Best of 2016
What a difference a year can make. A year ago, I licking my wounds after an unsuccessful journey to Las Vegas to student teach 1st grade, and spun my wheels with finding a job here back in Oregon. Fortunately, I threw a hail mary at the 25th hour and I found a job that I love and have been successful at. I continued doing written interviews for AbsolutePunk until the publications re-brand in April [my last one being Underoath] and then re-branded my podcast as “Real Talk with Jake Denning”, an hour-long (or more) podcast with musicians (and beyond). Other than that, I’ve kept a pretty consistent routine for the past 12 months - work, gym, go to a show, interview, and repeat.
The following is a list of what I consider to be the very best of 2016, enjoy. You can find a Spotify playlist here, with selections from each album + other singles. Right off the bat, you’ll immediately recognize a few things: a) I have a headache-inducing level of variety, and b) there’s probably albums that I loved missing from this list that I forgot. Nonetheless, take a brief journey of my year through this playlist, and do please share this if you enjoyed it - that’s the fastest way to reach people these days.
Top 30 Albums of 2016
1. Aaron Gillespie - Out Of The Badlands (Tooth and Nail Records)
Hell, this album ain’t even entirely comprised of originals, and it’s my album of the year. What Aaron has done with this record is incredible - a collection of re-imagined versions of classics from Underoath (“A Boy Brushed Red…”, “Re-inventing Your Exit”), The Almost (“No I Don’t”, “Say This Sooner”, Southern Weather”), covers of songs from Bonnie Raitt and U2, and three originals, “Raspberry Layer Cake”, “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”, and “The Fox”. He revealed on the BadChristian podcast this year that this record came together quickly - hopefully that means we can get a few more originals in 2017.
2. A Day To Remember - Bad Vibrations (ADTR Records)
Their second album released under ADTR Records (their sixth overall), Bad Vibrations brought enough variety to satisfy any fan on board prior to this record, but simply put, this record just flat out *rocks*. Songs like “Turn Off The Radio”, “Justified”, and the title track are a small representation of the band at their very best. There’s more than enough here to last until the band puts out their next one, whenever that’ll be - 2018 or beyond.
3. Panic! At The Disco - Death of A Bachelor (Fueled By Ramen)
Brendan Urie previously mentioned that this record would be a mixture of Queen and Sinatra, which is a crystal clear depiction of what one can expect upon first listen. Singles “Victorious”, “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time”, and “Emperor’s New Clothes” provide the type of sugary pop that’ll rot your teeth, while other cuts like the title track and “Impossible Year” provide the laid-back, big band-esque ‘on top of the world’ feeling that Urie is naturally inclined to showcase. This is without question the exact record Panic! needed to drop, as they head into an arena headliner in 2017 (you’d better believe I’ll be there).
4. Issues - Headspace (Rise Records)
Issues dropped their debut EP, “Black Diamonds”, in late 2012 and since then, they’ve been on fire. No, really, on fire. This is a band that hasn’t experienced a single low in their entire career. Every tour has been a success, every release prior has been well-received, and they’re continually getting better as musicians. This record is the 1995 Chicago Bulls in musical form - young, talented, and championship-level. Just about everything you can think of is found here - turntable scratching, master-class bass playing, punk beats, pop hooks, screaming, and a whole lot more. Go ahead and tell me that this band isn’t going to kick a hole in 2017 and beyond.
5. The Summer Set - Stories For Monday (Fearless Records)
I’m just gonna toss it out here - The Summer Set is probably one of the most underrated bands in the “Warped Tour” scene. *Stories For Monday* is an eclectic mix of songs illuminating what it means to be someone in the their mid-twenties, with all the highs and lows - for example, “All My Friends” is a catchy sing-along tune about going out with someone your friends think is insane (we can all relate to this). This is a record meant for heavy rotation on pop rotation, and if you’ve ever flipped on a Top 40 station from time to time this year and sang along, then it’s your assignment to give this record a few complete spins - preferably loudly, with the car windows rolled down.
