2017 Favorites – Tom’s Year in Music

Pile

I’m into music. Always have been, always will be. While 2017 was a shitty year for humans, it was pretty decent for music. I didn’t make it to quite as many festivals, but still saw around a couple hundred live sets. Spotify tells me I listened to 54,650 minutes of music, and that’s not including XM, Bandcamp, Youtube, mp3’s or, you know, actual physical albums. Now that I’m totally, 100% sure that nothing else cool is going to happen or be released in 2017, here’s some stuff that I really dug last year.

Favorite Albums, ep’s, singles, downloads, etc., no particular order:
Jeff Rosenstock, Worry. Yeah, it’s from 2016, but I played this more than anything else this year. Labeling it makes it sound gross, “mature pop punk”, maybe, but man is it great.
Christian Fitness, Slap Bass Hunks. The singer from McLusky/Future of The Left doing his own thing…sardonic, bass forward noise rock of the highest order.
The Breeders, Wait in The Car. Is this my favorite Breeders track ever? Nope, but it means there’s more on the way from my favorite band (depending on the day).
Thee Oh Sees, Orc. Super shreddy psych that I played a ton.
Golden Pelicans, Disciples of Blood. My favorite kind of rock, unadorned, straight ahead and soaked in beer.
Pile, Hairshirt of Purpose. It took a while, but this one really grew on me.
Spoon, Hot Thoughts. Albums my wife and I both like are few and far between, this one fits the bill.
Pissed Jeans, Why Love Now. Nasty and awesome, check it out if you like Black Flag’s My War.
Craig Finn, We All Want The Same Things. The Hold Steady frontman isn’t for everyone, I guess, but for my money he’s the best lyricist in the game. God In Chicago may be my favorite song of the year.
The Hold Steady, Entitlement Crew b/w A Snake In The Shower. Same as above, except backed by a stellar bar band. These two seem to be a return to form.
Sheer Mag, Need To Feel Your Love. A definite 70’s rock vibe here, maybe like The Runaways, kinda, sorta?
Faux Ferocious, s/t ep. Wait, maybe Me and Jonny is my favorite song of the year? Killer modern Krautrock.
Neil Young, Hitchhiker. Neil with just an acoustic guitar recorded in 1973?? I’m in.
Bully, Losing. Feels like “alternative” rock, when that was a fairly specific thing, you know what I mean?
Grandaddy, Last Place. Like pretty much all Grandaddy albums there’s some okay songs, some pretty good songs, and a couple fantastic songs.
Queens of the Stone Age, Villains. Is this mainstream rock? I don’t know, I like it though, even if Josh Homme isn’t a model human.

Chain of Flowers

Supersuckers

The Gories

Favorite live sets, no particular order:
The Gories at The Earl, Atlanta Mess Around.
Shoplifters/Tight Genes at El Rocko Lounge.
Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf) acoustic living room show, Savannah.
Pile at Mr. Small’s Funhouse, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Spirit Lounge, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Weaves at El Rocko Lounge, Savannah Stopover.
Julien Baker at Trinity United Methodist Church, Savannah Stopover.
Date Night at Sulfur Studios, The Space Station and The Jinx.
Car Seat Headrest at The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC.
Dinosaur Jr. in East Atlanta, Project Pabst, Atlanta, GA.
Illegal Drugs at The Earl, Project Pabst, and El Rocko Lounge.
Guttermouth at The Jinx.
Dark Thoughts at Sulfur Studios.
Surfer Blood at The Jinx.
Wimps at El Rocko Lounge.
Gentleman Jesse and His Men at The Earl, Project Pabst Atlanta.
The Pauses at the Jinx.
Shroud Eater/Black Tusk/Royal Thunder at The Jinx.
The Goddamn Gallows/Reverend Horton Heat/Unknown Hinson at The Jinx.
Golden Pelicans at El Rocko Lounge.
Cray Bags final show at The Jinx.
Hotplate at Sulfur Studios, The Jinx, El Rocko Lounge.
CHEW at The Jinx.