Albums of the year 2016.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

I guessed wrong

What did you guess? Lemonade?

Yep

either that or the Bowie would be the safe bets, given all the lists we've seen

[Zip City]

I still haven't even heard Lemonade because it's on stupid Tidal exclusively

[beantownbubba]

I still haven't even heard Lemonade because it's on stupid Tidal exclusively

Same.

My guess was "if it's not beyonce its bowie." I don't know whether that means I got it or not.

[Shakespeare]

i took it pretty easy on new releases this year, which i tend to do on an every other year basis for some reason. focused more on older stuff instead. as a result, nearly every 2016 album i heard was by an act i already knew and appreciated, with the majority of them ultimately feeling more like obligation than infatuation. im not sure how to fairly rank something that only stayed in rotation for a week or two after hearing it, so i kept the actual list to the handful that stuck around throughout the year (or at least made an impression beyond just "so ____ has a new album huh"). i wanted to at least hear metallica before considering a list, but ive not been in much of a mood for new to me albums lately so this will have to do for now

disappointments:
american football | american football or lp2 or whatever its technically called
i usually find this to be the laziest line of criticism, but im not sure why this needed to exist at all. its perfectly ok, and largely captures what made the band so charming, but it does nothing the debut didnt do better and after all the years and successful side projects, its just completely pointless. i cant see ever choosing to listen to this over the debut.

owen | the king of whys
boring. not a strong year for kinsellas (though ive admittedly never cared as much for owen as their other projects)

big thief | masterpiece
i get what its going for and that its one of those pure songcraft type things where you either get or dont, but it seemed utterly forgettable to me.

jeff rosenstock | worry
maybe not fair to call it a disappointment, but it felt like a complete rehash of we cool, with fewer great songs and a painfully overwrought mini opera.

marissa nadler | strangers
i guess ive only been a fairweather marissa fan to begin with but this was just kinda dreary with none of her usual charm.

aurora | all my demons greeting me as a friend
conqueror was a brilliant single but the album was lacking in worthy followups. still though, i love conqueror enough to keep paying attention

beth orton | kidsticks
i got into her 90s albums earlier this year so it seemed like good timing for a new release to seamlessly pick up where the older albums left off in my head, but this was a bit of a dud. 1973 was great but the full dip into electronic beats with none of the folky touches of her earlier stuff didnt work for me.

baby queens | baby queens
couldnt get into this one beyond a few of cian ciaran's obvious arrangement touches. it all sounds lovely (if super furry animals' lp10 ever happens they might as well save the money and have him produce it) but the songs and performances just generally arent there for me. maybe it could have worked if hed written all the songs for the ladies to perform (hes certainly shown an adept touch with doo wop leaning r&b), but i certainly get that it wasnt his project

danny brown | atrocity exhibition
i think i just like the idea of danny brown more than the real thing, and need to adjust my expectations accordingly. when hes on, hes like nobody else, but he inevitably loses me after a few lesser tracks.

blood orange | freetown sound
dude remains a guy with great taste and a great phonebook, but no material. not sure how he got his status as lead indie r&b guy

the 1975 | stupid long title
what a pompous mess of an album. 80+ minute slog for maybe 12 minutes of pretty great arena synth pop

crying | beyond the fleeting gates
hype for this pushed a lot of the right buttons for me, album did not. i like the idea of an indie pop band embracing 80s guitar cheese, but it felt like an empty novelty on here. what made bands like van halen or dokken so great wasnt the shredding, it was the pop melodies, and ironically thats what was most lacking here

inter arma | paradise gallows
this band has already put together one of the most exciting catalogs in metal but this felt like theyre running on empty and maybe need to slow their output down a bit. im not sure if theres anything behind this but it seems like bands on relapse really crank out the material, and im not so sure thats a good thing in this case. sky burial had the excitement of a major label debut and the cavern was workshopped for years, before and after the debut, so the expansiveness of the songs felt earned. this is just kinda feels like a by the numbers excuse to hit the road again

wrekmeister harmonies | light falls
same, basically. i like that the song structures got tighter, but it didnt do as much for me as his past releases. not saying the well's run dry, but i hope he takes more than a year for the next release

frank ocean | blonde
i thought channel orange was a mixed bag but its highlights were so good i was on board with the hype anyway, thinking he had a masterpiece in him. maybe he still does, but this is a massive step back. its a mood piece that doesnt create a compelling mood, seeming willfully low key at the expense of solid songwriting.

