2016 Year In Review Part V: The Tracks

Our look back at the year in music, 2016, continues with a list of my 75 favorite tracks...

75. "Gardenia" - Iggy Pop
74. "I Can't Give Everything Away" - David Bowie
73. "A 1000 Times" - Hamilton Leithauser + Rotsam
72. "Shut Up Kiss Me" - Angel Olsen
71. "Hands of Time" - Margo Price
70. "Prayers / Triangles" - Deftones
69. "Lake by the Ocean" - Maxwell
68. "Human Performance" - Parquet Courts
67. "Black America Again" - Common
66. "Joanne" - Lady Gaga
65. "Summer Friends" - Chance the Rapper f. Francis and The Lights & Jeremih
64. "Female Vampire" - Jenny Hval
63. "Atomic Number" - case/lang/veirs
62. "Dis Generation" - A Tribe Called Quest
61. "Fill in the Blank" - Car Seat Headrest
60. "California Kids" - Weezer
59. "Starboy" - The Weeknd f. Daft Punk
58. "I Have Been to the Mountain" - Kevin Morby
57. "The Ship" - Brian Eno
56. "Pain" - LVL UP
55. "The Sound" - The 1975
54. "Sunday Love" - Bat For Lashes
53. "Healthy Moon" - DIIV
52. "1990x" - Maxwell
51. "Untitled 02/06.23.2014" - Kendrick Lamar
50. "Sister" - Angel Olsen
49. "If I Ever Was a Child" - Wilco
48. "Sandcastles" - Beyonce
47. "Troubled Calls" - SubRosa
46. "4th of July 2015 (Sandy)" - Cymbals Eat Guitars
45. "FDT" - YG f. Nipsey Hussle
44. "Hot Tramps" - Beach Slang
43. "I Need You" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
42. "VRY BLK" - Jamila Woods f. Noname
41. "Untitled 07/2014 - 2016" - Kendrick Lamar
40. "No More Parties in L.A." - Kanye West f. Kendrick Lamar
39. "Drone Bomb Me" - ANOHNI
38. "No Problem" - Chance the Rapper f. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
37. "Lite Spots" - Kaytranada
36. "Best To You" - Blood Orange f. Empress Of
35. "Glowed Up" - Kaytranada f. Anderson.Paak
34. "Come Down" - Anderson.Paak
33. "Sorry" - Beyonce
32. "Beast Whip" - Cobalt
31. "Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales" - Car Seat Headrest
30. "High Castle Rock" - Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
29. "Can't Stop the Feeling" - Justin Timberlake
28. "Keep It Between the Lines" - Sturgill Simpson
27. "Elevator Operator" - Courtney Barnett
26. "Somebody Else" - The 1975
25. "Work" - Rihanna f. Drake
24. "Yesterday" - Noname
23. "Really Doe" - Danny Brown f. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul & Earl Sweatshirt
22. "Black Beatles" - Rae Sremmurd f. Gucci Mane
21. "We The People" - A Tribe Called Quest
20. "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" - Kanye West f. Kid Cudi & Kelly Price
19. "Million Reasons" - Lady Gaga
18. "Don't Touch My Hair" - Solange
17. "Adore" - Savages
16. "Vice" - Miranda Lambert
15. "Beneath Fields" - Heron Oblivion
14. "E.V.P." - Blood Orange
13. "Ever South" - Drive-By Truckers
12. "Highway Anxiety" - William Tyler
11. "Hold Up" - Beyonce

10. "80s Mercedes" - Maren Morris
Yeah, I was not expecting to love this as much as I do, nor did I expect to really be pleased by Maren Morris in general. On paper it should be something I wouldn't really be drawn to - a young, contemporary country artist (one that is beloved by the modern industry, no less) using 80's touchstones to sing a decidedly pop tune. But, damn, that hook is undeniable

9. "Redbone" - Childish Gambino
Speaking of unexpected... I was not at all prepared for Donald Glover's turn from meme-nerd rapper (I mean, this last album was actually called Because The Internet) to surprisingly believable funk merchant. As high as my doubts were, and believe me they were really high, he really pulls it off. "Redbone", deservedly, managed to hit a relatively high level of mainstream appeal, it's really difficult to deny the soulfully warm embrace of the slinky minimalism and Glover's falsetto (apparently not at all pitch-shifted).

