omgnyc: Albums of 2017.5

In 2017, the world seems to be on a mission to self-destruct. Luckily, we have music to help distract us or aid us through these dire times. We're only half-way through this bizarre and chaotic year, but musically, we still have much to anticipate.

While dodging all of the absurdity this nightmare of an administration has brought forward, I've unintentionally spent much of the first half of 2017 remembering the past. Whether it's been mourning a grunge hero and rediscovering everything that seemed to have been taken too soon, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, the 20th anniversary of OK Computer, or remembering the glory of New York City in the early 2000s and all the bands that transformed my love of music into an obsession, I've almost forgotten about the plethora of great new music actually released in 2017.

So far, we've already embraced the return of the xx and Fleet Foxes, watched Kendrick readjust his crown as king of hip-hop, rode the resurgent wave of shoegaze with vets Slowdive and Ride, and welcomed the arrivals of future stalwarts Julie Byrne, Priests, Jay Som, and the Courtneys.

Even still, the back half of the year promises new releases from the likes of Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, the War on Drugs and Grizzly Bear, the return of LCD Soundsystem, two (!!) records from Shabazz Palaces, and the debut albums from Sheer Mag, Downtown Boys, and Kamaiyah.

Here's what I've enjoyed the most, so far, this year: