The Fashionably Late Top 66 of 2017: Kevin Morby

It’s been a hell of a year. 2017 was exhausting, stressful, and at times just plain terrifying. But for all the mess that’s happened over the past 12 months, and there’s certainly been so much, there’s also been a lot of good going on in the world. From a musical standpoint, for instance, 2017 was rather exceptional. There were so many glorious new sounds to take in.

I’ve put together my list of favorites from the year that was, a touch fashionably late as always. Once again, I’ve decided to eschew a ranking system and instead give you an alphabetical look at the records I fell for this year. There’s some names here that will come as no surprise to anyone, and perhaps a few that might surprise you. These are simply my favorites from 2017, the albums I went back to again and again, the albums that I swooned over. So, without further exposition, here’s my list. I think you’ll find you can get your kicks from any and all of the 66 records I’ve chosen, and I truly hope you’ll find some treasures to cherish, as I cherish each and every record here. Many, many thanks to the artists who put out this fantastic music, their sounds helped make 2017 bearable.

Who: Kevin Morby

What: City Music

When: June 2017

Where: Dead Oceans

Why: Morby's City Music is like a new breed of the Laurel Canyon sound for the modern generation. The flickering of the late afternoon sun dances through the record, not always with placid California dreams but always utterly captivating. Lyrically, Morby captures the uneasy isolation of the big city perfectly with the lyric "all alone on a crowded street" from the excellently despairing "Crybaby," and this troubadour's words tend to truly get to the heart of things. At times Kevin's voice calls to mind a certain Minnesota-born yarn spinner, both in tone and lyric. A modern classic, this one.    

[posted 2.11.18]