All we have now is music right? In a year where it felt like the world was falling apart, there was so much to take hope in (even songs that were written and recorded long before things started going to shit). A number of artists created work that both reflected the current moment inadvertently (Punisher, RTJ4) and very intentionally (Taylor Swift, Charli XCX). These are my top albums of the year:
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Hanif Abdurraqib is one of the most unique voices in modern journalism and poetry. His 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain’t Worth Much was a standout last year, and his often calm delivery of poetry is hypnotic. Like Crown, this essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us is a beautiful meditation on pop culture, race, personal history, and the places where those conversations meet. Abdurraqib sculpts his prose in a conversationally engaging but also comforting tone. Continue reading
There was a lot of good music that came out in 2016, and it’s terrible. Of course, no one is complaining about the excellent tunes, but the greater amount of good music, the harder it is to keep up with. There’s so much music that you couldn’t possibly give everything a thorough listen; therefore, here are some of the albums that won’t make my best-of list and may be on my honorable mentions list, but I still plan on giving a much more complete listen to in the end of 2016 and in 2017.
Panic! At The Disco covered The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s recent collaboration. It’s a great cover of a great song.
The Weeknd-“False Alarm”
Following an electric SNL performance, it seems The Weeknd’s Starboy will be one of the strongest in R&B this year. It’s one of the fastest, heaviest loaded songs, creating a dark club track.
Bon Iver-“715-CRSSKS”
This haunting auto-tuned anthem has some of the heaviest emotions on all of Bon Iver’s latest release. Justin Vernon lets the weight of the world fall on the listener as his vocals become more distorted and confusing until he’s shouting during the song’s outro.
Slaughter Beach, Dog-“Jobs”
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1104672169/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1130357777/transparent=true/
Painting an image of the fictitious Slaughter Beach’s thriving underbelly, this is one of the most varied pieces on Jake Ewald’s debut solo album. It’s an infectious track with one of the best opening lines of the year.
Bad Religion-“Fuck Armageddon…This is Hell”
As debates have been recapped, we keep alluding to the end of the world with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. This is a fitting song for an election year, and for the fact that I’m seeing Bad Religion tomorrow night.
Brand New-“Limousine”
The Long Island hometown heroes have just announced that they will be playing this iconic album from front to back on their forthcoming tour with Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms. This is one of the best songs from Devil and God and sure to be explosive as always.
Diet Cig-“Harvard”
Speaking of The Front Bottoms, I’ve been reviewing their Champagne Jam lineup, and I’m always thrilled to see some of New Paltz’s finest on the list. This punky, emotional jam is a must-listen from the duo.
Against Me!-“I Still Love You Julie”
Nick Drake-“Day is Done”
Nick Drake’s eerie folk tune is fitting for the rainy fall weather New York has seen this weekend. As October rears its head, Nick Drake’s mournful folk is always suited to the occasion.
Burger-A-Day 