My Favorite Albums of 2016

I've decided to cut it off. I cannot listen to anymore new releases! Here is a list of my favorite albums from 2016 and a list of albums I considered. 

Carlos' Favorite albums of 2016 (it starts with my favorite and goes down. Imagine there are numbers):

Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial

A Tribe Called Quest- We got it from here

Noname- Telefone

Chance the Rapper- Coloring Book

Leonard Cohen- You Want it Darker

St. Lenox- Ten Hymns From My American Gothic

Hamilton Leithhauser- I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

Bon Iver- 22, A Million

Angel Olsen- My WOMAN

Kadhja Bonet- The Visiter

Trevor Sensor- Various eps

Y La Bamba- Ojos Del Sol

Weyes Blood- Front Row Seat to Earth

Kevin Morby- Singing Saw

Nick Cave- Skeleton Tree

Pup- The Dream is Over

Mendrugo- More Amor

Whitney- Light Upon the Lake

Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

Pinegrove- Cardinal

Teen Suicide- It’s the Big Joyous Celebration, Lets Stir the Honeypot

Laura Gibson- Empire Building

PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project

Run the Jewels- RTJ3

Kendrick Lamar- untitled unmastered

Kanye West- The Life of Pablo

Max Jury- Max Jury

Globelamp- The Orange Glow

Edward Sharpe- PersonA

Exploded View- Exploded View

Julia Jackson- Don’t Let the Kids Win

Goat- Requiem

Cloud Cult- The Seeker

Oshwa- I We You Me

Josephine Foster- No More Lamps in the Morning

Jeff Rosenstock- WORRY.

Conor Oberst- Ruminations

Chris Farren- Can’t Die

Childish Gambino- Awaken, My Love

Keaton Henson- Kindly Now

Guerilla Toss- Eraser Stargazer

Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition

Kikagaku Moyo- House in the Tall Grass

The Lavender Flu- Heavy Air

Big Smoke- Time is Golden

Solange- A Seat at the Table

Anderson. Paak- Malibu

Hodgy- Fireplace

Band of Horses- Why Are You Okay

Big Thief- Masterpiece

A-Wa- Habib Galbi

The Frightnrs- Nothing More to Say

Charles Bradley- Changes

Francis and the Lights- Farewell, Starlite

The Parrots- Los Ninos Sin Miedo

Danny and the Darleans- Bug Out

Here is the list of albums I listened to and considered (the bold are ones that are really great, just didn't impact me as much. The middle are albums I was just okay with. The italicized ones are albums I HATED)

Hinds- Leave Me Alone

Mothers- When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired

Esperanza Spalding- Emily’s D+Evolution

Thao and the Get Down Stay Downs- A Man Alive

Craig Finn- Newmyer’s Roof

Jessy Lanza- Oh No

The Avalanches

The Thermals- We Disappear

Chris Forsyth The Motel Band- The Rarity of Experience

Lucy Dacus- No Burden

M83- Junk

Malawi Mouse Boys- Forever is 4 You

Luh- Spiritual Songs For Lovers to Sing

Klaus Johann Grobe- Spagat Der Liebe

Modern Baseball- Holy Ghost

Xenia Rubinos- Black Terry Cat

Steve Gunn- Eyes on the Lines

Esme Patterson- We were Wild

Mitski- Puberty 2

Gordi- Clever Disguise

Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool

Spookyland- Beauty Already Beautiful

Holly Henry- King Paten

The Julie Ruin- Hit Reset

Schoolboy Q- Blank Face

Shura- Nothing’s Real

Joanna Brouk- Hearing Music

Ugly Brothers- 16 Tiny Mountains

Nico Yaryan- What a Tease

Ezra Furman- Big Fugitive Life

Soul Low- Nosebleeds

Frank Ocean- Blonde

David Bowie- Blackstar

Will Cookson- Ghosts of The Morning Sun

The Cactus Blossoms- You’re Dreaming

Japanese Breakfast- Psychopomp

Pretenders- Alone

NxWorries- Yes Lawd!

