So, without further ado, let's get into it.
Honorable Mentions:
Ty Dollar $ign: Campaign
While I did (and do) love this album, it just missed the cut simply because the albums that made it, I loved even more. For a lot of people, this album wasn't anything special, simply just another batch of sex songs from Ty, and yeah, it is, but it is one of the most laid back and enjoyable albums that 2016 had to offer, and I plan on revisiting this album for years to come.
Beyonce: Lemonade
Yes. I did like this album quite a bit, but again, this LP just wasn't as enjoyable as the albums that made the top 15. Though in the case of Lemonade, it was a really close cut, because while my feelings on the album overall are still the same as when I reviewed it, I still think this is one of the years finest pop albums for sure.
YG: Still Brazy
I think this LP was just as strong as his debut, so while it isn't one of the years absolute best, it is still a great album. YG is really holding down that old-school west coast gangsta rap style made famous by guys like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and DJ Quik, and Still Brazy is another great example of that.
Anderson Paak.: Malibu
Ahhh, another really close cut. To be honest, this album was one of the few truly outstanding releases that 2016 had to offer early on, and if the year hadn't been as fantastic musically as it was, this LP would have been in the Top 15, no question. Paak. is truly a rising talent in the hip hop/ R&B scene, and I hope to see more from him next year.
Top 15 of 2016:
#15. Sturgil Simpson: A Sailor's Guide to Earth
My Expectations weren't exactly high going into this modern country album, but when I actually listened to it, I found an album with an old soul. This is the kind of album that truly shows reverence for the old without simply copy and pasting styles aimlessly, and is in fact a really heartfelt release in its own right. Simpson's stories about family and navigating life are all relate-able and accompanied by amazingly lush instrumentation. Glad to see this getting a Grammy nod, because it truly deserves it.
#14. Swans: The Glowing Man
Swans is a group that have been blowing me away consistently for the past 4 years or so, starting with The Seer, an album that still leaves me completely drained of hope and energy all these years later. I also gave their 2014 album To Be Kind a spot on my year end list for that year, and once again Swans rank among the most impressive bands of the year. This time, the band is playing a far less aggressive form of rock music, relying more on ambient builds and soundscapes to carry these monolithic tracks. However, don't let the volume fool you, this LP is just as oppressive and draining as any of the band's last couple of outings. I also got a chance to see them play in Charlotte this year, front row; never have I ever felt so consumed by sound in my life.
#13. David Bowie: Blackstar
This album almost didn't make the cut. Not because it isn't amazing (because it is), but because I honestly hadn't had a chance to give it a full listen until about 2 weeks ago. I chalk this up to a hectic life schedule and the fact that I'm not the world's biggest David Bowie fan, not because I don't like his music, but again, because his material has never compelled me to obsess over his back catalog. All that aside, Blackstar is a stunning record, one that sees Bowie facing death not defiant, but ready and it is also perhaps one of his most experimental in terms of sound. Chameleon til the end, David Bowie went out on perhaps his best record in years.
#12. Metallica: Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
I won't blame you if you scoff at this albums placement on this list: I'm a big Metallica fan. But, like I said in my full review, Metallica have been struggling to release a great record for decades, and in my opinion, they finally did it with this record. It may be a bit long, but I can't express how happy it makes me to have another Metallica album that I don't mind letting play all the way through. Call this my biased pick of the year; although I've seen a lot of positive reviews for this LP, so maybe I'm not alone after all.
#11. Touche Amore: Stage Four
All these months later, I'm still hard pressed to find the words to describe how harrowing a listen Stage Four is. And that fact has nothing to do with the sound of this album, because this is actually a very well produced and performed rock album, the band's best in fact. But the lyrics here will leave even the most hardened metal fans feeling a little exposed; the story on this album is deeply personal, but turns out to be relate-able on a very human level. Don't go into this album expecting a fun album, but do expect perhaps the best piece of Emo music to come around since Brand New stopped releasing albums.
#10. Bruno Mars: 24k Magic
For all the surprises (and upsets) that 2016 had to offer, none may be more so than the fact that Bruno "chillin' in my snuggy" Mars released the years best pop album, hands down. On 24k Magic, Bruno fully embraces his influence, but never (in my opinion) succumbs to simple parody; instead, Mars does these styles justice with track after track of pure audio sugar. This album is everything great about 80's and 90's R&B wrapped up in a neat 30 minute package that I just can't say no to.
#9. Kanye West: The Life of Pablo
It's been a weird year for Kanye, and that's saying a lot. However, I chose to ignore the drama and focus on the music (as I so often do), and what I got from Kanye this year was an album that, while flawed, was superior in every way to his lackluster LP Yeezus. Plus, if you kept up with the album over the year, you'd know that this album got some pretty nice production lifts and a far superior closer as well. Sure, Kanye should of waited to "finish" the album, but I have to admire the experimental nature of this release in all of its various facets; as a product, but most importantly, as a piece of music, because this is Kanye's best work since MBDTF.
