The Top 10 Albums of 2016
It may be surprising to those who spent the year engrossed in elections, celebrity deaths, and Harambe memes, but 2016 is ending. In a year where politics and cultural debates lurked around every corner, the music of the year framed these issues in ways we could understand them, while also providing us an escape from them. January seems like an eternity ago, so let’s think back to what the world looked like before any of us knew who Ken Bone was.
By the time the ball dropped on New Years Eve, the world was leaving an eventful 2015 that saw releases from giants such as Drake, Chris Stapleton, and Kendrick Lamar, as well as indie darlings Sufjan Stevens, Father John Misty, and Mac DeMarco. January 1st seemed like an exhalation at that point. Little did we know, 2016 would double that feeling. This list is a way to recap the year in music we had, and to help give someone a new album or two to listen to. So without further ado, here are the top 10 albums of 2016:
10. Blood Orange — Freetown Sound
In a year where elections, police shootings, and the Black Lives Matter movement dominated headlines, many of us were forced to face realities about race in America. This of course is not the space to discuss them, but it’s safe to say that 99% of Americans found themselves discussing Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, or Donald Trump at some point. While these conversations were never fun, or easy, or any of the things we would like them to be, Dev Hynes’ third album as Blood Orange said everything that we needed to hear, with 100% less unnecessary rhetoric. Musically, it proves to be a perfect blend of R&B, funk, baroque pop, and many of the sounds that have characterized the last half decade of music in America. Songs like “Augustine” and “E.V.P” were heard on countless college radio stations, while also populating many year-end lists. However, the most important song on the album is “But You”, a three minute declaration of self-love, a topic that became important in a year where no one quite knew what was going on. By mixing these sounds with samples from those such as Ta-Nehisi Coates and Vince Staples, Blood Orange gave us one of the grooviest, most thoughtful albums of 2016.
9. YG — Still Brazy
After the release of 2014’s My Krazy Life, we knew a few things about Compton rapper YG. For one, he found mainstream success by committing to a formula, in his case the ratchet sound made by West Coast producers such as DJ Mustard. We also knew of his loyalty to Los Angeles street life, as evidenced by his tales of gang violence and interactions with police. What we didn’t know was that his sophomore album, Still Brazy, would be birthed a year after he was shot in the hip in a California recording studio. His story is recounted in “Who Shot Me?”, when YG goes down the list of potential gunmen, while accepting that it was someone whom he trusted. This song, along with the Drake-featuring “Why You Always Hatin?” and “Twist My Fingaz” brought G-Funk and West Coast rap back to the forefront of the conversation in 2016, even without the help of longtime collaborator DJ Mustard. YG ends the album with a trio of politics-driven songs, the infamous “FDT”, “Blacks & Browns”, and “Police Get Away wit Murder”. As with the previous album on this list, YG finds that sometimes the best albums find the perfect middle ground between political statements and a straight-up good time.
8. Kendrick Lamar — untitled unmastered.
If you were to ask 100 people what their favorite album of 2015 was, you would get a variety of answers. However, if Vegas were to put odds on what album got the most votes, it would be wise to put your money on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. It generated the kind of buzz not seen since Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, or Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which came out five years before Lamar’s magnum opus. That makes it all the more surprising, that when Lamar released untitled unmastered., a loose collection of B-sides from the Butterfly sessions, many people found themselves asking “Is this better than Butterfly?” untitled unmastered. sees some of the most focused rapping of Lamar’s career, backed by Terrace Martin, Sounwave, and many of the producers that have helped Lamar along his meteoric rise. The album works more cohesively than many popular rap albums, and no track exemplifies this better than “untitled 07 | 2014–2016”, which sees Lamar splicing jazz rap interludes in between several of his verses, almost as if John Coltrane met Jay-Z.
