For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2017. Check out the Top 90.3 Albums of 2017, as voted on by our listeners. And check out more top albums from KEXP DJs, staff, and volunteers here.
DJ Alex's 2017 Top Ten Albums
| rank | artist | album | label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelela | Take Me Apart | Warp |
| 2 | Sinjin Hawke | First Opus | Fractal Fantasy |
| 3 | Mura Masa | Mura Masa | Anchor Point/Downtown/Interscope |
| 4 | Lushloss | Asking/Bearing | Hush Hush |
| 5 | DJ NHK Guy | At Your Door | Yesterday Once More |
| 6 | SZA | Ctrl | TDE/RCA |
| 7 | Fazerdaze | Morningside | Flying Nun |
| 8 | milo | who told you to think??!!?!?!?! | Ruby Yacht |
| 9 | Mount Kimbie | Love What Survives | Warp |
| 10 | Julie Byrne | Not Even Happiness | Ba Da Bing! |
LPs / 11-20: 11. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (Aftermath/Interscope/TDE) 12. Ill Camille - Heirloom (Jakarta) 13. Jane Weaver - Modern Kosmology (Fire) 14. Sampha - Process (Young Turks) 15. Clap! Clap! - A Thousand Skies (Black Acre) 16. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy (Columbia) 17. Moonchild - Voyager (Tru Thoughts) 18. Honey Dijon - The Best of Both Worlds (Classic Music Company) 19. Children Of Zeus - The Story So Far... (First Word) 20. Thundercat - Drunk (Brainfeeder) LPs / Honorable Mentions: Alice Coltrane - World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane (Luaka Bop) Amy O - Elastic (Winspear) Blue Hawaii - Tenderness (Arbutus) cavegreen - Vita Lucida (self-released) Charlotte Dos Santos - Cleo (Fresh Selects) Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Centennial Trilogy (Ropeadope) Daniel Caesar - Freudian (Golden Child Recordings) Demen - Nektyr (Kranky) DJ Jayhood - KING (Local Action) Eerie Gaits - Bridge Music (Tiny Engines) Faye Webster - Faye Webster (Awful) Four Tet - New Energy (Text) Galcher Lustwerk - Dark Bliss (White Material) Ibeyi - Ash (XL) Jay-Z - 4:44 (Roc Nation) Jlin - Black Origami (Planet Mu) Joey Bada$$ - All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (Pro Era/Cinematic Music Group) Jonwayne - Rap Album Two (Authors) Krs. - Soca & Blues Vol. 1 (Film Noir Sound) Leikeli47 - Wash & Set (Hardcover/RCA) Lord Echo - Harmonies (Soundway) Lute - West 1996 Pt. 2 (Dreamville/Interscope) Mac Demarco - This Old Dog (Captured Tracks) Majid Jordan - The Space Between (OVO Sound/Warner Bros.) Nite Jewel - Real High (Gloriette) Octo Octa - Where Are We Going? (HNYTRX) Oddisee - The Iceberg (Mello Music Group) Sacred Paws - Strike A Match (Rock Action) Sam O.B. - Positive Noise (LuckyMe) Sean Nicholas Savage - Yummycoma (Arbutus) Slowdive - Slowdive (Dead Oceans) Star Tropics - Lost World (Shelflife) Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky) Sufjan Stevens - The Greatest Gift (Asthmatic Kitty) Svemirko - Vanilija (self-released) Syd - Fin (Columbia) Terrace Martin presents The Pollyseeds - Sounds of Crenshaw Vol. 1 (Ropeadope) Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory (Def Jam) The xx - I See You (Young Turks) You'll Never Get To Heaven - Images (Yellow K) EPs: 01. Yaeji - EP1 / EP2 (Godmode) 02. Solace - thesis (Milky Wayv) 03. Amber Mark - 3:33am (Jasmine Music/PMR) 04. Steve Lacy - Steve Lacy's Demo (Three Quarter) 05. Buddy - Ocean & Montana (Cool Lil Company, LLC) 06. Jim-E Stack - It's Jim-ee (self-released) 07. Smerz - Okey (XL) 08. Nilüfer Yanya - Plant Feed (Blue Flowers Music) 09. Everything Is Recorded - Close But Not Quite (XL) 10. Chlorine Mist - Reset (Donky Pitch) 11. Rimbaudian - Letters (Ten Thousand Yen) 12. Taylar Elizza Beth - Fresh Cut Flowers (self-released) 13. Ohyeahsumi - Your Friends Are Looking For You (Sports Day) 14. Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference (Young Turks) 15. Sam Gellaitry - Escapism III (XL) 16. Vallis Alps - Fable (self-released) 17. Sweatson Klank - Then I Was Me (Friends of Friends) 18. Glassmasterer - Dabble / Deed (Cat in the Attic) 19. Pascale Project - 7AM (Noumenal Loom) 20. Swing Ting - Junction (self-released) Compilations: 01. Beating Heart: South Africa (Beating Heart) 02. Mono No Aware (PAN) 03. Visceral Minds 2 (Fractal Fantasy) 04. BADBADNOTGOOD: Late Night Tales (Night Time Stories Ltd.) 05. Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973 (Light in the Attic)
Singles / Top Faves: (1 song per artist) 01. Kelela - "LMK" 02. Frank Ocean - "Chanel" 03. Nilüfer Yanya - "Golden Cage"
04. yaeji - "raingurl" 05. Creek Boyz - "With My Team" 06. Everything Is Recorded - "Close But Not Quite (feat. Sampha)"
