DECEMBER 16 ― We have now come to that part of the year where you will be encountering all sorts of lists about all sorts of things that came out or happened in 2017, which means that I’ll be doing a few of those as well.

My films list will have to wait for next week or the week after, because since I’m a musician (and a music geek) as well; a list of my favourite albums of 2017 will have to come first.

Since I’m only human, and being human I tend to have favourite things as well, do take note that this is not and will never be a "best of 2017” list, because that would require me to actually have time to listen to every single important album in as many genres as possible, which is something that I don’t have and probably will never have.

What I can share with you is a list of some of my most beloved albums of 2017, ones I loved so much that I returned to them over and over again throughout the year, and that I will probably keep on returning to in the future as well.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here we go:

Remo Drive ― Greatest Hits

I think I first came across this irresistible debut album from a bunch of fresh-faced young kids calling themselves Remo Drive sometime in February or March this year, as one of those surprise discoveries while browsing through YouTube and Bandcamp for new music.

Here I am in December and their cheekily-titled Greatest Hits is still one of the most played CDs (I had to burn it on CD-R after downloading the album from Bandcamp, as the only physical media it has got on so far is vinyl) in my car, which is testament to the infectiousness and quality of their tunes.

At times sounding like Joyce Manor, but with Vampire Weekend-like instrumental breaks, it really does sound like a greatest hits album, with every song a winner, and with them then triumphantly closing the album with three of the finest songs you’ll hear this year ― Yer Killin’ Me, I’m My Own Doctor and Name Brand.

Elder ―Reflections Of A Floating World

Great tunes will always show themselves no matter what the genre they’re placed in, and you can find them all over prog-stoner masters Elder’s latest album Reflections Of A Floating World.

Displaying that very rare mix of sonic adventure and tunefulness that all good prog-rock bands strive for, Elder has effortlessly managed to come up with a set of 9- to 14-minute long songs that are not only filled with heroic displays of technical skill, but are also so damn memorable that you can’t get them out of your head even after the first listen.

Imagine if Rush at the very top of their melodic heights somehow chose to play stoner rock and doom metal, then you’d probably get close to imagining the wondrous sonic pleasures of this absolute peach of an album. Stunning.

Weezer ― Pacific Daydream

It took me quite a few listens to finally come to terms with what Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is trying to do in this new album, which is to basically take that trademark Weezer sound and throw it into the current day radio pop blender and see what comes out.

Old fans who keep on clinging to Blue Album and Pinkerton will probably hate it, but anyone who can still listen to top 40 radio will appreciate the pop glories contained within this, as attested to by the radio hit status of its first single Feels Like Summer.

The more I listen to this album, the more I admire the songcraft and production of each song ― check out that simple but unforgettable guitar hook in Beach Boys, the glorious melodies in QB Blitz and Sweet Mary, and the Tata Young-like hook in La Mancha Screwjob and I dare you to tell me that this is not a concisely constructed pop album, built especially for today’s radio airwaves (no matter how you feel about the airwaves today, that is).

Maroon 5 ― Red Pill Blues

Speaking of radios and airwaves, even though almost everyone who knows me knows how much I actually love Maroon 5 (without even a hint of irony), it’s still been a while since I loved an album of theirs as much as I loved their absolutely brilliant second album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.

While this one still falls short of the slick pop greatness of that album, it’s still shocking how much I loved so many of the tracks here, from the killer opening one-two punch of Best 4 U and What Lovers Do right to the final few songs like Whiskey and Girls Like You.

The production (which in the future will surely sound as dated as all those classic 80s radio ditties do today) sounds marvellously spot on, the mixing by today’s pop secret weapon Serban Ghenea flawlessly smooth, with each hook calibrated to make maximum impact, making this a perfect pop album for now people. Unbelievably, they’re still very much relevant.

Mom Jeans ― Best Buds

The much discussed "death of physical media” has made discovering music and determining which year they technically came out in a trickier task than before.

What if an album first came out on Bandcamp in mid 2016 (because that’s all the artist could afford to do), but only officially came out on physical media way later?

Does the Bandcamp download-only release count more like a demo CD instead of an official CD? That’s exactly what happened with Mom Jeans and their debut album Best Buds, which slowly caught fire and finally got picked up by labels for CD and limited edition LP release after word of mouth spread because of their touring and downloads.

Technicalities aside, if you love that whole first-wave, late 90s emo-pop bands like Jejune and The Promise Ring and more recent bands like Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms, you’ll be swept off your feet by this lovely little effort from Mom Jeans. I know I was.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.