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Right now, I'm currently sitting in an airplane terminal waiting for a flight home, one that's been delayed three times thus far. This, after a week-long stay at Disney World where a sickness inevitably overcame me halfway through. Suffice to say, music hasn't exactly been on my mind this past week. Maybe that's apt for this write-up. For while a trove of songs, more than any other year, went into my ears, few had everlasting staying power. That's not to say there wasn't a plethora of enticing tracks, singles, and loosies; quite the opposite. In our current streaming age, quantity over quality reigns supreme, and while that means there's a swarm of rubbish to sift through, what gems lie in the rough are more enough to satiate an ever-growing appetite.
That can be seen all over this list, a list that grew to a sizable proportion of 150. Written here, for simplicity sake, is the top 100. But you can find, either in this Apple Music playlist or this Spotify playlist, every track that delighted my ears or dropped my jaw. Unfortunately, numerous songs are missing from both as they're not available on the respective streaming platforms. Enjoy.
Dozens Of Donuts has grown, so let's take a look back. Here is the best of 2016, 2015, and 2014.
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Liars - Face To Face With My Face | TFCF
On 'Face To Face,' Liars (now just Angus Andrew) proved why they've always been a formidable force when it comes to integrating emotional confusion with a tangible experimental backbone. The instrumental, bass-driven collage incites uneasiness from the get-go.99 | Burial - Indoors | Pre Dawn
Burial has struggled mightily since 2012, the year in which his final monumental EP's released. Silence and dispirited singles came and went, but 'Indoors' presented a glimmer of hope. Both a return to his Future Garage, and an ode to the restless nighttime dance floor.
98 | Colin Stetson - The Rain Like Curses | Single
Colin Stetson's work can never be considered unambitious. Even a simple throwaway for Adult Swim powers over three might sections and ten, heart-pounding minutes. Forget All This I Do For Glory, 'The Rain Like Curses' is Stetson's best 2017 work.
97 | Porches - Country | Single
On immediate listen, 'Country' came and went. A surefire side effect of the sub two-minute length. But time and again, Aaron Maine's haunting vocal layering and the track's steadily-building synth nodes pulled me back. Helps that the music video was inspired by Twin Peaks.
96 | Kelly Lee Owens - Lucid | Kelly Lee Owens
In 2017, few wove Electronic mannerisms together as flawlessly as Kelly Lee Owens. On 'Lucid,' she gave us her inspiration. A lucid dream, one interpreted as real despite being purely whimsical. The endless layers and flawless, beat-driven switch just two examples of her prowess.
Future Islands - Time On Her Side | The Far Field
The Far Field's opener did just as Future Islands' best tracks do; rage with steel bravado over shrewd Synthpop. As always, Sam Herring's vocals are the calling card, something that escapes limitations, once again, in the song's daring and monumental chorus.94 | Sufjan Stevens - Jupiter | Planetarium
On Planetarium, Sufjan and company attempted to combine the efforts of Stevens' Singer/Songwriter talents with his explosive Age Of Adz. No track showcased that better than 'Jupiter,' a romp around the red planet that went up, down, and through its fiery tornado.
93 | Paul White - Maori Baby Junior | Everything You've Forgotten
Paul White's Everything You've Forgotten is best taken in whole, as each piece forms the collective puzzle. But alone, no idea rose higher than 'Maori Baby Junior,' a brisk romp that plodded along with sparkling synths, tribal drums, and fractured finger snaps.
93 | Rapsody - Sassy | Laila's Wisdom
After hearing Rapsody's conscious black acceptance on 'Complexion,' or the political hellfire rained down by 'Pain,' something as upbeat and groovy as 'Sassy' seemed out of the question. Yet, with its addictive beat and Rapsody's tip-toe flow, she created just that.
91 | Kendrick Lamar - FEAR. | DAMN.
On the whole, 'FEAR' was nothing new for Kendrick Lamar. His clever, highbrow rumination's have appeared on 'Sing About Me,' 'u,' really all of his discography. 'FEAR' succeeds then, by sermonizing the perpetual fear black men must endure in modern day America.
