Hi folks!
Since I have now completed my two countdown radio shows for the Top 50 albums of 2016 — see the Big Takeover “Radio” button above to hear one song from each — here is my complete list of the 150 best albums, 50 best archive/retrospective/reissue releases, and 30 best stand-alone singles and EPs of this previous year. My best bets on another great year for music, old and new. (Never mind the cranks, here’s the good stuff as ever.) Hope this little list inspires you to find, or give a second look to, a few cool releases you might miss otherwise that you end up truly loving. Otherwise, lists are for time-wasting. Not my bag. But as I listened to all of these a great deal this year, perhaps you might like some of them, or will be glad to see them recognized if you are already enjoying them.
Cheers to you all and happy new year.
1 New Model Army – Winter (Attack Attack/Earmusic/Eagle Rock)
2 Bob Mould – Patch the Sky (Merge)
3 The Fast Camels – Tales of the Expected (Magic Optician U.K.)
4 Emma Pollock – In Search of Harperfield (Chemikal Underground U.K.)
5 Rogue Wave – Delusions of Grand Fur (Easy Sound)
6 Descendents – Hypercaffium Spazzinate (Epitaph)
7 Teenage Fanclub – Here (Merge)
8 Rifles – Big Life (double LP) (Cooking Vinyl)
9 Flyying Colours – Mindfullness Club (AC30)
10 Ed Kuepper – Lost Cities (Prince Melon AUS)
11 The Junipers – Red Bouquet Fair (Sugarbush UK)
12 Look Park – Look Park (Yep Roc)
13 Cheap Star – Songs For the Farrelly Brothers (Z&Zoe FRANCE)
14 Penetration – Resolution (Polestar U.K.)
15 Sam Vicari – Blunt (Sip City)
16 The Posies – Solid State (Lojinx)
17 Tacocat – Lost Time (Hardly Art)
18 The Thermals – We Disappear (Saddle Creek)
19 Wire – Nocturnal Koreans (Pink Flag)
20 Nada Surf – You Know Who You Are (Barsuk)/Peaceful Ghosts (Barsuk)
21 The New Lines – Love and Cannibalism (Feral Child U.K.)
22 John Doe – The Westerner (Cool Rock/Thirty Tigers)
23 The Joy Formidable – Hitch (C’mon Let’s Drift/Caroline)
24 Trash Can Sinatras – Wild Pendulum (Red River)
25 Haroula Rose – Here the Blue River (Little Bliss/Thirty Tigers)
26 Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat To Earth (Mexican Summer)
