The 60 Best Songs of 2016

60. "Let Me Be Me" by Nite-Funk

59. "Two Hearts" by Von Voigt

58. "Do It, Try It" by M83

57. "Stranger Things" by Kyle Dixon

56. "Landcruisin'" by A. K. Paul

55. "Radio Silence" by James Blake

54. "untitled 06 | 06.30.2014" by Kendrick Lamar

53. "2100 (feat. BOOTS)" by Run the Jewels

52. "Formation" by Beyonce

51. "Give Violence a Chance" by G.L.O.S.S.

50. "No Problem" by Chance the Rapper

49. "Silicon Tare" by Com Truise

48. "Beyond the Door" by Khemmis

47. "Crack Baby" by Mitski

46. "Whiteout" by Warpaint

45. "TV Queen" by Wild Nothing

44. "Anxiety" by Preoccupations

43. "Solar Chamber" by Lycus

42. "Hypnotisoitu viharukous" by Oranssi Pazuzu

41. "Second Son of R." by Oathbreaker

40. "Just Am" by Deakin

39. "It Means I Love You" by Jessy Lanza

38. "Something Helpful" by Anna Meredith

37. "Phoenicia Wireless" by Kassem Mosse

36. "Despair Is a Siren" by SubRosa

35. "Treaty" by Leonard Cohen

34. "Contain" by Ian William Craig

33. "Golden Chords" by Deakin

32. "Conceptual Romance" by Jenny Hval

31. "Colours" by The Avalanches

30. "All Night" by Beyonce

29. "Ultralight Beam" by Kanye West

28. "Three Sides of Nazareth" by Nicolas Jaar

27. "The Dead Are Dumb" by Nothing

26. "it's different for girls" by of Montreal

25. "Warning Call" by CHVRCHES

24. "Earnest Kelly" by Youandewan

23. "FloriDada" by Animal Collective

22. "Be Free" by Weyes Blood

21. "Ivy" by Frank Ocean

20. "Underwater" by Porches

19. "Real Friends" by Kanye West

18. "Summer Friends" by Chance the Rapper

17. "Steady On My Mind" by Parquet Courts

16. "Fill in the Blank" by Car Seat Headrest

15. "Transfiguration" by Inter Arma

14. "Castrati Stack" by Tim Hecker

13. "Lazarus" by David Bowie

12. "You Want it Darker" by Leonard Cohen

11. "Best to You" by Blood Orange

10. "The Governor" by Nicolas Jaar

9. "Dowager" by Anna Meredith

8. "Augustine" by Blood Orange

7. "I Talk BB" by Jessy Lanza

6. "Crying in Public" by Chairlift

5. "Daydreaming" by Radiohead

4. "True Love Waits" by Radiohead

3. "33 'God'" by Bon Iver

2. "Obsidian Counterpoint" by Tim Hecker

1. "Female Vampire" by Jenny Hval

The 50 Best Albums of 2016

Honorable Mention:
Kendrick Lamar: untitled unmastered.
Helado Negro: Private Energy
Roman Flugel: All the Right Noises
James Blake: The Colour in Anything
Neurosis: Fires within Fires
Kanye West: Life of Pablo
Preoccupations: Preoccupations
Com Truise: Silicon Tare
Lucy Dacus: No Burden

50. Beyoncé: Lemonade

49. ANOHNI: HOPELESSNESS

48. Venetian Snares: Traditional Synthezier Music

47. Sepalcure: Folding Time

49. Masayoshi Fujita, Jan Jelinek: Schaum

46. Russian Circles: Guidance

45. Aluk Todolo: Voix

43. Panopticon: Revisions of the Past

42. Lycus: Chasms

41. Lush: Blind Spot

40. Wild Nothing: Life of Pause

39. Kyle Dixon: Stranger Things OST

38. Cliff Martinez: The Neon Demon OST

37. Ulver: ATGCLVLSSCAP

36. Brian Eno: The Ship

35. SubRosa: For This We Fought the Battle of Ages

34. M83: Junk

33. Anna Meredith: Varmints

32. The Avalanches: Wildflower

31. The Field: The Follower

30. Kassem Mosse: Disclosure

29. Mitski: Puberty 2

28. Warpaint: Heads Up

27. Weyes Blood: Front Row Seat to Earth

26. Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial

25. The Orb: COW / Chill Out, World!

24. Youandewen: There Is No Right Time

23. Chairlift: Moth

22. Sumac: What One Becomes

21. G.L.O.S.S.: Trans Day of Revenge

20. Ian William Craig: Centres

19. DIIV: Is the Is Are

18. Porches: Pool

17. Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book

16. Oranssi Pazuzu: Varahtelija

15. Khemmis: Hunted

14. Leonard Cohen: You Want it Darker

13. Krallice: Hyperion

12. Nothing: Tired of Tomorrow

11. Jessy Lanza: Oh No

10. Oathbreaker: Rheia

9. Deakin: Sleep Cycle

8. Davie Bowie: Blackstar

7. Blood Orange: Freetown Sound

6. Inter Arma: Paradise Gallows

5. Jenny Hval: Blood Bitch

4. Bon Iver: 22, A Million

3. Nicolas Jaar: Sirens

2. Tim Hecker: Love Streams

1. Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool

The 100 Best Songs of 2010-2014

These 100 songs represent the best music of this half of the decade (IMHO, of course). It is in alphabetical order. To avoid overuse of a single album, I am excluding some songs which probably deserve to be on this list but aren't because I included too many other songs from the same album. My rule was no more than 2 songs from 1 album. Listen to the playlist on Spotify, here.

