Albums of 2016

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whuntva
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by whuntva »

I actually really like the Deftones-Gore album.

It's no White Pony, but I'd probably say it's third best, above Diamond Eyes, below Koi no Yokan.

It feels like the most shoegaze-y of their work, with heavy distortion and long instrumental bits. It works, because they have been slowly building up to this by gradually adding distortion and shunning nu-metal influences with each passing album. This metal band at least doesn't have all their albums sound the same.

Probably not everyone's as into alt-metal as I am, but Deftones are one of the better bands in that scene now, and Gore was pretty good.

While we probably will never get Eros, this was a good holdout.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Gillingham »

Haven't really caught up yet, so I'll throw in a top five for now:

1. Anderson .Paak - Malibu
2. Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness
3. David Bowie - Blackstar
4. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
5. Baaba Maal - The Traveler
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by PlasticRam »

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 8.5
Future - EVOL 8.4
Rihanna - Anti 8.2
David Bowie - Blackstar 7.7
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered 5.0
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

The new Erik Truffaz is fantastic: Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni (with the featuring of Rokia Traoré).
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by babydoll »

PlasticRam wrote:Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 8.5
Future - EVOL 8.4
Rihanna - Anti 8.2
David Bowie - Blackstar 7.7
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered 5.0
I thought you didn't like The Life of Pablo that much, especially compared to his other works?
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by DocBrown »

Jirin wrote:New Frightened Rabbit album is good. Feels kind of like a maturation album because it has fewer strong hooks but greater overall consistency.
I was going to write about this on Thursday night and you beat me to the punch. I agree wholeheatedly and in many ways this album relates to Laura Marling's "Short Movie" last year; here we have a performer with a very distinctive regional voice and a low tech aesthetic who relocates to the US and opts for a lush produced sound. As much as I'm sad to lose that voice that attracted me in the first place, they have created a beautiful album.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by PlasticRam »

babydoll wrote:
PlasticRam wrote:Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 8.5
Future - EVOL 8.4
Rihanna - Anti 8.2
David Bowie - Blackstar 7.7
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered 5.0
I thought you didn't like The Life of Pablo that much, especially compared to his other works?
Yeah I don't. I rate all his other works higher, except Cruel Summer.
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

The Field- The Follower

Over the course of four (now five) albums, The Field has worked on a sound that is entirely his own. Call it micro-house or whatever, but it's his. A Field song is unmistakable. But while all of his albums have garnered a positive reception, the only album with any serious acclaim is his 2007 album "From Here We Go Sublime". It seemed impossible for him to top it, but 2013's "Cupid's Head" came pretty darn close. So it's sad to say that his followup, "The Follower" is the first Field album that's just...okay. The songs here are pretty, but they go in one ear and out the other. Not to mention those song lengths, which tend to drag into the 11 minute range a bit too often (and while The Field is no stranger to long songs, these ones go about 3 or 4 minutes longer than they really need to). "The Follower" is a collection of some nice wallpaper, but it's still wallpaper nonetheless.

Verdict: Decent

Woods- City Sun Eater in the River of Light

The first song, "Sun City Creeps" is an absolute monster of the song, with a psychedelic Western sound to it, replete with horns and a serious groove. A real rocker, and one of my favorite songs of the year. The songs that follow are all good, but mostly just inferior versions of "Sun City Creeps".

Verdict: Good

Weezer- Weezer (White Album)

After a decade of some...lackluster material, Weezer returned to form with 2014's great "Everything Will Be Alright in the End". But how long could they keep the winning streak alive? Would their next album follow in that album's greatness, or merely be a return to the dreaded mid to late-2000s Weezer? The answer is neither, as their album "Weezer (White Album)" is a mixed bag of the very good, the okay, and one great song. That great song is "L.A. Girlz", which contains the best chorus Weezer's put out since..."Pinkerton"? At least none of the okay songs are downright bad. If Weezer keeps releasing albums like this, they'll have restored themselves in the eyes of many fans. If they haven't already.

Verdict: Good/Decent

M83- Junk

Aptly titled.

Verdict: Junk
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

M83- Junk

Okay, time for the real review.

