20. Beach Slang - A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings - (Polyvinyl)
Beach Slang pick up right where they left off after last year's The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us, with their 2016 release A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings. Although they wear their influences on their sleeve, it's natural and heartfelt. This isn't a band who seems interested in throwing you a curve ball. It's straight forward, distorted guitars, distorted vocals and in your face. When they get quiet, like on the verses for "Spin the Dial", or the rambunctious start/stop of "Punks in a Disco Bar",they not-so-subtly do their very best impression of The Replacements. In this day and age when worthy music of this type becomes more difficult to find, that's not a bad thing.
19. De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody... - (A.O.I. Records)
De La Soul return for the first time since 2004...with a lot of guests. The album shines when De La take center stage, but there are times when the guests take over the proceedings and the album feels more like a victory lap than a vital return like we got later in the year from A Tribe Called Quest. You wind up with an album that tries to please everyone and works very well at times, but can sometimes leave us feeling like the guest was wedged in. Always good to hear De La Soul back in the studio, next time they should keep the door closed.
18. Band of Horses - Why Are You OK - (Interscope)
I had very little expectation for this album after the disastrous Mirage Rock, but Why Are You OK finds Band of Horses very much back on their game. The opener "Dull Times / The Moon" harkens back to their days on Sub Pop when they weren't seemingly afraid to breathe as they have often felt on their last two albums for Columbia. This is a nice outing, sure to win back some of the indie fans who may have abandoned them after 2010's Infinite Arms. "Casual Party" feels like it could be a worthy sequel to Everything All the Time's "Weed Party". J Mascis even joins in for the chorus on "In a Drawer". A welcome return to form.
17. The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust - (Sham)
With Mark Olson once again departing the band, it fell on Gary Louris a second time to hoist the flag of The Jayhawks by himself. Opener "Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces" may be the finest song the band has composed since 2003's underrated Rainy Day Music. The brief reunion with Olson was fun for a tour and an album, but The Jayhawks have become Louris' vision and he feels as though he has steered the band back on course. There's lots to love here on an album co-produced by Peter Buck and featuring some guest appearances by Mike Mills and Scott McCaughey.
16. Fantastic Negrito - The Last Days of Oakland - (Black Ball Universe)
A love letter to his hometown, this album felt even more poignant after the tragedy that befell the Oakland art community with the devastating warehouse fire that claimed the lives of so many involved in The Ghost Ship. Where other R&B artists fell short this year (in my opinion), FN delivered a confident and stirring collection of songs. "About a Bird" is a standout track where everything blends together nicely and features some tasty guitar work. "In the Pines" is the centerpiece here and an interesting take on the Leadbelly standard.
15. Autolux - Pussy's Dead - (30th Century / Columbia)
Autolux are a trio who hail from Los Angeles and manage to get a record out every five or six years. For those who aren't familiar with their sound, think a friendlier, more approachable Sonic Youth brought up to date and featuring one of the heaviest hitting drummers of our time, Carla Azar. This album starts off strong with "Selectallcopy" and manages to find another level with the extraordinary "Soft Scene" which has the band hitting on all cylinders. Azar shines on "Junk for Code", introducing varying complex beats beneath the sonic landscape of guitar/keyboardist Greg Edwards and the haunting falsetto vocal of bassist Eugene Goreshter. "Brainwasher" builds off of a bass riff that would make John Paul Jones proud while Azar hits like Bonham in the chorus ("I see right through you, I see right through you"). Lots to hear here, definitely a grower.
14. Bon Iver - 22, A Million - (Jagjaguwar)
As I described it earlier this month - it's quite different from Justin Vernon's previous two albums. From their previous collaborations, there's definitely a Kanye West influence from the perspective of vocal experimentation and keyboard bleeps and blorps which have taken the place of the acoustic guitar. There's a bit of sampling -- but as a whole the album is hard to pin down. Vernon seems to have created a folk album with a modern twist of hip-hop atmospherics, his approach being more of setting sound landscapes than actual melodies. It's unmistakably a Bon Iver album -- here he's just pushing a bit further into his experimental side to see where it takes him. Smartly, he delivers these new ideas in a tight 34 minutes. After a couple of listens, it starts to sink in. I think it's a stepping stone to his next breakthrough and will be lauded as a record that was a landmark in creating a new sub-genre of music. It's not rock, it's not folk, it's not hip-hop, it's not EDM or electronic music but it borrows elements from all of those worlds.
