The hardest thing about narrowing the Top Ten Albums list down was not being able to give recognition to a bunch of albums that, while they weren’t exactly flawless, were still really fun and interesting releases. Stuff that I’ve found myself coming back to plenty of times despite maybe not ranking them alongside DAMN or Semper Femina or Party. There’s a pretty easy way to solve that issue though… and you’re already reading it.

That’s basically the idea here. I wanted to shine a spotlight on the underground, the hidden gems, the slept-on jams, the misrepresented or misheard or mistaken treasures that the year had to offer. Visions from the edge of the culture. Messages from the groovy beyond. A lot of this stuff is a little riskier and more out there so maybe chuck on that tin foil cap before we proceed.

And if you haven’t read the Top Ten yet then, come on, what are you even doing with your life? Nah jokes but you can check that list out right here.

Alexandra Savior – Belladonna of Sadness

“Twisted on a dead straight road/Haven't got a change of clothes/We just split, call me crazy/But I think they might be onto us”

An early year favourite that didn’t quite hold up against the best that the annum had to offer but which continues to ensnare and beguile all the same. Savior is a young songwriter from Oregon with an outsider edge to her. Turned down a label-funded pop career once upon a time to stay true to her own art and this debut sees her paired with Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys to help bring that art to life. The first track I heard is still the best one: Vanishing Point. It’s this desert noir of a song, perfectly melded to AS’s jazzy intonations. There’s plenty else to captivate you along similar lines as well, Girlie and Audeline are strong tracks. At times the album plays a little too conceptual and you get the feeling that there’s still room to grow as a songwriter… but you also get a fine introduction to a powerful new talent at the beginning an enchanting career.

Kid Advay – Blue Rose

“Floating lover, heart discovered/Happiness inside/Smoking teenage, heart full of pain/Can you stay by my side?”

Lakewater Rock, that’s what The Kid calls it. His own genre. Mate, you’ve gotta admire a young bugger out there creating a space for his own creating. Advay has some strong tunes and his subtle blend of smooth guitar rock and R&B suits the vibes perfectly. Really lo-fi and accessible but done at a high level. Super catchy and always chilled. The Bandcamp description reads: “join the adventure with the blue boy as he overcomes his fear of love and embraces a new found source of light” and that seems about accurate. Love the homemade feel, love the VHS twang to it all. A bit like Mac DeMarco meets Frank Ocean in some ways. Big call, I know, but I’m a big fan.

Bardo Pond – Under The Pines

“Where the pine tree drops its leaves/That’s where I wanna land”

Absolute icons of the trippy jam band thing over the last couple decades, I’m fully confident in coming out here and claiming that Under The Pines is the best thing they’ve ever done. The title track is one of a handful of songs from 2017 that burrowed into my brain and set up camp for a few weeks, it’s got such a killer groove to it. The riffs are menacing and the songs know how to sway with the feeling of it all. Moment to Moment is genuinely touching. Out of Reach is almost 11 minutes of wondrous crunch and drone. An excessive length? Not at all, then time tends to stretch and fold when under the influence of Bardo Pond.

Oxbow – Thin Black Duke

“You see, the Duke's mustache is like cordite/And his head is clean-shaven and his neck is bull-like/And his fingers muscled and tight”

Similar to Bardo Pond in that Oxbow has been around since the 90s, doing their own thing at a regularly impressive standard. Yet here they are in 2017 and coming off a decade-long break since their last full length record and, man, it’s just a ripper of an album. Avant garde is a fine description. Oxbow makes music that’s noisy and violent and challenging. There’s a bluesy feel at times and a perpetual punk feel as well but it’s always experimental. Also, frontman Eugene Robinson is a straight-up unhinged genius. Far be it from me to attempt to explain the concept of the Thin Black Duke, know instead that the character stomps and charges through the record, sinning and grinning and deceiving. This legitimately came close to the Top Ten and it might have got there were it not so hard to put a finger on. Instead it’s one of two records from the Honourable Mentions that also found its way onto this list (along with Meatbodies).

Daddy Issues – Deep Dream

“I blacked out in the suburbs/So I don’t remember/Turns out I’m covered/In last summer”

I listened to a lot of these kinds of albums this year. Indie rock records with a feminine edge to them. I think I was kinda drawn to them to be honest. Rock and roll has been so masculine since the beginning that it’s hard to find many up and coming male-dominated bands these days that sound vital or original. But the chicks laid it all out there, there’s a genuine movement going on. Wolf Alice, LA Witch, The She’s, Bully, The Big Moon, The Courtneys, Girl Ray… not to mention more solo efforts like Snail Mail, Vagabon and Marika Hackman. The Regrettes are on this list. Mermaidens as well.

But Daddy Issues get to represent this whole thing because they did it best (in my humble opinion). Wikipedia calls them a three-piece grunge pop band from Tennessee, so there’s the introductions out of the way. Deep Dream is not their first release but it’s their first full length on a decent sized label (Infinity Cat). Definitely got that 90s grunge thing going but they’re also singing about very modern issues. Nice and heavy, strong songs, plenty of attitude… Mosquito Bite, In Your Head and Locked Out are stand out tracks and they even do a half decent cover of Boys Of Summer in there. If you can get me to enjoy a Don Henley song then you’re already winning.

