At the end of the year, a lot of people like to list what their favorite albums were of that year. 2016 just ended and 2017 has begun. I have to yet to give my top favorite albums of 2016, so that’s what I’m writing about here. I’m no music expert, but I’ve chosen my top four to write about.

1. Death of a Bachelor -Panic! At the Disco. This is one of my favorites of 2016 mainly because of Brendon Urie’s voice alone. He’s got such a wide range and can hit some pretty impressive high notes. I’d say that the general tone of this album is very different than most of the band’s earlier music. The songs sound more like anthems, high in charisma and eccentricity, such as “L.A. Devotee” and “Golden Days” Although, “Death of a Bachelor” gives a Sinatra sound to the album that stands out amongst the rest.
2. I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it-the 1975. The truth is, I’m not sure that I like this album better than their self-titled. However, there are several tracks that I can’t help but love off of the new album. “Somebody Else” has already become a pretty big hit because of the story being told through a slow, soft melody about a guy caught in between letting someone go and not being able to handle them being with anybody else. I think it gives a feeling that we’ve all dealt with in some way before when it comes to unrequited feelings, lost love and almost desperation. One of my other favorites is “UGH!” because it’s more of a funk sound, and it’s honestly impossible not to dance to.
3. Taking One for the Team-Simple Plan. The thing I like the most about this album is the energy it gives off. Much like Death of a Bachelor, it’s an album full of anthems. The songs are pretty hard not to bop along to the edgy, pop punk music all about how people who don’t like you can go screw themselves. For instance, my favorite off of the album is “Opinion Overload” a pretty self-explanatory title all about how they don’t really give a damn about anyone else’s opinion. Another one like that is “I Refuse” saying that they refuse to let themselves be pulled down by others anymore. I will admit that I listen to this album quite often in the car.
4. Big Mess-Grouplove. This is my favorite of the top four albums. I’ve always kind of liked Grouplove because of their indie rock sound, but this album was like a breath of fresh air for me. There really aren’t any songs that you can go wrong with on this album. I will say that “Do You Love Someone” is one of the only songs that I literally can’t help but sing along to, which with song is actually more like yelling/screaming along to. This album is a perfect mesh of pop and rock sound and the vocals of Christian Zucconi. When listening to tracks like “Traumatized” and “Welcome to Your Life” I’d describe the album as almost being a little quirky, which is exactly what this band embodies. They’re also just feel good songs. They’re pleasing to the ear and I really look forward to catching one of their concerts.

Those are my top four albums of 2016, and I hope that some of you out there might check them out. Maybe you’ll discover something new.