E.R.'s Picks
10. The Life of Pablo, Kanye West
For all his flaws (and there are so many), nobody can deny Kanye West's abilities as a rapper, producer, and curator who continues to bend the rules of music in his favor. Perhaps The Life of Pablo, which he infamously continued to work on and edit even after it was completed, is the best example of this. West's perfectionism doesn't amount to nothing: listen to literally any of the multiple versions of "Wolves" out there, or the sweepingly sexy "Ultralight Beam," and admit to yourself that, underneath all that ego, the man's got quite an ear.
Key Tracks: "Wolves," "30 Hours"
9. Blackstar, David Bowie
David Bowie's farewell to this plane of existence was as theatrical as you might expect, and is rooted in a deeply chaotic energy. The sprawling "Blackstar," stylized as "★," is a monument to the surreal power of one our greatest musical chameleons, and the album as a whole is a testament to one of the greatest showmen to ever live. The stars have looked different ever since Bowie left us, and leaving us with this blackout of cosmic proportions feels more than appropriate.
Key Tracks: "Lazarus," "Blackstar"
8. You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen
Another of music's fallen heroes who left on his own terms, Leonard Cohen's final record sees the Godfather of Gloom give the world a silent, doleful goodbye. For all its mournful undertones, and for all the mourning that followed, You Want It Darker doesn't sacrifice any of the smoky sex appeal or sleekness that's so entrenched in a Cohen record. Ever the poet, here we see Cohen conjuring and facing the holy head-on: the title track's refrain, "I'm ready my lord," will forever remain a haunting premonition.
Key Tracks: "You Want It Darker," "If I Didn't Have Your Love"
7. Freetown Sound, Blood Orange
Dev Hynes returns in top form on a record that's as run through with funk horns as it is a synthesizer. Hynes is as honest as he was in the days of Cupid Deluxe, but there's hardly room for comparison; this album is a full-on seduction of the senses. Hynes sneaks in empowering statements in the form of subversion: standout track "Augustine" sees him mixing the eponymous saint's writings with queer and immigrant narratives. Hynes said he wrote the album for those who were told they were "not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way." By meshing his signature R&B / electronic sounds with his most powerful songwriting yet, Hynes meshes disparate elements into a gorgeous, glittering haze.
Key Tracks: "Augustine," "Hadron Collider," "Hands Up"
6. Remember Us To Life, Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor's vibrant melodies and storytelling abilities have only improved on Remember Us To Life, her most sensitive and somber record to date. The album breathes more organically than her other works, an energy that can be attributed to the fact that she recorded it with a full orchestra. "Grand Hotel" is an epic poem in and of itself, and one that makes full use of all the new sounds Spektor is bringing to the table. Now on her seventh studio effort, Spektor shows herself as daring and emotive as ever, refining the emotional highs that made Soviet Kitsch so exhilarating into a refined, full-bodied collection of tunes. A little older and a lot wiser, she remains adventurous.
Key Tracks: "Grand Hotel," "The Light"
5. Telefone, Noname
Noname exploded onto the scene when Chance the Rapper featured her on his celebrated Acid Rap mixtape; on her own debut, the Chicago rapper's poetic verse remains as cutting as ever in this smooth collection. "All I Need," for one, boasts a delectable production that emphasizes her lyrics as much as her sick flow, proving that this excellent newcomer can more than hold her own with anyone in the game right now. Count on Noname to conquer 2017.
Key Tracks: "All I Need (feat. Xavier Omär)," "Yesterday"
4. 22, A Million, Bon Iver
Justin Vernon's voice has never been more coated in Autotune and mystery than in 22, A Million; the songs themselves are stylized in a way that seems almost robotic. Take what's on the surface, and turn it completely on its head: this is Vernon's most sensitive record yet, a robo-folk romp through lakes, creeks, peaks, valleys, and deep forests. "715 - CR∑∑KS," where his technologically infused voice is highlighted, sees Vernon tearing through a gorgeous litany of love lost using musical techniques that would usually leave a song cold. The result is a tear-jerking reminder of why we need him to come out of his cabin in the woods more often, and why it's good to let him ferment all his emotions for a few years. You're going to feel emotionally exhausted at the end of it, but it's a journey through every facet of love and loss that, once taken, isn't easily forgotten.
Key Tracks: "29 #Strafford APTS," "715 - CR∑∑KS"
3. Ape in Pink Marble, Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart wrote this record while mourning the death of several loved ones, a pain that runs through the entire record that tints even the most seemingly happy tracks with drops of melancholy. Banhart made a name for himself through experimenting, but here we see a more subdued, pensive kind of music. Even danceable moments like "Fancy Man" are floaty, moments of escape from much heavier subject matter. Whether Banhart floats in fantasy or reality, the world he has created here, strung together through the vague narrative of a hotel with an eclectic cast of characters, is so utterly complete that one can't help but get lost in it.
Key Tracks: "Jon Lends A Hand," "Fig in Leather," "Fancy Man"
2. Blonde, Frank Ocean
It doesn't do Frank Ocean justice to say that Blonde delivered on everything the public expected and more. It's undisputed that this was the most anticipated record of 2016, and the queer epic Ocean has graced us with is so utterly, satisfyingly lush that no blurb will do it justice. He maintains the swagger that made channel ORANGE so great, while delving into completely new emotional territory. Ocean's catapult into success and his reclusiveness can shroud him in mystery, but this heartbreaking, soul-baring record brings us right back to earth. Ocean is as human as any of us, and it's the utter humanity of this record that makes it so beautiful to listen to. Ocean puts it best in closing track "Future Free," singing "I'm just a guy I'm not a god" with a deep-rooted tenderness. It's hard to not want to fight whoever it is broke his heart, but Blonde shows Ocean at his most forgiving, and his most empathetic. Never has the image of a sports car been so tied to emotional turmoil.
Key Tracks: "Nikes," "Ivy," "Pink + White,"
1. Lemonade, Beyoncé,
Never before in pop music has the black woman been embraced so thoroughly and so thoughtfully as in Beyoncé's Lemonade. Beyoncé doesn't need to say anything, much less prove herself musically, but she takes her platform and goes on to critique police brutality against black people, creating a compelling narrative of a woman scorned getting closure in the process. It goes further than what she says; the Lemonade film is a redefinition of the visual album, and the music itself shows Beyoncé as eclectic as ever, as comfortable in hard rock and country as she is in pop. 2016 is guilty of taking quite a bit, but it did bring us Lemonade. All hail Queen Bey.
Key Tracks: "Formation," "Hold Up," "Daddy Lessons," "Don't Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)
Honorable Mentions
Awaken, My Love!, Childish Gambino,
Untitled, Unmastered, Kendrick Lamar
Hamburg Demonstrations, Peter Doherty,
A Seat at the Table, Solange
The Colour in Anything, James Blake
Running Out of Love, The Radio Dept.
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