I listened to 178 new albums in 2017.

Then I mulled, I processed, I contemplated, I ranked, I re-ranked, I re-listened…AND NOW, at long last, I finalize my favorite albums of the year.

You’ll find below all 178 — with hyperlinks to whatever I wrote about them — separated into three different categories, each of which is ranked in order of my personal preferences: The Best, The Best of the Rest, and The Rest (I clump together albums by the same artist unless their quality is vastly different). I list at the very bottom the albums I Missed per my New Year’s resolution to listen to everything that cracked Apple Music’s Top 30 Most Stream chart, plus an assortment of others that piqued my interest for some reason (an artist I’m interested in, a recommendation from a friend, etc. etc. etc.).

Many people in my life have called me a masochist for undergoing this impossible quest. And sure, I’ve definitely listened to an unhealthy dose of terrible tunes. But for every obnoxious trend — the most prominent: TOO MUCH DERIVATIVE TRAP MUSIC THAT SOUNDS THE EXACT FUCKING SAME — I found twice as many impressive ones — for instance: the way that electronic music has completely reinvigorated R&B/Soul.

But guess what: I would’ve been in an equal amount of periodic pain no matter the year that I embarked on this enterprise; there’s always been bad popular music. Older generations tend to look down upon new work — “It just sounds like noise” is a refrain that’s wrung through the decades for a reason — while a lot of proudly self-disaffected youth — there will always be plenty of them! — blindly scorn the widespread tastes of their contemporaries.

Yet the opinions of these naysayers are probably based on insignificant experience with what they’re judging. I should know; I was one of them before this year! Thus the reason I decided to take on this monumental task; how could I knowledgeably deride anything that I hadn’t sufficiently encountered firsthand? Though hip cats like to be seduced by their false nostalgia — “Oh, everything was such much better back in the day. Let’s Make America Great, AGAIN!” — I’m here to tell you that my biggest takeaway from the last 365 days is that there’s an overwhelming amount of quality music released every damn week.

So the next time you feel yourself about to doubt the continued vitality of modern music, well — to quote a rapper listed below — you better check yourself before you ignorantly wreck yourself, because it’s bad for everyone’s health.

THE BEST

1. Something To Tell You — HAIM
2. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 — Calvin Harris
3. Humanz — Gorillaz
4. MASSEDUCTION — St. Vincent
5. Process — Sampha
6. There’s Really a Wolf — Russ
7. The Laughing Apple — Yusuf/Cat Stevens
8. Everything Now — Arcade Fire
9. American Dream — LCD Soundsystem
10. No One Ever Really Dies — N.E.R.D.
11. Fin (On the Road) — Syd
12. Always Never Home — Syd
13. Freudian — Daniel Caesar
14. Digital Druglord — blackbear
15. Cybersex — blackbear
16. Big Fish Theory — Vince Staples
17. More Life — Drake
18. Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama Re-Wrapped — Jeremih & Chance

THE BEST OF THE REST

1. BOOMIVERSE — Big Boi
2. Alchemy — Lee Foss
3. Rainbow — Kesha
4. 4eva is a Mighty Long Time — Big K.R.I.T.
5. War & Leisure — Miguel
6. Saturation — Brockhampton
7. Saturation II — Brockhampton
8. Saturation III — Brockhampton
9. DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
10. T-Wayne — T-Pain and Lil Wayne
11. KIMBERLY: The People I Used to Know — K. Michelle
12. No Dope on Sundays — Cyhi the Prynce
13. Meaning of Life — Kelly Clarkson
14. Love Yourself — BTS
15. Revival — Eminem
16. American Teen — Khalid
17. Versus — Carl Craig
18. Redux 2 — Kaskade
19. Kaskade Christmas — Kaskade
20. Brent Faiyaz — Sonder Son
21. H.E.R. — H.E.R.
22. H.E.R. Vol. 2 — H.E.R.
23. 4:44 — Jay-Z
24. Melodrama — Lorde
25. Neva Left —  Snoop Dogg
26. Dedication 6 — Lil Wayne
27. Ctrl — Sza
28. 17 — XXXTENTACION
29. Ghetto Christmas — XXXTENTACION
30. Revenge — XXXTENTACION
31. Wonderful Wonderful — The Killers
32. SYRE — Jaden Smith
33. I See You — The XX
34. Grateful — DJ Khaled
35. Beach House 3 — Ty Dolla $ign
36. The Chief — Jidenna
37. Boomerang — Jidenna
38. The Search for Everything — John Mayer
39. Wins & Losses — Meek Mill
40. Perception — NF
41. Everybody — Logic
42. Divide — Ed Sheeran
43. Too Hard — Lil Baby
44. Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho — HUNCHO JACK, Travis Scott & Quavo
45. Tell Me You Love Me — Demi Lovato
46. Life Changes — Thomas Rhett
47. Rather You Than Me — Rick Ross
48. Witness — Katy Perry
49. Pure Comedy — Father John Misty
50. Illuminati — Blac Youngsta

