Year-End Lists

Pazz & Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2017 (an annual poll of more than 400 critics, published by The Village Voice)

[see also 2018 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. DAMN.
   Kendrick Lamar
2. Ctrl
   SZA
3. MASSEDUCTION
   St. Vincent
4. Melodrama
   Lorde
5. The Nashville Sound
   Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
6. A Deeper Understanding
   The War on Drugs
7. Slowdive
   Slowdive
8. 4:44
   JAY-Z
9. american dream
   LCD Soundsystem
10. Out in the Storm
    Waxahatchee
11. Black Origami
    Jlin
12. Pure Comedy
    Father John Misty
13. Drunk
    Thundercat
14. Sleep Well Beast
    The National
15. A Crow Looked at Me
    Mount Eerie
16. Take Me Apart
    Kelela
17. Big Fish Theory
    Vince Staples
18. No Shape
    Perfume Genius
19. Life Will See You Now
    Jens Lekman
19. Culture
    Migos
21. Hot Thoughts
    Spoon
22. The Navigator
    Hurray for the Riff Raff
23. The OOZ
    King Krule
24. Process
    Sampha
25. Nothing Feels Natural
    Priests
26. Freedom Highway
    Rhiannon Giddens
27. Aromanticism
    Moses Sumney
28. 50 Song Memoir
    The Magnetic Fields
29. The Underside of Power
    Algiers
29. Dark Matter
    Randy Newman
31. Antisocialites
    Alvvays
32. Rainbow
    Ke$ha
33. Run the Jewels 3
    Run the Jewels
34. Utopia
    Björk
35. All American Made
    Margo Price
36. Turn Out the Lights
    Julien Baker
37. Lust for Life
    Lana Del Rey
38. I See You
    The xx
39. Capacity
    Big Thief
40. The Kid
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
41. Everybody Works
    Jay Som
42. Guppy
    Charly Bliss
43. The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone
    Lee Ann Womack
44. After Laughter
    Paramore
45. Kelly Lee Owens
    Kelly Lee Owens
46. Freudian
    Daniel Caesar
46. Rest
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
48. Soul of a Woman
    Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
49. Fin
    Syd
50. Whiteout Conditions
    The New Pornographers
51. War & Leisure
    Miguel
52. Lotta Sea Lice
    Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
52. Harry Styles
    Harry Styles
54. More Life
    Drake
55. Not Even Happiness
    Julie Byrne
56. Soft Sounds from Another Planet
    Japanese Breakfast
56. I Love You Like a Brother
    Alex Lahey
58. American Teen
    Khalid
59. Need to Feel Your Love
    Sheer Mag
60. Mental Illness
    Aimee Mann
60. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
    Open Mike Eagle
62. The Hanged Man
    Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
62. Harmony of Difference
    Kamasi Washington
64. Music for the Age of Miracles
    The Clientele
65. Plunge
    Fever Ray
65. Nightmare Logic
    Power Trip
65. Relatives in Descent
    Protomartyr
68. Bells For the South Side
    Roscoe Mitchell
68. Flower Boy
    Tyler, The Creator
70. Prisoner
    Ryan Adams
71. reputation
    Taylor Swift
72. Stranger in the Alps
    Phoebe Bridgers
73. World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane
    Alice Coltrane
73. SweetSexySavage
    Kehlani
75. Fly or Die
    Jaimie Branch
76. For Sale: Live At Maxwell’s 1986
    The Replacements
77. Crack-Up
    Fleet Foxes
77. HNDRXX
    Future
79. Feel Your Feelings Fool!
    The Regrettes
79. Hippopotamus
    Sparks
79. What Now
    Sylvan Esso
82. Robyn Hitchcock
    Robyn Hitchcock
83. Reflections of a Floating World
    Elder
84. In Between
    The Feelies
85. The Courtneys II
    The Courtneys
85. Villains
    Queens of the Stone Age
87. Ash
    Ibeyi
87. Beach House 3
    Ty Dolla $ign
89. The Order of Time
    Valerie June
89. Semper Femina
    Laura Marling
91. Number 1 Angel
    Charli XCX
91. The Dusk In Us
    Converge
91. Okovi
    Zola Jesus
94. Dedicated To Bobby Jameson
    Ariel Pink
95. Near To The Wild Heart Of Life
    Japandroids
95. Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
    Orchestra Baobab
97. Halo
    Juana Molina
98. Simultonality
    Joshua Abrams
98. Exile In the Outer Ring
    EMA
98. From A Room: Volume 1
    Chris Stapleton
98. Songs of Experience
    U2

