Right! Chad, Bruce, JT, Bon Iver...I know I'm getting old because I might actually have to look up the other two...
Let's do a top 40. 1. Bon Iver - 22, A Million This album came out the day before I flew away to Nepal, I remember downloading it in the night while packing my bags, and listening to it pretty much constantly on the plane over there. When I got to Nepal, I settled into a routine of a ~12 hour hike in the day, before stopping for the night. During the night in the lodges, I'd listen to this album, and read a book called IQ84 . I think both of them affected me profoundly, and when I listen to the Bon Iver album now, it instantly brings back the book to mind. The two are instriscally (and probably forever) conjoined in my mind, which I think is a pretty powerful testament to both. Maybe I'm unusual in this regard, but it's pretty rare/basically unheard of for me to listen to an album and love it at first listen. Usually I'll get a vague positive impression and then that'll grow with time and repeated listens. This is a rare exception, where I just absolutely adored it on first listen. It's everything I didn't know I wanted, and it's basically been on constant repeat ever since - I genuinely think I've listened to it every single day since. It's perfect to me. Order of the rest is sketchy, but I like the rest of these albums a lot too. 2. Daughter - Not To Disappear 3. 65daysofstatic - No Man's Sky: Music for an Infinite Universe 4. Friends in America - Be In Love / Don't Die Alone 5. Your Boy Tony Braxton - Adult Contempt 6. ASEUL - New Pop 7. Holy Fuck - Congratulations 8. Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues 9. Muncie Girls - From Caplan to Belsize 10. Saul Williams - MartyrLoserKing 11. Perfume - Cosmic Explorer 12. ANOHNI - Hopelessness 13. The Jezabels - Synthia 14. Kano - Made in The Manor 15. Chance The Rapper - Colouring Book 16. Charles Bradley - Changes 17. Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 18. David Bowie - Blackstar 19. LA BAIE - The Bay 20. 오희정 - Freckles 21. Mono - Requiem for Hell 22. Beyonce - Lemonade 23. Conor Oberst - Ruminations 24. James Blake - The Colour in Anything 25. Gregory Porter - Take Me To The Alley 26. Biffy Clyro - Ellipsis 27. Craig Manning - A Way to Get Back Home 28. 악동뮤지션 - Spring 29. Jeff Rosenstock - Worry 30. Basia Bulat - Good Advice 31. Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+ Evolution 32. FM 84 - Atlas 33. Anousha Shankar - Land of Gold 34. Bombino - Azel 35. Lake Street Dive - Side Pony 36. Skepta - Konnichiwa 37. Pinkshinyultrablast - Grandfeathered 38. Yndi Halda - Under Summer 39. 얼짱 Pistol - Waste 40. The 1975 - Knobhead album title That sounds about right! Big shout out to the new Hailey, It Happens album, which would have made this list if it was released a month sooner! Haven't had the chance to give it a good enough listen yet to accurately place it. Don't have to live and die by these lists, but that's a decent approximation of what I've enjoyed most this year, put in vague order. Anybody needs any RIYLs, or whatever for any of these, give us a shout!
Been keeping track of my list all year, but now I'm revisiting stuff I didn't give much time to or haven't listened to yet. I know my #1 and that's about it
Right now: 1) Pinegrove – Cardinal 2) Jeff Rosenstock – Worry. 3) Joyce Manor – Cody 4) Cymbals Eat Guitars – Pretty Years 5) The Hotelier – Goodness 6) Kanye West – The Life of Pablo 7) PUP – The Dream Is Over 8) Modern Baseball – Holy Ghost 9) Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool 10) Pkew Pkew Pkew – Pkew Pkew Pkew 11) Crying - Beyond the Fleeting Gales 12) Camp Cope - Camp Cope 13) Bon Iver - 22, A Million 14) Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book 15) AJJ - The Bible 2 16) Chris Farren - Can't Die 17) LVL UP - Return to Love 18) Weezer - The White Album 19) Told Slant - Going By 20) Frank Ocean - Blonde Pretty much set at this point but I might make a new discovery or two over the next month.
about as done as it'll ever get. anything beyond 10 is p much interchangeable, any number of honorable mentions couldve made my list i just gave up on caring about order. my top three albums this year literally saved my life. ive had quite the year. The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It The Hotelier – Goodness Diiv – Is The Is Are Tim Hecker – Love Streams Touche Amore – Stage Four Nicolas Jaar – Sirens A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here....Thank You For Your Service Oathbreaker – Rheia Kanye West – The Life of Pablo Anhoni – Hopelessness Ash Borer – The Irrepassable Gate Frameworks – Smother Jimmy Eat World – Integrity Blues Frank Ocean – Blond DJDS – Stand Up and Speak The Body – No One Deserves Happiness Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition Anthony Green – Pixie Queen Sumac – What One Becomes Kevin Gates – Islah An Autumn For Crippled Children – Eternal Joyce Manor - Cody YG – Still Brazy Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool Pinegrove – Cardinal Trna – Lose Yourself To Find Peace 21 Savage – Savage Mode Show Me a Dinosaur – Show Me A Dinosaur Balance and Composure – Light We Made The Weeknd – Starboy The Body/Full of Hell – One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache Thrice – To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere Bon Iver- 22, A Million The Field – The Follower Conor Oberst – Ruminations Future - EVOL Bossk – Audio Noir Every Time I Die - Low Teens Rihanna – Anti Hudson Mohawke – Watch Dogs 2 OST: Ded Sec Russian Circles – Guidance Daughter – Not To Dissappear Anderson Paak - Malibu Gates – Parallel Lives MIA – AIM The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation O'brother – Endless Light Father – Im A Piece of Shit Alcest - Kodama From Indian Lakes – Everything Feels Better Now Honorable Mentions Deftones – Gore DVSN – Sept. 5 Zomby - Ultra Schoolboy Q – Blank Face Cobalt – Slow Forever Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book Inter Arma – Paradise Gallows You Blew It – Abendrot Nueorsis – Fires Within Fires Gucci Mane – Woptober Polyenso – Pure in the Plastic Luh. - Spiritual Songs For Lovers To Sing Clams Casino – 32 Levels Machinedrum – Human Energy Against Me – Shape Shift With Me Solange – A Seat At The Table Young Thug – Jeffery Against Me – Shape Shift With Me James Blake – The Colour in Everything The Range – Potential David Bowie – Black Star Cobalt – Slow Forever Nick Hook – Relationships Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book Saosin – Along the Shadow Mark Pritchard – Under the Sun Dedekind Cut - $uccesor NxWorries – Yes Lawd Local Natives – Sunlit Youth Savages – Adore Life Jeff Rosenstock - Worry Kendirck Lamar – Untitled. Unmastered. 2 Chainz – Collegrove Beyonce – Lemonade 2 Chainz – Daniel Son, Necklace Don Baauer – Aa Ty Dolla Sign – Campaign Denzel Curry – Imperial How To Dress Well – Care Jeremih – Late Nights: Europe Warpaint – Heads Up Jeseu/Sun Kil Moon – Jesu/Sun Kil Moon Drake – Views Kvelertak – Nattesferd Lone – Levitate Rival Consoles – Night Melody Kaytranada – 99.9% Katy B – Honey James Blake - The Colour In Anything
1. The Hotelier - Goodness 2. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 3. Every Time I Die - Low Teens 4. Butch Walker - Stay Gold 5. Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost 6. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book 7. Brian Fallon - Painkillers 8. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere 9. Kevin Devine - Instigator 10. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep ... 11. Pinegrove - Cardinals 12. Moose Blood - Blush 13. Taking Back Sunday - Tidal Wave 14. Bayside - Vacancy 15. Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues 16. Balance & Composure - Light We Made 17. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled/Unmastered 18. Nice as Fuck - S/T 19. PUP - The Dream Is Over 20. Conor Oberst - Ruminations 21. Catish & the Bottlemen - The Ride 22. All Get Out - Nobody Likes a Quitter 23. Frank Ocean - Blonde 24. Against Me! - Shapeshift With Me 25. The Lumineers - Cleopatra
1. Frank Ocean - Blonde 2. The Weeknd - Starboy 3. Gallant – Ology 4. Wet - Don't You 5. dvsn – SEPT 5TH 6. Conor Oberst – Ruminations 7. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book 8. Solange – A Seat at the Table 9. Glass Animals - How to be a Human Being 10. Kanye West – The Life of Pablo 11. The Zolas - Swooner 12. JMSN - It Is 13. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 14. Bon Iver – 22, A Million 15. Anohni - Hopelessness 16. Rihanna - Anti 17. Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues 18. Craig David - Following My Intuition 19. James Blake - The Colour in Anything 20. Tinashe – Nightride 21. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It 22. Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP 23. Sara Watkins - Young in All the Wrong Ways 24. Banks – The Altar 25. How to Dress Well - Care 26. Penny and Sparrow - Let a Lover Drown You 27. Maxwell - blackSUMMERS'night 28. Anderson Paak - Malibu 29. Beyoncé - Lemonade 30. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic 31. Noname – Telefone 32. Zayn - Mind of Mine 33. Pinegrove – Cardinal 34. Matt Corby – Telluric 35. Lisa Hannigan – At Swim 36. Billie Marten – Writing of Blues and Yellows 37. Sia - This is Acting 38. Hodgy - Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide 39. Wild Rivers - Wild Rivers 40. Sarah Jarosz - Undercurrent 41. blink-182 - California 42. Kilo Kish - Reflections in Real Time 43. Polyenso - Pure in the Plastic 44. Young Thug - Jeffery 45. Deftones - Gore 46. Joe Purdy – Who Will Be Next? 47. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode 48. John Legend – Darkness and Light 49. Future - EVOL 50. Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai Top 5 EPs: 1. Gabrielle Aplin - Miss You 2. Vince Staples – Prima Donna 3. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion: Side B 4. Maty Noyes – Noyes Complaint 5. Blueprint – Vigilante Genesis
top EP's would be something like 1. Vince Staples - Prima Donna 2. Slug Christ - Sometimes Even The Moonlight Hurts My Eyes 3. Krallice - Hyperion 4. Aphex Twin - Cheetah 5. Gila - Genkidama 6. Dylan Brady - Choker 7. Lil Aaron - Gloing Pain$ 8. Kevin Gates - Murder For Hire 2 9. Carly Rae Jepsen - EMOTION Side B 10. SBTRKT - Save Yourself
Cool seeing these two, even if they're further back. Two albums I like a lot that haven't gotten much talk.
If you thought only one album released this year deserved a 9.5, your list will be more a "best mediocre albums of 2016 list" right? hah
Yeah, I still think a 7 is a great album and that's the worst that'll make my list. I just don't find many albums I'd give a 9.5 in most years.