Courtesy: Spartan Records
Independent recordings are the backbone of the music industry. Regardless of whether the band is a major name releasing an album on its own, through an independent record label or a lesser-known band doing one or the other, those albums tend to have just as much substance as their more well-known counterparts, if not more. Keeping that in mind, independent albums (whether released independently or through indie labels) are just as important to the industry as major releases. That being the case, they deserve their own year-ender list annually just as much as their more commercially-known releases, so Phil’s Picks is giving those recordings their due credit and coverage. Presented here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks’ 2017 Top 10 New Independent Albums. The list features the year’s 10 best new independent recordings plus five honorable mention titles for a total of 15 titles, as in years past.
Topping this year’s list of best new independent albums is the new release from underground rock band Young Fox. The band’s new album Sky Beats Gold proved this year to stand out brightly with its equally deep lyrical content and musical arrangements. The pairing of those two elements made this album from start to finish a surprisingly powerful effort from the Pittsburgh, PA-based band. Also included in this year’s list are new albums from the likes of Blacktop Mojo, Hell or Highwater, KXM and others. Again, many of these bands and albums are such that they are not as well-known as perhaps other bands. But their albums prove to be just as worthwhile as anything released by their more well-known counterparts. Without any further ado, here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks 2017 Top 10 New Independent Albums.
PHIL’S PICKS 2017 TOP 10 NEW INDEPENDENT ALBUMS
- Young Fox — Sky Beats Gold
- Mike Mangioni & The Kin — But I’ve Seen The Stars
- Blacktop Mojo — Burn The Ships
- Pimps of Joytime — Third Wall Chronicles
- Corroded — Defcon Zero
- KXM — Scatterbrain
- At The Wayside — The Breakdown & The Fall
- Hank, Pattie & the Current — Hold Your Head Up High
- Mipso — Coming Down The Mountain
- All out Street Jam — Living Free
- Hell or Highwater — Vistas
- Spiral Crush — Electric Life
- Eve To Adam — Odyssey
- Galactic Empire — Galactic Empire
- Satan Takes A Holiday — Aliens
That’s it for this year’s list of top new independent albums. It should be re-iterated that this was not an easy list to establish as there were so many quality independent albums this year. Lyrical content and musical arrangements alike had to be considered. There was no bad lyrical or musical content from any noted album. Every act on this list should be proud of its album as there is so much to appreciate in each. Next up from Phil’s Picks as the days tick to the year’s end is Phil’s Picks’ 2017 Top 10 New Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Americana albums. Since each genre shares so much similarity with the others, it is easiest to combine them into one category rather than try to spread them out. Stay tuned, and congratulations again to this year’s Top New Independent Albums winners.
To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
philspicks 