Gina Vaynshteyn: 27 Best Books of 2017, as published by Hello Giggles

1. Little Fires Everywhere
   Celeste Ng
2. The Hate U Give
   Angie Thomas
3. The Idiot
   Elif Batuman
4. The Rules Do Not Apply
   Ariel Levy
5. Forest Dark
   Nicole Krauss
6. Exit West
   Mohsin Hamid
7. Difficult Women
   Roxane Gay
8. Sour Heart
   Jenny Zhang
9. Like a Beast
   Carly Joy Miller
10. Stay with Me
    Ayobami Adebayo
11. Rabbit Cake
    Annie Hartnett
12. How to Murder Your Life
    Cat Marnell
13. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
    Samantha Irby
14. Priestdaddy
    Patricia Lockwood
15. Weird in a World That’s Not

    A Career Guide for Misfits
    Jennifer Romolini
16. Startup
    Doree Shafrir
17. Woman No. 17
    Edan Lepucki
18. All the Lives I Want

    Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers
    Alana Massey
19. A Separation
    Katie Kitamura
20. Things That Happened Before the Earthquake
    Chiara Barzini
21. Eat Only When You’re Hungry
    Lindsay Hunter
22. Spineless

    The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone
    Juli Berwald
23. New People
    Danzy Senna
24. The Bright Hour

    A Memoir of Living and Dying
    Nina Riggs
25. Touch
    Courtney Maum
26. Pachinko
    Min Jin Lee
27. Sing, Unburied, Sing
    Jesmyn Ward

Robert Christgau: Dean's List 2017

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2012]