M83 have never been a stranger to mining the sounds of the 80s, but on their latest album "Junk" they take it further than they'd ever done before. "Junk" is an apt title for the album too, as the album revisits 80s ephemera that until now had only really been revisited by vaporwave, with songs that sound more like 80s sitcom theme songs and commercial jingles than an actual "song" songs. "Junk" begs the question however, how long can we keep mining the 80s? In a world of "1989", "Emotion", vaporwave, Fuller House, and all those horrible rap/club songs in the past decade that have merely been reworkings of 80s pop hits, how long can our culture loot and plunder a decade that most college students today weren't alive to experience? The 80s had their 50s nostalgia, and now, for better or for worse, we have our 80s nostalgia (as an aside, one would expect this to lead to a sort of fun house mirror effect, where the 50s nostalgia reflected in the 80s is further distorted in our 80s nostalgia, giving us a doubly warped 50s nostalgia. Interestingly enough, this hasn't seemed to happen). It's hard to say how long this can keep going, but if there's a breaking point, a point when we as a culture finally stand up and say "enough", enough with the cheesy synths and the questions of irony and sincerity and the sax solos, well I hope that point is with the release of "Junk".

Either that or Fuller House.

Verdict: Decent
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project

I had liked PJ Harvey for a while, but I wasn't really a big fan of her until "Let England Shake" came out in 2011. "Dry" and "Rid of Me" are good, and "To Bring You My Love" is great, but there was something about her incredibly raw aesthetic that just wasn't jiving with me the way it should've. But when I heard the booming drums and folksy instrumentals and ghostly vocals on "Let England Shake", now that's when I became a real fan. So with that in mind, it's looking like the 2010s might just be Harvey's best decade yet. "Let England Shake" was an excellent album, and "The Hope Six Demolition Project", while not as good as that album, is another great addition to the PJ Harvey catalog. Stylistically the album isn't all too different from her last, all the booming drums and folksy instrumentals, the mournful horns, and the ethereal wail of Ms. Harvey herself, all of that is present here as well. The album pays a little more attention to the rockier side of things than her last though, which makes for some great songs, like the opener "The Community of Hope", and the penultimate track "The Wheel". Critical reaction to "The Hope Six Demolition Project" has been mixed to positive thus far, in contrast to the overwhelming critical love that most of her albums receive. The bulk of this criticism is focused on the lyrics, which came about from Harvey's ventures into the ghettos of Washington D.C., and the war torn countries of Kosovo and Afghanistan. There are some reviewers who have labeled the lyrics here as "poverty tourism", but the way Harvey approaches the less fortunate here never comes off as a cheap money grabbing stunt or a plea for attention. Instead, Harvey brings a reasoned outsider's perspective into the issues that these three communities face, and ultimately, ends up with an album that can stand strong among her discography.

Verdict: Great/Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by amnt1882 »

Listened to a few more major releases this weekend. Underworld, EITS and Yeasayer were positive surprises, M83 bang on the consensus and was a bit underwhelmed with Polly Jean...but then again I thought the same about her last album at first so it may well grow on me

Blackstar still top for me
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

M83 - Junk 0,5 This album is a joke! A pure joke and the real M83 album will go out after ! All is horrible. I don't want to live in this planet anymore if this album finish in the top 20 this year.
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 9 Perfect. The songs with Rokia Traoré are very moving. And the instrumental tracks are in the same mood of Miles Davis.
David Bowie - Blackstar 10 I can not put another rating for so many reasons.


Album list:
David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 9
M83 - Junk 0,5
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by bootsy »

Romain wrote:M83 - Junk 0,5 This album is a joke! A pure joke and the real M83 album will go out after ! All is horrible. I don't want to live in this planet anymore if this album finish in the top 20 this year.
Damn that bad huh. I was looking forward to it but I've seen some mixed reviews on it. Probably still listen to it on my own but not as excited.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Maschine_Man »

I really enjoyed Junk, but as with any album than has more than 10 tracks, there was a bit of filler. I haven't really listened to M83 outside that one big song of theirs, so that might be why I went in with little expectation.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

I think Junk is okay but veers a little too close to the 'Twee' designation. Some of the songs are a bit gimmicky.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by babydoll »

Romain wrote:David Bowie - Blackstar 10 I can not put another rating for so many reasons.
I remember reading back in January when Bowie had passed away about similar circumstances in your own life at the same time. How much did that connection to the album truly impact you? And is it officially now in your greatest albums of all time list? If so, was it because of that?