#8. Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book
Another year end list alumni, Chance the Rapper really hit it out of the park this year, giving us an album that is both colorful (no pun intended) and full of memorable moments, both energetic and soulful. In my opinion, Chance has already found a place in hip-hop history with this LP; the fact that he has become this successful without the aid of a label is impressive enough, but the amount of maturation that has occurred between this LP and Acid Rap is truly noteworthy. Here's to sending some praises up, hoping for more musical blessings from Chano.
#7. Conor Oberst: Ruminations
Every year, I seem to have an album of moody, introspective folk. Seeing as how folk is quite possibly my favorite genre, the fact that I do find folk albums that I love is sort of shocking, because my love has caused me to become quite picky and often cynical. That latter trait is why I think this album was a shoe-in for this list; Connor Oberst knows a thing or two about cynicism, and this album is no exception, but this album is also an undeniably beautiful one, crafted lovingly by one of modern folks most important figures, who has been sort of lost for the past few years in my opinion. All I can say is: glad to have you back Mr. Oberst.
#6. Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool
You may notice a trend on this years list: there are a lot of "comeback" albums. Or rather, albums from bands that have been away for a while. Radiohead are notorious these days for their extended periods between albums, but this wait was especially painful, because the groups last effort, King of Limbs was anything but satisfying. However, I think they've come back in a really big way with this album, one that I honestly hold up to such masterpieces like Kid A and In Rainbows as Radiohead's finest work. It is a slower LP and demands some patience to fully enjoy, but I believe that if there's one quality that Radiohead fans have, it's patience.
#5. Weezer: The White Album
Everything Will Be Alright in the End was a great album, one that grew on me quite a bit the year after it came out, but nothing could of prepared me for just how amazing this new Weezer is. This LP sounds like the Weezer we heard back in 1996 took a couple years off to record and picked up right where Pinkerton left off, instead now, they're pulling back the reigns on the overarching sadness of that record and replacing it with the more sunny outlook of their debut. The White Album is the Weezer album I've been waiting for since the band went off the rails back in 2005, and boy does it feel gooooood.
#4. Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition
I've always had a major appreciation for Danny Brown; he is a really great rapper sure, but what really draws me to his music and persona is his willingness to be outlandish and weird. I thought Old was great enough to be on my end of the year list that year, and while I still stand by that decision, it would be a lie if I said that that album was everything I'd hoped it would be. I really missed the darker, more overtly insane moments that were on XXX, which Old was clearly lacking. Luckily, the latest release from Danny Brown brings on the weirdness in droves, leading to one of the most whacked out rap albums I've ever heard (and you see Death Grips right below this). But Danny never loses track of making a great album here, and instead melds the weirdness with his most daring and rewarding tracks yet.
#3. Death Grips: Bottomless Pit
I could of guessed after last years shenanigans that Death Grips weren't really breaking up, it was just another chapter in the never ending book of ways that this group can subvert expectations. And while Bottomless Pit is not really a huge push in a new direction for the group, the quality and immediacy of the music here is stunning. This is the groups most concentrated and depraved release to date. In a way this feels like a sort of sequel to the group's breakout project The Money Store, and that is a fitting comparison in every single way. The future is always muddy with these guys, but as long as they keep making music as amazing as this, I'll be there to see what other schemes they have "Up Their Sleeves".
#2. Carseat Headrest: Teens of Denial
Pretty much from the first time I listened to this LP, I considered it my album of the year, and if a certain other album hadn't been released this year, there's not a doubt in my mind that it would have been. Still, Teens of Denial is a superb album that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of apathy and longing that a person my age feels, and it also shows just how talented this once one-man project truly is. This album feels like a single-handed revival of great indie rock music and one that isn't steeped in affectation and pretense, just honest intentions. I could go on and on about how much I love this record, but suffice it to say, this is one of the records that got me through a year that was pretty rough in a lot of ways, and I highly recommend you give it a listen.
#1. A Tribe Called Quest: We Got It From Here...
Tribe were my gateway into hip-hop. Their first three albums were such an eye-opening experience for me, I'll never forget the first time I heard the bass-line of "Excursions" coming through my headphones, and the feeling of my soul warming every fiber of my being. Hyperbolic, I know, but what I'm trying to say is Tribe is incredibly important to me, and while I'm too young to have been a fan from the start, I still felt the same disappointment that most people did when the group's fourth and fifth projects came out; those albums were just not up to snuff, and the news that the group was trying to get back together after a decade and a half of infighting did not bode well for this project. Add to that the death of Phife Dawg: the cards were stacked against this LP from the start. But. that old feeling that came over me the first time I heard "Excursions" came rushing back, and I can honestly say that Tribe have put out their best record since Midnight Marauders. Not only that, but they've also managed to put out the best album of 2016. They managed to be both timely and timeless all at the same time. I missed you Tribe, and I'm so happy I got to witness this last hurrah, with Phife in tow.
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