[16-30]
6. Vanna - All Hell (Pure Noise)
7. The Word Alive - Dark Matter (Fearless Records)
8. Architects (UK) - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us (Epitaph Records)
9. From Indian Lakes - Everything Feels Better Now (Triple Crown Records)
10. Switchfoot - Where The Light Shines Through (Vanguard Records)
11. Too Close To Touch - Haven’t Been Myself (Epitaph Records)
12. Pierce The Veil - Misadventures (Fearless Records)
13. Set It Off - Upside Down (Equal Vision Records)
14. The Amity Affliction - This Could Be Heartbreak (Roadrunner Records)
15. Florida Georgia Line - Dig Your Roots (Big Machine Label Group)
16. Dierks Bentley - Black (Capital Records Nashville)
17. Beartooth - Aggressive (Red Bull Music)
18. Every Time I Die - Low Teens (Epitaph Records)
19. This Wild Life - Low Tides (Epitaph Records)
20. Thousand Foot Krutch - Exhale (TFK Music)
21. The Color Morale - Desolate Devine (Fearless Records)
22. Emarosa - 131 (Hopeless Records)
23. Yellowcard - Yellowcard (Hopeless Records)
24. Islander - Power Under Control (Victory Records)
25. Trapt - DNA (Crash Collide Records)
26. Fit For A King - Deathgrip (Solid State Records)
27. letlive. - If I’m The Devil… (Epitaph Records)
28. Sum 41 - 13 Voices (Hopeless Records)
29. Andy Black - The Shadow Side (Republic Records)
30. Jason Aldean - When The Lights Go Out (Macon Music)
Podcasts of the Year
Lead Singer Syndrome
Break It Down with Matt Carter
The Jasta Show
The Joe Rogan Experience
Cheap Heat
Top Concerts of the Year
Switchfoot @ Salem Riverfront [Salem, Oregon] (August)
Vans Warped Tour @ White River Amphitheater [Seattle], Expo Center [Portland] (August)
Blessthefall/Miss May I @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (February)
From Indian Lakes @ Analog Theater [Portland, Oregon] (February)
Silverstein/Being As An Ocean/Emarosa @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (March)
August Burns Red/Between The Buried and Me @ Roseland Theater [Portland, Oregon] (March)
Underoath/Caspian @ Crystal Ballroom [Portland, Oregon] (March)
Emery (Acoustic) @ Analog Theater [Portland, Oregon] (April)
The Classic Crime “Albatross” 10th Anniversary Tour @ Analog Theater [Portland, Oregon] (May)
Panic! At The Disco/Weezer/Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness @ McMenamins Edgefield [Troutdale, Oregon] (July)
Pierce The Veil/Neck Deep @ Roseland Theater [Portland, Oregon] (September)
Stick To Your Guns/Stray From The Path/Expire/Knocked Loose @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (September)
The Amity Affliction/Being As An Ocean/Hundredth/Trophy Eyes/Deadships @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (October)
Yellowcard “The Final Tour” @ Roseland Theater [Portland, Oregon] (October)
Aaron Gillespie/Ace Enders @ Analog Theater [Portland, Oregon] (October)
Sum 41/Senses Fail @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (October)
Five Finger Death Punch/Shinedown/Sixx:AM @ Moda Center [Portland, Oregon] (November)
For Today/Norma Jean @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (November)
The Word Alive/Volumes/Islander @ Hawthorne Theater [Portland, Oregon] (November)
A strong thank you to those who made my 2016 a good one: Rise Records, Big Picture Media, Adrenaline PR, Shane Told, Jake Luhrs, Matt Carter, Jameson Ketchum, Matt MacDonald, Dallon Weekes, Ryan Seaman, Gino Scarim, Buddy Nielsen, Heather Griffith, Amy Scarretto, Mike Cubillos, Tom Wojcik, Natalie Bisignano, entire staff at Hawthorne Theater, Danielle Mardahl, Kevin Lyman, Steve Carey, Ross Anderson, everyone that hopped on the podcast, everyone else I met or hung out with, and everyone else I probably forgot (believe me, I probably forgot a few).









