Best albums of the year (so far...)

1. Formation - Look at the powerful people
In the numerous trips to my girlfriend's house and back the album playing in my car has been the début from Formation. In many ways Formation seem like the perfect band for 2017. While not explicitly political, they express the frustrations and anger that many of my generation feel. What makes them special is that they channel this into a hedonistic Happy Monday's via LCD Soundsystem blast of indie disco bangers. It's an exhilarating listen from start to finish that might still be at the top of this list in 6 months time.

2. Creeper - Eternity, in your arms.
It was inevitable that with My Chemical romance still inactive and many other heroes of the 00's pop punk and emo scenes either defunct or changing sound and style, that a new band would emerge to pick up where 2007 left off. Enter Creeper. A band with the looks, sound, STYLE, and most importantly, the tunes to make pop punk vital again. They may not be the most innovative or original bands (country & western balladry aside) but it's the songs that really stand out. Landing somewhere between the operatics of meatloaf and the angst of MCR, every song here demands to be sung along as loud as humanly possible.

3. Wiley - Godfather
To put it in his own idiosyncratic way, Wiley's got more bangers than a butchers. The sole exception on Godfather being a slightly disappointing slow jam 'U were always part 2'. Other than that it's 16 tracks of hard-hitting pure grime. To Wiley's credit he bring out the best in all his collaborators. Newcomers and fellow grime legends such as Ghetts, Jme and Frisco alike bring out their best flows and verses while Wiley is frank, funnuThe production and beats are solid and all have that old school grime feel to them which has never really aged. On 'Godfather' Wiley lives up to his title.

4. Father John Misty - Pure comedy
If there is one main critisism of this album is that it is 80, minutes long and it needs to be listened to carefully. It's not an album that can be put on in the background. 'pure comedy is Josh Gill and at his witty sardonic best. Looking at himself and the world at large with a satirical eye. Whether that be his own career on 'leaving LA' or painting visions of a dystopian future on 'total entertainment forever'. Pure comedy is a true masterpiece of an album.

5. Kendrick Lamar - Damn
After scoring a hat trick with three classic hip hop records kendrick had his work cut out for him. 'Damn' in some ways a return to kendrick earlier sound, ditching the jazz-funk of 'TPAB' for washed out Psychedelica. On 'Damn' kendrick comes to terms with his own psyche and tackles religion as well as his status as a hip hop legend.

And in no particular order...

Sampha - Process
Perfume Genius - No Shape.
Hoops - Routines
Luke Rainsford - I feel at home with you
Elbow - Little Fictions
The XX -  I see you
Brockhampton - Saturation
Mac Demarco- This Old Dog
Gorillaz - Humanz
Slowdive - Slowdive
Pumarosa - The Witch
Paramore - After Laughter
Kasabian - For Crying Out Loud
Ibibio Sound Machine -Uyai
Lowly - Heba
Blondie - Polinator
Sylvan Esso - What now?
King Gizzard and the Lizard wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana
Spoon - Hot Thoughts
Alex G - Rocket