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Best of 2016: Songs & Albums

I’ve been away from posting daily on Faded Arrow for a while now, but I feel like I can’t leave the site hanging without a proper (if not cliché) conclusion. I wanted to give you one last post in the throes of list season, wrapping things up with my favorite albums and songs from this year. While you never know what could happen in the future, this is at least goodbye for now.

If you were among the readers who stuck with me for the last 3 years or so, thank you for keeping up with what I thought was exciting and noteworthy. I put a lot of time and effort into giving Faded Arrow a voice in the midst of so many other music blogs, and I’m so proud of what I accomplished here. I made great connections with labels like Cascine and Winspear, put out some fantastic artist mixes, hosted my own radio show, attended SXSW, and more. Most importantly, though, it was fun to share new songs with you for a while.

Check out my top 20 albums after the break – the top three records are absolute classics that I know I’ll be playing years from now. Following those picks are my 40 favorite songs from 2016, which you can also find in the Spotify playlist here at the top. ✌

20. Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat To Earth 19. Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife 2 18. Angel Olsen – My Woman 17. Negative Gemini – Body Work 16. Carseat Headrest – Teens Of Denial 15. Frank Ocean – Endless 14. Skepta – Konnichiwa 13. The Weeknd – Starboy 12. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool 11. Young Thug – JEFFERY

10. BEYONCÉ – Lemonade

09. BLOOD ORANGE – Freetown Sound

08. WHITNEY – Light Upon The Lake

07. YUMI ZOUMA – Yoncalla

06. NICOLAS JAAR – Sirens

05. HOOPS – Tapes 1-3

04. DANNY BROWN – Atrocity Exhibition

03. FRANK OCEAN – Blonde

02. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST – We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service

01. KANYE WEST – The Life Of Pablo

SONGS OF THE YEAR

40. Hannah Diamond – Fade Away 39. Kristin Kontrol – X-Communicate 38. The xx – On Hold 37. Kanye West – Champions 36. Chromatics – Dear Tommy

35. Vince Staples – War Ready 34. Mr. Fingers – Qwazars 33. Car Seat Headrest – Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales 32. Carly Rae Jepsen – Higher 31. Hoops – Gemini 30. Pender Street Steppers – On Spec 29. Negative Gemini – Hold U (Break Your Face Edit) 28. Mood Hut – Better 27. Kero Kero Bonito – Lipslap 26. Skepta – Lyrics ft. Novelist 25. Blood Orange – Augustine

24. DJ Seinfeld – U 23. Danny Brown – Really Doe ft. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, + Earl Sweatshirt 22. Kanye West – 30 Hours (G.O.O.D. Fridays Edit) 21. Beyoncé – All Night 20. Frank Ocean – White Ferrari 19. MssingNo – Scope 18. Mall Grab – Can’t Take It No More 17. A Tribe Called Quest – Dis Generation 16. Hoops – Grass 15. Charli XCX – After The Afterparty ft. Lil Yachty

14. Kanye West – Fade 13. Future – Inside the Mattress 12. Nicolas Jaar – No 11. Rae Sremmurd – Black Beatles ft. Gucci Mane 10. Mall Grab – Can’t 09. Danny Brown – When It Rain

08. Young Thug + Travis Scott – Pick Up The Phone ft. Quavo 07. Danny L Harle – Super Natural ft. Carly Rae Jepsen 06. The Weeknd – I Feel It Coming ft. Daft Punk 05. A Tribe Called Quest– The Space Program 04. Kanye West – Real Friends

03. JESSY LANZA – It Means I Love You

02. FRANK OCEAN – Nikes

01. KANYE WEST – Ultralight Beam

#best of 2016 #best albums #best songs #album of the year #kanye west #frank ocean #a tribe called quest #jessy lanza

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Faded Arrow’s final show on the Toronto Radio Project, aired on August 10. I played through 25 of my all-time favorite songs, which you can catch in the full tracklist below.

TRACKLIST 01. Chromatics – Into the Black 02. Kanye West – Runaway ft. Pusha T 03. Outkast – Ms. Jackson 04. Frank Ocean – Crack Rock 05. Madvillain – All Caps 06. De La Soul – Eye Know 07. Jack J – Thirstin’ 08. Glass Candy – Warm In The Winter 09. CEO – Illuminata 10. Animal Collective – My Girls 11. Chromatics – Cherry 12. Beach House – 10 Mile Stereo 13. Radiohead – Nude 14. Yumi Zouma – The Brae 15. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round and Round 16. The Strokes – Someday 17. Smith Westerns – Imagine Pt. 3 18. Girls – Hellhole Ratrace 19. Panda Bear – Song for Ariel 20. Jai Paul – Jasmine 21. The Knife – Forest Families 22. Todd Terje – Inspector Norse 23. Nicolas Jaar – Why Didn’t You Save Me 24. Panda Bear – Last Night At The Jetty 25. Oneohtrix Point Never – Chrome Country

#trp #toronto radio project #8.10.16 #radio #final show

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Hoops – Gemini

Hoops are back with a beautiful new single off their upcoming EP, which has been in heavy rotation around here for a while alongside their old trio of tapes. “Gemini” is truly among the best songs they’ve got to their name thus far, maybe even my favorite from them on the year, and that’s saying a lot considering all the praise I throw at these guys. Their choruses are always a lock to be stellar, but the gradual, pensive build-up to this one makes it so much sweeter.

The self-titled EP is out August 26 on Fat Possum. If you’re looking for more, be sure to catch their first single “Cool 2.”

#hoops #gemini #fat possum #bloomington

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listen to Mall Grab’s set for Boiler Room

Mall Grab made a stop in Paris this spring to spin some tracks for Boiler Room, who have finally uploaded it for your permanent consumption. The “sample house champion” and blog favorite delivers on the mixing front once again with his first appearance for the platform. As I’ve explained plenty of times before, everything the guy puts out is pure gold, and this hour-long set is no exception to that. Hopefully you’ve been keeping up with Mall Grab throughout the year, because I think he’s on a house music hot streak for the ages.

In addition to this mix, you can check out an appearance he made on Rinse FM below.

#mall grab #boiler room #rinse fm

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DJDS – Live In Tijuana

Los Angeles duo DJDS just dropped a stellar new live album recorded during a recent trip to Tijuana. The hour-long, high-octane set blends together tracks from their first and second albums, which is a great way to revisit two of my favorite dance releases from the past few years. You can catch a full stream right here, and grab the split tracks on their label Body High’s website.

TRACKLIST 01. Sit Down Satan / Tell Me Why  02. Memory Lane / Stand Up And Speak  03. 2 Plus 2 / One Who Lost  04. Love Songs / In The Flames  05. Never Win / MF Hustla / The Dust  06. No Guarantees / Friend Of Mine  07. You Don't Have To Be Alone / By Your Side  08. One Good Thing / Something To Believe In  09. Darling Cheryl / Not A Thing I Wouldn't Do  10. Trouble / Found  11. I Don't Love You 

#djds #live in tijuana #body high #jerome lol #samo sound boy

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Faded Arrow’s twenty-third show on the Toronto Radio Project, aired on July 13. Tune in every other Wednesday at the new time of 1-3PM Eastern. Tracklist after the jump.

TRACKLIST 01. Angel Olsen – Shut Up Kiss Me 02. Pure X – Valley of Tears 03. Ariel Pink – Dayzed Inn Daydreams 04. Hoops – On Top 05. Whitney – No Woman 06. Angel Olsen – You Are Song 07. Purple Pilgrims – Thru Evry Cel 08. Beach House – Sparks 09. Cindy Lee – A Message From The Aching Sky 10. The Avalanches – Harmony 11. The Avalanches – If I Was A Folkstar 12. Blood Orange – Augustine 13. Yumi Zouma – Throwing Smoke 14. Beyoncé – Mine ft. Drake 15. Negative Gemini – Hold U (Break Your Face Edit) 16. Negative Gemini – You Only Hate The Ones You Love 17. Mirror Kisses – Takeover (Outlands '90s Remix) 18. Danny L Harle – Supernatural ft. Carly Rae Jepsen 19. Nite Jewel – Boo Hoo 20. Desire – Tears From Heaven 21. Glass Candy – Redheads Feel More Pain 22. Mssingno – Xe3 23. Clams Casino – A Breath Away ft. Kelela 24. Andy Stott – Faith In Strangers 25. Burial & Four Tet – Nova 26. Burial – Rough Sleeper

#trp #toronto radio project #7.13.16 #radio

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A. G. Cook – Superstar

It’s been a long time since we got a solo single from the mastermind behind PC Music, who have been very quiet as a whole throughout the year, but A. G. Cook is finally back. “Superstar” is a sappy return to the spotlight that takes you up and away with a transcendent chorus. If your interest in what the label’s been up to has understandably waned since their output slowed down, this new song should offer more than enough encouragement to hold out for all they’re working on. You can download it for free on SoundCloud.

