#bestalbumsof2016

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: WOLF PEOPLE ... Trying to describe Wolf People‘s music is nearly an impossible task, as evidenced on their spectacular new album, "Ruins". The record is a sonic and, literally, a lyrical adventure that brings 16th- to 18th-century myths and stories to the present day. It is Edgar Allen Poe’s "The Raven" brought to life, "Beowulf" retold, and Alfred Hitchcock’s "The Birds" reincarnated, filtered through a prism of blistering guitars, cataclysmic percussion, and a fierce bassline that will have your heart pounding. This isn’t a slow retaking of rock but a full-blown assault. Whatever people want to call Wolf People’s music, Ruins reveals one absolute certainty: Jack Sharp (guitar/vocals), Tom Watt (drums), Dan Davies (bass), and Joe Hollick (guitar) are musical geniuses. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #WolfPeople #Ruins #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: RADIOHEAD ... While our focus is on emerging artists, we also embrace quality work from superstars. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone not familiar with Radiohead and their ninth studio album, "A Moon Shaped Pool". This LP is, quite simply, a majestic work of art. Thom Yorke is at his most introspective here with 11 coolly melancholic, including three previously unreleased tracks. The inclusion of “True Love Waits”, a song written some 20+ years ago, along with “Burn the Witch” and “Present Tense” is a sign of Radiohead’s perfectionistic commitment to their art. Instead of including them on "Kid A" or "King of Limbs", Yorke waited until the songs had aged to perfection. And despite having taken a break following the 2012 promotion of "King of Limbs", the chemistry of all five members is equally impeccable. Borne of emotional trials that shaped its elegant, moody soundscapes, "A Moon Shaped Pool" may just be Radiohead’s finest work to date. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #Radiohead #aMoonShapedPool #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: LISSIE ... This year, there was finally a shift in indie circles away from using the term “indie folk.” Many in the business will be delighted when that term finally hits the bin. It was the sub-genre of choice for non-electronic rock bands, and it was shorthand for “good songwriting” in an era where style and performative personas have been taking over. But bands have been remembering that you can be influenced by old country and folk music without overdoing a back-porch vibe that may not be authentic to who you are. Lissie‘s simple, expansive "My Wild West" is a great example of this. The album is an honest folk/pop/rock record with an incredible vocalist at its center. That description could be any record, but it’s the proportions that are important. The “rock” comes from Lissie’s immense, focused, and powerful voice and the excited, electric nature of the album. The “pop” comes from how hooky and singable the album is. The opening hook to “Hero” gets stuck in your head every day. The chorus to “Don’t You Give Up on Me” sounds like it was a song you loved twenty years ago. The “folk” is not the main focus of this record. It’s there around the edges, in her accent, in the simplicity of her delivery, and in the very bones of who Lissie is. It’s not the stylistic guidepost, though, which allows Lissie to roar and whisper and sear through 42 minutes of thoroughly modern American popular music. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #lissiemusic #MyWildWest #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: FRANKIE COSMOS ... It may be impossible to find someone who has released as much music in a short period of time as Greta Kline. Over the last few years, she has amassed over fifty releases on her Bandcamp, as either Ingrid Superstar, Zebu Fur, or Frankie Cosmos. In 2016, she released "Next Thing," Frankie Cosmos’ second major label LP, which is a full realization of some of those 50 Bandcamp releases. Each song is short, which Kline describes them as jingles. It’s true, the longest track on "Next Thing" is barely over two-and-a-half minutes. The result is fifteen short songs that will get stuck in your head, much like commercial jingles. Each number is a whimsical short story, from about wanting to own a dog and take pictures of it (“If I Had a Dog”) or maybe a love letter to her friends (“Embody”). The lyrics are honest, at times silly, but always meaningful and incredibly inviting. On the two-part “Is It Possible/Sleep Song”, Frankie Cosmos delivers one of the year’s best lines, a simple “Goodbye forever, what the fuck?”