Joseph Allred- Fire and Earth

Eleanor Friedberger- New View

Best Friends- Hot. Reckless. Totally Insane

Money- Suicide Songs

Emily Wells- Promise

Walter Martin- Arts & Leisure

Sunflower Bean- Human Ceremony

The Prettiots- Funs Cool

Mavis Staples- Livin’ On a High Note

Quilt- Plaza

School of Seven Bells- SVIIB

M. Ward- More Rain

Ras G The Koreatown Oddity

Wussy- Forever Sound

The Frights- You Are Going to Hate This

Flatbush Zombies- 3001: A Laced Odyssey

Brian Fallon- Painkillers

Lucius- Good Grief

Aurora- All My Demons Greet Me as a Friend

Damien Jurado- Visions of Us on the Land

Frankie Cosmo- Next Thing

Operators- Blue Wave

Frightened Rabbit- Painting of a Panic Attack

The Lumineers- Cleopatra

Andrew Bird- Are You Serious

Twin Peaks- Down in Heaven

Star Parks- Don’t Dwell

The Hotelier- Goodness

Beth Orton- Kidsticks

Chairlift- Moth

The Last Shadow Puppets- Everything You’ve Come to Expect

Trapper Schoepp- Rangers and Valentines

Parker Millsap- The Very Last Day

Bj The Chicago Kid- In my Mind

Black Mountain- IV

Death Grips- Bottomless Pit

Fruit Bats- Absolute Loser

Kristin Kontrol- X-Communicate

No/no- Sound and Light

Amber Arcade- Fading Lines

Maren Morris- Hero

William Tyler- Modern Country

Pale Dian- Narrow Birth

Trapo- She

The Coathangers- Nosebleed Weekend

Margaret Glaspy- Emotions and Math

YG- Still Brazy

Lisa Prank- Adult Teen

Weaves- Weaves

Darren Hayman- Thankful Villages

Xiu Xiu- Plays the Music of Twin Peaks

Goggs- Goggs

Bat for Lashes- The Bride

Roisin Murphy- Take Her up to Monto

Martha- Blisters in the Pit of my Heart

Blind Pilot- And Then Like Lions

Kemba- Negus

Ryley Walker- Golden Sings That Have Been Sung

Alex Cameron- Jumping the shark

Morgan Delt- Phase Zero

Cass McCombs- Mangy Love

Vince Staples- Prima Donna

Banks & Steelz- Anything But Words

Joseph- I’m Alone, No You’re Not

BRONCHO- Double Vanity

Isaiah Rashad- The Sun’s Tirade

Teenage Fanclub- Here

Wilco- Schmilco

Clipping- Splendor & Misery

Adam Torres- Pearls to Swine

Okkervil River- Away

Beach Slang- A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings

Mick Jenkins- The Healing Component

Devendra Banhart- Ape in Pink Marble

Flock of Dimes- If You See Me, Say Yes

Kyle Morton- What Will Destory You

Billie Marten- Writing of Blues and Yellows

Oh Pep- Stadium Cake

Apollo Brown- The Easy Truth

Itasca- Open to Change

The Conquerors- Wyld Time

Survive- RR7349

Ultimate Painting- Dusk

Lizzo- Coconut Oil

Kate Tempest- Let Them Eat Chaos

Chook Race- Around the House

IshDARR- Broken Hearts & Bankrolls

D.D Dumbo- Utopia Defeated

Sam Evian- Premium

Swet Shop Boys- Cashmere

The Lemon Twigs- Do Hollywood

The Real Numbers- Wordless Wonder

J-Dilla- The Diary

American Football- LP2

Agnes Obel- Citizen of Glass

The Felice Brothers- Life in the Dark

Los Nastys- Cannibal Business

Slothrust- Everyone Else

Ricky Eat Acid- Talk to You Soon

King Gizzard- Nonagon Infinity

Let’s Eat Grandma- I, Gemini

Hope Sandoval- Until the Hunter

Nouvelle Vague- I Could Be Happy

Dan Bern- Adderall Holiday

Andy Shauf- The Party

Todd Slant-Going By

Lampchop- Flotus

Jim James- Eternally Even

Common- Black America again

Yussef Kamaal- Black Focus

Empire of the Sun- Two Vines

Gobbinjr- vom night

Sad13- Slugger

Pink Martini- Je Dis Oui!

Chester Watson- Past Cloaks

Smoke Dza- Don’t Smoke Rock

Gaye Su Akyol- Hologram Imparatorluge

Gazebos- Die Alone

The Intended- Time Will Tell

Peter Doherty- Hamburg Demonstrations

Angelina- Vagabond Saint

Bleached- Welcome the Worms

Mind Spiders- Prosthesis

Parquet Courts- Human Performance

White Lung- Paradise

Colleen Green- Colleen Green

The So So Glos- Kamikaze

Diarrhea Planet- Turn to Gold

Nice as Fuck- Nice as Fuck

Glass Animals- How to Be a Human Being

Preoccupation- Preoccupation

LVL UP- Return to Love

Hiss Golden Messenger- Heart Like a Levee

Tyrannamen- S/T

Kaleo- A/B

AJJ- The Bible 2

The Shivas- Better Off Dead

The Blind Shake- Celebrate Your Worth

PUP, Death Grips, M83, Colleen Green, Gordi

What this blog is:

These blogs are more about casual suggestions than a real analysis. I consider these to be on par with how I would recommend an album to a friend at a bar. I understand my audience, the around 10 people who are music lovers on my Facebook, and know a 2000-word song-by-song dissection isn’t something most people are looking for. I mostly want an outlet to “nerd out” about what I’m listening to, which I can’t really do in every day life.