Me and my questions. I sound like a freakin' interviewer.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

"Junk" is like if Anthony Gonzalez was like "hey guys...what if I made a bad album...on purpose?"

...congrats on doing that I guess? It's not really THAT bad (in my opinion) but it's certainly more bad than good.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by babydoll »

Nick wrote:"Junk" is like if Anthony Gonzalez was like "hey guys...what if I made a bad album...on purpose?"

...congrats on doing that I guess? It's not really THAT bad (in my opinion) but it's certainly more bad than good.
To be honest, it sounds like from the songs I've heard, not the entire album, that M83 decided to try to appeal to the pop audiences for commercial purposes. Actually I think that has been pretty much established.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

babydoll wrote:
Nick wrote:"Junk" is like if Anthony Gonzalez was like "hey guys...what if I made a bad album...on purpose?"

...congrats on doing that I guess? It's not really THAT bad (in my opinion) but it's certainly more bad than good.
To be honest, it sounds like from the songs I've heard, not the entire album, that M83 decided to try to appeal to the pop audiences for commercial purposes. Actually I think that has been pretty much established.
The singles certainly sound like that. But there's a lot of songs on "Junk" that just sound like unused 80s commercial jingles and rejected Full House theme songs.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by nicolas »

Hi, here is my top 10 so far
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

bootsy wrote:
Romain wrote:M83 - Junk 0,5 This album is a joke! A pure joke and the real M83 album will go out after ! All is horrible. I don't want to live in this planet anymore if this album finish in the top 20 this year.
Damn that bad huh. I was looking forward to it but I've seen some mixed reviews on it. Probably still listen to it on my own but not as excited.
Yes, that bad !

This album is like "The Love Boat" OST ;)
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by PlasticRam »

I thought Junk was really good :kanyeshrug:

A lot of filler though, as mentioned earlier.
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by notbrianeno »

Really enjoyed The Hope Six Demolition Project, as well as a lot of the articles on both sides inspired in its wake. I feel the point of any great work of art is to leave a listener impacted in some form or give reason to reflect on something, and the controversy over its conception certainly has done that. Musically this is of her strongest albums, and the often distant lyrical focus works to her advantage when depicting the corrosion of American society and the deleterious effects it has had abroad. While some have claimed Harvey has exploited the subjects of her songs by voyeuristically observing them, I believe she made the right choice to allow the listener to make their own judgements of the events she depicts, rather than simply recounting her own opinions. Not to mention the potential disaster that could have happened if she had written from, say, the perspective of an Afghani citizen in the first-person perspective she used on Let England Shake. The travelogue of the album's lyrics is accompanied by brilliant instrumentation, uniting her usual Beefheart-ian stomp with folk and funereal jazz.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by babydoll »

I am curious, but is anyone here on the forum planning to listen to Kashiwa Daisuke's Program Music II that comes out April 23? Even though I was far from a fan of the first one, I'm actually kind of curious about this one.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth

Country is an easy genre to hate, and modern country is even easier. But despite the complete and utter awfulness that is modern radio friendly country, there are always a steady supply of acts crafting great music just under the radar. Sturgill Simpson is one such act, and on "A Sailor's Guide to Earth", his latest album, he continues to make country music that doesn't conform to anyone's expectations of the genre. While many country artists, even some of those talented under the radar ones, are more than content with living in a world of tradition, making music that could have easily come from 10, 20, or even 30 years ago, Simpson is prone to evolution, bringing horns, psychedelic lyrics, and even a well-executed Nirvana cover to "A Sailor's Guide to Earth". The album functions as a sort of love letter to his newborn son and his wife, but it never comes off as cheesy, Simpson's sincerity shines through in both the lyrics and music. Even the Nirvana cover doesn't seem ironic or a joke, it instead comes off as a unique re-imagining of a classic grunge song and as a tribute to Kurt Cobain. "A Sailor's Guide to Earth" may have some elements that may put some of the most country averse listeners off, but it's well worth checking out if you're a skeptic of the genre.

