The Fashionably Late Top 66 of 2017: Methyl Ethel

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: Methyl Ethel

What: Everything is Forgotten

When: March 2017

Where: 4AD

Why: Oh sure, we all know that Australia is basically a hotbed of psychedelic noise these days. And it's not that Methyl Ethel isn't a psychedelic band. It's just that with the excellent Everything is Forgotten, they've colored outside the blurred lines more than a little, nudging themselves into some artsy psych pop territory. These are songs that transform as they transfix, but also can elicit a bit of a shimmy as they take you for a ride. Take for example "Ubu," the catchy in an unholy infectious way nugget with the chorus "Why'd you have to go and cut your hair/why'd you cut your hair." It's kooky, it's a little spooky, and you bet your bottom dollar you can cut a rug to it. Which is something that applies to a great deal of this album. I should also mention that "Ubu" is probably one of my most listened-to songs of all of 2017. There's an 80s-esque gloss that coats these songs, that masking of darker themes behind an appealing accessibility. I truly love this record.

[posted 2.17.18]