Also, I know I give out a lot of medium scores, but here’s a guide to what I mean when I give out a rating:

·      1-3: Bad albums. In some big way, in my mind, these albums are devoid of serious merit and fail at what they set out to do.

·      4: Merely fine, nothing to hate. Can be skipped.

·      5: Have some good points and bad points that will excite a listener a little. It’s a “if you have the time” kind of listen.

·      6-7: Really solid albums. This is where most albums will end up. This is me saying to check this album out.

·      8-9: Superb album. Definitely check out.

·      10: Classic. You’d be dumb for not listening.

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Pup- The Dream is Over

            It’s been a long time since I was blown away by a punk record in the popular sense-- you know, gang vocals, LOUD, self-loathing and angry—but Pup thoroughly impressed me. I first listened to The Dream is Over when it first came out in May with my car windows down and the volume high. The burst of absolute noise from the album would make it audible even if I was in open air and the volume on low. The album is a snapshot of the band’s life on the road. Pup is one of the most hard-working bands going right now with their constant touring. They toured so much that the lead singer was told his vocal chords were damaged to the point of telling him, “the dream is over,” hence the name. Being on the road puts a lot of strain on musicians. The song “Sleep in the Heat” has to be one of the most heart-breaking songs I’ve heard in quite some time, detailing him coming back to his apartment after touring and seeing his “person” wasting away from neglect. It’s sad. It’s sad doing something you love but have it gradually kill you.

In a time in my life when I’m uncertain about the future and, in all honestly, feel like a loser, having someone yell back to me that they are too is pretty comforting. The lyric “Yeah, I’d be better off dead/I don’t give a shit, I just don’t wanna die and I don’t want to live” feels like a rallying cry rather than an admission of defeat. It’s therapeutic for those that want to say they’re fucked but can’t. This is amplified even more, both metaphorically and literally, by the use of collective vocals. The album is being sung by the many.

Songs to Listen to: DVP, Sleep in the Heat, My Life is Over and I Couldn’t Be Happier

Rating: 8.5/10

Death Grips- Bottomless Pit

            I once described Death Grips as a “montage of people fucking underneath the blood red sky of the apocalypse,” and I stick to it. To be fair, you could use any kind of gnarly imagery to describe them as long as it conjures the ideas of abrasiveness, deconstruction, and emotions blown up to Super Ape proportions. Despite my personal feelings, Death Grips are one of the most, if not the most, innovative bands on the planet as this moment. They combine different genres like rap, punk, industrial, electronic, hard rock, and metal effortlessly. The way they tear apart the idea of what a song is and turn it into something unrecognizable yet able to awaken a primitive sense of pleasure and feeling within the listener is remarkable. I’ve never seen a band draw willing people into warzone concert conditions like they have. There is no experience like listening to Death Grips.

            With Bottomless Pit, I believe they’ve made an album “accessible” enough for newcomers and experimental enough for their fans. I recognize a structure to these songs and the decision to keep the runtimes on the songs short was a wise decision considering how their last album was not only a double album but also contained longer songs (the Jenny Death portion of The Powers That B alone was 10 minutes longer). They pack so much in a song that one Death Grips minute is two regular minutes. I’ve listened to this album around 4 times and still don’t fully understand what’s going on, partly because I consider Death Grips’ lyrics to be more coherent stream-of-consciousness (if that makes sense) than conventionally written. In a way, I see their lyricism as a montage of visceral images that bring forth emotion. They’ll say “on fire like a margarita made of wood” and, while I don’t understand it specifically, I feel it. There’s not to say their lyrics are incomprehensible (I’ve spent the last 15 minutes going through “Three Bedrooms”), I just feel they are a band that is meant to awaken an emotion from you. After this last week, an album like this is needed for catharsis; it allows us to feel the anger that we must hold inside and, for 39 minutes, unleash it.

            Songs to Listen to: Bubbles Buried in This Jungle, Three Bedrooms in a Good Neighborhood, Giving Bad People Good Ideas.

