1.Beyoncé - Lemonade
Lemonade is the richter-scale-level pop culture rumble for which 2016 was primed and ready. Beyoncé drenches Lemonade in a complex mix of longing and betrayal, logic and irrationality that winds people up and casts them off to stand among the wreckage of which she sings. It transcends the often one-dimensional portrayals of women in the pop genre and redefines pop sound through an equally multifaceted range of influence, blurring R&B into country, punk and dancehall. Through the songs themselves and the inseparable visual album, Lemonade cohesively runs a confusing gamut of response to personal and cultural tumultuousness in the face of personal agony and societal inequality—from screaming “suck on my balls” in “Sorry,” to constructively organizing in “Formation” to passionate forgiving in “All Night”—artistically manifesting each emotion and validating each action. —AS
2. Frank Ocean - Blonde
Frank Ocean, one of music’s most enigmatic figures, makes a proud and bold return with his emotionally introspective and vulnerable album, Blonde. The instrumentals are a gorgeous mix of angelic perfection and devilish chaos. Ocean’s vocals guide listeners through the haze of relationships, struggle and self-doubt. Blonde deserves and demands your full attention. The album is layered beyond belief and, even after hundreds of listens, songs like “Nights” continue to reveal the smallest musical details buried deep beneath the surface. Blonde’s release gifts music fans with one of the most masterfully crafted albums in recent history with an equally breathtaking visual album, Endless, that stands tall on its own. In a year that was filled with turmoil, Blonde teaches us to look past our struggles and persevere. By acknowledging what’s bad and confusing in our lives, Blonde gives us the ability to focus on what’s good and hopeful. —LR
3. Bon Iver - 22, A Million
22, A Million, Bon Iver’s third album, marks a transition in sound and style from the band’s past work. Following a five-year hiatus from the band, frontman Justin Vernon abandons his indie rock sounds from For Emma, Forever Ago and Bon Iver for something more experimental and the results are striking. The distressed beats and vocals present throughout the album are simultaneously gripping and disconcerting, making for an album that gets better after each listen. In particular, the singles "22 (OVER S??N)" and “33 "GOD"" grip the listener from the first note, highlighting recurring themes of personal struggle and religion. With homages to Vernon’s Wisconsin roots, particularly in the song, “715 - CR??KS,” the band offers a newly defined direction for their music and pulls it off masterfully. —SM
4. Solange - A Seat at the Table
Solange surprised many with an album release hot off the heels of her sister Beyonce’s Lemonade. A Seat at the Table is an unexpected treasure. Unlike Lemonade, it is not an anthem to release anger, but an acknowledgement and a right to the anger you feel and the eventual need to relieve yourself of its grasp. The album criticizes the misguided and hypocritical “all lives matter” response and the necessity of expressing black pride. The record encapsulates the sound of healing with beautiful harmonies that float and condense the air around you. The melodies are so powerful that, if you close your eyes, they can transport you. Each song effortlessly flows to the next like perfectly matched puzzle pieces that contribute to a stunning bigger picture. The album is an ode to black self-expression and the essentiality to respect, care for and love yourself. —BG
5. David Bowie - Blackstar
On Blackstar, David Bowie’s death makes a profound impact, not just because it’s his last project before he passed away, but rather because of how intricately death is woven throughout both the lyrics and music. The album is a haunting testament of facing one’s own mortality and legacy. The lyrics speak of death as imminent; there are subtle lyrical and musical references to past works and his wheezing and belabored breathing are incorporated within the songs themselves. Aside from the dominating presence of his death, it remains one of his more strange and daring albums. The mix of jazz, electronic and rock elements help deliver a strange, otherworldly and disconcerting atmosphere to the album that helps elevate the overall theme. Blackstar is an incredible example of a deep, elaborate and cohesive artistic statement and will be canonized as one of his best for years to come.—RL
6. Mitski - Puberty 2
On her fourth studio album, Mitski distills the deeply personal, but universal longing, anxiety and grief that are birthed from young adulthood, while encapsulating the beauty and acceptance that grows out of it. The struggle to determine who you want to be among a world of people contemplating the same is a convoluted second puberty, especially in the context of a difficult 2016. In Puberty 2, happiness is a sloppy, fleeting house guest, grief is learning to love something else and “American” is a slippery illusion. Mitski sonically shatters indie rock sound and replaces the pretentious irony to which the genre often defaults with an open-wound sincerity. —AS
7. ANOHNI - HOPELESSNESS
It’s easy to fight something with a face—especially one as hideous and blubbering as our president-elect’s. However what made HOPELESSNESS an essential protest album was its focus on soulless enemies. By scrutinizing her technological foes with heartbreaking force, ANOHNI singlehandedly shifts focus away from our loudest foes to the sleekest, most efficient ones. Couple her words with booming production from Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never, and there is a cultural and political artifact capable of inciting change far beyond 2016. —JW
8. Young Thug - JEFFERY
Breaking down barriers in rap and fashion, Young Thug challenges the status quo on JEFFERY. Featuring cover art depicting Thugger in a periwinkle dress, the tape showcases massive artistic growth. Thugger pulls through with some of the best melodies, flows and cadences we have heard from any rapper in the past couple years. Young Thug jumps to a higher level with JEFFERY, shifting from being the king of melodies to becoming a contender for the throne of hip-hop with the Midas touch. —LR
9. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
This album could not be more perfectly timed. Released a few days after the presidential election, it helps to serve as a statement about the fear that hate casts among those who are marginalized. Tracks like “Space Program” and “We The People” testify how various groups are either left behind or unjustly ostracized from society at large. A Tribe Called Quest have always been known for their socially conscious outlook, but there has never been a better time for them to preach their message of inclusivity. —RL
10. Dedekind Cut - $uccessor
“Human nature” may seem like an oxymoron in 2016, when lives are equal parts flesh and plastic, mind and machine. The Dedekind Cut proves this idea false as $uccessor fosters a space where technology coexists with the primal, vulnerable spirits of humanity. The gorgeous, ambient arrangements could serve as backdrops to farms, strip malls, highways and metropolises, all with a stunning clarity. The album offers a way out from a disorienting 2016 by allowing for a pause to breathe in, as people, all that we are and nothing that we aren’t. —JW