1. Dark Matter
   Randy Newman
2. American Epic: The Best of Blues
   various artists
3. A Crow Looked at Me
   Mount Eerie
4. Whiteout Conditions
   The New Pornographers
5. American Epic: The Soundtrack
   various artists
6. 1992 Deluxe
   Princess Nokia
7. Love and War
   Brad Paisley
8. Tackle Box
   Hamell On Trial
9. Out in the Storm
   Waxahatchee
10. Nothing Rhymes with Orange
    Dawn Oberg
11. Trophy
    Sunny Sweeney
12. The Nashville Sound
    Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
13. Rough Guide to the Music of West Africa
    various artists
14. Chuck
    Chuck Berry
15. Life Will See You Now
    Jens Lekman
16. American Epic: The Collection
    various artists
17. Talk Tight
    Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
18. Rough Guide to Jug Band Blues
    various artists
19. American Teen
    Khalid
20. Step Brothers THREE
    Starlito & Don Trip
21. Andalusia of Love
    Marcel Khalife & Mahmoud Darwish
22. La Voz Indómita
    Mariem Hassan
23. Triple Fat Lice
    Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman
24. The Night Took Us in Like Family
    L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae
25. République Amazone
    Les Amazones d’Afrique
26. 50 Song Memoir
    The Magnetic Fields
27. DAMN.
    Kendrick Lamar
28. Ladilikan
    Trio Da Kali & Kronos Quartet
29. Oversleepers International
    Emperor X
30. Electric Trim
    Lee Ranaldo
31. 1999
    Joey Bada$$
32. The Bob's Burgers Music Album
    various artists
33. Key To The Kuffs
    JJ DOOM
34. Veins
    Homeboy Sandman
35. City of No Reply
    Amber Coffman
36. Fake Sugar
    Beth Ditto
37. 20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo
    Pere Ubu
38. Sleep Well Beast
    The National
39. The Underside of Power
    Algiers
40. Celebrate Ornette
    Ornette Coleman
41. Bloodlust
    Body Count
42. Cashmere
    Swet Shop Boys
43. Recitative
    Robt Sarazin Blake
44. The World of Captain Beefheart
    Nona Hendryx & Gary Lucas
45. Seekers and Finders
    Gogol Bordello
46. 4:44
    JAY-Z
47. The Iceberg
    Oddisee
48. Resolution
    The Perceptionists
49. Thawing Dawn
    A Savage
50. Under Cöver
    Motörhead
51. Above Ground Fools
    Matt North
52. Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
    Orchestra Baobab
53. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
54. War Surplus
    Becky Warren
55. Culture
    Migos
56. Home Counties
    Saint Etienne
57. Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams
    various artists
58. Ad Out
    Dylan Hicks
59. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
    Open Mike Eagle
60. Macgregor Park
    Fat Tony
61. Need to Feel Your Love
    Sheer Mag
62. Zonkey
    Umphrey's McGee
63. Fin
    Syd
64. Pollinator
    Blondie
65. Made in the Manor
    Kano
66. Antisocialites
    Alvvays
67. Can We Still Hang
    Daddy Issues
68. Big Fish Theory
    Vince Staples
69. Deer Tick, Vol. 2
    Deer Tick
70. Life Without Sound
    Cloud Nothings
71. Rock & Roll Music: Songs Of Chuck Berry
    various artists
72. Devil Is Fine
    Zeal & Ardor
73. So You Wannabe an Outlaw
    Steve Earle & The Dukes
74. NOW That's What I Call 90s Pop
    various artists
75. Wrangled
    Angaleena Presley
76. Underworld USA
    The Paranoid Style
77. Playboi Carti
    Playboi Carti
78. Sufi La
    Swet Shop Boys
79. American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story
    Kevin Abstract
80. Changer
    Fred Thomas
81. NOW That's What I Call Tailgate Anthems
    various artists
82. 24 Classic Blues Songs From The 1920's: Vol. 15
    various artists
83. We're All in This Together
    Hard Working Americans
84. Salutations
    Conor Oberst
85. Around Félicité (Original Soundtrack)
    Kasai All Stars
86. Battle Hymns
    various artists
87. Deep Dream
    Daddy Issues
88. Drool
    Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
89. Up to Anything
    The Goon Sax
90. South Texas Suite
    Whitney Rose

Dan Sallitt: Favorite Films of 2017, of those “that played at least one week in Manhattan for the first time in 2017, in approximate order of preference”

[see also 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2012]

1. Staying Vertical
   Alain Guiraudie
2. The Unknown Girl
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
3. Mister Universo
   Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel
4. How Heavy This Hammer
   Kazik Radwanski
5. Downsizing
   Alexander Payne
6. i hate myself :)
   Joanna Arnow
7. Hermia & Helena
   Matías Piñeiro
8. The Wedding Plan
   Rama Burshtein
9. Marjorie Prime
   Michael Almereyda
10. Slack Bay
    Bruno Dumont
11. Paulina
    Santiago Mitre
12. A Ghost Story
    David Lowery

Alex Balk: Favorite Books of 2017, as published by The Awl

• Priestdaddy
  Patricia Lockwood
• Other Minds

  The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
  Peter Godfrey-Smith
• Shrinking Violets

  The Secret Life of Shyness
  Joe Moran
• O Sing unto the Lord

  A History of English Church Music
  Andrew Gant
• The Secret Life of the American Musical

  How Broadway Shows Are Built
  Jack Viertel
• Border

  A Journey to the Edge of Europe
  Kapka Kassabova
• No Friends but the Mountains

  Dispatches from the World’s Violent Highlands
  Judith Matloff
• Pale Rider

  The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World
  Laura Spinney
• Asia’s Reckoning

  China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century
  Richard McGregor
• The Future Is History

  How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia
  Masha Gessen
• Istanbul

  A Tale of Three Cities
  Bettany Hughes
• The Attention Merchants

  The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads
  Tim Wu
• Admissions

  Life as a Brain Surgeon
  Henry Marsh
• Behave

  The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
  Robert M. Sapolsky
• Why Buddhism is True

  The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
  Robert Wright
• Beyond the Self

  Conversations between Buddhism and Neuroscience
  Matthieu Ricard and Wolf Singer
• My Favorite Thing Is Monsters
  Emil Ferris
• Hostage
  Guy Delisle
• Fear City

