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

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.

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