We asked some south-west musicians and musical identities to pick their top albums of the year.
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The resulting list is an eclectic sampling of some of the best music to come out in 2016.
Dig in and find your own tastes validated, or maybe your new favourite band.
1. Bon Iver - 22, A Million
22, A Million is definitely Bon Iver’s most experimental album produced to date. Shifting away from acoustic instruments and more towards drone-like synthesizers and progressions, this album only grows with meaning and emotion with each listen. Favourite song: 8 (circle).
2. John K Samson - Winter Wheat 3. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate 4. Nick Waterhouse - Never Twice 5. King Creosote - Astronaut Meets Appleman 6. James Blake - The Colour In Anything 7. Wilco - Schmilco 8. Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love! 9. Conor Oberst - Ruminations 10. Lucinda Williams - The Ghosts Of Highway 20
Liam Barling (Aika, Blackwood Jack)
1. Frank Ocean - Blond
A beautiful record, with a long list of contributors (Jonny Greenwood, Beyoncé, Arthur Russell) that’s moody, sincere, dynamic, and unpretentious.
2. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 3. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 4. Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked For Death 5. Explosions In The Sky - The Wilderness 6. Brian Eno - The Ship 7. Soda Eaves - Murray, Darling 8. Huerco S - For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) 9. Death Grips - Bottomless Pit 10. Anohni - Hopelessness
Tom Ballard (ex-triple j)
1. Avalanches - Wildflower
It took them bloody ages, but Avalanches have created another surprising, joyous and overwhelmingly fun masterpiece. It's so great to have them back, soundtracking our lives once more.
2. Montaigne - Glorious Heights 3. DD Dumbo - Utopia Defeated 4. John K Samson - Winter Wheat 5. Beyoncé - Lemonade 6. Camp Cope - Camp Cope 7. The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free 8. Flume - Skin 9. Kate Tempest - Let Them Eat Chaos 10. A.B. Original - Reclaim Australia
Bill O’Connell (Gums, Kashmere Club)
1. DD Dumbo - Utopia Defeated
My top pick because it's local and doesn't seem to be nodding too hard to current trends. Features some really unique production yet maintains great pop sensibility.
2. The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free 3. Big Thief - Masterpieces 4. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 5. Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win 6. Margaret Glaspy - Emotions & Math 7. AB Original - Reclaim Australia 8. Bad Bad Not Good - IV 9. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity 10. Gullies - Clouded
Jono Colliver (Gums, Dr Colossus)
1. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity
Unusually stylistically direct and focused approach to a record from a ramshackle army of prolific creators. Tickles nostalgia of late ‘60s formative heavy metal while cleverly danceable and escapist. Unforgettably translated live.
2. Death Grips - Bottomless Pit 3. The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free 4. JEFF The Brotherhood - Zone 5. DD Dumbo - Utopia Defeated 6. Dope Lemon - Honey Bones 7. Metallica - Hardwired… To Self-Destruct 8. Black Mountain - IV 9. Grindhouse - Crazy Pussy 10. The Pretty Littles - Soft Rock For The Anxious
Adam B Metal (The Departed)
1. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
A masterful blend of the maturity shown in later albums Major/Minor and Beggars but without losing the vintage aggression and edge of Vheissu and The Alchemy Index. If this is what a four-year break between albums produces then I can’t wait to hear what they come up with in 2020.
2. Mick Gordon - Doom (Original Game Soundtrack) 3. 65daysofstatic - No Man's Sky: Music For An Infinite Universe 4. Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence 5. Baby Metal - Metal Resistance 6. Biffy Clyro - Ellipsis 7. Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things, Vol. 1 8. Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us 9. Deafheaven - New Bermuda 10. Caspian - Dust & Disquiet
1. Matt Corby - Telluric
This album melted my face clean off my head. Corby's new sound is honest, mature and evidently where he feels most comfortable. I'm so glad he took some time to find his feet and make music that he loves. It was well worth the wait.
2. Daniel Champagne - The Heartland Hurricanes 3. Caravãna Sun - Guerilla Club 4. DD Dumbo - Utopia Defeated 5. Locksmith - The Lock Sessions 6. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 7. Birds Of Tokyo - Brace 8. Catfish & The Bottlemen - The Ride 9. Dope Lemon - Honey Bones 10. Kings Of Leon - Walls
Honourable Mentions: Ball Park Music – Every Night the Same Dream, Jacob Pugh – Cloud Of Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dark Necessities, Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool, Frank Ocean - Blonde
1. Seafret - Tell Me It’s Real
Seafrets’ debut album has no mediocre tracks that are skipped after a few listens – instead each has its own unique flavour that it brings to the table. The vocals are rough and stay true to the duo’s live sound, which makes this a really special album of 2016.
2. Gretta Ray - Elsewhere EP 3. The Lumineers - Cleopatra 4. Joe Mungovan - Way Down South 5. Nathan Hawes - I Wasn't There EP 6. Little Georgia - Bootleg 7. Alex Lahey - B Grade University EP 8. Matt Corby - Telluric 9. Cub Sport - This Is Our Vice 10. Eagle & The Wolf - Eagle & The Wolf
Jacob Pugh (Runk)
1. Skepta - Konnichiwa
There’s a massive amount of hip hop on my list, but it has been a damn good year for the genre and its plethora of sub-genres. This 12-track release from the North London grime MC features his trademark gruff delivery laid down over some very well produced, chaotic soundscapes. As soon as the opening track Konnichiwa kicks off, you know you’re in for one hell of a listen.
