What To Shop For – 2017

Here are QRO's top-rated album reviews of the year....
What To Shop For

What To Shop For - 2017

Here are QRO’s top-rated album reviews of the year:

 

Ryan Adams – Prisoner
By his own standards, it’s actually been a little while since we’ve heard from Ryan Adams. Read more…
Ryan Adams : Prisoner
The Afghan Whigs – In Spades
The new In Spades is directly in Dulli’s thrusting emotional push. Read more…
The Afghan Whigs : In Spades
David Bowie – No Plan EP
David Bowie gives a bonus swan song. Read more…
David Bowie : No Plan EP
Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder
The Scene is back with Hug of Thunder, a revival and celebration of all that the band means. Read more…
Broken Social Scene : Hug of Thunder
Buzzcocks – Time’s Up & Spiral Scratch reissues
Where did underground success go? Read more…
Buzzcocks : Time's Up
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The Tourist
A continuation of great psychedelic indie, with some awesome alternative rock instrumentation and their trademark energy. Read more…
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah : The Tourist
Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound
Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings have been both raised by, and limited by, their clear influences. Read more…
Cloud Nothings : Life Without Sound
The Dears – Times Infinity Volume Two
The Dears are very alternative oriented typically, and somehow seem like a rarity these days in their fast pace, despite all the alternative bands out there right now. Read more…
The Dears : Times Infinity Volume Two
Delicate Steve – This Is Steve
This Is Steve, while not completely different from previous material of Delicate Steve’s, is really good, exceptional even in the guitar, maybe better than ever before. Read more…
Delicate Steve : This Is Steve
Elbow – Little Fictions
Elbow are an excellent band making sad, excellent music. Read more…
Elbow : Little Fictions
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
Father John Misty is very well known for all serious music fans, which is just to say people have heard of him. Read more…
Father John Misty : Pure Comedy
Feist – Pleasure
Leslie Feist has always had a conflicted relationship with her success. Read more…
Feist : Pleasure
Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up
Folk bands tend to rise and disappear more quickly than others, but after a hiatus, Fleet Foxes has their first release in six years. Read more…
Fleet Foxes : Crack Up
Jen Gloeckner – Vine
The upcoming singer-songwriter, Jen Gloeckner, certainly has a striking voice, and is a capable musician. Read more…
Jen Gloeckner : Vine
Gogol Bordello – Seekers and Finders
It’s key that Gogol Bordello is releasing Seekers and Finders now. Read more…
Gogol Bordello : Seekers and Finders
Gorillaz – Humanz
Even among all of Damon Albarn’s work, Gorillaz stands out. Read more…
Gorillaz : Humanz
Grandaddy – Last Place
Checks across the board, Grandaddy. Read more…
Grandaddy : Last Place
Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins
In the annals of Brooklyn indie & hipsterdom, Grizzly Bear hold a special place. Read more…
Grizzly Bear : Painted Ruins
Ha Ha Tonka – Heart-Shaped Mountain
The country music field can be fickle when it comes to big hit success. Read more…
Ha Ha Tonka : Heart-Shaped Mountain
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Choir of the Mind
You already love Emily Haines. We all already love Emily Haines. Read more…
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton : Choir of the Mind
Hüsker Dü – Savage Young Dü
The term ‘underappreciated’ is overused, but Hüsker Dü truly were, being one of the greatest punk acts of the eighties (or any decade). Read more…
Hüsker Dü : Savage Young Dü
Japandroids – Near To the Wild Heart of Life
When people say, “Rock is dead,” they’ve never heard Japandroids. Read more…
Japandroids : Near To the Wild Heart of Life
The Jesus and Mary Chain – Damage and Joy
The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Damage and Joy is not only reminiscent of their previous material, but a re-invention of their sound. Read more…
The Jesus and Mary Chain : Damage and Joy
Alex Lahey – I Love You Like a Brothers
Remember when indie-rock could be fun and catchy, not just sad and artistic? Read more…
Alex Lahey : I Love You Like a Brother
Mark Lanegan – Still Life With Roses EP
Mark Lanegan has a unique, emotional voice, and that pretty much always stays the same, but he has also pretty much always stayed the same. Read more…
Mark Lanegan : Still Life With Roses EP
Land of Talk – Life After Youth
We’re all getting older – if we only could age like Land of Talk… Read more…
Land of Talk : Life After Youth
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Before someone got the brilliant idea to shorten ‘electronic dance music’ to ‘EDM’, teaching the hipsters how to dance was only LCD Soundsystem. Read more…
LCD Soundsystem : American Dream
Lorde – Pure Heroine
How could Lorde possibly follow-up Pure Heroine? Read more…
Lorde : Melodrama
Los Campesinos! – Sick Scenes
Los Campesinos! are years removed from their exuberant breakthrough debut, shifting members and focusing more on loss, less on energy. Read more…
Los Campesinos! : Sick Scenes
Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
Mastodon started out as a hard rock/heavy metal band and despite consistently evolving musically, they continue to be pigeonholed as metal even though they have done a great job differentiating themselves from that genre. Read more…
Mastodon : Emperor of Sand
Melvins – A Walk With Love and Death
The Melvins are a lot like their namesake, well known and yet not well known at all. Read more…
Melvins : A Walk With Love and Death
Mew – Visuals
Nothing about Mew feels rushed. Read more…
Mew : Visuals
The National – Sleep Well Beast
For their first record in four years, The National bring in electronic effects while retaining their tragic power. Read more…
The National : Sleep Well Beast
Conor Oberst – Salutations
Conor Oberst is familiar to most indie music fans at this point, and he is also one of the more original composers. Read more…
Conor Oberst : Salutations
Old 97’s – Graveyard Whistling
Alt-country artists like Old 97’s always run the risk of becoming merely another straightforward country band, which has a somewhat alt audience. Read more…
Old 97's : Graveyard Whistling
The Orwells – Terrible Human Beings
The Orwells sound, look, and publish their image like Nirvana, but it is clear with Terrible Human Beings and previous records that they are more in some ways very melodically based. Read more…
The Orwells : Terrible Human Beings
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Echo of Pleasure
A decade or so ago, Kip Berman’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were a hype-buzz Brooklyn breakout, channeling neo-eighties fuzz and indie-pop. Read more…
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart : The Echo of Pleasure
Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent
‘Post-punk’ has always been hard to pin down. Read more…
Protomartyr : Relatives In Descent
R.E.M. – Automatic For the People (25th Anniversary Edition)
It’s been easy to forget how important Automatic For the People was – and is. Read more…
R.E.M. - Automatic For the People (25th Anniversary Edition)
Rise Against – Wolves
Agit-punk has often gotten a bad reputation in music critic circles. Read more…
Rise Against : Wolves
Slowdive – Slowdive
Thankfully for shoegaze pioneers Slowdive, Slowdive goes right. Read more…
Slowdive : Slowdive
Shout Out Louds – Ease My Mind
Emotional indie-pop was all the rage a decade or so ago, but fell out of fashion – only to more recently fall back into fashion. Read more…
Shout Out Louds : Ease My Mind
SNST – Turn Out the Lights
Turn Out The Lights is dark techno in the best, most exciting, and listenable sense. Read more…
SNST : Turn Out the Lights
Son Volt – Notes of Blue
Son Volt just do the old very well on the country-blues Notes of Blue. Read more…
Son Volt : Notes of Blue
Spoon – Hot Thoughts
Spoon are a confident and cool band. Read more…
Spoon : Hot Thoughts
Stars – There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light
Stars have long been a giant, romantic alt-rock band. Read more…
Stars : There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light
St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION
While Annie Clark began in alt-rock circles, as St. Vincent she has grown into a profound, artistic musical force. Read more…
St. Vincent : MASSEDUCTION
Stereophonics – Scream Above the Sounds
Stereophonics are great at riding the line between mainstream and indie, and do so with overly, in-your-face catchy guitar with harmony based choruses. Read more…
Stereophonics : Scream Above the Sounds
Strand of Oaks – Hard Love
Timothy Showalter returns as Strand of Oaks. Read more…
Strand of Oaks : Hard Love
Tycho – Epoch
Tycho are an interesting, solid, slow-jam, techno, and beats machine. Read more…
Tycho : Epoch
UNKLE – The Road: Part 1
UNKLE always begins with eccentric electronica but meets pop halfway through. Read more…
UNKLE : The Road: Part 1
Wand – Plum
Plum is as strange as the title is weird, but this is a good thing for Wand. Read more…
Wand : Plum
Wire – Silver/Lead
On Silver/Lead, the sixteenth Wire release since they began the innovative art-rock journey in 1977, they seem somewhat emboldened. Read more…
Wire : Silver/Lead
Wolf Parade – Cry Cry Cry
Yet Wolf Parade returned in 2016, with a new album the following year, and we’re all the better for it. Read more…
Wolf Parade : Cry Cry Cry
The xx – I See You
The xx occupy a very cool sweet spot. Read more…
The xx : I See You

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