. While the album is only 28 minutes in duration, "Next Thing" is one to keep on repeat. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #FrankieCosmos #NextThing #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS ... Christine and The Queens is somewhat of a delayed success story. Their debut album, "Chaleur Humaine" (which means Human Warmth), was originally released in 2014 but didn’t make a US version release until late in 2015 and the UK in 2016. Consequently, the LP landed on many best of lists for 2016. Led by Héloïse Letissier, Christine and the Queens' “freakpop” is mesmerizing. Her popular track “Titled” was reworked in English from the original French version and has captivated many fans with her low key synth and mesmerizing vocals. Simplistic yet serious lyrics percolate throughout the album, such as “I’m actually good / Can’t help it if we’re tilted”. Fantasy, real, theatrical, stupendous is "Chaleur Humaine". ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #ChristineandtheQueens #HeloiseLetissier #ChaleurHumaine #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: OH PEP! ... Many outlets characterized Oh Pep!’s debut album as “poppy” or “poppier” than their previous three EPs, which had set a precedent for skilled songwriting with a bluegrass/folk/pop vibe. But what the adjective “poppy” glosses over is how complex the writing is on "Stadium Cake". The intro to the first song on the album, “Bushwick”, is a bright, snappy mandolin scratch from Pepita Emmerichs (Pep), one of the coolest people in a scene full of cool people. But the song dives into heavy themes and the album stays heavy as it continues. Love is pain. Following your dreams is pain. But those are also two of the most exhilarating experiences in life. Olivia Hally and Emmerichs sing with a gravity belying their age and the stupid “poppy” label given. Three tracks, “Tea, Milk, and Honey,” “Only Everyone,” and “The Situation” form an anchoring triptych in the middle of the album. Those three songs have a bit of everything Oh Pep! is inside them. Start there and work your way around in this engrossing debut album from another great act coming from Down Under. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #OhPep #StadiumCake #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: FIELD MOUSE ... Philly’s Field Mouse released their third full-length album, "Episodic", in August. It was recorded during some lean and tough times for the band. Lead singer Rachel Browne’s sister was diagnosed with cancer, a close relationship dissolved, and both became driving forces behind "Episodic’s" songwriting. The result is a record that is loud, emotional, and cathartic. The record's energy is almost uncontainable. The record kicks off with this huge ball of explosive energy on “The Mirror”. What makes Episodic so cathartic is how easy it is to scream along to some of these songs “I’ve lived more lives than you” in “Half-Life”, or “I’ve got you back and I put you under glass” on “Over and Out”. The musicianship is fantastic as well, from the driving drums to the early ’90s vibe to the guitar work. The record ends with another huge track, “Out of Context” which builds into a huge wall out sound which is burst through by Browne repeating “It hurts…” as the song slowly disintegrates. "Episodic" captures emotion quite raw, and the result is one of the year’s best records. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #FieldMouse #Episodic #newmusicalert #takealisten

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Celebrating 2016's great albums: CHILDISH GAMBINO ... Just as we began to wonder whether R&B, funk, and soul would undergo a transformation, Donald Glover unleashed his third album as Child Gambino, "Awaken, My Love". Without exaggeration, this was the record we have been waiting all year for – actually, maybe a decade. From start to finish, "Awaken, My Love" is a music-altering experience. “Me and Your Mamma” adds grit to old-school soul while “Boogieman” infuses Richard Swift-esque creepiness into funk. The creative “Zombies” is the epitome of songwriting genius. The trifecta of “Redbone”, “The Night Me and Your Mamma Met”, and “Stand Tall”, meanwhile, bring us back to the time when R&B and soul embraced us with its personal stories and intimate notes. Sure, almost every major music outlet will have the sisters Beyoncé and Solange at the top of their lists. However, when we look back at 2016, we’ll remember "Awaken, My Love" as being the catalyst for the renaissance in R&B, funk, and soul. ... #bestmusic2016 #music #yearinreview2016 #yearinmusic #bestalbum #bestalbumsof2016 #favoritealbumsof2016 #ChildishGambino #DonaldGlover #AwakenMyLove #newmusicalert #takealisten