7. Anderson .Paak — Malibu
Of all the names on this list, some were megastars coming into 2016 (Kendrick Lamar), some were industry mainstays looking for a break (YG), and others were indie artists with small, but devoted followings (Blood Orange). The one artist who doesn’t fit any of these descriptions is Anderson .Paak, who came out of nowhere to become the breakout star of 2016. Some may remember him from Dr. Dre’s Compton, which was released last year, but on Malibu we get our first look at the budding star from Oxnard, California. From the outset of the album, .Paak finds himself floating between R&B, hip hop, and arguably his bread and butter, neo-soul tracks. “Come Down” in particular proves to be a standout track, as .Paak steps away from guest features (Schoolboy Q, The Game, and BJ the Chicago Kid) for a minute to showcase his voice alongside smooth melodies and choruses that make listeners want to shout along. It comes as no surprise that because of this album, and his collaborative project Yes Lawd! with producer Knwledge, Anderson .Paak is a name to watch out for in 2017.
6. Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool
In case the first few entries on this list had you worrying for the state of rock music in 2016, have no fear. Several bands released projects over the course of the year to prove the genre is alive and well, led by British alternative rock band Radiohead. As is typical with 21st century Radiohead records, fans went into the listening experience not knowing what to expect, considering the diversity of the band’s work. Their questions were answered by guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who arranged the strings and choral vocals on the album, which were performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra. Greenwood and singer Thom Yorke create an atmosphere in which songs aren’t just good, but are also important. There’s a reason fans waited for five years just to experience something like the paranoia of “Burn the Witch”, or the beautiful spaciness of “Daydreaming”. Of course, the elephant in the room is the first studio version of “True Love Waits”, a favorite among Radiohead fans. While some prefer the triumphant version of years past, the rendition on A Moon Shaped Pool is subdued, beset by real life heartbreak (Thom Yorke recently separated from his longtime partner). After every Radiohead project, fans wonder if it will be the last time they hear from the rock legends, and if such is the case this time, what a way to go out it would be.
5. Bon Iver — 22, A Million
Since the world was introduced to Bon Iver eight years ago with For Emma, Forever Ago, it’s been easy to paint Justin Vernon and the rest of his ensemble into a box. He was a reclusive genius, hiding away in a Wisconsin cabin on For Emma, or the baroque pop singer screaming from a mountaintop on 2011’s self-titled album. That iswhy the initial reaction to 22, A Million was shock, as Vernon traded in the piano and guitar for synths and vocoders. Just because the Grammy winner began dipping his feet in folktronica doesn’t mean the essence of Bon Iver has been thrown out, however. Songs like “22 (Over Soon)” and “33 ‘God’” take tried and true Bon Iver formulas, near-indecipherable songwriting and country/folk samples, and apply them to the electronic genre. That doesn’t mean that longtime Bon Iver fans won’t find songs fitting to their tastes though, as “#29 Strafford Apts” finds Vernon breaking out his guitar for a folk jam, like old times. It almost comes across as an inside joke though, as the song ends with purposeful distortions, a sly wink to those who were worried about him losing sight of his artistic vision on 22, A Million.
4. Chance the Rapper — Coloring Book
If I were to throw out this column and instead choose to write about who “won” 2016, there’s no doubt Chance the Rapper would be at the top of the list. If you were scoring at home, he proved the viability of independent artists by finding ways to reach mass audiences on the radio and at home, he ended the Grammys’ archaic practice of shunning albums released solely on streaming formats, and to top it off, he released Coloring Book, a reflection of everything he has worked for in his career. If 2013’s Acid Rap was Chance realizing his place among the bigwigs in rap, Coloring Book finds him looking down on the industry from a better place. One of the first things listeners notice upon playing the album was the role God played in Chance’s music. Songs like “Blessings”, “How Great”, and the incredible “Finish Line / Drown” (T-Pain feature alert!) showcase Chance embracing the gospel sound, but also giving the floor to talented friends, such as Jay Electronica, Noname, and Eryn Allen Kane. No one may have predicted it coming into 2016, but Chance the Rapper created an album that even the most ardent of atheists could find themselves getting up and dancing to.
3. Frank Ocean — Blonde
After nearly five years of waiting, and all the anxiety, wondering whether if it was ever going to happen, Frank Ocean finally released his followup to 2012’s classic, Channel Orange. In between the two projects, we saw two elections, the rise and fall of countless artists, and a handful of Ocean’s demos released on tumblr., but Blonde proved the wait was worth it. As the album begins with Ocean’s vocals pitched up to a chipmunk level on “Nikes”, no one was quite sure what to expect. But when Ocean’s unforgettable voice appeared midway through the song, we were reminded of a few things. For one, no one in music sounds like Frank Ocean. Also, possibly no one in the mainstream music scene is as consistently funny as Ocean, who casually slides inside jokes with his fans into his lyrics. Most importantly, something many forgot, was that Ocean is a shockingly talented rapper. On standout tracks like “Solo” and “Futura Free”, Ocean effortlessly moves between his newfound affinity for rapping and Odd Future-era crooning, as he hits every note perfectly. There’s no telling what Ocean will do next, but for our sakes, let’s hope we don’t have to wait another four years to find out.
2. Kanye West — The Life of Pablo
Alright, confession time. Up to this point, I feel like I’ve done a decent job remaining impartial while writing this. With that being said, I am unapologetically the biggest Kanye West fan and defender I know. He could release an album of an hour of silence, and I would put it at #6 on this list. So to be fair, let’s point out the flaws in The Life of Pablo. The album release was an absolute mess. Much of the album, such as interludes “I Love Kanye” and “Siiiiiiilver Surfffffeeeeeer Intermission” seem unnecessary to the narrative. Furthermore, the constant tinkering with the album and its ensuing tour contributed to West’s recent mental breakdown.
But even with those imperfections, The Life of Pablo is an incredible album. “Ultralight Beam” is the best song of 2016, and Kanye is barely even featured on it. Like with past albums, one of West’s greatest strengths remains his ability to lift guests to their greatest heights. On “Ultralight Beam”, West allows fellow Chicago-born artist Chance the Rapper to rap the best verse of his career. Elsewhere, Rihanna breathes life into the chorus of the now infamous “Famous”, Kid Cudi exudes a rare happiness on “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1”, and even Young Thug drops in for a visit on “Highlights”. However, the best trio of songs on Pablo is the saddest three-song stretch on any of West’s albums, as “FML”, “Real Friends”, and “Wolves” hit the listener like a ton of bricks in hindsight, considering how the last month of West’s life has unfolded.
1. Sturgill Simpson — A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
In the past three years, no artist has seen a more meaningful, rapid rise than Sturgill Simpson. After the release of 2013’s High Top Mountain, Simpson was hailed as the savior of “real” country music, a label that he was never comfortable with. On 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, a cheeky allusion to Ray Charles’ classic album, Simpson openly pondered whether marijuana, LSD, and mushrooms could lead him to the same endpoint as God. Though Metamodern Sounds took Simpson to heights he had never reached, many fans wondered whether his next project would give him the opportunity to bring his sound to the mainstream. And at the height of his career, Simpson threw a curveball at the world, instead choosing to release a concept record, as A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is essentially a 39-minute letter to Simpson’s newborn son.
With that being said, something happened along the way. The album blew up in country and indie circles, and Simpson has since become one of the fastest rising stars in music. He played the album’s lead single “Brace for Impact (Live a Little)” on the late night circuit, and a new audience was introduced to him. He then played at Bonnaroo in June, where the his cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” proved to be a hit. And it would be foolish to not mention the album’s best songs, “Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)”, and “Call to Arms”. The former begins with a slow buildup accompanied by gorgeous strings, before eventually breaking out into a wonderful blend of country, indie rock, and R&B. The latter track proved to be the best protest song of 2016, as Simpson, a former sailor in the Navy, shouts out his qualms with wars in the Middle East and the consumerist culture of 21st century America. Simpson’s year was capped off two weeks ago by his Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, where he will be going up against Adele, Beyoncé, and Drake. The competition is stiff, but as the past three years have shown, Simpson is capable of anything at this point.
