Runners
up
33
LORDE
MELODRAMA
It’s a well-known fact that record companies quietly rejoice when their artists go
through break-ups. There’s nothing like a little heart ache to get the creative juices
flowing. Sadly for Lorde, Melodrama is further proof of this. Exploding with
creativity and emotion, it tracks the end of a relationship through a messy night out
and looks at the pieces that need to be picked up. The least we could do is revel in
every second.
ELBOW
LITTLE
FICTIONS
Elbow are ar band who know
exactly what they do best and
don’t try to reinvent the wheel
with each new release. On
Little Fictions they continue to
blend moments of melancholy
with the occasional euphoric
uprising. There’s also an attention
to detail which elevates their
compositions, such as the
softly swelling orchestration on
Magnificent (She Says) or the
echoed vocals of K2 - those little
things that continue to keep Guy
Garvey and Co. interesting.
GIRLPOOL
POWERPLANT
Cleo Tucker and Harmony
Tividad might have added
some extra muscle with new
drummer Miles Winter but their
second album still managed
to deliver a whole that was
greater than the sum of its parts.
A bolder sound intentionally
obfuscates the lyrics and
message within a blanket of
noise and yet Powerplant
still feels surprisingly vulnerable.
Songs Your Heart and Kiss And
Burn might just be their finest
offerings yet.
STEREOPHONICS SCREAM ABOVE THE
SOUNDS
If any proof is needed for why Stereophonics have outlasted so many of the bands
that they started out with then Scream Above The Sounds is their Exhibit A.
Kelly Jones and his band have a formula that works, but what sets them aside from
a group like U2 is that it feels completely natural rather than a false attempt at
remaining relevant. Energetic and anthemic songs like Caught By The Wind,
Taken A Tumble and Chances Are continue to deliver that classic sound.
BEST OF 2017
CHRIS GANTRY
AT THE HOUSE
OF CASH
Having been cut in 1973, it’s taken
over four decades for this record
to see the light of day. Though
it had Johnny Cash’s approval,
Nashville record labels weren’t
willing to release this eccentric
blend of country, folk, alt-rock
and Beat poetry and so it was
shelved, until now. 1973’s loss is
very much our gain. The album
still sounds like the freshest
thing to come out of Music City
this year, true testament to the
originality of Gantry’s songwriting.