car seat headrest | teens of denial
this really deserves a category of its own, as i do like it, im just not sure how much. it's a mess and even its best moments are pretty idol worship-y, but that all just makes it even more compelling (at least as compelling as an album i struggle to find motivation to hear in full can be). drunk drivers/killer whales has been stuck in my head for weeks, ill give it that.

solid releases i enjoyed but dont know how to properly rank, as they fell out of rotation fast and probably wont resurface anytime soon:
david bowie | blackstar
leonard cohen | you want it darker
nick cave and the bad seeds | the skeleton tree
these are especially difficult to rate in light of their respective contextx. i think in the case of skeleton tree its fair to argue that the narrative behind it is at least partially noise, since his sons death didnt inform the writing and recording as much as it initially seemed, but its admittedly impossible to separate. the other two certainly go hand in hand with the post-mortem appreciations, as theyre very much about death themselves. i liked all three fine but ill need to give them time (probably till the next time i binge on either catalog) to know how i really feel. especially in the case of bowie and cohen, a few months feels like nowhere near enough time to properly appreciate codas to such winding bodies of work.

gruff rhys | set fire to the stars
the handful of actual songs on here are as great as ever, perfectly fitting the recent lowkey singer/songwriter phase of his solo career. the majority of the album is short jazzy instrumentals. fine stuff, with some hints of his usual melodic sense, but not anything ill be reaching for often. still nice to have, and hopefully it leads to the separado soundtrack (and this supposed other soundtrack work hes done) surfacing at some point.

case/lang/veirs | case/lang/veirs
i only knew neko's work before, but this album is a perfectly comfortable partnership that produced a breezy album for shooting the breeze with the lasses. i gather that it was largely a laura veirs project with added harmonies, so itll make me check her albums out eventually. she managed to nail the tribute song with song for judee on here, and ive long thought thats one of the hardest things for a songwriter to do. it draws wider conclusions by getting at the heart of the person and not just the singer, and i think thats the key.

dinosaur jr | give a glimspe of what yer not
another solid entry into the most inexplicably successful reunion in rock. they regrouped and just kept plugging away, never reinventing themselves, never needing to.

black mountain | iv
band was one of my first exposures to heavy/proggy shit when i saw them play a festival set in 2008. id kinda forgotten about them in the meantime but this was a solid trip.

heron oblivion | heron oblivion
i wasnt familair with meg baird's work before but this was a nice reminder of the comets on fire dudes, albeit in a more folky vein

radiohead | a moon shaped pool
better than the king of limbs, nowhere close to in rainbows. are they "back"? idk. my initial enthusiasm wavered quick, but burn the witch remains a gem and this one certainly leaves me more optimistic (no pun intended) about their future as a band

goat | requiem
maybe their best release yet, with some nice mellow touches added to the mix, but i havent been in the right mood to really give it the attention it deserves

shura | nothings real
very frontloaded but that first half is great synthpop.

modern baseball | holy ghost
i dont remember much about this except that it opens with a great riff.

nice as fuck | nice as fuck
very minor release but as a palette cleanser after jenny's (so far?) masterpiece, it kinda had to be. still very enjoyable and a nice teaser for the proper followup to the voyager.

jayhawks | paging mr proust
a good example of the less country power pop band they become without mark olson. lacks the harmonies and songwriting foil, but still a tightly crafted and enjoyable spin.

hayes carll | lovers and leavers
bit more lowkey than his earlier stuff. i missed the humor, but the songwriting remained sharp and his voice is a joy.

high llamas | here come the rattlign trees
probably held back more by its own conceptual slightness than anything else. not even half an hour and based heavily on repeated motifs that make it feel even shorter, but its still sean o'hagan, so its about as easy to listen to as anything.

tegan and sara | love you to death
actually the first ive heard of theirs but its a very solid pop album ive returned to a lot. just missed the actual list

confirmed stuff i most want in 2017:
gruff rhys
fingers crossed its a bit more in the vein of yr atal genhedlaeth, but ill take anything

paramore
no clue what to expect here and thats the most exciting thing. they made the jump from scrappy punk band to pop stars so gracefully

taylor swift
ditto. itll presumably remain more in the pop realm than anything approaching country, but there are probably a dozen songs of hers i could conceivably see her pursuing for an entire album and im not even sure which would be most exciting.

jenny lewis
the voyager is the best thing shes released yet but it felt so completely of its time (ie, her midlife crisis album) that im not sure what to expect from a follow up. shes been recording with ryan adams again, so hopefully it at least continues the sleek pop of the voyager.

ryan adams
i gather this has already leaked but im in no rush to hear it. the s/t was solid and hes never had a period where hes not still writing great songs, its just a matter of how many and how big the gap is between them and the others.

grandaddy
i know exactly what to expect here but its time. not sure theres any difference between a grandaddy studio album and a jason lytle solo album, but ive liked jasons solo work well enough so i dont care.

flaming lips
hesitantly hyped here. i havent loved their last few but theyre clearly still at least swinging big and im ok with that

pallbearer
this band is progressing quite nicely, and at an appropriately glacial pace

charli xcx
hesitant hype, since i love sucker the most and she seems dismissive towards it lately

hopeful stuff i most want in 2017:
super furry animals
not sure how likely this is. kinda seems like gruff is the holdup and the others would gladly drop all side projects to resume sfa full time. i refuse to believe that bing bong and all the shows theyve played the past 2 years wont lead to studio time though

queens of the stone age
not seen any real rumors or anything but theyre surely due

spoon
ditto but it seems the hype machine is gearing up a bit of late.

mark lanegan
again, just seems due. id love a return to dark folky stuff with mike johnson but hes very quietly put together an incredible wide ranging body of work, so ill take anything

michael stipe
longshot (and maybe not even worth awaiting) but i feel like stipe, with the right supporting cast, has some great old man music left to deliver.

the list:
20 | panic at the disco | death of a bachelor
last years fall out boy album was an inexplicably pleasant surprise im still not sure was real, and this follows in that same mold of way overcooked pop punk(ish) songs that settle in as earworms anyway. they havent embraced pop quite as successfully as paramore, though who has, but i saw them open for weezer this summer and they owned the big stage. the band is still as over the top ridiculous as ever but theres a matured self awareness here that makes it more palatable. more and more i find myself coming back to high school bands like this, so the fact that theyre still making music without repeating themselves into the ground is pretty alright.
19 | angel olsen | my woman
i dont think this entirely hits its mark, but its a big jump from her last album. i definitely prefer her as sassy pop star than sad folky. shut up kiss me is song of the year material.
18 | brandy clark | big day in a small town
shes an incredibly sharp songwriter, treading lots of very familiar themes without feeling inconsequential, and her songs get the right amount of polish here. her vocals tend to be what keep me a bit at bay. shes a good singer, and sells her wry material well, but i end up wishing she had just a bit more personality. might just be a product of working more as a songwriter than a performer, but it feels like she plays it straight vocally more often than not, and id like to hear her add that final touch.
17 | fumaca preta | impuros fanaticos
this band feels like a veteran act just two albums in. theyve already polished their blend of sounds so well im almost worried theyll approach diminishing returns sooner than id like, but im enjoying the ride in the meantime
16 | sturgill simpson | a sailors guide to earth
this will be an interesting release to look back on in a few years. what that means will largely depend on what sturgill does next, as well as whether or not he provokes any significant sea change in country music. lots of people seem to think he already has, but thats awful premature to me. at any rate, he was already a strong songwriter, but this album is a quantam leap as a performer an arranger. hes had that waylon jennings comparison for years but on here i think hes finally starting to really capture what made waylon such a compelling vocalist, except with an even wider musical scope. i can just as easily see him doubling down on this kind of sun goes stax blend or stripping it all away for a leaner folk sound. not many artists come to a fork in the road like that

