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goodmusicrevue · 7 years

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It’s the Year End in Music of 2016

Musically speaking, 2016 was weird. If you asked me in December 2015 how many upcoming releases I was excited to hear this year, I would have said “a shit ton” or “there’s so many I can’t recall, so let’s say all of them.” I had great expectations this year, but so many artists I love made albums that ended up being just alright, or too long (Did Drake, Kanye, and Frank all really have to release messy albums with 17+ songs? Narrow it down ffs.) Radiohead, Bowie, Nick Cave, and a bunch of others made great records, but none of them really blew me away.

For the first time in years the albums that blew my mind were the ones I never saw coming. If you asked me last year how many of the records in this year’s top 10 list I was excited for I might have said 2. At this point I thought my taste was predictable. Guess it isn’t. Weird.

The 10 Best Albums of the Year

10. Whitney - Light Upon the Lake (Because if it didn’t have those amazing horn sections it would just be a pretty good album, but they did, so it’s an amazing album.)

9. The Range - Potential (Because James Hinton set out to make an album where he’d only sample undiscovered talent on YouTube and it turned out really well. The beats are dope.)

8. Angel Olsen - My Woman (Because it’s her most accessible album and made me realize I didn’t give her enough credit on her last ones.)

7. Francis and The Lights - Farewell, Starlite! (Because Yeezy taught me. I know about this record because of a Kanye tweet. That’s a harsh reality. But sometimes Kanye is right about things, like this weird white guy R&B/pop record.)

6. Dawes - We’re All Gonna Die (Because these guys make excellent feel good Americana.)

5. White Denim - Stiff (Because they make Southern rock that sounds like it was made on acid and that’s why they’re my favourite rock band making music today.)

4. Kaytranada - 99.9% (Because it’s a front-to-back pack of matches with some of the best production and collaborations I heard this year.)

3. Young Thug - Jeffery (Because my two mates Marko and Munny know what’s up and showed me the way. This album surprised me more than anything else this year. During the first listen I had no idea what I was listening to, or why I was listening to it. Cut to 20 listens later when it became my go-to record for just about setting. I was blind but now I see! Young Thug is a huge lej.)

2. Leon Vynehall - Rojus (Designed to Dance) (Because when so many DJs are putting out singles this guy makes a concept house album that sounds meticulously polished and beautifully sequenced. The instrumentation on this thing is mind blowing and every time I listen to it I want to know what’s happening and how. Give it a chance. It’s something else.)

1. Anderson .Paak - Malibu (Because 2016 was the year of Anderson .Paak. He was everywhere and all his praise is necessary. No one seems as genuinely happy making hip hop (or any type of music) right now than this guy. He raps, he sings, he drums, he wears crazy clothes, and he appears to have an endless arsenal of projects on the go. The first time I heard Malibu back in January I knew it would be hard for another record to reach this kind of greatness. Well, in the face of releases from all the behemoths of music and some of my favourite artists, he still reigns supreme. I can’t wait for whatever this guy does next.)

The 10 Best Songs of the Year

10. Ada - You and Me

9. SBTRKT - Good Morning (feat. The-Dream)

8. Kevin Morby - I Have Been to the Mountain

7. Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. I

6. Local Natives - Past Lives

5. Leon Vynehall - Kiburu's

4. Nite-Funk - Let Me Be Me

3. Classixx - Whatever I Want (feat. T-Pain)

2. James Blake - Modern Soul

1. Anderson .Paak - The Waters (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid)

20 Other Songs I Loved

David Bowie - 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore

Chance the Rapper - No Problem (feat. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne)

Dawes - We’re All Gonna Die

D.D Dumbo - Walrus

D.R.A.M. - Cash Machine

Drake - Views

Floating Points - For Marmish Pt. II

Francis and the Lights - Friends (feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West)

Alex Frankel - Get Back

Kaytranada - Lite Spots

Lambchop - The Hustle

M83 - Walkaway Blues

Niki & the Dove - Ode to Dance Floor

Angel Olsen - Sister

The Range - Florida

Rihanna - Work

SURVIVE - Stranger Things

Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop This Feeling

White Denim - Holda You (I'm Psycho)

Young Thug & Travis Scott - Pick Up the Phone (feat. Quavo)

A Few Good Records That Were Almost Great

James Blake - The Colour in Anything

Classixx - Faraway Reach

Niki & the Dove - Everybody’s Heart Now is Broken

A Few Great EPs

Floating Points - Kuiper

Alex Frankel - Negative Space

Nite-Funk - Nite-Funk

Best Compilation

DJ Koze - Pampa Records Vol. I

Best Non-2016 Discoveries

Aidan Knight - Small Reveal

Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge - Link Up/Suede EP

Cass McCombs - Big Wheel & Others

Prince - Prince

The 5 Best Shows of the Year

5. James Blake - Massey Hall (10/07)

4. CHIC - Molson Amphitheatre (07/13)

3. Drake - OVO Fest (08/01)

2. Sturgill Simpson - Danforth Music Hall (08/07)

1. LCD Soundsystem - Wayhome (07/22) (Obvs)

#music #bestof2016

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