KCRW Reveals Best of 2017 Winners for

Top Ten Albums

Top Ten Songs

Best New Artist

at Inaugural KCRW’s Best of 2017 Music Awards

Santa Monica, CA (December 8, 2017) – KCRW has revealed the station’s Best of 2017, the coveted list of this year’s Top Ten Albums and Top Ten Songs to cross the airwaves, and propel music culture forward. New to 2017, is the addition of the Best New Artist category. Full list of winners below.

The Best of 2017 winners were announced in front of a live audience last night at the inaugural KCRW’s Best of 2017 Music Awards, hosted by Music Director Jason Bentley at Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studios in Santa Monica. Bentley was joined by KCRW DJs who individually revealed and reviewed the winners on stage. Special guest DJ Reggie Watts launched the evening’s festivities with a special DJ set.

Each year the KCRW DJs get together for a year-in-review of their favorite music. Nominees for KCRW’s Top 10 Albums, Top 10 Songs, and Best New Artist were selected by KCRW’s panel of independent DJs for originality, buzz and total number of mentions throughout the year. Winners will receive prizes, heavy on-air rotation, as well as digital and on-air promotion.  

KCRW’s Best of 2017 Music Awards Winners:

Top Ten Albums

1. The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
2. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
3. King Krule – The OOZ
4. LCD Soundsystem – american dream
5. Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Jardín
6. Chicano Batman – Freedom Is Free
7. Dan Auerbach – Waiting on a Song
8. Washed Out – Mister Mellow
9. Beck – Colors
10. Elbow – Little Fictions

Top Ten Songs

1. Amber Mark – “Lose My Cool”
2. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
3. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile – “Over Everything”
4. Odesza – “Across The Room (feat. Leon Bridges)”
5. The National – “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness”
6. Café Tacvba – “Me Gusta Tu Manera”
7. Father John Misty – “Ballad of the Dying Man”
8. Mondo Cozmo – “Plastic Soul”
9. Grizzly Bear – “Mourning Sound”
10. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano”

Best New Artist: Tom Misch

“There’s a sense of ease and maturity to Misch’s work, and with such a versatile and ever-improving skill set – producing, writing, singing, guitar – the possibilities for this artist feel infinite…” – KCRW DJ Travis Holcombe

In addition to the station’s Best of 2017 each KCRW DJ has revealed their personal top 10 albums. Check it all out at the interactive and immersive Best of 2017 website.

About KCRW:

KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world.  A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via five KCRW-developed smart phone apps and online at kcrw.com.

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Ramin Djawadi, Grammy® and Emmy® Award-Nominated Composer, to Perform Music from Game of Thrones® Live on KCRW’S Morning Becomes Eclectic

Tuesday, December 12, in the 11:00 AM PST Hour

Session to be Streamed Worldwide on KCRW.com and Facebook Live

Santa Monica, CA (December 4, 2017) – Multi Grammy® and Emmy® Award-nominated composer Ramin Djawadi will perform a special, intimate performance of Game of Thrones® music on KCRW’s flagship music program Morning Becomes Eclectic on Tuesday, December 12, in celebration of the release of Season Seven of the hit HBO series on Blu-rayTM and DVD. The live performance will air in the 11:00 AM PST hour on 89.9 FM, and around the world at KCRW.com, and via Facebook Live.

The performance will give fans a taste of what they can expect when the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones® Live Concert Experience Featuring Ramin Djawadi brings the world of Westeros to arenas across Europe starting in May of 2018 and returns for a second North American leg of the tour in the fall of 2018. Djawadi’s music from the latest season – the Game of Thrones (Music from the HBO® Series) Season 7 Soundtrack  – has just been released as a special double vinyl set by WaterTower Music.

Last week Ramin Djawadi was nominated for his second Grammy® Award for ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media’ for his work on Game of Thrones® Season Seven. Djawadi’s previous credits include the Grammy®-nominated score for Marvel’s 2008 blockbuster, Iron Man. Other film credits include Pacific Rim, Clash Of The Titans and Warcraft.  In addition to Game Of Thrones®, Ramin also garnered Emmy® Award nominations for other television projects including the hit HBO® series Westworld, Flash Forward (ABC) and Prison Break (FOX).  Ramin also recently scored the feature film The Mountain Between Us which is in theatres now.

As rich as the stories, intrigue and world of Game of Thrones®, Ramin’s celebrated music for the show has resonated with fans from the very beginning, as the meticulously constructed songs underscored the emotional weight of key moments between beloved characters, lent scale to massive battle sequences and brought to life songs referenced in George R.R. Martin’s books. Ramin’s relentlessly popular title track alone has become an instantly recognizable pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones® is an epic story of treachery and nobility set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years, and only the lust for power is eternal. The Emmy®- and Golden Globe Award-winning series has captured the imagination of fans globally, making it one of the most popular shows on television.

Morning Becomes Eclectic, hosted by KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley, is the station’s signature daily music program (9:00 AM – Noon) featuring new releases from emerging and established artists, underappreciated gems, live performances and interviews.

About KCRW

KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, and online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw
YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw