This year in music had some low lows and some high highs. So many great musicians left us: Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Guy Clark, Merle Haggard to name a few. So many great new albums came into the world. This list is to celebrate the latter. In tabulating my list, contrary to my other data-obsessive tendencies, I employ no scientific process nor rigorous criteria. It’s a qualitative list built from a year of listening and a couple weeks of condensing, down to the ten albums I liked the most. Without any further rambling, here are my top ten albums of 2016.
The Last Four Out
These are the last four albums to get cut from the final ten, to borrow a March Madness metaphor. They had their moments and are worth mentioning.
Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam — I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
The opening track, A 1000 Times, had me from the first bar. Also worth a listen: In A Black Out and Sick As A Dog.
David Bowie—Blackstar
There was an ominous simplicity to the album cover when it came out, and then a few days later we got the news. A brilliant send off that, admittedly, I had a harder and harder time going back to as the year went on because it was so heavy. My favorite track: Lazarus.
Wilco — Schmilco
I have a theory that the opening track of every Wilco album is Jeff Tweedy’s message to his fans. Normal American Kids feels like he’s chaffing against the mainstreaming and broad acceptance of Wilco as a Great American Band. The incongruities of the record made it hard to get into initially, and as such, I never came all the way around to it. Their Take Away Show was great, as you would expect. Also try: Locator, Common Sense, If I Ever Was A Child.
Flock of Dimes — If You See Me, Say Yes
I saw Flock of Dimes open for Sylvan Esso a year or so ago and I remember thinking, “is that Jenn Wasner from Wye Oak?” during her set. Turns out it was. Also turns out that this is the album Wye Oak should have made this year: melodic, electronic, hooky. Worth a listen: Everything Is Happening Today and Semaphore.
The Top Ten
10. Lucy Dacus — No Burden
A voice beyond her age. Great guitars. Straightforward and honest. There was a rush on solo female albums this summer, and to me, this was by far the best of the bunch. Every time one of the songs came up in a shuffle I found myself wanting to hear more. Worth a listen: I Don’t Want To Be Funny Anymore, Green Eyes, Red Face, Map On A Wall.
9. Bon Iver — 22, A Million
I really struggled with this album. The garbled song titles, the press conferences, the Machine Metal Music-ness of Track 2. So many people I respected liked it, and I am a long-time fan of just about everything Justin Vernon has done, so I stuck with it and tried a number of ways to get inside the songs. I even reordered the tracks by its numerology. I always felt that the songs were meant to be played live so when NPR posted a concert video, I watched. While not all of it translated, seeing him play the songs made them feel so much more accessible. Working for me: Over Soon, Stratford Apts, Creeks, 00000 Million.
8. Leonard Cohen — You Want It Darker
Prescient in more than one way, this album hit me like a lead piano falling from a third floor apartment. There may not have been a better line written in 2016 than “You want it darker, We kill the flame.” The entire record is a typical Leonard Cohen lyrical tour de force the he undoubtedly spent years perfecting as his final salvo. Prime examples: If I Didn’t Have Your Love, You Want It Darker, Steer Your Way.
7. Laura Gibson — Empire Builder
The video for Empire Builder, which is shot out of the window of a train traveling East from the Northwest. That, combined with the lyrics that feel like a love song I should have written for where I grew up, make me nostalgic for home every time I hear it. This album is more than just that song. It is a stack of great songs sung by one of the most effortless voices in music. Best cuts: Empire Builder, Damn Sure, The Cause.
6. Frank Ocean — Blonde
Hype is usually a sign for me to steer clear of an album. I side-stepped that rule on this one and give it a few spins. And I am glad I did. Great song craft and a mostly stripped down and bare presentation of the songs. While other albums were more difficult to get into, this one opened the door and welcomed me in. Highlights: White Ferrari, Solo, Nikes.
5. Kevin Morby — Singing Saw
In the course of about 3 hours, several friends, all in different places and unrelated, recommended this one. They are clearly tuned into my taste algorithm. There’s a slow burn simplicity to each song that found its way into my ear and built a home. This album also has some of my favorite guitar tones of the year, even though it’s not a loud raucous album. Try: I Have Been To The Mountain, Dorothy, Singing Saw.
4. Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool
I caught my first Radiohead show this year when they came to Austin. It was everything I thought and hoped it would be. I am still amazed at out how diverse the sounds are from song to song. Hearing them play songs from this album in context of their entire repertoire really sealed the sturdiness and completeness of this record. Listen to: Daydreaming, True Love Waits, Burn The Witch.
3. Car Seat Headrest — Teens Of Denial
Each song on this record felt like 5 songs waiting to be unpacked with each listen. That depth made each listen feel like it was as fresh as the first listen. I was a big fan of Teens Of Style from last year so I made sure to catch them at SXSW this year. They played a few songs off this album, which was then forthcoming. I love the guitar parts on Vincent, the lyrics on Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, and the song titles in general but especially (Joe Gets Kicked out of School for Using) Drugs with Friends (But Says This Isn’t a Problem). Spend time with: Fill In The Blank, Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, Vincent, The Ballad Of The Costa Concordia.
2. Hiss Golden Messenger — Heart Like A Levee
MC Taylor has been quietly building a brilliant catalogue of songs for a few years now. Heart Like A Levee is next level. It feels as much like a place as any album I’ve heard in a while. I don’t know where that place is, but it’s complicated yet cathartic and content, discovered by years of being away from that place. If there is a theme in the albums I was drawn to this year, it is the way they look adulthood in the eye and try to describe the complexities of it. None did it better for me than this collection of songs. Standouts: Biloxi, Tell Her I’m Just Dancing, Cracked Windshield, Say It Like You Mean It.
1. Beyoncé — Lemonade
This was the most perfect album drop of all time. From the Super Bowl to the Visual Album and everything in between, it was a masterpiece. The record itself is worthy of that kind of rollout. It is one of the rare albums where I love every song. The album is diverse, as evidenced by the wide range of producers and collaborators, rich with storytelling, and catchier than any other Beyoncé record to date. There are probably records I listened to more than this on, but it was in my head more than any other. Listen to: the entire album.
Bonus
Since you made it this far, here’s a playlist of all the songs mentioned above (minus Beyoncé because music business).
Happy 2017!
