The Best Albums Of 2017: Halftime Report

First off, a gentle reminder that our excellent new issue of Uncut is in the shops now, featuring as it does a deep piece about the invention of David Bowie, Radiohead’s 30 Greatest Songs, the return of The War On Drugs, Steve Earle, Jah Wobble, Eddie Floyd, Natalie Merchant and tributes to Gregg Allman and Chris Cornell. Full details about the new Uncut are here, in case you missed them last week.

Also last week, I tried to round up my favourite albums of the year so far; specifically releases from January until the end of June. As usual with these halftime reports, I listed them in alphabetical order rather than trying any ranking business, and thought it best not to embed music and video, so that the page would load without too much pain.

Today, I thought it might be worth reposting the list, not least because, after asking for additions/suggestions and so on, readers have kindly reminded me of another six albums that I forgot to include (and a bunch more I should listen to asap). Here, then, is the newly expanded halftime report, now stretching to 66 albums. Just to reiterate again: this is very much my personal choices, and in no way representative of the Uncut writers in general. Thanks!

1. Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society – Simultonality (tak:til/Glitterbeat/Eremite)
2. Sam Amidon – The Following Mountain (Nonesuch)
3. Anjou – Epithymia (Kranky)
4. Arbouretum – Song Of The Rose (Thrill Jockey)
5. Bargou 08 – Targ (Glitterbeat)
6. William Basinski – A Shadow In Time (Temporary Residence)
7. Big Thief – Capacity (Saddle Creek)
8. Blanck Mass – World Eater (Sacred Bones)
9. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Best Troubador (Domino)
10. Brokeback – Illinois River Valley Blues (Thrill Jockey)
11. Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness (Basin Rock)
12. The Cairo Gang – Untouchable (God?/Drag City)
13. Michael Chapman – 50 (Paradise Of Bachelors)
14. Como Mamas – Move Upstairs (Daptone)
15. The Deslondes – Hurry Home (New West)
16. Mark Eitzel – Hey Mr Ferryman (Décor)
17. Elkhorn – The Black River (Debacle)
18. James Elkington – Wintres Woma (Paradise Of Bachelors)
19. Endless Boogie – Vibe Killer (No Quarter)
20. Brian Eno – Reflection (Warp)
21. Feist – Pleasure (Polydor)
22. Feral Ohms – Feral Ohms (Silver Current)
23. Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up (Nonesuch)
24. Floating Points – Reflections – Mojave Desert (Pluto)
25. Jake Xerxes Fussell – What In The Natural World (Paradise Of Bachelors)
26. Ron Gallo – Heavy Meta (New West)
27. Gas – Narkopop (Kompakt)
28. Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway (Nonesuch)
29. Gospelbeach – Another Summer Of Love (Alive Naturalsound)
30. Nick Hakim – Green Twins (ATO)
31. Aldous Harding – Party (4AD)
32. Julia Holter – In The Same Room (Domino)
33. Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator (ATO)
34. Ifriqiyya Electrique – Rûwâhîne’ (Glitterbeat)
35. Matt Jencik – Weird Times (Hands In The Dark)
36. Jlin – Black Origami (Planet Mu)
37. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (Top Dawg)
38. Bill MacKay – Esker (Drag City)
39. Man Forever – Play What They Want (Thrill Jockey)
40. Laura Marling – Semper Femina (More Alarming/Kobalt)
41. El Michels Affair – Return To The 37^th Chamber (Big Crown)
42. Mind Over Mirrors – Undying Color (Paradise of Bachelors)
43. Thurston Moore – Rock’n’Roll Consciousness (Caroline)
44. Kevin Morby – City Music (Dead Oceans)
45. The Necks – Unfold (Ideologic Organ/Editions Mego)
46. On Fillmore – Happiness Of Living (Northern Spy)
47. Anthony Pasquarosa With John Moloney – My Pharaoh, My King (Feeding Tube)
48. Peacers – Introducing The Crimsmen (Drag City)
49. Alasdair Roberts – Pangs (Drag City)
50. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press (Sub Pop)
51. Sampha – Process (XL)
52. Seabuckthorn – Turns (Lost Tribe Sound)
53. Ty Segall – Ty Segall (Drag City)
54. Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley (No Quarter)
55. Six Organs Of Admittance – Burning The Threshold (Drag City)
56. Tamikrest – Kidal (Glitterbeat)
57. Thundercat – Drunk (Brainfeeder)
58. Tinariwen – Elwan (Anti-)
59. Rick Tomlinson – Phases Of Daylight (Voix)
60. Träd, Gräs Och Stenar – Tack För Kaffet (Thanks For The Coffee) (Subliminal Sounds)
61. Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last (dBpm)
62. Various Artists – The Hired Hands: A Tribute To Bruce Langhorne (Scissor Tail/Bandcamp)
63. Visible Cloaks – Reassemblage (RVNG INTL)
64. Wet Tuna – Live At The Root Cellar 1​/​19​/​17 Electric Set (Bandcamp)
65. Wooden Wand – Clipper Ship (Three Lobed Recordings)
66. Woods – Love Is Love (Woodsist)