THE REST

1. Pleasure — Feist
2. Songs of Experience — U2
3. Death Certificate — Ice Cube
4. Beautiful Thugger Girls — Young Thug
5. Young Martha — Young Thug
6. Heart Break — Lady Antebellum
7. The Beautiful and the Damned — G-Eazy
8. Pressure — Jeezy
9. Red Pill Blues — Maroon 5
10. Harry Styles — Harry Styles
11. I Decided — Big Sean
12. My Moment — Tee Grizzly
13. 12 — A$AP Twelvyy
14. Reputation — Taylor Swift
15. Drogas Light — Lupe Fiasco
16. Booty Tape — Ugly God
17. The Saga Continues — Wu Tang
18. Culture — Migos
19. Still Striving — A$AP Ferg
20. Flower Boy — Tyler, the Creator
21. Prisoner — Ryan Adams
22. Say Less — Roy Woods
23. Double or Nothing — Big Sean & Metro Boomin
24. Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2: 2 Cozy — A$AP Mob
25. Beautiful Trauma — P!nk
26. Quiet Storm — Shy Glizzy
27. Lil Pump — Lil Pump
28. The Bigger Artist — Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
29. By Any Means 2 — Kevin Gates
30. Shine — Wale
31. Fifth Harmony — Fifth Harmony
32. Evolve — Imagine Dragons
33. Friday on Elm Street — Fabolous & Jadakiss
34. #SantanaWorld — Tay-K
35. Make America Crip Again — Snoop Dogg
36. Super Slimey — Future & Young Thug
37. All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$ — Joey Bada$$
38. Oczy — Flaming Lips
39. Oblivion — T-Pain
40. Quality Control: Control the Streets, Vol. 1 — Quality Control
41. Bloodas — Tee Grizzley & Lil Durk
42. Rubba Band Business — Juicy J
43. Ain’t Too Long — YoungBoy Never Broke
44. Memories…Do Not Open — The Chainsmokers
45. Laugh Now, Fly Later — Wiz Khalifa
46. Autobiography — Vic Mensa
47. Trip — Jhene Aiko
48. Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1 — Lil Peep
49. Hopeless Fountain Kingdom — Halsey
50. Soulfire — Little Steven
51. The Thrill of It All — Sam Smith
52. Jungle Rules — French Montana
53. A Moment Apart — Odesza
54. Ransom 2 — Mike WiLL Made-It
55. Sleep Well Beast — The National
56. Mozzy — 1 Up Top Ahk
57. Heartbreak on a Full Moon — Chris Brown
58. Mr. Davis — Gucci Mane
59. Droptopwop — Gucci Mane
60. The Program — Cam’ron
61. Paranoia: A True Story — Dave East
62. Concrete and Gold — Foo Fighters
63. Step Brothers — G-Eazy & Carnage
64. A Love Letter To You 2 — Trippie Redd
65. Villains — Queens of the Stone Age
66. Luv is Rage 2 — Lil Uzi Vert
67. Perfect Timing — NAV & Metro Boomin
68. AI YoungBoy —YoungBoy Never Broke Again
69. Playboi Carti — Playboy Carti
70. Tremaine — Trey Songz
71. True to Self — Bryson Tiller
72. Drunk — Thundercat
73. HNDRXX — Future
74. Colours 2 — Partynextdoor
75. More Than You Know — Axwell ^ Ingrosso
76. Gelato — Young Dolph
77. Without Warning — 21 Savage, Offset, & Metro Boomin
78. Issa Album — 21 Savage
79. Project Baby 2: All Grown Up — Kodak Black
80. Future — Future
81. Lust for Life — Lana Del Rey
82. BooPac — Boosie Badazz
83. GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions — PNB Rock
84. About Time — Sabrina Claudio
85. Pretty Girls Like Trap Music — 2 Chainz
86. Dedication — Chief Keef
87. Catch These Vibes — PnB Rock
88. SweetSexySavage — Kehlani
89. All the Light Above It Too — Jack Johnson
90. Project Baby 2 — Kodak Black
91. Morning After — Dvsn
92. Painting Pictures — Kodak Black
93. I Still Am — Yo Gotti
94. Humble Beast — G Herbo
95. Teenage Motions — Lil Yachty
96. Gotti Made-It — Yo Gotti & Mike WiLL Made-It
97. El Gato Human Glacier — Gucci Mane
98. Fed Baby’s — Moneybagg Yo & YoungBoy Never Broke Again
99. Younger Now — Miley Cyrus
100. Bulletproof — Young Dolph
101. Thinking Out Loud — Young Dolph
102. Signed to the Streets 2.5 — Lil Durk
103. Federal 3x — Moneybagg Yo
104. Rich Forever 3 — Rich the Kid
105. Know No Better — Major Lazer
106. Nav — Nav
107. Don’t Kill My Vibe — Sigrid
108. Heartless — Moneybagg Yo
109. Avici (01) — Avicii
110. Good Night and Good Luck — JD is The Straight Thot

