2017 is coming to a close which of course means it’s time to start reflecting on the year that was. In a somewhat turbulent year for the alt music scene there have been some real triumphs. We got thinking about all our favourites from 2017 and tried to pick 10(ish) of the best.
Here’s Alt Corner’s big 2017 round up. First up – best albums/eps of 2017.
Lizi – Head of Reviews
1 – Youth In Revolt – The Broken
2 – Motionless In White – Graveyard Shift
3 – Makeout – The Good Life
4 – Blindwish – Good Excuses
5 – Our Last Night – Selective Hearing
6 – Energy – Under The Mask
7 – Fozzy – Judas
8 – Restless Streets – Together
9 – Creeper – Eternity In Your Arms
10 – Renegade Twelve – Renegade Twelve
11. – Bullet Height – No Atonement
12. Northlane – Mesmer
Laura Brown – Head of Features
1 – Brutus – Burst
2 – Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Modern Ruin
3 – The Menzingers – After The Party
4 – The Gospel Youth – Always Lose
5 – And So I Watch You From Afar – The Endless Shimmering
6 – Can’t Swim – Fail You Again
7 – JP Cooper – Raised Under Grey Skies
8 – Wolf Alice – Visions Of A Life
9 – Nordic Giants – Amplify Human Vibrations
10 – Paramore – After Laughter
Jordan Reeves – Contributor
1 – Neck Deep – The Peace and the Panic
2 – Knuckle Puck – Shapeshifter
3 – Seaway – Vacation
4 – Perspectives – Stay for Those Who Care
5 – Movements – Feel Something
6 – Like Moths to Flames – Dark Divine
7 – Stray from the Path – Only Death Is Real
8 – Wage War – Deadweight
9 – Vesta Collide – New Obsession
10 – Blood Youth – Beyond Repair
11 – Being As An Ocean – Waiting for Morning to Come
12 – Hundredth – Rare
13 – While she sleeps – You Are We
14 – Counterparts – You’re Not You Anymore
15 – Northlane – Mesmer
Brad Thorne – Contributor
1 – While She Sleeps – You Are We
I’ve barely stopped listening to this record all year long. It’s heavy, it’s melodic and packs one hell of a wallop. Bands take note, this is how you bring British metal to the mainstream.
2 – Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms
If we’re going by the play count alone this would top my list by about a thousand places, this is an assured debut from one of rock’s most exciting young bands. Best of all? This is only the beginning for the Creeper cult.
3 – Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
Multi-layered metal doesn’t come any better than the seventh record from these Atlanta titans. This doom-laden reflection on mortality has barely left me since its release way back in March.
4 – Code Orange – Forever
A pioneering collection of songs, this is the sound of the future paying its respects to the past.
5 – Citizen – As You Please
This is an emo band refusing to be grown out of, it’s ambitious, it’s moody, it’s heavy, it’s wonderful. It appeals to so many sides of my musical pallet that it could never land outside my top ten.
6 – Employed To Serve – The Warmth of a Dying Sun
The past twelve months have been great for pioneering and exciting heavy bands, but for me this Woking mob are leagues ahead. If you think this record’s good you should see what happens when they play it live.
7 – Milk Teeth – Be Nice and Go Away
Few bands on this list have the potential to go supernova in the same way as Milk Teeth. Across these two EP’s (which I am absolutely classing as an album) they surpass the impressive heights of their debut album and hint at just what they’re capable of.
8 – Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
The term ‘genius’ is banded around an awful lot in music journalism these days, but nowhere is it more applicable than in the music of this Compton megastar. On this, his fourth album, he remains strides ahead of the hip-hop scene and leaves his peers in the dust.
9 – Stray From The Path – Only Death Is Real
I’ve spent years begging for a Rage Against The Machine reunion and this year one record finally shut me up… and it certainly wasn’t Prophets of Rage. This Long Island mob are forged from the same fire that made RATM such an abrasively captivating force, this is 2017’s most pissed off record by a longshot.
10 – Jamie Lenman – Devolver
The perfect encapsulation of a musical chameleon is as forward thinking a piece of British rock as you could hope to find this year. There’s someone for everyone, whether you’re into pop, rock, punk or metal.
Honourable mention absolutely must go to Bad Sign, Enter Shikari, The Smith Street Band, Turnover and Loyle Carner for their awesome albums.
Amos Hayes – Contributor
1 – The Menzingers – After The Party
2 – Code Orange – Forever
3 – Run The Jewels – RTJ3
4 – Grave Pleasures – Motherblood
5 – Creeper – Eternity In Your Arms
6 – Converge – Dusk In Us
7 – Jamie Lenman – Devolver
8 – Stray From The Path – Only Death Is Real
9 – Frank Carter – Modern Ruin
10 – Employed To Serve – Warmth of a Dying sun
Tom Butterworth – Contributor
1. Employed To Serve – Warmth Of A Dying Sun
2. Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
3. Jamie Lenman – Devolver
Jamie MacMillan – Contributor
1. IDLES – Brutalism
2. Manchester Orchestra – A Black Mile To The Surface
3. Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent
4. Wolf Alice – A Vision Of Cool
5. The National – Sleep Well Beast
6. Prophets of Rage – Prophets of Rage
7. Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms
8. Enter Shikari – The Spark
9. Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold
10. QOTSA – Villains