Steve Lacy - Dark Red | Steve Lacy's Demo
There's something about Steve Lacy's first lines on 'Dark Red' that get to me. "Something bad is 'bout to happen to me." Couple that with the title, the color of blood, and Lacy's woozy cross between Alternative R&B and Hypnagogic Pop becomes all the most stained.89 | War On Drugs - Thinking Of A Place | A Deeper Understanding
I've never shied away from criticizing The War On Drugs' ambivalence towards their own genre. Yet, the state of their music always works best when accompanied by a yearning, a need to explore. That's exactly what the ambitious 11-minutes of 'Thinking Of A Place' does.
88 | Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - To Follow & Lead | The Kid
Throughout The Kid, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith saw life through the eyes of a toddler. Her imaginative palate only made this more clear. On 'To Follow & Lead' a giddy assortment of playful instrumentation coils around Smith and her spirited goo goo gah gah.
87 | Liars - The Grand Delusional | TFCF
In the few opening moments of TCFC, Angus Andrew leaves the listener in a state of disillusionment. Western guitars sent adrift float in and out of consciousness, before the truest of intentions emerge mid-track with a sly and insidious beat switch.
86 | Son Lux - Remedy | Remedy
Son Lux has the palate to imagine worlds. Lott's sleek, rigid, bone-cemented structuring works, at its best, as a glass box waiting to be filled with color. That's what 'Remedy' is, an expansive building block that starts small and self-effacing but ends large and defiant.
yaeji - raingurl | EP2
Whether she did so with intention or not, yaeji's defiant work on 'raingurl,' a sparse Deep House trunk-rattler, inadvertently opened up a new line of sight for the progressive club scene. Sugary female vocals and clean-cut tribal drums make for a surprising unison.84 | St. Vincent - Young Lover | MASSEDUCTION
MASSEDUCTION was rife with out-of-touch bravado. This, most frustrating because tracks like 'Young Lover' existed, proving that St. Vincent still had her tender artistry in full grasp. See to the last minute, where Clark booms with a clambering barrage of instrumentation.
83 | Nmesh - B?SS///COPtm | Pharma
With Pharma, Nmesh created what could arguably go down as a modern Vaporwave classic. No piece leapt with such fervor than 'B?SS///COP,' a riotous cut that juiced Vaporwave with a nostalgic sugar rush from a brain-numbing children's show.
82 | Clark - Peak Magnetic | Death Peak
I often liken Clark's Death Peak to that of a living, breathing factory. As if his cold, industrial world suddenly pulsed with a beating heart. 'Peak Magnetic' is the textbook example of that, a bustling assembly line that spills every possible color into the melting pot.
81 | Your Old Droog - You Can Do It! | Packs
On 'You Can Do It,' Your Old Droog proudly professed his admiration of Hip-Hop's golden age of street Rap. Groups like Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious leap back to life through Droog's straight-laced storytelling and Edan's memorialized Boom Bap.
Elucid - She'd Rather Be A Cyborg | Valley Of Grace
Standing firm as a 10-minute mental mutation amongst a sea of devilish abstractions, 'She'd Rather Be' passes through a twisted mind forever uneasy, unsafe, and unsure. Pieces of others' art overwhelms the senses, contorting them while trying to contain them.79 | Slowdive - Slomo | Slowdive
Dreams are not bound by time, only imagination. It stands to reason, then, that Dream Pop will always have a place in reality. Slowdive's return, especially with the breathtaking 'Slomo,' proves that by layering heavenly instrumentation and vocals whilst floating above the clouds.
78 | Kelela - Altadena | Take Me Apart
After the sweaty, bedroom seduction of Take Me Apart it only seemed right for Kelela to end the LP wrapped tightly in the silken sheets of 'Altadena.' The finale soothes rather than shakes, presenting a softer side to Kelela's heart that cuddles after a drama-filled night.
77 | Syd - Know | Fin
On 'Know,' Syd asserts herself as a potential torchbearer to Timbaland's forward-thinking Contemporary R&B era. The production is an admiration to his iconic style, darting and shaking short-lived sounds, while Syd reincarnates TLC or Aaliyah's seductive tendencies.
