Change the Rotation's Best Albums of 2017 Bracket preview

It's the end of another year and that means it is time for us to name our favorite albums of 2017. Here at Change the Rotation, rather than making regular lists, we pit our collective 32 favorite albums against each other in a March Madness style bracket to determine the site's album of the year. Here is how it works. Four of us (Dave Anians, Danny Brawlins, Steve O and myself) submit lists of our favorite albums of the year. Any album which appears on at least two of our lists automatically makes the bracket. Any remaining spots are divided evenly between the four of us. Once we have our 32 albums, we put their names in a hat and randomly draw them into the bracket. We will vote on these matchups until a winner is determined at the end of the year. This is Change the Rotation's fifth albums of the year bracket.

Next week we will have plenty of end of the year features, including guest best of 2017 lists from people in the music scene and my list of the best EPs and other releases of 2017. Speaking of that, here are some eligibility notes for this year's bracket. As usual, only full-length albums are considered for the bracket. Bombflower's new record, which comes out digitally tomorrow and on vinyl next year, will be eligible in 2018. The same situation came up with Davey Dynamite's record last year, however, we declared that one ineligible because he is on the bracket committee.

Here is this year's field of our 32 favorite albums:

88 Fingers Louie - Thank You For Being a Friend
All Pigs Must Die - Hostage Animal
Anti-Flag - American Fall
Bad Cop/Bad Cop - Warriors
The Bombpops - Fear of Missing Out
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Days N Daze - Crustfall
Dead Ending - Shoot the Messenger
Downtown Boys - Cost of Living
Escape From the Zoo - Killacopter
Full of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy
Hellmouth - Oblivion
The Homeless Gospel Choir - Presents: Normal
Iron Chic - You Can't Stay Here
Iron Reagan - Crossover Ministry
The Lillingtons - Stella Sapiente
Limp Wrist - Facades
Meat Wave - The Incessant
The Menzingers - After the Party
Mobina Galore - Feeling Disconnected
Oh My Snare - Murk Matinal
Open City - Open City
Pet Symmetry - Vision
Propagandhi - Victory Lap
Rancid - Trouble Maker
Sheer Mag - Need to Feel Your Love
Sincere Engineer - Rhombithian
The Smith Street Band - More Scared of You Than You Are of Me
So Pretty - Suck It Up
Voice of Addiction - The Lost Art of Empathy
Wasted Potential - Living Up to the Name
Worriers - Survival Pop