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.)

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”