Thread for all 2016 albums of the year lists

he's a lot of things -less

you'll never know what he'll say next. "he said WHAT?!" "yeah, you heard me" folds arms

Nice to see Erlewine's influence on the Spin list pushing Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert into the top 50. Two of my favorites.

Also nice to finally see the Cymbals Eat Guitars album make a list. Probably not going to get the ilm crowd excited, but essentially a little messier version of the same 80s rock inspired album Spoon did on their last album.

Thanks for posting the mixmag list!

what is this babyfather cover art?

I've been so torn on that Tignor album that's topping the Texture list all year. Its really beautiful but seems almost too easy. Like that, the Eluvium and the Ben Lukas Boyson are all so gorgeous but so effortless that it seems... suspicious? I like them all on a purely visceral level, but every time I sit down with them, it feels almost tropey

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, December 13, 2016 10:27 AM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agreed. Scandanavian Murder Mysteries was said upthread for Boyson, I feel like I am hearing the scores to all of the fantasy movies I watched when I was young in the Tignor.

I had a music teacher ruin Max Richter for me because he said the compositions were very obvious

Easily predictable, common.

not enough Jamila Woods on these lists

Nice to see Erlewine's influence on the Spin list pushing Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert into the top 50. Two of my favorites.

― Indexed, Tuesday, December 13, 2016 1:28 PM

SPIN's been covering country for years, though.

from p4k list "After seven LPs, Rihanna finally made a great album, rather than a collection of zeitgeist-dominating bangers surrounded by filler. " did i miss something? i thought everybody felt that anti was the same patchy thing as all the others

― I've read Ta-nehisi Coates. (marcos)

Obviously they're forgetting that Rated R exists.

SPIN singles: http://www.spin.com/featured/the-101-best-songs-of-2016/

"Here is the complete list from The Wire:"

well it's kind of a relief that the wire has just decided to like the records everybody else likes instead of holding out on this notion of "avant garde" consisting mainly of 70-something europeans.

"Releasing a nearly eight-minute track as a single is a bit like publishing 8,000 words on the internet and expecting everyone to read it start to finish."

emma i'm sorry nobody reads your thinkpieces but complaining about it in a blurb for an angel olsen song seems... performative.

there is not nearly enough going on in that angel olsen song for it to be compared to 8,000 words

i mean, the space is why it's good

"The final crescendo is as satisfying as a good shit."

ah

someone's aggregating these this year, right? any chance we can get an update?

12. Dele Sosimi & Afrobeat Orchestra - Too Much Information (Laolu Remix)

FWIW this is brilliant.

hell yeah it is

― who is extreme

yeah this struck me as the best thing on the Mixmag list - the Koze remix and 'The Frontier' also nice tho

SPIN's been covering country for years, though.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, December 13, 2016 1:19 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

True, but I thought last year's list was especially indie-rock heavy? I only remember Kacey Musgraves making their list. Maybe it was just the year.

The album cover transition from 38 to 37 on Spin's list of songs makes a good mini-narrative.

interesting how the Suede record received great reviews but is afaict not showing on many lists

I liked in February, forgot about it, loved it in November. It's on mine.

well it's kind of a relief that the wire has just decided to like the records everybody else likes instead of holding out on this notion of "avant garde" consisting mainly of 70-something europeans.

When did The Wire do this, really? Even looking at these, Robert Wyatt is the only person who could come close to fitting that description.

Unless you're being sarcastic, in which case, yeah, I'd like to see someone still rep for the proper European avant-garde as well.

interesting how the Suede record received great reviews but is afaict not showing on many lists
― niels, Tuesday, December 13, 2016 9:09 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I liked in February, forgot about it, loved it in November. It's on mine.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, December 13, 2016 9:12 PM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's one of my most listened to records this year. I liked Bloodsports just fine, but Night Thoughts was their best album in years.

As I've done in the last few years, I've made a Spotify playlist that aggregates a bunch of best-songs lists (Pitchfork, Spin, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, Entertainment Weekly, Paste, Consequence of Sound, PopMatters, Time, NPR, Vulture, etc.). Currently at about 450 songs. More to come?

https://open.spotify.com/user/seaworthyset/playlist/6H2kytqHfA8bTFNOUPjm9x

Night Thoughts is in my top 50 if not quite 25. 'I Don't Know How To Reach You' might be in my top 5 tracks though

12. Dele Sosimi & Afrobeat Orchestra - Too Much Information (Laolu Remix)

FWIW this is brilliant.

hell yeah it is

― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Tuesday, December 13, 2016 4:06 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yup

That 12" was actually from 2015. The dub album was this year, which is on my list. I can't find that Too Much Information in lossless anywhere, it's not on Bandcamp nor Boomkat. Any ideas?

https://delesosimi.bandcamp.com/album/you-no-fit-touch-am-in-dub-feat-prince-fatty-nostalgia-77

It's the big one you guys...