15 | mount moriah | how to dance
its big thief, except good.
14 | oranssi pazuzu | varahtelija
at its best, black metal is arguably the most expansive metal subgenre there is, but it feels like not enough bands are willing to acknowledge that. this band has never appeared to give a shit about kvltness or any of the genres dumb gimmickry, and the end result couldnt be finer as a result. they can shred like anyone else but its the spacier touches that really set them apart.
13 | wilco | schmilco
this and star wars find wilco in their most compelling shape in years. the whole love had that return to form hype, but as time goes on i find it to be less and less interesting and more tweedy trying to be everything for everyone. star wars and schmilco are more one note, but that focus works wonders. star wars impressed me more at first, but this one had more repeat listen charm. ill admit theyre both more sound than songwriting, but they show jeff still able to write a good song and willing to de/reconstruct it in studio, and for a guy with his catalog already in the bag i think thats as much as anyone can fairly expect.
12 | ariana grande | dangerous woman
this remained in heavy rotation by virtue of a good handful of a+ pop songs i could turn to if i needed to fill the last few minutes of a commute, but it works well as an album too. the max martin tracks stand above the others, naturally, and that song with future is trash, but i often found myself putting this in to hear the first few songs and playing it all the way through
11 | miranda lambert | the weight of these wings
lots of extracurricular angles to tackle with this one. from the double album sprawl to the high profile breakup to the blatant jockeying for the favor of the npr americana crowd, its so ripe for awards and thinkpieces i still cant believe it came out as late in the year as it did. its a great work on its own merits, but even more so considering her position in country (and countrys position in american pop music today). two very well considered discs, mostly keeping the fun to the first and the wallowing to the second, and a ton of absolutely brilliant vocal performances. shes as comfortable selling her own material as any of the outside tracks here, covering the entire emotional range of moving on in the process. lots of standouts but pink sunglasses is an instant relationship kiss-off classic with a surprisingly potent injection of zz top fuzz in the mix.

10 | jim james | eternally even
wasnt sure what to expect from this, or even what i wanted from it, but i think this is the exact album hes been trying to make since z. his vocals shine and the twisted soul touches are never at odds with the songs like has been the case with his day job. its weird to say, considering hes obviously the songwriting core of mmj, but id be happy if he put the band on the bench for a while to do a few more of these.
9 | lambchop | flotus
after hearing half of the hustle when it came out, i felt like this album had equal potential to be a classic or a trainwreck. time will tell, but i think it comfortably leans towards the former. manages to maintain that classic lambchop warmth despite deliberately shrouding itself in processed effects. i maintain that it would have been even more effective as just the two epic tracks and one or two shorter ones in between, but the more i play it the more each of the shorter ones reveals itself.
8 | drive-by truckers | american band
i had very low expectations for this, given its outspoken political slant (which i don't disagree with at all, i just thought it would date the material) and the fact that english oceans wasn't very good and felt like a great band on auto pilot, but it turned out as their best set of songs since brighter than creations dark, and arguably their leanest album to date. the political focus sharpened both songwriters, and the current lineup of the band has worked itself into something real special.
7 | cate le bon | crab day
her career has been really fascinating to watch, and as a slavish sfa disciple i thankfully got in on the ground floor. she started out with obvious reference points but each album has added new dimension to her sound, musically and vocally, and by now i think she's comfortably carved out her own niche (and likely surpassed gruff commercially in the process, unfortunately). for a voice that doesn't have too much range technically, she's gotten a ton of life out of it.
6 | kero kero bonito | bonito generation
probably a matter of timing more than anything, as i desperately needed the most stupidly chipper album possible when i heard this, but this is so much fun. simple beats and ridiculously catchy melodies, while covering some relatively heavy themes in the process. material this obnoxiously twee is certainly a delicate line, but they straddle it well here. it may be an odd comparison, but i feel like this covers the same mid-20s malaise as car seat headrest, with a similarly self aware sense of levity in the mix, but i much prefer the treatment here. it is certainly not for everyone, but stuff like that bit in "break" (a song about taking a break) where sarah leaves her bandmates a voicemail about not wanting to do anything today hit as close to home as anything i can remember. plenty of similarly subtle laugh then cry moments on here but the overall sound is so joyous.

