The Top 20 Albums of 2016 (So Far)

2016 has been a comeback year for “the album” with artists like Beyonce, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, Drake, and Kanye West dominating news cycles with the surprising arrivals of their new full-length albums. I see this as both a blessing and a curse. As a fan of the long-form listening experience, I love that albums as a whole are getting love in the age of Spotify playlists and Pandora radio. On the other hand, many of these albums do not deserve the hype that surrounds them (i.e: Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book pales in comparison to his last effort, Acid Rap, and Drake’s VIEWS might be the most uninspiring, uninteresting albums of 2016). Lost amidst all of this album release hoopla is a lot of the great music not getting the attention it deserves. That’s where we here at BDWPS come. Below you will find 20 original, rousing, and memorable albums that you should have been listening to instead of wasting your time with the latest Rihanna album.

(All of the albums on this list were released before June 1^st. I set this cut-off date to ensure I’ve had ample time to listen and connect with albums before placing them on the list.)

Year of the Bowie: Episode #3

In this episode, we take a look at the inner struggles that arose in the Bowie camp when Angie Barnett came into David’s life. We also take a look at the creative awakening that came out of David’s collaborations with Tony Visconti and Mick Ronson.

Check the episode on HERE, or better yet, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher (search: Year of the Bowie).

The Replacements Interview on MTV, 1989

A couple of months ago, MTV released an un-aired interview with The Replacements on their YouTube stream, and it’s worth all eight minutes of your time. At this point in their career (1989), the band was in shambles, trying to keep the music coming while knowing full well that their time with major label Sire was on the brink of ending (they also might be highly inebriated, which is par for the course with The Replacements). As a result, Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson talk with a frankness that is hard to come by in our time of publicists and political correctness.

BDWPS Podcast #47

In this episode of BDWPS Podcast we check out new tracks from Aesop Rock, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Underworld, Yoni & Geti, Cate LeBon, Dalek, and Xiu Xiu. We also discuss the Jay Reatard documentary “Better Than Something” and take a closer look at the Bob Dylan anti-war anthem, “Masters of War”. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher (search key word: BDWPS).

Check it out HERE!

Tracklist:

Aesop Rock “Lotta Years”
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever “Heard You’re Moving”
Underworld “Motorhome”
Yoni & Geti “Internal Exile”
Cate LeBon “Wonderful”
Dalek “Guaranteed Struggle”
Xiu Xiu “Laura Palmer’s Theme”
Jay Reatard “My Shadow”