishonourable mention to Arcade Fire.
Couldn't agree more with you on After the Party. The Menzingers are a fantastic band.
My personal Top 10:
1. The Menzingers - After the Party
2. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
3. Dropkick Murphys - 11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory
4. Flogging Molly - Life is Good
5. Dave Hause - Bury Me in Philly
6. Harry Styles - Harry Styles
7. Rise Against - Wolves
8. Hot Water Music - Light It Up
9. Worst Days Down - Elsewhere
10. The Smith Street Band - More Scared of You Than You are of Me
I'd love to put blink-182 California Deluxe on there but I don't consider that a new album. Thought the Deluxe version was way better than the regular.
I don't want to say I was disappointed by The Flatliners new album, because they did make those songs sound killer live, but it definitely was their weakest album. I love that band though so I can forgive it.
Linkin Park's One More Light was probably my biggest letdown. I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't good.
Making this list made me realize how much better 2016 was for music. So many albums I wanted to include but were 2016 releases.
Last edited by N-E-B; 12-04-2017 at 06:57 PM.
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troutman's Best of 2017 – in no particular order (work in progress, will adjust)
Local:
Blu Shorts – Blu Wave Music
Crystal Eyes – The Female Imagination
Deep Covers – A Liminal Planet
Laser Cake – S/T
Napalmpom – The Core Competencies Of Napalmpom
Raleigh – Powerhouse Bloom
Shiverettes – Dead Men Can’t Cat Call
VanGaalen, Chad – Light Information
Canada:
Alvvays - Antisocialites
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Bad Hoo – Two Tin Cans And A Lollipop
Bonnie Doon – Dooner Nooner
Broken Social Scene – Hug Of Thunder
Casper Skulls – Mercy Works
Century Palm – Meet You
Coffey, Sam & The Iron Lungs – S/T
Destroyer - ken
Expanda Fuzz – Bleuets
Faith Healer – Try
Fake Palms – Pure Mind
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers
Gun Control – Volume 1
Land Of Talk – Life After Youth
METZ – Strange Peace
Mobina Galore – Feeling Disconnected
New Pornographers – Whiteout Conditions
Nightshades – S/T
Psychic Alliance – Evil Against Evil
She-Devils – S/T
Slates - Summery
Tough Age - Shame
Walrus – Family Hangover
Wares – S/T
WNHL – WNHL
Various – Pentagon Black (Compilations No.1 and No.2)
Other:
Adam Strangler – Key West
Ariel Pink – Dedicated To Bobby Jameson
Beck - Colors
British Sea Power – Let The Dancers Inherit The Party
Café Tacvba – Jei Beibi
Charly Bliss - Guppy
Citrus Clouds – Imagination
Deerhoof – Mountain Moves
Dig – Bloodshot Tokyo
Dirty Projectors – S/T
Dude York – Sincerely
Feelies – In Between
Finn, Craig – We All Want The Same Things
Froth – Outside (briefly)
Future Islands – The Far Field
Galavis, Quin – The Battery Line
Gold Class - Drum
Gothic Tropic – Fast Or Feast
Grandaddy – Last Place
Guantanamo Baywatch – Desert Center
Guided By Voices – How Do You Spell Heaven?
Hames, Coco – S/T
Hand Habits – Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void)
Holiday Ghosts – S/T
Hoops - Routines
Horse Jumper Of Love – S/T
Idle Bloom – Little Deaths
I.L.Y’s – Boduguard
Jaysom – Everybody Works
Jesus And Mary Chain – Damage And Joy
Kissing Is A Crime – S/T
Lahey, Alex – I Love You Like A Brother
Leo, Ted – The Hanged Man
Luna – A Sentimental Education
Magpies – Annex
Male Gaze – Miss Taken
May, Dent – Across The Multiverse
Menace Beach – Lemon Memory
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol. 1
Moore, Thurston – Rock N Roll Consciousness
Nana Grizol – Ursa Minor
New Swears – And The Magic Of Horses
Oh Sees - Orc
Pond, Matt PA – Still Summer
Pontiak – Dialectic Of Ingnorance
Preatures – Girlhood
Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent
Radcliffe, Spencer & Everyone Else – Enjoy The Great Outdoors
Ranaldo, Lee – Electric Trim
Real Estate – In Mind
Raveonettes – 2016 Atomized
Rouge Wave – Cover Me
Shins – Heartworms
Spiral Stairs – Doris And The Daggers
Sprout, Tobin – The Universe And Me
St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
Suspirians – Ti Bon Ange
Various – T2 Trainspotting
Waxahatchee – Out In The Storm
xx – I See You
Really? I thought there were plenty of great albums released this year. In fact there were so many good ones, I had a tough time whittling my list down to only 10.
Here are the albums that kicked my arse this year, in no particular order:
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound
Gord Downie- Introduce Yerself
The Sadies- Northern Passages
Aimee Mann- Mental Illness
Matt Mays- Once Upon a Hell of a Time
Mark Lanegan Band- Gargoyle
The National- Sleep Well Beast
Headstones- Little Army
Queens of the Stone Age- Villains
Steve Earle & the Dukes- So You Wanna Be An Outlaw
Honorable mentions:
Skydiggers- Warmth of the Sun
Kate Fenner- Middle Voice
Ryan Adams- Prisoner
Feist- Pleasure
The War on Drugs- A Deeper Understanding
Lowest of the Low- Do the Right Now
Greg Graffin- Millport
Seems like Rock/Alt rock is still pumping out good albums but that's not really my bag anymore. I like some (Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, Phoenix) but not much and I'm not sure any of that counts as rock.
With the rise of the "Soundcloud rappers" albums have kind of fallen off. That's not to say the music isn't good, Bodak Yellow, Bank Account, XO Tour Life are all great tracks but they couldn't string together a solid album, maybe 3/4 hits and that's it.
It has been a great year for music. Unlike 2016 where I could barely put together a top 5, 2017 has at least 20 albums I really liked. 