Ultimate Classic Rock - Best Albums of 2016
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2016-best-rock-albums/

20. Eric Clapton, 'I Still Do'
19. Graham Nash, 'This Path Tonight'
18. Steven Tyler, 'We're All Somebody From Somewhere'
17. Neil Young & Promise of the Real, 'Earth'
16. Bob Weir, 'Blue Mountain'
15. Bonnie Raitt, 'Dig in Deep'
14. Jeff Beck, 'Loud Hailer'
13. Neil Young, 'Peace Trail'
12. Sting, '57th & 9th'
11. Elton John, 'Wonderful Crazy Night'

10. Bob Dylan, 'Fallen Angels'
9. The Monkees, 'Good Times!'
8. Iggy Pop, 'Post Pop Depression'
7. Mudcrutch, '2'
6. Green Day, 'Revolution Radio'
5. Metallica, 'Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct'
4. Leonard Cohen, 'You Want It Darker'
3. The Rolling Stones, 'Blue & Lonesome'
2. Paul Simon, 'Stranger to Stranger'
1. David Bowie, 'Blackstar'

inclusion of bonnie raitt is some pc gone mad shit though

who even knew all these geezers even put out new albums this year

Blackstar seems like a risqué #1 choice for 'Classic rock'. Kudos.

in ten years they'll have nothing left but green day records

the Bonnie Raitt album is wonderful, guys, jeez

was gonna say

I was all 'who are these Mudcrutch kids' compared to the rest of the list, then looked them up.

Was just poking fun at the daring inclusion of a female, relax

:)

also Mordy otm, I had no idea 75% of thee records existed

peace trail is a very weird record

That Jeff Beck album is worth hearing; it's a collaboration with a female guitarist and singer who work together as Bones, and it's loud and ugly like a latter-day Cult record. I've never been a Beck fan, but this one's worth a stream at least.

I like Jeff Beck a lot, including recent stuff, but I didn't get around to Loud Hailer yet. It's definitely on my list.

The average age of the artists in that Ultimate Classic Rock is a spritely 65.6. And that's only because the baby-faced Gen-Xers in Green Day (all 44) bring the average down. Otherwise it would be 68, including the young 52-54 yo upstarts in Metallica. It's understandable that baby boomers might be uncomfortable becoming fans of bands young enough to be their grandchildren, and it's cool that so many artists are remaining active into retirement age. But still, that list is kinda nuts.

The Textura list upthread is fascinating if only because I do not know a single album in there (except for the Carl Stone compilation and that's one of the most esoteric albums in my collection. Shing Kee 1986 is mindblowing btw).

Anyone recognize at least one album from there? Anything worth listening?

Also looking at their lists from previous years and whoa I know only two albums at most. The mixes/reissues/compilations I can identify half of the list but the yearly ones seem chosen by someone who lives in a cave (in a good way).

Would love to see them (him? her?) give a decade list a try. Would love to see their top 50 albums for every decade if they follow the same sort of offbeat selection.

agreed Textura is one of the more interesting ones of these we've seen. i don't know much from it, though i do know Halvorson, Hammock, Causa Sui and Johanna Warren. lots of good stuff to dig into, yes.

Moka, if you're intrigued by that one, be sure to click on the Anti-Gravity Bunny list, too. unless you're a drone wizard, there'll be plenty to discover there, too, i'd imagine

Textura is always really good - I've heard a few of these (the Tignor, bvdub, Hammock, James Murray, Anne Garner, Hedvig Mollestad Trio - all excellent), and I know some of the other artists' earlier work but there's still a lot of totally unknown material to dive into. The music that Textura usually covers falls roughly within the triangle of modern/minimalist classical, experimental jazz and electronic/ambient.

https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/listomania/fifty-best-albums-2016

So it is still possible for a relatively 'generalist' publication to produce a more interesting list. Some of the usual suspects appear, but lots of interest in the lower reaches.

Top 10: Jenny Hval, Danny Brown, Anna Meredith, Mitski, Bon Iver, Chance The Rapper, Shura, Skepta, The Radio Dept., ATCQ.

I love how that Classic Rock list begins "it was a great year for classic rock (except for everyone dying)..."

"Tom Petty's other band, Mudcrutch..."

Ah, thanks for the Textura list. That's the kind of thing I was looking for. Based in Peterborough!