13. The Tragically Hip - Man Machine Poem - (Caroline / Universal)
Served with the tragic news of frontman Gord Downie's brain cancer, it's hard not to look for meanings and signs within the words on Man Machine Poem, even though the album was reportedly completed prior to his diagnosis. The band has not stated that this is their last album, nor have they officially stated that the final show on their summer tour, broadcast live to the world, was their last. MMP is a somewhat understated set of songs, even songs with catchy choruses ("What Blue") refrain themselves from the straight ahead rock that The Hip can be known for. This album is meditative without feeling mournful. It sneaks up on you, revealing itself in small chunks until it's all pieced together. "Here, in the Dark" takes off as though it will head to that next plateau, only to respectfully back away. The jazzy and reflective "Tired as Fuck" kicks off the last third of the album that finds the band exploring a variety of different sonic landscapes. Album closer,"Machine", starts to build in the middle instrumental section, only to pull away and settle back into a groove, not so much restraining themselves as much as revealing a band that knows the correct road to take.
12. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service - (Epic)
Long rumored to be in the works, it seemed unlikely after the passing of founding member Phife Dawg that we'd have a new album by ATCQ, 18 years after their last release. Even more unlikely is that it would be their best work since 1993's Midnight Marauders and a vital part of their catalog. An album that doesn't serve as simply a piece of history, but as an album that has its pulse on the political climate of 2016 as much as any other. Tracks like the incredible "The Space Program" and "We the People..." jump out of the speakers, as on-point as any in their career. "Solid Wall of Sound" borrows its hook from a guest appearance by Elton John using a familiar refrain from his classic song, "Bennie and the Jets". Other guests mix in and out, but the central focus here is Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This final album from ATCQ does nothing to disparage their legacy, it only adds to it.
11. Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow - (Sub Pop)
Their finest album since 2008's Rook. At their best, Shearwater bring to mind such artists as Talk Talk, Peter Gabriel and even a bit of David Bowie like on the outstanding "Quiet Americans". There's a lot of cohesion to these songs as it seems Shearwater has become more of a main project and not just a side project of Okkervil River. Subtly political, songs like "Backchannels" and "Filaments" recall the urgency of early to mid-80s U2. A great listen that you can allow yourself to become immersed in.10. Porches - Pool - (Domino)
Porches is New York City based songwriter Aaron Maine. Presented here is an album of varying styles of catchy synth-pop. In the hands of a lesser songwriter, this could be rather pedestrian stuff, but these songs are well-crafted and thought out. Maine's pleasing vocal style over the top of everything makes for a deeply haunting, late-night album of introspection. "Underwater" creeps in and sets the stage with "Braid" and "Be Apart" picking up the pace, but never losing sight of the overall feel of the album. The five note eerie synth hook of "Even the Shadow" gets stuck in the listener's head enough to be revisited later. Title track, "Pool", starts with a simple synth-bass line and is joined by Maine's auto-tuned vocal and keeps building, then falls back away until it joyously ends on one of the albums most dance-worthy moments. Nothing groundbreaking here -- but it's executed flawlessly.
9. Wilco - Schmilco - (dBPM)
In 2015, Wilco released the surprise Star Wars album without any advance notice, so it was an even bigger surprise to see another new Wilco album in 2016. Schmilco is a rather laid back affair, focusing on Wilco's acoustic side. It feels almost like the Tweedy album from 2014, with the songs a bit more fleshed out here by the full compliment of Wilco's line-up. The first three tracks "North American Kids", "If I Ever Was A Child" and "Cry All Day" set the scene and give you a good idea what to expect. "Cry All Day" is an up-tempo song with a laid-back feel which finds Wilco exploring some new territory. "Common Sense" finds the band experimenting with non-melodic hooks as guitarist Nels Cline gets to ratchet up the intensity, quietly noodling in the background. "Someone to Lose" sounds like something that could have shown up on Star Wars or The Wilco Album, a good example of post-A Ghost is Born Wilco. The album ends with two really nice tracks, "We Aren't the World (Safety Girl)" and "Just Say Goodbye" where the band interplay is really at the top of its game.
8. Durand Jones & The Indications - Durand Jones & The Indications - (Colemine)
I heard "Smile", the lead single from new artist Durand Jones & The Indications, and I couldn't help but do just that. Durand Jones' music doesn't sound new, it sounds like a lost soul record from the 60s that you may have found while crate digging. Part Stax, part Motown -- think Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding and a bit of James Brown while his Indications hit all of the right notes, all of the nuances of Booker T. & The MGs and The Wrecking Crew. But all of that would add up to nothing without the songs. The songs on this debut all feel vaguely familiar, but fresh at the same time. A good mix of smooth soul ballads, mixed with up tempo shouters that allow the band to stretch their legs. Eight songs and a brief 33 minutes later it's over -- leaving you wanting more.