"Acrobat" by Angel Olsen

"All I Want" by LCD Soundsystem

"All Your Gold" by Bat for Lashes

"Bataille" by The Men

"Bathroom Laughter" by Pissed Jeans

"Believer" by John Maus

"Bennington" by John Maus

"Best Night" by The War on Drugs

"Black Ballerina" by Ariel Pink

"Blessa" by Toro Y Moi

"Burning" by The War on Drugs

"Calgary" by Bon Iver

"Can't Do Without You" by Caribou

"Carolina" by Girls

"Chess" by Petite Noir

"Childhood's End" by Majigcal Cloudz

"Clearing" by Grouper

"Cosmic Vibrations" by Foxygen

"County Line" by Cass McCombs

"David De La Hoz" by The Chariot

"Disorderly" by Baths

"Does Not Suffice" by Joanna Newsom

"Dream House" by Deafheaven

"Elli" by Dirty Beaches

"Empty Room" by Arcade Fire

"England" by The National

"Excuses" by The Morning Benders

"Fall Back" by Factory Floor

"Fall Creek Boys Choir" by James Blake & Bon Iver

"Feel My Pain" by Kurt Vile

"Forever" by iceage

"Fright Night (Nevermore)" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

"Godless Brother in Love" by Iron & Wine

"Goldtone" by Kurt Vile

"Green Aisles" by Real Estate

"He Would Have Laughed" by Deerhunter

"Helicopter" by Deerhunter

"Help Me Lose My Mind" by Disclosure, feat. London Grammar

"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes

"Hidee Ho" by Tapes 'n Tapes

"Hollywood" by Tobias Jesso Jr.

"Holocene" by Bon Iver

"Hot Dreams" by Timber Timbre

"Jasmine" by Jai Paul

"Jesus Fever" by Kurt Vile

"Kill for Love" by Chromatics

"Laura" by Bat for Lashes

"Leave House" by Caribou

"Let England Shake" by PJ Harvey

"Life Round Here" by James Blake

"Like Lust" by Movement

"Love is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA)" by David Bowie

"Manhattan" by Cat Power

"Maxim's I" by Julia Holter

"Melting Sun Vi: Golden Mind" by Lantlôs

"Metatron" by Darkside

"Mother of the World" by Swans

"Myth" by Beach House

"Nerve Endings" by Eagulls

"Never Have I Ever" by Nicolas Jaar, feat. Will Epstein

"No Destruction" by Foxygen

"Nothin But Time" by Cat Power

"Ocean Death" by Baths

"Odessa" by Caribou

"Oblivion" by Grimes

"Only in My Dreams" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

"Open" by Rhye

"Open Your Heart" by The Men

"Oxygen" by Swans

"Paper Trails" by Darkside

"Queen" by Perfume Genius

"Reflektor" by Arcade Fire

"Retrograde" by James Blake

"Round and Round" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

"Saint Nothing" by Daniel Rossen

"Say That" by Toro Y Moi

"Smart Flesh" by The Low Anthem

"Sorrow" by The National

"Space Is Only Noise If You Can See" by Nicolas Jaar

"Spare the Dark Streets" by The Music Tapes

"Staircase" by Radiohead

"Still Sound" by Toro Y Moi

"Subway" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Talking Backwards" by Real Estate

"The Daily Mail" by Radiohead

"The Owl and the Tanager" by Sufjan Stevens

"The Wilhelm Scream" by James Blake

"This Is a True Heart" by Julia Holter

"Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust" by Nicolas Jaar

"True Blue" by Dirty Beaches

"Uncle ACE (Kindness Remix)" by Blood Orange, feat. Robert Owens

"Under the Pressure" by The War on Drugs

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey

"Wakin on a Pretty Day" by Kurt Vile

"White Fire" by Angel Olsen

"Yet Again" by Grizzly Bear

"Yonkers" by Tyler, the Creator

"You Can't Hide / Shame on You (Live at Madison Square Garden)" by LCD Soundsystem

"You're Not Good Enough" by Blood Orange

"Zebra" by Beach House

The 30 Best Albums of 2010-2014

Here is my list of the best albums from the first half of this decade. It is in alphabetical order. Also see my 2010-2014 playlist on spotify here.

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs




Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Before Today



Beach House: Teen Dream



Beach House: Bloom



James Blake: James Blake



Bon Iver, Bon Iver



Caribou: Swim



Caribou: Our Love



The Chariot: Long Live



Chromatics: Kill for Love



Darkside: Psychic




Deafheaven: Sunbather



Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest



Dirty Beaches: Drifters / Love is the Devil



Foxygen: We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic




Grimes: Visions



Julia Holter: Loud City Song




iceage: Plowing into the Field of Love




Nicolas Jaar: Space is Only Noise



LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening




John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves




The National: High Violet




Perfume Genius: Too Bright




Real Estate: Days




Swans: The Seer




Toro Y Moi: Underneath the Pine




Toro Y Moi: Causers of This




Kurt Vile: Wakin on a Pretty Daze




Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for My Halo



The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream




Complete list:
Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Before Today
Beach House: Teen Dream
Beach House: Bloom
James Blake: James Blake
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Caribou: Swim
Caribou: Our Love
The Chariot: Long Live
Chromatics: Kill for Love
Darkside: Psychic
Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
Dirty Beaches: Drifters / Love is the Devil
Dream House: Sunbather
Foxygen: We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
Grimes: Visions
Julia Holter: Loud City Song
iceage: Plowing into the Field of Love
Nicolas Jaar: Space is Only Noise
LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening
John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
The National: High Violet
Perfume Genius: Too Bright
Real Estate: Days
Swans: The Seer
Toro Y Moi: Underneath the Pine
Toro Y Moi: Causers of This
Kurt Vile: Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for My Halo
The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream