Best Music of 2016

Anything music related. Latest songs, good new bands, and blasts from the past.

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numbersix
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Album #2
Parquet Courts: Human Performance




Parquet Courts have finally delivered on an exceptional album. Previous efforts have resulted in some great moments, but never quite felt like a singular listening experience. But here their songs are not only strong individually, but the album more cohesive. There is a great dynamic between the more wry, frivolous songs, and the intimate and occasionally earnest moments, even within individual songs such as the superb title track.


Track #2
Frank Ocean: Ivy




Frank Ocean's long-awaited second album surprised many. It wasn't the Prince-influenced extravaganza that people expected, but a more subdued affair which probably annoyed the pop fans. This track is the highlight, a beautiful ballad with Ocean balancing hushed tenderness with more impressive vocal tricks, all the while backed with a very wonky guitar that gives the song a bit of edge.

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Childish Gambino seems to be the one going in the Prince direction with his new album, and Harts (who actually worked with Prince in his last couple of years) seems to be continuing on the guitar vein of Prince.
https://youtu.be/oyBW7T11cRg
Ivy, and Solo, are the highlights from Blonde

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Album #2

Violent Soho "Waco"

https://open.spotify.com/album/38osPmwnMy3ZdijIjce6Nu

Guitar rock is coming back!!! An awesome album of Nirvana influenced Aussie punk rock where every song is a banger. These guys have a reputation for being incredible live with massive moshes and huge crowd singalongs, and on this album they seem to have captured that spirit.

Viceroy


How To Taste


Song #2

Ball Park Music "Pariah"

https://open.spotify.com/track/6000iHMujceCbKfF8SsvsL

A captivating song that draws me in, and then once I've started to lose myself in the music it draws me in even further, and further until nothing else exists, just me and the music.


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numbersix
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Album #1
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree




I really didn't want this to be my #1 album. It felt like I was slowly giving up on new music, and relying on the safe option of the old favourites of my young adulthood. But it's impossible not to honour this brave and devastating work of art. Cave lost his teenage son last year when he fell from a cliff. It destroyed Cave and his family, obviously. But just like Bowie did, Cave found a way to deal with it through his art. Every song is about loss, even if not directly referenced, it's felt in the music. The songs are mostly ballads, but they sound so raw, Cave's voice more broken and desolate than ever before. It's a humane, cathartic, and truly beautiful album about the experience of loss and the ways we can get through it by focusing on beauty.


Track #1
ANOHNI: Drone Bomb Me




What a year. It's been marked by pessimism, by the world taking a path down a potentially dark and detrimental future, threatening democracy, even out planet, and certainly our cultural past as beloved artists disappear. ANOHNI surely didn't know this, but he started the year with that perfect sense of desolation. In this track, he bitterly takes on callous drone bomb tactics, sarcastically assuming the identity of its innocent victims. His dramatic vocals are twisted through Danial Lopatin's (possibly the most brilliant electronic musician of this decade) complex production, making the subject matter, atmosphere, and tone utterly unique.


Thanks for listening guys, would love to know your thoughts on my choices, and I promise to listen to yours once I return home to a decent broadband speed.
Last edited by numbersix on December 30th, 2016, 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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I'm not surprised at all to see Skeleton Tree as your number one Six. It is an incredible album, and I still can't believe he made an album out of such a personal tragedy, but damn it's a heavy trip and a bit of a downer so I didn't listen to it enough this year for me to count it as a favourite. Probably one of the best albums of the year, but not one of my personal favourites. There is definitely a difference because I know I like some shit lol. Having said that though it definitely would have made my top 25 for the year.