27 ESP Ohio – Starting Point of the Royal Cyclopean (GBV Inc.)
28 Iggy Pop – Post Pop Despression (Rekords Rekords/Loma Vista/Caroline)
29 Savages – Adore Life (Matador)
30 Lake Ruth – Actual Entity (The Great Pop Supplement UK)
31 Various Artists – Strange Fruits, Catherine Wheel Tribute (The Blog That Celebrates Itself)
32 Cat’s Eyes – Treasure House (Kobalt)
33 Beverly – Blue Swell (Kanine)
34 Minor Victories – Minor Victories (Fat Possum)
35 Eztv – High In Place (Captured Tracks)
36 Various Artists – If It Feels Good Do It – A Sloan Tribute (Futureman)
37 Dead Horse One – Season Of Mist (Dead Bees/Requiem Pour Un Twister France)
38 Robert Pollard – Of Course You Are (GBV Inc./Fire)
39 Prophet Hens – The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys (Fishrider)
40 Jeffrey Runnings – Primitives and Smalls (Saint Marie)
41 The Furious Seasons – Look West (Stonegarden)
42 Few Bits – Big Sparks (PIAS)
43 Starling Electric – Electric Company (Starling Electric)
44 The Monkees – Good Times (Rhino)
45 Diiv – Is the Is Are (Double LP) (Captured Tracks)
46 La Sera – Music For Listening to Music (Polyvinyl)
47 Billy Bragg & Joe Henry – Shine a Light: Field Recordings From the Great American Railroad (Cooking Vinyl)
48 The Small Square – The Small Square (Moorworks)
49 The Lovely Intangibles – Air & Numbers (The Lovely Intangibles)
50 Magnet School – The Art Of Telling the Truth (Shifting Sounds)
51 Deniz Tek – Mean Old Twister (Career)
52 Guided By Voices – Please Be Honest (GBV Inc.)
53 Golden Bloom – Searching For Sunlight (Rhyme & Reason)
54 La Historia – Low Mimetic (La Historia)
55 Paranoid Style – Rolling Disclosure (Bar/None)
56 Drive By Truckers – American Band (ATO)
57 Gosta Berling – Winterland (Baroquen)
58 Rolling Stones – Blue and Lonesome (Polydor)
59 The Sharp Things – Everybodyeverybody (Ropeadope)
60 Tanya Donelly – Swan Song Series (3- CD) (American Laundromat)
61 Various Artists – Soft As Fire In the House Of Love (The Blog That Celebrates Itself)
62 Susanna – Triangle (Susannasonata Norway)
63 The Wedding Present – Going Going… (Scopitones/HHBTM)
64 Dot Dash – Searchlights (The Beautiful Music CAN)
65 Ruts D.C. – Music Must Destroy (Westworld U.K.)
66 Eureka, California – Versus (HHBTM)
67 Max Romeo – Horror Zone (Nu Roots)
68 Dropkick – Balance The Light (Rock Indiana Spain/Sound Asleep SWE)
69 Bent Shapes – Wolves Of Want (Slumberland)
70 Hinds – Leave Me Alone (Mom+Pop)
71 Ex Norwegian – Pure Gold/Glazer/Hazerr (Dippy)
72 Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (Optimal Media GmbH/Rainbo)
73 Trolley – Caught In the Darkness (Easter)
74 The Knowle Roars – Blue Skies and Sunny Weather (Braxeling)
75 Idlewild – Live (double LP) (Empty Words UK)
76 Various Artists – To Love the Bee Gees: A Tribute To The Brothers Gibb (80 Proof)
77 New Planet Trampoline – Dark Rides and Grim Visions (Double LP) (Stow House)
78 Various Artists – Say Yes! A Tribute To Elliott Smith (American Laundromat)
79 Sansyou – The Glistening One (Moon Sounds)
80 The Spires – Dreamconfusion (Bearded Beauty)
81 Channel 3 – A Home For the Homeless 12” (Wanda)
82 High Violets, The – Heroes and Halos (Saint Marie)
83 Martin Phillipps – Live At the Moth Club (Fire)
84 Manon Meurt – Manon Meurt (Label Obscura CAN)
85 California – California (Blackball)
86 Edward Rogers – Glass Marbles (Zip)
87 Kane Strang – Blue Cheese (Ba Da Bing/Flying Nun)
88 Toy – Clear Shot (Heavenly)
89 Art Bergmann – The Apostate (Weewerk CAN)
90 William Duke – The Dark Beautiful Sun (Familiar)
91 David Bowie – Blackstar (Columbia/Sony)
92 Ultimate Painting – Dusk (Trouble in Mind)
93 The Valery Trails – Chameleon Bones (The Valery Trails)
94 The April Seven – Pop Tarkovsky (Ragoora UK)
95 Goat – Requiem (Sub Pop)
96 Medictation – Warm Places (Paper + Plastick)
97 Rikk Agnew Band – Learn (Frontier)
98 Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing (Bayonet)
99 93millionmilesfromthesun & Presents For Sally – An Arms Reach Away/ Darkness Inside Split LP (Wrong Way UK)
100 Seth Swirsky – Circles And Squares (Grimble)
101 Allah-Lahs – Calico (Mexican Summer)
102 The Beliefs – Leaper (Hand Drawn Dracula)
103 Nothing – Tired Of Tomorrow (Relapse)
104 Willie Nelson
– Summertime: Sings Gershwin (Legacy/Sony)