#a. g. cook #superstar #pc music #PC008

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premiere: Evan Michael’s Slept For Weeks EP

Cascine’s digital imprint is back with a new EP from Brooklyn-based producer and club promoter Evan Michael, which you can stream in full right here. Slept For Weeks’ three house cuts are wistful and withdrawn, attributes that make Michael’s work a natural fit for CSCN’s line of one-off releases. I’m particularly enamored with “Can’t Think So,” which is wedged between the title track and pensive closer “Ronda De Atocha.” You can grab the EP now, and stay tuned for more from the pop label throughout the year.

#evan michael #slept for weeks #cascine #cscn

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Faded Arrow’s twenty-second show on the Toronto Radio Project, aired on June 29. Tune in every other Wednesday from 2-4PM Eastern. Tracklist after the jump.

TRACKLIST 01. Hoops – Cool 2 02. Girls – Laura 03. Beach House – Walk In The Park 04. Glass Candy – Beautiful Object 05. Jessy Lanza – Never Enough 06. The Galleria – Calling Card 07. Kelela – Rewind 08. Chromatics – Camera 09. Ex-Terrestrial – Aletheia 10. Khotin – Hello World 11. Journeymann Trax – Arboreal Harp Jam ft. Khotin 12. Trust Image – Pressure (E Mix) 13. Body-san – Mama Celeste Side Up 14. Keito Sano – African Blue 15. Kirk the Flirt & Peter Pressure – Teddybear 16. DJ Zozi – Mellow Vibe 17. Friendly Chemist – Queen of Swords 18. Mall Grab – Elegy 19. Project Pablo – Always 20. D. Tiffany – Tranq Moon 21. Elka – Excursion 909 22. Friendly Chemist – Visions From Yesterday (Saxy Mix) 23. Earth Boys – Spring Fling 24. Scientific Dreamz of U – Empathy Field Generation {7AM Affirmation} 25. Junior Loves – Ignacio’s Daydream

#trp #toronto radio project #6.29.16 #radio

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Hoops – Cool 2

I’ve written my fair share about Bloomington band Hoops throughout the year, even getting a special Artist Mix out of them and seeing them live last month. I’ve already called them my favorite band of 2016, and now that they’ve got their first “official” release on the way soon for Fat Possum, that title is most definitely locked up. The self-titled EP is kicked off today with brisk lead single “Cool 2,” which has been floating around since Tape #1 dropped. This freshly mastered take has turned it into a summer staple, and it’s the perfect way to kick off a new era of Hoops. Be sure to grab the EP when it drops August 26.

#hoops #cool 2 #hoops ep #fat possum #drew auscherman #kevin krauter #bloomington #winspear

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video: Clams Casino – All Nite ft. Vince Staples

I’m definitely feeling a summer lull right now but one of my most anticipated albums on the way is from Clams Casino. His long-awaited true debut 32 Levels is packed with features from the likes of Lil B, A$AP Rocky, and Vince Staples, who’s on “All Nite.” The music video for that dropped today, ahead of the album’s July 15 release. Check out another cut, “Blast,” below.

#clams casino #all nite #vince staples #32 levels

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Faded Arrow’s twenty-first show on the Toronto Radio Project, aired on June 15. Tune in every other Wednesday from 2-4PM Eastern. Tracklist after the jump.

TRACKLIST 01. Mall Grab – Can’t 02. Kanye West – 30 Hours (G.O.O.D. Fridays Edit) 03. Skepta – Lyrics ft. Novelist 04. Young Thug & Travis Scott – Pick Up the Phone ft. Quavo 05. Beyoncé – All Night 06. Kanye West – Ultralight Beam 07. Mssingno – Scope 08. LUH – $ORO 09. Jessy Lanza – It Means I Love You 10. Danny L Harle – Supernatural ft. Carly Rae Jepsen 11. Danny L Harle – Ashes of Love ft. Caroline Polachek 12. Kero Kero Bonito – Lipslap 13. Yumi Zouma – Short Truth 14. Kristin Kontrol – X-Communicate 15. Hoops – Nothing But Net 16. Whitney – Golden Days 17. Hoops – LaLaLa 18. Angel Olsen – Intern 19. Project Pablo – Closer 20. Mall Grab – Can’t Take It No More 21. Pender Street Steppers – On Spec 22. Mood Hut – Spicy Dream 23. Ross From Friends – Talk To Me You’ll Understand 24. Bwana – Capsule’s Pride 25. Kanye West – Fade 26. Andy Stott – Too Many Voices

#trp #toronto radio project #6.15.16 #radio

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video: Danny Brown – When It Rain

Detroit oddball Danny Brown seems like he’s finally back with the follow-up to his ambitious 2013 album Old, sharing a new high-speed single titled “When It Rain” today. He’s moving over to Warp Records this time around, a surprisingly good fit for his explosive, chaotic handle on hip-hop. Look for more in the coming months.