5 | carly rae jepsen | emotion side b
i generally scoff at "we wrote ___ songs for this album" fluff in hype pieces, but based on these songs i think carly's talk about how prolific the emotion sessions were was actually otm. i thought the album proper was such a well crafted statement that im not sure how these tracks would have fit, but im certainly glad she released them. "cry" might even be the best thing shes done yet.
4 | weezer | weezer
the late career revival continues with an album thats basically the breezier counterpart to EWBAITE. not as musically thrilling, and certainly lacking the element of holy shit, weezers back, but its arguably the most comfortably himself rivers has been since the debut. it focuses on the melodies and lets the few weirder touches happen naturally. no small accomplishment given his career path
3 | kvelertak | nattsferd
this happened to coincide with my tastes in metal shifting heavily from darker/weirder stuff like black or sludge to stuff thats just plain fun, like thrash and death and even a good bit of glam. its really all in here though. basically a love letter to metal itself, with just the right amount of perfectly executed head(banging) nods to the heavyweights of the last few decades. i liked this bands first two albums but this is a huge step forward
2 | maren morris | hero
what kvelertak is to metal, maren morris is to country: a supremely crafted, sufficiently polished reminder that at its core, this genre is fun. country and pop have not been the most comfortable bedfellows of late, but she blends elements of both here with all the right amounts of reverence. most of her pop cues come more in the form of her vocal phrasing, which often sounds like she grew up on 90s hip hop, than instrumentals or arrangements. whatever the genre, 80s mercedes is probably the song of the year for me. or it would be if not for:
1 | super furry animals | bing bong
i dont even care that its not an album, since a.) im pretty sure i spent more time listening to this song than almost any actual 2016 album, and b.) it made me happier than anything else released this year. they regrouped like the hiatus never happened, delivering something totally fresh, yet might have fit right in on guerilla. the signals have been mixed of late but it would be a real shame if this is the last sfa song on the near horizon. on their own, they all make great work, but this song shows theres still a ton of life to be squeezed out of the full band dynamic.

[beantownbubba]

^^^ I haven't heard of many of these artists and I haven't heard way more of the albums than I actually did hear, but I enjoyed reading it anyway. Excellent, Shakespeare. You've got a good ear, a better head and talented fingers.

[Smitty]

I loved reading that, Shakespeare, even if Morris (and specifically "80's Mercedes") make me reach for the Zofran.

[Shakespeare]

i get it, seems a bit polarizing (and she'd probably be better served ditching any pretenses of country entirely) but i cant argue with results. dont think i played another 2016 album more

[disgruntledgoat]

Okay...

1. Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth
2. DBT- American Band
3. Becky Warren- War Surplus
4. Lydia Loveless- Real
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree (A friend's brother lives next door to Mr. Cave, he has a very weird relationship with his output)
6.Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial
7.Kendrick Lamar- Untitled, Unmastered.
8.Angel Olsen- My Woman
9. Mitski- Puberty 2
10. Teenage Fanclub- Here

[Smitty]

I just got the Car Seat Headrest and new Miranda Lambert, and I'm digging the shit out of 'em both.

I'm gonna pick up that Maren Morris and see what lies beneath the singles. Your post and the Musgraves'* connection/comparisons have me intrigued.


*BTW, I have liked the little I heard of Musgraves' Xmas record.

[linkous]

Okay...

1. Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth
2. DBT- American Band
3. Becky Warren- War Surplus
4. Lydia Loveless- Real
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree (A friend's brother lives next door to Mr. Cave, he has a very weird relationship with his output)
6.Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial
7.Kendrick Lamar- Untitled, Unmastered.
8.Angel Olsen- My Woman
9. Mitski- Puberty 2
10. Teenage Fanclub- Here

Good list, well those that I have heard anyway- (2,5,6,7,10). Sturgill doesnt do it for me (couldn't get on with it at all after struggling through 3 or 4 listens), this Mitski is popping up all over the place so need to investigate.
Have you heard Jenny Hval album, another that is very well rated in various lists and you seem to like female artists? Streamed it a few times recently, sounds promising.

[Shakespeare]

I just got the Car Seat Headrest and new Miranda Lambert, and I'm digging the shit out of 'em both.

I'm gonna pick up that Maren Morris and see what lies beneath the singles. Your post and the Musgraves'* connection/comparisons have me intrigued.


*BTW, I have liked the little I heard of Musgraves' Xmas record.

i havent heard a very kacey christmas yet but i do love both of her proper albums

not sure id compare her and morris personally. kacey is modern in many ways but keeps her songs very traditional musically. shes never flirted with programmed beats and hip hop rhythms like morris, who seems already set for a full pop turn (something im not so sure kacey could pull off, and i dont mean that as a diss. shes charismatic as hell so i wouldnt entirely put it past her)

curious to hear what you end up thinking though. theres a version with 3 bonus tracks "bummin cigarettes," "company i keep," "space" that are all worth hearing and lean a bit more traditional. "rich" is probably my second favorite track but its basically a late 2000s weezer song so your mileage may vary.

[Shakespeare]

actually hold that thought, i have heard kacey flirt with a programmed sound, albeit just a remix of someone elses song


one of my favorite songs of the year, although the original version came out last year

[beantownbubba]

I'm gonna pick up that Maren Morris and see what lies beneath the singles. Your post and the Musgraves'* connection/comparisons have me intrigued.

I don't know what it means, but FWIW, at an Xmas party yesterday I overheard a woman excitedly tell some others that she's got tickets for the upcoming sold out Morris show. The reason I wasn't a part of the convo was that she had previously been talking excitedly about "Luke," "Kenny" and the rest of her musical idols.

[disgruntledgoat]

Okay...

1. Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth
2. DBT- American Band
3. Becky Warren- War Surplus
4. Lydia Loveless- Real
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree (A friend's brother lives next door to Mr. Cave, he has a very weird relationship with his output)
6.Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial
7.Kendrick Lamar- Untitled, Unmastered.
8.Angel Olsen- My Woman
9. Mitski- Puberty 2
10. Teenage Fanclub- Here

Good list, well those that I have heard anyway- (2,5,6,7,10). Sturgill doesnt do it for me (couldn't get on with it at all after struggling through 3 or 4 listens), this Mitski is popping up all over the place so need to investigate.
Have you heard Jenny Hval album, another that is very well rated in various lists and you seem to like female artists? Streamed it a few times recently, sounds promising.

I have not, will check it out. That Becky Warren album is fantastic, by the way, you should give that a spin. It's a unique little gem of a concept album.

I hadn't realised quite how much I was listening to female singer/songwriters this year until I wrote that down. A completely unconscious decision! That said, that Margo Price album didn't do it for me at all and I have not heard one note of Lemonade.

EDIT: And on that note, I totally forgot to include Amanda Shires' album and I've no idea what I would drop to put it in. Let's call it joint no. 10. I got it for my brother as a Christmas present too, through the wonderful offer she had that if you ordered by today, she would write a Christmas card for the recipient.

[tinnitus photography]

it kinda blows my mind that someone could list Oranssi Pazuzu along w/ Ariana Grande and Carly Rae Jepson.

i didn't realize that Gruff Rhys had a new record out.