7. Teenage Fanclub - Here - (Merge)
Over their three album stint at Merge, Teenage Fanclub have become a quieter, cleaner, tighter band. What they began back on 2005's Man-Made, they've perfected on Here. The vocal harmonies, mixed with a healthy dose of acoustic guitars, smatterings of tasteful electric work and their penchant for constructing a good song all come together to make one of the finest albums of their long career. "I'm in Love", "Hold On" and "I Have Nothing More To Say" jump immediately out at you, each one penned by a different member of the band. Gerard Love's "The First Sight", clocking in at over five minutes, features a pair of nice instrumental breaks which allow the band to stretch out a bit and gets wonderfully distorted. Norman Blake picks up the pace on "Live in the Moment", while Raymond McGinley settles things down with the haunting "With You" leading into Blake's equally moody "Connected to Life".
6. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool - (XL)
Bouncing back with a far more accessible album than 2011's The King of Limbs, Radiohead do a bit of closet cleaning with this new record, book-ended by two fantastic songs that have been part of their songbook for more than 15 years. Both songs ("Burn the Witch" and "True Love Waits") are explored differently here than in their previous incarnations. A Moon Shaped Pool finds the band in a reflective mood, the album playing better as a whole than the sum of its parts. You won't find the guitar aggression of "Paranoid Android" or the break neck free-for-all of Hail to the Thief's "Sit Down, Stand Up". On "Ful Stop", the band approaches this territory, beginning uptempo, but hiding itself as though it were being recorded in a studio down the hall. As the song comes into focus, it backs away once again. Although they've recorded a rather hypnotic set of songs, the band sounds far more focused and uncluttered than on The King of Limbs. It's an album that reveals itself gradually through repeated listens with each pass through making things a bit more clear.
5. Dinosaur Jr - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not - (Jagjaguwar)
Since their return with Beyond in 2007, Dinosaur Jr have been making some of the most inspired albums of their career. While 2009's Farm may be the best of the four albums they've made over the past decade, Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not certainly challenges for the crown. Charging out of the gate with two absolute face-melters ("Goin Down", "Tiny") it's almost a relief when "Be a Part" pulls in the reins with one of the poppiest songs in the Dinosaur Jr catalog. As has been the formula since their reunion, each album features two songs penned by Lou Barlow which usually serve as a palate cleanser between J Mascis' guitar driven assaults. "Love is", the first Barlow tune on GaGoWYN, is one of his finest moments. "Good to Know" ends powerfully with one of J's solos serving as the outro, Holding everything together, the highly underrated Murph is in top form, pushing Mascis forward as he feeds off the intensity of his snare drum on "I Walk for Miles". J uses his falsetto vocal to great affect on late album ballad "Knocked Around", which takes off suddenly during the back half of the song in a surprise twist. Dinosaur Jr continue to defy the odds, releasing vital music with a history of more than 30 years behind them.
4. The Posies - Solid States - (Lojinx)
The ever-changing Posies are back, drenched in layers of keyboards and guitars used to compliment each other in search of a different sounding pop-rock album. The guitars are here, but used more for dynamics while keyboards and synths do the heavy lifting. "We R Power" is one of the more guitar heavy songs, but takes off with an industrial, 80s modern rock feel. The stark and twangy guitar line of "Unlikely Places" keeps bringing the song back to a familiar refrain while the string sounds back up the chorus. "Titanic" is one of the highlights of the first side, the beautiful harmonies of Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer on full display in the chorus. "Squirrel Vs. Snake" finds the guitars and keyboards in a back and forth battle for dominance. Album highlight, and one of my favorite songs of the year, "March Climes" delights with its acoustic guitar, snare/kick drum into with Jon and Ken intersecting vocals and hitting all of the right harmonies -- this is The Posies doing what they do best. Just as 2010's Blood/Candy found the band experimenting with a variety of songwriting styles with a mixture of success, Solid States does the same. "M Doll" and particularly "The Definition" are both examples where things go awry with the latter being perhaps my least favorite song by the band. "The Plague" gets things right back on track where they remain for the balance of side two, with "Rollercoaster Zen" finding that unique balance between themselves and obscure 70s AM radio pop.