8. "Lazarus" - David Bowie
Given the timing of it's release, Bowie's subsequent death and Tony Visconti's comments about it being a sort of self-epitaph, it's going to be impossible to ever separate this from the end of a legend, but I think it works as one of Bowie's greatest latter day singles even when we attempt to set all that aside. The entire track is a looming shadow, a funeral dirge that somehow also manages to locate the serenity within, note the lyric, "I'll be free / just like that bluebird".

7. "Burn the Witch" - Radiohead
 Not that Radiohead has been anything close to a singles band since the 1990s, but this was them most I've loved a pre-release single by the band in a long, long time. When the Claymation Wicker Man style video was released, I must have watched it about five times in a row - mesmerized by the clipped strings just as much as I was by the visuals. A seeming screed against slogan spouting authoritarians, it made for timely commentary, sure, but it also gave us one of Yorke's more engaging vocals turns in some time.

6. "Cranes in the Sky" - Solange
A lot of attention is, understandably, spent on the fact that Solange is Beyonce's (previously) less successful little sister. Not only is that reductive, it isn't helpful to continually put the two of them on the same page, as Solange's path is drastically different from that of her sister. Solange's is one of moments - the quiet, the intimate, the individual - best exemplified by this moving ode to self-care through those crippling bouts of loneliness. Like many great songs, it's a simple concept rendered with thoughtfulness and color.

5. "Ultralight Beam" - Kanye West f. Chance the Rapper, The-Dream, Kelly Price & Kirk Franklin
Despite multiple appearances on my list of favorite tracks of the year, I found West's Life of Pablo to be an exceptionally flawed album and the first major disappointment of his career. However, "Ultralight Beam" will stand up as one of his best singles, joining an already impressive list. Other than his work as a curator and producer, though, West himself ends up being one of the lesser stars on the track. MVP honors go to Chance's giddy verse, but this is a team effort to give Kanye the heavenly gospel track he's always been aiming for.

4. "Blackstar" - David Bowie
While it was technically released as a standalone single ahead of Bowie's final album, I feel like "Lazarus" did that job better. The sort-of title track would have worked better to be one of those album tracks that blows you away and cements your love for the whole thing. Bowie's longest song since "Station to Station", it's a ten minute avant-garde art rock song that somehow manages to cohesively roll in jazz, electronica, torch ballads, and drum and bass, among many others I'm probably missing. The lyrics feature Bowie at his inscrutable best, filled with possible nods to everything from Elvis Presley to astrophysics. The comparisons to "Station to Station" go beyond length, as Bowie hasn't felt this exploratory since the late '70s.

3. "True Love Waits" - Radiohead
This one wasn't that much of a surprise, since it's been performed by the band since 1995, recorded multiple times before being ditched for various albums and even had a live performance included in a live EP. Still, finally having an official studio recording after 21 years was appreciated, even if the ultimate piano-led arrangement was different from what we may have heard before. It's one of the "prettiest" Radiohead songs ever, though that descriptor rarely applies to this band. I'm tempted to believe that Yorke had to wait for himself to age into this song to do it justice.

2. "You Want It Darker" - Leonard Cohen
No, Leonard, we don't want it any darker. 2016 was dark enough, filled with death, unease, fear, anger and an a steady, unsettling dread. Your death didn't help, but at least you saw fit to grant us one last gift. On its face, the song seems to find you staring death down and accepting your mortality, but as usual, you just couldn't leave it that simple. Your tongue remained firmly in cheek yet ready to bit, not content to drown in sorrow and kicking against the pricks to the very end.