THE MISSED

1. 11 Short Stories — Dropkick Murphys
2. 11:11 Reset — Keyshia Cole
3. A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe — Pentatonix
4. Add Violence — Nine Inch Nails
5. After Laughter — Paramore
6. All Things Work Together — Lecrae
7. At What Cost — Goldlink
8. Baccward Feelings — Skooly
9. Back to the Basics — Rich Homie Quan
10. Before I Wake — Kamaiyah
11. Bicep — Bicep
12. Glue — Bicep
13. Bitch I’m the Shit 2 — Tyga
14. Blkswn — Smino
15. Bloom  — Machine Gun Kelly
16. Blue Chips 7000 — Action Bronson
17. Bluebird of Happiness — Tamar Braxton
18. Climate Change — Pitbull
19. Colors — Beck
20. Deadstar — Smokepurpp
21. Designer Drugz 3 — HoodRich Pablo
22. Digital Druglord — Blackbear
23. Dirty Projectors — Dirty Projectors
24. Double Duchess — Fergie
25. El Dorado — Shakira
26. Flicker — Niall Horan
27. From a Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton
28. From a Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton
29. Gang Signs and Prayers — Stormzy
30. Gemini — Macklemore
31. Girl Disrupted — Sevyn Streeter
32. God’s Problem Child — Willie Nelson
33. Golden — Romeo Santos
34. Good for You — Amine
35. Heartworms — The Shins
36. Human — Rag N Bone
37. I Believe in You — Dolly Parton
38. I’m Brain — Brain
39. Is This the Life We Really Want — Roger Waters
40. Jugg King — Young Scooter
41. Kaleidoscope — Coldplay
42. Kids in Love — Kygo
43. Long Live Nut — YFN Lucci
44. Love Songs for the Streets — Lil Durk
45. Migration — Bonobo
46. Mumble Rap — Belly
47. Nervous System — Julia Michaels
48. No Hooks II — Lud Foe
49. No Shame — Hopsin
50. Now — Shania Twain
51. Nudy Land — Young Nudy
52. Odisea — Ozuna
53. One More Light — Linkin Park
54. One Night Only — Stizz
55. Pacific Daydream — Weezer
56. Plata O Plomo — Fat Joe & Remy Ma
57. Prophets of Rage — Prophets of Rage
58. Reflective — Bassnectar
59. Savage — Tank
60. Seven Days — Partynextdoor
61. Slum Lords 2 — K Camp
62. So There — Ben Folds
63. Solar — MaceoPlex
64. Songs for You — Victor Oladipo
65. Spirit — Depeche Mode
66. Step Brothers 3 — Starlito & Don Trip
67. Steve Aoki Presents Kolony — Steve Aoki
68. Strength of a Woman — Mary J. Blige
69. Stuff I Used to Do — Deadmau5
70. Take Me Apart — Kelela
71. The Never Story — JID
72. The Space Between — Majid Jordan
73. The Visitor — Neil Young and the Promise of the Real
74. The Wild — Raekwon
75. Thot Breaker — Chief Keef
76. True’s World — MadeinTYO
77. Utopia — Bjork
78. Windy City — Alison Krauss
79. Wish Me Well 2 — YFN Lucci
80. You Only Live 2wice — Freddie Gibbs