3. David Bowie - Blackstar - (Columbia / RCA / ISO)
I ordered a special vinyl edition of Blackstar through Barnes & Noble after hearing the ten minute title track in the days prior to the album's release. By the time I received the record in the mail a week later, Mr. Bowie had shockingly left us. What he left behind is nothing short of a masterwork, made all the more impressive as details leaked after his death about his health condition during the recording of this final album. On the first half of title track, "Blackstar", Bowie's vocal is encouraged along by a snaking saxophone and rattling rhythm track, with the second half finding him in excellent voice, crooning over haunting strings and horns. Bowie ratchets up the intensity on "Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", adding primal yelps at the end as his tremendous backing musicians push him forward. Listening to "Lazarus" now after his passing, it feels like he is bidding us goodbye from the other side, both confessional and existential at the same time. "Girl Loves Me" is a lyrically impenetrable mid-album stomper with Bowie wondering "where the fuck did Monday go?". On the last song of the record, "I Can't Give Everything Away", Bowie's final verse ("I know something is very wrong / The pulse returns the prodigal sons / The blackout hearts, the flowered news / With skull designs upon my shoes") reveals a man who appears accepting of his fate and is trying to break the news to us gently. After delivering what feels like the final passage of his own eulogy, David Bowie leaves us, hopefully for someplace better in the universe.
2. Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung - (Dead Oceans Records)
Releasing a second album in less than 18 months, Ryley Walker put quite a bit of pressure on himself to maintain the standard that 2015's Primrose Green set. Taking his cues from early 70s Van Morrison records and a healthy dose of both Tim and Jeff Buckley, it would seem that Walker would be written off by many as a hippie guitar virtuoso. To do so would be short-sighted. Album opener 'The Halfwit in Me" puts his talents on display in one of his finest songs to date and sets the stage for what is to come on the rest of side one, perhaps the finest single side of music of the year. "A Choir Apart" lurches and recedes as Walker's guitar and vocals move over a frenetic floor tom beat. "Funny Thing She Said" is a slow burn, a track where acoustic guitar and piano play off of each other in a sad song of disconnected love. The side ends with "Sullen Mind", a rather proggy bit of experimentation which finds Walker at that time of night in a bar where the liquor is no longer useful and it's past time to go home. For the more adventurous, there's an amazing 45 minute live version of this song available as a second disc in the vinyl release of the album, recorded live in The Loft studios at SiriusXM. Side Two kicks off with a short acoustic piece ("I Will Ask You Twice"), while "The Roundabout" is a bit of stream of consciousness rambling. The album ends with the brooding eight minute "Age Old Tale".
1. Marillion - F.E.A.R. - (earMUSIC)
Since the end of their 80s heyday with former lead singer Fish fronting the band, I've managed to keep tabs on Marillion off and on over the past 25 years, never really completely warming up to frontman Steve Hogarth. I'd seen the band a couple of times since the Fish years, appreciating what they were up to, but never fully embracing it. When the band announced their new album via electronic press kit last summer, I was immediately intrigued. Although political albums can be a tricky affair, they can be inspiring when the material within is timely. F.E.A.R. (which is an acronym for Fuck Everyone and Run) released after the Brexit referendum in Great Britain in June and prior to the U.S. elections in November takes a huge swipe at the institutions which control the western world. It questions the sanity and morals of a society steeped in self-absorption. Where many albums political in nature spend a lot of time finger pointing, Hogarth is more concerned with expressing our feelings of helplessness amidst the turmoil. It's a plea for humanity and peace, for a movement where the people take back our beautiful earth from the bloody hands of greed. The album is made up of three long pieces and three short pieces. It can be a bit tough to tackle at first, but as you hear each of the long pieces again, by the third time you start recognizing the different movements, and that's when the lyrics really start to sink in. The short pieces then start forming themselves around the longer. Glimpses here, flashes there and you start to get to the center of this masterpiece. Not only is this Marillion's best album of the Hogarth era, it challenges each of the band's best efforts with Fish. This is art rock at its finest. The band is in brilliant form, with guitarist Steve Rothery performing at the top of his game. Keyboardist Mark Kelly bathes the proceedings in his signature sounds and Hogarth is at his most vital. It was quite a privilege getting to see the band on Election Day this year in New York City on their North American Tour. A city that was bathed in such hope and promise at the start of the day, by the end of the day, the songs from F.E.A.R. made for a most frightening yet fitting soundtrack. Leaving the Sony Playstation Theater after the show that night, walking by myself through Times Square was a surreal experience. The city was hobbled, nervous and anxious. I entered the theater in one world, and exited into another, not fully realizing in between that I was hearing my personal soundtrack for the next four years. For those of you who need to regain a feeling of hope, who need a beacon to get you through these darkest days, F.E.A.R. is the album you're looking for -- after which you should pass it along to someone who may need it. There's millions like us. You are not alone.
