Yo, 2016 was terrible for life in general, but it was amazing for music. Some years it’s a grind to find 10 albums that I loved, but here are *25* i really liked a lot and then 10 more that were also cool.
I’ve made a couple of Spotify playlists inspired by this list:
Here’s a playlist of all the albums from the initial top 25 that are on Spotify
And here’s a sampler of my favorite song from each record if you just wanna needle-drop through my selections.
(The two records that aren’t on Spotify have hyperlinks to their Bandcamp pages.)
If you wanna talk music, hit me up on twitter at teen_archer. I’m always down. And I hope you find something new to enjoy off this list.
1. Marked for Death -- Emma Ruth Rundle
There’s no shortage of witchy chanteuses on the market right now, but for my money, Rundle is the best of the lot. She’s got the pipes, the players, the production, and the pop hooks. She understands how to use dynamics in a way that other wannabe Banshees can only dream of. My favorite record of the year.
2. Commontime - Field Music
The brothers behind Field Music were once half of Futureheads, who made some of the best punky pop of the mid-aughts. The mid-teens finds the Brewis brothers mature and melding eclectic soul-pop with interesting production conceits to great results. “Disappointed” might be my favorite song of the year (that Ewan Pearson remix!), and I hope they do more uptempo stuff like this on their next effort.
Turns out that my prediction of grime being the Next Big Thing was only 10 or 12 years premature. I’m not sure why it took the rest of the planet so long to catch on, but this year Skepta came through with the truth. There are some duds on this record -- mostly when Skepta abandons the grime aesthetic and tries classic hip-hop tropes -- but bangers abound.
Yes, a four-song EP comes in at #4 on my year-end list, because the Mag pack in more pissed-off pop hooks in 13 minutes than most bands do in 35. Any comps I’d put on this record would only do it a disservice -- I could say Ramones, Thin Lizzy, the Runaways -- but you really just need to listen to it to Get It. So get it!
5. Front Row Seat to Earth - Weyes Blood
Do you like the Carpenters weirder efforts, and wish they ate more mushrooms? Then Weyes Blood is for you. Natalie Mering creates entire worlds in her baroque pop productions, in which I’m only too happy to immerse myself. Front Row Seat to Earth is one of those rare and wonderful records that can make you feel high without any substances at all.
6. Modern Country - William Tyler
Don’t let the smooth taste (or the title) fool you -- this ain’t country, at least in any traditional sense. Tyler is a virtuoso who seems uninterested in virtuosity; yes, he can most certainly play his ass off, but he does so in service of seven well-crafted songs with memorable melodies and thoughtful arrangements. Another record that will transport you from wherever you are to somewhere else entirely. And we all need some of that these days.
7. Fires Within Fires - Neurosis
Thirty years on, Neurosis are still in peak form. Fires seems like a refinement of the template of the last few Neurosis albums, featuring the trademark trade-off vocals of Kelly and von Till, but markedly heavier than 2012’s Honor Found in Decay. There aren’t many records that feel short at 40 minutes, but I definitely could’ve used another jam on this record. (That’s a compliment, by the way.)
8. Atrocity Exhibition - Danny Brown
If you can’t deal with Danny Brown’s voice, I get it. This record won’t be for you. I’ve always thought he was best in short bursts, in guest spots, as a counterpoint to a “normal-sounding” rapper. Danny himself must know that, because the way he mixes it up on this record is astounding, with guests dropping lots of verses and hooks. But it’s Paul White’s production that’s the actual star of this record. White produced 10 of the 15 tracks, and each one is weirder than the next. Hopefully this album breaks the mold on rap tracks forever and ushers in a new era of weirdness.
9. Love You to Death - Tegan & Sara
Reunited with super-producer Greg Kurstin, T&S deliver another record full of inspired electro-pop. The pop-star incarnation of Tegan and Sara is still weird to those of us who knew them as an acoustic duo, but the jams are undeniable. Now if they can only amp up their live performance to match the intensity of the records ...
10. Prima Donna - Vince Staples
Vince gives good quote, and for that reason as much as any other, he’s become a critical darling. He’s also incredibly charismatic and has a unique, effortless flow, so that doesn’t hurt. Prima Donna is an uneven 21-minute workout, but the good (War Ready, Loco, Pimp Hand) outweigh the bad (the obvious alt-rock-radio crossover attempt “Smile”). Looking forward eagerly to the next full-length.
11. Emotion Side B - Carly Rae Jepsen
Another EP at #11. If it truly is an outtakes record, that might explain its unevenness, but that might just be PR cover. All that aside, some CRJ is better than no CRJ, and jams like “First Time” and “The One” could have easily been included on E*MO*TION proper. But really, “First TIme” is the shit.