Verdict: Good
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

I'm beginning to notice a problem with my rating system, namely that just about everything falls into the "good" or "decent" category, with little albums that fall into the "great" or "bad" category. But I suppose this is just a natural outcome of only listening to full albums that...

a) are getting a massive amount of critical attention

b) are by an artist whose prior work I've really liked

c) have, for one reason or another, piqued my interest

...which typically leads to, well, albums I think or good, decent, or somewhere in between. How do you guys deal with the massive amount of albums you hear that fall into this range. How do you differentiate the quality in a more meaningful way? I used to use a star system (zero to five stars) but just about everything got between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Then I used a numerical system (zero to 100), but just about everything got between a 60 and an 80. Now I'm trying to use a system of...

Excellent

Great

Good

Decent

Bad

...but again, I'm predictably falling into the same traps.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by luney6 »

I think that this is normal. It happens me too, and a lot of critics as well. It's hard to make an album that is flat out bad if you're at least on the right path, but it's hard to make an album that is downright great as well, which is what makes a great album great.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Maschine_Man »

I don't think it's necessarily a problem, it's probably quite common. The two factors at work are likely not wanting to overcrowd your favorites, and the second not listening to albums you are most likely going to dislike.

Image

My scoring system is out of 30, and I have made it really difficult for albums to get a score of more than 24. At the same time if I don't like an artist or an album, it probably hasn't made the list at all. I have been thinking about how to combat this and find albums the other side of 15, which seems counter intuitive, really.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jirin »

If you come to this site you probably use critic opinion to filter your exposure. If you took a random selection of all albums on the shelf you'd find more bad ones.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by acroamor »

I find it so interesting that people here use such quantitative systems for their music listening. I'll keep track of whether I like an album, but I never score them. I also don't rank them in lists up until a forum poll asks me to; it just doesn't feel intuitive to me.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by whuntva »

babydoll wrote:I am curious, but is anyone here on the forum planning to listen to Kashiwa Daisuke's Program Music II that comes out April 23? Even though I was far from a fan of the first one, I'm actually kind of curious about this one.
I AM!!!

So pumped, watching for it on his website.

I'm really glad Kashiwa is becoming a minor forum darling. There may be other modern classical artists who need some love, but Kashiwa deserves it too.

---

Listening to the new Sturgill Simpson, and I like it a lot. "In Bloom" was really pleasant surprise, as it's a cover of a song on my list that can hold a candle to the original.

New Black Stone Cherry was good too. Not a lot of people will like their country-metal sound on here, but I could groove to some of their songs and got the edge. While few songs stood out as individuals, as an album, this may be BSC's best.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by spiritualized »

My favorite discovery of the year so far has got to be Woods - City Sun Eater in the River of Light. Psychedelic Pop, BUT melodious, they even throw a bit of Krautrock to get me hooked right in.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by acroamor »

My two big albums of the year are from beloved artists who I think have outdone themselves. First of those is The Wilderness by Explosions in the Sky. In some of their earlier albums, post-rock pedants criticized them of not varying their sound as much as other artists, but with their latest record, they've taken their classic Friday Night Lights-era sound to brave new horizons.

And the other album that I've gotten obsessed with (easily my album of the year) hasn't actually been released yet: Will by Julianna Barwick. I freelance for Popmatters, and I was lucky enough to get a phone interview with Julianna. Dead Oceans sent me a pre-release copy of the album, and I listened to it a dozen times before I spoke with her. And wow. So evocative, but mixing in the newer textures of a synthesizer. But even when she does, she never sounds artificial, rather her music sounds so organic, you feel like it's been around for centuries. Highly recommended
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5 Not very original but it's the kind of music I like.
Field Music - Commontime 6 Too long. It's not bad, two or three good songs but a lot of filling.
Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6 Not bad, with three great songs, but the rest is too r'n'bier for me.
Jain - Zanaka 7 Fresh air with a lot of potential hits.
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8 Fun and exciting ! Pure fiesta! I know I will hear this album a lot this year.
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5 Excellent ! A huge influence of Bowie (the voice is very close). It can become a classic.

David Bowie - Blackstar 10
Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni 9
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 8,5
Prince Rama - Xtreme Now 8
Jain - Zanaka 7

Anderson .Paak - Malibu 6
Field Music - Commontime 6
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 5,5

M83 - Junk 0,5
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by whuntva »

Program Music II met expectations.

It has more of Kashiwa's beautiful melodies, great cello work, and even a jazz breakdown in the middle that I kinda liked.

