This year proved particularly difficult to narrow down a Top 25 because there were just so many great albums that came out in 2017. I started with a shortlist of 58! Ultimately, this list represents the albums I enjoyed the most this year; the albums that thrilled me, moved me and inspired me. There are always some albums that might have made the list, but that I just missed or haven't had the chance to listen to yet. But as of the end of this year, based on what I've been listening to through the year, these were my favourite releases for 2017. 25. Mark McDowell And Friends - Dark Weave Groovy, psych/folk tunes from this UK artist. Very trippy at times. 24. Moonwagon - Devil's Labyrinth T
It’s been a good year for Earthling Society fans, with not one, not even two, but now three new releases that have come out in 2017. First it was the incendiary Zen Bastard, which featured both original material and a couple of new versions of old tracks, including the epic Kosmik Suite, originally from 2006’s Plastic Jesus and the Third Eye Blind. Then came Ascent to Godhead, that had everything from good old-fashioned space rock in the form of the spirited Can You Levitate? to the meditative Eastern influenced raga of its title track, and of course some epic guitar freakery on Electric Bou Saada. Now, just a couple of weeks before the new year, comes the high flying, down to earth Crooked
On their first release, Retrofitting, Number Three Combo explored a sound utilizing acoustic instruments like guitar, flute and hand percussion, with occasional synth to create both folky songs and more cinematic style soundscapes, often with a Middle Eastern flavour. On their second album, 2016’s Solarium, they explored similar territory, but they replaced the acoustic guitar with synthesizers for a much more electronic album. For Resurfacing, which is their final release, Number Three Combo shake it up again, this time producing a more traditionally song based album, without sacrificing the elements developed on the first two recordings. Returning for this outing are ex-Black Sun Ensemble
