This year has been a long one, to say the least. Thankfully, one positive aspect that has come out of 2016 is the music. Here are, respectively, ten albums (in no particular order) that you should listen to ASAP if you haven’t already.
Frank Ocean- Blonde. Released in August, this highly anticipated album does not disappoint. Though immensely different from Channel Orange, the futuristic, stringy guitar warps and harmonic voices heard in this album makes for an abstract, emotional narrative like nothing Ocean has created before.
Song Recommendations. 2 “Ivy” 7 “Self Control” 14 “White Ferrari”
Chance the Rapper-Coloring Book. Filled with soulful gospel and compelling lyrics, Chance the Rapper’s third mixtape absolutely soars. Featuring collaborations with musicians such as Kanye West, Young Thug, Justin Bieber, and the Chicago Children’s Choir, Coloring Book uses hip hop and gospel in a beautifully exhilarating combination.
Song Recommendations. 3 “Summer Friends (feat. Jeremih & Francis & The Lights)” 6 “Same Drugs” 10 “All Night (feat. Knox Fortune)” Beyonce- Lemonade.
Dropped without any warning, Lemonade is Beyoncé’s second visual album features a plethora of genres — ranging from blues, pop, reggae, rock, funk, country, gospel, and more. The album features several other musicians such as Kendrick Lamar, James Blake, The Weekend, and Jack White, and samples from several hip hop and rock songs. Lemonade breaks boundaries that Beyoncé hasn’t explored before, she opens up about personal experiences of betrayal, anger, acceptance, understanding, and forgiveness, making the album a standout of 2016.
Song Recommendations. 2 “Hold Up” 7 “Love Drought” 11 “All Night” Kendrick Lamar- Untitled Unmastered. Consisting of previously unreleased demos originating from Lamar’s 2015 album, To Pimp A Butterfly, the album continues the political conversation, discussing controversial topics like race and discrimination. Lamar experiments with jazz, soul, and funk in untitled unmastered, creating a completely engrossing compilation of artistic genius. Pimp, pimp, hooray!
Song Recommendations. 2 “untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.” 5 “untitled 05 | 09.21.2014.” 8 “untitled 08 | 09.06.2014.” Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool. A Moon Shaped Pool transcends the expected sound of Radiohead with stunning instrumentals and riveting vocals, making the album the band’s best work yet. Only promoted a week before its release, A Mood Shaped Pool has already received positive reviews and praise from critics as one of the best albums of the year.
Song Recommendations 1 “Burn the Witch” 2 “Daydreaming” 11 “True Love Waits” Bon Iver 22, A Million. Bon Iver struck musical gold in their third studio album, 22, A Million with the richly textured beats and melodies in combination with the heartfelt, personal emotion in the lyrics that can be heard in each song on the album. This completely unique album has already been listed as one of the best albums of 2016 by Rolling Stone, Mojo, NPR, and more.
Song Recommendations 1 “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” 5 “29 #Strafford APTS” 10 “00000 Million”
STRFKR, Being No One, Going Nowhere. Written by Joshua Hodges, founder of STRFKR, while wandering the Joshua Tree desert in California, Being No One, Going Nowhere goes even further than previously before for the band. While the same sticky beats and dizzying dance-ready songs are present, Hodges explored Eastern philosophy and thought to invoke deeper, more profound lyrics, making this album STRFKR’s most invigorating and introspective work to date.
Song Recommendations 2 “Satellite” 4 “Something Ain’t Right” 8 “Maps”
Kanye West- Life of Pablo. West’s seventh studio album Life of Pablo, is praised for its raw, messy composition in comparison to previous albums, and features a wide array of guest vocalists including Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Rhianna, and more. The hip hop and gospel album examines matters of faith and family, and despite the amount of cursing, Life of Pablo still pulls it off in a suburb production, proving it to be one of West’s strongest albums yet.
Song Recommendations 11 “FML” 12 “No More Parties in LA” 19 “Fade”
Blood Orange- Freetown Sound. Released three days before its originally announced release date, Freetown Sound is the third album released by Dev Hynes recording as Blood Orange. When Hynes first announced the album’s release on Instagram, he wrote that the album was for those who were told they were “not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way.” Freetown Sound offers an intimate view of black culture by using vocal-clips and spoken-word poetry that resonates with anyone facing systemic oppression.
Song Recommendations 4 “Best to You” 5 “E.V.P.” 12 “Squash Squash”
Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love! Released on December 2, Awaken, My Love!, is simply put, majestic. While the songs in Awaken, My Love! are sung rather than rapped, Gambino’s merging of soul, funk, and R&B makes up for his straying from hip hop. Awaken, My Love! aims straight for the soul, and accomplishes just that from the intense vocals and warping electric guitar.
Song Recommendations 6 “Redbone” 10 “The Night Me and Your Mama Met” 11 “Stand Tall”