This one is based on a different book I never read. But I can still appreciate the music on its own, which is what a good concept album should do. It feels...spiritual on some level.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Matski »

acroamor wrote:And the other album that I've gotten obsessed with (easily my album of the year) hasn't actually been released yet: Will by Julianna Barwick. I freelance for Popmatters, and I was lucky enough to get a phone interview with Julianna. Dead Oceans sent me a pre-release copy of the album, and I listened to it a dozen times before I spoke with her. And wow. So evocative, but mixing in the newer textures of a synthesizer. But even when she does, she never sounds artificial, rather her music sounds so organic, you feel like it's been around for centuries. Highly recommended
Very jealous. Would you say it's better than Nepenthe? Much like Julia Holter, I feel Ms Barwick has steadily been getting more confident with each album, so I'm really hopeful this will be her best yet.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Rob »

Having listened to PJ Harvey's The Hope Six Demolition Project a few times now, I can safely say that I love it. I think it's reception is somewhat held back by coming after her best received album, while mostly following the same course. That may be true and the lyrics are perhaps not as amazing as they could have been, but damn, this album hits like a truck. Musically, it has a real punch to it and is just overall very captivating. There is also nothing close to filler here, just an album full of music that's on fire.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nassim »

Haven't listened to that many albums yet. I feel I'd need a few more spins to rank them, so I just sorted them in groups so far :

Very good :
Moderat - III
David Bowie - Black Star
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
Daughter - Not to Disappear
Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered
Explosions In The Sky - The Wilderness
Anna Meredith - Varmints
Deakin - Sleep Cycle
Parquet Courts - Human Performance
Emma Pollock - In Search Of Harperfield

Good :
Animal Collective - Painting With
Savages - Adore Life
Brood Ma - Daze

Meh (and a bit disappointing given who it is from) :
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
The Field - The Follower

No thanks :
Tim Hecker - Love Streams


Lots of very good albums but nothing that really stands out (album wise at least, songs wise I have found a bunch of favorite already). I'd give Moderat the lead if I had to rank, but on most years it wouldn't make my top 5, probably not my top 10.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by DocBrown »

Time for a list?

1. Rabbit Eclipse by Księżyc

The name (Polish for moon) is easier to spell than pronounce. This is a psych folk group from Poland that released one EP and an expanded album in the early 90's and then disappeared. Three years ago Britain's Penultimate Press rereleased that self-titled debut. Encouraged by the recognition, the band reformed in 2014 and released this beautiful neo-classical ambient album. It might have appeared on CD late last year but just recently arrived in stores, so I will call it a 2016 release. Hard to find but worth the effort.

2. Painting of a Panic Attack by Frightened Rabbit.

Not sure yet whether this is a grower. I like my Rabbit a little gamey and this one seems a bit too tame. Certainly Scott Hutchinson's most refined album to date.

3. The Waiting Room by Tindersticks.

I feel Tindersticks, in contrast, have improved with each album. What's the deal with DVD versions of the album? I don't own a TV and don't care to watch videos, so this is just an expensive piece of excess packaging for me. On top of that I had trouble downloading the enclosed drop card which the label was unable to resolve. It's great that the band wants to provide their fans with a value package but all I need is the bleeding music, OK?

4. The Wilderness by Explosions in the Sky.

Best album since The Earth is a Cold Dead Place. Again, the packaging is just ridiculous. People, the world is in crisis because of our contempt for resources! There's more material around this album than a bride at a society wedding.

5. The Revenant (OST) by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Another December 31 release that was officially not out until January of this year.

6. United Crushers by Poliça

I have been a long time fan of this Minnesota dream pop band. Best record yet.

7. Leave Me Alone by Hinds.

Spanish girl group that really seem to be having a good time.

8. I Can Live Forever by The Wet Secrets

This four song EP is a placeholder for their first album with a major label expected later this summer. Hopefully the LP will keep these four tunes which are light years ahead of their predecessors in production (probably because they recently won a $100,000 battle of the bands)

9. The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey

Desperately uneven but when Polly Jean is on she is ethereal. I'm sure this one will grow on me.

10. The Traveller by Baaba Maal.

Those expecting Mbalax music will be sorely disappointed. This is an experimental electronic album.

