MUSIC ARCHIVES

Pazz & Jop: It’s Kendrick’s and Cardi’s World. We’re All Just Living in It.

The results of our 44th (or 45th) annual Pazz & Jop Music Critics Poll are in: Here are the year's top albums and singles, as voted by more than 400 music critics nationwide

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The Top 100 Albums of 2017

1. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN, Top Dawg/Interscope, 1756 points

2. SZA, CTRL, Top Dawg/RCA, 942

3. St. Vincent, Masseduction, Loma Vista, 899

4. Lorde, Melodrama, Lava/Republic, 724

5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound, Southeastern, 548

6. War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding, Atlantic, 513

7. Slowdive, Slowdive, Dead Oceans, 500

8. Jay-Z, 4:44, Roc Nation/UMG, 495

9. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream, DFA/Columbia, 486

10. Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm, Merge, 349

11. Jlin, Black Origami, Planet Mu, 345

12. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy, Sub Pop, 340

13. Thundercat, Drunk, Brainfeeder, 327

14. The National, Sleep Well Beast, 4AD, 322

15. Mount Eerie, A Crow Looked at Me, P.W. Elverum & Son, 319

16. Kelela, Take Me Apart, Warp, 315

17. Vince Staples, Big Fish Theory, ARTium/Blacksmith/Def Jam, 313

18. Perfume Genius, No Shape, Matador, 288

19 (tie). Jens Lekman, Life Will See You Now, Secretly Canadian, 260

              Migos, Culture, Quality Control/300 Entertainment, 260

21. Spoon, Hot Thoughts, Matador, 257

22. Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Navigator, ATO, 256

23. King Krule, The OOZ, True Panther/XL, 250

24. Sampha, Process, Young Turks, 241

25. Priests, Nothing Feels Natural, Sister Polygon, 239

26. Rhiannon Giddens, Freedom Highway, Nonesuch, 233

27. Moses Sumney, Aromanticism, Jagjaguwar, 232

28. Magnetic Fields, 50 Song Memoir, Nonesuch, 226

29 (tie). Algiers, The Underside of Power, Matador, 225

              Randy Newman, Dark Matter, Nonesuch, 225

31. Alvvays, Antisocialites, Polyvinyl, 224

32. Kesha, Rainbow, Kemosabe/RCA, 223

33. Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 3, Run the Jewels Ltd., 222

34. Björk, Utopia, One Little Indian, 211

35. Margo Price, All American Made, Third Man, 205

36. Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights, Matador, 204

37. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life, Polydor/Interscope, 203

38. The xx, I See You, Young Turks, 202

39. Big Thief, Capacity, Saddle Creek, 201

40. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, The Kid, Western Vinyl, 194

41. Jay Som, Everybody Works, Polyvinyl, 184

42. Charly Bliss, Guppy, Barsuk, 178

43. Lee Ann Womack, The Lonely, The Lonesome & the Gone, ATO, 176

44. Paramore, After Laughter, Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic, 171

45. Kelly Lee Owens, Kelly Lee Owens, Smalltown Supersound, 168

46 (tie). Daniel Caesar, Freudian, Golden Child, 155

              Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rest, Because, 155

48. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Soul of a Woman, Daptone, 152

49. Syd, Fin, Columbia, 150

50. New Pornographers, Whiteout Conditions, Concord, 149

51. Miguel, War & Leisure, ByStorm/RCA, 146

52 (tie). Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice, Matador, 141

               Harry Styles, Harry Styles, Columbia, 141

54. Drake, More Life, Cash Money/Young Money, 138

55. Julie Byrne, Not Even Happiness, Ba Da Bing!, 135

56 (tie). Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, Dead Oceans, 134

               Alex Lahey, I Love You Like a Brother, Dead Oceans, 134

58. Khalid, American Teen, Right Hand/RCA, 125

59. Sheer Mag, Need to Feel Your Love, Wilsuns Recording Co., 124

60 (tie). Aimee Mann, Mental Illness, SuperEgo, 120

               Open Mike Eagle, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, Mello Music Group, 120

62 (tie). Ted Leo, The Hanged Man, SuperEgo, 119

               Kamasi Washington, Harmony of Difference, Young Turks, 119

64. The Clientele, Music for the Age of Miracles, Merge, 116

65 (tie). Fever Ray, Plunge, Rabid/Mute, 113

               Power Trip, Nightmare Logic, Southern Lord, 113

               Protomartyr, Relatives in Descent, Domino, 113

68 (tie). Roscoe Mitchell, Bells for the South Side, ECM, 112

                Tyler, the Creator, Flower Boy, Columbia, 112

70. Ryan Adams, Prisoner, Pax AM/Blue Note, 110

71. Taylor Swift, Reputation, Big Machine, 108

72. Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps, Dead Oceans, 106

73 (tie). Alice Coltrane, World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, Luaka Bop, 105