            Rating: This will either be a surprising joy or an endurance test. 8.5/10

M83- Junk

            It’s slightly hard to take an album seriously when it’s title is Junk and its album art are two furry creatures, made even harder by how vigorously they shake the 80’s coconut tree. This is so heavy on cheesy synth that it could soundtrack an 80’s sitcom or a 90’s porno. From what I’ve read about the album, it wasn’t meant to be a coherent album in the usual sense. They wanted to make a collection of songs that go together but don’t seem like they do. If I’m going to be honest, every M83 song sound similar to each other if you aren’t listening (and amazing if you do). If you listen closely to this album, you’ll hear just how disjointed the album is.

            To stay true to the composition of the album, the following thrown together thoughts will be combined to create a full review. “Do it, Try it” sounds dirty, which is good because it sounds like the beginning of a wild night out. “Road Blaster’s” tittle tattle rhythm is the right kind of playful to dance on cobblestone to. God, why is Beck on this? Isn’t there enough male vocals on this that are acquired tastes? “Go!” is the best song on the album. It reminds of The Go Team’s breakout album Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Live, it was fantastic. In fact, I believe M83 to one of the best live bands I’ve seen. So full of energy, great light show, everything is mixed up, and great dancing from the guy playing the electronic drum. “Bibi The Dog” might possibly be the worst song I’ve ever heard. It’s somehow full of cheese despite the lack of “kraft.” “For the Kids” comes out of nowhere but it’s a definite show stopper. “Sunday Night 1987” is a gentle ending to an erratic ride.

            Songs to Listen to: Go!, Road Blaster, For the Kids

            Rating: Uneven album but with notable highlights. 6.5/10

Colleen Green- Colleen Green

            Anyone that knows me that I have a strange connection to Colleen Green. She’s one of my biggest regrets because of the time I theoretically could’ve driven her around town. She is also a musician I’ve held in high regard ever since I received a free magazine once, dropped it on the floor, and had it open to an interview with her where she came off as the chillest person in the world. I will never forget her response to a question of why she uses drum machines instead of real drums, “because I don’t know how to play drums.” To me, that’s a real musician, someone that has a vision and makes it work with what they have. I’ve never liked the idea of the “professional band” or the virtuosos, the Claptons and the Hendrixs. I love the working class bands that tour until they’re dead and make something remarkable despite being ordinary. Colleen Green is that kind of musician. Her voice isn’t great, choosing to sing in the same cooled out style in each song. Her instrumentation is never complex, but it works in the way that The Ramones worked. I still consider her last three albums to be real gems (I Want to Grow Up, Sock it to Me, Milo Goes to Compton).

            Alas, this is my biggest problem with this new ep. There doesn’t seem to be a progression from her previous work. I Want to Grow Up felt like a big step up. It signaled musical and personal growth in the form of her finally admitting to herself it’s time to grow up. Given that this is only an ep and probably won’t be the basis to a new album, I can give it some slack. The only part of the ep that interested me was the piano in “Between The Lines” that was reminiscent to The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Altogether, an alright release, but nothing that’ll prevent me from killing my darling.

            Songs to Listen to: Between The Lines, Green My Eyes

            Rating: Check out her full releases. 4.5/10

Gordi- Nothing’s as It Seems

            It took a while to find an artist that I wanted to write about given that I haven’t feeling that great lately. It’s surprisingly difficult to write 5 casual album reviews when nothing is really grabbing you, while at the same time wanting to give each album ample listening time and find a way to parcel out the amazing albums amongst more middle-of-the-road ones, as not to saturate them (general format- a “headliner,” 2 unknowns, rap or international, and a weaker release). I spent a lot of time listening to a few different albums looking for a one that would motivate me to write something, at the same time, not take focus. It took a while, but I found Gordi.

            Gordi has a big future. While not wanting to sound reductive, she’s the female Bon Iver, circa self-titled. Her vocals are multi-layered with a strong base in folk, lending herself to electronic music as an omnipresent enhancer (think Aurora, Lapsley, Sylvan Esso). This effect makes each little nuance into full blown emotion, allowing each piece of thread to swath you. Her desolation and her reaching coursing through every second of every song like snow swirling and twirling just above the ground of a tundra. A moment like her final “can you see now” in “Nothing’s as it Seems” can’t not break someone’s heart. The simple wistful nature of the guitar in “Wanting” could calm a fast beating heart. There is no doubt in my mind that when her full length comes out, she’ll get more attention then she’s getting.

            Songs to Listen to: all of them, it’s only an ep of 5 songs.

            Rating: 7/10