npr:

Consensus wasn’t easy in 2017. Maybe that’s because the news this year kept us on edge, our eyes and ears pointed in many directions. Maybe it’s due to the growth of streaming as the dominant listening platform, one whose rules have not yet fully been written. Whatever the cause, with the exception of our No. 1 album, it felt like there were few pieces of music this year that captured our attention instantly and simultaneously. Instead, we spent our year tracking down new sounds that gave voice to our struggles and breakthroughs, our search for joy and our need for release. When it was time for our staff and member station partners to come together at the year’s end, we found there was plenty to celebrate. Here is NPR Music’s list of the best albums of 2017.

The 50 Best Albums Of 2017

Photos: NPR Music’s top five albums of the year. (Clockwise from upper left) Process by Sampha, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, Melodrama by Lorde, Crtl by SZA and Capacity by Big Thief.