It's December. You've just conquered finals, and now it's finally time to sit back. Christmas music can only keep your attention for so long, though. There's something about hearing it for two months nonstop that drives you up a wall.
Navigating through your playlists, you flip through half a dozen lists consisting of more of the same. Drake, Rihanna, Chainsmokers, and The Weeknd. Not bad music, per say... Just the same stuff you've heard all year.
Break the pattern!
2016 was a historic year for music. We've lost David Bowie, Prince, George Martin, and countless others that brought a lot of creativity and inspiration to the music industry. At the same time, though, we were lucky enough to have an incredible year for music releases. So, take the opportunity this break to explore some of what you may have missed this year.
Here's a Spotify playlist with 50 songs I think are worth your time from 2016:
Top 10 Tracks You May Have Missed:
1. Your Best American Girl - Mitski
2. Play That One Again - George Laswell
3. Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales - Car Seat Headrest
4. Cranes In The Sky - Solange
5. Dis Generation - A Tribe Called Quest
6. The Season / Carry Me - Anderson .Paak
7. White Ferrari - Frank Ocean
8. 29 #Strafford APTS - Bon Iver
9. GOT IT GOOD - KAYTRANDA
10. Normal American Kids - Wilco
Hopefully you've heard of some of this stuff, it's great! If not, still great! You've got a lot of new ear food! As an added bonus, below you'll find a handful of albums that may have gone undetected on your radar.
Top 3 Albums You May Have Missed:
Teens of Denial, Car Seat Headrest
This is, without question, my favorite album of 2016. Beyonce, Radiohead, and a few others gave Will Toledo's low-fi rock outfit out of my hometown of Leesburg, Virginia a run for their money, but Teens of Denial was just too good. Teens of Denial is Car Seat Headrest's debut full-length album, and at seventy minutes it's definitely a longer experience. The album lists twelve songs, but as Bob Boilen from NPR Music has notably said, "Drop a needle on any one song and within a minute the tune will abruptly shift and a new song will blossom." If you feel like rock has faded as an innovative genre of music, give this album a chance to change your mind. The instrumentation is notably spare of any genre blurring, or over-produced elements as many of this year's releases have bore. It's 100% rock'n'roll. This makes room for Toledo's lyrical mastery to take center stage on this record, and the result is nothing short of amazing. Self discovery, aloneness, and the struggles of understanding that adulthood is no more confusing than growing up, permeate through every track, and coalesce to form one consistent, ambitious coming-of-age album that will surely serve as a touchstone to young adults for years to come.
A Seat at the Table, Solange
It was a good year for the Knowles sisters. Solange's older sister, Beyonce, arguably put out her best release ever with Lemonade, but she didn't steal the show entirely. Solange's A Seat at the Table is really special. Her third full length album leads a host of other musical releases this year that tackle concepts of blackness and black identity in today's America. Solange isn't afraid to explore with sound on this record, yet she still manages to retain a cohesive direction with a compelling message. Perhaps my favorite track on the record is Cranes In The Sky, a powerful song that confronts the metaphorical "metal clouds" that hang over her, referring to the barriers put up against black womanhood. This album does a good job of taking a time-capsule styled snapshot of America from an important perspective, and is well worth the 51 minute investment.
Malibu, Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak's Malibu is fun. That's the best word I can really gather for how Malibu makes me feel. Anderson .Paak burst out from obscurity onto the musical scene unexpectedly in 2015, scoring 6 features on Dr.Dre's third album release, Compton. This wasn't his first appearance as an artist, however. Anderson's first full length release, Venice, went largely unnoticed. On the back of Dre's success from Compton, however, Anderson was able to put out his second full length album. .Paak's lyrics are strikingly honest. He talks about the trials of his upbringing, and his progression since. The sound of this album is very reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, with the same measured blending of soul, R&B, hip hop, and funk that led to critical acclaim for the rap giant. This record has a warm, uplifting sound, with well thought out lyricism that left a very positive impression on me. It is for sure a serious contender for my favorite R&B release of 2016.