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Album #1

Car Seat Headrest "Teens of Denial"

https://open.spotify.com/album/0czBomMxaMCzanUaFhESOW

This is not just my favourite album of the year, it is my favourite album of the decade so far, maybe my favourite of the last ten years, probably my favourite since Good News for People Who Love Bad News. From the very first listen I became obsessed with this album, telling anyone who would listen (which is about three people, and two of those are family :lol: ) how good it is. I listened to this album way more than anything else this year and that hasn't stopped yet. Yes I admit I can become a bit of a fanboy about certain bands sometimes (Modest Mouse, Pond, Parquet Courts, King Gizzard to name a few in recent years).
Great guitar, great music, great voice full of anguish, pain, and passion, and possibly the best lyricist since Morrissey, A big call but I stand by it. For something different let's take a detour with my favourite lyrics from each song:-

Fill in the Blank - "I'm so sick of (fill in the blank)"

Vincent - "In the back of a medicine cabinet
You can find your life story
And your future in the side effects"

Destroyed by Hippie Powers - "What happened to that chubby little kid who
Smiled so much and loved the Beach Boys
What happened is I killed that fucker and I
took his name and I got new glasses"

(Joe gets Kicked Out of School For Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn't a Problem) - "Last Friday I took acid and mushrooms
I did not transcend, I felt like a walking piece of shit
In a stupid looking jacket"

Just What I Needed/Not What I Needed - "I've been waiting all my life
I've been waiting for some real good porn
Something with meaning, something fulfilling
I'd like to make my shame count for something"

Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales - "Here's that voice in your head
Giving you shit again
But you know he loves you
And he doesn't mean to cause you pain""

1937 State Park - "I didn't want you to hear
That shake in my voice
My pain is my own
And when the cops shook me down
I cried walking home"

Unforgiving Girl (She's Not An) - "This isn't sex, I don't think
It's just extreme empathy"

Cosmic Hero - "I will go to heaven
You won't go to heaven
I won't see you there"

The Ballad of the Costa Concordia - "How was I supposed to know
How to not get drunk every
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and - why not - Sunday?"

Connect The Dots (The Saga of Frank Sinatra) - "You won't see who you want to see there
No one will want to be in your band
You'll have to learn how to make it on your own
Spend a little time with your own hand"

Joe Goes to School - "It had big brown eyes, shining and sad
It was just a horse, I couldn't tell if it was sad or not""

And I must mention how clever I find it that the refrain from Drugs With Friends changes, almost unnoticeably, from "drugs are better with friends" and "friends are better with drugs" to "drugs are better than friends" and "friends are better than drugs" portraying how the cycle of drugs often starts with using with friends for fun and ends up with losing all your friends due to the addiction.
This is not the album version but it's what I can find on youtube and it's a decent enough version...or just listen on spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/1pfDDBomtedXxfgXb3uIbm

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Song #1

Car Seat Headrest "Vincent" & "Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales"

https://open.spotify.com/track/4l4RY2nSdiZOK3hSmxySZ8
https://open.spotify.com/track/2idcpfkFxKzWIKDgUYrbnc

Yes it's a tie for my favourite song of the year. Whichever one of these I listen to is my favourite, even if directly after each other, in whatever order. I literally cannot pick between the two. Vincent has the awesome guitar, awesome music, and the passion, and was the first song of theirs I heard that made me listen to the album. It is the rock side of me that loves it. But DD/KW is the ultimate sing along song, with insanely catchy hooks and melody that gets stuck in your head after a few listens. It is the pop side of me that loves it.

Vincent


Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales - Six posted the official video of this song when he under rated the album at #5 ;) so hears an interesting acoustic version.

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JohnErle
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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I fell behind here because I slipped on some black ice and broke several ribs coming home from a double bill of The Handmaiden and The Wailing Tuesday night (curse you, Chien! ;-)) I had these drafts already saved, so I'll post them now.

#3: Colvin & Earle

I wasn't sure what to expect from this album because, as my previous lists have shown, I love me some Steve Earle, and he does have a long history of recording excellent duets with female singers, but I knew almost nothing about Shawn Colvin, there's four covers on the album, and the first teaser track had none of the edge Earle's known for. There are definitely a few tracks that never would have made the cut on a Steve Earle solo album, but there's more than enough here to keep his fans happy, and his voice has never been his key selling point, so having so much of Shawn Colvin's in the mix made for a nice change of pace.