1. "Formation" - Beyonce
Beyond the video's striking imagery, beyond the surprise roll-out, beyond the Red Lobster shout-out, beyond the thousand thinkpieces inspired by it, "Formation" stands as possibly the song we all most needed in our lives in 2016. Though never explicitly political in the lyrics themselves, the entire thing felt like one huge middle finger to the establishment. Which establishment? All of 'em. Backed by a powerful Mike Will beat, Beyonce has, despite her one time alter ego, never sounded this fierce and defiant. I like to think that every play, spin, view and listen helped us all release a little of the pressure that continued to build throughout the year. Which is exactly the kind of music we needed in 2016.

2016 Year In Review Part IV: The Live Albums

Here's my favorite live releases from this year, which includes both contemporary live releases and anthology live releases.

10. Jerry Garcia Band - GarciaLive Volume Seven: Sophie's 11/08/76 (ATO)
One of the nice things that happened in 2016 was the resurrection of the GarciaLive archival live recordings of Jerry Garcia's non-Dead performances from ATO records. Although it had been only a couple years off, it was disappointing not to have a regular scheduled Jerry release to count on. This was the second of the 2016 releases, featuring the Donna and Keith version of the JGB line-up from fall of 1976. A gorgeous "Mission in the Rain", back after a brief dalliance with his man band, and a 22-minute take on "Don't Let Go" are the highlights.

9. Thee Oh Sees - Live in San Francisco (Castle Face)
It had been a long eight years since the last Oh Sees live record, eight years in which quite a lot changed for the band as their sound progressed. This release, as part of the ongoing Castle Face series, captures the band over three nights at The Chapel while they toured for the Mutilator Defeated at Last album. It captures them firing on all cylinders, tearing through their distinct and energetic take on psychedelic garage rock. A must hear for John Dwyer fans.

8. Grateful Dead - July 1978: The Complete Recordings (Rhino)
A twelve-disc set that captures all five shows that the Dead performed in July of 1978, starting out with their extended one set appearance at Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic through to two nights at Red Rocks. The second night at Red Rocks was extracted for the general release, but the entire box is packed with great moments. 1978 was an interesting year for the band, evolving from the 1977 groove era and setting the stage for where the band would grow into the eighties when Brent joined. As always, gorgeous packaging and a must hear for Deadheads.

7. Jerry Garcia & Merle Saunders - GarciaLive Volume Six: Lion's Share 07/05/73 (ATO)
This was the one that restarted the GarciaLive series and oh what a pick it was. This finds Jerry and Merle playing at the Lion's Share just a few short days before the legendary Keystone performances. It features a mysterious trumpet player that remains unidentified, but Merle is absolutely on fire throughout - including the 26 minute segment that evolves from "Merl's Tune" into a perfect jam. Absolutely lovely stuff, it's always appreciated to hear more Jerry and Merle this clearly.

6. Kate Bush - Before the Dawn (Fish People)
It is a massive understatement to note that Kate Bush isn't a huge fan of live performances. After her first tour concluded in 1979, she stayed away from the stage for 35 years. So it was a huge deal when her 22-date residency in London was announced. This three disc set is culled from those performances and structured in three acts, similar to the stage show. The first disc, Act I, was the closest to a standard live performance, featuring a mix of some of her bigger songs from throughout her career. Act II was a performance of the entire Ninth Wave, or side two, of her 1985 classic, Hounds of Love, with some added dialogue and interludes. The final disc, Act III, captures the entire performance of A Sky of Honey, or disc two, from 2005's Aerial, along with two encores. It's a lot to digest, but well worth the time and energy spent.

5. Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 17: Selland Arena 07/19/74 (Rhino)
This was the first of two stellar picks from Dave during 2016, a fantastic set from the Wall of Sound era, specifically Fresno's Selland Arena on July 19, 1974. It's a terrific era for the Dead, with a jazzy improvisation sound that lessened over the years (though briefly resurrected during parts of the '89-'90 peak). This show has a lot to offer, particularly the half hour "Playing in the Band" that closes the first set and the 45-minute set two run that includes "Weather Report Suite > Jam > Eyes of the World", just gorgeous stuff. And bonus points for Dave including the sometimes divisive "Seastones" performance from Ned Lagin and Phil Lesh.