#danny brown #when it rain #warp records

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Mall Grab – Menace II Society

Mall Grab has basically proven to be the Joe DiMaggio of house music; the Yankees legend holds the Major League Baseball record for hits in 56 consecutive games, roughly the same number of jams the producer's put forth since last year. “Menace II Society” keeps his streak going strong with its swaying, hard-nosed rhythm. The garage-tinted title track closes out yet another new EP, this time for Unknown To The Unknown, which is also set to feature older track “I’ve Always Liked Grime.” Look for it when it drops next week.

#mall grab #menace ii society #i've always liked grime #unknown to the unknown

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Faded Arrow’s Best of 2016½

Faded Arrow’s favorite albums, songs, and mixes from the first half of 2016. It’s been an all-around stacked year so far and there’s still plenty more to come. Check out my top picks right here alongside new SoundCloud and Spotify playlists, and be sure to keep up with the full running playlist of the year’s best tracks going forward too.

ALBUMS 01. Yumi Zouma – Yoncalla 02. Kanye West – The Life of Pablo 03. Hoops – Tapes 1-3 04. Whitney – Light Upon the Lake 05. Beyoncé – Lemonade 06. Skepta – Konnichiwa 07. Jessy Lanza – Oh No 08. Mall Grab – Sun Ra EP 09. LUH – Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing 10. Andy Stott – Too Many Voices 11. Pender Street Steppers – Power FM Uploads 12. Maria Usbeck – Amparo 13. Mood Hut – Disco Mantras 14. DJDS – Stand Up And Speak 15. Bwana – Capsule’s Pride

SONGS 01. Mall Grab – Can’t 02. Kanye West – 30 Hours (G.O.O.D. Fridays Edit) 03. Jessy Lanza – It Means I Love You 04. Young Thug & Travis Scott – Pick Up the Phone ft. Quavo 05. Kero Kero Bonito – Lipslap 06. Yumi Zouma – Short Truth 07. Beyoncé – All Night 08. Hoops – Nothing But Net 09. Kanye West – Famous 10. Pender Street Steppers – On Spec 11. Mssingno – Scope 12. LUH – $ORO 13. Kristin Kontrol – X-Communicate 14. Project Pablo – Closer 15. Skepta – Lyrics ft. Novelist 16. Kanye West – Fade 17. Danny L Harle – Ashes of Love 18. Mall Grab – Can’t Take It No More 19. DJDS – Something To Believe In 20. Ross From Friends – Talk To Me, You’ll Understand

MIXES 01. Mall Grab – i-DJ Mix 02. Jessy Lanza – FACT Mix 03. Pender Street Steppers – Cultfarm Mix

#2016.5 #best of 2016 #playlist #yumi zouma #kanye west #hoops #mall grab

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stream Mall Grab’s new i-DJ mix

Mall Grab is my clear frontrunner for Man of the Year 2016; he’s somehow already responsible for four releases (check the tag, plus he just announced another new EP), one of which features a future classic in “Can’t.” You figure he’d be impossibly busy from those alone, but he’s been traveling the world and dropping new mixes the whole time as well. This new one is a must-hear contribution to i-DJ, a mix series from cutting-edge fashion culture magazine i-D. Check it out above, and catch one of the singles off his upcoming EP for Unknown To The Unknown below.

#mall grab #i-dj #black palms #unknown to the unknown #i-d

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Young Thug and Travis Scott – Pick Up the Phone ft. Quavo

I’ve had the new Young Thug and Travis Scott collab on repeat since it dropped on Friday, and now I’m ready to declare “Pick Up the Phone” as my official song of the summer. The long-awaited track features Quavo of Atlanta trio Migos and the hottest hook in recent memory.

Also dropping this past Friday was the colossal new Kanye West anthem, “Champions,” which Travis Scott and a host of other all-stars are featured on. It’s the first to appear off the forthcoming Cruel Winter and another I’ve had in heavy rotation this weekend.

#young thug #travis scott #pick up the phone #quavo #kanye west #champions