Tell Moses is probably the best song about Ferguson, Missouri its citizens will never hear, and Come What May is shit-kicking folk done right.

Tell Moses


Come What May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fixAWZX5Ea4

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JohnErle
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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#2: Ray LaMontagne - Ouroboros

Ray LaMontagne's follow-up to Supernova delves even further into psychedelia. Produced by Jim James of My Morning jacket, it's one of those albums for people who think the experience is enhanced by listening to the whole thing from beginning to end. It's divided into two sections, and many tracks overlap or fade into each other, ala The White Album. That usually doesn't impress me much, and sometimes I just want to hear Dear Prudence without the last few seconds of Back In The USSR, damnit!, but on Ouroboros the individual sections are all strong enough to keep my interest from beginning to end, and the moment where the penultimate track changes into the final one has the kind of perfect transition I used to love achieving as a DJ. And now that I'm on painkillers I should probably give this album another listen.

Part One - Hey, No Pressure


Part Two - In My Own Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASXriqyKQlk

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JohnErle
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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#1: Shearwater - Jet Plane And Oxbow

Back in January I asked on Facebook whether it was too early to declare this the album of the year. Now that we're in December I can safely say it's the best thing I heard all year. It's not easy for a band to radically change their sound and keep their fans on board, but Shearwater have pulled it off, at least for me. The influences on this album range from Depeche Mode to Joshua Tree-era U2, to a New Order/Joy Division mashup on the album's closing tracks. And there's also a very modern sound mixed with a Talking Heads rhythm on the standout track, Filaments. This is one of those albums where each song is different enough from the one that came before to keep me from getting bored, yet it all fits together as a cohesive whole.

Here's a video for Filaments that was put together by the Alamo Drafthouse and used as part of their pre-show, which really makes me wish the Alamo Drafthouse would expand to Vancouver. And after shutting down Dynamic Range Radio for good, Radio Silence sort of became my theme song for the year.

Filaments


Radio Silence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksfSDH2AXTs

Full Album Stream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ButIZ6xAP2M

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Leestu
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Wow! I just listened to Ouroboros and what a perfect lazy summer Saturday morning listen that was. I loved it. There's a Pink Floyd sound to it and is A Murmuration of Starlings an acknowledgement of that? I can hear a Morning Jacket ness to it too. I will definitely be listening to this again this summer and I can see myself playing it while floating about in the pool with a few drinks on a hot weekend afternoon.
Thanks for posting your favourites guys...I listen to a lot music andI slowly listen to most of these in full every year so I appreciate it.

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JohnErle
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Glad you liked it, Leestu. And you have no idea how jealous I am that it's summer where you are right now.

I've heard songs by Car Seat Headrest here and there throughout the year and I've never been impressed, but I've downloaded the album on Spotfiy so I can listen to it with proper headphones. Maybe that'll help.

As for Nick Cave, he's always been an interesting writer, but his voice is usually a dealbreaker for me. He sounded more melodic than usual on that track Six posted, so it's one of the better songs I've ever heard from him. The album seemed too repetitive upon first listen, but I'll probably give it another shot.

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numbersix
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Gradually making my way through the various tracks, in reverse order. Some thoughts...

Really liked those Shearwater tracks. Definitely hearing those 80s indie vibes - from (good era) U2 to New Order to Talking Heads.

Listening to The Tragically Hip, I wonder were homies The Arcade Fire deeply inspired by them. The vocalists certainly have similarities, as do their music.

Leets, nice post about Car Seat Headrest. Have you caught them live? I saw them at a fest in Portugal during the summer, and was blown away by how crazy the crowd were about them. Great show. I suppose the only reason it's not my #1 is because I feel the album is too long. Not sure if it's intentional, but due to streaming sites bands make more money if their albums have more tracks (maybe that's why the albums of James Blake, Kanye, DIIV, Solange, etc have too many), which is diluting the quality.