76 | LCD Soundsystem - oh baby | American Dream
Never one to disobey his influences, James Murphy's returning affair kickstarted by 'Oh Baby' sported influence from the likes of Public Image Ltd. and Suicide. With humble origins, the half-awake, half-asleep dream number prompted the ambition soon to come.
The Xx - On Hold | I See You
I See You came and went, unconcerned with making an impression. Like with the majority of The xx's efforts, 'On Hold' flourished thanks to Jamie xx's funky, mood-shifting production through dance floor percussion and scattered samples. Reminiscent of 'Loud Places.'74 | Kendrick Lamar - LOVE. | DAMN.
Who would've guessed that Kendrick Lamar, a Hip-Hop savant, could turn a curious eye to Pop Rap and emerge a greater presence than the majority testing their hand. 'LOVE' oozes post-modern romanticism, a calling card and formal evolution of The Weeknd's sultry work.
73 | Paul White - Accelerator | Single
Leave it to Danny Brown who, after teaming up with Paul White for the majority of the immaculate Atrocity Exhibtion, lent him one last gift of unparalleled ingenuity. 'Accelerator' is a blur, the final disorderly construction between two like-minded madmen.
72 | Vince Staples - Rain Come Down | Big Fish Theory
After the futuristic street party that was Big Fish Theory, 'Rain Come Down' ends the LP as the dark and sulky aftermath. Here, Staples reflects on the events with a hollow beat crafted perfectly to suit an introspective emcee in an urban, nighttime environment.
71 | Rhye - Taste | Single
It's hard to explain the prowess of 'Taste.' Every single aspect of it is just pure, distilled Sophisti-Pop. From Milosh's sultry vocals that put many ordinary R&B crooners to shame, to Robin Hannibal's sublime production work that travels through numerous lavish layers.
Bjork - Saint | Utopia
Utopia was long-winded, no doubt, but the stimulated world Bjork created for herself (alongside Arca) was an enchantress' dreamscape. 'Saint' was the culmination of that, finding Bjork floating along grassy knolls as Arca's odorous synth stabs plucked up from underneath.69 | The National - Sleep Well Beast | Sleep Well Beast
Sleep Well Beast doesn't end with a bang, but an all-too realistic nightmare. Matt Berninger pontificates the loss of love with a snarling gravel as if he's sleep-talking. The pulsating instrumentation crumbles around him, wrecking havoc as he comes face to face with his beast.
68 | King Krule - Czech One | The OOZ
Strange wouldn't begin to describe 'Czech One' as The OOZ's lead single. The slow-moving, liquid dream captures Marshall contemplating actions over drooling synths, haunting vocals, and, by track's end, a magnificent collage of unusual instrumentation.
67 | Rapsody - The Pain | Single
To this day, I'm still peeved Rapsody's 'The Pain' amounted to nothing more than a loosie lost in the Internet ethosphere. Laila's Wisdom, Rapsody's solid 2017 outing, would've benefitted from 'The Pain's' intense cultural truth-talking and confrontational political conversation.
66 | Shabazz Palaces - Since C.A.Y.A. | Quazarz
Even though the two Quazarz LP's weren't up to Shabazz Palaces' snuff, they're still the coolest cats this side of the galaxy. Ishmael Butler's opening verse on 'Since C.A.Y.A.' another classic example of his swaggerlicious charisma being presented in an off-kilter world.
Chelsea Wolfe - The Culling | Hiss Spun
'The Culling' takes a while to achieve its maximal apex, but that's only due to Chelsea Wolfe lulling you into a listless daydream. The mounting storm gathers, slowly but surely, before exploding in a blaze of fire that's conquered only by Wolfe's intimidating presence.64 | Fleet Foxes - Crack Up | Crack-Up
To say Crack-Up is a modern day Folk epic would be an understatement. To say the expedition of its mighty closing title track helped bolster that would be true. 'Crack-Up' weaves through gorgeous instrumentation with sailing set pieces that captures Fleet Foxes at their most cinematic.