4. All Them Witches - Live in Brussels (self-released)
This Nashville stoner rock band has never been afraid of releasing their live performances, including virtually every night from various tours. But it's no wonder that this performance from Brussels in March of 2016 was specifically highlighted, as it just might represent the band's first live peak. the band tears through fourteen songs, with half of them lasting well over six minutes, meaning they take plenty of time to lock into various grooves. The setlist leans heavy on the then contemporary Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, but pulls from older releases as well. It's the most crisply recorded they've yet been and this ends up a key milestone in the band's development.

3. Colour Haze - Live Vol. 1 Europe Tournee 2015 (Elektrohasch)
It was about time for another live album from this instrumental stoner rock group from Munich, seeing as it's been eight long years since the excellent two-disc Burg Herzberg Festival was released. This release, also two long discs worth, pulls from various stops during their 2015 European tour with a setlist pulled from all over their catalog. If you've heard Colour Haze before, you'll know how fantastic this likely sounds, as they remain one of the most consistent stoner rock bands in the world. It's heavy and fuzzy, with plenty of room for the band to jam, topped off by the nearly half hour take on the self-titled album's "Peace, Brothers and Sisters".

2. Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 19: Honolulu 01/23-24/70 (Rhino)
The second of Dave's stellar 2016 picks takes us back to Honolulu for some classic primal dead during the latter days of January in 1970, just weeks before the legendary run at the Fillmore East with the Allmans. While neither are the greatest versions ever, any set that includes BOTH "The Other One" and "Dark Star" is worthwhile in my book. Fans of Pigpen will be happy, particularly with the 38(!) minute "Lovelight". A great one for primal Dead fans.

1. Bob Dylan - The 1966 Live Recordings (Columbia)
What else could take this spot? If the name alone doesn't ring a bell, Dylan's 1966 tour was the infamous one where The Band backed him to strongly divisive crowd reactions all around the world, peaking in England with the now legendary shouts of "Judas!". This 36-disc box set includes every known recording from the tour, including some (very, very) low quality audience recordings to fill in gaps in the U.S., Australia and Sweden. But the rest of the box is taken from either soundboards or professional recorded by various media entities, meaning we get most of it in surprisingly high quality. It's an absolute treasure trove for Dylan obsessives, even when the setlist gets a little stale over multiple shows. One of rock's most notorious tours ever, it's a blessing to be able to experience as much of it as possible.

2016 Year In Review Part III: The Reissues / Compilations

Let's keep moving with my ten favorite reissues and compilations from 2016...

10. The Verve - A Storm In Heaven / A Northern Soul (UMC)
While The Verve is better known in America for their 1997 album, Urban Hymns, and its inescapable "Bitter Sweet Symphony", they actually had a long headstart working their way through swirling psychedelia that was only hinted at by that point. These lovingly crafted boxes, three discs of music each, bring together the album, B-sides and session works, along with contemporaneous radio sessions and live cuts. It all makes for a great deep dive into the less well known, but far more rewarding, era of these Britpop stalwarts.

9. Judy Henske & Jerry Yester - Farewell Aldebaran (Omnivore)
This is one of those long hyped "lost" '60s records that was a collector's dream, thankfully reissued for the rest of us to check out. Originally released on Frank Zappa's Straight label back in 1969, this is a really easy album to love, but tough one to wrap your arms around. All ten tracks are so wildly different from each other that it often feels like a completely different band, between the styles and Judy Henske's incredible vocal range that often made her sound like different vocalists altogether. The only common thread being Jerry Yester's piano, otherwise this plods through folk, sunshine pop, guitar rock and even some early use of synthesizers. The reissue also includes five revealing demos.