Also really liked King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. First heard of them through Surf, and they're like a stranger Thee Oh Sees (their previous record actually came out on TOS's label, Castle Face). They're touring a lot this year so maybe I'll try to catch em.

Surf, where's your Top 5? Great Top 10, and good to see Omni get some love as they unfairly went under the radar. Was greatly disappointed by the Wild Beasts album, though, I found it dull.

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Re: Best Music of 2016

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4. Parquet Courts, 'Human Performance'
The NY quartet have been quietly causing a bit of a stir over the last few years, with 5 records in just 3 years and a reputation for being a riot live (something which I can attest to). Their combination of Velvet Underground/ Modern Lovers style dynamics with a snarling, Ramones-esque critique of NY society manages to marry old and new into stimulating music. The new record showcases this at their most consistent level yet, with song after song of catchy melodies and biting lyrics. At this momentum, it's only a matter of time before world domination is in their hands.



3. Preoccupations, 'Preoccupations'

I've now entered my top three records of the year, and really, on any day either one could be my favourite, they are all stunning in their own right. First up though, and after re-naming themselves following their previous name (Viet-Cong) caused too much of a stir, rather than wallowing in the arguments that could have knocked them severely off course, Preoccupations instead seem to have gained a new leash of life.

While still harnassing the post-punk sound and lyrics which predict decay, the band have taken the opportunity to add more melody to the already pulsating rhythms that could be traced all over their previous self titled debut. There's a nervous tension that runs throughout the record, one that keeps you on edge at all times, but rather than taking that as a moniker of doom, instead it creates music that is alive, urgent and electric. Live they are phenomenol, capturing this energy and projecting it all over the stage, so if you get the opportunity to see them, take it with both hands.



2. Car Seat Headrest, 'Teens Of Denial'

This new record from Will Toledo feels like the culmination of his early work, much of which was collected together on last year's promising 'Teens Of Style'. Yet while that record showed his potential, '..Denial' feels like a much more finished product, recorded in a proper studio for Matador with a full band, it captures everything Toledo has hinted at but taken to the next level. The quiet-loud Pixies dynamics are still present, his ability to write insightful, Malkmus-esque lyrics are just as poignant, but it feels all the more focused than ever before.

Toledo's ambitions have multiplied over the past year, and the pay off is huge. Tapping into angst ridden youth with tales of depression, you feel Toledo falling apart at the seems and trying to pull himself together again, all the while getting whipped up into a frenzy of guitar hooks and singalong choruses.

On any other year this could quite easily have been my number one record, and for many months indeed it was. But while it just missed out and came in at number 2, Car Seat Headrest have a huge future, and may just have become the saviours of indie rock.


(apologies for the live video, finding something other than what has already been posted is pretty much impossible and I love this song)

1. Mitski, 'Puberty 2'

And so, we reach my favourite record of the year, a record that attempts to deal with what it means to feel alive, and to be okay with who you are.

Mitski's 'Puberty 2' embraces the fact that sometimes we don't have it all together, but challenges us to cope with it and hope that we can somehow emerge stronger for knowing. What results is a visceral, emotive record that poignantly offers new perspectives on relationships and identity, all the while wrapped up in some fantastic alternative rock sounds.

These themes have been explored previously my Mitski, but her infatuation with love, loneliness, betrayal and hunger have never been brought together quite so eloquently, and with such force. And in doing so, the resolution of 'Puberty 2' offers perhaps a little hope for her, as now embracing these 'afflictions', she is able to understand what it feels like to be human and deal with them. Which is quite empowering, really. And even more so, we get the benefit of all her turmoil in such a fantastic little record that is fully deserving of my no.1 spot.

As they are quite short I'll give you a couple of songs!




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numbersix
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Re: Best Music of 2016

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Really liked that Preoccupations album. Had opportunities to see them twice but didn't take them. Hopefully they'll come my way again this year.

Mitski is someone everyone has been going on about this year. I heard one song and it didn't feel much more than another indie singer-songwriter. I need to give her a chance.

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