This year I stopped being the last man in America to buy music by the song and crossed over to streaming. Duh. My rate of music consumption increased dramatically and, with it, my rate of discovery. The fruits are here on this year's longer list.
The Avalanches, Wildflower
Those crazy Australians were at it again after a 15-year absence from electronica, making irresistible music from samples and found sounds. "Subways" will make clear why this was the trippiest music of the year.
Bibio, A Mineral Love
I listened to a lot of electronic music this year. Nothing was as consistently satisfying as this disk. "Light Up the Sky" is its beautiful centerpiece.
Blood Orange, Freetown Sound
Michael Jackson's most brilliant heir was back with a more accessible follow-up to Cupid Deluxe. Flawless neo-soul, this music lives in the world and aches for its brokenness. One word: "Augustine"
Black Marble, It's Immaterial
Imagine that New Order and the Cure are young again, or you are or I am, or something. It's all so deliciously confusing when old pop sounds are new again. Proof positive: "Iron Lung":
DIIV, Is the Is Are
Jangly rock music from Brooklyn, bounced off Planet Claire straight from 1983. Dreamy stuff you can pogo to, beginning with "Under the Sun."
Jaguar Ma, Every Now & Then
Jagwar Ma offer rich surprises, mixing genres and sounds the way Talking Heads, Beck and Gomez do. And ooh, so fresh: "OB1"
Maxwell, BlackSUMMERs'night
I'm a sucker for soul crooners and Maxwell's latest offers the smooth seduction of Prince, Teddy Prendergass and Marvin at their peak, as "1990X" demonstrates.
James Vincent McMorrow, We Move
I love James Blake and his moody electro soul but McMorrow beat him at his own game, like some peppier, more extroverted younger brother. Better dancer, too, I'll bet.
Frank Ocean, Blonde
Could Frank be the Nick Drake of hip-hop? Blonde, with its rich melodies full of misery, says "absolutely!" "Pink + White" is his "Pink Moon."
Anderson.Paak, Malibu
Paak was everywhere this year all on the considerable strength of this disk that perfectly captures the sound of pop music right now. His heritage of classic R&B and roots rap are on display in tracks like "Am I Wrong".
Parquet Courts, Human Performance
Whatever happened to snark and snarl in indie rock? Here is its smart embodiment. Turn up "Dust" really loud and wake up Jonathan Richman.
Poom, 2016
This was the soundtrack of my summer and it's just as good by the hearth in early winter. Vivid pop produced like vintage Hall & Oates with every word in French (which would have made Darryl and John sound a while lot smarter).
Allen Toussaint, American Tunes
Toussaint is the author of what you think of as the New Orleans sound and on this, his posthumous release, he reinterprets his own classics and Big Easy standards at the piano. Covering Professor Longhair on "Big Chief" kind of sums it up. G'night Allen.
Still to come -- singles and remembrances.
The Avalanches, Wildflower
Those crazy Australians were at it again after a 15-year absence from electronica, making irresistible music from samples and found sounds. "Subways" will make clear why this was the trippiest music of the year.
Bibio, A Mineral Love
I listened to a lot of electronic music this year. Nothing was as consistently satisfying as this disk. "Light Up the Sky" is its beautiful centerpiece.
Blood Orange, Freetown Sound
Michael Jackson's most brilliant heir was back with a more accessible follow-up to Cupid Deluxe. Flawless neo-soul, this music lives in the world and aches for its brokenness. One word: "Augustine"
Black Marble, It's Immaterial
Imagine that New Order and the Cure are young again, or you are or I am, or something. It's all so deliciously confusing when old pop sounds are new again. Proof positive: "Iron Lung":
DIIV, Is the Is Are
Jangly rock music from Brooklyn, bounced off Planet Claire straight from 1983. Dreamy stuff you can pogo to, beginning with "Under the Sun."
Jaguar Ma, Every Now & Then
Jagwar Ma offer rich surprises, mixing genres and sounds the way Talking Heads, Beck and Gomez do. And ooh, so fresh: "OB1"
Maxwell, BlackSUMMERs'night
I'm a sucker for soul crooners and Maxwell's latest offers the smooth seduction of Prince, Teddy Prendergass and Marvin at their peak, as "1990X" demonstrates.
James Vincent McMorrow, We Move
I love James Blake and his moody electro soul but McMorrow beat him at his own game, like some peppier, more extroverted younger brother. Better dancer, too, I'll bet.
Frank Ocean, Blonde
Could Frank be the Nick Drake of hip-hop? Blonde, with its rich melodies full of misery, says "absolutely!" "Pink + White" is his "Pink Moon."
Anderson.Paak, Malibu
Paak was everywhere this year all on the considerable strength of this disk that perfectly captures the sound of pop music right now. His heritage of classic R&B and roots rap are on display in tracks like "Am I Wrong".
Parquet Courts, Human Performance
Whatever happened to snark and snarl in indie rock? Here is its smart embodiment. Turn up "Dust" really loud and wake up Jonathan Richman.
Poom, 2016
This was the soundtrack of my summer and it's just as good by the hearth in early winter. Vivid pop produced like vintage Hall & Oates with every word in French (which would have made Darryl and John sound a while lot smarter).
Allen Toussaint, American Tunes
Toussaint is the author of what you think of as the New Orleans sound and on this, his posthumous release, he reinterprets his own classics and Big Easy standards at the piano. Covering Professor Longhair on "Big Chief" kind of sums it up. G'night Allen.
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