Musicwhore.org Music and memory

A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.

Do I have new favorites? Which ones have fallen out of favor? This time around, we’ll cover a greater span of time from as recently as last year, all the way to 1978!

We start with last year’s list.

This most recent decade won’t see much in the way of significant revisions, as I explore deeper into catalog releases than following new artists. Wouldn’t it be odd if I discover new artists from 2017 five years from now? Probably not.

1. Onitsuka Chihiro, Syndrome
2. Royal Wood, Ghost Light
3. RADWIMPS, Your name.
4. Sam Smith, The Thrill of It All
5. Sam Amidon, The Following Mountain
6. Kronos Quartet, Folk Songs
7. Gaytheist, Let’s Jam Again Soon
8. Eluvium, Shuffle Drone
9. Sampha, Process
10. Living Colour, Shade

Other favorites from the year:

• Anne Dudley, Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise
• David Rawlings, Poor David’s Almanac
• Jason Isbell and 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound
• Leo Imai, Film Scum EP
• Renée Fleming, Distant Light
• Shiina Ringo, Gyakuyunyuu ~Kuukoukyoku~
• Brandon Stansell, Slow Down
• Sufjan Stevens / Nico Muhly / Bryce Dessner / James McAlister, Planetarium

Jason Isbell’s previous two albums ranked high on the Favorite Edition lists of 2013 and 2015, but The Nashville Sound had a tenuous grip on its position in the 2017 list. The late discovery of Sampha and Eluvium gave Isbell the final nudge.

Anne Dudley took up Eluvium’s vacated spot, nearly knocking Living Colour off.

Brandon Stansell makes his first appearance on the list. Stansell performed at the Concert for Love and Acceptance, hosted by Ty Herndon. Like Herndon, Stansell is a country artist, although he’s starting his career out of the closet.

Tags: anne dudley, brandon stansell, bryce dessner, david rawlings, eluvium, favorite edition, gaytheist, james mcalister, jason isbell, kronos quartet, leo imai, living colour, nico muhly, onitsuka chihiro, radwimps, renee fleming, rewind, royal wood, sam amidon, sam smith, sampha, shiina ringo, sufjan stevens