[Shakespeare]

it kinda blows my mind that someone could list Oranssi Pazuzu along w/ Ariana Grande and Carly Rae Jepson.

i didn't realize that Gruff Rhys had a new record out.

carly was my aoty last year, i think, and i loved kiss as well. shes easily one of my favorite artists going. ariana was the one that surprised me a bit, just because id never (knowingly) heard her before. strong album though, title track especially. the oranssi is great but its such a heavy listen the others got a lot more play

gruffs new one is a few years old, but only came out this year. its not essential beyond the title track, but nice to have. hes got a proper solo album due next year im more excited for

[Clams]

I'm gonna pick up that Maren Morris and see what lies beneath the singles. Your post and the Musgraves'* connection/comparisons have me intrigued.

I don't know what it means, but FWIW, at an Xmas party yesterday I overheard a woman excitedly tell some others that she's got tickets for the upcoming sold out Morris show. The reason I wasn't a part of the convo was that she had previously been talking excitedly about "Luke," "Kenny" and the rest of her musical idols.

Re Maren Morris: Meh. I would recommend that yall devote your precious listening time to the new Margo Price before Maren Morris. Maren sounds a little too crossover and a little too pop for me, whereas 30-something Margo has earned her success the long, hard way (just listen to the title/opening track of her record "Hands of Time" which is basically her life story). Margo is the real deal. Maren's younger and she's pretty and I'm sure she'll be on the big New Years Eve TV shows, but her record didn't do anything for me whereas I cannot stop listening to Margo Price.

[Smitty]

I'm gonna pick up that Maren Morris and see what lies beneath the singles. Your post and the Musgraves'* connection/comparisons have me intrigued.

I don't know what it means, but FWIW, at an Xmas party yesterday I overheard a woman excitedly tell some others that she's got tickets for the upcoming sold out Morris show. The reason I wasn't a part of the convo was that she had previously been talking excitedly about "Luke," "Kenny" and the rest of her musical idols.

Kenny Chesney he has some great renditions of songs by prime Nashville songwriters (Matraca Berg, Guy Clark, Charlie Robison, Mac McAnally, etc). He also has some utter shit, but I don't put him on the level of Luke Bryan who from what I can tell has no redeeming qualities.

My brother-in-law is first cousins with Kenny's right hand man/tour manager(also Jimmy Buffet's) so if you ever eat or drink at the Smitty household, you may be using plates and cups with the logo from the latest Chesney tour imprinted on it

I never claimed to be high-class.

[TruckerTomer]

My top 50 in my local blog here.

The Albums of the Year post:
http://southernharmonyblog.com/albums_of_the_year_2016/
(In hebrew, but you got all the names/covers/songs links)

And just the list:
50. Billy Bragg & Joe Henry – Shine A Light: Field Recordings from the Great
American Railroad
49. Amanda Shires – My Piece of Land
48. John Prine – For Better, Or Worse
47. Luther Dickinson – Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook) Volumes I & II
46. Sara Watkins – Young In All The Wrong Ways
45. Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club – The Vulture
44. The Cave Singers – Banshee
43. Hayes Carll – Lovers and Leavers
42. Dawes – We’re All Gonna Die
41. Norah Jones – Day Breaks

40. Whiskey Myers – Mud
39. Mavis Staples – Livin’ On A High Note
38. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Sea of Noise
37. Mount Moriah – How To Dance
36. White Denim – Stiff
35. Conor Oberst – Ruminations
34. The Head And The Heart – Signs of Light
33. Lucinda Williams – The Ghosts of Highway 20
32. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Let Me Get By
31. The Skiffle Players – Skifflin'

30. Marissa Nadler – Strangers
29. Devendra Banhart – Ape In Pink Marble
28. Dylan LeBlanc – Cautionary Tale
27. Rich Robinson – Flux
26. Eleanor Friedberger – New View
25. Grant-Lee Phillips – The Narrows
24. Ray LaMontagne – Ouroboros
23. Dexateens – Teenage Hallelujah
22. Rival Sons – Hollow Bones
21. Two Cow Garage – Brand New Flag

20. Angel Olsen – My Woman
19. Mudcrutch – 2
18. Hiss Golden Messenger – Heart Like A Levee
17. Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide To Earth
16. Lydia Loveless – Real
15. Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel
14. case/lang/veirs – case/lang/veirs
13. Richmond Fontaine – You Can't Go Back If There's Nothing To Go Back To
12. Hard Working Americans – Rest In Chaos
11. Carl Broemel – 4th of July

10. Wilco – Schmilco
9. The Jayhawks – Paging Mr. Proust
8. The Tyde – Darren 4
7. Dinosaur Jr. – Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not
6. Sarah Jarosz – Undercurrent
5. Natural Child – Okey Dokey
4. Fruit Bats – Absolute Loser
3. Jim James – Eternally Even
2. Heron Oblivion – Heron Oblivion
1. Drive-By Truckers – American Band

[tinnitus photography]

it kinda blows my mind that someone could list Oranssi Pazuzu along w/ Ariana Grande and Carly Rae Jepson.

i didn't realize that Gruff Rhys had a new record out.

carly was my aoty last year, i think, and i loved kiss as well. shes easily one of my favorite artists going. ariana was the one that surprised me a bit, just because id never (knowingly) heard her before. strong album though, title track especially. the oranssi is great but its such a heavy listen the others got a lot more play

gruffs new one is a few years old, but only came out this year. its not essential beyond the title track, but nice to have. hes got a proper solo album due next year im more excited for

i got to see Oranssi play this year, 2nd time now.

holy fuck are they an amazing band.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

surprised by the lack of love for this--Tomer has it on his list, so it isn't completely left out, but I expected it to get more praise. I like it

[dogstar]

surprised by the lack of love for this--Tomer has it on his list, so it isn't completely left out, but I expected it to get more praise. I like it

I tried to find a copy a week or so ago after it started appearing on peoples lists but had no luck.

[TruckerTomer]

Was kinda surprised myself by not seeing it on many lists. Very intimate, personal, dark and beautiful album.

[Iowan]

I've never liked Oberst outside of a song or two, so I've never been compelled to follow him.

I find his vocalizations extremely irritating.

[TruckerTomer]

Actually I was never a big Bright Eyes/Conor fan as well. But this album came as a surprise.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

I've never liked Oberst outside of a song or two, so I've never been compelled to follow him.

I find his vocalizations extremely irritating.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

surprised by the lack of love for this--Tomer has it on his list, so it isn't completely left out, but I expected it to get more praise. I like it

I tried to find a copy a week or so ago after it started appearing on peoples lists but had no luck.

no Amazon in Brum?

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

surprised by the lack of love for this--Tomer has it on his list, so it isn't completely left out, but I expected it to get more praise. I like it

this song fuckin' rules, especially on the album

[Clams]

DBT - American Band
--------

Bo Beddingfield & the Wydelles - Self Titled
Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter
Mudcrutch - 2
Norah Jones - Day Breaks
--------

Alejandro Escovedo - Burn Something Beautiful
Car Seat Headrest - Teens of denial
Dori freeman - self titled
Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like a Levee
John Prine - For Better, Or Worse
Richmond Fontaine - You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing to Go Back To
Rolling Stones - Blue and Lonesome
--------

Aaron Lee Tasjan - Silver Tears
Adia Victoria - Beyond the Bloodhounds
Amanda Shires - My Piece of Land
Bob Weir - Blue Mountain
Daniel Hitchins - Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life
Dexateens - Teenage Hallelujah
Earthless - Acid Crusher/Mount Swan
Elizabeth Cook - Exodus of Venus
Hayes Carll - Lovers and Leavers
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions - Until the Hunter
Jeff Wall aka bigdumbhick - Love Everybody
Natural Child - Okey Dokey
Parquet Courts - Human Performance
Steve Gunn - Eyes on the Lines
William Tyler - Modern Country

--------

Disappointments:
Hard Working Americans - Rest in Chaos
Lucinda Williams - Ghosts of Highway 20
Lydia Loveless - Real
---------

I don't get the fuss:
Wilco, Sturgill, Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Solange, Maren Morris

[dogstar]

no Amazon in Brum?

I try to shop local wherever possible and stay away from Amazon as much as possible.