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Forget 2016 — Here's Some Of 2017's Best Music

Released in December, Little Simz's <em>Stillness In Wonderland </em>is technically a buzzer-beating 2016 album — but NPR Music's Stephen Thompson says it's worth keeping it in mind as we enter the new year.
Courtesy of the artist
Released in December, Little Simz's Stillness In Wonderland is technically a buzzer-beating 2016 album — but NPR Music's Stephen Thompson says it's worth keeping it in mind as we enter the new year.

You can only dissect a year for so long before another, hopefully better one comes along. So let's set aside 2016 — with its celebrity deaths, political upheaval and, yes, great music — and take a moment to look ahead to the best music of 2017.

For a quick primer on 2017 music, here's a world tour of sorts — one that runs through Mali (Tinariwen), the U.K. (Little Simz), Brooklyn (Sinkane, who's also lived in Sudan, London and Ohio), Canada (Japandroids) and, finally, NPR's hometown of Washington, D.C. (Priests). Hear a song from each below.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.