This is the fourth time I have made this end-of-the-year list (though I have expanded from top 10 to top 20!). It's high time I gave this list a fancy name... like the Emmys or the Oscars or something.

I hereby declare the albums on this list, winners of the annual SHAZZY awards!! (they are named after Shami and Izzy, the only two people who have ever actually expressed any interest in actually READING these lists. Thanks to you both. And congratulations: you are now immortalized. The SHAZZYs!! What an honour!)

A couple quick points before I start the actual list:

1. way more good albums in the first 6 months of the year then the last 6 months
2. some people claim "rock is dead" and maybe my list is a sign of this. I have always said that rock music (alternative, indie, classic, etc) is my favourite genre of music but there is (for the second year in a row) a LOT of R&B / soul music on my list. Plus a little electronic music (no EDM!). Still some rock in there but not a ton. Interesting.
3. Lots of good albums this year but very few GREAT ones. To tell the truth, it would have been much easier to list these twenty albums "in no particular order". They are all strong albums but there is not a single one that I would call an instant classic (unlike previous years). But I know people like countdowns so I'll stick with that format.
4. Last year it took me HOURS to write this list up. Considering how many people actually read it, I'm cutting down on the comments. 
5. Let me know which albums I missed (Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, no doubt).

It must be sweet to be this SMOOOOOTH. Miguel could probably sing a couple pages of the phone book and it would sound sultry and sexy. The guy can do no wrong. Er... wait a minute... I guess he can mess up sometimes... (video below)

Just heard this album this week. Loving it! Could have been ranked higher if I'd heard it earlier in the year (note to artists: improve your chances of winning a SHAZZY by avoiding November / December release dates).

Don't be scared by the album cover!

When most people think of electronic music they think of Tiesto or Diplo (or...ugh... The Chainsmokers). Hard to believe that this album falls into the same genre. Black Mass takes a little more patience to listen to than drop-heavy EDM but it's worth it. I'm predicting that this would be the LEAST favourite album on this list for most people but try it... you just might be impressed!

Nothing fancy here. One woman, her guitar and a gorgeous voice. This is the album my wife would like most on this list (check it out, Zan!). Folky, sparse... and beautiful!

Always good to get a Canadian artist on the SHAZZY list. Way to go, Sir. Great start to your career. Loving your voice and your gospel sound.

​Also: the woman (H.E.R.) in this song, would be #21 on my list of top albums (album also called H.E.R.). Must hurt to get THAT close to winning a SHAZZY and still miss! Imagine!

This sounds like soul music from the 60's or 70's. Great tunes sung by someone who really means it! So good!

From a band that "ceased to exist" a few years back. Glad you were able to break your promise. Welcome back!

Also: still hoping "LCD" stands for "lowest common denominator"

Betting lots of you know this album already. I heard the first few singles around a year ago and loved it. Still remember the day the album came out... I was driving somewhere at night and put on the BRAND NEW ALBUM (pumped!). And the first two songs STUNK!!! What a disappointment!! Thankfully the rest of the album lived up to the initial promise... enough so that it still makes this list (despite those first two songs). And to think he's still a TEENAGER!

Their last album was extraordinary. This one is "merely" great. It's the most classic rock n' roll sounding album on this list, so if that's your thing....

I think every critic HATED this album. I saw it on all sorts of "Most Disappointing Lists". But I LOVE it!! First time I heard it, I was driving around at night, picking up office chairs for my classroom on a hot summer night. How nerdy is that. Windows down. This song blaring. Excitedly driving to North Van for old chairs. Yahoo!

On a side note: ex-student Marija B gave me lots (LOTS!!) of grief for not being a fan of their last album. Hope this makes up for it MB!!  <3

​Next Week: the top 10 SHAZZYS!!!! (can you handle the anticipation!!)

This week's Student of the Week is Sophie W!!

A short aside to begin: Sophie is the 2017 - 2018 winner of the Grace Kingsley Award presented to the female King George student with the biggest potty-mouth in the school. You are following a true legend, Sophie, but I am sure that Grace would be impressed with your ability to curse, swear, and make inappropriate comments of all types. Congratulations... I guess.

My earliest memory of Sophie is a little odd. I never taught her in grade 8 but I definitely noticed her. She was always at school very early and would usually sit at a locker right near the office. She had a nice smile and seemed friendly but what I found most intriguing at that time was... her voice! It was pretty husky and super clear and confident. I LOVED it!! "This kid needs to be in radio" I'd think to myself. 

Full disclosure: sometimes I'd hang out by my mailbox in the office (pretending to look through papers) just to hear that voice a little longer. I asked a teacher at one point: who  is the cute little Chinese girl with the distinctive voice? The teacher answered with no hesitation: "that must be Sophie. She's so great!".

And she really is great! I was so excited when I finally got to teach her last year. I'd gotten to know her a tiny bit and Ms Sidhu had assured me that she was a wonderful student (though a bit talkative at times. hehehe). She started PreCalculus 11 a little slow but after a month or so she kicked it into gear and her effort since then (continuing into Calculus 12) is nothing short of amazing. What I admire most about Sophie is her willingness to keep working hard, even after getting marks that she considers disappointing (not that they are ever that bad). It's one thing to show determination and persistence when things are going well but it's quite another after experiencing disappointment. In my opinion, this is the number one indicator of future success: the ability to keep going and keep going and keep going, no matter how many challenges life throws at you.

And Sophie has had to deal with a LOT of challenges in her young life (of MUCH greater importance than her Math marks). Honestly, she is an extraordinarily brave, wise, and inspiring human being. The fact that she is at school every day, radiating positivity (bad language aside!), supporting friends and succeeding at her studies is almost incomprehensible to me. 