Disappointed with Lucinda Williams' Ghosts of Highway 20. Sounded very monotonous to me. Like Blackstar, I'll give it another chance before year end. Also let down by Jason Collett and Basic Bulat's releases.
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Setherex
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Setherex »

DocBrown wrote:5. The Revenant (OST) by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Another December 31 release that was officially not out until January of this year.
I don't understand what this sentence means. But regardless, the soundtrack for "The Revenant" was definitely available at the time of the film's first public release, which was December 25, 2015.
DocBrown
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by DocBrown »

Setherex wrote:
DocBrown wrote:5. The Revenant (OST) by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Another December 31 release that was officially not out until January of this year.
I don't understand what this sentence means. But regardless, the soundtrack for "The Revenant" was definitely available at the time of the film's first public release, which was December 25, 2015.
The label gives a physical release date of January 15 for the CD, February 26 for vinyl, although you're absolutely right, the film was released on December 25, not 31; my faulty memory. All I meant by the sentence was the difficulty of finding an album on year end lists when the release date doesn't correspond with actual availability of the music.
Jeff
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Jeff »

Setherex wrote:
DocBrown wrote:5. The Revenant (OST) by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Another December 31 release that was officially not out until January of this year.
I don't understand what this sentence means. But regardless, the soundtrack for "The Revenant" was definitely available at the time of the film's first public release, which was December 25, 2015.
I love that a guy formerly best known for converting data files like Excel and Word into music compositions (Alva Noto) is now an accomplished film composer. It's a shame that the Academy Awards ruled it ineligible for best score last year because I think it had a good chance at winning.
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spiritualized
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by spiritualized »

I found my album of the year so far !

"maybe the best psych-metal-jazz-prog album ever" --> King Lizard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity. Blooming Australian nutheads.
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Romain »

spiritualized wrote:I found my album of the year so far !

"maybe the best psych-metal-jazz-prog album ever" --> King Lizard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity. Blooming Australian nutheads.
It's funny you never heard of them. I found their two previous albums very good too. Tu peux foncer les yeux fermés, tu vas te régaler.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nassim »

Really enjoyed my first spin of the new Aesop Rock album, might actually be his best. Lyrics and flow have always been top notch, but the production and beats are better than ever. His best song is probably not in there (don't think there is something as awesome as Daylight, None Shall Pass or the fantastic Run the Numbers on El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead in there) but his other albums all had lesser songs, this one doesn't.
And as usual it seems immensely quotable, the elegant and witty kind of quotes, not the fun punch lines ones, though as a French speaker it's hard to tell on first spin... with lines like "New with the matutinal or peckish with the vespertine", it's hard not to be a bit lost when you are not a native speaker...
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited about the Anohni album coming out tomorrow. From Antony and The Johnsons to a fantastic feature on Hercules and Love Affair's "Blind", Anohni/Antony has had one of the most unique voices in modern music. The lead singles from "Hopelessness" sound amazing so far too, and the album is getting some great early reviews. If the rest of the album lives up to "Drone Bomb Me" and "4 Degrees", this'll be one of my favorites of the year for sure.
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

That being said, here's my take on some albums I've heard recently...

Parquet Courts- Human Performance

Better than "Sunbathing Animal", and a solid record all around. But nothing here that convinces me that Parquet Courts are anything more than a second-rate Pavement. But my love of Pavement means that I can still dig a second-rate Pavement.

Verdict: Good

Tim Hecker- Love Streams

I like my bleeps and bloops and glitches as much as the next guy, but I like them a little more tuneful than this. If Hecker ever fuses his signature sound with something resembling an earworm, then he's got a monster of an album on his hands. Until then...

Verdict: Decent

Beyoncé- Lemonade

Blew away my expectations. When Beyoncé dropped her self-titled album in late 2013 to rapturous acclaim, I wasn't on board. The album was decent, but the "experimentation" that critics were gushing over really wasn't there. For an "experimental" R&B albu, it was pretty tame, especially compared to what artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Janelle Monae, and more were doing with the genre at that time. But "Lemonade" is an album of experiments, as Beyoncé tackles the usual genres of pop and R&B, but also branches out to country, punk blues, and weird ambient James Blake featuring interludes. Oh yeah, and it's pretty tuneful too.

Verdict: Great/Good

Brian Eno- The Ship

Good to hear from Eno, but there's not a whole lot here that grabs my attention, other than the Velvet Underground cover. Would probably make great background music though.

Verdict: Decent
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by whuntva »

Vektor-Terminal Redux is a pleasant surprise, but I am very mixed on it.