105 Ty Segall – Ty Rex (Goner)
106 Beach House – Thank Your Lucky Stars (Sub Pop)
107 Neil Young – Earth (Warner Bros.)
108 Cliff And Ivy – CXI 111 (House Of Extreme Darkness)
109 Dinosaur Jr. – Give A Gimpse Of What Yer Not (Jagjaguwar)
110 Conor Oberst – Ruminations (Nonesuch)
111 Mark Kozelek – Sings Favorites (Caldo Verde)
112 Split Single – Metal Frames (Inside Outside)
113 Jayhawks – Paging Mr. Proust (Thirty Tigers)
114 Sharon Jones – Miss Sharon Jones Soundtrack (Daptone)
115 Wilco – Schmilko (dBpm)
116 Flotation Device – Play It 12” (Mystery Lawn)
117 Wild Nothing – Life Of Pause (Captured Tracks/Bella Union)
118 Mike Adams At His Honest Weight (Casino Drone)
119 Rocket From The Tombs – Black Record (Fire)
120 Spc Eco – Dark Matter (Saint Marie)
121 School Of Seven Bells – SVIIB (Vagrant)
122 Yuck – Stranger Things (Mamé)
123 Angel Olsen – My Woman (Jagjaguwar)
124 Lee Scratch Perry – Must Be Free (MVD)
125 Adolescents – Manifest Destiny (Concrete Jungle GER)
126 Mark Crozer And The Rels – Sunny Side Down (Planting Seeds)
127 Various Artists – Anticipating Nowhere—A Homage to the Telescopes (The Blog That Celebrates Itself)
128 The Moles – Tonight’s Music (Fire)
129 Heidi Gluck – Pony Show (Lotuspool)
130 D Generation – Nothing Is Anywhere (D Generation)
131 Various Artists – A Tribute to Pet Sounds (The Reverberation Appreciation Society)
132 The Pretenders – Alone (BMG UK)
133 Alice Bag – Alice Bag (Don Giovanni)
134 Tony Low – Rendezvousing (Lowtunes)
135 The Pineapples – Twice On the Pipe (Wicked Ape)
136 Chook Race – Around The House (Trouble in Mind)
137 Don Vail – Fades (Don Vail)
138 Landing – Complekt (These Are Not Records)
139 Eagulls – Ullages (Partisan)
140 Shayne Carter – Offsider (Flying Nun NZ)
141 Dotsun Moon – A Swan’s Song (CE)
142 Ray Paul – Whimsicality (Permanent Press)
143 Trust Punks – Double Bind (Faux Discx)
144 The I Don’t Cares – Wild Stab (Dry Wood)
145 Monomyth – Happy Pop Family (Mint CAN)
146 Preoccupations – Preoccupations (Flemish Eye)
147 Cheap Trick – Bang, Zoom, Crazy…Hello (Big Machine)
148 Dandy Warhols – Distortoland (Dine Alone)
149 Britta Phillips – Luck Or Magic (Doublefeature)
150 Brian Jonestown Massacre – The Mini Album Thingy Wingy (A)
1 Brothers In Yarn – Vol. 1 EP (Rhyme & Reason)
2 Lush – Blind Spot EP (Edamame UK)
3 Sloan – “Kids Come Back Again At Christmas” (Xmas Single) (Murder CAN)
4 Lou Barlow – Apocalypse Fetish EP (Joyful Noise)
5 Jet Black – “Old Kings” (Split single With Dead Horse One) (Dryland CAN)
6 Desario – Red Returns EP/Haunted EP (Test Pattern)
7 Chatham Rise – KXLU In Studio Session For Part Time Punks EP (Picture In My Ear)
8 Tiger Army – “Firefall” (Rise)
9 Film School – June EP (Film School)
10 Sam Phillips – Human Contact Is Never Easy mini-LP (SamPhillips)
11 Allo Darlin’ – “Hymn On The 45” single (Fortuna Pop! UK)
12 Pale Lights – Séance For Something EP (Calico Cat)
13 The Black Watch – “Jealousy” Single (Pop Culture Press)
14 Persian Leaps – Your City, Underwater EP (Land Ski)
15 Honeyrude – Roger McClain (Shifting Sounds)
16 Joanna Gruesome – “Pretty Fucking Sick Of It All” Single (Slumberland)
17 Hoops – Hoops EP (Fat Possum)
18 Supermoon – Playland (Double 7” EP) (Mint CAN)
19 Dag Nasty – “Cold Heart” Single (Dischord)
20 The Paper Jets – Almost Nine EP (FDR)
21 Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon And Svengoolie – “Svengoolie Stomp” 7” (Wondercap)