I was given some extremely bad news a couple months ago about my dad's health (he was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease). Obviously, this news left me (and still does) feeling helpless and upset and bitterly sad. In the days after I first found out, many friends and family tried to console me, to varying degrees of success. And then, one of the most magical things in my 21-years of teaching happened...

Sophie and (the wonderful) Anelia were in my classroom during my spare block and gently pressed me as to why I seemed to sad. Finally, I decided that I would tell them about my father's health. They were both so generous and comforting. And the things that Sophie said to me - drawing from her own experiences - made (and continue to make) more of a difference to me than what anyone else has said to me before or since. She told me things about making memories, and the importance of laughter, and the power of completion (getting to say everything you've ever wanted to say to someone). It was extremely powerful and meaningful to me. And the fact that it was a 17-year old student telling me EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR will always make it memorable and extra-special to me.

Sophie, some people say (and I agree) that the greatest satisfaction you can experience in life is to make a tangible difference with another human being. I want you to know that you have made a difference in my life in how I will relate to my dad in however much longer I have to spend with him. I have thought about the things you said to me every day since then and I will continue to do so. I have nothing but love and admiration for you, Sophie. So happy to have gotten to teach you these past two years! You are amazing!

I know everyone (well, at least TWO of you) have been eagerly awaiting my unveiling of my Top Albums (Top 20? Top 25? We shall see) over the next two weeks. But today, we start with something a little less admirable: the five most disappointing albums of 2017. These are albums I had high hopes for over the past year but left me feeling "meh"... or worse! Honourable mentions to Beck, Grizzly Bear, and Spoon but these are the most disappointing of all...

First of all, you should listen to this album! Because some people loved it. MOST people loved it!! It's one of the highest rated albums of the year by critics. Some major publications named it the BEST album of the year. And yet...

For whatever reason, these songs did not capture me. St Vincent's last album was so unique, so catchy, so fun! This is a tougher listen and - sadly - it never grew on me. I haven't given up on it yet. I'll keep listening and maybe it will "click" one day.

One last comment: one time I was listening to this album and Zan came in to ask me to turn it off. There's lots of my music she does not like but that is pretty harsh!

First of all - that album cover (scary!). 

You never know what you are going to get from Bjork. Some of her albums are warm and beautiful while others are stark and somewhat harsh. This one is kind of in a no-man's land. She calls it her "Tinder-album" (her last - amazing! - album was a "Breakup album"). I never imagined that Tinder could be this dull (but what do I know? I was married about 15 years before Tinder existed).

I suppose this could be looked upon as progress. The companion album (Songs of Innocence) was released a couple of of years ago and was my most disappointing album of that year. This one's only the THIRD most disappointing.

To be fair, there are a couple songs on this album that are not bad at all (Lights of Home, Summer of Love). Bad the bad songs are AWFUL. Even Kendrick Lamar couldn't prevent this from being one of the worst U2 songs EVER...

If some new band released this album I'd probably be somewhat impressed. But this is from the band I adored in the 1980's. The band who made albums like The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and the Unforgettable Fire. 

It's all further evidence that - with rare exceptions - rock artists do not age well. 

It was beginning to look like there would NEVER be a new Fleet Foxes album. So, when it was announced this year, I was equal parts surprised and delighted.

It starts VERY strong...

...but after that it kind of goes nowhere. I still have faith in these guys but this was a step in the WRONG direction.

I was so PUMPED for this album. I'd been basically doing a countdown for about 6 months until the day it was released.

Then they teased it with this...

What a song!!! Bring on the album! This is going to be awesome!

First warning sign: for some unknown reason they didn't use the version of the song above. Instead they opted for some over-produced, excessive facsimile. Booo!

There is one other okay song (and amazing video)...

...but the rest is bad, bad, bad. Way too poppy, too many effects and layers of sound. Not enough substance. After all the anticipation, it's sad to admit that this was my Most Disappointing Album of 2017.

This week's Student of the Week is Ysabel G!

Ysabel is a quiet but dependable student. She seldom asks for help and she certainly never causes any trouble. Plus I can count on her to always have her work done on time and to be well-prepared for every test. Such a good student!

One of my lasting images of Ysabel will be of her fighting off sleep in my class. So many times (especially last year) I'd look over, while I was giving the lesson, and see Ysabel's eyes C-L-O-S-I-N-G... so slowly. Then they'd whip back open, before starting their slow descent again. Hehehe! Sorry Ysabel. But I couldn't resist mentioning it.

Ysabel is so intriguing. She is quiet but funny. Unassuming but poised. Plus there is her name. Is it Ysabel like Isabelle or is it pronounced "why"-sabel? And how did it happen that so many people call her the latter name? And does this name bother her? So much mystery!

Thanks, Ysabel, for all your hard work and always being so pleasant and kind. It makes me very happy that you took Calculus 12 this year so I got to teach you for another year. Hope I don't put you to sleep too often!!  :)

Can you spot the (unforgivable) error on the blackboard, above. C'mon RiRi!!

Mohsen mastered #8 (what a guy!)

#8 is so hard that I'm posting it twice. Ysabel got it this time (Yahoo Ysabel!)

Toma tackled #9 (terrific!)

The spectacular Sophie solved #10 (amazing!)

#11 was eradicated by Estella! Excellent Estella!

#12 was jettisoned by Jordan! Joyous!!

Amazing Anna attacked #13! Nice effort!

#15 was ripped to shreds by Razmig! 

#17 was conquered by Katarina! Great work!