Overall I included artists in my top 10 that I really appreciated the work of the album rather than if I even listened to it that much. Like I definitely listened to Jeffrey more than Oathbreaker, but I have a lot of respect for Rheia. It is so well crafted. Then there's Thrice and Future. One could argue Thrice didn't evolve their sound really, and only one song is "experimental"-ish. I definitely listened to Thrice more than Future, but the production on EVOL is my fav Future sound thus far. It suits his style so much, and was the first release by his where I immediately was attached to it. Where DS2, and Beast Mode were more growers for me.
This is based on what I listened to most: 1. Pinegrove 2. Every Time I Die 3. Hinds 4. Koi child 5. Frank Ocean 6. Thee Oh Sees 7. PUP 8. David Bowie 9. A$AP Mob 10. Cobalt Honorable mentions: Balance and Composure 21 savage Young thug Bon iver Oathbreaker Kvelertak The Weeknd Childish Gambino Gucci Dram Meshuggah Deftones Vince Staples
Alright, I need to stop making changes and overthinking this. I decided not to even look at singles or EPs. Here's my final list accompanied by a Spotify playlist of my top 10 in their entirety. Top 10 1.Touche Amore - Stage Four 2. Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us 3. Tiny Moving Parts - Celebrate 4. Trophy Eyes - Chemical Miracle 5. Every Time I Die - Low Teens 6. White Lung - Paradise 7. Moose Blood - Blush 8. Blink-182 - California 9. Microwave - Much Love 10. From Indian Lakes - Everything Feels Better Now Honorable Mentions (no specific order) Emarosa - 131 Trade Wind - You Make Everything Disappear Black Foxxes - I'm Not Well A Day to Remember - Bad Vibrations Norma Jean - Polar Similar Soasin - Along the Shadow Issues - Headspace Knocked Loose - Laugh Tracks
Something like this is my list for this year. 1) Touche Amore - Stage Four 2) The Hotelier - Goodness 3) Emarosa - 131 4) This Wild Life - Low Tides 5) Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues 6) Butch Walker - Stay Gold 7) Nahko and Medicine for the People - HOKA 8) Grouplove - Enlighten Me 9) Pinegrove - Cardinal 10) American Football - LP2 11) The Holdup - Leaves in the Pool
Saw Bellows/Told Slant earlier this year with the Hotelier and they really sold me. Love both those albums.
1) The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it 2) Bon Iver – 22, A Million 3) Dawn Richard – Blackheart (2015)** 4) Glass Animals – How to Be A Human Being 5) Jon Bellion – The Human Condition 6) Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book 7) Kanye West – The Life of Pablo 8) Gates – Parallel Lives 9) Somos – First Day Back 10) Dance Gavin Dance – Mothership 11) Young Thug – Jeffery 12) Every Time I Die – Low Teens 13) Moose Blood – Blush 14) Yellowcard – Yellowcard 15) Polyphia - Reinassaince 16) Sing Street – Motion Picture Soundtrack 17) Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 18) Jimmy Eat Work – Integrity Blues 19) Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition 20) I See Stars - Treehouse **Not released this year, but one of the best albums I've listened to this year, and needed to be included in my list Favorite Songs from Albums Not on List Above Childish Gambino - Redbone Pierce the Veil - Texas is Forever Cardiknox - On My way Blackbear - Something Real Chain Gang of 1974 - I Still wonder James Blake - I Need A Forest Fire Issues - Lost n Found Tiny Moving Parts - Happy Birthday Drake - Fake Love Bruno Mars - 24k Magic Bruno Mars - Versace On the Floor Dawn Richard - Not Above That Skepta - Shutdown Blood Orange - Best to You Crying - There Was a Door How to Dress Well - What’s Up Sleigh Bells - Crucible
I didn't listen to too many albums this year so here's my top 3. 1. Malibu - Anderson Paak 2. Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper 3. Sea of Noise - St Paul and the Broken Bones The 1975 and Bon Iver would probably make up 4 and 5 and could probably be interchangeable with Sea of Noise
I just put albums and eps in one list. 1. Touché Amore - Stage Four 2. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 3. Bonzai - Sleepy Hungry / Lunacy 4. Christine And The Queens - Chaleur Humaine 5. Nicolas Jaar - Sirens 6. Billie Marten - Writings Of Blues And Yellows 7. Frank Ocean - Blonde 8. Margaret Glaspy - Emotions And Math 9. YG - Still Brazy 10. Daughter - Not To Disappear 11. Russian Circles - Guidance 12. Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book 13. An Autumn For Crippled Children - Eternal 14. Lapsley - Long Way Home 15. Balance & Composure - Light We Made 16. Leon Vynehall - Rojus 17. Oathbreaker - Rheia 18. Francis And The Lights - Farewell, Stalite! 19. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition 20. Skepta - Konnichiwa 21. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful, Yet So Unaware Of It 22. Kiiara - Low Kii Savage 23. The Weeknd - Starboy 24. Jeff Rosenstock - Worry 25. The Body & Full Of Hell - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache 26. Anderson.Paak - Malibu 27. Vince Staples - Prima Donna 28. Pallbearer- Fear & Fury 29. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 30. NxWorries - Yes Lawd! 31. Tombs - All Empires Fall 32. Juliana Barwick - Will 33. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness 34. Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch 35. Liss - First 36. Trna - Lose Yourself To Find Peace 37. Shura - Nothings Real 38. James Blake - The Colour In Anything 39. Miniature Tigers - I Dreamt I Was A Cowboy 40. Alcest - Kodak 41. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service 42. Let's Eat Grandma - I, Gemini 43. Gates - Parallel Lives 44. Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being 45. AlunaGeorge - I Remember 46. Ash Borer - The Irrepassable Gate 47. Isaiah Rashad - The Sun's Tirade 48. Burial - Young Death / Nightmarket 49. Rihanna - Anti 50. Andy Scott - Too Many Voices Honourables Aphex Twin - Cheetah A$AP Ferg - Always Strive And Prosper Astronoid - Air Baauer - Aa Classixx - Faraway Reach Clean Cut Kid - We Used To Be In Love David Bowie - Blackstar Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy Of Molten Bones DJDS - Stand Up & Speak Drake - Views Future - EVOL Giggs - Landlord Gucci Mane - Everybody Looking Gucci Mane & Future - Free Bricks 2 Zone 6 Edition Jack Garratt - Phase The Japanese House - Swim Against The Tide Joey Purp - iiiDrops Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues Kaytranada - 99.9% Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered Lone - Levitate Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us Noname - Telefone Old Gray - Slow Burn Rae Sremmurd - Sremmlife 2 Sioux Falls - Rot Forever Solange - A Seat At The Table YG - Red Friday Young Thug - Jeffery
Too many lists leaving off Lemonade. Im sorry is that not by far the best pop album of the year? Also sad ive only seen one dude say David Bazan :(
I feel like I'm always playing catch up, but here's what I dug this year Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues Russian Circles - Guidance Touche Amore - Stage Four Expire - With Regret Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness Jeff Rosenstock - Worry. Bent Life- Never Asked For Heaven Trade Wind - You Make Everything Disappear Gates - Parallel Lives Wander - Mourning (official label release this year) American Football - American Football True Love - Heaven's Too Good For Us If These Tree's Could Talk - The Bones of a Dying World Moose Blood - Blush Tonight Alive - Limitless Basement - Promise Everything
It's not my favorite thing he's ever done, but I still absolutely love it. It sounds so different than anything he's done under the Bazan name. I think if he had come out with it out of nowhere, I might have had a harder time enjoying it, but since he had done the monthly series prior to this, it definitely helped prepare me for it. I can definitely see why fans of Pedro and such his other solo albums wouldn't like it, but the songs are still there. I got to see him perform a bunch of them at a house show on guitar and they kill.
Lemonade has some really high highs, but also a good amount of filler. I think its less the best album of the year and more the best marketing of the year. Surprise release, basically a plot line that demands a "thinkpiece" from every online publication at the time it comes out, and then proceeds to create additional stories later almost entirely removed from the music. Its basically designed to be featured high on every year end list regardless of site focus, it had a massive pop culture impact that will likely be short lived. Self titled was better for sure. I'd rather hear the album that Formation would make sense as a track 2 on, than this one where it has to be like a bonus track.
Idk, I think the distribution of the album keeps it from being the best marketed album of the year. Not putting it on major streaming (and using it as a pull to Tidal) and not really pushing it to radio both feel like pretty big missteps.
6 Inch, Freedom, which aren't bad songs on their own but don't really add to the very overt story that the album is telling. Also I don't like Sandcastles as far as Beyonce ballads go but that's on me. But it was the most talked about album of the year I'd say easily, to me that's a marketing success, and a success for the brand that is Beyonce. Views is one of the best selling albums of the year but its not getting any placement on these year end lists (cause it was forgettable mostly).