1. Cloud Nothings - "Life Without Sound"
Guitar based rock is alive and well thanks to albums like this - Excellent production and arrangements allow each track to constantly top themselves as hook after hook is introduced atop memorable melodies supported by layer upon layer of guitar righteousness! "Up to the Surface" is a stunner - my favorite song of the year!
2. Little Steven - "Soulfire"
It took 20 years but Steven Van Zandt returned to the music scene with a vengeance! I feared a collection of new tunes, covers and new versions of older originals might be uneven but his Rock & Soul fire burns here as brightly as ever - plus his take on "Blues is My Business" is a scorcher!
3. Bash & Pop - "Anything Could Happen"
Tommy Stinson puts the band back together after 24 years for a second album of loose and lively Faces/Stones swagger - I'm on this like hogs to the trough! A few more ballads than last time out but "On the Rocks" ROCKS!
4. Waxahatchee - "Out in the Storm"
Katie Crutchfield is a fine writer with a wonderful voice and she rocks a little harder on this album - her best release yet! Check out "Sparks Fly", "No Question" or "Silver" for undeniable proof.
5. Charly Bliss - "Guppy"
It's a precocious toddler's voice on helium fronting Weezer...it's the sound of 90s guitar music coming to regain it's rightful place...it's Eva Hendricks fronting the band Charly Bliss and it's the feel good pop/punk sugar rush you needed in 2017!
6. The Courtneys - "Courtneys II"
Yet another exciting female band making big waves in the indie rock world! Only one of them is actually a Courtney but with music this catchy (think B-52s harmonies with fuzz guitar) they can call themselves anything they want.
7. Secret Meadow - "Same Old Fear"
A melodic dream pop band from Jakarta, Indonesia - who saw this coming!? A gorgeous five song debut EP that will leave you hungering for more - biggest surprise band of the year!
8. Shake Some Action - "Crash Through or Crash"
Fourteen hook-filled tunes with driving rhythms, sweet harmonies and Rickenbacker jangle to spare - this is the Power Pop album of the year!
9. Neil Young - "Hitchhiker"
This album finally sees the light of day after sitting on the shelf since 1976! Neil in laid back acoustic mode showcasing soon to be classics "Pocahontas" and "Powderfinger" alongside some unheard gems like the title track - and there's more scheduled for release in 2018!
10. The New Pornographers - "Whiteout Conditions"
A. C. Newman & Company have crafted another winner! More keyboards than guitars this time out but the fine songwriting, quirky melodies and the vocals of Neko Case shine as always!
Honorable Mention - many of these could sneak onto my list on another day
Real Estate - "In Mind"
Pugwash - "Silverlake"
Eyelids - "Or"
Guided by Voices - "How Do You Spell Heaven"
The Small Square - "The Small Square"
Slowdive - "Slowdive"
Tobin Sprout - "The Universe and Me"
Ride - "Weather Diaries"
Honeyrude - "The Color Blue"