  New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics
  Kim Phillips-Fein
• Uncommon People

  The Rise and Fall of The Rock Stars
  David Hepworth
• The Best We Could Do

  An Illustrated Memoir
  Thi Bui
• Bunk

  The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
  Kevin Young
• The Illustrated Dust Jacket, 1920-1970
  Martin Salisbury
• Peach
  Emma Glass
• Red Winter
  Anneli Furmark
• Victorious Century

  The United Kingdom, 1800-1906
  David Cannadine
• God Save Texas

  A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State
  Lawrence Wright
• Dancing Bears

  True Stories of People Nostalgic for Life Under Tyranny
  Witold Szablowski
• Amiable with Big Teeth
  Claude McKay

Peter Labuza: Favorite Films of 2017 (as discussed on The Cinephiliacs)

[see also 2022 • 2016]

1. Twin Peaks: The Return
   David Lynch
2. Ex Libris: New York Public Library
   Frederick Wiseman
3. Rat Film
   Theo Anthony
4. Good Time
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
5. The Work
   Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous
5. Nathan for You: Finding Frances
   Nathan Fielder

Keith Uhlich: Favorite Films of 2017 (as discussed on The Cinephiliacs)

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2016 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Twin Peaks: The Return
   David Lynch
2. Song to Song
   Terrence Malick
3. First Reformed
   Paul Schrader
4. Call Me by Your Name
   Luca Guadagnino
4. BPM (Beats Per Minute)
   Robin Campillo
5. Mosaic
   Steven Soderbergh

Daniel Kasman: Top 20 Films of 2017, as submitted to the annual Senses of Cinema World Poll, limited to films that were “new in cinemas.” See also his lists of older films and films not yet released.

[see also 2018]

• On the Beach at Night Alone
  Hong Sang-soo
• Brawl in Cell Block 99
  S. Craig Zahler
• The Challenge
  Yuri Ancarani
• Ex Libris: New York Public Library
  Frederick Wiseman
• Get Out
  Jordan Peele
• Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back
  Tsui Hark
• In This Corner of the World
  Sunao Katabuchi
• The Lost City of Z
  James Gray
• The Death of Louis XIV
  Albert Serra
• Our Time Will Come
  Ann Hui
• Nocturama
  Bertrand Bonello
• Personal Shopper
  Olivier Assayas
• Princess Cyd
  Stephen Cone
• A Quiet Passion
  Terence Davies
• Rat Film
  Theo Anthony
• Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
  Paul W.S. Anderson
• Song to Song
  Terrence Malick
• Split
  M. Night Shyamalan
• Ta’ang
  Wang Bing
• Tempestad
  Tatiana Huezo

Brian Darr: Top Ten Feature Films of 2017 of commercial US releases, as submitted to the annual Senses of Cinema World Poll, listed alphabetically by original-language title.

See also his “Top Five features undistributed in the USA and first screened in San Francisco in 2017,” “Top Twenty single-channel film and video works of less than feature length,” and “Top ten expanded cinema presentations of 2017.”

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

• Graduation
  Cristian Mungiu
• By the Time It Gets Dark
  Anocha Suwichakornpong
• Dunkirk
  Christopher Nolan
• Ex Libris: New York Public Library
  Frederick Wiseman
• Good Time
  Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
• Wet Woman in the Wind
  Akihiko Shiota
• Kedi
  Ceyda Torun
• Lady Bird
  Greta Gerwig
• Nocturama
  Bertrand Bonello
• Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present
  Tyler Hubby

Jim Fusilli: Best Albums of 2017, as published by The Wall Street Journal

• Hot Thoughts
  Spoon
• Prisoner
  Ryan Adams
• The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone
  Lee Ann Womack
• Painted Ruins
  Grizzly Bear
• The Temple of I & I
  Thievery Corporation
• The Iceberg
  Oddisee
• Black Origami
  Jlin
• Aromanticism
  Moses Sumney
• I See You
  The xx
• Slowdive
  Slowdive
• Fake Sugar
  Beth Ditto
• Reflections of a Floating World
  Elder