               Kehlani, SweetSexySavage, Atlantic, 105

75. Jaimie Branch, Fly or Die, International Anthem, 104

76. Replacements, For Sale: Live at Maxwell’s 1986, Rhino, 103

77 (tie). Fleet Foxes, Crack Up, Nonesuch, 100

               Future, HNDRXX, A1/Freebandz/Epic, 100

79 (tie). The Regrettes, Feel Your Feelings Fool!, Warner Bros., 98

                Sparks, Hippopotamus, BMG, 98

                Sylvan Esso, What Now, Loma Vista, 98

82. Robyn Hitchcock, Robyn Hitchcock, Yep Roc, 95

83. Elder, Reflections of a Floating World, Stickman, 90

84. Feelies, In Between, Bar/None, 87

85 (tie). The Courtneys, II, Flying Nun, 86

                Queens of the Stone Age, Villains, Matador, 86

87 (tie). Ibeyi, Ash, XL, 85

               Ty Dolla $ign, Beach House 3, Atlantic, 85

89 (tie). Valerie June, The Order of Time, Concord, 84

                Laura Marling, Semper Femina, More Alarming, 84

91 (tie). Charli XCX, Number 1 Angel, Asylum, 83

               Converge, The Dusk in Us, Epitaph, 83

               Zola Jesus, Okovi, Sacred Bones, 83

94. Ariel Pink, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, Mexican Summer, 82

95 (tie). Japandroids, Near to the Wild Heart of Life, Anti-, 81

               Orchestra Baobab, Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng, Nonesuch/World Circuit, 81

97. Juana Molina, Halo, Crammed Discs, 78

98 (tie). Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, Simultonality, Eremite Records, 75

               EMA, Exile in the Outer Ring, City Slang, 75

               Chris Stapleton, From a Room: Volume 1, Mercury Nashville, 75

               U2, Songs of Experience, Interscope Records, 75

The Top 50 Singles of 2017

1. Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow,” Atlantic, 62 points

2. Kendrick Lamar, “HUMBLE,” Top Dawg/Interscope, 50

3. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Cut to the Feeling,” School Boy/Interscope, 45

4. Lorde, “Green Light,” Republic/Lava, 44

5. Kendrick Lamar, “DNA,” Top Dawg/Interscope, 40

6. Lil Uzi Vert , “XO TOUR Llif3,” Generation Now/Atlantic, 38

7. St. Vincent, “New York,” Loma Vista, 34

8. Charli XCX, “Boys,” Asylum/Atlantic, 31

9 (tie). Future, “Mask Off,” A1/Epic, 30

             Selena Gomez, “Bad Liar,” Interscope, 30

11. Paramore, “Hard Times,” Fueled by Ramen, 26

12. Lana Del Rey, “Love,” Polydor/Interscope, 22

13. Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times,” Erskine/Columbia, 21

14 (tie). Kesha, “Praying,” Kemosabe/RCA , 20

              Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee,” Quality Control/300/Atlantic, 20

16. Frank Ocean, “Chanel,” Blonded, 18

17. Dua Lipa, “New Rules,” Warner Bros., 17

18 (tie). Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean & Migos, “Slide,” Columbia, 16

              Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “If We Were Vampires,” Southeastern, 16

              Portugal. The Man, “Feel It Still,” Atlantic, 16

21 (tie). Jay-Z, “The Story of O.J.,” Roc Nation, 15

              SZA, “Drew Barrymore,” Top Dawg/RCA, 15

23 (tie). Drake, “Passionfruit,” Cash Money/Young Money, 14

               GoldLink featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy, “Crew (Remix),” RCA, 14

               The xx, “On Hold,” Young Turks, 14

26. St. Vincent, “Los Ageless,” Loma Vista, 13

27 (tie). Black Thought, #Freestyle087, 12

               Migos, “T-Shirt,” Quality Control/300/Atlantic, 12

               Kamasi Washington, “Truth,” Young Turks, 12

30 (tie). Arcade Fire, “Everything Now,” Sonovox/Columbia, 11

               Craig Finn, “God in Chicago,” Partisan, 11

               Haim, “Want You Back,” Columbia, 11

               Perfume Genius, “Slip Away,” Matador, 11

               Vince Staples, “BagBak,” Def Jam, 11

               SZA featuring Travis Scott, “Love Galore,” Top Dawg/RCA, 11

36 (tie). Kesha featuring the Dap-Kings Horns, “Woman,” Kemosabe/RCA, 10

               Khalid, “Young Dumb & Broke,” Right Hand/RCA, 10

               The National, “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” 4AD, 10

               Playboi Carti, “Magnolia,” Interscope, 10

               Sampha, “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano,” Young Turks, 10

               Slowdive, “Sugar for the Pill,” Dead Oceans, 10

               Spoon, “Hot Thoughts,” Matador, 10

               SZA, “The Weekend,” Top Dawg/RCA, 10

44 (tie). Algiers, “The Underside of Power,” Matador, 9

               Cam, “Diane,” Arista Nashville, 9

               Childish Gambino, “Redbone,” Glassnote, 9

               Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, “Despacito,” Universal Latin, 9

               LCD Soundsystem, “Call the Police,” DFA/Columbia, 9

               King Krule, “Dum Surfer,” True Panther, 9

               Thundercat featuring Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, “Show You the Way,” Brainfeeder, 9

Highlights