Carl Wilson: The Best Albums of 2016, as published by Slate
- ANOHNI — Hopelessness
- Beyoncé — Lemonade
- David Bowie — Blackstar
- Drive-By Truckers — American Band
- Mary Halvorson Octet — Away with You
- Veda Hille — Love Waves
- Miranda Lambert — The Weight of These Wings
- Anderson .Paak — Malibu
- Elza Soares — A Mulher do Fim do Mundo
- Tanya Tagaq — Retribution
Top 10, in alphabetical order
- Anal Trump — That Makes Me Smart
- Car Seat Headrest — Teens of Denial
- Chance The Rapper — Coloring Book
- Brandy Clark — Big Day in a Small Town
- Leonard Cohen — You Want It Darker
- Vijay Iyer & Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith — A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke
- Maxwell — blackSUMMERS’night
- Frank Ocean — Blond
- Angel Olsen — My Woman
- Iggy Pop — Post Pop Depression
- Margo Price — Midwest Farmer’s Daughter
- Noura Mint Seymali — Arbina
- A Tribe Called Quest — We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
- A Tribe Called Red — We Are the Halluci Nation
- Kanye West — The Life of Pablo