#ive been so mf busy and stressed these last few days

[dykedragons]

im sofuckgin tired u guys its unreal

[symmetrica]

My Favorite Music of 2016

At the end of another year, I’ve made another list of my favorite songs, albums, and cover songs of the year, as I usually do. 2016 was an interesting year for music... and by interesting I mean the worst year for new music since 2004, when I started keeping track. It’s not even close. As I predicted back in 2010, the Death of the Album hit hard this year, with quality albums decreasing by 75% or more from previous years. I only have 10 albums on my Best of 2016 list this year, rather than 30 to 50, like past years. Spotify, YouTube, MP3 players, smartphones, attention span, oversaturation of the market... they’ve all caused the Death of the Album. Hell, many of my peers can’t even identify albums by their favorite artists, much less which song goes on which album. They rarely if ever listen to music in the album format. But there are many reasons for the Death of the Album, and I don’t want to rehash them all here. Suffice it to say that, while albums were almost meaningless in 2016, artists of all genres are still regularly releasing amazing songs. Regardless, it was a weak year for songs too: I had just over 1,000 4- and 5-star rated songs in my iTunes from 2016, as opposed to over 1,400 each of the last few years. Luckily, the list was top-heavy, which resulted in a very enjoyable Top 100. Unlike past years, I won’t be commenting on the songs or listing genres, in order to save time -- I’m a busy person these days. But I’ve compiled playlists on Minilogs and YouTube that I will post so you can listen through the Top 100 songs if you’d like. Albums, EPs, and cover songs can easily be found on Spotify, YouTube, or other streaming services. Similar to past years, I combined my own tastes, my impression of what constitutes a “great song,” the tastes of music critics and peers, and my impression of the lasting value of the song in order to create this list. First up are the songs, followed by the lists for albums, EPs, and cover songs. I hope you enjoy the music!