22 Allen Clapp – Six Seasons EP (Minty Fresh)
23 The Shins – “Dead Alive” Single (The Shins)
24 The Pagans – “Hopped Up” 7” (Get Hip)
25 No Joy – Drool Sucker EP (Topshelf)
26 Hickoids – The Out of Towners (Mini-LP) (Saustex)
27 Patience – “The Church” Single (Night School UK)
28 Close Lobsters – Desire and Signs EP (Shelflife)
29 Sundown Delay – Rubik’s Cube Is Fighting Back EP (Sundown Delay)
30. The Proper Ornaments – “Memories” (Tough Love UK)
1 Big Star – Complete Third (Box) (Omnivore)
2 Various Artists – Still In a Dream: A Story of Shoegaze 1988-1995 (Box) (Cherry Red U.K.)
3 Bad Religion – 30 Years Live 12” (Epitaph)
4 Black Randy & The Metrosquad – Pass The Dust, I Think I’m Bowie 12” (Frontier)
5 Dave Berry – This Strange Effect; the Decca Sessions 1963-1966 (Double CD) (RPM/Cherry Red U.K.)
6 Professor Longhair – Live in Chicago (Orleans/Select O Hits)
7 Robert Kidney (15-60-75, The Numbers Band) – Jackleg (Exit Stencil)
8 Mr. Stress Blues Band – Live at The Brick Cottage 1972-1973 (Smog Veil)
9 Them – The Complete Them 3 Cd (Legacy/Exile)
10 Ruts, The – Babylon’s Burning (Westworld UK)
11 The Move – The Move 3-CD (Cherry Red UK)
12 Howlin Wolf – His Greatest Sides (Jackpot)
13 Various Artists – Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds 3-Cd (Cherry Red UK)
14 Reagan Youth – The Complete Youth Anthems For the New Order (Box Set) (Cleopatra)
15 Ken Stringfellow – Touched 12” (Azucar)
16 Mott The Hoople – Mott 12” (Drastic Plastic)
17 Various Artists – Looking Stateside: 80 US R&B, Mod, Soul & Garage Nuggets (RPM/Cherry Red UK)
18 Métal Urbain – “Panik” 7” (Alternative Tentacles)
19 Telescopes, The – Splashdown: the Complete Creation Recordings 1990-1992 (Cherry Red UK)
20 The Flesh Eaters – Forever Came Today (Superior Viaduct)
21 Pure Hell – Noise Addiction: 1978 New York & London Sessions CD/DVD (Cherry Red UK)
22 Breathless – Blue Moon (Tenor Vossa U.K.)
23 Various Artists – C87 Box Set (Cherry Red UK)
24 Otis Redding – Live at the Whiskey a Go Go: the Complete Recordings (Stax/Concord)
25 Alternative TV – Viva La Rock ‘N’ Roll: the Complete Deptford Fun City Recordings 1977-1980 4 CD Box (Cherry Red UK)
26 The Damned – Damned Damned Damned 12” (Drastic Plastic)
27 The Passions – Michael & Miranda (Fiction/Cherry Red UK)
28 999 – Bay Area Homicide (4 CD Box) (Cleopatra)
29 Various Artists – New Psychedlia In Britain 1980-1985 Box (Cherry Red UK)
30 Jilted John – Jilted Jam (Demos, Rehearsals And Gigs 1978-2008) (Boss Tuneage UK)
31 George Jones – A Picture of Me (Without You)/Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) (Morello/Cherry Red UK)
32 The Feelies – Only Life/Time For a Witness (Bar/None)
33 Love – Reel to Real (High Moon)
34 Velvet Crush – Pre-Teen Symphonies (Omnivore)
35 The Wedding Present – Take Fountain/Valentine (Scopitones/HHBTM)
36 Mortal Micronotz – Smash (Bar/None)
37 The Brotherhood Of Lizards – Lizardland: the Complete Works (Captured Tracks)
38 Scream – Fumble (Dischord)
39 Bert Jansch – Avocet/Moonshine (Earth/Fire)
40 Various Artists – Another Splash of Colour (RPM/Cherry Red UK)
41 Luna – Long Players: 92-99 Box Set (Captured Tracks)
42 Jim Hendrix – Machine Gun: the Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 (Legacy/Sony)
43 Lee Hazlewood – MGM Trilogy (Light In the Attic)
44 Various Artists – The Hardly Music Story 7” Box (Third Uncle/Timechange)
45 Tales Of Justine – Petals From a Sunflower: Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (Cherry Red UK)
46 Teenage Jesus & The Jerks – Live 1977-1979 (Other People)
47 Game Theory – Big Shot Chronicles (Omnivore)
48 Poster Children – Daisychain Reaction Reissue (Lotuspool)
49 Killer Kane Band – Mr. Cool 7” EP (Hozac)
50 Pylon – Live (Recorded In 1983) (Chunklet)
HM: Various Artists – Algo Salvage: Untamed ‘60s Beat and Garage Nuggets From Spain Vol. 2 (Munster SPAIN)
The Damned – Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead (DVD) (Cleopatra/MVD)
The Gears – Don’t Be Afraid To Pogo (DVD) (Wondercap)
Various Artists – Salad Days; a Decade Of Punk In Washington DC (1980-90) (DVD) (New Rose/MVD)
The Dicks – The Dicks From Texas (DVD) (MVD Visual)
Joe Strummer, I Need A Dodge! Documentary Film by Nick Hall DVD (MVD)
—-
Keith Morris With Jim Ruland – My Damage: the Story Of a Punk Rock Survivor (Da Capo Press)
Brian Wilson – I Am Brian Wilson: a Memoir (Da Capo Press)
John Doe And Tom Desavo – Under The Big Black Sun; a Personal History Of L.A. Punk (Da Capo Press)
Steve Blush – New York Rock; From the Rise of the Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB (St. Martin’s Griffin)