I don't like the vocalist. He sounds too grating and high pitched. But I really like the instrumentation. It may be some of the best metal instrumentals in a while.

The concept is a good one, though. Space Opera meets Rock Opera. Can't go wrong there.
" Ah, yes! Our meager restitution"
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Nick »

James Blake- The Colour in Anything

On "The Colour in Anything", Blake continues to refine his signature blend of electronica/soul, to frequently pleasing ends. At its peak, Blake's third studio album is every bit as good as his prior two, with the Bon Iver featuring "I Need a Forest Fire" being a particular highlight. Where the album falters though, is in the fact that it's a whopping 76 minutes long, when a 50 minute album would've sufficed.

Verdict: Good

Anohni- Hopelessness

If "Blackstar" was the first EXCELLENT album of 2016, then "Hopelessness" might just be the second. The instrumentals here, courtesy of Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, are as hard and sparkling as a geode, with instrumentals that buzz and bite and snap and stomp and sound like sonic attacks, but still glisten in the sun and shimmer and burst with light. Nowhere is this more present than on the stunning one-two punch of "Drone Bomb Me" and "4 Degrees", songs that have their power only increased by the addition of Anohni's (formerly Antony Hegarty) astoundingly unique voice. "Hopelessness" is a concept album of sorts, tackling all of the problems Anohni deems most pertinent to 2016, ruminations on global warming, drone bombing, the failures of President Obama, and more pervade the album. While the album draws a great deal of power from these lyrics, it's also here where the album falters a little. On more than a couple occasions, the lyrics are a bit too on the nose for their own good, making me worried that the laser guided precision of these lyrics might seem a little outdated in years to come, the way a song about Iran-Contra would seem outdated today. But, on the other hand, if there are any topics that deserve a lack of subtlety, it's the one's that Anohni sings about here. I just wish that she was able to strike a balance here. Other than that? The album is a winner.

Verdict: Great!!!
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Re: Albums of 2016

Post by Gillingham »

Time for an updated list, with some comments now.

1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Radiohead are still one of my favourite bands, but in 2016 I didn't see the sheer quality of this album coming. The two singles they released right before the album are great and did get my hopes up, although I wasn't as excited as I was before they released The King of Limbs. Anyway, the string arrangements courtesy of Jonny Greenwood sound excellent and Yorke voice is as good as ever. I've only listened a couple of times to it at the moment, so it's hard to say how this will end up at the end of the year, but the fact that I think it's already better than half of the albums they released before is amazing to me.
2. PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
Inevitably this album gets compare to her previous work Let England Shake and this album admittedly doesn't come out favourably. It's a bit more guitar driven and although The Wheel does remind me of the sound of Let England Shake, I'm glad she still took a small step away from it.
3. David Bowie - Blackstar
What hasn't been said about this album yet? Bowie's testament. Blackstar and Lazarus are the stand-out tracks and it's nice that they're the longest songs as well. Didn't see the jazz-heavy sound coming from Bowie, but it sounds great.
4. Anderson. Paak - Malibu
WHen I heard the song Come Down the first time. Not all songs from the album reach that level though, and because the album is rather long it sags a bit in the middle, but I really like the sound of the better songs on here. And his voice works wonders too.
5. Anohni - Hopelessness
Interesting direction from the artist formerly known as Antony. Her voice is as familiar as ever, but the great production by Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never add a nice twist to it. Works better than I had expected beforehand and including some great tracks like 4 Degrees, Drone Bomb Me and Hoplessness.
6. Woods - City Sun Eater in the River of Light
Pleasant music from a band that's been around for quite a while, but I hadn't heard of before they released great the single Sun City Creeps from this album
7. Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness
Slightly more experimental then most of their albums. I think the addition of some electronics makes this album stand out compared to for example their last effort Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
8. Kevin Morby - Singing Saw
Another nice album from an artist I didn't know before. Need to listen to a bit more.
9. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
I appreciate it that Kendrick released these 'outtakes' from To Pimp a Butterfly. These songs are not as fleshed out as that album, but they work anyway and Kendrick's rapping and rhyming is as good as ever.
10. Baaba Maal - The Traveller
I'm not as familiar with 'world music' as I'd like to be and I don't spend enough time with it, but every year there are some releases that make my EOY list. Definitely worth a listen.
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