12. Phase Zero - Morgan Delt
This whole album is interesting -- insane bedroom chamber pop -- but it’s here mostly for one reason: “I Don’t Wanna See What’s Happening Outside.” Pop songs -- even primitive ones recorded in your bedroom -- shouldn’t sound like this. But this one does, and it’s absolutely incredible. “Some Sunsick Day” features a more traditional psych-pop approach and has a hook you could hang your coat on. RIYL drugs, guitars, and drugs.
13.Strangers - Marissa Nadler
Like Emma Ruth Rundle above, Nadler stands out as the real deal in a field of gauzy-garbed goth imposters. Sparse, moody arrangements spotlight her remarkable guitar playing and arresting voice, which holds up for most of the record’s 49-minute runtime. But this is where Rundle’s understanding of dynamics sets her apart: after a while Strangers feels like it’s trapped in a lock groove, while Marked for Death always sounds fresh.
14. A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead
This is not a great Radiohead record, but it’s a good one. The whole album is listenable, but A Moon Shaped Pool is here entirely on the strength of two songs: “Burn the Witch” and “Desert Island Disk,” maybe the most emotionally affecting thing they’ve pulled off since Kid A. If that claim makes me crazy, then so be it.
15. Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper
This one was tough, because there’s SO MUCH FILLER on it. But the good songs are SO GOOD that it warrants inclusion. There’s a no-fucks-given, first-take breeziness to even the best tracks that’s either charming or infuriating depending on my mood. Imagine if Chance actually applied himself and didn’t rely on bullshit gospel choir filler! GAH.
16. Looking Wet in Public - Palehorse
Discovered Palehorse this year, only to find out they’d just broken up. Such is life. Two bassists, drums, noises, and some of the gnarliest, throat-shreddingest vocals you’ll encounter. Also, the fucking song titles! I didn’t love much this year that could be qualified as either heavy or metal, but these guys were definitely on their own trip and didn’t sound like anyone else. RIP.
17. You Know Who You Are - Nada Surf
Another album appears on the strength of two songs: the great “Cold to See Clear” (do yourself a favor and watch the video) and the very good “Out of the Dark.” The rest of the record is good but not great, hitting all the grown-up pop-rock notes you’d expect. But sweet Jesus, “Cold to See Clear” is absolute pop perfection
18. We Got It from Here - A Tribe Called Quest
I’ll admit that I was skeptical: there aren’t many artists who can take 16 years off, lose a founding member, and then make even a half-decent record, much less a watershed one. But Tribe did it. The tracks, like classic Tribe, are rich and fully developed, and Tip hasn’t lost a step even after 30 years. And the Busta guest spots! Mercy. We also can’t downplay the timing of the release: We Got It From Here came along just when we needed it most.
19. Trans Day of Revenge - GLOSS
Boy meets Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit. Boy loses Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit. Classic hardcore romance. They burned too brightly to survive, but we were lucky to have had them for two years and 10 songs.
20. blackSUMMERS’night - Maxwell
It might not have been the kind of revelatory comeback that D’Angelo pulled off last year, but Maxwell managed to make an extremely listenable, interesting modern R&B record, and for that I am grateful. And “Lake by the Ocean”? Monster jam.
The Revolution Summer-inspired weirdness of former SU guitarist Dani Gutierrez is noticeably absent on Auto, but the three-piece version keeps it energetic and interesting on their first full length. There are still signs that SU are finding their way in this new configuration, and I fully expect the next record to be even better.
22. Violent Sleep of Reason - Meshuggah
This is a Meshuggah record. If you like Meshuggah records, you will like this record. It is very heavy and weird and has a bald man yelling at you.
23. Blankface - Schoolboy Q
“THat Part” may have logged more than a hundred million views on YouTube, but Blankface lacks a True Club Banger like “Collard Greens.” (It did prove, however, that Kanye is not only palatable in small doses, but that he can actually still be fantastic.) I’m not always in the mood to listen to Blankface, but when I’m feeling pissed off and misanthropic -- which I am more and more these days -- this album scratches the itch.
I’ve wanted to like Powell ever since he skewered Albini with a billboard last year, so I was delighted to discover that his album, Sport, was fantastic. Powell effortlessly mixes dance, trance, noise, and post-punk to create an electronic music album unlike anything I’ve heard before. It’s almost like he made this just for my weirdo tastes.
25. Teens of Denial - Car Seat Headrest
I’m not sure this is a great record; it’s uneven, derivative, and overlong, and yet … Beneath the Westerberg/Richman/Malkmus impressions there are flashes of the genius that Will Toledo is, or can become. But for now, a naive joy imbues Teens of Denial, and we could all use more of that right about now.
Ten More Honorable Mentions!
void beats/incantation trex - Cavern of Anti-Matter
Sorry I Messed Up - Holy Now
I @ My Country - Revolution Bummer
Golden Sings That Have Been Sung - Ryley Walker
If You See Me, Say Yes - Flock of Dimes
Romantic - Mannequin Pussy
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