Top 100 Songs

1) Twenty One Pilots - "Stressed Out" 2) Kendrick Lamar - "Untitled 2 (Live on Jimmy Fallon)" 3) The Avett Brothers - "Ain't No Man" 4) Sun Kil Moon & Jesu - "Needles Disney World" 5) Ramin Djawadi - "Light of the Seven" 6) DJ Shadow - "Nobody Speak (ft. Run the Jewels)" 7) Safia - "Counting Sheep" 8) Sinkane - "U'Huh" 9) Woods - "Can't See at All" 10) O Mer - "Overflown" 11) Twenty One Pilots - "Heathens" 12) The Avalanches - "Subways" 13) Rag'n'Bone Man - "Human" 14) Miner - "Lead Me to the Water" 15) Andrew Judah - "Nothing but Questions" 16) The Weeknd - "I Feel It Coming (ft. Daft Punk)" 17) Meeka Kates - "Empire (ft. Allen Ginsberg)" 18) Sun Kil Moon - "I Love Portugal" 19) My Darling Fury - "Satisfied" 20) Kutiman - "Shine Again (ft. Adam Scheflan)" 21) The Heavy - "Not the One" 22) Fairchild - "Start Again" 23) Papa - "Rain More" 24) Night Lights - "Childish" 25) Miike Snow - "Genghis Khan" 26) Mike Posner - "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" 27) Memoryy - "Out of the Dark" 28) Kent Odessa - "Palms Motel" 29) Miamigo - "Everyone I Know" 30) Safia - "Make Them Wheels Roll" 31) Bastille - "Blame" 32) Fitz and the Tantrums - "Get Right Back" 33) Fairchild - "Nom de Guerre" 34) Woods - "Sun City Creeps" 35) Ages and Ages - "As It Is" 36) Michael Nau - "Love Survive" 37) Hedge Fund - "Summer's Getting Shorter" 38) Hot Rumour - "Run to Me" 39) Andrew Judah - "Vain Confabulations" 40) Royal Canoe - "Walk Out on the Water" 41) The Avalanches - "Frankie Sinatra (ft. Danny Brown & Mf Doom)" 42) Sofi Tukker - "Hey Lion" 43) Kill J - "Propaganda" 44) Jidenna - "Chief Don't Run" 45) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "First World Problem" 46) The Heavy - "Since You Been Gone" 47) Mating Ritual - "I Can't Dance" 48) Kaye - "Honey" 49) Wild Beasts - "Big Cat" 50) Phantogram - "You Don't Get Me High Anymore" 51) Tom Bem - "Consume, Be Silent, Die " 52) The Strumbellas - "Spirits" 53) Young Guns - "Bulletproof" 54) Billy Talent - "Rabbit Down the Hole" 55) My Heart the Brave - "Runner" 56) San Fermin - "Shiver (ft. Sam Amidon)" 57) Sofi Tukker - "Matadora" 58) Jagwar Ma - "Loose Ends" 59) Tennis - "Ladies Don't Play Guitar" 60) Sleigh Bells - "Rule Number One" 61) Imany - "Don't Be So Shy (Filatov & Karas Remix)" 62) Whilk and Misky - "I Want Your Lovin'" 63) Alicia Keys - "Holy War" 64) Wild Nothing - "Reichpop" 65) Con Brio - "Free and Brave" 66) Coasts - "Modern Love" 67) Roosevelt - "Belong" 68) Glass Animals - "Life Itself" 69) The Lumineers - "Ophelia" 70) EL VY - "Are These My Jets" 71) Farewell Teddy - "Huxley, Party of One" 72) Fairchild - "Neighbourhoods" 73) Elel - "When She Walks" 74) Mike Posner - "Jade" 75) Pet Shop Boys - "Happiness" 76) Adam Jensen - "Drugs" 77) Andrew Judah - "Blue" 78) POP ETC - "Bad Break" 79) Cullen Omori - "Cinnamon" 80) Kevin Morby - "I Have Been to the Mountain" 81) Norah Jones - "Carry On" 82) James Blake - "Timeless" 83) Chairlift - "Ch-Ching" 84) Animal Collective - "Gnip Gnop" 85) Coast Modern - "The Way It Was" 86) Blue October - "Coal Makes Diamonds" 87) Lady Gaga - "Perfect Illusion" 88) Tiger Army - "I Am the Moth" 89) July Talk - "Push + Pull" 90) Fairchild - "Relevance" 91) Bastille - "Fake It" 92) Kent - "Andromeda" 93) Alex Clare - "Gotta Get Up" 94) Jimmy Eat World - "Sure and Certain" 95) Thrice - "Blood on the Sand" 96) Kai Straw - "Don't Tread on Me" 97) Junior Prom - "You, Me, and Joe Strummer" 98) Two Door Cinema Club - "Are We Ready? (Wreck)" 99) Kongos - "Repeat After Me" 100) Paper Route - "Laugh About It"

Top 10 Albums

1. Woods - City Sun Eater in the River of Light 2. The Heavy - Hurt & the Merciless 3. Jagwar Ma - Every Now & Then 4. Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones: Season 6 5. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered. 6. Coasts - Coasts 7. Umphrey's McGee - Zonkey 8. Dorothy - Rockisdead 9. Cullen Omori - New Misery 10. The Temper Trap - Thick as Thieves

Top 4 EPs

1. Sofi Tukker - Soft Animals 2. Andrew Judah - Metanoia Pt. IV 3. Andrew Judah - Metanoia Pt. V 4. Kill J - Quasi

Top 10 Cover Songs

1. Florence + the Machine - “Stand by Me (Ben E. King cover)” 2. The War on Drugs - “Touch of Grey (The Grateful Dead cover)” 3. Umphrey’s McGee - “National Loser Anthem (Radiohead, Beck & Phil Collins cover)” 4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “Shakedown Street (The Grateful Dead cover)” 5. Elel - “Let’s Dance (David Bowie cover)” 6. Umphrey’s McGee - “Come As Your Kids (Nirvana, MGMT & Dead or Alive cover)” 7. Blitzen Trapper - “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (Soggy Bottom Boys cover)” 8. Twenty One Pilots - “Cancer (My Chemical Romance cover)” 9. Say Lou Lou - “Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees cover)” 10. Unified Highway - “Losing My Religion (R.E.M. cover)”