8. Various Artists - Day of the Dead (4AD)
While they've never really gone away, it seemed like the Dead has seen a higher profile with the mainstream culture than they've had since Jerry died. It was kicked off by the 50th anniversary and the Fare Thee Well shows, but continued with some love from the indie rock world. The brothers Dessner, Aaron and Bryce of The National fame, once again teamed up with the Red Hot Organization for a charity tribute album that ended up stretching to 59 tracks and 5 discs. All Dead covers, it includes an astounding array of musicians from the hip (Courtney Barnett, The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile, Angel Olsen, Tim Hecker) to the weirdos (Marijuana Deathsquads, Fucked Up, Man Forever, Lee Ranaldo) to the stalwarts (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Wilco, The National, Lucinda Williams) to those that actually worked with or were in the Dead (Bruce Hornsby, Bob Weir, Joe Russo). As expected, the quality varies wildly, but there are some really great, loving, experimental performances - enough to show the band's continued inspiration.

7. Cows - Cunning Stunts (AmRep)
This was a revelation for me in 2016. While I'd read the band's name before, this was my first chance to hear this Minneapolis noise band for myself. It wasn't as strictly noise as I expected, there was a lot more melody than I'd been led to expect, but that didn't make it any less engaging or weird. Though I don't think they sound exactly like either, it reminded me of the way No Age and Sonic Youth combined noise with melody. From the spoonerism of the title to the bugle, it's delightfully weird noise rock that deserves a wider airing.

6. Manuel Gottsching - E2-E4 (MG Art)
By 1981 Manuel Gottsching had, as a member of both Ash Ra Tempel and the later offshoot Arhra, released, by my count, at least six classic albums - the self-titled, Schwingungen, and Join Inn by the former; as well as New Age of Earth, Blackouts and Correlations by the latter. With E2-E4, he added another one to the list, through a decidedly different approach. Gottsching pumped up the influence of electronic music, creating an hour-long progressive electronic suite that heavily influenced the development of house and tehcno in the years to come, all while still including his fluent guitar playing.

5. Game Theory - Lolita Nation / The Big Shot Chronicles (Omnivore)
The wonderfully on point Omnivore folks continued their reissue of the Game Theory catalog with expanded editions of their 1986 and 1987 albums. Each packed with bonus tracks, live cuts, demos, home recordings and irreverent covers, they both help explain why Scott Miller remains a touchstone for so many to this day. Lolita Nation revealed itself to be my favorite of the three I've heard so far (also including Blaze of Glory), but The Big Shot Chronicles has plenty of high points as well.

4. Tad - Salt Lick / God's Balls / 8-Way Santa (Sub Pop)
I've been waiting for these for a long, long time. I've had a few scattered Tad tracks on various compilations and I used to have a cassette with many of these songs on the two sides. But it's been really hard to track down their albums, so I'm thrilled that Sub Pop finally did this trilogy justice. If you don't know Tad, quite possibly the heaviest and most influential of the original grunge warriors, these are a great place to jump in - cleaned up reissues that add singles and compilation tracks that tell the story of a sorely underrated band. Now, let's hope that Inhaler and Infrared Riding Hood get the same treatment some day.

3. Big Star - Complete Third (Omnivore)
Omnivore strikes again, they had a wonderful year in 2016, with yet another take on the long misunderstood and futzed with third album from power-pop legends Big Star. So why do we need yet another take on this? What makes this time different? Is it better than the 1992 Rykodisc version? Maybe, but it certainly is more inclusive. The first disc includes 24 demos, sessions and rough mixes, while the second disc includes 25 more rough mixes and demos that continue the evolution of the songs. The final disc, disc 3, gives us 21 "final mixes" for the third album - in a drastically different running order from the Rykodisc version. The final statement? I'm doubtful about that, but it is a wonderful deep dive into an incredible period by a sorely missed band.

