Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2017

From Fever Ray to Kendrick to King Krule, the album as an art form took on new resonance this year. These are the best of the best.

Published: December 12, 2017 06:00 Source

# 1
Album • Apr 14 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop
# 2
Ctrl by SZA
Album • Jun 09 / 2017 Alternative R&B Neo-Soul
# 3
Album • Oct 13 / 2017 Art Rock
# 4
Album • Oct 06 / 2017 Alternative R&B UK Bass
# 5
Album • Jun 16 / 2017 Synthpop Alt-Pop
# 6
Album • Sep 22 / 2017 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter
# 7
Album • Jun 23 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop
# 8
Album • Jul 21 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Neo-Soul
# 9
Album • Oct 27 / 2017 Electropop Art Pop Post-Industrial
# 10
Album • May 19 / 2017 Footwork IDM
# 11
Album • Aug 25 / 2017 Heartland Rock Indie Rock
# 12
Album • Oct 06 / 2017 Dance-Punk New Wave
# 13
4:44 by JAY-Z
Album • Jul 07 / 2017 East Coast Hip Hop
# 14
Album • Mar 24 / 2017 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk
# 15
Album • Feb 03 / 2017 Alternative R&B
# 16
Album • May 05 / 2017 Art Pop
# 17
Album • Nov 17 / 2017 Art Pop Synthpop
# 18
Album • Oct 27 / 2017 Singer-Songwriter Slowcore Contemporary Folk
# 19
Album • Jan 27 / 2017 Trap Southern Hip Hop
# 20
Album • Nov 24 / 2017 Art Pop Glitch Pop
# 21
Arca by Arca
Album • Apr 07 / 2017 Art Pop Glitch Pop
# 22
Album • Oct 13 / 2017 Art Pop Pop
# 23
Album • Jun 09 / 2017 Indie Rock Indie Folk
# 24
Album • Feb 24 / 2017 Neo-Soul Psychedelic Soul
# 25
Album • Jan 27 / 2017 Post-Punk
# 26
Album • Mar 10 / 2017 Indie Rock Dream Pop
# 27
Album • Jul 27 / 2017 Pop Rap Trap Contemporary R&B
# 28
Ash by Ibeyi
Album • Sep 29 / 2017 Art Pop Alternative R&B
# 29
Album • Dec 25 / 2016 Hardcore Hip Hop
# 30
Album • May 05 / 2017 Dream Pop Shoegaze
# 31
EP • Sep 29 / 2017 Spiritual Jazz
# 32
Album • Jul 21 / 2017 Alt-Pop Art Pop
# 33
Album • Mar 24 / 2017 Ambient Pop Tech House
# 34
Album • Sep 08 / 2017 Indietronica Krautrock
# 35
Album • Apr 14 / 2017 Trap Cloud Rap Southern Hip Hop
# 36
Fin by Syd
Album • Feb 03 / 2017 Alternative R&B
# 37
Album • Jan 12 / 2017 Contemporary Folk Singer-Songwriter
# 38
Album • Mar 18 / 2017 Contemporary R&B Pop Rap
# 39
Album • Jun 16 / 2017 Progressive Folk Chamber Folk
# 40
Album • Jan 13 / 2017 Indietronica Alt-Pop
# 41
Album • Sep 08 / 2017 Darkwave Art Pop
# 42
Album • Feb 24 / 2017 Indie Rock Singer-Songwriter
# 43
Album • Aug 17 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop
# 44
Album • Oct 06 / 2017 Art Pop Neo-Psychedelia Progressive Electronic Ambient Pop
# 45
Album • May 12 / 2017 Indie Pop Bedroom Pop Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock
# 46
Album • Jun 23 / 2017 Electronic Art Pop Experimental Ambient Pop
# 47
Album • Jan 27 / 2017
# 48
Album • May 19 / 2017 Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter
# 49
Album • Sep 15 / 2017 Abstract Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop
# 50
EP2 by Yaeji
EP • Nov 03 / 2017 Ambient House Ambient Pop