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lifesgreatestfool · 7 years

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Top 5 Albums of 2016 - E

5. Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition

Danny Brown earns a well-deserved spot in my top 5 albums of the year with his third and best release to date. Danny’s over-the-top, psychotic persona is sometimes difficult for me to digest or even appreciate, but it fits a little too perfectly in this context. For this project, Danny doesn’t hide the ball regarding the album’s mood. Rather, he quickly sets it with the opener Downward Spiral. Danny’s staple delivery accompanies a whirlwind of cacophonous and downright disturbing instrumentation, which doesn’t let up as much as it does mutate to fit the intended feel of each forthcoming track. Whether it be the infectiously catchy Really Doe featuring Kendrick Lamar, unrelenting bangers like Dance in the Water and Ain’t it Funny, or the hazy and enjoyable Get Hi, Atrocity Exhibition successfully manages to plunge its listener into the hellish depths of Danny’s apparently dark and drug-riddled world, with no promise of letting up until the close.

4. Bon Iver: 22, A Million

Since its release, countless criticisms across the internet have been lobbed at 22, A Million, Justin Vernon’s third full-length album as Bon Iver. Yet, with each listen, the album effortlessly disproves the validity of such criticisms for me. Some dissenters focus on what they deem to be nonsensical song titles, overly complex cover art, a supposed lack of cohesion, or distracting experimentation. In my opinion, these are all critiques that are either unimportant of untrue. I’ll take ridiculous song titles and borderline pretentious cover art all day if the accompanying music is up to snuff. And in this case, I’m thrilled that it certainly is.

With two stellar full-length albums already under Bon Iver’s belt, and an excruciating gap of silence thereafter, it was always going to be difficult for 22, A Million to live up to my expectations. While it may not have floored me to the extent that For Emma and Bon Iver did, this album has solidified itself as a more-than-worthy third act. For me, this collection of tracks represents an intuitive next step in Bon Iver’s artistic development. The exceptional songwriting is still there, often wonderfully complimented by sonic experimentation and vocal manipulation. 29 Strafford Apts rivals the beauty of Bon Iver’s best past-efforts, and is firmly one of my favorite songs of the 2016. Creeks is a pure emotional powerhouse (”GOD DAMN TURN AROUND” - so good). 22 (Over Soon) serves perfectly as the album’s stunningly unique opener, and 00000 Million closes the album out on a more straightforward but gorgeous note.

Justin Vernon is still yet to let me down.

3. David Bowie: Blackstar

There is no way to avoid the glaringly morbid appeal of Bowie’s final artistic offering. It is an appeal that is inextricably and likely intentionally linked with the album. Independent of Bowie’s death, the opening title-track is perhaps the most haunting piece of music I have heard in recent memory. Pair that with what has occurred since its recording, and the track takes on an emotional and psychological weight that is difficult to come by elsewhere. This absurd, almost divine quality intensifies with the track Lazarus, with which Bowie has essentially managed to bridge an otherwise impenetrable spiritual boundary between life and death. I’m not one to believe in lofty spiritual concepts, but leave it to David Bowie to make me second guess a belief of such magnitude.

Tracks like Girl Loves Me, Dollar Days, and I Can’t Give Everything Away further solidly this album as a triumph. I must admit that one or two tracks feel a bit weaker and slightly out of place within this already concise album. However, Blackstar’s many high points are nothing short of transcendent. Now, we are left to stare at the cover art above. A black outline where an artistic star of unprecedented brightness once stood for decades.

2. Frank Ocean: Blonde

Blonde is just so undeniably good. Frank Ocean’s long awaited sophomore LP is actually my first love affair with the man’s music. Admittedly, I never fully boarded the Channel Orange train and, to this day, I’m not all that familiar with the record. But, unlike Channel Orange, Blonde kept calling me back. Even from my first listen, I liked Blonde, but I didn’t think it would become one of favorite albums of the year. Yet, I listened again, and again, and the full potential of this album gradually but magnificently bloomed before my ears. Now that the year is over, I would estimate that this was my most listened to album of 2016.

I don’t really feel the need to pick out and discuss particular tracks here, because I pretty much love them all. Mentioning some but not others would be a disservice. The consistently disarming melodies, dreamy and tender soundscapes, poignant lyrics, and occasionally jarring yet tasteful vocal experimentation all come together to form a cohesive, wildly successful record.

1. Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial

On the surface, Teens of Denial doesn’t seem like it should be my album of the year. It’s a 70-minute onslaught of Will Toledo’s sarcastic, often monotone rambling accompanied by somewhat standard indie rock instrumentation. Yet, this album is everything that indie music fans needed at this point in time.

First off, my above-mentioned summary of the album is not at all a fair representation of what Toledo has managed to accomplish with this record. The songs are smart, dynamic, funny, and sometimes complex. There are countless on-point guitar riffs, melodies, and passionate vocal explosions from Toledo that, dare I say, capture a level of earnestness comparable to that of Win Butler on Funeral. The album’s opener, Fill in the Blank, has Toledo expressing his distaste with, well, _________ (everything). It’s a fiery tune that sets the tone for the rest to come.

The song Vincent offers an excellent and challenging listen, with a long-winded, hypnotic instrumental intro and an overall dense song structure. Destroyed by Hippie Powers is insanely catchy, funny (the song title alone), and emotionally crushing (”WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CHUBBY LITTLE KID/who smiled too much and loved the Beach Boys?).

The accessibility of Fill in the Blank returns with Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, an excellent lead single and mid-album sing-along relief. 1937 State Park lays on more devastating lyricism, recounting a run in with the cops and Toledo’s resolve to remain stoic throughout (”I didn’t want you to hear that shake in my voice/My pain is my own”). The picture painted is almost too vivid.

Teens of Denial secures my number one spot with the absolutely stunning Ballad of Costa Concordia. This astounding tune meanders lyrically and musically throughout. It gradually ascends to a crushing mid-song climax, throughout which Toledo rattles off a a seemingly endless list of insecurities and admitted adulthood failures (”How was I supposed to know how to make dinner for myself? How was I supposed to steer this ship?). The song’s end brings no relief from this crisis as Toledo shouts into oblivion “I GIVE UP!”

Rarely does an artist put as much on the table as Toledo does here. It’s all out there, delightfully swirling around in this captivating shit-show of a record.

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