The 2017 TQ Music Awards

Welcome to my 7th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the bottom of this post along with my Instagram log of shows I’ve attended.
[Previous Year End Reviews: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

Song of the Year:
"Cut To The Feeling” by Carly Rae Jepsen

There were many, for lack of a better term, extracurricular, elements that helped me arrive at this song selection. A crazy chain reaction of events and choices led me to attend a free "secret show" blocks away from my apartment, which after waiting in line for three hours with nobody within ten years of my age, featuring a live debut of a song... The result was a visceral reaction of gratitude from an artist not sure how a song would be received.

[Runner up: “Ti Amo” by Phoenix]

Album of the Year:
Mister Mellow by Washed Out

I don't take too much stock in Spotify's analytic account of my listening year, primarily because it will always give too much weight to albums released earlier in the year (allowing a track more plays on my Best Of Playlist). However, they got it right as Washed Out was the artist I listened to most this year. Further proof: I went alone to a venue I don't like to hear the album performed live.

[Runner up: This Old Dog by Mac DeMarco]


Concert of the Year:
Explosions In The Sky at Empty Bottle

2017 was another year packed with concerts from my all-time favorites including U2, Arcade Fire, and multiple Broken Social Scene performances (if you count Feist and Do Make Say Think as BSS-adjacent). Early in the year I saw my first show at Solider Field, which was a powerful throwback set by U2 including my first favorite song of theirs ("In God's Country") that I never thought I would hear live. Walking out of that show, I was already content with seeing my Best Concert of the Year.

As great as that U2 performance was, it was bested by an intense Carly Rae Jepsen event that boasted perhaps the best concert crowd in my lifetime.

The only thing that can top those two - a show that I now rank as the greatest concert I have ever attended: the night I saw Explosions In The Sky at Empty Bottle (one of the venue's special shows celebrating its 25th anniversary). Special note to Holy Fuck as a great and fitting opener for EITS. It was an effort that would've bought tears to Coach Taylor's eyes himself!

[Runner up: Carly Rae Jepsen at Chop Shop]


Song of the Summer / Album of the Summer:
"745" by Vince Staples (Big Fish Theory)

Last year I claimed the entire Coloring Book (album? mixtape?) by Chance The Rapper as the sound of the summer, and this year is similar... The entire album is great.
[Runner up: "Ti Amo" by Phoenix (Ti Amo)]

Regret of the Year:
September 29, 2017
I knew I wouldn't go to as many shows in 2017 as I did in 2016 (which was a record high for me). Next year will likely continue the trend; I'll probably dip below 20 for the first time in a long time. Far too many shows this past year were attended solo, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - but significantly less fun. Ironically, my biggest regret of this year is NOT going alone on a night in late September. At no fault of the music, it was the worst night in my concert loving lifetime and should have gone solo.
[Runner up: October 19, 2017 for a similar "not at all music related" reason]

Guilty Pleasure Track of the Year:
"Chained To The Rhythm" by Katy Perry
Carly Rae Jepsen is the opening act for Katy Perry's 2018 tour in select cities - BUT NOT CHICAGO AND I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
[Runner up: "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd]

Best Decision I made in 2017:
Creating the Volume Speaker podcast
My podcast isn't about music, but since it is the largest endeavor of my life of the past year, but now that it exists it allows me to record special bonus episodes if needed. For example, the CRJ inspired volume.
[Runner up: Buying expensive Arcade Fire tickets incredibly far in advance knowing that when the show ended I would know I would be glad I did.]

 
Thank you very much for reading. To close, here are the concert collages / showlog from 2017: