It's the time of year people, when we start to release all of the top ten, or best of lists. And let me tell you, I am a slave to them myself. So here we go, the most notable albums of 2016. Unlike other lists, these are completely unranked, just categorized from good, to bad, to just plain meh.
The Good
"Lemonade" Beyonce
She fucking did that.
"Double Dare" Waterparks
Possibly the best I've ever heard Waterparks at, they absolutely killed it on every single track, with only one skippable song that you probably won't even skip. Waterparks are on their way to superstardom.
"The Dream Is Over" PUP
PUP is bringing their insane, bombastic sound in a time of need, despite the singer's failing health. If that's not real punk, I don't know what is.
"X Infinity" Watsky
Watsky always delivers, and it is no different this time.
"Parachutes" Frank Iero and the Patience
Heavy Misfits influence. If Frank Iero did Pinkerton. Enough said.
"The White Album/Weezer" Weezer
Weezer experimented and it paid off. "Jacked Up" is easily the standout track, due to how absolutely non-Weezer it was, and holy hell. The whole thing is highly replayable.
"Upside Down" Set It Off
Everyone but me seemed to hate this album this year, but I found it to be great. Although nothing compared to "Duality," "Upside Down" brings out some killer tracks itself, although not in the usual Set It Off genre. Definately danceable.
"Drive North" SWMRS
I actually knew of SWMRS before I knew the drummer was Billy Joe Armstrong's son, and hearing their work with an unbiased ear made it infinitely much more enjoyable. A creative take on modern punk, SWMRS seem to be on the forefront of the Next Big Thing.
"Holy Ghost" Modern Baseball
In my eyes, Modern Baseball can do no wrong. One of the first popular 'whiny nerd angsts over acoustic guitar' bands, they're still doing it the best to date so far, and seem to still be producing solid content.
The Meh
"California" Blink-182
Although the best Blink album since the reunion, Blink still has a long-ass way to get better.
"Aggressive" Beartooth
A sub-par rehash of "Disgusting," Beartooth needs to step their game back up in their next album.
"Misadventures" Pierce the Veil
Unfortunately, "Misadventures" had the misfortune to be right after "Collide With the Sky," so it obviously paled in comparison.
"Death of a Bachelor" Panic! at the Disco
The worst Panic! album, but still not as bad as the worst.
"Dangerous Woman" Ariana Grande
"Dangerous Woman" has given us some of Ariana Grande's best songs to date, but the non-single songs were just 'meh' at best.
"Joanne" Lady Gaga
Although better than the dreadfully miserable "Art Pop," Lady Gaga regains her footing with the experimental Joanne, but seems to fall short in lyrical substance.
"Youth Authority" Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is undeniably a pop-rock hitmaker, both with their material, and bands like 5 Seconds of Summer. But unfortuneately their comeback album was less a new direction, but the same thing with more production (hats off to you, John Feldmann).
The Bad
"Stories for Monday" The Summer Set
Bless this little scenster band. Still hanging on, despite the fact we're closer to 2020 than 2000.
"Home of the Strange" Young the Giant
See, people keep praising this album as one of the best of the year, but I personally couldn't find anything remarkable out of it.
"The Shadow Side" Andy Black
God bless Andy Biersack. Honey, you got a pretty face, but you can't sing for shit.
"Collage" The Chanismokers
This man is singlehandly the most unoriginal piece of shit ever. He literally recycled his own fucking song.
"Taking One for the Team" Simple Plan
I. Fucking. Hate. Simple. Plan.