63 | Lil Yachty - Bring It Back | Teenage Emotions
Teenage Emotions sucked. Not like Lil Boat, which was tongue-in-cheek so bad it's good, but flat out awful. However, 'Bring It Back' worked as a lovable beacon to Lil Yachty's impressionable charisma. The superfluous, Synthpop diddy ratcheted up the catchiness to 11.
62 | King Gizzard - Altered Beast IV | Murder Of The Universe
Picking pieces out of Murder Of The Universe seems like sacrilege, but when Leah Senior, in her cold spoken word recounts "my left hand is a knife, my right hand is a fork, I will pull you apart like a butcher pulls pork," all bets are off. That line describes the bedlam like none other.
61 | Kelly Lee Owens - 8 | Kelly Lee Owens
The sprawling finale to Kelly Lee Owens' stunning debut encapsulated the album's sonic palate to a tee. Owens' vocals transcend time and space, caught in a reverberating loop of various oscillating synths that recalls the earliest passages of hypnotic Techno and House music.
Young Fathers - Only God Knows | Single
As Young Fathers have gotten more comfortable with their crowd, their music has become increasingly perplexing. Genre-smashing would put it lightly, as 'Only God Knows' bounces, fiddles, and raps through a rapturous procession of faith-mending magnificence. 59 | Godspeed You! - Bosses Hang | Luciferian Towers
The three-part 'Bosses Hang,' from start to finish, does better than any piece in GY!BE's post-reunion phase at pontificating the band's purpose. A myriad of emotions drift, rattle, and surge, beginning on the dawn of war, ending amidst a successful revolution.
58 | Alvvays - Saved By A Waif | Antisocialites
It's always the most innocuous songs that creep up on you. Alvvays' ripe summer ode began as a sweet little deep cut and ended lodged in my cranium. Not only can I hear it on demand, but I can picture it as well. Lounging by the pool, sun beaming down, 90's Pop playing on the radio.
57 | Father John Misty - So I'm Growing Old | Pure Comedy
A dissertation could be written on the pomposity of Pure Comedy. Unsurprisingly, it's one true humble passage showcased Father John Misty's potential had he not been concerned with goading his conceited character. The droning climax midway through is to die for.
56 | Oneohtrix Point Never - The Pure & The Damned | Good Time
The year is 2017. The producer is a Progressive Electronic savant known, amongst other things, for creating Vaporwave. The singer is an aging Rock icon. The two, on 'The Pure & The Damned,' unite for a ballad that's nothing more than synths and a piano. Go figure.
Japanese Breakfast - Boyish | Soft Sounds
Since conceiving of Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Zauner has never been one to shy away from risk. Her albums followed structure, but deviated in tone when necessary. 'Boyish' does just that, turning a gloomy, lovesick moment into a sparkling, orchestra-bound musical.54 | Tonstartssbandht - Opening | Sorcerer
Never lacking in ideas, 2017-era Tonstartssbandht pulled their resources in hopes of creating endless, psychedelic odysseys. They succeeded brilliantly. 'Opening' riffles through a catalogue of passages, never remaining stagnant, never jarring the listener in the process.
53 | Bedwetter - Stoop Lights | Flick Your Tongue
Few in Hip-Hop, or any modern music for the matter, have come as close to pontificating the issues of alcoholism as Travis Miller. Under his Bedwetter pseudonym, Miller accepts the depression, anxiety, and disappointment that arises whilst drinking under the 'Stoop Lights.'
52 | Clap! Clap! - Ode To The Pleiades | A Thousand Skies
Through UK Bass, Clap! Clap! peruses every inch of the African continent. On his grandest vision yet, 'Ode To The Pleiades,' the producer combines a plethora of grounded samples with a unique twist through a blustery piano medley.
51 | Shabazz Palaces - Effeminence | Quazarz
Coalesce watery acoustics with Ishmael Butler's flow that's cooler than a polar bear's toenails and you have Shabazz Palaces at their most majestic. 'Effeminence' is a multi-layered odyssey passing through proverbial ooze, guided by a ultra-stylish sage.
50-21 | 20-1 | Top 50 Albums
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