Say what you want about 2017 being shit so far, ‘cause it decidedly is not where music’s concerned (or TV, for that matter—consider Twin Peaks, Legion and The Americans, just for starters.) In the unlikely event that I come across no other good new albums between now and December, the ones listed below from the year’s first half would make for a pretty darn tootin’ top ten.

Of course, some gurls are better than others. I admire Stephin Merritt’s quintuple-LP opus more than I ever get around to playing the damn thing, and while the Mann record is easily her best since Bachelor # 2, I have to be in a certain mood for it. I’m genuinely surprised at how much I enjoy Goths (perhaps because it’s far more Donald Fagen than Robert Smith?) and Hot Thoughts, although I shouldn’t be because I tend to love exactly every other Spoon LP for some reason (see: Transference, Gimme Fiction and Girls Can Tell.)

Predictably, the Saint Etienne is my favorite so far. Even though I’ve had less than a month to live with their growing-up-in-suburban-London opus Home Counties, my god, what a month… Not only is it already better than the very good Words and Music, I’m thinking this might end up… their best yet? Will this ultimately ring true or will I eventually burn out on it? Check back in six months—in the meantime, enjoy the sublime “Out of My Mind”, which at the very least deserves more than only 300+ YouTube views.

My favorite 2017 albums so far, in alphabetical order:

Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
Alison Moyet, Other
Future Islands, The Far Field
Goldfrapp, Silver Eye
Jens Lekman, Life Will See You Now
Laura Marling, Semper Femina
The Magnetic Fields, 50 Song Memoir
The Mountain Goats, Goths
Saint Etienne, Home Counties
Spoon, Hot Thoughts