2. Trad, Gras och Stenar - Djungens Lag / Mors Mors / Kom Tillsammams (Anthology)
This was another godsend for me, as I've long been seeking out more albums from this legendary Swedish underground rock band. I've had their 1970 self-titled debut and a later record from 2002, but I was hungry for more. Anthology Recordings delivered big time here, with three discs packed with essential early 70s live jams. The first two discs are expanded versions of live albums from 1972 and 1973, while disc three adds even more previously unreleased live material from 1972. The band was clearly at its heights during these years and every track is a thrill ride.

1. Pink Floyd - The Early Years (PinkFloyd)
How could number one be anything else? As has long been established, Pink Floyd rules. Though, here is where I have to admit a little egg on my fave. Being so far behind in putting this list up allows me to cheat ever so slightly - I was never able to justify the cost of the mega box, I bought each volume individually when they were released in early 2017. though I did have the 2-disc distillation back in November of 2016 - which alone was enough to justify a place on this list. Anyway, large box or no, this is a beautiful attempt to repackage the band's first seven years. In addition to the expected early studio sessions and live performances, you get quite a few holy grail inclusions - the 1967 John Latham recordings, The Man and The Journey live from Amsterdam, unreleased Zabriskie Point soundtrack recordings and the 1972 Pompeii performance. Toss in tons, and I mean tons, of great video footage and gorgeous reproductions of memorabilia makes this a no-brainer for any Pink Floyd fan.

2016 Year In Review Part II: The EPs

Diving right in, here's a list of my ten favorite EPs from 2016.

10. Davie Allan & Joel Grind - Split (Relapse)
It's a pretty simple concept and fairly slight, even for an EP, but that doesn't take away from just how fun and replayable this was. Davie Allan, legendary instrumental guitar rock god, provides two songs, while Joel Grind, he of Toxic Holocaust fame, provides two more instrumentals. Just as fun as the B-movie cover art would leads you to believe.

9. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Dream Synopsis EP (Domino)
Oddly enough, I wasn't much sold on this Arctic Monkeys off-shoot's second album until I heard this EP at the end of the year. Recorded in just one day, this tackles two new versions of tracks from that album and four covers that they'd played out through the year. It brought the style and pomp that I'd felt the album itself was missing. A surprisingly successful Leonard Cohen cover and a take on The Fall's classic, "Totally Wired", lead the charge.

8. Gruesome - Dimensions of Horror (Relapse)
As it turns out, this tribute to the sound of Death has legs. Following up on the excellent 2015 full-length, this EP gives six more chances for the gruesome foursome to crank out perfectly embalmed classic death metal - no more, no less. Maybe not the most essential release of the year, but twenty minutes of this stuff is just about exactly the right amount of time.

7. Wolf Parade - EP 4 (self-released)
Although I seemed to be in the minority, I really loved their 2010 album, Expo 86, and was disappointed when this Canadian indie rock group went on their "indefinite hiatus" a year later. Thankfully it was only temporary and this four song release bodes well for future new material, even though it focuses more on the band's pop side and less on the knotty prog-influenced side I really love. Still, legitimately good indie rock is in short supply these days and this plugged a gap.

6. Aphex Twin - Cheetah (Warp)
For the second EP following the release of his stellar comeback album of sorts, 2014's SYRO, Richard D. James again went back to the well of nostalgia. The EP's title references a 1980s British electronics company, makers of the Cheetah MS800, an apparently unwieldy digital synth that disappeared quickly and was heavily used in the making of the tracks here. The tempos are slower, but it's just as dense, playful and energetic as James' best.

5. Dawnbringer - XX (self-released)
After six previous albums and two other EPs, Professor Chris Black (also High Spirits, Aktor, Pharaoh) announced the end of his long-running black metal project with this five-track, twenty-minute EP. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of the two previous full-lengths, this again serves as a nice reminder of why Chris Black is so well-regarded among certain circles of metal fans. Thankfully he'll be staying plenty busy with his umpteen other projects.