07. Playboi Carti - "Magnolia" 08. Perfume Genius - "Slip Away"
09. J Hus - "Did You See" 10. Anna of the North - "Someone" 11. Calvin Harris - "Slide (feat. Frank Ocean & Migos)" 12. Lil Uzi Vert - "XO TOUR Llif3" 13. SZA - "Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott)" 14. Sampha - "(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano" 15. Jorja Smith x Preditah - "On My Mind" 16. Men I Trust - "Tailwhip" 17. French Montana - "Unforgettable (feat. Swae Lee)" 18. Thundercat - "Show You The Way" 19. Ohyeahsumi - "Daisy" 20. Joey Bada$$ - "Land of the Free" 21. Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow" 22. Lorde - "Green Light" 23. Mac DeMarco - "On The Level" 24. Future - "Mask Off" 25. Vince Staples - "Big Fish" 26. Shabazz Palaces - "Shine a Light"
27. HAIM - "Right Now" 28. Kendrick Lamar - "DUCKWORTH." 29. Big Thief - "Mythological Beauty" 30. Majid Jordan - "Gave Your Love Away" 31. Amber Mark - "Lose My Cool" 32. Blue Hawaii - "No One Like You" 33. DJDS - "Trees On Fire (feat. Amber Mark & Marco Mckinnis)" 34. Missy Elliott - "I'm Better" 35. SOPHIE -" Ponyboy" 36. Mount Kimbie - "Blue Train Lines (feat. King Krule)" 37. The Black Madonna - "He Is Voice I Hear" 38. Syd - "Body" 39. Migos - "T-Shirt" 40. Nabihah Iqbal - "Zone 1 to 6000" 41. Sheer Mag - "Need To Feel Your Love" 42. Toro Y Moi - "You and I" 43. Offset & Metro Boomin - "Ric Flair Drip" 44. Stimulator Jones - "Need Your Body" 45. Nickodemus - "Funk That" 46. Leikeli47 - "Miss Me" 47. Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Deadly Valentine" 48. TOPS - "Further" 49. Zach Witness - "Keep Faith (feat. Jon Bap)" 50. Clap! Clap! - "Hope (feat. OY)" Singles / Honorable Mentions: 2 Chainz - "It's A Vibe (feat. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhene Aiko)" Amine - "REDMERCEDES" Athlete Whippet - "3am" Avelino - "No Such Thing" B. Cool-Aid - "teach" Bad Gyal x Dubbel Dutch - "Jacaranda" Bastien Keb - "Pick Up" Bicep - "Glue" Blanck Mass - "Please" Broken Social Scene - "Hug of Thunder" Buddy - "Find Me" Burial - "Rodent" Camila Cabello - "Havana (feat. Young Thug)" Carly Rae Jepsen - "Cut to the Feeling" CCFX - "The One To Wait" Charli XCX - "Boys" Children Of Zeus - "I Can't Wait" Dagny - "Wearing Nothing" Daniel Caesar - "Get You (feat. Kali Uchis)" DJ Seinfeld - "U Hold Me Without Touch" Don Leisure - "Tell Me" Donae'o - "No Love" Dua Lipa - "New Rules" Dzang - "Deepest Darkest (feat. Maria Minerva)" Elisa - "You Can Wear the Mink" Ella Mai - "Makes Me Wonder" FAUX - "Take Back Time" Fazerdaze - "Shoulders" Flight Facilities - "Arty Boy" Four Tet - "Two Thousand and Seventeen" G Perico - "Bacc Forth" Hidden Spheres - "It Ain't Easy" Honey Dijon - "State Of Confusion (feat. Joi Cardwell)" Ivy Sole - "Rooftop" Jane Weaver - "Did You See The Butterflies?" Jay Som - "Baybee" Jay-Z - "The Story of O.J." Jens Lekman - "What's That Perfume That You Wear?" Joey Agresta - "Don't Be Sad" K Camp - "Good Problem" Kali Uchis - "Nuestro Planeta (feat. Reykon)" Kamaiyah - "Build You Up" King Garbage - "Lost in the Sauce" Knox Fortune - "Lil Thing" Kwaye - "Cool Kids" LCD Soundsystem - "american dream" Little Dragon - "High" Michael the Lion - "Get It On (DJ Bruce's On & On Mix)" Miguel - "Pineapple Skies" Milo - "Embroidering Machine" Mura Masa "1 Night (feat. Charli XCX)" NAO - "Nostalgia" Oddisee - "Like Really" Passarani - "Wonky, Wonky, Wonky" Porter Ray - "Arithmetic (feat. Infinite & Stas THEE Boss)" The Preatures - "I Like You" Prolly Knot - "Perennial" Rayana Jay - "Magic" Sabrina Claudio - "Used To" Sam O.B. - "Revolve" Shamir - "90s Kids" Sinjin Hawke - "Onset" Smerz - "Because" Snakehips - "Either Way (feat. Anne-Marie & Joey Bada$$)" Solace - "infinite" SOPHIE - "Ponyboy" The Steoples - "From the Otherwise" Steve Lacy - "Looks" Synead - "Tropicao" Talib Kweli - "Traveling Light (feat. Anderson .Paak & Kaytranada)" Taylar Elizza Beth - "Storm" Tei Shi - "Say You Do" Tyler, the Creator - "911 / Mr. Lonely (feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy)" Vallis Alps - "Oceans" The War on Drugs - "Pain" Wilma Archer - "Like A Hunger (feat. Amber Mark)" The xx - "On Hold (Jamie xx Remix)" You'll Never Get To Heaven - "Beyond the Clouds" Young Ejecta - "Build A Fire" Yumi Zouma - "December" Zedd - "Get Low (feat. Liam Payne)" DJ Alex curates our Midnight in a Perfect World series, airing Friday nights at midnight, and one of the hosts of Expansions, on the air Sunday nights, 9pm-midnight.
