ALBUMS OF THE YEAR- 2016
Albums of the year lists usually come easy around here. Oh sure, there’s some always some debate, ‘hmm, should that be at 7 or 8’, but by the time December rolls around, it’s normally become pretty clear exactly who will make the cut. Not so in 2016. This year there could have been a Top 50.
So please, seek out the albums that came close- the excellent collaboration between Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas, Ian William Craig’s unique electronic woe, and the off-kilter lullabies of ‘Vigils’ by Richard J Birkin- but revel in the records that, for us, propelled themselves above the rest.
Moderate Rock’s albums of the 2016. 11 because Spinal Tap.
11. NORMA JEAN- ‘Polar Similar’
10. THREE TRAPPED TIGERS- ‘Silent Earthling’
9. NOTHING- ‘Tired of Tomorrow’
8. BASEMENT- ‘Promise Everything’
7. RADIOHEAD- ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’
6. WORRIEDABOUTSATAN- ‘Blank Tape’
5. DEFTONES- ‘Gore’
4. EVERY TIME I DIE- ‘Low Teens’
3. THE BLACK QUEEN- ‘Fever Daydream’
2. BON IVER- ’22, a Million’
1. BOSSK- ‘Audio Noir’
A close competition as I say, but Bossk’s atmospheric effort comes out on top. It would have likely made the grade even if I’d never heard of the band before but the fact that it makes good on so many years of promise and potential is incredible.
Shout out also to Run the Jewels for releasing an album on Christmas day that’s so good it almost scraped into the list, and John Carpenter’s ‘Classic Themes Redux’ for being EP of the year.
Peace.