4. Chris Robinson Brotherhood - If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now (Silver Arrow)
This stopgap five-song EP that followed up on the well-received fourth album from Chris Robinson's post-Black Crowes jamband vehicle actually tops much of the material on the album itself, as one can testify by the live airings they've had, especially "Roan County Banjo". I know this isn't everyone's cup of dosed tea, but I'm a big fan of their cosmic groove and this EP only continues the roll they've been on.

3. Tombs - All Empires Fall (Relapse)
I've long been a fan of this Brooklyn blackened post-metal horde and, even with an already impressive back catalog, this EP pointed towards great things in the future. The band has reformed completely around founding member Mike Hill, but the addition of Batillus' Fade Kainer on keyboards and vocals brings a whole new dimension to the group's sound.

2. Ghost - Popestar (Loma Vista)
Either you are on board for Ghost's brand of Blue Oyster Cult hard rock or you're not and this new EP isn't going to change your mind, But if you find yourself in the former camp, you'll be in for a hell of a good time with this creatively titled EP. "Square Hammer" is one of the band's best songs since Opus Eponymous and all four of the backing covers help explain the band's twisted tastes and appeal. Who else covers Simian Mobile Disco, Eurythmics and Echo and the Bunnymen with such aplomb?

1. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Arc (Relapse)
Things have been fairly quiet on the ANb front for the past half decade or so, which is why it's such a pleasant surprise to have this in our ends. Ostensibly the first EP in a four-part series, with each release written by a different member, Arc finds Katherine "Kat" Katz up first. Over three songs in thirty minutes, Katz pushes the bands sound in a decidedly sludgier, noisier direction that absolutely suits her deeply personal, trying lyrics. It's an unexpected move from the grindcore legends, but even more powerful for being so.

2016 Year In Review Part I: The Introduction

Eventually I plan to get caught back up on these, so I'm fully intending to get my 2016 year-end lists finished just in time to start tossing up the 2017 lists. The good news is that the content and format of the lists are done, I just need to put together the descriptions and do all the fun data entry and formatting tasks.

As has been the case, 2016 didn't really find me branching out too significantly into new areas of listening - mostly just digging more deeply into the genres that I'd already spent time with. A lot of time was spent bouncing around in the back catalog of Bob Dylan, the seemingly never-ending live archives of the Grateful Dead and poking through more off-shoots of metal and stoner rock.

Considering how 2016 played out, I'd be lying if I didn't say that death played a huge part in how I approached and absorbed music throughout the year. David Bowie's death at the start of the year meant I went much deeper than his even better than advertised swan song, I was engrossed by many nooks and crannies I'd passed by previously. The process repeated itself again in April after Prince, unfathomably, left us all stunned. And that was only the tip of the increasingly depressing iceberg. Leonard Cohen. Sharon Jones. Phife Dawg. Merle Haggard. George Michael. Paul Kantner. Glenn Frey. Maurice White. Tony Conrad. Keith Emerson. Greg Lake. Some will say this is the natural consequence of the aging of the Baby Boomers, but far too many of those names left us too soon.

As usual, the next few posts will give me the chance to run through my favorite EPs, reissues/compilations, live albums, tracks and albums of 2016. In the meantime, a brief look at the past editions...

Albums of the Year:
2003: Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below
2004: Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
2005: Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
2006: Mastodon - Blood Mountain
2007: Battles - Mirrored
2008: Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
2009: The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
2010: Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
2011: Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
2012: Goat - World Music
2013: Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (and Other Stories)
2014: D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah
2015: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Tracks of the Year:
2003: "Hey Ya" - Outkast
2004: "Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
2005: "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
2006: "When You Were Young" - The Killers
2007: "Stronger" - Kanye West
2008: "Time To Pretend" - MGMT
2009: "My Girls" - Animal Collective
2010: "Fuck You" - Cee-Lo Green
2011: "Super Bass" - Nicki Minaj
2012: "Bad Religion" - Frank Ocean
2013: "The Wire" - Haim
2014: "i" - Kendrick Lamar
2015: "Alright" - Kendrick Lamar