2016: The Few Albums I Heard
I'm usually too busy to retracing the footsteps of past bands to listen to a large amount of new music, but in the past month I've crammed a bunch of music from 2016 that I was interested in. Here are my thoughts, ranked: |
| 21 |  | Drake
Views
Rating: 5.5
Why I Listened: Nominated for Album of the Year at Grammys
It's got a few solid standouts, it's extremely one-note and thoroughly uninteresting. With the occasional fun jams or ambitious tracks like the opener, it had potential, but it got too caught up in itself. There are some terrible choruses on here. |
| 20 |  | Panic! At the Disco
Death of a Bachelor
Rating: 5.5
Why: Was listening to their discog.
Despite the solid venture into electro-pop with their previous album, this one sounds exceptionally ugly and poppy at the same time. Nothing is terrible here, but many of the tracks are annoying or bland. "Crazy=Genius" is amazing, and a couple other good slow-burners almost save this one. |
| 19 |  | Frank Ocean
Blonde
Rating: 6.0
Why: Everyone was jizzing in their pants and I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about.
As good as I think "Seigfried" and "White Ferrari" are, the first half of the album is an extremely frustrating listen with an unrelenting slowness and utter lack of engaging music. To me, most of this strikes me as lazy more than creative genius. |
| 18 |  | Lady Gaga
Joanne
Rating: 7.0
Why: Also liked her singles and was intrigued at the direction of this one.
It doesn't exactly succeed in being a soft-rock emotional exploration of her "darker parts," but I'll be damned if I didn't say I enjoy this album. "A-YO" might be annoying as hell, but songs like "John Wayne" and "Perfect Illusion" more than make up for it with good-natured, upbeat swagger throughout. |
| 17 |  | Blink-182
California
Rating: 7.5
Why: My girlfriend is a fan of them.
This one genuinely surprised me. I was never really a fan of their music before, but the musicianship of "Bored to Death" and the maturity of "Home Is Such a Lonely Place" got me into a groove that I genuinely enjoy. |
| 16 |  | Solange
A Seat At The Table
Rating: 7.5
Why: *see Blonde* + she's Beyonce's sister
This is a delightfully pretty album, with lovely atmosphere and a heartfelt warmth emanating throughout. However, the entire affair felt a little too samey for my tastes, and the constant interludes really broke up the album in my eyes, turning a personal message into something a bit too blunt. |
| 15 |  | Chance the Rapper
Coloring Book
Rating: 7.5
Why: Honestly, idk.
I listened to this on a whim and surprisingly enjoyed it. "No Problem" is the jam of all jams, and even if the other songs can't reach that quality, there's a wide berth of varied instrumentation and beats for the ADD in me to pick from. |
| 14 |  | M83
Junk
Rating: 7.5
Why: I've been a fan for a while.
This one was a bit disappointing for me. I can't deny my love for "Do It, Try It" and "Solitude," but a great many of these tracks suffer from style over substance. And when you're talented to make masterpieces like "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" and "Saturdays=Youth," we come to expect more from you. |
| 13 |  | PJ Harvey
The Hope Six Demolition Project
Rating: 7.5
Why: Nominated for Best Alternative Album at Grammys
I've never heard any of Harvey's work before (aside from some Desert Sessions), and greatly enjoyed her work on here. While some of the tracks were just too repetitive or samey for me, a great many more surpassed expectation. I just wish there was something on here to knock one's socks off. |
| 12 |  | Bon Iver
22, A Million
Rating: 8.0
Why: Nominated for Best Alternative Album (+ Sowing tbh)
Definitely a strange beast, but once I got past the annoying as hell chipmunk vocals, I found some very arresting folk music here. There are some lovely melodies, freaky surprises, and a lot to like here. Looking forward to checking out the rest of their stuff. |
| 11 |  | Metallica
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
Rating: 8.0
Why: Been a fan.
Being a fan of Metallica's more experimental and melodic work than their thrash albums (usually), I was nervous about this one. But while the work is a bit too one-note as a whole, there's a lot to love from fans of both new and old, even if I wish there was something as out there as "Unforgiven III" on here. |
| 10 |  | Iggy Pop
Post Pop Depression
Rating: 8.0
Why: Nominated for Best Alternative Album + Josh Homme
Some killer tracks coupled with some solid variety, and plenty of Josh Homme to go around, I don't think I'd be very disappointed if this was secretly the 7th Queens of the Stone Age album. |
| 9 |  | Green Day
Revolution Radio
Rating: 8.5
Why *see California*
While I might not have much love for Green Day's punk days, this one effectively blends both their old and new sounds to create a varied, expansive, and fun album, even if it didn't go quite as far as it could've in hindsight. |
| 8 |  | Leonard Cohen
You Want It Darker
Rating: 8.5
Why: R.I.P.
Though nothing on here can top the beautiful eeriness of the title track, there is no song on here that is less than great. A great introduction to me of the great songwriting of musicianship of one of the great singer/songwriters of our time. I hope to look more into him in the near future. |
| 7 |  | Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool
Rating: 8.5
Why: Nominated for Best Alternative Album
While I understand Radiohead to be a generally far more challenging band than on this album, I can't deny that this was a great first for me. Sonically deep and atmospherically thick, this was a great collection of chill tunes and just lovely music in general. |
| 6 |  | Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide To Earth
Rating: 8.5
Why: Nominated for Best Album + "Alternative Country" just sounds rad.
Certainly one of the more unexpected albums of there year, the first track definitely cements it as both a very strange record and one deserving of more than simple curiosity. The pulse-pounding finale "Call to Arms" is one of the best songs of the year, and the album is really just a treat for anyone looking for a little more horns, strings, and less safety to their country music. |
| 5 |  | Beyonce
Lemonade
Rating: 8.5
Why: Nominated for Best Album
I'd been interested in this one ever since the Dixie Chicks played a cover of "Daddy Lessons" when I saw them live. Could that really have been a Beyonce song? Yes, and the rest of the album is just as surprising. Thick with art, culture, and both personal and universal statements, to say that "Lemonade" was a surprise to me is an understatement. |
| 4 |  | Regina Spektor
Remember Us To Life
Rating: 8.5
Why: Love me some Spektor
Leave it to Regina to release an album both completely satisfying and important to the world today. The record is both upbeat and sweet, but also dark and scathing at times. All in all, it's a balancing act she manages perfectly, and this is easily one of her best albums yet. |
| 3 |  | Avenged Sevenfold
The Stage
Rating: 9.0
Why: I'm a total fanboy.
Speaking of satisfying, A7X appealed to their fans and impressed nonbelievers alike by creating an ideal combination of progressive experimentation and a return to their heavier roots. In the end, most were pleased, some were still annoyed, and I thought it was the third best album of 2016. |
| 2 |  | David Bowie
Blackstar
Rating: 9.0
Why: R.I.P. + Critics were very adamant that everyone listen to it.
It took me much longer than it should've to listen to this, but when I did, it tore me to shreds. While "Lazarus" might be the best track off of here, the rest are all almost equally monumental. This is objectively the best album of the year, a very moving portrait of a man's mortality, and if there were a "required listening" list for 2016, this would be on the top of it. |
| 1 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
Rating: 9.5
Why: Metascore of 95.
This one took me a lot longer to fully appreciate than most of the albums on this list, but when I did it was almost like a spiritual awakening. "Jesus Alone" is the most immediately arresting song on here, but "I Need You" best exemplifies the emotional torment and musical genius that the album has to offer. This album is both painful and evokes growth of the soul. |
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