Jimi Tents - I Can't Go Home

“This is an open letter/Praying they won't resent me/For how I just up and left to/Chase every fantasy”

East Coast on the rise here, Jimi Tents is a 21 year old rapper from Brooklyn and ICGH is his anticipated new LP, following on from 5 O’Clock Shadow which was every bit as good back in 2015. Jimi puts it all out there in his assured, laid-back manner with an album about the sacrifices one makes for their own ambition and the struggle for recognition. Can’t go home again, not ‘til he’s a success, right? He knows his way around a few bars and hooks and he’s clearly riding that trend of young rappers with something to say. Not preaching, just not chucking out mindless songs with no substance. Jimi Tents cares about his lyrics and what they mean. He writes smart quips and clever rhymes… although a song like Domino Effect shows he can spot a mean banger as well. Mostly this dude captivates with how confident he is in his own vision, his own uniqueness, his own wise-beyond-years voice.

The Regrettes – Feel Your Feelings Fool!

“Juice box baby/My vision's gettin' shady/My walk's a little wavy/Goes side to side like daisies”

First off, brilliant band name. The album title’s a little too overzealous for my tastes but that’s all good. The thing with this band is that they’re all obscenely young (lead singer Lydia Night is still only 17). As such they’ve got a direct line on that teen angst thing, which is channelled with urgency into their pop-punk stylings – that’s 60s Ronettes kinda pop, by the way. Word is that they smashed this one out pretty quickly after signing with Warner Bros and you can hear the energy for sure. Might have been a better album if they’d cut a few of the 15 tracks, there’s some filler in there, yet the stuff they nail down is superb, the first half of this album kicks arse. I don’t care if the songs are a little tropey, it’s all so much fun.

Mermaidens – Perfect Body

“You were sweet like satsuma/when I peeled you off and split you in two/You were sweet like satsuma/when I peeled you off and split you in two”

Had to add some more kiwi flavour in here. Nadia Reid’s album was close to the honourable mentions on the Top Ten, a fate that befell Fazerdaze’s fantastic debut record and Lorde’s latest while Aldous Harding’s Party cracked the diez. Kane Strang has a solid album as well. Really strong year for New Zealand music (add in releases from SWIDT and David Dallas too). This Mermaidens album was something a bit different though. Really psychedelic and droning, I’ve got a massive weak spot for psych tunes and this collection adds a taste of danger to the mix that balances nicely with some also well-placed pop leanings.

Kweku Collins – Grey EP

“I was born/In a city of arms/A velvet teen sign/Doing the running man”

One of a few fellas coming up outta that Chicago rap scene in the wake of Chance the Rapper. I can spot a few similarities, the hint of a Caribbean twang for one thing. This isn’t a full length release, he put out Nat Love last year a (very decent too). But I really loved the nine tracks on this one, it felt like the dawning of a fresh voice in hip hop. Collins is young and romantic, he’s got a fine singing voice as well and a knack for a clever lyric. He sounds like the kind of dude you could talk books with, ya know? This particular project played up his crooner side, with songs like Jump.i and Dec. 25th rising up there. Oh and Lucky Ones is bordering on my favourite songs of the whole year. But I probably won’t have time to make that playlist, sorry chief.

Meatbodies - Alice

“Keep me up, dead by light/Call me up, call it trite/You know I'm lonely, the stones keep rolling/Sisyphus had it right, tonight.”

This one’s for the like-minded folks who much prefer those first three Black Sabbath albums to anything else they ever did. Meatbodies are Chad Ubovic’s band, a bloke you may know from Ty Segall’s Fuzz. Hence you don’t need me to tell you that the lad can shred, what matters here is that after a pretty riff-heavy debut a while back, Meatbodies are back with a more psychedelic tinge to their rocking refrains. It’s supposed to be a concept record, a sort of medieval/fantasy twist on Alice in Wonderland I think… but the sheer force of it makes the story hard to grasp. All goods, I’m here for the riffage most of all and this record has plenty of it. If you can’t grind to Disciples then I don’t wanna know ya, mate. (Points to you if you spot the John Prine reference too).

The Wheels – The Year of the Monkey

“Dream on, baby/Baby, dream on”

This is a funky one I stumbled upon within the vast depths of the internet – shout out to the internet. The Wheels hail from some Mediterranean island off of Spain and they play nostalgic psych rock of the early Tame Impala/mid-Beatles variety. Catchy poppish tunes that drop the wand hard on the wah-wah and fuzz pedals when the need demands. Another psych blend? Yeah, I know. I’m getting typecast. But this was really was enjoyable, maybe it’s their summery origins but something about it reminds me of beers on the beach (the cover art’s a tip off as well), of jamming with mates, of hanging out and having fun. When bands are able to channel that sense of camaraderie there’s really no substitute.

Colter Wall – Colter Wall

“It was a cold and cruel evening/Sneaking up on Speedy Creek/I found myself asleep and in the snow/One or two odd reasons/I ain't too proud to repeat/For now we’ll say I had no place to go”

Different one to end on, Colter Wall is a country/folk singer of the outlaw variety. Like, you’re not getting any extended instrumental jams from this bloke, it’s salted folk wisdom from start to finish. And he may sound like a 45 year old grizzled cowboy from the heart of Texas but he’s actually in his early 20s from Saskatchewan so… whaddayaknow? That voice, man. Absolutely booming. Don’t doubt the authenticity either because while Colter probably doesn’t wrangle snakes in his spare time he still manages to provide a modern, honest take on old fashioned song structures (Me and Big Dave, You Look to Yours) and when he gets into storytelling mode (Kate McCannon) he’s even more spellbinding. Easy to see why, he’s studied from the best: there’s a Townes Van Zandt cover on this as well as a version of Fraulein for which TVZ was famous. There was also that Tyler Childers album which was quality along a similar line, though Colter’s was that little bit better.

No need to say cheers for the music tip-offs, just smack an ad or two and we’re all even.