2. Frank Ocean - Blond 3. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition 4. Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight 5. Sticky Fingers - Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) 6. Anderson Paak - Malibu 7. Gucci Mane - Everybody Looking 8. Tech N9NE - The Storm 9. Montana Of 300 - Fire In The Church 10. Run The Jewels - RTJ3
Honourable Mentions: Kevin Gates – Islah, Schoolboy Q – Blank Face, Brady James – Dead Language EP, Young Thug – Jeffrey, 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode, Cooper Lower – Impetus
Jarrod Hawker (manager of The Loft)
1. Gullies - Clouded
I'm on this Americana trip at the moment but I also find Joe's Gardner’s drawl hot (or is it Jorge?). Either way, the understated rhythm section says exactly what it needs to, the tempos seductively leave you wanting in a really satisfying way, and because John Hudson.
2. Samuel S. Edward - Safe From Sound EP 3. David Bowie - Blackstar 4. Frank Ocean - Blond 5. Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book 6. Baroness - Purple 7. Kings Of Leon - Walls 8. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker 9. The Pretty Littles - Soft Rock For The Anxious 10. Matt Corby - Telluric
Honourable mentions – Kate Tempest - Let Them Eat Chaos, The Get Down soundtrack
Gus Franklin (Architecture In Helsinki, Gramps)
1. Brian Eno – The Ship
Eno manages to grab the listeners’ attention early with sustained tones of varying textures, and then holds it for 21 minutes throughout the title track with his trademark hi/lo concept generative composition and ambient work. In doing so, he demands that we take time from our lives to listen and think, creating the most intriguing and enduring song and album of the year, which features the sound of his ageing (and lowering) voice, lyrics co-written by A.I. and a beautiful Velvet Underground cover to round out the record. Extremely contemporary, but also welcomingly refreshing and optimistic amongst another prolific, but generally dark year for music and humanity.
2. Karl Blau - Introducing 3. Weval - S/T 4. Lambchop - FLOTUS 5. Nikki & The Dove - Everybody’s Heart Is Broken Now 6. Margaret Glaspy - Emotions & Math 7. Ever Ending Kicks - Music World 8. Big Smoke - Time Is Golden 9. Lucy Roleff - This Paradise 10. GL - Touch
Honourable Mentions: Oko Ebombo – Naked Life, Cass McCombs - Mangy Love, Whitney - Light Upon The Lake, Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca - Goodbye To Language, Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression
Matt Neal (The Standard)
1. PUP - The Dream Is Over
Crackling with energy and humour right from the opener If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You I Will, this Canadian punk quartet balances all my favourite things across a gloriously raucous half an hour - it’s shouty yet supremely melodic, noisy yet beautiful, sincere yet aloof, serious yet funny, angular yet catchy, musically complex yet seemingly straightforward.
2. Christian Fitness - This Taco Is Not Correct 3. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression 4. Savages - Adore Life 5. Dinosaur Jr - Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not 6. David Bowie - Blackstar 7. Weezer - The White Album 8. Dean Ween Band - The Deaner Album 9. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool 10. White Denim - Stiff
Honourable Mentions: Blink 182 - California, The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Monolith Of Phobos, Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity, Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate, Paul Dempsey - Strange Loop, Regina Spektor - Remember Us To Life
1. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Call It What It Is
Ben Harper again proves he is an artist unable to be pigeon-holed by a single genre. In an industry that’s increasingly becoming more disposable and ruled by singles over albums, Harper continues to strengthen his 20+ year legacy with his trademark vocals, proficiency on multiple instruments and ability to use melodies to speak to powerful cultural, social and personal subjects. Returning to the original Innocent Criminal lineup up, Call It What It Is showcases Harper’s songwriting versatility, the 11 tracks an impressive balancing act between passion and delicacy.
2. Nahko & Medicine for the People - Hoka 3. Lanks - Viet Rose EP 4. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Let Me Get By 5. Chris Stapleton - Traveler 6. Nick Saxon - Lady Wanderlust 7. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 8. Daniel Champagne - The Heartland Hurricanes 9. Boo Seeka – EP 10. Amos Lee - Spirit
1. Jonah Tolchin - Thousand Mile Night
Tolchin's third album runs through the many moods of Americana, but is always raw and real. I dig it.
2. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 3. Greyhounds - Change Of Pace 4. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate 5. Dope Lemon - Honey Bones 6. RY X - Dawn 7. St Paul & The Broken Bones - Sea Of Noise 8. Big Thief -Masterpiece 9. Matt Corby - Telluric 10. The Maytags - Love Lines
1. Ngaiire - Blastoma
She is a talented Aussie artist with great vocals. Her songs are catchy and I personally love dancing to them whilst washing dishes.
2. DD Dumbo - Utopia Defeated 3. Matt Corby - Telluric 4. Violent Soho - Waco 5. Phantogram - Three 6. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 7. Rufus - Bloom 8. Sticky Fingers - Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) 9. Montaigne - Glorious Heights 10. Highs Highs - Cascades
